Overdraw the future and become a peerless martial god

Chapter 158 The Return of the Thunder Soul, The Gate of the Spirit Well
The two slowly descended the broken staircase, which resembled a wound in the earth's veins.

The further down they went, the lower the temperature became, and even the lightning energy began to be suppressed, as if they had entered a desolate, frigid death zone that devoured all spiritual energy. Chu Ning circulated his cultivation technique, causing his lightning heart to tremble, but it was still no match for the abyss-like chill.

After walking down a hundred feet, an ancient grotto came into view.

It was a naturally formed ice lake cave, the surface of which was as smooth as a mirror, and floating in the center of the lake was a crystal core that resembled the reflection of the bright moon but did not belong to heaven and earth.

Its entire body is shaped like a crescent moon, with a pale blue outer shell shimmering with silvery-white moon patterns, as smooth as ice and as lustrous as jade, while inside it seems to contain a tear of a snow fox. It is none other than the legendary Crescent Moon Ice Soul.

There were no guards around it, yet it possessed an ancient pressure so powerful that it made people instinctively retreat—it was neither spiritual pressure nor killing intent, but a kind of deterrence whose very existence was taboo.

Dong'er stood at a distance, her voice low and hoarse: "My grandfather said that it is not cold crystal, nor spirit ore, but a bloodline relic formed by the resonance between the 'soul of the fox clan's ancestor' and moonlight."

“My grandfather told me that if a fox’s soul does not dissipate after death, it will be solidified by the Moonlit Ice Soul… But to truly return to its origin, it must be sent to the ‘Well of the Coffin,’ which is the Fox Ancestor’s fiefdom and also the most dangerous place.”

Chu Ning raised his hand, looking at his cut sleeve and his rough, calloused left hand.

Is all this sacrifice worthwhile in order to sever ties with fate?

"I still owe you a journey home," he murmured to himself.

Dong'er remained silent behind him, her eyes and brows shrouded in the warm glow of the fox flame.

At that moment, the lake was as smooth as a mirror, the wind and snow stopped, and even the sunlight condensed into a sliver of moonlight, illuminating the icy moon.

Chu Ning stepped onto the ice bridge, each step feeling as heavy as a mountain.

The lake was as smooth as a mirror, the wind and snow seemed to stand still, and even breathing became extremely shallow.

He looked down at his reflection in the lake and suddenly felt a sense of bewilderment—if she really came, would it be a dream or a punishment?
Chu Ning's gaze was deep and focused. Lei Xin slowly released subtle electric energy and stepped towards the center of the lake.

However, just as they took their first step, a deep "thump" suddenly came from beneath the frozen lake, like the mournful cry of ten thousand souls.

Instantly, layers of ice patterns appeared on the lake's surface, each bearing an ancient, curse-like mark, attempting to drive away the intruders.

Chu Ning did not retreat. He raised his left hand, and lightning patterns surged. The fox head pendant pulsated violently in his palm, and a wisp of gentle fox flame rose from it.

The fox flames were silent, reflected on the lake's surface, and the icy lake runes seemed to recede as if seeing an old friend. A bridge of icy crystal leading to the center of the lake quietly solidified, emerging in the radiant glow of the new moon's icy essence.

Chu Ning stepped onto the crystal bridge.

With each step, Lei Gu seemed to be fighting against the ancient soul of the frozen lake; his flesh and blood seemed to be scorched by frost and snow, but his gaze never wavered.

He arrived at the center of the frozen lake, where the fox-head pendant lay quietly on the frozen moon, moonlight streaming in from the round window in the sky, its rays piercing straight through him.

He extended his left hand, covering his palm with Ice Soul.

In that instant, it was as if the entire ice lake cave had stopped breathing.

"boom!"

The heavens and earth trembled, the icy lake roared, and a silver halo burst forth from the ice, illuminating the entire ancient forest domain and revealing the long-dormant fox shadow in the pendant on his chest.

As the fox flames ignited, a phantom yet exquisitely elegant figure emerged in the moonlight.

Her silver hair cascaded down her shoulders, a crescent moon mark etched between her brows, and her snow-white robes were like frost. She lightly touched the icy lake with her toes, slowly approaching, as if stepping out from the depths of memory, serene and radiant.

She looked down and saw him.

His eyes widened in shock, and tears welled up instantly.

"...Chu Ning."

She called his name, her voice as soft as snow falling on the eaves, almost swallowed up by the wind and snow.

Chu Ning stood frozen in place as if struck by lightning, his pupils dilated slightly, his Adam's apple bobbing, but he couldn't utter a single word.

He watched her walk towards him, step by step. Fox flames bloomed like flowers beneath her feet; each step represented a distance he had longed for in countless dreams, a distance he had never been able to reach.

She finally stood in front of him, looked up at him, and smiled gently:
"You...are getting old."

Chu Ning was stunned.

He was speechless for a moment, his eyes reddened, and his heart ached. After a long while, he finally managed to utter a low, hoarse voice:

"You are still... here."

