Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Golden light erupted from within me, surging outward like a flood that had broken through a dam. The dark energy in the ancestral hall was completely dispelled, and the joy on the clan leader's face instantly turned to terror.
"This... this is impossible!" He staggered backward. "The Dragon Vein Power, how can it be so powerful?"
I felt an overwhelming strength within me. The sudden influx of memories revealed that I was not only the heir of the Dragon Vein but also a descendant of the guardians. The Vermilion Birthmark was not a mark of curse, but a symbol of awakening!
"Clan leader, you are mistaken." My voice carried an undeniable authority. "The Liao Family has guarded the Dragon Vein for generations, yet a century ago, they betrayed their oath in an attempt to steal the Dragon Vein Power. My ancestors are the true guardians!"
"No!" The clan leader laughed maniacally. "Even if you awaken your bloodline, it changes nothing. Look at your 'Lover'!"
I turned to look at Liao Yanzhi, my heart filled with mixed emotions. Though our acquaintance had been brief, he was the only person in this strange time who had reached out to help me.
"I'm sorry..." he said with difficulty. "I should have... told you the truth sooner, but the clan leader's control is too strong..."
"Why did you help me?" I gazed into his eyes.
"Because I... am tired of the Liao Family's Sin." He forced a smile. "Over the years, I've witnessed innocent women being sacrificed, yet... I was powerless to stop it. Until I met you, I finally saw hope."
I spoke again, my voice firm and commanding: "Clan leader, you are wrong! You have been wrong from the beginning! The Liao Family has indeed guarded the Dragon Vein for generations, but they betrayed their oath a century ago! They attempted to steal the Dragon Vein Power! My ancestors are the true guardians!"
"No! You're talking nonsense!" The clan leader laughed wildly, his voice hoarse and desperate. "Even if you awaken your bloodline, what can you do? Look at your 'Lover'! Look at him!"
I turned to Liao Yanzhi again, my heart aching as if it were being torn apart. His figure grew fainter and fainter, his eyes filled with pain and reluctance.
"I'm sorry..." he said with great difficulty, his voice barely a whisper. "I wanted... to tell you everything, but I... am already... out of time..."
"No, there is still a chance! There must be a chance!" I said urgently. "The Xuanming Manual says that as long as... as long as..."
"Girl, do you really think it's that easy?" The clan leader suddenly formed a seal and chanted an incantation. A black mist shot from his hand like lightning. "The curse of the Liao Family is not something you can easily break!"
The black mist transformed into chains that wrapped around Liao Yanzhi. He let out a pained groan as his form twisted violently.
"Stop! Stop it!" I shouted in anger, my voice hoarse as the Dragon Vein Power within me erupted. Golden light coalesced into a sword of light that struck fiercely at the clan leader.
He hurriedly tried to defend himself, but how could he withstand such power? His defenses were shattered in an instant, and he fell heavily to the ground, blood spilling from his mouth.
"You... are truly going to oppose the Liao Family?" The clan leader wiped away the blood from his lips, his face contorted in rage. "Then he... he shall not live!"
As he spoke, he formed seals with both hands and began chanting an obscure incantation. Liao Yanzhi's figure suddenly solidified, but his eyes became hollow and devoid of life—a void of silence.
"No!" I recognized this as the Soul Capturing Technique and rushed forward to stop it. But it was too late; Liao Yanzhi's soul had already been completely controlled by the clan leader.
"Kill him!" The clan leader ordered with a sinister grin, his voice sharp and piercing.
Liao Yanzhi turned toward me like a puppet on strings, a ghostly long sword forming in his hand. I looked into his vacant eyes, my heart feeling as though it were being ripped apart—pain beyond bearing.
“Yanzhi... wake up! Wake up!” I shouted while dodging, my voice choked with tears. “You promised to help me, you said... you said...”
“It’s useless, it’s useless,” the clan leader laughed triumphantly. “He only listens to my commands now. If you don’t want to die, then obediently offer up the Dragon Vein Power!”
I gritted my teeth, watching Liao Yanzhi approach step by step. Just then, the Xuanming Manual suddenly flew out of my arms and hovered in the air.
The pages turned on their own without wind, and a beam of golden light shot out, enveloping Liao Yanzhi. His movements suddenly froze, and a flicker of struggle and clarity flashed in his eyes.
“Quick... kill me...” he suddenly spoke, his voice filled with endless pain. “Otherwise... you will... you will... be in danger...”
“No! I won’t!” Tears streamed down my face as I sobbed uncontrollably. “There must be another way! There must be...”
“Foolish girl...” He revealed a bitter smile that vanished in an instant. “To see you one last time... while still conscious, I... I am already... content...”
He abruptly turned around, using his last ounce of strength to stab the sword in his hand fiercely into his heart, without a hint of hesitation!
“No—!” I screamed in agony, instinctively rushing forward. The Dragon Vein Power transformed into a golden barrier that shielded Liao Yanzhi. The sword collided violently with the golden light, producing a piercing sound that shook the entire shrine.
