Overdraw the future and become a peerless martial god

Chapter 202 Soul Lock with Five Patterns, Shared Fate and Cause

Chu Ning regrouped his soul and the lightning subsided.

But he knew that the hardest key was yet to come.

—"The Key to the Blood Pact".

In an instant, the illusion of battle scars around him vanished, the mirror domain collapsed, and only the purple-gold key seal remained floating in his palm.

He stared at the key, but his mind was not truly at peace.

Chu Ning never regarded the "Soul Lock Trial" as a simple test.

It penetrates the soul more deeply than any battle.

Composition is a reflection of self-awareness;
The source of life is the possible confrontation with fate.

As for the third key... he vaguely understood that it was not about fighting an "enemy," but about confronting one's "obsession."

His fingers trembled slightly—not from fear, but from alertness.

A warning from the depths of the soul's sea is quietly rising.

A tiny thread is piercing through a certain point between the destiny chart and memory, trying to awaken—the emotions he had deliberately suppressed.

Ripples spread once more from the depths of the monument, like the flames rising slowly before the altar. A drop of soul blood fell from the void and landed in his five-patterned core.

At that moment, Lei Yue trembled slightly, and a blurry figure was faintly projected within the Soul Lock.

That was the most profound "karmic imprint" in his soul chart.

Lei Jingjing.

Her spirit stirred slightly, appearing before she spoke.

Chu Ning closed her eyes and slowly exhaled:

"So... this key requires me to gamble with her."

If it fails, the thread will break, and cause and effect will collapse.

Lei Jingjing would then lose her soul forever and never return to the lamp.

The sound of the monument was a low sigh, like a withered leaf falling into a deep pool:

"This is the forging of the Soul Lock master, and its execution requires bearing the destructive price of a single thread of cause and effect."

Almost at the same time the sound of the monument fell, in the far reaches of the Soul Pavilion, at the place where the lamp was kept.

Lei Jingjing was focused on the blue lamp in front of her that represented Chu Ning's soul. The lamp flame was steady, reflecting her calm face.

However, just as Chu Ning's heart pulse trembled violently due to the ancient soul thread suspended in the air...

Without warning, the flame at the center of the lamp flickered upwards, extremely faintly and for an extremely brief moment.

It was as if I were being blown by an invisible wind.

Lei Jingjing's long eyelashes trembled suddenly, and her fingertips unconsciously curled up.

An indescribable throbbing, as if an invisible thread had suddenly tightened around my heart, swept over me so quickly that I couldn't grasp its source.

She frowned slightly, her gaze lingering on the now-calm lamplight, a hint of confusion and unease flickering in her eyes.

Chu Ning was completely unaware of this; he was enduring the tearing sensation from the pull of the soul threads.

He slowly closed his eyes, the five lines on his palm resonated in unison, and his soul sea churned.

He murmured, each word seeming to be carved from the depths of his soul:
"She can't die."

As soon as he finished speaking, he resolutely raised his finger, his fingertip wrapped with his purest soul power and the causal thread that had been forcibly drawn out and connected to Xie Mingli's fate, transforming it into a blood-red imprint burning with the flames of his soul, and resolutely piercing into the center of the suspended ancient seal.

"Om-!"

Heaven and earth are upside down, time and space are distorted.

A vast, mirror-like illusion, as large as the sky, suddenly unfolded, its cold light reflecting off another silent, flowing river.

It's still the Soul Map Pavilion.

But the light here is older and more solidified, and the air is so heavy it seems as if it hasn't moved for a thousand years.

There were no intense fluctuations in the soul diagram, no hushed discussions late at night, and no figure who always arrived uninvited, bearing scars or an air of arrogance.

Only her.

Lei Jingjing.

She sat upright before the enormous ancient book of soul diagrams, her posture still straight, yet she resembled a jade sculpture forgotten in time.

The cold lamp representing her soul hovered to her side, its flame steady without the slightest flicker, emitting a constant yet cold bluish-white light that cast a long, lonely, and icy shadow of her.

The ancient books turned their pages, making a monotonous "rustling" sound that echoed hollowly in the deathly silent hall.

Her gaze was fixed on the depths of the book's pages, yet it was so empty that it reflected no light or shadow of any words, as if she were merely fulfilling an instinct that had long been ingrained in her bones.

Those eyes that once sparkled like stars in Chu Ning's eyes, brimming with wisdom and occasional cunning, are now nothing but a silent, frozen lake.

The picture flows.

She walked silently through the long corridor of the Soul Map.

Outside the corridor, one could occasionally see groups of two or three cultivators walking by, chatting and laughing. Their voices carried a faint, vibrant energy.

One of the couples seemed to be deeply in love; the man was whispering something, and the woman covered her mouth and chuckled softly, her eyes brimming with undisguised warmth.

