The fierce winds were still swirling across the entire battlefield.
Lightning was flashing in the sky.
And the light from Li Chen's bracelet was still slowly spreading in the air.
The dragon roared madly.
Its massive body was thrashing in the sky.
As if someone had shattered the power within it.
"Wh-what is happening?!"
Mo Yan shouted loudly.
He tried to control the dragon again—
but this time the dragon was not listening to him.
The dragon suddenly raised its head towards the sky and let out a terrifying roar.
The ground around began to crack from that roar.
Many soldiers fell down in fear.
Zhichen stood frozen.
His heart was still beating fast.
He felt—
as if just a few moments ago, Li Chen's energy had touched his own power.
He slowly looked towards Li Chen.
Then towards Xiu.
His suspicions were growing stronger.
On the other side—
Lixuan's face had turned pale.
He had never thought that the power inside Li Chen could awaken in this way.
"Li Chen…"
he said softly.
There was fear in his voice…
and pain too.
Just then—
the dragon let out another roar.
But this time—
its body slowly began turning into black smoke.
Mo Yan's eyes widened.
"No…!"
The dragon seemed to want to escape from that light.
It let out one final roar—
and the very next moment—
it disappeared into the sky like a black storm.
Forest
Rongwei was rapidly moving towards the Yuzhen Tribe.
Black clouds still loomed in the sky.
The black smoke rising in the distance was now more clearly visible.
"What exactly happened there…?"
Rongwei said anxiously.
His steps became faster.
As soon as he reached the outskirts of Yuzhen—
his steps slowed down.
The entire battlefield lay scattered before him.
Burnt ground…
broken swords…
and wounded soldiers.
"Oh god…"
Rongwei said softly.
His gaze quickly searched for everyone.
Just then—
in the distance, he saw Li Chen sitting on the ground.
"Li Chen?!"
he immediately ran towards her.
Li Chen was sitting on the ground.
Her head was bowed.
Her breathing was still rapid.
As if her body was still bearing the burden of that terrifying energy.
And beside her—
Xiu was kneeling beside her.
There was blood on his clothes.
Rongwei panicked as soon as he reached them.
"Xiu!"
"How did you get so badly injured?!"
Xiu said nothing.
His gaze was only on Li Chen.
"Li Chen…"
Rongwei sat down beside her.
"What happened to you?"
Li Chen slowly raised her head.
But beneath the white bandage tied over her eyes, she was still feeling a slight burning sensation.
"My head…"
she said softly.
"It hurts a lot…"
Hearing this—
Xiu's face became even more stern.
As if he was blaming himself.
Just then—
Zhichen slowly walked towards them.
His gaze went first to Li Chen…
then to Xiu.
"Will you still not tell me anything…?"
Zhichen said softly.
Hearing this—
Rongwei was left astonished.
"Tell me…? What do you mean?"
Hearing Zhichen's words, the entire atmosphere became heavy.
Rongwei looked in confusion at Zhichen sometimes…
sometimes at Xiu.
But Xiu remained silent.
He didn't utter a single word.
Only his fist slowly tightened.
Li Chen was still sitting on the ground.
Her head was heavy with pain.
She couldn't understand why such silence had suddenly fallen among everyone.
Just then—
Mo Yan laughed loudly.
But this time there was anger in his laughter.
"You all survived today…"
he said slowly.
"But this war hasn't ended here."
His gaze slowly roamed across the entire battlefield.
The burnt ground…
the wounded soldiers…
and then—
it stopped at Zhiyun, the elder of the Yuzhen Tribe.
Mo Yan's eyes narrowed.
"Zhiyun…"
he said softly.
"It seems you people have made another very big mistake…"
--
Hearing this—
Zhiyun's face changed for a moment.
As if Mo Yan's words had stirred some old memory.
Jinhai immediately came in front of his father.
"Mo Yan!"
"Don't say another word!"
Mo Yan laughed coldly.
"The truth is bitter, Jinhai…"
---
Then he looked towards Li Chen once more.
But this time he looked away without saying anything.
"That's enough for today."
"But remember…"
"I will come again."
After that—
a wave of black smoke began swirling around him.
And the very next moment—
Mo Yan and his soldiers slowly disappeared into that smoke.
The entire battlefield became silent again.
Only rapid breaths…
and the sound of the wind remained.
Just then
Jinhai immediately ran to his sister Lanxin.
He knelt down and supported her.
"Lanxin!"
"Are you okay?!"
he asked anxiously.
Lanxin was breathing rapidly.