She nodded, her eyes so gentle they seemed to melt into the snow.
"I've always been by your side."

She stretched out her finger, her fingertip gently brushing across the wisp of white hair between his brows, her expression full of pity.

"Your gray hair came earlier than I expected."

"But it's also... better looking than I remember."

Chu Ning forced a smile but said nothing. He simply reached out his left hand and placed it over hers.

His palms were cold and weak, yet still firm and strong.

Qingli looked down and glanced at his empty right sleeve.

His gaze paused, and his expression trembled slightly.

She didn't ask, she just sighed softly:

"You shouldn't have lost a hand because of me."

Chu Ning chuckled softly, but her voice was as hoarse as a thunderclap:
"I'm willing to pay any price to bring you back to life."

Seeing this, Dong'er staggered backward, her bow fell to the snow, and she choked on her words:

"So, you already have someone in your heart."

She stood at the end of the ice bridge and suddenly realized that no matter how close she got, she could not step into the world between them.

That sense of emotional vulnerability is like a spirit beast encased in ice and snow, lacking even the courage to knock on the door.

Qingli looked up at the moon for a long time before whispering:
“I thought that death would free me from my fate… but it turns out I was just a heavier stepping stone. Even my soul was to be sacrificed to the heavens.”

Chu Ning paused for a moment, her eyes turning cold, but then she heard her continue:

"Do you know, Chu Ning?"

"It's not that I'm not afraid... I am afraid."

"I'm afraid you'll break up because of me, I'm afraid you'll lose again because of me."

Chu Ning slowly reached out and gently placed his hand on her shoulder.

"This time, we won't lose each other."

Qingli gazed at him, tears welling in her eyes. She wanted to say something, but in the end, she only grasped the fingertips of his left hand and murmured:
"I want to live, not to die again."

"I want to...live with you."

The fox flames flickered again, as if even the moonlight on the horizon had softened.

She slowly turned her head and looked at Dong'er, who was still standing silently on the other side of the ice bridge.

"She can guide me home."

Dong'er was startled, her face full of confusion:

"I?"

Qingli nodded:

"You have a sealed reincarnation thread within you, the aura left behind by the Snow Fox ancestor."

“You have seen me before—that year, after the first snow, you knelt outside the woods and planted a moon lotus for me.”

"You have shown me respect—you never forget to offer sacrifices to the fire on the winter solstice every year."

“You saved the fox spirit—you led the injured fox cub across the icy abyss back then.”

"These three factors are sufficient to serve as a trigger."

Dong'er stood there, stunned, unable to utter a single word.

At this moment, Qing Li's soul shadow flickered with light.

Chu Ning's expression changed, and she reached out to help, but her hand only touched a piece of snow-white clothing in the air, the hem of which fluttered slowly in the wind.

"I can't stay any longer." Qingli's voice was weak as she looked at him, her eyes filled with reluctance.

She suddenly reached out and placed her hand on his chest, and whispered:
"You must become stronger, but never again lose your soul for me."

"I don't want to see you go down that dead end again."

Her voice carried the gentlest compassion of the Snow Fox clan, as well as Qing Li's unwavering devotion to Chu Ning.

"You are no longer alone. You must live, not just for me."

"You have to win for yourself, for the path you're willing to take."

Chu Ning gritted his teeth and did not answer a word.

There were tears in the corners of his eyes, but they didn't fall.

At this moment, Qingli slowly raised her hand and traced an ancient incantation in the air bit by bit.

The fox-language eulogy, like silver flames congealing in the sky, flowed from her fingertips, each word merging into Chu Ning's consciousness.

"This is for you."

"If you wish to break the chains of fate in the future... this eulogy can break the 'shackles of the soul'."

As the last stroke fell, her figure grew increasingly faint, like a flickering lamp in the wind, about to be extinguished at any moment.

Chu Ning stepped forward:
"Qingli—"

She just smiled gently.

That smile was like the first snow falling, like the moment we first met when I turned around at the edge of the snowy forest.

Her shadow transformed into countless fox flames in the wind and snow, swirling away and returning to the icy soul of the new moon.

At that moment, snow fell from the sky.

Chu Ning closed her eyes, and tears finally streamed down her face.

"I will take you home."

"I will not retreat, no matter if it is a god or demon, a calamity or a sea of ​​blood."

The fox's flame flickered, its last rays lingering.

At this moment, the true "path to resurrection" begins to ignite—no longer just a vow, but a journey home.

……

The wind and snow quietly returned, and the world returned to its pale and silent state.

The wind in the mountains carried the faint remnants of foxfire, swirling low in the air like some kind of unextinguished obsession.

Chu Ning looked down at the pendant in his hand. The fox flame flickered like a bean, its light faint. Qing Li's remnant soul had fallen back into slumber.

Dong'er approached slowly, her gaze fixed on the pendant, her expression blank.

"She really...is beautiful," she whispered, her voice so soft it was almost swallowed by the wind and snow, her tone carrying a hint of genuine envy and a certain unspeakable sense of loss.

