Ten minutes prior, within the Forbidden City, the Astronomical Bureau.
Fuxi sat before the Hun Tiān Yí, his aura radiating an unprecedented decay and decline.
Xin Lei, Bing Huo, Jia Huang, and Ren Yin, the four Heavenly Stems, stood on either side of the grand hall, each observing Fuxi's manipulation of the Hun Tiān Yí with varying expressions.
Fuxi tossed the last tortoise shell into the furnace, then watched as dew from the yarrow stalks slowly dripped onto it.
*Sizzle—*
A drop of water landed on the scorching tortoise shell, the rising steam accelerating its cracking.
Finally, after the tortoise shell ceased changing color, Fuxi gestured, retrieved it, and placed it beside the others.
However, Fuxi's breathing had already begun to falter.
Xin Lei frowned as he watched Fuxi perform these actions. Bing Huo, unable to bear it any longer, spoke, "Lord Fuxi... please stop. Your aura is incredibly weak..."
Fuxi glanced at Bing Huo, nodded, but still said, "Jia Huang, lend me a hand."
Jia Huang gently waved the palace lantern in his hand, channeling a stream of spiritual energy into the crystal orb of the Hun Tiān Yí, setting it in motion.
Fuxi gazed at the constellations and characters gradually appearing on the Hun Tiān Yí and said to Bing Huo, "Bing Huo, light the Seven Star Lamps."
Bing Huo sighed, using the blazing Samadhi True Fire to ignite the seven golden candelabra surrounding the Hun Tiān Yí and Fuxi, one by one.
As the Seven Star Lamps were lit, Fuxi's complexion visibly improved, yet his face remained pale and sickly.
He immediately mobilized all the spiritual energy within him, causing a cyan-white phantom to appear behind him:
His hair, three thousand zhang long, as if destiny's threads were predetermined;
A cape of feathers draped over his shoulders, adorned with jade beads, like a starry sky faintly visible;
His hands cradled a Bagua zither, its strings emitting ethereal notes, as if the Heavenly Dao was hidden within all things;
Beneath him, a serpentine body with shimmering scales, possessing the majesty of a true dragon.
This was Fuxi, the foremost of the Three Sovereigns.
"With one year of my life, I exchange for the Hun Tiān Yí's perfect operation."
As Fuxi's words fell, the Hun Tiān Yí's operation became even smoother, more and more starlight, like fireflies, slowly filling the hall.
"With five years of my life, I exchange for the Heavenly Eye to assist me for a moment."
Upon uttering this, Fuxi let out a muffled groan as if struck a heavy blow, but a vertical eye opened between his brows, its pupils shimmering with multicolored light, slowly scanning the Hun Tiān Yí and the stars.
"With ten years of my life, I exchange for the Heavenly Dao's unobstructed passage for a moment."
After saying this, Fuxi could no longer contain himself, spitting a mouthful of black blood onto the ground. Bing Huo and Ren Yin rushed to check on him, but were each restrained by Jia Huang and Xin Lei.
Fuxi, enduring his rapidly depleting life force, forcefully threw the roasted tortoise shell into the Hun Tiān Yí.
A surge of intense spiritual energy erupted from the Hun Tiān Yí, nearly extinguishing the flames of the Seven Star Lamps.
Fuxi sensed everything within the Hun Tiān Yí, his eyes widening in disbelief. He trembling reached into his robes, producing a pill to stabilize his breath, then bit his finger and painted characters on the yarrow stalks with his blood before tossing them into the furnace to burn.
The smoke rising from the burning yarrow stalks seemed to depict something. Fuxi stared intently as the smoke slowly dissipated, his brow furrowed so deeply it seemed he could crush flies.
*Hoo—*
One of the Seven Star Lamps went out.
Fuxi's eyes flickered. He hurled the remaining yarrow stalks into the furnace, then stood and bowed towards the Hun Tiān Yí, shouting,
"With... with the remaining lifespan of this life... I exchange for a few variables in the Heavenly secrets!..."
The remaining six Seven Star Lamps instantly extinguished, and the Fuxi phantom behind him dissolved into points of light. Fuxi spat a mouthful of blood onto the Hun Tiān Yí, his aura wilting, and he could no longer support himself, leaning back and falling from the celestial platform.
The Hun Tiān Yí spun rapidly, the starlight flickering to reveal countless strange images and patterns.
*Boom—*
A bolt of heavenly lightning split the sky, striking directly down at the Astronomical Bureau's star-gazing platform. Coincidentally, it landed precisely on the rapidly rotating Hun Tiān Yí.
The Hun Tiān Yí, as if struck by a cannonball, exploded, scattering metal parts and fragments of spirit crystal spheres with wisps of black smoke across the floor.
"Lord Fuxi!"
The four men rushed towards Fuxi lying on the ground. Xin Lei was about to reach out and help him up, but was weakly pushed away. Fuxi, speaking indistinctly, said,
"The... Hun Tiān Yí..."
"Lord Fuxi, the Hun Tiān Yí was shattered by that lightning strike," Jia Huang replied.
Upon hearing this, Fuxi showed no dejection. Instead, he said with a hint of excitement, "The Heavenly secrets have changed... Excellent... Excellent..."
As he spoke, Fuxi grabbed Xin Lei's hand and said, "The Dragon Country... will face a great calamity... I used my remaining life to exchange for a variable... Collect the scattered spirit crystal sphere fragments... repair it... and then you can... you can..."
Fuxi wanted to say more, but the last spark of light in his eyes gradually faded. The dry hand resting on Xin Lei's hand weakly dropped.
Fuxi, the Heavenly Sovereign among the Three Sovereigns, ceased to breathe, dying from a Heavenly Dao curse.
Xin Lei felt the cool air hitting him and looked up at the dense autumn rain.
...
Suzhou, Dunhuang Ruins, Mogao Caves.
The next morning, everyone packed their belongings, preparing to enter the ruins.
Mo Chuan scanned his surroundings, constantly searching for Luo Ni's figure. She had not appeared since entering the Mogao Caves yesterday, nor had she told Mo Chuan where she was going or what she planned to do.
"Speaking of which... last night's dream..." Mo Chuan carefully recalled everything from his dream, his hand unconsciously touching the bronze Buddha statue in his pocket.
"Mo Chuan!" "Young Master!"
Damn it, Luo Ni returned at the perfect time.
Luo Ni and Tang Jingjing arrived before Mo Chuan, hand in hand. Although to outsiders these two women appeared to be inseparable best friends, Mo Chuan could sense the subtle underlying tension between them.
"What's going on with you two?"
"It's like this, Luo Ni sister and I have divided the work. Odd days are mine, even days are Luo Ni's." (Old woman, I get one more day, haha!)
Tang Jingjing smiled innocently, but her words caused Mo Chuan to have a headache.
"No... I'm not an object... how can you two be competing for my usage time..."
"Because Jingjing and I have reached an understanding. Unless you truly fall for one of us, we will remain in a state of competition. During this period, we share you, Young Master." (Little girl, you want to fight me? Lang Jun and I are in love, I know his strengths and weaknesses, and he knows mine. What good is it if you can't take this step?)