Her clothes were stained with mud and blood.
But she slowly shook her head.
"Brother…"
she said in a weak voice.
"I am fine…"
Hearing this, Jinhai breathed a sigh of relief.
He slowly lifted Lanxin up.
On the other side—
Zhiyun stood silently.
His gaze was repeatedly going towards Li Chen.
As if he was trying to recognize something inside her.
Xiangu slowly came up to him.
"Elder Zhiyun…"
"We should head back now."
Zhiyun remained silent for a few moments.
Then he said softly,
"Yes…"
"But now everything is going to change…"
Hearing this, Xiangu's eyes narrowed.
"Elder… why are you saying this?"
But Zhiyun didn't answer.
He just cast a deep look at Li Chen.
Over there—
Rongwei was still confused.
He slowly asked Xiu,
"What exactly happened here…?"
Xiu was silent for a few moments, then looked at Li Chen.
Then he said softly,
"This is not the time for questions."
"First, we need to get out of here."
Just then—
Li Chen slowly raised her head.
Her voice was still weak.
"Guruji…"
"That dragon…"
"where did it go…?"
Li Chen's voice slowly became weaker.
Her body trembled slightly.
And the very next moment—
she fainted, falling towards Xiu.
"Li Chen!"
Xiu immediately caught her.
For the first time, genuine panic was clearly visible on his face.
Rongwei also immediately came to them.
"What happened to her?!"
Xiu slowly supported Li Chen's head.
But he didn't answer.
His gaze was fixed only on Li Chen's face, which had turned pale.
Just then—
Elder Zhiyun slowly approached them.
He looked at Li Chen for a few moments.
Then turning towards Zhichen, he said,
"Zhichen…"
"Ask them to stay here tonight."
Zhichen silently looked at him.
Zhiyun then said softly,
"That girl is not well."
"She needs rest."
Xiangu also nodded slowly.
"Yes, going back now would not be right."
Rongwei asked in surprise,
"But where will we stay?"
Jinhai stepped forward.
"You all can stay in the Yuzhen Tribe."
"We will arrange for it."
Lanxin also said softly,
"Today you all saved our lives…"
"You are always welcome in the Yuzhen Tribe."
Hearing this, Xiangu gave a slight bow.
"Thank you, Princess Lanxin."
Just then—
Zhichen's gaze went back to Xiu again.
Xiu was still sitting, holding Li Chen.
As if he didn't care about anything happening around him.
Zhichen slowly closed his eyes.
That feeling was still echoing in his mind—
"Li Chen's power…
and Xiu…"
Xiu (Lixuan) agreed to stay in the Yuzhen Tribe.
It was night time.
The whole Yuzhen Tribe was quiet.
Torches were burning somewhere in the distance.
A cold wind was blowing slowly.
Xiu stood outside alone.
His wound was still hurting.
But his attention was elsewhere.
Just then—
the sound of footsteps came from behind.
"Why aren't you saying anything?"
Zhichen's voice came.
Xiu turned slowly.
Zhichen stood before him.
His eyes were fixed directly on Xiu.
"What do you want?"
Xiu asked in a cold voice.
Zhichen slowly came closer to him.
"Xiu…"
"Who are you?"
For a few moments, even the wind seemed to stop.
"I am asking for the last time."
Zhichen said in a slow but stern voice.
Xiu remained silent.
His fist slowly tightened.
Then he said in a cold voice,
"Why are you interfering so much in others' matters, Zhichen?"
Zhichen's eyes narrowed.
"Because you are hiding something."
Saying this, Zhichen suddenly tried to remove Xiu's mask.
But before he could—
Xiu grabbed his hand.
Firmly.
"What is your problem?"
Xiu said softly.
But the suppressed anger in his voice was clear.
Zhichen immediately jerked his hand away.
"You are the problem!"
The very next moment—
Xiu pushed him back.
Zhichen also immediately steadied himself.
The atmosphere between the two suddenly became heavy.
As if just one more word—
and another battle would begin.
Just then—
a weak voice came from behind.
"Guruji…?"
It was Li Chen's voice.
Xiu's attention immediately went towards her.
He turned and looked back.
And at that very moment—
Zhichen seized the opportunity and pulled off Xiu's mask.
The torchlight fell directly on his face.
And Zhichen's eyes widened in a moment.
As if he had seen a ghost.
His lips moved slowly.
"You…"
Xiu's eyes immediately narrowed.
He quickly put his mask back on without any delay.
But by then, it was too late.
