Abyss Remnant Vault – Hidden Alcove
The stone doors behind them sealed shut.No monsters, no trials—for the first time in days, there was silence.
Ye Tian slumped beside a worn stone altar. His breath came slow, ragged. Blood seeped from his shoulder, black streaks crawling from beneath the skin.
Yue Qing lit a dim spiritual flame, casting lavender light over the broken chamber. Her gaze sharpened as she knelt beside him.
"Let me see the wound."
Ye Tian grunted. "I've had worse."
"Not with this kind of taint."
She pulled aside his tattered robes—and froze.Dark veins twisted under his skin like living threads. They pulsed faintly, whispering… voices that weren't his.
"This isn't just demonic Qi… it's something sentient."
System Flicker
[Warning: Foreign Will Detected – Seed of Malice Level I]Symptoms: Hallucination. Emotion Amplification. Rage Instability.]Suppression: Temporary – Host synchronization required.]
Ye Tian's vision shimmered.
For a brief moment, he saw Yue Qing bleeding beside him—laughing, her eyes cold.
"Traitor…" he hissed, blinking rapidly.
She pulled her hand back. "Ye Tian…?"
But then the illusion vanished. The real Yue Qing's face was still there—worried, tired, and… too close.
Ye Tian exhaled. "It's starting to talk to me."
"The corruption is feeding off your will," Yue Qing whispered. "It twists pain, doubt… even desire."
He looked up. "Then why aren't I trying to kill you yet?"
She didn't flinch. "Because even corrupted… you still want to protect me."
A beat of silence.
Then she reached forward, softly cupping his cheek with a trembling hand. "You keep putting yourself in front of me. Let someone else guard you, just this once."
The Moment Between
Their faces were inches apart now.Her breath warm. His skin hot with fever.
The tension in the air was no longer just from danger.
"I'm cursed," she murmured. "My soul repels anything close. You should be afraid."
"I'm corrupted," he replied. "And I still can't look away."
Yue Qing leaned in… lips brushing his, hesitant.
For a second—only a second—everything felt human again.
Until—
[Seed of Malice Reacts: Desire. Wrath. Conflict.]
Ye Tian's body shuddered, and a burst of shadow exploded from his back—dark tendrils slamming into the wall.
Yue Qing stood, hand over her mouth. "It's accelerating."
The Whispering Voice
Ye Tian gripped his temples.
"She will betray you again.""All of them will.""Only I understand. Let me in."
[System Override Engaged.][Emergency Subroutine: Locked Soul Ring Initiated.]
Chains of system light wrapped around Ye Tian's arms, halting the corruption's spread—barely.
He collapsed.
Yue Qing cradled him, fury in her voice. "I'll kill Mo Wuxian for this. I swear."