"Everyone! I found it!"
Matt's thunderous shout echoed through the mines of The Chasm. The seven-meter-tall Electro Lawachurl held the bronze ancient plate as if it were a toy.
The Tawei Ceremonial Plate looked exceptionally small in his massive palm. The ancient patterns on the surface of the plate glowed with a mysterious blue light under the illumination of the fluorescent plants in the mine.
"That fast?"
Jesse's cloak was nearly flung off by the speed of his turn. He widened his eyes beneath his mask.
"We've only been searching for five minutes!"
Everyone quickly gathered around Matt.
The Wolf King's ears twitched slightly. His three-meter-tall white body emitted a soft silver light in the dark mine: "Lord Matt, where did you find it?"
Matt scratched his head sheepishly, causing a few pieces of rubble to fall out of his fur: "Uh... I accidentally tripped just now and smashed the ground... and then this plate fell down from the ceiling..."
"Confirmed. It is indeed the Tawei Ceremonial Plate."
The Wolf King's eyes emitted blue scanning beams.
"A remnant soul reaction has been detected inside."
"One?"
Elliot's mask tilted to one side, and he straightened it.
"It was clearly Boyang and Bosacius, two people, right? Why is there only one?"
Zane sighed and pulled a pair of specialized gloves from his backpack: "It must be... Boyang's soul has been completely extinguished."
He explained while putting on the gloves.
"After all, he was still human. It's normal for a soul not to hold up after five hundred years."
"Wait for me, I've touched it!"
Zane's eyes suddenly lit up, and his entire arm reached into the Tawei Ceremonial Plate.
The surface of the bronze ancient plate rippled like water, emitting an eerie buzzing sound.
"Aaaah!"
A furious roar erupted from the plate.
"Pwah!"
Before Zane could react, a black shadow shot out from the plate and delivered an uppercut right to his face.
The Blazing Axe Mitachurl's muscular body flew out like a ragdoll, crashing heavily into the mine wall and leaving a human-shaped crater.
"It's Bosacius's remnant soul!"
Jesse quickly drew his Anemo Element Boomerang from his waist.
The black shadow materialized in mid-air—a robust, four-armed figure, wrapped in purple lightning. On the blurry face, only a pair of scarlet eyes stood out prominently.
The Yaksha King's remnant soul let out a roar that was not human, shaking the entire mine and causing dust to fall.
"He's trying to escape!"
Paimon, frightened, hid behind Lumine, only showing half her head.
The Wolf King immediately blocked the path they had taken, preventing Bosacius from escaping.
"Don't even think about running!"
Elliot performed a tactical roll, his long, slender legs scissoring around Bosacius's lower limbs.
"Watch my Scissor Hold Technique!" he shouted proudly, completely forgetting that he was facing a four-armed enemy.
Bosacius looked down at the blue Hilichurl hanging from his leg, and his other two arms slowly lifted... "Hurry!"
Jesse pulled out a bottle of starlight-shimmering potion from his backpack and darted forward.
"Bang!"
The flung-off Elliot slammed into Jesse like a bowling ball.
The potion bottle traced a perfect parabola in the air, about to shatter on the rocky ground—
Lumine's figure swept past like a gust of wind, catching the potion bottle steadily with one hand.
She spun around quickly, and the liquid in the bottle splashed out, accurately dousing Bosacius's remnant soul.
"Sizzle—"
Purple smoke rose from Bosacius's body. He roared in pain, wildly flailing his four arms.
But gradually, his movements slowed, his scarlet eyes regained clarity, and his blurry body began to solidify... "Boyang... brother..."
Bosacius murmured, and then his tall body crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Everyone held their breath and gathered around.
The Wolf King scanned quickly: "Vital signs are stable, soul fluctuation is trending toward normal. The potion has taken effect."
"Cough, cough..."
Zane crawled out of the crater in the wall, his mask askew.
"Next time... let me do it... give me a warning..."
