Overdraw the future and become a peerless martial god

Chapter 188 Someone is on the other side, waiting for you in the wind.

A gust of wind appeared, and a woman stood amidst the shattered starlight, clad in tattered armor, stained with blood, her aura as faint as a candle flame that had burned out.

She looked at Chu Ning, her expression as cold and hard as a stone statue, but her tone was extremely soft:

"I swore to protect her until my death."

"But this place asked me: 'If you die, will she truly live on?'"

She paused, her eyes trembling slightly.

"I...hesitated."

Before she could finish speaking, her figure disintegrated in the wind, turning into countless afterglows that vanished silently.

—It wasn't that she didn't try her best; rather, the problem itself shattered her belief.

Immediately afterwards, another soul shadow appeared.

He was a young child, his features indistinct, but his eyes were so pure they were chilling. He didn't speak, but simply held out his hand to Chu Ning, his palm revealing a piece of paper so blurry it was unrecognizable.

But at that moment, Chu Ning suddenly understood its meaning.

It's not about understanding the words, but about "understanding the intention".

That was a question that pierced straight to the soul:

"If you had no past, no name, no identity label or mission, would you still continue?"

It was as if they were asking him:
Who are you? Do you do things because you have to, or because you want to?

The wind stopped.

A spark rose silently from the depths of darkness, illuminating Chu Ning's eyes.

He opened his mouth, his voice dry, as if dug from the deepest corner of time:
"I can."

He repeated it in a low voice, as if making a promise to something:
"Not because I remember who I am."

"But rather—I recognize those hands that I have held before."

"Some people have lived because of me, and some people have died for me."

"I cannot forget, nor dare I forget."

"So I will walk this path to the end, whether the end is light or the abyss."

Suddenly, the world trembled.

An ancient, distant, and elusive aura flowed through the void.

The voice remained silent for a long time before finally speaking again.

It betrayed no emotion, yet seemed to carry a low, suppressed sigh:

"The answer is not standard."

"Your willpower is up to par."

"Permission granted. Boundary Lock upgrade."

In the next instant, the silver-gray soul imprint on Chu Ning's chest suddenly became blazing hot, lightning surged like a tidal wave, and the soul wheel vibrated like a drum. His entire soul consciousness seemed to be forcibly torn apart, reassembled, and tempered by an invisible force from the "depths below the realm".

That wasn't a promotion; it felt like a price was being forced into one's very being.

Each line is like a breath of fresh air.

The world fell silent.

The voice slowly sank into the deepest realm, as if it were also hesitating, confirming, and waiting for some will to finally settle.

Finally, it rang again.

This time, the voice was deeper and slower, like an ancient star falling into the sea of ​​souls.

"I acknowledge you as the successor of the Primordial Master."

"Bestow upon me the soul authority of a first-rank pavilion master, grant me the key to the boundary lock, hear the questions of this realm, and answer the questions of its lock."

"boom."

In an instant, the silver-gray soul imprint on Chu Ning's chest burst open, no longer a flow of "authority cracks", but the entire soul consciousness structure was taken over by a "more ancient format".

His Thunder Soul began to undergo violent reorganization, and the Five Elements Thunder Cores emerged in his Soul Sea, like five furnaces, faintly forming the initial pattern of the "Soul Lock Pattern Array".

Meanwhile, the boundary lock imprint quietly revealed a third soul light inscription, faintly reflecting an extremely complex "pavilion master's seal" pattern—like a palace suspended upside down above an invisible top.

Chu Ning almost lost his balance, a metallic taste rising in his mouth, but he did not fall.

He knew this wasn't an improvement, it was a burden.

Just as his soul was being reshaped, Chu Ning felt a sudden tremor deep within his heart.

It did not originate from within the body, but rather from some extremely distant and familiar echo of soul energy, surging inch by inch from the deepest part of the realm.

The soul's aura was extremely weak, as if separated by layers of annihilation, or like a lingering thread stubbornly pulling him through the chaotic abyss.

He suddenly looked up, gazing into the depths of the torn void.

The fog dissipated.

A figure quietly emerged from the wind trails.

