Faced with Xiao Qian, who was burning her very soul, the spectral being panicked. It unleashed an even stronger wave of soul power toward her, but she merely sneered. The burning intensified, doubling, no, tripling in its ferocity.
Just as the attack was about to hit its mark, Xiao Qian vanished. She reappeared behind the spectral being in a blink, arms wide open. With a powerful embrace, she held it tight. There was no escaping her now, not with her soul ablaze.
"Master, now!" Xiao Qian cried out, her voice echoing with urgency. As she did, her form began to flicker, to fade.
Wasting no time, Xing Jue reacted instantly. Wind whipped around him, a whirlwind of energy, as he shot towards the spectral being. In his hand, potent soul power crackled and condensed.
The spectral being, sensing danger, thrashed wildly, desperately trying to break free. Xiao Qian, her ethereal form growing ever fainter, pushed her soul burning to its absolute limit.
Xing Jue reached them, his heart clenching at the sight of Xiao Qian. But there was no time to hesitate. With a claw-like hand, he plunged it towards the spectral being's chest.
Searing pain shot up his arm as he made contact, but he pressed on, ignoring the agony. The spectral being roared in fury as his hand sunk deeper, deeper still.
Finally, he felt it. A solid object within the spectral form. With a mighty heave, he tore it free.
It was a book. A thick, black tome, its cover intricately crafted from countless spirit runes.
"Yes! The Soul Devouring Codex!" Xiao Qian exclaimed, her voice a mix of triumph and strain.
But their victory was short-lived. The spectral being let out a deafening roar, its eyes glowing with a malevolent red light that spread, consuming its entire form.
Another roar ripped through the air as a wave of raw soul power erupted from the being, blasting Xing Jue away. He crashed to the ground, a hundred meters distant. Even Xiao Qian, her grip finally broken, was thrown back.
"Master, run!" she screamed, her voice laced with terror.
But Xing Jue would not abandon her. Badly wounded as he was, he had one card left to play. The Thunder Rune.
The spectral being, now in a frenzied state, roared incessantly, but it seemed unable to focus its rage. It presented Xing Jue with a chance, a fleeting opportunity.
Xiao Qian, seeing her master's plan, surged towards him. As soon as she was within reach, Xing Jue retrieved a Thunder Rune from his storage bracelet. With a swift, decisive motion, he activated it, flinging it towards the spectral being.
The rune slammed into its target. An earsplitting boom reverberated as a blinding flash of lightning erupted, spreading like wildfire. A colossal net of crackling electricity formed, trapping the spectral being within its deadly embrace.
"Amazing…what is that rune, Master?" Xiao Qian whispered, even her ethereal form seemingly wary of the raw power contained within the electric cage.
"Looks like that's taken care of," Xing Jue chuckled, finally allowing himself to relax. Relief washed over him. For a moment, he actually believed it was over.
But from within the heart of the lightning, a faint glow emerged. Xing Jue didn't notice it, but Xiao Qian did, and her blood ran cold. The spectral being was going to self-destruct.
"Master! Look out!" With a burst of impossible speed, she threw herself in front of Xing Jue, shielding him with her own fading essence.
The world exploded.
A catastrophic wave of soul force, moving at unimaginable speed, tore through the chamber. The walls crumbled, the very foundations of the mountain trembled. Anything caught in its path was obliterated, reduced to dust.
The explosion ripped through the earth, a cataclysmic release of energy that caused a massive cave-in. Thousands of tons of rock and earth collapsed, creating a chasm a mile wide.
Two figures, locked in a desperate embrace, were thrown clear at the last moment, tumbling down into the raging river at the bottom of the newly formed chasm.
Xing Jue and Xiao Qian were both unconscious, swept away by the currents. Even in oblivion, Xiao Qian held fast to her master, her ethereal arms refusing to release their grip.
….
A week later…
In the neighboring You Ming Empire, on the outskirts of a bustling city, there existed a small martial arts clan known as the Liang Clan. Within the tranquil beauty of their ancestral garden, a young woman tended to her flowers…
"Miss! Miss!" A young maid came rushing into the garden, her voice breathless with urgency.
The young woman, watering her flowers, turned with a gentle smile. "Xiao Qing, there's no need to rush about so. A young lady should be graceful, hmm?"
The maid, Xiao Qing, paused, hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath. "Miss… it's… the boy… he's… he's awake!"
The young woman's eyes lit up. With a speed that belied her earlier admonition for grace, she dropped her watering can and hurried towards the back of the estate.
