Tuoba Han's hand was still pointing at the crystal in the center of the altar. Blood slid from his fingertips, trailing thin streaks through the blue light. Chen Wuya stared at the floating diamond-shaped object. It was brighter than before, but its rotation had slowed, as though some force had steadied it.
Bai Zhi took a step forward, but the moment her foot lifted, her lower abdomen abruptly tightened. She stopped and immediately pressed a hand to it.
"Something's wrong." Her voice was very low.
Chen Wuya turned to look at her. Mo Feng raised his head as well, the clockwork compass in his hands giving off a faint hum.
"The fetus is moving," Bai Zhi said. "Not ordinary movement... he's absorbing something."
Mo Feng swiftly aimed the compass at Bai Zhi. The ripples on its screen jolted violently. "The energy flow is reversed! The light released by the Heart of Extreme Cold is converging into her body, and the fetus's meridians are actively receiving it."
Chen Wuya frowned, his gaze returning to the crystal. The light had indeed changed. It was no longer simply spreading outward, but pulsed rhythmically like breathing. With every rise and fall, faint blue threads seeped out, silently winding toward Bai Zhi's lower abdomen.
He strode over and stopped at her side. "Can you hold on?"
Bai Zhi gritted her teeth and nodded. "I can. But this isn't something I can control... he's taking it in himself."
Mo Feng's fingers swept rapidly over the compass. "The data is abnormal. The energy frequency the fetus is absorbing is identical to that of the Heart of Extreme Cold. This isn't a coincidence. There's a connection between them. It's been there all along."
Chen Wuya said nothing. He stared at the altar for several seconds, then suddenly stepped