The Fallen Genius

On the third day after returning to Shrek, Cao Longyan's eyelashes finally fluttered, and he slowly opened his eyes. The familiar ceiling greeted his gaze, a faint yet recognizable fragrance tickled his nose, and the sound of steady, gentle breathing reached his ears.

His entire body felt sore and weak; he lacked even the strength to lift his hand, so he could only slowly turn his head toward the source of the breathing.

Zhang Lexuan was slumped beside his bed, her hair disheveled against her cheeks, dark circles shadowing her eyes.

Her hand was still tightly gripping his wrist, her fingertips cool to the touch.

Cao Longyan squeezed his eyes shut, his brows furrowed, and he used his other hand to support his head.

His mind was a blank slate; his only memory stopped at that final, desperate strike in the valley.

Filled with doubt and unease, Cao Longyan closed his eyes once more, gathering his last shred of mental energy to slowly enter his spiritual sea.

The spiritual sea, usually bright and warm, was now dim and gloomy. The fireball that once radiated scorching light had become dull and lusterless.

The space, once lively with the presence of many guardian spirits, was now empty and desolate, with only Sky Dream Ice Worm lingering there alone.

"Xu Chu? Dian Wei? Xiahou Dun? Xiahou Yuan? Chi Wang?"

Cao Longyan called out softly in his sea of consciousness, his voice carrying an imperceptible tremor. He carefully sensed every corner of his spiritual sea, trying to catch those five familiar auras, but no matter how he searched, there was nothing left but the presence of Sky Dream Ice Worm.

"My Lord, stop looking. Xu Chu and Dian Wei have sacrificed themselves, and the others have fallen into a deep slumber."

Sky Dream Ice Worm hurried to Cao Longyan's side.

"Sacrificed? Slumber?"

Cao Longyan's spirit shook violently, his tone filled with disbelief.

Sky Dream Ice Worm remained silent for a moment before recounting everything that had happened in the valley to Cao Longyan, word for word.

Except for the part where they had called Zhang Lexuan "Madam."

With every sentence, Sky Dream Ice Worm's voice grew lower, and Cao Longyan's body grew increasingly rigid.

No... that's impossible...

They were so strong, how could this be?!

He could no longer remain calm. He withdrew from his spiritual sea, ignoring his body's weakness and exhaustion, and driven by a single obsession, he struggled to push himself up.

The movement was too loud and accidentally startled Zhang Lexuan awake.

Zhang Lexuan opened her eyes abruptly. Seeing that Cao Longyan was awake, a flash of surprise and excitement crossed her eyes. She rose quickly, her voice raspy from sleep.

"Little Brother Longyan, you're awake? How do you feel? Is anything uncomfortable? You..."

But Cao Longyan seemed not to hear her. His eyes were hollow and dim, his face devoid of expression. He pushed aside the quilt, climbed out of bed, and leaned against the wall, walking slowly toward the door with heavy, numb steps.

Seeing Cao Longyan unable to even stand steadily, Zhang Lexuan rushed forward to support him, her tone urgent.

"Little Brother Longyan, your body hasn't recovered yet. Don't move around, go back to bed and rest!"

But the moment her hand touched his arm, he violently shook it off.

Cao Longyan did not look back, nor did he speak; his eyes only grew dimmer.

Zhang Lexuan saw a sense of loneliness and grief in his eyes that she had never seen before—not even when he had been stuck at the twenty-ninth rank for half a year. This unfamiliar sensation made the words on the tip of her tongue swallow back down.

She watched his lonely, frail back, her eyes instantly moistening. She could only follow him silently, not daring to disturb him again.

She knew he must have found out...

Leaning against the wall, Cao Longyan walked out of his room step by step. As he opened the door, he saw Mu En, Xuan Zi, and Bei Bei standing not far away.

The three of them wore complex expressions, their eyes filled with heartache and worry. Clearly, they had been waiting there for a long time.

After all, some things could not be hidden...

Xuan Zi and Bei Bei instinctively wanted to step forward to offer comfort, but after taking only one step, they were gently stopped by Mu En.