She wore a tattered soul robe, her long hair was tied up, and a half-broken soul-guarding talisman hung at her waist. The runes on the talisman were severely eroded, but it was still releasing wave after wave of soul domain fluctuations at an extremely slow frequency, maintaining a local "stable barrier" like a trapped beast.

—Chu Yun.

She stood there, motionless, her eyes reflecting a "younger brother" she no longer recognized.

She finally spoke, her voice hoarse and low:

"Ning... Brother, is that you?"

At this moment, Chu Ning seemed speechless.

He walked forward step by step, very slowly, as if afraid that each step would shatter the "miracle" before him.

He didn't truly see her until he stood right in front of her.

Her eyes remained clear, but the exposed skin on the back of her neck was covered with a spiderweb-like gray patch, as if it had been continuously scorched by some kind of "projection from the underworld".

The gray spots gleamed faintly with a cold light, quietly creeping up the back of her neck.

That's contamination, not a wound.

This is the price that "the other shore" left her with.

He looked down and his gaze fell on the broken Soul Guardian Talisman at her waist.

The runes were already peeling and mottled, and the soul light was as weak as a bean. Now it was slowly collapsing from the edge, as if it would burn out its last bit of power at any moment, and even this last protection was about to fail.

This talisman does not possess the power to resist the "projection from the other side".

Its true function is to seal the soul within itself, severing all external perception and connection, thus preventing the contamination from spreading further.

The price is that consciousness is forcibly compressed to its deepest depths, like a spark dormant under ice, only able to maintain a minimum level of awareness through instinct.

Chu Yun survived thanks to this Soul Guardian Talisman.

It wasn't for resistance, but for hiding.

She wasn't protected and endured until today; instead, she used this talisman to "hide" herself from the world—hiding in loneliness and nightmares, hiding in the many years he was late.

“…Sister.” His voice finally rang out, but it was trembling with a tremor he had never shown before.

Chu Yun didn't answer, but just stared at him blankly, as if confirming, or as if he didn't dare to confirm.

The man before me is no longer the cold-faced, fierce-blooded youth.

His hair turned white.

His temples were as white as snow, his left eye was dull and lifeless, his right arm was empty, and half of his body was wrapped in the burn marks of thunder souls, yet his aura was as powerful as the sea.

"Ning-ge'er, you..." she finally opened her mouth, her tone broken, "...how did it become like this?"

Chu Ning shook his head without explaining.

He extended his left hand, his fingertips slowly touching the nearly extinguished Soul Guardian Talisman at Chu Yun's waist. A wisp of soul energy quietly emanated from the lightning seal between his brows, struggling to stabilize it.

"Sister, how long have you been here?" he asked softly.

Chu Yun lowered his head and said slowly and deliberately, "Three years...and four more months."

She smiled, as if she were talking about an insignificant number.

"Uncle Lei said, 'You must hold on, Chu Ning will definitely come to save you.'"

Chu Ning's throat tightened.

“I’m three years late—but I’ve finally arrived.”

Chu Yun reached out and stopped him from finishing his sentence, his gaze shifting to the lightning marks on his face. His fingertips traced the silver-white scar on his forehead, and his voice trembled slightly:
"...What exactly have you been through these past few years?"

"How did you become like this?"

She stood in front of Chu Ning, her eyes still fixed on him, a layer of long-suppressed bitterness and pain hidden between her brows.

Chu Ning chuckled softly, her voice as faint as a lingering sound in the wind.

"If you knew, you would be even less willing to let me come."

Chu Yun didn't ask anything more, but simply stepped forward and hugged him.

This time, it was a real hug.

The wind swept slowly from the depths below the boundary, without thunder or starlight, only an extremely quiet breathing sound, like the corner of the woodshed on a snowy night in his youth, where Chu Yun held his feverish and unconscious younger brother, not sleeping all night.

At this moment, the Soul Lock quietly subsided behind Chu Ning, and the Boundary Lock Inscription bowed slightly, as if in this belated reunion, it silently gave them a moment of peace.

Chu Yun finally let go, but did not immediately back away.

She didn't immediately ask him where he had gone, nor did she immediately recount the torment she had endured over the years.

She just stared at his face, as if trying to superimpose this almost unfamiliar man on her memory, inch by inch, the boy who smiled at her and said, "I will protect you."