Chu Ning gently gripped the pendant, her knuckles turning pale.

He nodded, uttering only one word:

"Yes."

"Did she... die for you?" Dong'er suddenly asked, her tone cautious, as if afraid of disturbing some untouchable memory.

Chu Ning was silent for a moment, then responded in a low voice:

"Yes."

He gazed at the now-dormant light at his fingertips, and many distant shadows seemed to float in his eyes.

He suddenly gave a bitter laugh, his voice hoarse:

"That's how people are... When they still have something, they often don't realize that happiness is already around them. They always think there's plenty of time, but in the blink of an eye, everything has changed."

"If God really gave me a second chance... I would never ignore a single glance from her in order to become stronger."

As soon as those words were spoken, the wind and snow suddenly stopped for a moment.

Dong'er did not respond, but just stood there, quietly watching him—the man with snow-white hair, gray beard and eyebrows, and a missing arm.

Despite his broken state, he still clutched the pendant as if he were holding the entire world in his hands.

Her lips pursed slightly, her eyes showing a complex expression.

She envied—envied that woman named Qingli, who, even after many years of death, still had people who would cut off their arms and burn their souls for her, traversing thousands of miles of icy plains, just to exchange for a sliver of her soul light.

She felt a pang of sadness—Chu Ning had never shown her such an expression before, an expression filled with memories and tenderness that belonged only to one person.

She was ultimately just a passerby who accompanied him for a part of the journey, while the other person was an obsession in his heart that could not be extinguished by thunder and fire.

"She must be very happy," Dong'er whispered, her eyelashes drooping to conceal the fleeting jealousy in her eyes.

Chu Ning turned and glanced at her, a look that was both complex and calm, carrying his usual dullness and gratitude.

“I am already very grateful that you led me to the Crescent Moon Ice Soul,” he said. “But to resurrect her, I still need your guidance. This process may be very dangerous… Are you willing to take the risk?”

Dong'er paused for a moment.

She didn't answer immediately, but looked at him quietly—at the man before her, his hair as white as frost, his brows etched with the marks of time. One of his sleeves hung empty, and though his figure was upright, it was covered in the marks of decay and decay.

He was no longer young, no longer whole, but his eyes still burned with a fire she had never seen before, a fire of unwavering determination and deep affection.

At that moment, she suddenly felt a little lost.

"Why...why are you willing to go to such lengths for her?" she suddenly asked, her tone carrying a hint of bewilderment, and...an unconcealable longing.

"What does it feel like to love someone?" she asked.

He gazed at the pendant's faint light, his voice sinking into the wind and snow:

"It is knowing there is no way forward, yet still willing to be her light."

Chu Ning looked into her eyes.

As the wind and snow blew by, he lowered his eyes, and his voice rang out calmly and slowly:

"You feel like everything is fine when you see her smile."

"Whenever she frowns, you feel like you can take on everything for her."

"You traveled through thousands of miles of frost, just so that she could wake up, even if it was just to see you one more time."

"It's knowing that it will hurt, break, age, and die... yet you're still willing."

Dong'er listened, her lips trembling slightly.

She suddenly felt a tightness in her chest, as if something was stuck in her throat.

She lowered her head, her voice as soft as a whisper:
"I have never loved anyone, and no one has ever... loved me like this."

"But I think... if there were someone who would walk through the snow for me, just to hear me call his name one more time..."

She raised her head, her eyes bright and resolute:
“Then I’m willing to—guide her home.”

Chu Ning gazed at her, a flicker of lightning in his eyes. He didn't speak, but simply nodded slightly.

The two faced each other, and the wind and snow seemed to stop at that moment.

The crescent moon rose in the sky, its icy light as clear as a mirror. The fox flames flickered and reignited in his palm, and Qing Li's remnant soul seemed to sense something, trembling gently within the soul lamp—

That was the echo of the promise made by the guide.

Chu Ning looked towards the end of the snow-covered forest, where the icy lake lay quietly deep within the forest, like a tomb that had been sleeping for thousands of years.

There, according to legend, lies the "coffin" of the fox clan—Qingli's final resting place after her true return home.

A gentle vibration resonated within Lei Xin's body, like a whisper. And he knew that this journey was far from over.

The wind and snow temporarily ceased, and a faint glimmer of light pierced through the forest. Before the Fox Stele, a slender young girl knelt on the snow, her eyes lowered, her hands clasped together, tightly clutching the still-warm Shuoyue Ice Soul.

She gazed at it as if it were some unattainable token, or as if its temperature would cool in the next breath.

"Can I really... bring her back?"

Dong'er murmured softly, her voice barely audible, as if afraid of disturbing the sleeping soul, or as if afraid of breaking the little courage she had mustered.

She once thought that she was willing to make the journey home for the fox spirit because of the redemption she received in the snow when she was young; but when she actually got here, she realized that the hardest thing in the world is not making a promise, but keeping it.

She was a hunter, used to dealing with life and death, but had never faced this level of "faith".

She lowered her head, her forehead resting on the back of her hand, her knuckles turning slightly white.