This was Liang Shanshan, eldest daughter of the Liang Clan and a highly skilled martial artist. Renowned for her kindness, it had been she who'd discovered the unconscious pair by the river three days prior, their bodies battered and barely clinging to life. She'd brought them back to the Liang Clan manor, insisting that they be given the best care possible.
….
"Xiao Qian… Xiao Qian!"
Xing Jue sat upright, his voice hoarse, panic welling within him as he looked around the unfamiliar room…
He was in a large, comfortable bed, his body wrapped in soft linens… His head throbbed … and his entire body ached … but the pain was a distant thing… eclipsed by a far greater fear….
Xiao Qian…
Where was she?
An elderly man sat beside the bed, his face creased with concern. "He's awake! Quickly, fetch the Mistress!" he instructed a nearby servant girl, who immediately scurried out of the room.
"The Soul Devouring Codex!" Xing Jue rasped, his eyes darting around frantically, searching for any sign of the book and- more importantly…her … "Where is it?! Where's Xiao Qian?!"
"The… Soul Devouring Codex?" The old man's brow furrowed in confusion. He looked at Xing Jue as if seeing him for the first time. "Ah… You mean this?" He pulled out a thick black book from a nearby drawer and held it out cautiously towards Xing Jue.
Xing Jue snatched the book the moment it was within reach, his hands trembling as he confirmed it was indeed the Soul Devouring Codex.
Relief washed over him…followed immediately by another wave of fear.
"The Soul Devouring Codex… What is it, young master?" the old man asked cautiously, his eyes flicking nervously between Xing Jue and the menacing-looking tome.
Xing Jue ignored him. His mind was a whirlwind of questions… Where was she…? Was she alright? He couldn't sense her presence … not a trace…
He took a deep breath, forcing himself to focus. Panicking wouldn't help…
He needed to find Xiao Qian. Now.
"Where am I?" he asked, his voice raspy. "Who brought me here?"
"This is the Liang Clan manor," the old man replied. "My mistress found you by the river, you and…ah…" He cleared his throat, a hint of awkwardness in his voice. " You and your…mother…You were both unconscious… She insisted on bringing you both here."
"Grandfather Zhang, is he awake?" a gentle voice called from the doorway.
"Indeed," the old man said, beaming at Xing Jue. "And look who's here to see you, young master."
Xing Jue turned towards the voice.
Liang Shanshan entered the room, her face breaking into a relieved smile.
"You're finally awake," she said. "We were beginning to worry! "
"Thank you," Xing Jue said, managing a weak smile. "For everything." He hesitated, unsure how to phrase the question burning in his mind.
"When you found me… by the river… did you by any chance see a… a young woman dressed in black?"
Liang Shanshan's brow furrowed in thought. "A young woman…dressed in black…Ah… You mean… your mother?"
"My…mother?" Xing Jue repeated, his voice flat…
Xiao Qian… His mother?
What was she talking about? Xiao Qian was … beautiful. Ethereal. Ageless…
"Where is she?" Xing Jue pressed, his gaze intense. "Please…I need to see her…"
"She's here… Resting," Liang Shanshan said, her voice soft. "Don't worry… She's safe… I'll take you to her."
Relief and apprehension warred within him, but he got to his feet without protest and followed her out of the room.
She led him down a labyrinthine corridor, stopping finally before an ornate wooden door.
She opened the door slowly, gestures for him to enter before him.
Xing Jue stepped into the room…
…and his heart shattered into a million pieces.
It wasn't Xiao Qian lying on the bed.
Not the Xiao Qian he knew…
An ancient, frail woman lay propped up against the pillows. She was ashen, her breathing shallow… Her face, once so youthful … was a roadmap of wrinkles, her once vibrant black hair now a shock of pure white… Only the simple black dress she wore marked her as the woman he knew…
"Xiao Qian," he whispered, his voice breaking.
He stumbled toward the bed, his hand reaching for hers.
Her skin was ice-cold…
"Xiao Qian," he said again, his voice thick with unshed tears, "Wake up… Please… wake up…"
She didn't move. Didn't respond…
The truth slammed into him, cold and hard…
This… This was his fault…
Xiao Qian had burned her soul to help him… To save him….
He'd known, on some level, what she was doing…what it meant… but he'd been so focused on retrieving the Soul Devouring Codex that he'd … he'd…
He'd failed her.
And now… now she was paying the price.
Tears spilled down his cheeks, hot and unbidden, dripping onto her withered hand…. Each tear a testament to his failure….