Overdraw the future and become a peerless martial god

Chapter 229 Shattering the Altar, Guiding the Light Back

A near-mad light erupted in Qing Li's eyes.

All calculations and all possible escape routes were thrown to the back of their minds.

All that remains is the most primal and resolute instinct.

She stopped trying to break free from the deadly suction and instead used it to push her body forward with all her might.

At the same time, his bloodied right hand gripped the silver-white short blade tightly, not aiming it at the skeletal giant, but instead using all his strength to plunge it fiercely into the dark rock of the altar base, which was engraved with countless ancient blood-red runes.

The target—the altar itself!
"Smash it!!!"

Clang——! ! !
The short blade pierced the base of the altar.

It wasn't so much that it pierced into rock, but rather into a viscous and resilient energy barrier.

The ear-piercing metallic scraping sound was accompanied by dazzling sparks flying everywhere.

The short blade could only penetrate half an inch before it could go no further.

But enough.

The instant the short blade pierced the runic barrier, Qingli recklessly unleashed the last, most violent power she had gained from burning her soul core, along with the faint purple lightning remaining in her palm's flesh and blood, belonging to the shattered lightning seal, and... the guiding power transmitted from the Soul-Guiding Stone pressed against her chest, which was of the same origin as the Soul Source Marrow Light—the three combined like explosives with a lit fuse, flowing down the short blade and fiercely into the altar's runic barrier.

Om-! ! !
The entire ancient altar, like an ancient well to which stones have been thrown, suddenly trembled violently.

The violently pulsating light of the soul essence at the top suddenly stopped.

The ancient runes on the altar's surface, flowing with dark blood, instantly became incredibly bright and restless, as if they had been thrown into boiling oil and cold water.

The light spread wildly from the point where the cyan glass pierced through, like a circuit that had gone out of control.

Boom, boom! ! !

An even more terrifying roar than the previous Soul Source Marrow Light eruption came.

The entire cavern was shaking violently, as if the end of the world had arrived.

At the top of the altar, the raging ball of soul essence light seemed to have lost some kind of core restraint, suddenly shrinking inward, and then—

boom! ! !
An indescribably thick, milky-white beam of light, composed purely of the essence of life, erupted from the top of the altar like an ancient dragon breaking free from its cage.

It pierced through the towering dome of the cave in an instant.

Faced with this irresistible force, the rocks of the dome were easily torn apart and vaporized like paper.

A massive passage leading to the unknown outside world was forcibly blasted open.

The raging wind and snow from outside rushed in instantly.

The devastating vortex of death, along the path of the erupting beam of light, was silently and completely annihilated, like ice and snow under the scorching sun.

Along with the giant skeletal golem that launched the attack, its massive skeletal body was instantly covered in cracks as the aftershocks of the beam of light swept over it. The eerie green soul fire was extinguished like a candle flickering in the wind, and then with a crash, it completely collapsed, turning into a pile of ashes and bone dust.

The remaining seven skeletal giants, under the terrifying pressure of the bursting light pillar, were as if struck by an invisible giant hammer, staggering backward. The bones on their bodies disintegrated rapidly under the dual impact of life and death, emitting painful, silent groans, and temporarily losing their ability to move.

The raging beam of light did not stop; like a giant axe splitting the heavens and earth, it continued to bombard the dome, widening the passageway.

The entire cave began to collapse amidst violent tremors.

Huge rocks fell from the dome like raindrops.

Qingli was violently thrown away by the terrifying shockwave generated by the burst of light pillar, her body crashing heavily to the ground like a kite with a broken string.

This time, she didn't even have the strength to cough up blood. Her vision was completely swallowed by darkness, and her consciousness was like a candle flickering in the wind, ready to be extinguished at any moment.

Only his right hand remained tightly gripping the hilt of the short-bladed sword stuck in the altar base, as if it were the last straw connecting him to life.

In the last second before her consciousness completely sank into darkness, she saw a glimmer of warm light in her blurred vision.

The ball of soul essence light, originally the size of a fist and pulsating violently, shrank by more than half after erupting into a pillar of light that pierced through the heavens and earth, leaving only a ball the size of a pigeon egg.

It seemed to have exhausted its violent power, and its light became soft and restrained, while the pure life essence became even more condensed.

As if possessing a spirit, it broke free from the constraints of the altar's top, transforming into a warm, milky-white stream of light. It gracefully traced an arc through the collapsed cave, precisely... disappearing into her slightly open robe, which was taut due to her severe injuries, and pressed against the location of the soul-guiding stone on her chest.