Chu Ning stopped in her tracks.

He slowly turned around and looked at the figure kneeling in front of the monument—the girl who was always more resolute than many adults, but at this moment she seemed to have returned to her childhood self, terrified in the snow.

After a long silence, he finally spoke, his voice low and steady, yet carrying an unyielding warmth:

"She saved you back then, not because she wanted you to repay any favor."

“She can see that you have a pure soul.”

Dong'er was startled and slowly raised her eyes. Her eyes, which were usually sharp and adept at hunting, were now misty.

"A clean soul."

She never imagined that someone would describe her like that.

She came from the wilderness, had killed beasts, and had coldly watched others die. She thought her soul had long been tainted and cold, leaving only a hard shell to survive on instinct.

But he said that her soul was pure.

"I'm afraid..." she bit her lip, her voice almost breaking, "What if I don't do well... what if she can't come back... I can't bear it..."

Chu Ning walked slowly closer and quietly draped a fox-print shawl over her shoulders.

He stood beside her, gazing at the fox-shaped monument and the fading flames, his voice like a low rumble of thunder, yet each word was steady and firm:
You can be afraid. You can hesitate.

"But if you're willing to take this step, I'll protect you to the end."

"No matter what dangers lie ahead—I will not let you get hurt."

Dong'er stared at him blankly. At that moment, she seemed to see him no longer as a middle-aged man with a missing arm and a broken body, but as a lighthouse standing at the end of the wind and snow, backlit by the sun.

She nodded gently, choked with emotion, and only uttered a soft "Mmm," as if she had used up all her strength.

Within the fox flame pendant, Qing Li's remnant soul flickered slightly, as if sensing this unease and also her courage.

That flash was like a fox tail gently brushing against Dong'er's shoulder—both a comforting gesture and a response.

Chu Ning stared at the point of light and whispered:
"It wasn't a hunter who led her home."

"It's the person who remembers her warmth."

The wind blew again, but it was no longer biting. Instead, it felt like a long-lost relative gently wrapping the shawl tighter around the shoulders.

The snow had not stopped, and the earth still roared like a newly awakened beast.

The snow-covered forest stretched ever deeper, its branches ancient and gnarled, entwined with cold vines, each tree and shadow a stark, chilling inscription. Chu Ning and Dong'er walked through the snow, the wind tearing at their robes, their breath dissipating like a thin mist. They moved extremely slowly, as if each step was a careful weighing of its weight.

Finally, under an ancient, cracked-branch snow fir, Chu Ning slowly came to a stop.

It was a half-fallen, half-fallen dead tree, its trunk split in two, like a gaping maw. Its branches and leaves were covered with snow like a frost curtain, trembling gently in the wind, as if dragging the sky above it down even lower.

He glanced back at Dong'er, his expression gentle yet weary.

"Let's rest here for a bit," Chu Ning said, his voice calm and almost imperceptible.

The ancient tree branches drooped low like arms, creating a quiet space forgotten by the wind and snow. The snow had been cleared to reveal a small clearing, with a few withered leaves scattered around, still retaining a trace of dryness.

Chu Ning looked up at the sky; the wind was shifting, and snow was approaching.

He stood up, put on his outer robe, glanced at Dong'er who was carefully packing her belongings, and said in a low voice:
"You rest for a while, I'll go gather some firewood."

Dong'er was startled, and before she could respond, he had already turned and walked into the woods. His figure receded further and further into the wind and snow, the snow making a soft "crunch" sound, like heavy thoughts pressing down on the white snow.

Dong'er stood there, holding half a piece of dried meat in her hand, her knuckles tightening slightly, but suddenly she lost her appetite.

She gazed at that somewhat somber figure, a feeling she couldn't quite describe welling up inside her.

Even with one hand missing, he still went to gather firewood for her.

The left hand emerged from the heavy cloak, its knuckles rough and its palm bones like iron, while the sleeves were slightly worn from enduring too much wind, snow, and lightning. Chu Ning stood very straight, but could not hide his exhaustion.

For the first time, Dong'er felt that some things were heavier than thunder and swords.

She looked down at her intact fingers and clean, tidy clothes, but felt like a child who had been overprotected.

"It's clearly me who should go."

She murmured something, but ultimately didn't chase after them. Instead, she silently piled the fallen leaves into a small circle and used a knife to shave a few twigs for starting a fire. She knew she couldn't stop them, nor could she win against them.

Not long after, Chu Ning returned carrying a bundle of dry branches. Snowflakes covered her hair, making her white hair even whiter and her temples even more frosty.

He walked slowly but steadily, each step leaving a mark, as if he were crushing the weight of time.

A pang of sadness welled up in Dong'er's eyes. She quickly took the firewood and bent down to start a fire. She wasn't very good at this, and it took her three tries to light the tinderbox. When the flames flickered, she let out a long sigh of relief.

The firelight ignited, illuminating the two people's features, while the surrounding snowflakes danced lightly, and the world suddenly gained a touch of warmth.

