Di Ying's pain grew more unbearable, her entire body curling in on itself. At first, she could still let out weak cries of agony, but now, only hoarse, meaningless sounds rasped from her throat.
"Di Ying!" Di Xiao's heart twisted in anguish. He no longer had the heart to question Yun Jin, rushing forward and holding Di Ying tightly in his arms. He desperately pushed his spiritual power into her body, hoping to alleviate her suffering.
But it was useless.
Di Ying's expression grew grayer and grayer, her life force dimming. Her beast form had always been a crystalline white, but now her body looked transparent, as though it might vanish entirely.
"Brother, I… I feel so awful…" Di Ying forced the words out slowly.
Di Xiao's tears spilled at once. He poured in spiritual power madly, teeth clenched so hard his jaw trembled. "I will never let anything happen to you!"
Yet—
Her bloodline was boiling, raging in chaotic disarray. At this rate, she would be torn apart from within by her own bloodline.
Di Xiao's eyes twisted with pain.
Di Ying had already died once before his very eyes.
He would never allow it to happen a second time!
A trace of grim resolve flashed in his gaze. Fixing Yun Jin with an unyielding look, he sent his voice directly into her mind.
"Human, I need your help."
Yun Jin had already been hesitating about whether to speak her guess aloud. Hearing this, she nodded slightly and replied by voice transmission, "Senior Di, please speak."
Di Xiao's voice was low, grave. "Time is too short, I have no one else to turn to but you. I will force my own bloodline out and fuse it into Di Ying's body. That should preserve her life. Without my bloodline, I will certainly die.
When I am gone, you will be able to take the Xuan Yin Crystal and Tian Zhao Stone from me. I ask only that you give them to Di Ying! In return, everything I have hoarded through these ages will be gifted to you!" His eyes bore into Yun Jin's, filled with unflinching determination.
"Do not tell Di Ying beforehand. She would never allow it. Once my bloodline has been severed, it will be too late for her to stop me."
He didn't truly trust Yun Jin.
But in this moment, he had no other choice. His only hope was that the treasures he left behind would make Yun Jin relinquish her desire for the Xuan Yin Crystal and Tian Zhao Stone.
Yun Jin's head throbbed.
This brother and sister were deeply bound by affection.
But… this was going too far.
She was just about to speak when Di Ying suddenly clutched Di Xiao's hand, her voice ragged with strain. "Brother, I forbid you to act recklessly! I am only lingering in borrowed time. If I die, perhaps it will be a release for both of us. But if you do something foolish for me, I will have no face to remain alive."
Even as she spoke, her bloodline convulsed violently and she coughed up a mouthful of blood.
"Di Ying!" Di Xiao's body trembled, staring at the bright crimson soaking his clothes. "I have lived for so long, I have had enough! Now, it is your turn to see this world. This time, let me be selfish."
"Brother…" Di Ying's voice was unbearably weak. "I slept for thousands of years. Were you happy? Did you feel joy? Do you really want me to endure such torment? The selfish one is me."
"No matter what, I cannot watch you die!" Di Xiao's eyes burned crimson, his spiritual power surging wildly as his long hair scattered loose.
Raising his hand like a blade, he prepared to carve out his own bloodline.
"Senior Di!" Yun Jin cried, rushing forward.
"Human! Will you not even lend me this small help?!" Di Xiao roared, his voice twisted in grief and rage.
The wealth he could leave behind was no less valuable than the Xuan Yin Crystal or Tian Zhao Stone.
Yun Jin sighed helplessly. "I only think… perhaps things don't need to go this far."
"Di Ying is dying!" Di Xiao ground his teeth. "She is dying, do you understand?!"
His reason was already gone.
He thought of nothing except his sister's survival.
"Senior Di," Yun Jin said calmly, "Di Ying's turmoil began only because she devoured my innate skill. The laws of Heaven dictate that a Beastmaster's skill can only be used on their own spirit beast."
Di Xiao's teeth clenched. "So what? Are you saying I should kill you instead?"
He couldn't understand why Yun Jin was spouting such useless words.
Yun Jin gave an awkward smile. "The reason this happened is because the rules of Heaven were violated. But… what if those rules were obeyed?"
Di Xiao froze mid-sentence, his entire body stiffening. His eyes widened sharply, locking on Yun Jin with terrifying pressure that shook the air. "Human, do you know what you are saying?"
His robe flared, hair whipping around his face. He was teetering on the edge of collapse.
Yun Jin cleared her throat, then declared without hesitation, "I mean… if I form a contract with Di Ying, making her my spirit beast, then a Beastmaster's skill used on their own beast would be entirely proper. The current crisis would dissolve at once."
Moreover, her skill was Bloodline Purification. If Di Ying truly became her contracted spirit beast, she might even gain an immense benefit. Yun Jin was not yet certain, so she left that unspoken.
"Contract Di Ying!!" Di Xiao's voice cracked with fury as he clutched his sister tighter, rising to his feet. "A mere human dares to utter such madness, wanting to enslave my sister?! Yun Jin, do you truly not fear that I will kill you?!"
Not even Wandao Saints of old dared make such a demand!
How could a supreme spirit beast be made to serve?!
Di Xiao's expression grew uglier by the breath.
Yun Jin's temper flared as well. Her white hair lifted in the air, aura crashing headlong against his.
"Senior Di! I have shown you endless patience for the sake of your sibling bond. Do not think I fear you!"
Her power erupted. In sheer aura alone, she matched him blow for blow.
Di Xiao's expression turned darker still.
"You have seen everything that has happened today," Yun Jin shouted, her voice echoing with anger. "Was any of this my will? Did I ever intend to harm Di Ying? And now, when I see you on the brink of parting forever, I even offered you a solution! Yet you dare vent your anger at me? What do you take me for—mud beneath your feet?!"
Di Xiao's jaw tightened. "You call this a solution? It is nothing but—"
"Brother."
Di Ying's frail hand clutched at his sleeve. "I think… Yun Jin's suggestion is a good one."
"Di Ying! I would rather give my life to you than let you be bound to a human!" His grip tightened.
"If it were any other human, never. But Yun Jin… I like her. I am willing to be contracted by her." Di Ying's voice was soft but resolute. "And besides… it is far better than us siblings being torn apart by life and death."
Every word cost her precious breath. This short sentence drained nearly all of her remaining strength. She was already desperately weak, yet she held fast to her brother's sleeve, eyes full of pleading.
Di Xiao bit down hard on his lip.
"Brother!" Di Ying forced out one last cry.
Her face grew paler, her breath more shallow, as though she could not hold on much longer.
Panic swept through Di Xiao's heart.
At last, he fixed Yun Jin with a piercing glare, then slowly, reluctantly, lowered Di Ying to the ground.