"Your hair has turned white... and even your hands..."

"Aren't you naturally the most arrogant person? How could you let yourself get hurt like this?!"

Chu Yun's voice had been very low at first, but by the last sentence, it had risen almost uncontrollably. She bit her lower lip hard, as if desperately trying to control the torrent of her emotions.

Chu Ning listened quietly without interrupting.

Chu Ning looked at the fine tears welling up in her sister's eyes, a mixture of subtle anger and sorrow, like an old wound aching from the wind.

He simply raised his left hand, flicked the broken sleeve behind him, and fully exposed his bare right shoulder. His expression was calm, but his eyes were gentle.

"It's worth it as long as you're still here."

"As long as you're still standing in front of me, it doesn't matter if I'm even more disabled."

Chu Yun's breathing tightened, and tears finally slid down her cheeks.

She didn't avoid it, nor did she try to hide it; she simply turned away gently, raised her hand to wipe the corner of her eye, and her voice choked with emotion:
"...Ning-ge'er, why are you still like this?"

“When you were little, you had a high fever, but you still left that hot steamed bun for me, saying, ‘I can’t eat it, you go first, sister.’”

"And now? They're even willing to trade their lives for it."

Her voice grew softer and softer until it was almost inaudible.

Chu Ning slowly approached and whispered, "Let's go, sister. We shouldn't stay here any longer."

Chu Yun looked up at him, her eyes swirling with emotion, as if she had finally made up her mind. She nodded, but did not take a step immediately.

"Are you going to take me out?"

"Wait. There's one more person you must take with you."

Chu Ning was slightly taken aback and turned to look at her.

Chu Yun stared intently at him, her tone lower than before, yet more resolute:

“She’s Uncle Lei’s daughter.” She paused, her gaze slightly lowered, as if recalling something, or perhaps entrusting it to someone:

"She... is your betrothed wife."

Chu Ning stood there, her brows furrowed, clearly not expecting to hear those words from her.

Chu Yun simply smiled gently, a smile that contained a hint of mockery, but also an overwhelming tenderness.

"You know, right? Uncle Lei mentioned it once during our escape, saying that you're stubborn and she's cold, so you're a good match. I took it as a joke at the time... but later he really asked me to protect her if he was gone."

He said, "You are not bound by marriage, but... because you are family."

She sighed softly, her gaze falling on the soul imprint lightning mark on Chu Ning's shoulder, as if looking through the long passage of time and calamities at a younger brother she could no longer recognize.

"Uncle Lei lost his life for my brother and me."

"Now, it's your turn. Go for his daughter."

Her tone was very soft, yet each sentence grew heavier than the last.

Chu Ning did not respond immediately.

He lowered his head, his fingertips slowly tightening, a complex interplay of light and shadow appearing between his brows, as if he wanted to say many things, but in the end it all turned into a dry whisper:
"So...fate really is so cruel."

Chu Yun did not respond, but lowered his eyes and touched the nearly extinguished Soul Guardian Talisman at his waist, his fingertips trembling slightly.

"When he left, I was kneeling on the edge of the boundary pressure, unable to even lift my head. But he used his last bit of soul power to lift me out."

"This talisman was given to me by him before he died."

"Thanks to it, I've kept it hidden for so many years and survived until now."

As she finished speaking, she raised her head and looked at Chu Ning. There were no tears in her eyes, but rather a weariness and determination that had been worn down by time and faith.

"You've arrived now."

"Then you should take Jingjing out for him."

"It's not to pay off debts."

"It's because before he died, he only said one sentence: 'After I'm gone, have Chu Ning go and pick her up.'"

The wind whispered between them, like the murmur of someone from a distant past. It traveled through time, through life and death, finally settling here, landing on their shoulders.

Chu Ning slowly raised her left hand, slightly unsteady due to the loss of her right arm, but still stubbornly held Chu Yun's hand.

He responded softly, his voice carrying a calm that carried the weight of wind and snow overshadowing thunder:

"I'll take her away."

"I'll take you with me too."

Chu Yun nodded, finally giving up and leaning against him for a moment.

Chu Ning slowly exhaled and looked towards the end of the illusory barrier.

“Miss Jingjing…she is still staying at the Floating Pavilion.”

