nashuaworldcup Chapter 855: Shadow of an Old Friend - Secret Letter from Tiandao Pavilion
Chapter 855: Shadow of an Old Friend - Secret Letter from Tiandao Pavilion
Deep within the Falling Star Canyon, the inky night was shattered by the faint blue phosphorescence. Yun Yao's fingertips, gripping the jade slip, trembled slightly. The star patterns on the slip's surface suddenly flickered violently, darting between her brows like a living thing. A torrent of memories, swirling with excruciating pain, washed over her.
"Be careful!" Chu Mochen's cry echoed with a deafening, earth-shaking roar. The cliffs on either side of the canyon collapsed, sending countless rocks inscribed with star maps cascading down. Yun Yao caught a glimpse of the inside of the stone walls as she fell—the oracle bone inscriptions, eroded by time, were identical to the Shang Dynasty oracle inscriptions she had seen in modern museums.
"Su Yao (Zi: Xu Ling)." The handwriting at the signature made her pupils shrink. This name, which had appeared countless times in the system logs, now appeared before her in a form so ancient and real. She stumbled, holding onto the stone wall, her fingertips brushing the cool stone surface, and suddenly felt a depression—there, embedded in it, was half a jade pendant, the pattern of which perfectly matched the heirloom jade pendant her mother had given her.
"This is impossible..." Yun Yao's whisper was interrupted by the sharp sound of the system alarm. A blood-red crack appeared in the sky, and nine golden letters fell like meteors, transforming into a vast light curtain in the air. The top letter unfolded, revealing the shadowy figure of the Pavilion Master of Tiandao Pavilion. His calm eyes seemed to penetrate the soul: "Ethereal Envoy, how are you?"
Chu Mochen immediately held his sword in front of Yun Yao, his Ni Lin Blood Sword emitting a dazzling red light. However, the pressure from the letter weighed down like a physical force, forcing him to fall heavily to one knee. Yun Yao felt the two forces within her body violently clashing—her memories as Yun Yao and Su Yao's soul fragment torn apart in a frenzy. The past events sealed by the system flooded back into her mind like a tide.
She saw the gloomy meeting hall of the Tiandao Pavilion. She stood at the head of the group, dressed in a black robe, deducing fate with the silver-haired man beside her. She saw the Pavilion Master raise a bronze sword engraved with runes, severing the thread of soul connecting her to the silver-haired man. She saw herself stuffing half of the jade pendant into a swaddling cloth before falling into the rift of time and space...
"So we've met before," Yun Yao muttered, her fingertips tracing the oracle bone inscriptions on the stone wall. As she pronounced the last word, the entire canyon was suddenly enveloped in a golden light. The ancient characters transformed into streams of light, piecing together the outline of the Tiandao Pavilion in the void. Standing atop the pavilion, facing the wind, was a woman with the same face as hers.
"This is a mirror projection from three hundred years ago." The system's voice trembled rarely. "Su Yao, no, Yun Yao, you must know the truth - the so-called 'heavenly restoration' of the Tiandao Pavilion is actually to erase all existences that go against the established destiny. And you and Zhu Yin..."
"Enough!" Yun Yao suddenly shouted, her black and white spiritual energy erupting. She finally understood why certain scenes seemed strangely familiar after her time travel, why the system appeared at crucial moments, and why the Tiandao Pavilion pursued her relentlessly. And the golden letter floating in the air was an invitation from her former enemy.
The words on the letter began to twist and reshape: "Three days later, in the Taixu Immortal Realm, if you do not return to your position, the secret of Prince Zhulong will be forever buried at the bottom of the Dragon Abyss." As the last word faded, Yun Yao felt Chu Mochen's grip on her suddenly tighten. She turned to look, only to find a flash of fear in his eyes she had never seen before.
"Chu Mochen, you already knew that, didn't you?" Yun Yao's voice was as cold as ice. She suddenly remembered how he always subtly changed the subject whenever they mentioned Tiandao Pavilion. She also remembered the meaningful look the black-robed figure had given Chu Mochen when they encountered the Blood Demon Sect in the Canglan Secret Realm.
