Chen Wuya's hand had barely touched the corner of Bai Zhi's clothes when his whole body slammed down. His knees struck the ground with a dull crack of bone. He tried to push himself up, but his arms went limp, and his palm sank into the purple-black mud of the rift. Something warm smeared his fingertips. He knew it was blood.
Bai Zhi knelt on the ground, her sword thrust into a crack in the stone to support her body. One hand pressed against her abdomen, blood seeping between her fingers. The woman stood at the edge of the black mist, her bare feet beneath her gray cloth skirt planted in empty air. Her lips curved upward as though she were smiling.
"The child is her life," she said. "You are unworthy of being a mother. Hand it over."
Chen Wuya's throat tightened. He opened his mouth to speak, but only coughed up a mouthful of blood. He saw Bai Zhi move. She slowly raised her head, and her gaze had changed. It was neither fear nor fury, but a stillness that had sunk all the way to the depths.
She caressed her lower abdomen with her left hand and said softly, "Child, Mother will protect you once more."
Then she released her hand and pulled the flexible sword from the ground.
The South Sea Dragon Maiden suddenly shouted, "Don't!"
But it was already too late. Bai Zhi bit through the tip of her tongue and sprayed blood across the blade. The sapphire sword tassel flashed, and the entire sword began to tremble. Raising it above her head with both hands, she spoke in a clear, cold voice: "With my true blood, I offer sacrifice to my sword heart. I beseech the Dragon God to aid me—open!"
A streak of