Floating life reflects two lotuses

The night was as black as ink, and ominous clouds shrouded the entire land of offerings. Gale-force winds whipped up dust and fallen leaves, and an eerie chill filled the air. The runic stone pillars around the area faintly glowed with a ghostly blue light, as if responding to some ancient call.

Xiao Jinlian stood atop the mountain peak, her gaze fixed on the distance. A faint, low murmur reached her ears, like some ancient summons. Li Heng stood beside her, gripping his longsword tightly, his expression solemn.

"Consort Yan has made her move again," Xiao Jinlian said slowly, her voice tinged with coldness.

"What exactly does she want to do?" Li Heng frowned, his gaze sweeping across the turbulent land before him. "That power is strange; it's stronger than ever before."

“She has control of the last fragment of the rune and is trying to awaken the power of the curse.” Xiao Jinlian’s voice was calm, but her hands trembled slightly, knowing full well what this meant.

"Awaken?" Li Heng's pupils contracted sharply, and his fingers gripping the sword hilt turned bluish-white. "Has she gone mad? Once the curse gets out of control, the entire world will be destroyed!"

Xiao Jinlian took a deep breath, her gaze fixed firmly on the gradually brightening rune light in the distance: "She has no other choice but to take a desperate gamble. But we must stop her, otherwise the seal on the Land of Sacrifice will collapse completely."

"Then let's go!" Without saying a word, Li Heng grabbed her wrist and rushed down the mountain.

At the heart of the Sacrifice Grounds, on an ancient stone platform, a tall figure draped in black robes stood amidst pillars of runic light. Yan Fei's face was ashen, yet her eyes gleamed with madness. She raised her hands high, the last fragment of a rune floating in her palms.

"Heavens! You are unjust, so I will defy the heavens! Today, I will make everyone pay the price!" Her voice echoed in the gale, and the rune fragments released beams of intense light, converging into a huge rune array, with energy spreading wildly in all directions.

The ground around them began to tremble, cracks spread out like a spider web, and eerie black mist wafted between the pillars of light, faintly emanating wails and growls, as if the entire earth was awakening.

Xiao Jinlian and Li Heng rode at full speed, following the runes to track Consort Yan's whereabouts. A fierce wind howled, sand and stones pelted their faces, and their robes fluttered wildly in the wind.

"We've arrived!" Xiao Jinlian stopped her horse and pointed to the place where the pillars of light converged in the distance. The light soared into the sky, and eerie black energy spread outwards, enveloping the entire sky.

Li Heng dismounted, his gaze sharp: "Lian'er, you follow behind me!"

“No, Li Heng, this time I must stand by your side.” Xiao Jinlian took out the rune fragments she had found earlier from her bosom, her gaze resolute. “Only together can we possibly stop her.”

Looking at her expression, Li Heng finally nodded, and the two drew their swords and rushed towards the pillar of light.

Upon reaching the stone platform, Consort Yan was completely immersed in the power of the curse. Her eyes glowed crimson, and a mad smile played on her lips: "Xiao Jinlian, you really came!"

"Consort Yan! You've gone mad!" Xiao Jinlian shouted coldly, "Do you know that once the power of the curse is released, the entire world will be destroyed!"

"So what if it's destroyed? You so-called champions of justice, what right do you have to control everything? I'll show you despair!" Yan Fei suddenly waved her hand, and the light of runes burst forth, unleashing a violent force.

Li Heng stood in front of Xiao Jinlian, unleashing a sharp sword aura with his longsword in an attempt to block the force. The light and sword aura collided, erupting in a deafening roar.

"Li Heng, watch out!" Xiao Jinlian shouted. Seeing a black mist rushing towards Li Heng, she rushed over and pushed him away, but she was grazed by the black mist herself. Her body trembled and her face turned pale instantly.

Li Heng's pupils constricted sharply, and he roared, "Consort Yan! Stop!"

Yan Fei laughed wildly and raised her hand again. The rune fragments shone even brighter, and the surrounding rune pillars began to crack. The rune power spread out of control in all directions.

Xiao Jinlian forced herself to stand up and gritted her teeth, saying, "Li Heng, hold her off. I need time!"

Li Heng nodded sharply, his sword pointing directly at Consort Yan, his gaze as cold as frost: "Consort Yan, your crimes are unforgivable!"

The two fought fiercely on the stone platform, their sword energy and runic power colliding constantly. Amidst the intertwining light, the stone platform gradually collapsed.

Xiao Jinlian sat cross-legged on the ground, the rune fragment in her hand floated up, and the rune array around her gradually lit up. Her divine sense sank into the fragment and finally saw a hidden memory.

That was the truth behind the Luo Yuan Contract hundreds of years ago.

“Those who sacrifice their souls cannot be appeased without destruction.”

Xiao Jinlian suddenly opened her eyes, her face pale, and murmured, "So that's how it is..."

At this moment, Li Heng, who had seriously injured Consort Yan, rushed to Xiao Jinlian's side. Seeing her pale face, he asked anxiously, "Lian'er, how are you?"

Xiao Jinlian raised her head and looked at him with a complicated expression: "Li Heng, there is something I need to tell you."

"What is it?" Li Heng frowned, his eyes showing concern.

“My soul…doesn’t belong here. I come from another time and space,” she said softly, her eyes filled with an unprecedented serenity. “All these curses and runes seem to be pulling between two time and space. And I am the key that connects the two worlds.”

Li Heng was taken aback, then said, "I don't care where you come from. I only know that you are my Lian'er. No matter what the future holds, I will be with you."

Xiao Jinlian looked at him, a warmth spreading through her heart, and whispered, "Thank you, Li Heng."

As Consort Yan's figure was gradually swallowed by the black mist, she laughed loudly before her death, saying, "You think a seal can stop everything? The power of the runes... will destroy everything!"

As soon as she finished speaking, the black aura completely dissipated, and the stone platform began to collapse. Xiao Jinlian and Li Heng desperately tried to escape from the stone platform.

Standing on the edge of the cliff, Xiao Jinlian looked down at the gradually calming sacrificial site, her gaze deep: "Consort Yan is dead, but the curse has not dissipated. The power of the runes... is not over yet."

Li Heng grasped her hand and said firmly, "No matter what the future holds, we'll face it together."

The wind howled, and beneath the starry sky, the runes shimmered faintly, as if responding to the unknown future.