Chu Ning brushed off the remaining snow, sat by the fire, and slowly exhaled.

“This firewood is still fairly dry,” he said, his voice still low.

Dong'er looked at him covered in wet snow and was about to brush it off for him when Chu Ning got up and sat cross-legged.

"I need to meditate for a while to adjust my lightning breath." He paused, his gaze falling on her, his tone softening. "Don't go far, just stay by the fire."

Dong'er nodded, but her tone carried a hint of stubbornness:

"I can stay by your side."

Chu Ning didn't answer, but just looked at her intently.

Dong'er read a thousand words in that one glance.

It was a gentle reluctance to let her risk her life again, a stubbornness that regarded "protection" as an instinct.

She watched him sink into cultivation, the lightning energy gradually flowing back, the lightning in his sea of ​​consciousness slowly gathering. His profile, with his eyes closed, appeared exceptionally serene in the firelight, the torn sleeve rising and falling slightly with his breath, like a scar etched in her eyes.

Dong'er sat gently with her knees drawn up to her chest, gazing at the firelight and at him.

The snow continued to fall slowly, but a shadow lingered in Chu Ning's heart, like a black line pressing on his soul, refusing to dissipate.

From that day on, the instant the soul of the Ghost Throat Girl shattered, Tun Yuan pounced like a hungry wolf, dragging her soul into the depths of her sea of ​​consciousness, and then fell silent.

It wasn't that it was asleep, but rather... it disappeared too quietly.

Chu Ning had tried to probe its aura many times during meditation, even eliciting a probing reaction from Lei Xin, but to no avail. In the center of his sea of ​​consciousness, the Devouring Abyss Soul, which should have lurked like a shadow, did not even show a trace of its soul.

It's so quiet.

It was so quiet, like some kind of abyss was brewing an echo.

"What...what were you after you swallowed her?" Chu Ning murmured softly, her fingertips unconsciously rubbing the pendant in her palm.

He had considered using the power of the Devouring Abyss.

He knew that power—the one that had shattered the enemy's soul when he was at his weakest, and that had pulled him back from the brink of death. It was a blade, and also poison; it was a hurdle he had to overcome.

But he knew even more clearly that it wasn't his own power.

But he had no time to think about these things. Qingli was about to be resurrected, and what he lacked most right now was strength.

At this moment, he looked more like a gambler who had lost desperately.

From the moment Qingli died, all his obsessions turned into an arrow, only knowing how to move forward and never looking back.

He knew that to revive Qingli, he needed not only the Shuoyue Ice Soul, the Fox Head Pendant, the Sacred Ground of the Coffin, and a guide... but also enough power to support the entire ritual.

The power that is truly not controlled by fate.

Thunder Heart swelled within his body, and the five-colored lightning had already stabilized. He had already repaid the price for the previous advance payment of the "Five Thunder Heavenly Heart Technique" since killing the Nether Throat Maiden.

He just dragged his feet and waited, but the cost of the advance payment from the gods was getting higher and higher, and he dared not make another advance payment.

But at this moment, he dared not wait any longer.

"Qingli's soul cannot be shattered again."

"Dong'er cannot follow in her footsteps because of me."

Chu Ning closed his eyes, and the thunder runes of the Five Thunder Heavenly Heart Technique slowly appeared in his mind. That thunder core was hidden deep within his spiritual platform, like a fallen star; if it was not suppressed, it would backfire at any time.

He gritted his teeth and uttered a sentence in a deep voice:
"Primordial Divine Decree, activate advance payment!"

In an instant, his divine sense spread out like a tidal wave.

The Primordial Divine Decree slowly appeared in the sky above the sea of ​​consciousness, like a boundary marker hanging high, with lightning marks slowly moving on it, as if the world had just been created.

Then, an ancient and majestic voice echoed in the sea of ​​souls:
[The current leader has already repaid the advance payment for the "Five Thunder Heavenly Heart Technique"]

[Activate Current Advance Payment]

[Matching Divine-Rank Cultivation Technique: Thunder Armor - Divine Forging Technique]

[Testing conditions met: Lei Gu Kai, Lei Jin Tong, Lei Pi Ning, advance payment possible]

[Price: Permanent blindness in the left eye]

[Is the second advance payment confirmed?]

Chu Ning's mind was as firm as iron, and he spoke without hesitation:
"Advance payment".

—In an instant.

The sea level of the Sea of ​​Knowledge rose sharply.

"boom."

A thunderstorm swept through his sea of ​​consciousness, causing the five-colored thunder heart to tremble violently. Thunder waves surged like collapsing mountains and tsunamis. The Primordial Divine Decree hung high above his spiritual platform, slowly lowering countless talisman chains, as if a divine hand had personally arrived to begin "teaching him how to forge armor."

Phase One: Initial Bone Armor
Lei Xin throbbed within his sea of ​​consciousness, his bones being reshaped. Streaks of lightning, like silver snakes, burrowed into his spine, sprouting bone-spiky lightning branches that slowly climbed from his shoulder blades to his arms.