An indescribable, gentle yet powerful current of life instantly enveloped her cold, broken body and her soul on the verge of collapse.

Like parched earth receiving long-awaited rain, she felt a glimmer of hope for life in the moment she sank into darkness.

Immediately afterwards, a huge black rock, shaken off by the beam of light, carrying a destructive shadow, crashed down on her head where she had collapsed.

Thousands of miles away, deep in a cold forest.

Chu Ning's breath had become so weak as to be almost nonexistent. His ashen face was like plaster covered in dust, and the rise and fall of his chest was so faint as to be almost imperceptible.

Between his brows, the several hideous soul cracks writhed like living things, emanating a chilling aura of death.

Dong'er knelt in front of him, her hands still pressed against his chest and brow, but her face was as pale as paper, and her fingertips trembled violently from the excessive output of soul power.

The fragments of the Sequence Stone in her palm had long since lost their luster, turning into ordinary pebbles.

She could barely sense the existence of Chu Ning's soul core anymore, as if that last faint flame would be completely swallowed up by the endless darkness at any moment.

Despair, like cold vines, coiled around her heart.

Even though she had experienced many hardships and seen through life and death, she couldn't help but feel a sense of desolation at this moment, as if she were powerless to change anything.

“In the end…it still…” she whispered, her voice slightly hoarse.

However, before she could finish speaking—

hum! ! !
An unimaginable, pure, and powerful aura of life essence, so strong that it made her soul tremble, suddenly erupted from Chu Ning's heart without warning, as if it had traversed endless time and space.

It's a soul-guiding stone!

That Soul-Guiding Stone that is deeply bound to Qingli's Soul Core!
At this moment, it was pressed against Chu Ning's cold chest, bursting out with an unprecedentedly warm white light.

The light was not dazzling, but it contained a vast vitality that could bring withered trees back to life and make stagnant water boil.

Within the light, a milky white halo, about the size of a pigeon's egg and resembling liquid moonlight, could be faintly seen swirling around.

Soul Source Essence Light!

Moreover, it is the most core essence, guided by the Soul-Guiding Stone and transmitted across space.

A terrifying glint suddenly burst forth in Dong'er's withered eyes.

Shock, elation, and disbelief intertwined in her eyes. "Marrow Light... Return to Guidance?!" she exclaimed almost involuntarily.

This was completely beyond her comprehension.

The Soul-Guiding Stone can actually serve as a conduit to transmit the core essence of the Soul Source Marrow Light from the Eye of the Ruins across space?!
What an incredible bond and what incredible coincidence that must have been required!

There was no time to ponder how this miracle happened.

Dong'er reacted instantly.

She abruptly withdrew her hand from Chu Ning's brow, her hands forming an extremely intricate ancient fox seal, like butterflies flitting among flowers.

He rapidly recited obscure syllables.

The remaining soul power in his body poured out without reservation, transforming into countless cyan soul threads with the power to comb and guide, which wrapped around the milky white light that erupted from Chu Ning's heart.

"Use the soul as the bridge! Use the seal as the guide!"

"Gather the essence! Reshape the soul core!"

"Imperial Edict—!"

With her final clear shout, the warm white light enveloping the soul essence, guided by countless cyan soul threads, flowed like rivers flowing into the sea, slowly yet irresistibly seeping into Chu Ning's cold, shattered chest and merging into the depths of his almost extinguished soul core.

At the very moment the marrow light merged—

Chu Ning's ashen body jolted violently.

The several hideous, writhing soul cracks between his brows stopped expanding instantly, like ice thrown into a raging fire.

A faint, yet incredibly pure, milky-white light, like a newly sprouted bud, struggled but tenaciously emerged from the deepest, most deadly part of the soul rift.

The wind and snow in the cold forest seemed to sense some kind of sudden change, and the wailing stopped briefly.

Chu Ning's body was as if it had been forcibly pulled back from the abyss of death by an invisible giant hand, and he arched upwards abruptly.

It was no longer a dying spasm, but a violent, extreme reaction as if life was being forcibly injected into it.

His face, ashen as plaster, lost its life force at a visible speed, replaced by an almost transparent pallor, which was then flushed with an unusual redness.

"Pfft—!" A large mouthful of thick, black blood, exuding a strong, foul, and rotten smell, erupted from his mouth like a volcano that had been suppressed for too long.

Black blood splattered on the cold snow, making a sizzling sound and corroding into wisps of blue smoke, mixed with strands of twisting, writhing gray-black matter, as if a death curse had been forcibly forced out of his body.

As he coughed up the blood, the rise and fall of his chest suddenly became clear and powerful.