“Why... why do you want to stop me?” Liao Yanzhi questioned painfully, his voice intermittent. “Only by... only by my death can the clan leader's control... disappear...”
“You’re wrong, you’re wrong...” I gritted my teeth, holding on desperately. “The key to breaking the curse is not death, but... but awakening! A true awakening!”
At that moment, the clan leader suddenly burst into mad laughter, his voice deranged and despairing. “Girl, you... you are too naive. Even if you have the Dragon Vein Power, it cannot change the predetermined fate. Look at this! Look at this!”
He trembled as he pulled out an ancient bronze mirror from his bosom. The mirror was rusted and covered with strange runes etched on its surface. I recognized it at a glance; this was the Bagua mirror I had touched in the antique shop before crossing over!
“This is...” My heart jolted.
“The Soul-Calming Mirror!” The clan leader laughed triumphantly, his voice hoarse and unpleasant. “A hundred years ago, the Liao Family Ancestor used it to seal the Dragon Vein; now it will be used to collect your soul! Collect your soul!”
The bronze mirror suddenly emitted a blinding black light. I felt as if my soul was being forcibly pulled from my body—painful, endless pain. Seeing this, Liao Yanzhi suddenly broke free from his control and lunged at the clan leader with all his might. “Stop! You stop!”
“Wretch! You dare...” The clan leader shouted angrily and struck Liao Yanzhi in the chest with his palm. Liao Yanzhi’s form became even more ethereal and transparent, but he clung tightly to the bronze mirror, refusing to let go.
“Quick! Hurry!” He turned back and yelled at me, his voice weak yet filled with determination. “Use... use the Dragon Vein Power!”
I instantly understood his intention; there was no time for sorrow or hesitation. The golden light surged wildly from within me, continuously pouring into the bronze mirror. The runes on its surface began to crack and twist, emitting a piercing shattering sound like wailing ghosts.
“No! No!” The clan leader screamed madly, trying to reclaim the mirror, but it was too late.
“Boom—!” The bronze mirror shattered under the impact of golden light into countless fragments that scattered everywhere. Countless beams of light burst forth from the shards, dazzlingly bright as they transformed into ethereal figures soaring into the sky with cries of liberation. Those were the souls of the generations sacrificed as Reverse Life Stakes! They were finally free!
The clan leader’s face turned ashen as he collapsed to the ground. “It’s over... everything is... over…”
With the shattering of the Soul-Calming Mirror, those servants who assisted the clan leader in his evil deeds also suffered backlash, writhing on the ground in pain and howling. Dark red runes appeared on their bodies—twisted and grotesque—marking them with the evil imprints left by years of participating in dark sorcery.
"You are also accomplices," I said coldly, my voice devoid of warmth. "Today, let us follow the Clan Leader and face our end together."
A flash of golden light swept through, and the servants turned to ashes, dissipating into the wind as if they had never existed.
"Clan Leader, it is time to end this," I said calmly, my voice steady yet carrying an undeniable authority. The golden light in my hand coalesced once more. "The Liao Family's Sin ends here."
"Wait! No!" Liao Yanzhi suddenly cried out, his voice weak yet tinged with a plea. "Let me... let me do it..."
I looked at him, at the determination in his eyes, and I understood his resolve. I nodded silently and began to channel the Dragon Vein Power into him.
Turning to the Clan Leader, Liao Yanzhi spoke with compassion and a sense of release. "Father, rest in peace."
Another flash of golden light erupted, and the Clan Leader's figure turned to ashes, vanishing into the air. At the same time, Liao Yanzhi began to fade away as well, becoming more and more translucent...
"Are you leaving?" I asked softly, my voice trembling slightly.
"Yes," he replied with a warm smile, pure and bright. "The Soul-Calming Mirror has shattered, the curse is lifted, and I must... go to where I belong..."
"Thank you," I said sincerely, tears streaming down my cheeks uncontrollably.
"No, it is I who should thank you," his figure grew fainter and more transparent. "You showed me hope, allowing me to end this in my own way..."
The last rays of sunlight filtered through the broken window of the ancestral hall, illuminating Liao Yanzhi's vanishing form. He completely disappeared. Meanwhile, the Vermilion Birthmark on my forehead gradually lost its vivid red color, transforming into a faint mark—like a trace of a past memory.
[Epilogue]
Back in modern times at the antique shop, I stood before a pile of bronze mirror shards, feeling a whirlwind of emotions that were hard to articulate.
The shopkeeper looked at me in surprise. "Miss, what is this...?"
I smiled gently and replied, "It's nothing; I just... concluded a chapter of my past."
Stepping out of the shop door into the bright sunlight, I felt its warmth on my skin. I was no longer that helpless girl who could be manipulated by others. I was now the guardian of the Dragon Vein, and more importantly, the master of my own fate.
As for the legends surrounding the Liao Family, those eerie tales from the past could fade away with the wind—lost in the long river of history...
Comment 0 Comment Count