On the desolate land, a boy stood with difficulty, his hands covering his head, emitting a painful groan.
Bang bang bang—!
Three white magic circles shattered from his body, and the mental magic that had been suppressing his emotions lost its effect. As his soul was torn apart, the extreme sorrow and pain, like a flood of ferocious beasts breaking free of its cage, filled Lin Qiye's mind.
Aunt, Ah Jin, Captain...
As his soul was torn apart, scenes from the past flashed through his mind like slides. He collapsed to the ground in agony, tears mixed with sweat dripping onto the earth, soaking large patches of mud and sand.
"Qiye, you have me here..." A flash of light flared, and Lin Xi Chen stepped out of the teleportation portal; she walked over to Lin Qiye and cradled him. She gently lowered him to the ground, resting his head on her lap.
Her voice was barely above a whisper as she soothed Lin Qiye, stroking his hair in an attempt to take his mind off the pain.
"Xiao Chen..." He was in excruciating pain, not only in his body and soul, but also in the deepest, most tender part of his heart.
He gripped Lin Xi Chen's hand tightly, as if afraid that she might vanish from this world at any moment, just like the others. "Please, don't leave me."
Hum—!
At this moment, several golden figures swept across the sky and landed swiftly beside Lin Qiye.
They frowned as they looked at Lin Qiye, who was in excruciating pain on the ground, and then turned to Xia Simeng, who was at the head of the group, as if seeking her opinion.
Xia Simeng quickly walked to Lin Qiye's side, placed her palm on his forehead, and channeled her spiritual energy into his body.
Lin Qiye's soul has now been severely damaged. He is incapable of resisting, and he is completely unaware even when the members of the [Phoenix] team come to him.
At this moment, all he could feel was endless pain and unprecedented sorrow.
A moment later, Xia Simeng's face turned ugly.
"What's going on..." Xia Simeng stood up, her eyes filled with shock as she looked at Lin Qiye.
"Captain, what's wrong?"
"His body was severely overtaxed, and his soul felt like it was being put into a blender, constantly being shredded and separated. Logically, he should have been completely destroyed in less than ten seconds, but at the same time, another force was miraculously repairing his soul..."
"One side is breaking, and the other is being repaired?" Kong Shang frowned. "I've never heard of such a thing before... What happened to him?"
Xia Simeng bit her lip, her eyes filled with worry as she looked at Lin Qiye. "If his soul were to be completely destroyed in a short time, that would be fine, but his soul is constantly being repaired... so his pain is frozen in this moment."
"What do you mean?" a girl in the team asked, puzzled.
"For example, if someone commits suicide by jumping off a building, their time is forever locked in the two seconds before death, and they can only be eternally forced to experience the pain of the moment of death again and again, unable to transcend it... Of course, the pain of having one's soul torn apart is a hundred times more painful than jumping off a building," Kong Shang explained.
"Then... is it possible to save him?"
Xia Simeng slowly closed her eyes, shaking her head helplessly, "There's simply nothing we can do about this kind of injury..."
"Don't die!"
Suddenly, Lin Qiye, who had been groaning in pain, raised his head and roared with bloodshot eyes, "Don't die... I won't let you die..."
Immediately afterwards, he managed to unleash a forbidden barrier, within which countless golden lights appeared and vanished, as if something was brewing, but could only dissipate in vain time and time again.
This sudden change startled the members of the [Phoenix] team. Kong Shang, upon seeing the golden light, pondered for a moment and then exclaimed in surprise:
"[The Mortal Realm of Gods]? He's Lin Qiye?!"
Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned and looked at Lin Qiye with a puzzled expression.
"He's the agent of the two gods? What is he doing?"
"He's trying to create a miracle," Kong Shang said somewhat uncertainly. "Perhaps... he has some unfulfilled wish?"
Xia Simeng knelt down, asking with concern, "Are you alright? What do you want to do?"
Lin Qiye's eyes began to glaze over. He lowered his head and growled in anguish, "I want to be resurrected... I want them back..."
The golden light surrounding him vanished, miracles appeared time and again, only to shatter without exception.
Lin Xi Chen bit her lip; she was unwilling to let her brother's soul remain in such a state. She took a small orb of light from her pocket and pressed it against Qiye's forehead.
The orb of light quickly dissolved, and a myriad of light rays streamed directly into Lin Qiye's body.
"Lin Xi Chen! Are you out of your mind!?" Xia Simeng watched in a daze as Lin Xi Chen handed the orb of light to Lin Qiye, only realizing too late what was happening: Lin Xi Chen had sacrificed her soul to fill the void that had been destroyed inside Lin Qiye!