A thin, lightning-like armor appeared on Chu Ning's body, as if a spiderweb tightly wrapped the lightning patterns around his ribs. He trembled slightly, sweat beading on his forehead, but he gritted his teeth to steady his breathing.

This is not armor, but the first external casting of "Thunder Path Consciousness".

Under the withered tree, Dong'er was standing by the fire, holding a short blade in one hand and whittling dry firewood with the other.

The campfire cast a shadow beneath her eyelashes. Her expression remained calm, yet her movements grew increasingly forceful. Unbeknownst to her, the blade sliced ​​her fingertip, drawing out a thin trickle of blood that, when blown by the wind, condensed into a cold bead.

She didn't cry out in pain, but just stared blankly at the drop of blood, as if she had forgotten why she had started the fire in the first place.

—The scene from just now kept replaying in my mind.

The remnant soul of Qing Li, radiating soft light, gently stroked the white hair between Chu Ning's brows. Those fingers were so gentle, so tender, as if something still existed in this world.

She suddenly had an impulse to rip the silver fox tail ring off her wrist, throw it into the snow, and then crush it.

The firelight flickered, and she glanced at Chu Ning again. He sat under the roots of a tree not far away, his torn sleeve swaying in the wind, one left hand resting on his knee, his face appearing deep and weary in the firelight.

She knew that the man wouldn't be looking at her.

"If one day she really comes back... will I still be by her side?"

His eyes were always fixed on another person. The woman who was dead, yet could still summon thunder and flames.

Yet, ironically, it is this very man who sacrificed his arm and burned his soul for his former love that she finds increasingly unable to detach himself from her heart.

Dong'er took a deep breath, secretly wiped the corner of her eye with the back of her hand, but said nothing, only silently tightening the silver ring again—even tighter.

She knew she couldn't afford to lose her composure.

Because he still needs her.

Because the debt of gratitude owed to that snow fox has not yet been fully repaid.

"I will take her home," she whispered, her voice so soft it was almost inaudible.

But she herself could hear her own heartbeat—each beat a sound she couldn't tell if it was fear, resentment, or... excitement.

Suddenly, the wind and snow froze silently.

Chu Ning's entire body crackled with lightning, five-colored arcs of electricity crisscrossing his body like ink lines, his meridians burning, and even the snow was forced into a depression by his aura.

She stood up in astonishment, watching as a barely perceptible purple lightning mark appeared at the corner of Chu Ning's left eye.

The lightning energy surrounding him, like breathing, possessed a rhythm of "life".

"Is this... him practicing martial arts?" Dong'er whispered, her voice trembling slightly, whether from shock or an overwhelming sense of awe.

Within the sea of ​​consciousness, the forging continues.

Phase Two: Skeleton Armor
The Primordial Divine Decree rotated faster, and the Thunder Soul condensed.

A phantom slowly rose from Chu Ning's body, as if it were another divine body of his, constructed inch by inch by bone lightning, with a crack between his brows and runes like branding marks.

In this form, Chu Ning's upper body was covered in bone armor, with his spine, sternum, and shoulder armor covered by lightning bones. He slowly raised his hand, his arm armor resembling the spine of a thunder hammer, and every movement stirred the flow of heaven and earth.

The wind and snow exploded into vortexes, and the ancient trees in the mountains and forests, which had already withered, suddenly trembled. Their branches and trunks shattered, and their charred bark burst open, revealing the silvery-white bone patterns inside, as if they had been baptized by thunder and fire.

The pale snow was illuminated by this flash of purple lightning, and the world seemed to be forced to hold its breath.

But the divine command did not cease.

Third Stage: Thunderous Body
"Om-"

Thunder and fire surged within his soul sea. He saw his body automatically constructing tendons and flesh on his thunder bones, with thunder patterns leaping within his tendons, echoing like the sound of war drums in the bloodstream.

On the exoskeleton, muscles are woven like lightning bolts, wrapping inch by inch around the arms, chest, and back, like a god in armor, the killing intent already solidified before the blade is even seen.

"This is... the Thunderous Outer Garment." Chu Ning sighed softly. He felt the power in this new body, like thunder and flames, connecting his soul, spiritual root, and bones into a unified whole.

Dong'er watched as the ground began to crack, the snow layer collapsed, the rocks cracked like a spider web, and lightning energy penetrated the earth's veins.

"Wake up! This place is going to collapse!" she shouted to Chu Ning.

Meanwhile, within the sea of ​​consciousness, the core of the Thunder Heart trembled violently, and the Thunder Heart within the sea of ​​consciousness slowly expanded, compressing the five-colored lightning into a single point before exploding.

At this moment, the longbow and the thunder blade materialized from the phantom's hand—the bow like a cold moon, the blade like a fang piercing thunder.

Chu Ning drew his sword and stood there, the Thunder Bow hanging on his back. The air currents between heaven and earth surged erratically, the wind swirled back three zhang, and the snow curtain was split into a spiral-shaped airspace.

However, this was not the complete form of Lei Kai.