Zhichen was still standing in shock.
His breathing had become rapid.
As if his mind still couldn't believe it.
"You are alive…?"
he said very softly.
Hearing this—
Xiu remained silent for a few moments.
The cold night wind passed between the two of them.
Li Chen was slowly coming towards them.
"Guruji…?"
she said again.
"Is everything okay?"
But Zhichen's gaze still wasn't moving away from Xiu's face.
In his eyes, along with shock—
there was also pain.
"After all these years…"
Zhichen's voice slowly broke.
"…why did you hide yourself?"
Xiu slowly closed his eyes.
As if he never wanted this moment to come.
Just then—
Li Chen came very close to them.
She could feel the heaviness in the atmosphere.
"Guruji…"
"what happened…?"
Xiu immediately put his mask on again.
Then said in a cold voice,
"Nothing."
Zhichen immediately turned towards him.
"Nothing?!"
"You think after seeing you after all these years, I will stay silent?!"
Li Chen was astonished.
She had never heard such anger in Zhichen's voice before.
And just then—
Rongwei's voice came from inside.
"Li Chen?"
"What are you doing outside?"
Rongwei came outside and immediately stopped.
He had sensed that the atmosphere was somewhat strange.
Li Chen said softly,
"Rongwei… here—"
But before that—
Xiu said in a cold voice,
"Li Chen, go inside."
Li Chen was a little taken aback.
"But Guruji—"
"inside."
Xiu said in an even more stern voice this time.
"I said."
Li Chen became silent.
She had never felt such harshness in Xiu's voice before.
She stood there for a few moments.
As if she couldn't understand what had happened.
Rongwei slowly came up to her.
"Come…"
he said lightly.
"Your health is also not good."
Li Chen slowly bowed her head.
"Okay…"
Rongwei slowly took her inside.
While leaving, Li Chen turned back once more.
As if she wanted to say something.
But Xiu didn't even look at her.
As soon as they both went inside—
silence fell outside again.
Now only Zhichen and Xiu stood there.
The cold wind was shaking the flames of the torches.
Zhichen said softly,
"Now she's gone…"
"will you tell the truth now?"
Lixuan remained silent.
His gaze was fixed somewhere in the darkness.
"Say something…"
Zhichen's voice became softer.
"Where were you all these years…?"
No answer.
Zhichen slowly came closer to him.
His eyes were trembling slightly.
"Why did you hide your face…?"
"Why did you stay silent, Lixuan…?"
Hearing this name—
Lixuan's breathing stopped for a moment.
After years…
someone had called him by that name.
After a long while—
he laughed softly.
But there was pain in that laughter.
"Lixuan…?"
he said softly.
"He died that night…"
Zhichen's eyes narrowed.
"Stop it."
"It's the truth."
Lixuan said without looking at him.
"The day my father raised a sword against me…"
"everything ended that day."
The wind became even colder.
Zhichen said softly,
"We searched everywhere for you…"
Lixuan's eyes slowly closed.
"But after that night…"
"I couldn't come back."
The night wind became even colder.
After a long while—
Zhichen asked softly,
"Then why did you come back…?"
Lixuan remained silent for a few moments.
Then he said softly,
"I want revenge…"
"from Mo Yan."
Hearing this, Zhichen's eyes narrowed.
"Only for revenge…?"
Lixuan laughed.
But that laughter was full of exhaustion.
"Some reasons keep a person alive."
Zhichen became silent.
But his suspicion still hadn't ended.
His gaze slowly went towards that room…
where Li Chen was.
"That girl…"
Zhichen said softly.
"What is her relationship with you?"
Lixuan's gaze immediately turned cold.
"Stay away from her."
Zhichen was surprised.
"I'm just—"
"Zhichen."
Lixuan cut him off.
This time his voice was even harsher.
"Don't ask anything about her."
Zhichen's eyes slowly narrowed.
"You still want to bear everything alone…"
he said softly.
Lixuan remained silent.
The cold night wind passed between the two of them.
After a long while—
Zhichen spoke again,
"You know…"
"I was never against you."
Hearing this—
Lixuan's fist slowly tightened.
As if he became weak for a moment.
But the very next moment—
his face became cold again.
"Forget the past, Zhichen."
he said softly.
Zhichen looked at him in surprise.
"Are you really saying this…?"
Lixuan didn't even look at him.
"There is no point in remembering someone who is already dead."
Hearing this, Zhichen's heart became even heavier.
Because he understood—
Lixuan was deliberately pushing him away.