Just at this moment.

Lei Jingjing paused for an extremely subtle moment.

Her gaze did not actually turn to the couple; it seemed as if she was merely glancing casually at the empty space outside the corridor.

However, her tightly pursed lips, which almost never curved, pressed down slightly more.

Deep within the frozen lake in her eyes, there was a ripple that even she herself hadn't noticed.

It was a kind of desolation that was almost bewilderment, which was quickly swallowed up by a deeper, deathly silence, as fast as a shooting star, and then vanished without a trace.

She withdrew her gaze and continued walking, her figure appearing even smaller and more...lonely in the empty corridor.

There was no pain, no struggle.

Just living day after day, year after year, is like that cold lamp, eternally bright, yet it can never illuminate itself, nor warm even an inch of the surrounding space.

This is a slower, more thorough attrition than death, a suffocating grave wrapped in a thick cocoon called "security."

Outside the illusion, Chu Ning's soul felt as if it had been thrown into ancient ice, and was being repeatedly cut by an invisible, blunt knife.

"This is... what her 'peaceful' world looks like without me?"

A sharp, torrent of pain and absurdity overwhelmed his mind.

He saw the empty eyes, the cold lamplight, the deathly silent hall, especially that moment of desolation and the even deeper stillness… all of this was like countless red-hot needles, piercing deep into his soul. It wasn't guilt.

The guilt is too mild.

It's suffocation!
It was the suffocating feeling she experienced, a feeling that penetrated to the very marrow of her bones!

What he brought her was the danger of being bound by chains, the turmoil of wandering, and the shadow of her soul being annihilated at any moment...

Even in those days of constant danger and uncertainty, there was still a glimmer of light in her eyes, and her flame flickered and warmed because of him.

The seemingly "peaceful" Lei Jingjing in front of us is merely an exquisite empty shell walking in eternal solitude.

"No... this is not preservation."

This is murder… the cruelest way to bury her soul alive! Chu Ning’s heart roared.

After the intense pain, an even more surging and burning will burned and condensed wildly in his chest—what he brought her, even if it was a path full of thorns and raging fire, was far better than this seemingly calm and peaceful but actually cold tomb that buried all life.

He wanted her to live, to truly live, to live with flesh and blood, with joy and sorrow, even if the price was to fall into the abyss with him.

The sound of the monument, like cold iron clashing, rang out again, hammering that cruel rule into his soul:
"If you relinquish the lock, she will be preserved. If you retain the lock, she will be forced to reflect the soul map with you, their fates intertwined. If either of them collapses, both souls will perish."

As the words "both souls annihilated" were uttered, the illusion did not immediately disappear.

Between Chu Ning and Lei Jingjing's figure in the illusion, two extremely thin, almost transparent soul threads suddenly appeared.

A blazing, molten gold-like streak, entwined with unyielding lightning and intricate life patterns, belonged to Chu Ning.

A lamp spirit, as cool and clear as moonlight, yet containing profound wisdom and unwavering resilience, belongs to Lei Jingjing.

At this moment, the two strands of soul were forcibly twisted together by the invisible hand of fate, tightly, fragilely, and inseparable.

They depend on each other, their light flowing, as if forming a miniature symbiotic soul map.

However, this point of entanglement is frighteningly fragile, as if it could be caused by the slightest malicious fluctuation of fate, or by any violent collapse within one of the soul threads.

The scene flashed suddenly: the golden lightning soul thread representing Chu Ning snapped abruptly due to some kind of enormous impact.

At the very moment of the break, the intertwined Moon Soul Threads representing Lei Jingjing, like a lit fuse, collapsed and vanished without even a whimper.

Along with the lonely figure in the illusion, it was like a reflection in water being smashed by a boulder, instantly turning into nothingness.

This symbolic scene of destruction, with its absolute cruelty and coldness, was deeply imprinted into Chu Ning's soul.

More directly than any words, it proclaims: choosing to bind two lives together means binding them to the same chariot, to live together and to die together, with no turning back.

"Your choice." The inscription on the monument sounded like a final judgment.

Chu Ning remained silent. That silence was not one of hesitation, but rather an absolute stillness, a compression of the tumultuous pain and realization, reduced to a freezing point.

He slowly raised his eyes, his gaze piercing through the illusion, as if he saw the green lamp in the distant world that guarded him, and the real, vibrant woman beside the lamp who worried about him, was angry because of him, and whose eyes ignited with sparks because of him.

In the depths of his eyes, there was no longer any frost or coldness, only a resolute determination, hot enough to burn away all obstacles, after breaking through the ancient ice.

"If she loses her peace forever because of this, then I will bear the consequences for her for a lifetime!"