Just then, a Taoist priest with his hair tied up and a hairpin slowly walked over from a distance. His coarse Taoist robe swayed gently in the breeze. At first glance, he looked no different from any other Taoist priest in the temple.
But those eyes alone seemed to hold the traces of the birth and death of all things, shining as brightly as stars.
The moment the Taoist appeared, the members of the [Phoenix] team felt an invisible force binding their bodies. Under the gaze of those eyes, they couldn't even move a finger or a glance.
The Taoist priest walked forward lightly, his coarse Taoist robe brushing against Xia Simeng's front. The latter stared intently at the Taoist priest, her eyes filled with shock.
It should be noted that as the captain of the [Phoenix] team, she is also a powerful figure at the "Boundless" realm. When the [Phoenix] team joins forces, they can even fight against mythical creatures.
But in front of this Taoist priest, they couldn't even bear a single glance.
Who exactly is he?
Lin Xi Chen sensed that the stranger was no ordinary person, yet she could not tell whether they were friend or foe; she held Lin Qiye tightly, as if to shield him with her own body.
At that moment, Lin Qiye was at his weakest—as was she—so she dared not let her guard down.
"It is good to be cautious, but I did not come here to harm you."
The Taoist walked straight up to Lin Qiye and Lin Xi Chen, pat her head and said with a soft voice to calm her down. After that he extended a finger, and gently traced lines between Lin Qiye's eyebrows, as if he were drawing something.
As the last stroke was made, Lin Qiye's body trembled, and the illusory golden light around him vanished without a trace. He seemed to have lost all his strength and collapsed helplessly to the ground.
"Qiye..." Lin Xi Chen closed eyes and sensed that his soul had stabilized; her soul was filling his, halting the process of destruction. This brought her a measure of relief and caused her guard to drop. "Thank you..."
The Taoist looked at Lin Qiye with approval in his eyes.
"Lin Qiye, your journey is longer than you imagine. Only when you can overcome this hurdle will you truly be on your own path..."
Lin Xi Chen's hand trembled as she clutched the hem of the Taoist priest's robe, her gaze fixed firmly upon him. "Is there a price I must pay? I will do anything..."
"The same goes for you, little one. Your journey is long and arduous—filled with tears and blood—but there is light amidst the darkness. Loving yourself is an act of kindness, so please don't sacrifice yourself like that."
Lin Xi Chen's hand trembled as she clutched the hem of the Taoist priest's robe, her gaze fixed firmly upon him. "Is there a price I must pay? I will do anything..."
"Don't worry little one, your sacrifice was not in vain— you have already pay the price yet it was far too high." The Taoist priest bent down and stroked Lin Xi Chen's hair; he could see the flicker of emotion in her eyes gradually fading, yet she continued to look at him with steadfastness and courage.
The Taoist priest gave his wide sleeves a gentle flick, sending a myriad of light motes drifting down onto Lin Xi Chen; under their influence, her eyelids grew increasingly heavy.
Yet, she kept a firm grip on Lin Qiye even as she closed her eyes and drifted into slumber. The Taoist priest slowly stand up and continued walking forward.
Soon, his figure disappeared into the world.
The power that had been suppressing the Phoenix team finally disappeared. They turned around abruptly, looked at each other, and their eyes were filled with horror.
Xia Simeng bent down again and probed Lin Qiye's body with her spiritual power, her eyes gradually brightening.
"How is it?" Kong Shang asked.
"His soul has stabilized." Xia Simeng was utterly puzzled. "Who exactly is that person? How did he do that...?"
"I don't know." Kong Shang glanced in the direction the Taoist had left. "Even if he were the pinnacle of human ability, he couldn't possibly suppress us all with a single glance. Do you think he might be...?"
A possibility arose in both of their minds at the same time.
Xia Simeng hesitated for a moment, then shook her head, bent down, picked up the unconscious Lin Qiye, and walked forward while Kong Shang carry Lin Xi Chen.
"Who he is may not be so important now. We just need to know that he is a friend, not an enemy. The rest... will naturally be taken care of."
Just then, Lin Qiye, who was on Xia Simeng's back, raised his head slightly and opened his eyes in a daze.
"You're awake?" Xia Simeng asked in surprise. "How are you feeling?"
Lin Qiye seemed not to hear her question, only staring blankly at the air beside him. After a moment, a smile spread across his face...
He reached out his hand, as if trying to grab something.
"Auntie, I'm back..."
Xia Simeng suddenly stopped, glanced at Lin Qiye behind her, and then looked at Kong Shang with a puzzled expression.
Kong Shang opened his mouth, then asked uncertainly, "Has he... gone mad?"