The sky roared, thunder and mist churned in the sea of ​​consciousness, and the Primordial Divine Decree exuded an unprecedentedly heavy aura.

"The armor is not yet fully forged... but you are worth a try."

Phase Four: Thor's Armor
As the voice fell, the divine command was fully unfurled, and lightning patterns, like a sun wheel, were engraved on the Soul Platform.

"--boom!"

A shadowy figure of a thunder god slowly rose, its body a hundred meters tall, with thunder wings on its back, blades in its arms, and armor of thunder domain. In its sea of ​​consciousness, it opened its pupil-less divine eyes in fury.

Chu Ning's physical body was completely covered by "Thunder Armor".

It was a suit of armor without any metallic luster, yet as heavy as if it were cast from the heavens—the chest was embossed with five thunder patterns, the ribs were crisscrossed with thunderous spines, the shoulder armor was like clouds pressing down, the helmet had no face, only a purple-gold tear pattern hanging down between the eyebrows, like a god weeping, or like a vow.

As the lightning armor took shape, a wolf's howl ripped through the night sky. Dong'er gripped her bow tightly, catching a glimpse of a blood-red eye flashing through the forest.

[The Thunder Armor has four forms, which are activated according to the strength of the Thunder Lord's aura.]

[Advance payment completed]

[Paying the Price: Successfully Repelling the Beast Tide]

As thunder roared and the Primordial Divine Decree trembled violently, purple-gold thunder patterns suddenly spread from Chu Ning's brow and pierced his left eye.

"boom!"

In that instant, he felt as if a scorching lightning blade had ripped open the depths of his consciousness, and his left eye’s vision collapsed rapidly. The original firelight, snow shadows, and the outline of heaven and earth crumbled, darkened, and blurred inch by inch—as if thousands of stars had been drawn from his pupil, leaving only darkness to engulf him.

"Click."

The purple patterns on the altar suddenly exploded, piercing deep into the pupil core, like thunder and fire exploding inside the eye.

The pain was far more intense than the moment my arm was severed.

He heard the blood roaring in his eardrums, his senses in disarray. At the same time, his right eye suddenly tightened, and a thin trail of blood slid down from the corner of his eye. It wasn't bright red, but rather purple-gold lightning blood, carrying a subtle electric current, which sizzled and burned a scorch mark on the snow.

Just before his left eye completely collapsed, he managed to make a glimpse of something in the distance.

The terrified look on Dong'er's face when she ran over.

She watched helplessly as the lightning tore his pupils apart and the purple light faded. The wind and snow reflected her figure, but she could no longer enter his left-hand field of vision.

His world was reduced to only half light.

Chu Ning took a deep breath, her voice hoarse:
"……it's over."

He did not fall.

He slowly opened his only eye, his right eye.

In that eye, countless bolts of lightning surged, and the world seemed to be being reconstructed:

The speed of the wind and snow, the fluctuations of the earth's veins, and the gathering and dispersing of spiritual energy all revealed to him a kind of almost primordial lightning path.

—The cost brings destruction, but also reconstruction.

But he would always remember the price: it was for one person, and also so that no one else would die in his place.

He slowly lowered his head and picked up the fallen pendant from the snow.

The fox's flame still lingered, flickering weakly, like a drop of lamp oil that had not yet been extinguished, patiently waiting in the wind and snow.

Within the pendant, Qingli's remnant soul floated gently. She gazed at him quietly, her eyes filled with pity and pain, yet powerless to share his burden in the slightest.

Chu Ning gently stroked the edge of the pendant, his knuckles turning white from the cold. His left eye was completely shrouded in darkness, leaving only his right eye, where purple lightning danced, like a solitary thunderbolt burning.

Dong'er rushed to his side, her voice trembling:

"You...your eyes...!"

Chu Ning slowly turned his head, his right eye flashing with lightning-like energy.

"I can still see you."

He spoke very softly, as softly as a whisper, yet it overwhelmed the entire snowstorm.

Dong'er stood there, stunned.

At that moment, she truly saw the man's loneliness for the first time. He had white hair, a missing arm, and was as if cast from ice and iron, yet he still had a heart willing to protect others to the very end.

Her tears suddenly fell. Her lips trembled slightly; she wanted to say something, but couldn't utter a single word.

The wind kept blowing. The snow still hadn't stopped.

The thunderous breath slowly subsided within him. He had traded half his sight for a path destined for the extraordinary. And in his heart, he silently recited only that simplest of words:
"I can still walk. At least... I can still bring you home."

……

They walked for a day.

At this moment, the sky and earth were shrouded in darkness, and the snow curtain pressed down like ink splashed across the mountains and rivers, as if frozen in some kind of state.

The snow no longer falls lightly, but rather rolls down layer by layer from the sky, as if an invisible coffin lid is slowly closing on the earth.

Beyond the wind-eroded cliffs in the distance, a massive mountain range stretches diagonally across the landscape. The snow-covered peaks, gnarled and bare like withered beasts coiled up, resemble a dead, ancient god, sealed away in this boundless world of wind and snow.