Chu Mochen was silent for a long moment, then slowly removed the jade pendant from his waist. It was a gift from Yun Yao, who had found it at the entrance to the Falling Star Canyon. The same runes as on the Tiandao Pavilion's letter surfaced on the jade pendant. "In the Dragon Abyss Sea, I regained some of my memories," he said in a hoarse voice. "A thousand years ago, I was a test subject for the Tiandao Pavilion's 'Defier of Fate' project, and you... were the only one who wanted to save me."
Yun Yao took a half step back, bumping into a stone wall covered in oracle bone inscriptions. The ancient characters suddenly hummed, transforming into countless points of light that flooded into her consciousness. The memories that surfaced this time were clearer: the silver-haired man's collarbone pierced by a chain, his blood dripping onto the horoscope; she raised her sword to cleave the barrier, but the Pavilion Master's gust of wind shattered her soul; the last image before she fell was the silver-haired man's desperate yet affectionate eyes.
"Zhu Yin..." Yun Yao muttered unconsciously, and Chu Mochen's whole body trembled violently. This name was like a key that unlocked the seal of his memory, and more images came flooding back: them deducing horoscopes at the Tiandao Pavilion's observatory, tasting forbidden fruit in the forbidden land, fighting back to back against pursuers during their defection... And all these memories ended with the Pavilion Master's face, filled with compassion.
"So we've already lost." Yun Yao smiled bitterly, clutching the Xuling Jade. The jade pendant her mother had given her now radiated a warm glow. She suddenly remembered her mother's last words: "Yaoyao, no matter what happens, remember that your eyes can see through illusions." At the time, she had thought it was just her mother's nonsense, but now she understood that her mother had known everything all along.
Chu Mochen suddenly knelt on one knee, and inserted the blood-red sword into the ground: "Yun Yao, I swear, this time it is my turn to protect you. No matter what conspiracy the Tiandao Pavilion has, I will never let you get hurt again." His voice was firm, but Yun Yao noticed that his hand holding the sword was shaking slightly - it was fear, the fear of losing her.
At that moment, a strange humming sound echoed from the depths of the canyon. A vast star map emerged from the void, countless points of light moving along its trajectory, ultimately forming the Tiandao Pavilion logo. Yun Yao stared at the flickering red dot at the center of the star map and suddenly realized it was her location. Around the red dot, densely packed points of light were rapidly gathering.
"They're coming." The system's voice carried a warning. "The Tiandao Pavilion's pursuers are faster than expected. Yun Yao, you must make a choice—will you return to the past with your memories, or continue on as Yun Yao?"
Yun Yao clenched Chu Mochen's hand, feeling the warmth of his palm. Those memories of Su Yao, though painful, made her understand her mission. She looked up at the sky, which was gradually being stained with blood, a determined light flashing in her eyes. "Tell the Tiandao Pavilion that the Void Envoy is dead, but Yun Yao will carry everyone's hope and declare war on the Tiandao."
Before he could finish his words, the first wave of attacks arrived. Countless golden sword energies ripped through the night sky. Chu Mochen swung his sword to block Yun Yao's advance. The Ni Lin Blood Sword collided with the sword energy, creating a deafening roar. Yun Yao seized the opportunity to retrieve the Soul Jade Slip she had seized from the black-robed man and infused it with her own spiritual energy. The runes on the jade slip suddenly lit up, revealing the path of the Tian Dao Pavilion's pursuers.
"Three thousand miles to the northwest, there's a spatial rift." Yun Yao shouted amidst the roar, "Let's break out from there!" Her eyes swept over the oracle bone inscriptions on the stone wall. Those ancient words seemed to be smiling at her. At this moment, she finally understood that no matter whether it was Su Yao or Yun Yao, she was always the one who refused to bow to fate.
Chu Mochen nodded, grabbed Yun Yao's waist, and soared into the air. Behind them, the rock walls of Starfall Canyon collapsed, burying all the secrets and memories. But Yun Yao knew this wasn't the end, but a new beginning. The moment they passed through the spatial rift, she grasped Chu Mochen's hand tightly—this time, she wouldn't let anyone separate them.