Legend of the Embroiderer

Li Zhao's figure gradually blurred in the darkness. Before the last trace of consciousness dissipated, he heard the old man's call as if it came from a very far away.

When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a cave made entirely of black crystal.

The crystal walls reflected a faint blue light, dark red veins flowed on the ground, and the air was filled with the sweet smell of corruption.

He lowered his head to look at his right hand. The originally fair skin was now covered with dark purple lines, and the fingertips were flashing with a captivating black light.

"Welcome to my world, Destiny Child."

Along with these words, a hoarse voice slowly came from the depths of the cave, as if it came from the underworld, making people feel creepy.

Li Zhao's heart tightened and he immediately became alert. He tightly grasped the purification crystal in his hand, which was his only means of entering this mysterious place.

He was about to use the crystal to defend against possible danger, but was surprised to find that the crystal suddenly became dim at this moment, as if it had lost all its energy.

Li Zhao thought to himself that something was wrong and looked around, trying to find the source of the sound.

He noticed that countless transparent soul shadows had appeared on the stone walls of the cave at some point.

These phantoms were dressed exactly like the wise men on the altar, but their eyes were burning with raging fires of hatred as they stared at Li Zhao.

"Who are you?" Li Zhao tried to remain calm and asked sternly.

A shadowy figure in the front sneered, and the laughter echoed in the empty cave, making people shudder.

"who are we?"

The shadow's voice was filled with resentment. "We are the sealed guardians of the Dark Vein! Thousands of years ago, those hypocritical messengers of light suppressed us here, leaving us with no hope of reincarnation! And you—"

The phantom suddenly moved closer to Li Zhao, its face almost touching the tip of Li Zhao's nose. Li Zhao could even feel the cold aura emanating from the phantom.

"You will be the key to our freedom!" These words seemed to come from the abyss of hell, carrying endless malice and despair, echoing in Li Zhao's ears, like the whisper of a devil, buzzing.

This voice seemed to have a kind of magic that was irresistible, and Li Zhao's body trembled involuntarily.

He widened his eyes and looked at the shadow in front of him. It was a blurry figure that exuded a heart-pounding aura.

"No...I won't be your tool!"

Li Zhao shouted with all his strength, his voice echoing in the empty space, but it seemed so powerless.

The shadow didn't seem to hear what he said. It just looked at Li Zhao coldly, and its empty eyes made people shudder.

Li Zhao took a half step back, and the dark power in his body suddenly surged violently.

He was horrified to find that his left hand was uncontrollably pinching his throat.

Just as his breathing was about to stop, the purification crystal suddenly burst out with a dazzling golden light, leaving a glowing pentagram mark on his chest.

In the severe pain, Li Zhao heard the old man's voice echoing in his mind: "Child, remember your mission!"

The dark power receded like a tide, and Li Zhao collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath.

He looked up into the depths of the cave and found a beating heart suspended there, its surface covered with the same dark purple lines as on his right hand.

There was a sound of fierce fighting outside the cave. Li Zhao struggled to stand up and saw the old man fighting fiercely with a group of people in black robes.

The black-robed man at the head lifted his hood, revealing a familiar face - it was the leader of the black-robed men who had been defeated by Li Zhao before!

"I didn't expect it?"

The leader of the men in black grinned, "Do you think you can stop the darkness by killing me? I am just a remnant of the master's soul!"

He waved his wand, and the ground suddenly cracked. Countless bony arms stretched out and dragged the old man into the ground.

Li Zhao wanted to rescue him, but was restrained by an invisible force.

He watched the old man disappear into the crack, anger and self-blame burning in his chest like fire.

"Now, make your choice." The shadow of the Dark Vein Guardian appeared again, "Will you merge with us and become the new master of darkness, or..."

Before he could finish his words, the roof of the cave suddenly collapsed and a golden beam of light fell from the sky.

Li Zhao was surprised to see a young man with the same appearance as himself walking out of the light column, except that the other person was surrounded by pure light power.

"I am your source of light."

The young man spoke, "We were once one, but were forcibly divided. Now, you must choose between light and darkness."

Li Zhao looked at his bright clone in shock, and suddenly realized the true meaning of "twin choice" in ancient books.

He looked towards the dark heart, then at his right hand covered in dark patterns, and finally understood why he felt a stinging pain every time he used the power of purification - it was the eternal battle between light and darkness in his body.

"I choose..." Li Zhao stabbed the purification crystal into his heart.

In the severe pain, he heard two screams: the shadow of the Dark Vein Guardian began to dissipate, and the Light Avatar gradually became transparent.

When Li Zhao opened his eyes again, he found himself standing in a pure white space, and the old man was looking at him worriedly.

"Child, you are finally back."

The old man breathed a sigh of relief. "Just now you were swallowed by the dark power, I..."

Li Zhao shook his head and interrupted him: "Senior, I have seen the truth.

We must go immediately to the Shrine of Light, where lies the answer to everything."

The two came to the Altar of Light and found that it was in sharp contrast with the Dark Mountains.

The pure white marble building sparkles in the sun, and the fountain in the center flows with golden holy water.

When Li Zhao placed the purification crystal into the altar, the sky suddenly became overcast, and a majestic voice sounded:

"Child of Destiny, you have passed the final test. Now, merge the Heart of Darkness with the Source of Light and restore the balance of the world."

Li Zhao placed his right hand on the altar with trembling hands. Dark purple lines and golden light intertwined to form a huge yin-yang fish pattern.

Just as the fusion was about to be completed, the leader of the men in black suddenly appeared and stabbed Li Zhao's back with his magic wand.

"You think this is the end?" he roared. "Darkness and light should always fight!"

Li Zhao felt his life slipping away, but he used up his last bit of strength to insert the purification crystal into the dark heart.

Light and darkness exploded within him, and the whole world seemed to be torn in two.

When Li Zhao opened his eyes again, he found himself lying in ruins, with the old man holding his hand.

"Did it work?" Li Zhao asked weakly.

The old man shook his head. "The balance between darkness and light has been broken, and now the whole world is in chaos. However..."

He pointed into the distance, "Look."

Li Zhao looked in the direction the old man pointed and saw two moons appear in the sky:

One emits a soft silver light, while the other shimmers with a mysterious purple light.

At the junction of the two moons, a line of ancient text emerged: When twins become one, chaos will begin.

Li Zhao looked down at his hands and found that dark purple lines were intertwined with golden marks.

The real battle had just begun. The roar of a giant beast could be heard in the distance. Li Zhao held the old man's hand tightly and stood up.

Under the illumination of the double moons, the two people's shadows blended together to form a perfect Tai Chi pattern.