Although still weak, its faint breath, like a candle flickering in the wind, seemed to be infused with new fuel, stubbornly reigniting.

The several grotesque, lifelike soul cracks between his brows were now filled and covered by a pure and restrained milky-white light.

The light was not dazzling, but it carried an undeniable, life-restoring power, forcefully mending those fatal cracks.

The newly formed, extremely subtle soul runes, like vines in early spring, are spreading, growing, and intertwining along the edges of the old cracks with difficulty and determination.

Soul Core Reconstructed! Life Rekindled!
An indescribable joy and shock erupted from Dong'er's barren eyes.

She stared intently at Chu Ning's chest, where the light of the Soul-Guiding Stone had completely faded, returning to a gentle and restrained state, as if it had exhausted all its power.

However, the Soul-Guiding Stone itself did not shatter. Instead, after absorbing the primordial aura of the Soul Source Marrow Light, a very faint milky-white halo flowed across its surface, creating a slight resonance with the newly formed Soul Core in Chu Ning's heart.

"It worked...it actually happened..." Dong'er's voice trembled with disbelief. The return of the Soul Source Marrow Light core essence, the wondrous passage of the Soul-Guiding Stone, and her relentless guidance and manipulation—these three indispensable elements—created a miracle that forcefully pulled Chu Ning back from the brink of death.

She dared not delay, immediately composed herself, and formed hand seals again, carefully guiding the remaining gentle power of the Soul Source Marrow Light within Chu Ning's body to nourish his newly formed, extremely fragile Soul Core and to smooth out the newly sprouted Soul Patterns.

This is a delicate and lengthy process; if not handled carefully, the newly formed soul core may collapse again due to an imbalance of power.

Time passed amidst the intense rescue efforts.

The darkness of the forest was gradually dispelled by the first light of dawn on the horizon.

The wind and snow gradually subsided, leaving only a biting chill.

Finally, when the first faint ray of dawn pierced through the sparse, withered branches and fell on Chu Ning's pale but now revitalized face, his thick, raven-feather-like eyelashes trembled very slightly.

Then, those eyes, which had been closed for too long, slowly opened.

Dong'er's heart tightened suddenly, she stopped what she was doing, and stared intently, holding her breath.

What kind of eyes are those?
Clear, like freshly melted snow water, yet carrying a sense of emptiness and bewilderment like that of a newborn baby.

Deep within his pupils, he saw reflections of withered branches, a gray sky, and Dong'er's gaunt and tense face.

Gone was the profound depth of the past, gone was the burning will of thunder, gone was the excruciating pain and obsession... only a near-pure blankness, and a trace of bewilderment at the unfamiliar world that had just awakened.

He... woke up.

But... how much does he remember?

Chu Ning's gaze moved slowly, still somewhat dazed from just waking up, and finally landed on Dong'er's face.

He tilted his head slightly, his brows furrowing very slightly, as if trying to discern something.

His lips moved a few times before emitting a dry, hoarse sound, like sandpaper rubbing together.
"Who...are you?" The voice was filled with pure confusion and unfamiliarity.

Dong'er's heart sank. The worst-case scenario... damage to her consciousness, confusion or even loss of memories.

The Soul Source Essence Light reshaped his Soul Core, saving his life, but it failed to fully repair the deeper trauma to his Sea of ​​Consciousness caused by the "Soul Consciousness Bridge" and the collapse of his Soul Core.

"I am Dong'er." Her voice was as calm as possible, with a hint of barely perceptible probing. "The well guardian of the Fox Ancestor's fiefdom. Don't you remember?"

“Dong…’er?” Chu Ning repeated the name, her eyes still blank, as if she was struggling to search through the ruins of her memories, but ultimately found nothing.

He slowly raised his hand, awkwardly pressing it against his still throbbing brow. "Fox Ancestor... Guardian of the Well..." he murmured, his eyes filled with even more confusion. "Who... am I? Why... am I here? My head... hurts so much..."

The blank in his memory brought immense unease. He subconsciously looked around; the unfamiliar, desolate forest, the icy snow, the dead trees—everything made him feel out of place and filled him with a vague sense of panic.

He struggled to sit up, but his body was as weak as cotton wool. As soon as he lifted his upper body, he felt a violent dizziness and fell back down.

"Don't move!" Dong'er immediately pressed him down. "Your injuries are extremely serious, and your soul core is just beginning to form. You need to rest!"

Chu Ning was held down, her body stiffened for a moment, and then she obediently stopped struggling, but the unease and confusion in her empty eyes became even more intense.

He looked at the only person he knew helplessly, like a lost child.

(End of this chapter)