Chu Yun nodded and said, "Over the years, she has been guarding the edge of the Soul Lock under the name of an envoy, never asking for a reason, nor asking for a title."

Chu Ning said in a low voice, "She cleared the way for me."

Chu Yun looked at him solemnly: "Then, go for her sake."

Chu Ning nodded.

He slowly raised his right palm, and the silver-gray Pavilion Master's Soul Seal in his palm slowly lit up. The power of the inscription, like an inverted palace phantom, rotated slightly above his soul sea, creating a subtle resonance with the deep soul pattern structure of the void realm.

—This is the original awakening of the "Master Pavilion Master's Authority".

He silently recited the command, and a new soul imprint projection immediately appeared in his consciousness:
[Floating Pavilion Realm - Soul Imprint Binding Channel]

This mark circulates in a star-like chain, with a faint glowing symbol prominently displayed at the central soul core:
[Binding Status: Lei Clan Envoy - Soul Imprint Left, Bloodline Interchange Channel Can Be Sensed]

Chu Ning's eyes narrowed, his palm trembled slightly, and the central authority immediately relayed a new result:

[Boundary Lock Perception: Bloodline Channel Resonance Successful, Summoning Conditions Met—Initiate Summoning?]

Without hesitation, he lightly tapped the seal with his fingertip.

In an instant, a silver line shot straight out from the palm, piercing through the Soul Gate barrier, like a star trail reflected in the sky, heading straight for the floating pavilion.

At this moment, Lei Jingjing stood alone outside the Wind Eye Soul Array, silently gazing in the direction where Chu Ning had disappeared. The wind was chilling, the starlight was fierce, and she never moved an inch from her spot.

Just then, a ray of silver lightning suddenly pierced through the air and landed precisely on the soul imprint between her eyebrows.

Her body trembled violently, her sea of ​​consciousness shook, and the "Sealing Boundary Auxiliary Soul Imprint" immediately lit up, lightning energy surged back, and an ancient authority command suddenly appeared like an embedded soul pattern:
[Summoned by the Pavilion Master - Unlocks the Sealing Array - Accesses the Main Soul Imprint Realm]

Instinctively, she drew her lightning blade with her other hand, her soul energy instantly condensing, her entire being on high alert, her aura sealing off the surroundings in an instant.

Before she could even make a move, a gentle yet irresistible soul force surrounded her from all directions, engulfing her consciousness and body like a tidal wave.

A gust of wind arose, souls surged, and the portal of light suddenly opened, as if the world had been emptied in an instant.

Her vision blurred, she lost all sense of gravity, and all she could hear was the deafening roar of the wind and the wailing of souls.

When she opened her eyes again, she was already standing in an unfamiliar gray-white soul domain.

She steadied herself by kneeling, and her first reaction was not confusion, but rather a rapid scan of her vision to determine whether this place was an illusion or a projection of an array.

The environment was tranquil and ancient, yet the pressure on the soul was as deep as a well, and everything exuded an indescribable sense of "non-boundary".

Her heart sank.

There is only one possibility that could forcibly drag her into this place without harming her soul—the "Soul Seal Summoning" technique with the authority of a Pavilion Master.

But she still did not put away the lightning blade.

The next moment, she saw what was ahead.

Chu Ning.

There was another woman standing beside him.

Lei Jingjing's pupils contracted slightly.

It wasn't because she knew who the woman was, but because of Chu Yun's condition.

Her expression was calm, her eyes clear, yet her soul seemed to have been torn apart by something deep within; half of her long hair hung down to the side, and one hand naturally wrapped around Chu Ning's empty right shoulder.

At that moment, Lei Jingjing's movements suddenly froze.

She stared at the hand, at the gesture.

Deep within his soul, he was struck by a memory that was both extremely distant and incredibly clear.

That was when she was six years old. At night, a wildfire struck the village. Lei Wanjun held a blade in one hand and protected her in his arms with the other.

That hand encircled her, shielding her from the wind, snow, and hostility of the world.

Lei Jingjing's knuckles slowly loosened.

At this moment, Chu Ning stepped forward, his expression somber and solemn.

His voice was soft, but he spoke slowly and deliberately, as if he had already recited each word a thousand times in his heart:
"I know you don't owe me anything."