A faint murmur drifted through the air, as if the souls buried here a thousand years ago were still restless, churning and roaring beneath layers of frost.

Chu Ning stood atop the snow-covered peak, gazing at the massive gorge ahead.

That was a ravine revered as the gate to the ancestral spirits of the fox clan, a legendary passage leading to the "Well of the Coffin." Unknown to the world, the "well" was not a body of water, but rather a "Well of Falling Souls" set up by the fox ancestor—to guide souls back to their ancestral home; its bottom was as deep as an abyss.

What is buried is not just bones, but also the loss of foxfire and destiny.

Dong'er stood beside him, the oppressive atmosphere before her making it almost impossible for her to breathe.

The wind here no longer howls, but rather weeps silently, licking at our eardrums inch by inch; the snow no longer flies, but falls like rusty blades, slowly cutting into the fear deep within our souls.

Her fingertips were white, and her lips were tight.

This is not a sacred place.

This is the world of corpses.

It is a cold, ancient realm that only the dead dare to enter.

"Is...this the place?" Her voice was as low as a wisp of smoke.

Chu Ning remained silent, only slowly taking out the crystal-clear "Shuoyue Ice Soul" that shone with the cold blue light of the moon from his bosom.

It burned quietly in his palm, like a solidified star, its faint light barely illuminating, yet seemingly able to pierce through three layers of sky.

He handed it to Dong'er.

"We can start now."

Dong'er took it with both hands; the chill penetrated to her bones, almost piercing her soul. She instinctively wanted to withdraw her hands, but was tightly bound by the faint moonlight.

“I…I have never truly guided a soul to the dead,” she said, her voice trembling, her breathing ragged. “Let alone…her.”

Chu Ningjing gazed at her silently, without saying a word.

The Ice Soul in Dong'er's hand shimmered faintly. She gritted her teeth and tried to hold it tight, but found that her knuckles were trembling.

"Will I... fail?" Her voice was so soft it seemed it would vanish at any moment. "If I can't bring her back... what will you..."

Her voice went hoarse halfway through her sentence.

She wasn't afraid of ghosts, but rather afraid of not being good enough.

I was afraid I wouldn't be able to withstand that unknown power, and I was also afraid that I... would let him down.

She gripped the Shuoyue Ice Soul tightly, looking at Chu Ning with a bewildered gaze.

He noticed her hesitation.

At this moment, she was neither a hunter nor a guide, but simply a girl standing on the edge of a snowstorm, swept along by fate.

Chu Ning finally spoke.

The voice was deep and resonant, like a faint rumble of thunder cleaving through the oppressive atmosphere of heaven and earth.
"will not."

"Don't be afraid, I'm here."

He gently placed his hand on her shoulder, his warm palm seemingly out of place amidst the wind and snow, yet like an unshakable support.

She suddenly looked up.

He slightly raised his sleeve, his white hair flowing in the wind, and a purple lightning bolt in his right eye seemed to press the entire frosty sky into his eyes, or as if he hid all loneliness and compassion in his heart.

Thunderous energy silently resonated within his body, subtly altering the natural energy of heaven and earth.

"Chong-"

A deep and distant thunderclap resounded from within him, like a thunderclap calling to his bones, and the thunderous energy suddenly surged.

Under Dong'er's astonished gaze, circles of pale silver lightning patterns slowly crawled out of Chu Ning's chest, like a spider web or a winding lightning snake, densely entwining and growing little by little along his ribs, shoulder blades, and spine.

It was neither metal nor real bone, but a net of battle bones woven from pure lightning breath—thin as lightning gauze, fine as a lifeline, yet carrying a chilling divinity.

The wind and snow suddenly swerved around him.

An invisible wave of energy swirled across the land, causing snow to pour in and condense beneath his feet. A circular pattern of lightning spread from his feet, with electric sparks coiling around the branches like a tree canopy.

Between heaven and earth, only he and Dong'er remained, standing in the heart of thunder and snow.

Dong'er's eyelashes trembled slightly; she had never seen such...the power of "beauty".

It wasn't the terror of slaughter, but the overwhelming force that crushed heaven and earth, yet still protected her unwavering resolve.

Chu Ning nodded slightly.

"Let's go."

Her fingertips trembled slightly, but she still nodded gently in the end.

She raised the Crescent Moon Ice Soul, and within that icy crystal, fox shadows appeared and disappeared, like countless dormant soul flames awakening.

The first glimmer of light emerged from the deepest part of the well.

Then came the second, the third...

Countless icy blue foxfires silently flew out from the scattered snow, behind broken branches, and beneath cliff bones.

They seemed to be summoned by some voice, returning towards the New Moon Ice Soul.

A soul-guiding lamp has already been lit.

Starlight, like a river, like a tide of souls, slowly converges.

The wind has died down.

The snow has stopped.

Thousands of foxfires, like fireflies, surrounded people.

Step by step, they entered the Soul Gate of the Well of Coffins.

That was a road of no return, a path guided by fate.

(End of this chapter)