New Life

The pressure contained within the Snow Empress's extreme chill and fury, combined with the Ice Emperor's undisguised, violent aura, instantly drew everyone's attention.

Qian Daoliu and Bibi Dong only then noticed the two figures beside Guang Ling.

But the next second, they were stunned.

"Soul beasts?!"

"Over one hundred thousand years... No! This aura... it far exceeds one hundred thousand years!"

Qian Daoliu's face was filled with shock. He stared fixedly at the Snow Empress, sensing an ancient aura emanating from that unfathomable pressure.

Could she be a match for him even without using the Angel God's power?

A flash of surprise also crossed Bibi Dong's eyes.

Guang Ling... actually acquainted with such powerful soul beasts? And judging by their attitude, they had clearly come to protect Qian Qizhou.

The situation instantly became incredibly delicate and complex!

The shock in Qian Daoliu's eyes quickly transformed into deep gravity.

He looked at the Snow Empress and asked in a deep voice, "Who might you be?"

Just then—

"Cough... cough, cough..."

A weak, pained cough suddenly sounded from Guang Ling's arms.

Guang Ling looked down abruptly to see Qian Qizhou's long eyelashes fluttering as he slowly opened his eyes.

His gaze was filled with exhaustion and dead silence, his face as pale as paper.

"Xiao Zhou! How are you feeling?!" Guang Ling asked urgently.

Qian Qizhou's vision struggled to focus as he slowly swept his gaze over the tense scene.

The cold, furious Snow Empress, the poised Ice Emperor, the shocked and grave Qian Daoliu, and... the ever-shifting gaze of Bibi Dong.

Not a single ripple stirred in his eyes; he seemed numb to it all, leaving only endless exhaustion and... weariness.

He lifted his hand with great difficulty and gently gripped Guang Ling's sleeve. "Ling... let's go back..."

He did not want to stay here anymore.

He did not want to see that woman again, nor did he want to be dragged into this suffocating strife and hatred.

He only wanted to leave, to get far away from this place that brought him such sorrow.

Seeing Qian Qizhou in this state, the fury in the Snow Empress's eyes intensified, and she glared at Bibi Dong.

"Hmph!"

With a cold snort, she lifted her jade hand and struck out at Bibi Dong from a distance.

A palm print condensed from ice-attribute soul power instantly appeared before Bibi Dong.

Bibi Dong was startled, her pupils constricting as she hurriedly moved to defend herself.

"BOOM—!!!"

On the way back, Guang Ling looked at the youth in his arms, who seemed to be enduring immense pain even in his unconscious state, and his heart was filled with helplessness.

He sighed softly. "You really are a troublesome brat who never lets anyone rest..."

"It's always like this. Either you vanish without a word, or you come back covered in wounds, half-dead."

"You were so well-behaved when you were little; how did you become such a troublemaker as you grew up..." Guang Ling muttered in complaint.

One had to know, in just this short period, the injuries Qian Qizhou had sustained already exceeded what he had suffered in his entire life.

By the time they neared the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect, Ning Fengzhi and Sword and Bone Douluo, having already received the message, came out to meet them immediately.

When they saw Qian Qizhou once again heavily wounded in Guang Ling's arms, the expressions of the three changed drastically, their eyes filled with shock.

You've got to be kidding? How long has it been? How many times is this now? Why is he beaten like this every single day?

Ning Fengzhi sighed and immediately summoned his Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda, casting a brilliant seven-colored light over Qian Qizhou to treat his wounds.

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

With Ning Fengzhi's full assistance, the wounds on Qian Qizhou's body had basically healed.

The chaotic soul power within his body had also been smoothed out by the Snow Empress.

However, he seemed to have lost his soul, lying on the bed every day without taking interest in anything.

His eyes were open, yet hollow and lifeless, staring straight at the ceiling like an exquisite but inanimate porcelain doll.

Guang Ling kept watch by his bedside every day, trying to persuade him with earnest words, sharing stories of his travels across the continent, and even bringing up embarrassing anecdotes from his childhood.

But Qian Qizhou's eyes never showed a single ripple; he just watched him with that same calm, empty gaze.

The Ice Emperor would occasionally transform into human form, standing by the bedside with her arms crossed, encouraging him in her own awkward way.

But Qian Qizhou remained unresponsive, as if her presence was no different from the air, which left the Ice Emperor both frustrated and inexplicably annoyed.

Ning Fengzhi also visited frequently, bringing all sorts of rare medicinal herbs and his concern, but seeing Qian Qizhou's state, he could only sigh helplessly.

A heart ailment requires a heart cure.

Everyone understood that Qian Qizhou's physical wounds had healed, but the wounds in his heart... had festered and suppurated, reaching deep into his bones.

He was now like a dying lamp that had run out of oil, leaving only an empty shell.

This state made everyone who cared about him feel incredibly anxious and powerless.

Several more days passed in oppressive silence.

Qian Qizhou remained like a soulless puppet, deaf to everything in the outside world, immersed in his own boundless darkness and despair.

Nothing could penetrate the thick wall of his heart, built from pain and despair.

However, in the depths of this deathly silence, in the ice-bound ruins of his consciousness, a faint yet exceptionally tenacious flame began to flicker stubbornly.

His father's regret and death, his Sister's disappearance, his mother's hatred, the shifting tides of the continent... all of it replayed like a carousel in his deadened mind.

Was it painful?

Was it despairing?

Did he want to sink into it and end it all?

Yes.

But... was this how it should end?

Why did these things happen?

It was "Fate"...

Ei had said it was "Fate" set by the Deities of this world.

Were all people merely actors on a stage, performing according to a script...

Allowing those hypocritical Deities to remain on their high thrones?

Allowing those who cared for him and protected him to continue worrying about him and risking themselves for him?

Allowing himself... to rot on this bed silently, like a coward?

No!

A trace of extremely weak, yet searingly hot anger, suddenly surged from the ice-bound sea of despair!

Why?!

Why should he endure all of this?!

Why should he give up like a failure?!

Why could those hypocritical Deities live carefree lives, arbitrarily dictating the script?!

He suddenly recalled the scene when Ei appeared.

He remembered Guang Ling's trembling, anxious hands as he rushed out of the Pope Palace with him.

He also remembered Snow Empress's resolute back as she stood in front of him.

He couldn't fall!

He still had unfulfilled promises! Unrepaid kindness! He wanted to change all of this!

"Ugh..."

An extremely hoarse groan suddenly escaped Qian Qizhou's cracked lips.

By the bedside, Guang Ling, who had been keeping vigil, suddenly looked up, his eyes bursting with disbelief.