Mu En shook his head slightly and transmitted his voice to them.

"Let Little Yan walk on his own. He needs his own space, and he needs time to overcome this hurdle himself."

Hearing this, Xuan Zi and Bei Bei could only sigh, stopping their steps to watch Cao Longyan from afar, their eyes full of pain.

However, there was one thing Mu En did not say: even if Cao Longyan could not recover, he had a way... though it would cost him his own life.

Cao Longyan walked past the three of them numbly, wordless and hollow-eyed. Without stopping, he descended the stairs of the Sea God Pavilion step by step.

When he reached the first-floor hall, it was already filled with people.

Li Meng, Su Qingyue, Zhao Rui, and the other seven members of the Inspection Team, along with the elders of the Sea God Pavilion, all stood with solemn expressions. Their eyes held guilt, heartache, and worry, yet no one dared to speak.

Seeing Cao Longyan descend, they wanted to step forward and say something, but were swept by his drooping gaze—a look so desolate it made one's heart ache.

He withdrew his gaze and waved his hand slightly. Without looking at anyone else, he walked straight out of the Sea God Pavilion.

Stepping outside, the warm sun shone upon him, yet he could not feel a shred of its warmth.

Just then, a faint light flickered on his right hand, and the Ten Halls of Yama martial soul slowly manifested.

The original purple-gold shell had become dull and lusterless, the golden dragon patterns circling it had vanished, and there was not even a trace of soul power fluctuation. The four soul rings that had once existed had dissipated into mere phantoms.

The Ten Halls of Yama was now truly no different from an ordinary wooden club.

Mu En, Xuan Zi, Zhang Lexuan, and the others following behind him felt their hearts grow heavy with complexity, and they all stopped in their tracks, falling into silence.

Cao Longyan looked down at the dim Ten Halls of Yama in his hands, his body trembling uncontrollably. He knew that everything Sky Dream Ice Worm had said was true; they might truly never return...

He slowly raised his head to gaze at the sky, whispering the names of his guardian spirits one by one.

"Xu Chu... Dian Wei... Xiahou Dun... Xiahou Yuan... Chi Wang..."

His voice grew increasingly shaky and hoarse, eventually erupting into a heart-wrenching wail. Every word was laden with bone-deep grief and despair.

"Xu Chu, Dian Wei, didn't you say you would always be by my side, protecting me? Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, didn't you say you would witness me becoming a king? Chi Wang, weren't you supposed to become the Dragon King?"

By the end, he could no longer hold himself up. His legs gave way, and he collapsed heavily onto the ground. The Ten Halls of Yama fell from his grasp, and he clutched his head in his hands, sobbing uncontrollably.

"You broke your promises..."

That desperate cry echoed across the plaza outside the Sea God Pavilion, piercing the hearts of everyone present and bringing tears to their eyes.

At that moment, Zhang Lexuan could no longer hold back. She rushed out from the crowd, ignoring the gazes of others, and pulled the kneeling Cao Longyan into a tight embrace. She held his head firmly against her chest, tears streaming down her face and dripping onto his hair.

"Little Brother Longyan..."

Zhang Lexuan's voice was choked with sobs, yet she still forced a gentle tone, stroking his back to comfort him.

"Perhaps they haven't left you. Maybe they are just tired and have fallen into a brief slumber... What they want is for you to live well, to become stronger, and to hope that one day, you will be able to awaken them!"

Leaning into her embrace, Cao Longyan wept even more bitterly. All his guilt, sorrow, and despair erupted completely in that moment.

Zhang Lexuan said nothing, only holding him tightly and patting his back over and over, using her own warmth to soothe his cold, desperate heart.

Just as Cao Longyan was on the verge of fainting from grief, the voice of Sky Dream Ice Worm suddenly echoed in his mental sea, carrying a faint but firm glimmer of hope.

"My Lord, I... I might have a way..."

A black and white figure gradually solidified within Cao Longyan's mental sea.

"Longyan, this old man can also give it a try..."