Matt carefully poked Bosacius's face with one finger: "Is he... is he still alive?"
"Don't worry, he won't die."
Zane hoisted Bosacius onto his shoulder like a sack of rice.
The unconscious Yaksha's four arms hung limply, swaying slightly with their steps.
Everyone silently followed behind.
Matt carefully held the Tawei Ceremonial Plate, his seven-meter-tall body hunched over, terrified that the jolting would damage the "treasure" they had just recovered.
Elliot was uncharacteristically quiet, his eyes occasionally glancing at Bosacius's pale face.
Jesse walked at the very front, clearing the path. Anemo element flowed around his fingertips, dispersing the miasma lingering at the exit of The Chasm.
Lumine and Paimon walked at the end of the line.
"What do you think... the Conqueror of Demons will do when he sees Bosacius?" Paimon asked quietly.
Lumine shook her head, her gaze falling upon Bosacius's dangling arms—they were covered in old scars, some deep enough to show bone.
Five hundred years had left too many marks on this Yaksha.
When everyone finally left The Chasm and the afternoon sunlight fell upon their faces, the Wolf King suddenly perked up his ears: "Someone is approaching... it's a Yaksha's aura."
Almost simultaneously, a crisp sound of cracking roof tiles came from the top of Wangshu Inn.
"Bosacius!"
A cry that was almost a tear ripped through the sky.
Everyone looked up and saw a greenish-black figure stumble on the roof of the inn—the perpetually calm and composed Conqueror of Demons nearly fell from the rooftop due to shock.
After Xiao stabilized himself, he barely used any Adeptal Arts, leaping down from the rooftop relying purely on physical strength.
His figure traced a green trajectory in the air, kicking up a circle of dust upon landing.
Before the dust settled, he had already rushed in front of everyone, moving so fast that the airflow blew off Elliot's "Crown of the Sea King."
"Bosacius..."
Xiao's voice caught in his throat.
He stood before Zane, his pupils violently contracting, his usual mask of indifference completely shattered.
He trembled as he reached out, but froze in mid-air just before touching Bosacius's face, as if afraid that this was all an illusion.
Zane silently lowered Bosacius from his shoulder, carefully supporting the Yaksha's back so that Xiao could clearly see his older brother's face.
Bosacius's head hung weakly to one side, his white hair plastered messily against his face, his breathing faint but steady.
"We found the Tawei Ceremonial Plate in The Chasm."
The Wolf King explained softly.
"Bosacius's remnant soul was preserved inside. We used a specialized Soul Stabilizing Agent to help him recover his physical form."
Xiao did not reply.
His gaze swept over Bosacius's face inch by inch; every detail awakened five hundred years of memories.
Lumine saw the young Adeptus's hands clenched into fists at his sides. His fingernails dug deeply into his palms, and blood dripped through the gaps between his fingers, yet he seemed completely unaware.
"Thank you."
Two simple words, yet they seemed to exhaust all of Xiao's strength.
He carefully took Bosacius, his movements as gentle as if he were holding a fragile piece of porcelain.
When Bosacius's four arms unconsciously draped over his shoulders, Xiao trembled entirely.
"I will take him to see The Sovereign."
Xiao said, his voice having regained its composure, though the turmoil in his eyes had not yet subsided.
"He... needs treatment."
Just as Xiao was preparing to leave, Bosacius suddenly let out a faint moan: "Alatus...?"
Xiao froze instantly, looking down at the elder brother in his arms.
Bosacius's eyes were half-open, his gaze unfocused but carrying a warm smile, just as it had been five hundred years ago every time he returned from a mission.
A moment later, Xiao raised his head. The tear tracks on his face were gone, and he had returned to his usual cold severity.
Only the slight redness around his eyes betrayed the emotional turmoil he had just experienced.
"Farewell."
With a flash of green light, the figures of Xiao and Bosacius vanished from the spot, leaving behind only a few Wutong leaves drifting slowly down.