City of Slaughter, Qian Daoliu

The first beam of golden light to shoot forth was like the sharpest divine weapon in the world, silently slicing across the Iron Spine Crocodile Dragon's neck, which was covered in hard scales.

The massive Spirit Beast did not even have time to let out a cry of anguish. The savagery in its vertical pupils instantly froze and scattered. A smooth, mirror-like cross-section appeared where its head joined its body, and its heavy head crashed onto the rocks beneath the water. Blood gushed out, dyeing a vast stretch of water red.

The twelve streams of light did not dissipate. Like spirited little sprites, they circled Zhao Linchuan's battered body, continuously pouring gentle yet powerful energy into his wounds.

The tears that reached the bone rapidly healed under the nourishment of Wood's Life Force. His fractured bones rejoined amid Earth's Heaviness, while his utterly depleted Soul Power was swiftly replenished by various forms of Origin Power.

At last, the twelve radiances representing the primordial laws seemed to answer an invisible summons. They all converged, transforming into twelve tiny yet incomparably condensed threads of light that sank into Zhao Linchuan's heart and vanished.

The pallor on his face visibly regained a trace of color, and his labored breathing gradually steadied.

Unconscious, Zhao Linchuan drifted downstream with the rushing mountain stream.

Zhao Linchuan drifted along the current for a long time, until...

"Grandpa! Uncle! Look! There's someone floating in the water!!"

A childish voice suddenly rang out by the quiet riverbank, filled with panic.

A child picking up shells by the shore pointed toward the middle of the river and shouted anxiously.

On a crude fishing boat not far away, two weathered old fishermen with dark skin immediately dropped their nets upon hearing the cry. Their cloudy eyes sharpened as they looked in the direction the child indicated.

Sure enough, a figure dressed in luxurious but tattered clothes bobbed in the muddy river water.

"Row over there, quickly!" The older fisherman, the child's grandfather, spoke in a hoarse but decisive voice.

The small boat cut across the water like an arrow loosed from a bow, swiftly drawing near.

Working together, the two men carefully hauled the unconscious Zhao Linchuan from the icy river onto the wet deck with their rough but strong arms.

The old fisherman stretched out a calloused, trembling finger beneath Zhao Linchuan's nose, then felt the pulse at the side of his neck. A trace of relief flashed through his cloudy eyes.

"He's still breathing! He's alive!" He made an immediate decision and roared at his sturdy son beside him, "Oldest, hurry and take him to Miss Ah Yin! She might have a way to save him!"

"Got it, Dad!" The young fisherman did not hesitate. He bent down and carefully carried the soaked, barely breathing Zhao Linchuan onto his broad, sturdy back.

He broke into a run along the muddy riverbank toward the home of the kind healer, Ah Yin, deep within the village.

Heavy footsteps echoed along the silent riverbank.

Meanwhile, a thousand miles away in Spirit City, deep within the Saintess Hall.

Bibi Dong had not slept for an entire day and night.

She curled up in the darkest corner of the cold hall. Nothing remained of her usual noble and imposing bearing; there was only endless vulnerability and fear.

Her slender fingers tightly clutched the necklace Zhao Linchuan had personally put around her neck, her knuckles turning white from the force.

At the center of the necklace, the azure light representing Zhao Linchuan's state of life had violently flickered yesterday, dimmed, and nearly gone out completely!

In that moment, her heart seemed to stop beating along with it, and immense terror and despair swallowed her whole.

Yet just when she thought she was about to lose him forever, that faint azure light miraculously steadied itself and, stubbornly, gradually began to brighten again!

At this moment, it had not only returned to its original brightness; it was even more dazzling and solid than ever before, radiating vigorous Life Force!

"He must have... must have gone through a life-and-death battle beyond imagination!" Bibi Dong pressed herself against the necklace's cold metal surface. Tears silently slid down her cheeks and fell onto the polished floor tiles. "He didn't die... he made it through... and... he became stronger!"

That realization was like a faint yet steadfast ray of light, piercing the heavy gloom in her heart.

A powerful tide of guilt and resolve surged within her.

She abruptly raised her head. Though her cheeks were streaked with tears, an unprecedented fire burned in her eyes.

"I can't... I can't go on like this! I can't keep placing all the danger and burdens on his shoulders alone! I can't keep being his burden!"

"I will become stronger!" The three words were forced through her clenched teeth, carrying the resolve to perish together with her enemy.

A dangerous, mad plan took shape in her heart—she would enter that legendary forbidden land, the City of Slaughter!

Only the ultimate power gained there would qualify her to stand at his side, rather than hide beneath his wings and become the weakness his enemies could use to threaten him.

She slowly rose to her feet and carefully tucked the necklace, which carried all her hopes and concerns, close against her body.

The confusion and fragility in her eyes were replaced by an almost cruel determination.

She straightened her slightly disheveled Saintess robes, lifted her chin, and walked toward the hall's exit.

With every step, she shattered the weakness of her past.

The Angel Temple was solemn and majestic, its golden holy light illuminating the Angel God Statue without ever fading.

Great Enshriner Qian Daoliu stood with his eyes closed and head bowed, praying devoutly before the Angel God Statue.

Outside the hall, however, a suppressed argument could be heard.

"Old Ghost, are you sure about this? Is it worth it?" Yue Guan's face was full of worry. He tugged at Ghost Charm's sleeve, keeping his voice extremely low.

They had just received the message Zhao Linchuan had sent and, following the instructions in the brocade pouch, had come uneasily to this most sacred and awe-inspiring place in Spirit Hall.

"The Pope's intentions are already obvious. His feelings for the Saintess... are far from merely those of a master toward a disciple."

"With Zhao Linchuan alone, even if he's a peerless genius, can he really shake the Pope and stand against the will of all Spirit Hall?" Yue Guan's voice was bitter. "Even if he becomes a Titled Douluo in the future, what then?"

"Could he really overturn the great mountain that is Spirit Hall?"

Ghost Charm's face, perpetually shrouded in shadow, revealed no emotion. Only his low voice was exceptionally firm. "Offering help in the snow is far better than adding flowers to brocade."

"Yue Guan, don't you trust my judgment of people?"

"This is a gamble—a wager on his future, and ours as well."

"You!" Yue Guan choked back his anger, but seeing the unquestionable resolve in Ghost Charm's eyes, he finally let out a long sigh. A trace of resigned helplessness appeared on his beautiful face. "Fine, fine! In this vast Douluo Continent, you're my only true friend."

"If we're going to die, then we'll die together! I'm with you!"

Their quiet dispute ultimately still alerted the supreme being within the hall.

A voice containing endless majesty, as though it rang directly within their souls, sounded from the temple like a great bell.

"What business do you have making such noise outside the hall?"