Chapter 266. The Edge of Hope

Shu Mingye’s voice reached her ear. Low, shaky and cracked like broken glass. “Pie… you have to be safe. No matter what. I’ll get you out of here.”

She couldn’t speak. Her throat tightened. Her lips parted, but the only thing that came out was silence.

Why? Why did it come to this?

They had been living in Xuanyi Pavilion peacefully. Drinking tea. Complaining about angry cabbages. Even the worst of their days back then had a kind of warmth. Now, everything was cold, red and wrong.

Linyue’s fingers clenched. She forced herself upright. Her arms pulled Shu Mingye up with her. She could barely hold him, but she tried.

His face… so pale. His lips stained with blood. She didn’t even get a moment to see him properly. Because… another wave came.

The air cracked. The red wave, sharp as blades and cold as death, pierced through them like they were nothing but paper.

Shu Mingye’s body jolted. His eyes widened in pain. He gasped but no air came. And still, instinctively, he reached for her. He wrapped himself around her. He took the hit. Again.

They slammed back onto the ground. His arms shielded her. One hand cradled her head. The other gripped her waist. The weight of that energy crashed into his soul like a flood of knives. He couldn’t hold it. He couldn’t fight it. His ears rang. His chest burned. His heartbeat was uneven, panicked and weak.

More blood. This time not just from his mouth. From his nose. From the cracks in his skin. His vision blurred. Everything was spinning. The world felt far, far away. He barely felt her small hands on his shoulders. Her voice was just a whisper in the dark, but even then, he could still feel her.

His Pie.

How could he protect her like this? How could he get her out of here when he couldn’t even stand? Everything felt hopeless.

Linyue’s hands trembled as they hovered above Shu Mingye’s chest. His breath came in shallow gasps. His blood soaked through her sleeves. Her body was shaking not from pain, but from helplessness. Pure, helpless despair.

What could she do? She had no strength left. No spiritual energy. Her lightning, once sharp and brilliant, was gone, smothered by the red mist. That power… it came from sacrifice. Blood. Souls. Master Tian Mo once said lightning could purify things born of darkness. But what good was that knowledge when she couldn’t even use it?

Linyue moved Shu Mingye’s body and laid him down beside her. His body no longer tensed in pain. It was limp. His arms, once wrapped tightly around her, now hung loose by his side. His mouth still bled. His lips moved, barely.

She leaned closer, straining to hear him.

His voice was faint. “...Pie…”

That was all.

Her chest tightened until it hurt to breathe. She lightly held his cheek with both hands. His skin was cold. “...What should we do?” she whispered, her voice cracked. “What should I do?”

The masked man just watched them struggle. Her gaze locked on him. The man who had once saved her. The man who taught her how to wield lightning. The man who had protected her when she was a child. Now he stood there while the red mist thickened around him like a living nightmare.

Linyue clenched her jaw. Her fists tightened, nails biting into her skin. If this was the end, then she would decide how it ended.

Not crawling. Not begging. But standing. Even if her body screamed in protest. Even if she had no strength left. She would not let anyone else die for her while she stayed on the ground.

Her eyes fell to her palm.

Blood. Her blood. His blood. Mixed together. Slowly, she forced her body upright. Her legs trembled. Her body ached. Blood clung to her skin like a second layer. But still, she stood. Step by step, she pushed herself forward. Toward him. Her foot slipped. She stumbled. The next moment, her knees hit the ground with a dull, cracking sound. Pain shot up her body, sharp and merciless. But she didn’t even flinch. Her head lifted, her gaze steady. And she looked straight at him.

“What do you want?” she asked, her voice hoarse.

He didn’t answer. Of course, he didn’t. He never did. Instead, his hand lifted with a slow, careless motion. A wave of red energy roared past her, exploding against the stone behind. The sound followed a moment later—bodies crashing, coughing, the sharp cries of pain.

Her chaos family.

She didn't look back. She couldn’t. If she saw them fall, if she saw their blood, she might break. Her eyes stayed locked on him. Her nails scraped against the cracked ground until blood welled at her fingertips. Tears slid down her face without her realizing.

That energy… she knew it. She remembered. The familiar yet unfamiliar feeling. It was the same as the one buried deep inside her. The same as the array hidden in her body, coiled tight around her meridians like chains. The array that sealed her spiritual energy.

Could she use it? How to unleash it? Was it dangerous? Would it tear her apart if she tried?

She didn’t care. She didn’t want answers. She didn’t want safety. She just wanted it to stop. For him to stop. For her loved ones to stop bleeding.

She tried again. Forced herself to stir her spiritual energy.

Empty. Cold. Gone.

Her breath grew shallow. She knelt on cracked stone, her knees bloodied, her face pale and drenched in sweat. The masked man didn’t stop. Wave after wave of dark red energy shot past her. She didn’t need to look to know what was happening. Every strike was a whip against her soul.

Screams. Coughs. Gasps.

And then… silence.

The silence pressed down heavier than the stone beneath her. Her chest ached. Her throat burned. She was shaking so hard it felt like her bones would rattle apart.

She closed her eyes. Outside, she had nothing left. No spark of lightning. No shred of strength. Not even air enough for a scream.

But inside her… maybe…

Her spiritual sense flickered faintly. She seized it, dragging it through her meridians. Immediately, agony tore through her body, sharp and merciless. Her spine arched. Her breath caught. Her hands clawed at the ground. But she didn’t stop. She pressed harder, forcing the sealed energy to move, to fight, to tear against the chains that bound it. Her body trembled. Blood spilled from her bitten lip. Her bones screamed. Her limbs twitched uncontrollably. It felt like her body was splitting apart from the inside. The array burned, reacting. It shoved back with brutal force, but she pushed harder. Because someone had to stop him. Because someone had to protect them. Even if it shattered her. Even if it killed her.

Her teeth ground together. She bit her tongue hard enough to taste iron, clinging to the pain as her last tether to consciousness. Her breaths came ragged and thin. Her entire body shook, but she pushed again. And again. Until she felt it.

A crack. Deep inside her meridians, the array faltered. It stuttered like a dying flame. Was it a good sign? She didn’t know. And now it didn’t matter. There was no turning back.

And then it broke. The array burst apart. Her sealed energy roared free, not flowing but exploding. It crashed through her meridians like a storm. Sharp and untamed. Too much. Far, far too much.

A scream ripped from her throat as the energy tore through her body. She couldn’t contain it. Her bones felt like they were splintering into dust. Her spine twisted in unbearable pain. Her heart seized, spasmed, then thundered like it would burst. Every inch of her burned, froze, and split apart at once. And still the energy poured out.

She coughed, then blood spilled from her lips. More followed, hot and bright against her pale skin. Her fingers clawed at the ground, desperate to hold on to something, anything, but there was nothing except pain. Her ears rang with a piercing hum. Her body trembled violently. She couldn’t feel her hands anymore. Couldn’t feel her face. And then, just before the void swallowed her completely, the last thing she saw was a small jade pendant on the ground in front of her. Carved with letter “Qi…”

Then her body fell. Helpless.