"If this soul map ignites because of her, then let it ignite my life!"

His words were like a vow, resounding like thunder.

"Zheng——!"

The Soul Chain in his hand trembled in response to the oath.

The five soul runes instantly erupted with an unprecedented blood-gold light, no longer simply lightning power, but infused with his life essence and his undying obsession.

As the five Soul Lock patterns were connected, the Thunder Moon Pattern rotated endlessly in the Soul Sea, with thunderous energy swirling around it and the patterns resonating in unison. At its core, a faint "Master's Halo" slowly emerged.

That was not a technique generated by any Soul Lock itself, but a sign of authority that resonated with the rules of the entire Realm Lock—the qualification of the Pavilion Master was awakening from its slumber.

The moonlight soul thread that symbolized Lei Jingjing's life soul in that illusion was suddenly pulled by the power of the five patterns of the soul lock, crossing the boundary between reality and illusion, and connecting with the thunder moon soul diagram at the core of Chu Ning's soul lock.

A crystal-clear mark, 'First Seal of the Main Cause,' jointly engraved by the power of the Soul Diagram and the entanglement of cause and effect, instantly formed at the core of Thunder Moon, as stable as an ancient star.

"The Blood Pact Key, the imprinting complete." The solemn voice of the monument fell, carrying a weight as if witnessed by heaven and earth.

"From this day forward, all those whose fate is intertwined with yours under your soul lock will resonate with the Soul Map. If you rise, you will rise together; if you fall, you will fall together."

"The soul is bound by the full pattern, and the cause and effect bind us."

The illusion vanished completely.

Chu Ning slowly opened her eyes.

Within the sea of ​​souls, there was an unprecedented clarity and transparency, as if it had been cleansed by that do-or-die vow.

The Thunder Moon Soul Diagram, symbolizing self-reconstruction and control, hung high above. Beneath it, the five patterns of the Soul Lock flowed steadily, their light contained within, no longer conveying any sense of isolation.

Because, at the edge of the halo of the Soul Lock, under the reflection of the clear moonlight, an extremely faint yet incredibly tenacious and warm light followed closely—that was Lei Jingjing's lamp soul imprint.

It was no longer cold, but exuded a gentle yet firm warmth, like the morning star that never goes out at the end of a cold night, faint yet eternally shining in the deepest part of his soul, reminding him of the weight he carried and giving him a glimmer of light to move forward.

Chu Ning slowly opened his eyes, his soul sea clear. Under a thunderous moon, the soul lock was no longer isolated, but a lamp followed him, faint yet ever-present, forever illuminating his heart.

—The three keys have been obtained.

Chu Ning slowly exhaled a long, bloody breath, as if to expel all the tearing, burning, and pressure he had endured during the trial.

Deep within the Soul Sea, the Thunder Moon Soul Diagram, reshaped by the Key of Soul Construction, tempered by the Battle of Life Source, and branded by the Key of Blood Pact, is radiating an unprecedentedly stable brilliance. Beneath it, the five patterns of the Soul Lock flow and blend seamlessly, releasing an overwhelming and unstoppable sense of power.

The sea of ​​the soul is clear and bright.

But this clarity is not a clear blue sky, but rather a mirror lake, reflecting the ancient stars and the endless abyss, like something that has been scorched by fire and reduced to nothingness.

The lake was calm and still, clearly reflecting the trajectory of the Soul Chain runes and the brilliance of the Thunder Moon. However, beneath the surface, a heavy undercurrent was surging.

That was the mark left by the "blood pact": his deeper and more specific concern for Lei Jingjing's safety had turned into an invisible shackle, closely connected to his beating heart.

Every pulse reminded him that from now on his fate would no longer be a solitary journey, and every risk of falling would stir the lonely lamp in the distance.

This responsibility was far heavier than a thousand pounds, weighing heavily on his heart, even overshadowing the pure joy of obtaining the three keys and controlling the core power of the Soul Lock.

A feeling of exhaustion crept up from the depths of my soul like a tide.

This is not physical exhaustion, but a temporary depletion of spirit and will after undergoing three trials of the soul.

The frantic screams of "death reflected in the body," the cruel scene of "both souls annihilated," and Lei Jingjing's suffocatingly lonely figure in another timeline...

The emotional impact of all this now reverberated like a belated aftershock beneath his seemingly secure soul lock.

His gaze unconsciously drifted towards the depths of his soul sea, beneath the thunderous moon.

At the edge of the halo of the five-patterned Soul Lock, an extremely faint yet tenacious light and shadow followed closely—that was Lei Jingjing's Lamp Soul Mark.

It is no longer cold, but exudes a soft and constant warmth, like the morning star that never goes out at the end of a cold night, faint, but indelible.

(End of this chapter)