Taking the opportunity of traveling through books

A glimmer of hope

"It's hope!" I gritted my teeth and spat out these two words, almost squeezing them out from between my teeth, "That's its weak point, as long as we..." The severe pain made me unable to speak anymore. My eyes went dark and I almost fainted.

"Yaoyao!" Hao Yang held onto my shaky body and called out anxiously, "How are you?"

I tried hard to open my heavy eyelids and saw Hao Yang's anxious face and Elder Wei's solemn eyes. I knew that I couldn't fall down, at least not now.

I struggled to stand, but my body felt like it was falling apart, making even standing incredibly difficult. My strength was nearly exhausted, and I tried to draw strength from my surroundings, but the darkness had completely consumed me. I felt nothing, only a cold, dead silence.

"I'm fine," I took a deep breath, trying to calm the surging blood in my body, "We must seize this opportunity, otherwise..."

I raised my trembling hand again and pointed at the core of the dark power. The faint fluctuation seemed so obvious at this moment, as if mocking our powerlessness.

"Did you see that slight fluctuation? That's its weakness. Let's concentrate all our strength and attack there!" I said in a hoarse voice, each word seemed to be squeezed out from my throat, with a hint of blood.

Hao Yang and Elder Wei looked in the direction my finger was pointing, and a glimmer of hope flashed in their eyes, but soon, this glimmer was replaced by deeper despair.

"But...your body..." Hao Yang looked at me worriedly, hesitant to speak.

I knew what he was trying to say. In my current condition, I couldn't even stand, let alone fight. However, this was only one chance. If we missed it, we would have no hope.

"Don't worry about me," I shook my head, enduring the severe pain in my body. "This is our only hope. We must give it a try even if it means death!"

I tried to gather the last bit of strength in my body and prepared to launch another attack. At this moment, I felt a warm and dry hand holding mine. I raised my head and met Hao Yang's deep eyes...

In those eyes, heartache, anxiety, worry, and all sorts of other emotions intertwined, yet he refused to back down. "Silly girl," he gently stroked my cheek, his tone gentle but firm, "I said I would protect you, and I mean it."

Hao Yang's words flowed through my cold body like a warm current, bringing a sense of comfort. However, my heart only grew heavier. He had already been wounded saving me, and every time he mobilized his strength, it brought excruciating pain. How could I bear to let him risk it for me again?

"Your injury..." I opened my mouth, but I didn't know what to say. All I could say turned into a sigh, choking in my throat.

Hao Yang seemed to see through my thoughts. He gently shook his head, a faint smile playing on his lips. That smile was a bit bitter, but more of it was a resolute determination. "I said, I'm fine." He paused, his eyes sweeping over my pale face, his tone becoming even gentler. "You just woke up, get some rest, leave this to me."

Before I could say no, Hao Yang had already let go of my hand and turned to face the surging dark power. With every step he took, his body trembled uncontrollably, but he always held his back straight, like a towering mountain, shielding me from the wind and rain.

"Hao Yang!" I wanted to stop him, but my voice was so weak that even I couldn't hear it clearly.

"Don't worry," Elder Wei held my shoulder, signaling me to calm down. "Hao Yang knows his limits," he said, pulling out a few crystal-clear stones from his arms and quickly forming a simple formation on the ground. "This is a spirit gathering formation. It can help you regain some strength."

Only then did I notice that Elder Wei's face was also extremely pale, his forehead covered with fine beads of sweat. It was clear that maintaining this formation was not easy for him. The dark forces seemed to sense our intentions and continuously attacked the formation. The originally bright light of the formation began to flicker, as if it would be extinguished at any moment.

"There's no time..." I watched the shrinking wave, my heart filled with anxiety. Then, a flash of inspiration struck me, a bold idea. I closed my eyes, concentrated, and tried to sense the spiritual herb that was connected to my life... But all I heard was dead silence, as if the spiritual herb didn't even exist in this world.

"How could this happen..." My heart sank little by little...

The light of the formation grew fainter and fainter, like a candle in the wind, ready to go out at any moment. I clenched my fists tightly, my nails practically digging into my flesh, yet I felt no pain. Was this really going to fail?

No! There must be a way!

A subtle connection between me and the herb suddenly flashed through my mind. My return from the dead was entirely thanks to the herb's power, and perhaps it could help me again! I closed my eyes, concentrating on sensing the herb's presence, trying to awaken its dormant power. But all I heard was endless silence, as if the herb didn't even exist in this world. Or perhaps... it, too, had been sealed by this dark force?

My heart sank little by little.

"I'll try."

Hao Yang's voice rang in my ears. I opened my eyes suddenly and saw him struggling to stand up.

"No!" I almost screamed to stop him, "Your injury..."

"This is the only hope." Hao Yang shook his head and looked firmly at the surging darkness. "Perhaps, I can find the source of that fluctuation."

He dragged his injured body, step by step, towards the dark force. Every step was like stepping on the tip of my heart, making me feel so painful that I could hardly breathe.

"Be careful!" I couldn't help but exclaim in a low voice, wishing I could rush up and bear it all for him.

"Don't worry." He turned around and gave me a comforting smile, but that smile was uglier than crying.

I could only watch him walk step by step towards the despairing darkness... Just as he was about to approach that wave, the dark force seemed to suddenly sense the provocation and suddenly rolled over. A huge black palm slammed down in Hao Yang's direction...

"Hao Yang——!" I screamed heartbreakingly. Everything seemed to stop at this moment...

Time seemed to freeze at this moment. All that remained in my world was the giant black hand and Hao Yang's figure beneath it. My heart suddenly contracted, as if it were being tightly grasped by an invisible hand, nearly suffocating me.

At the critical moment, Hao Yang's figure moved miraculously. Like a nimble swallow, he traced a strange arc in the air, barely avoiding the fatal blow. The huge black palm brushed against the corner of his clothes and fell, stirring up a gust of wind that made it almost impossible for me to open my eyes.

Before I could breathe a sigh of relief, the dark force seemed to be completely enraged, rolling even more violently, and wave after wave of attacks hit Hao Yang like a storm.

"Hao Yang!" I couldn't help but exclaim again, but the sound was drowned out by the chaotic energy fluctuations.

Hao Yang's figure flickered in and out of the darkness, each appearance accompanied by new wounds. His clothes were already torn in many places, revealing the horrific wounds underneath. But he never stopped. Like a tenacious warrior, he danced on the edge of a knife again and again, frantically testing the brink of death.

I bit my lip hard to stop myself from crying out loud. I clenched my fists tightly, my nails digging deep into my flesh, but I felt no pain. My mind was blank, with only one thought left: Hao Yang, you must come back alive!

"Yao'er, don't worry, I'm fine!" Hao Yang's voice came intermittently, with a hint of fatigue, but still firm and powerful.

His voice was like a ray of light, illuminating my despairing heart. The flame of hope rekindled in my eyes, and I stared at his figure closely, not wanting to miss any details.

"Now!" Elder Wei suddenly shouted. I saw him quickly forming seals with his hands, and a golden light shot out from his hands, heading straight for the center of the dark power...