"You've changed…"
Zhichen said softly.
Lixuan laughed slightly.
But that laughter had hidden pain in it.
"Perhaps."
Then he slowly turned.
"Now go inside."
"It's very late."
"Lixuan—"
Zhichen called out again.
But this time—
Lixuan walked into the darkness without stopping.
And Zhichen remained standing there.
For the first time, he felt—
that Lixuan, even though being alive…
had gone somewhere very far away.
Qingyu Tribe
A wave of black smoke slowly stopped in a dark place.
Mo Yan walked forward in anger.
His eyes were still filled with rage.
"Useless thing!"
he said loudly.
And the table in front of him shattered with one blow.
The soldiers present there immediately knelt down in fear.
No one dared to say anything.
Han Zeyu slowly stepped forward.
"Chief…"
"what happened today… what was that exactly?"
Mo Yan remained silent for a few moments.
His breathing was heavy.
He slowly clenched his fist.
"That dragon…"
"why did it stop obeying me…?"
Han Zeyu said softly,
"Perhaps because of that girl's power…"
Hearing this—
Mo Yan's eyes immediately narrowed.
"That girl…"
he said softly.
As if he was thinking about her.
That scene kept repeating in his mind—
Li Chen's scream…
the bright light…
and the dragon's fear.
"Chief…"
Han Zeyu spoke again.
"Could that girl be a threat?"
Mo Yan remained silent for a long time.
Then he laughed softly.
But that laughter was full of coldness.
"A blind girl…"
"a threat to me?"
But the very next moment—
his face became serious again.
"But…"
"her energy was not ordinary."
Another commander standing there said softly,
"So should we eliminate her now?"
Hearing this—
Mo Yan's eyes became even colder.
"No…"
he said softly.
"Not yet."
Then he slowly moved towards the darkness.
"First I need to know…"
"what exactly the Yuzhen Tribe has been hiding for all these years…"
At the same time...
In an old chamber of the Yuzhen Tribe, a single torch was burning softly.
Deep silence filled the room.
Zhiyun was standing by the window, looking out at the dark sky.
Worry was clearly visible on his face.
Just then, the soft sound of footsteps came from behind.
Xiangu slowly entered.
"Elder Zhiyun…"
"You still haven't rested?"
Zhiyun remained silent for a few moments.
Then he said softly,
"I can't sleep."
Xiangu came and stopped beside him.
"What happened on the battlefield today…"
"are you thinking about that?"
Zhiyun's eyes slowly closed.
As if he was remembering some old memory.
After a long while, he said softly,
"Xiangu…"
"You felt it too, didn't you?"
Xiangu's face became serious.
"What?"
"That girl's energy."
Silence fell in the room.
Xiangu took a deep breath.
"Yes…"
"For a moment I felt as if inside her there wasn't just one…"
"but multiple powers flowing within her."
Zhiyun's gaze slowly settled on the torch's flame.
"This is exactly what I was afraid of."
Xiangu looked at him in surprise.
"Elder… what are you trying to say?"
Zhiyun remained silent for some time.
Then he said softly,
"Nature does not permit opposing powers to coexist."
"Yet still…"
"today I saw it with my own eyes."
Xiangu's eyes slowly widened.
"Then is that girl…"
"No."
Zhiyun immediately cut him off.
"It will be too soon to say anything right now."
"But one thing is certain…"
Zhiyun slowly looked out the window.
The night had grown deeper.
"That girl's very existence is a miracle…"
Xiangu became silent.
He felt that Zhiyun knew much more than him.
But perhaps the time to tell the truth hadn't come yet.
The torch's flame flickered slightly.
And silence fell in the room again.
Xiangu kept thinking for some time.
Then he said softly,
"Elder…"
"if there truly are multiple powers flowing within her…"
"then how is she still alive?"
Zhiyun's eyes slowly closed.
As if this very question had been troubling him for years.
After a long while, he said softly,
"That is exactly what I can't understand…"
"Opposing powers destroy each other."
"But inside that girl…"
Zhiyun's voice became softer.
"They are not destroying each other."
Xiangu's eyes slowly widened.
"As if…"
he said softly.
Zhiyun looked out the window at the dark sky.
"As if some invisible force is balancing them…"
Silence fell in the room again.
The torch's flame was flickering slowly.
Numerous questions were rising in Xiangu's mind.
But he knew—
right now, no one had the answers to those questions.
Zhiyun slowly closed his eyes.
And in his mind, only one question kept echoing—
"What exactly is hidden inside that girl…?"