"But I owe your father my life."

"He risked his life to protect my sister."

"Now... if you are willing, I will protect you on the rest of the way."

As soon as she finished speaking, the hem of Lei Jingjing's soul robe swayed slightly, and something slipped out of her sleeve with a "snap".

It was an old knife tassel, long faded and badly worn at the edges, yet the small thunder-patterned seal in the center still glowed faintly.

She was stunned.

That was the only thing Lei Wanjun ever carried with him, and it was also a personal item she had secretly sewn into the corner of his soul robe when she was a child.

She picked up the knife tassel and gripped it tightly in her palm.

After a long silence, he lowered his head and spoke very softly:

"...So, that statement was true."

Chu Ning asked softly, "Which sentence?"

She took a deep breath: "He said... 'Wait for him to come pick you up.'"

Chu Ning's eyes widened slightly, and his throat tightened.

Chu Yun stood aside, not interrupting them, but simply looked up at the Soul Lock Void Realm that was slowly closing, as if bidding a gentle farewell.

She said softly:

"Let's go."

“Our family has been here... for far too long.”

Lei Jingjing stood beside Chu Ning and Chu Yun, her eyes still churning with emotion. Her fingertips gently caressed the old knife tassel, as if she had not yet fully recovered from the words, "He said he would come to pick you up."

The Gate of Soul Locks has been opened, and a faint light floats ahead, rippling like water, even the sound of the wind carries a quiet echo.

Chu Ning glanced at her, about to call her to come along, when she saw her suddenly stop.

She turned around gently, her gaze falling back to the vacant exit of the virtual world that was about to close.

The depths of the void were silent, with only the lingering breath of the soul still rippling beneath the star platform, as if the place where Lei Wanjun had once stood was still waiting for someone.

She didn't say anything superfluous, only a soft whisper, almost lip-reading, yet it pierced through the entire illusory world:

"father."

“I… have found the ‘home’ you were talking about.”

After saying this, she slowly lowered her head, her fingertips lightly touching the tassel of the knife, and then released it.

The old tassel was tossed into the void by the breeze, quietly settling among the starlight and dust.

She turned and walked back between Chu Ning and Chu Yun, without looking back.

The Soul Lock closes, the Light Gate falls silent.

And that gentle, belated response finally landed on the unspoken promise between her and her father.

The light screen of Yipin Pavilion slowly opened, and the Soul Gate trembled.

While supporting Chu Yun, Chu Ning extended her left hand and guided Lei Jingjing's fingertips.

In that instant, Lei Jingjing's eyes widened, and she looked at him with slight surprise. But she didn't pull away in the end; instead, she gently grasped the warmth of his palm, as if responding to something long overdue.

The three of them stood side by side on the Soul Chain.

The wind surged from the depths of the void, but it was no longer cold. It seemed to be gently gathered by the soul energy on their bodies, swirling into a very shallow and soft breeze that brushed past their feet.

The Boundary Lock Inscription vibrated quietly on Chu Ning's chest, revealing a faint silver arc. The light passed through the soul shadows of the three, pausing slightly at the point where they clasped hands, as if imprinting the connection of their bloodline and beliefs into the depths of the Soul Realm.

Chu Yun suddenly turned his head subconsciously and glanced at Lei Jingjing.

Her gaze was neither scrutinizing nor polite; she simply reached out her other hand in the wind and very naturally touched the corner of Lei Jingjing's sleeve.

The movement was so light it couldn't be lighter, yet it landed steadily on her arm, like a mother taking the hand of her young daughter, or like an elder sister silently accepting her love.

Lei Jingjing held her breath for a moment, a deeply hidden emotion surfacing in her eyes—not moved, nor excited, but a sense of belonging that she hadn't felt in a long time.

She didn't turn around, but before stepping into the portal, her gaze lingered briefly between Chu Ning and Chu Yun.

That glance, so light, seemed to quietly set off a long dream.

Then, she took a step.

The three walked side by side through the portal of light.

A gentle breeze stirred, as if an ancient voice whispered from behind the distant gates of the soul:

"You don't need to argue anymore, the new head of Yipin Pavilion has emerged."

(End of this chapter)