Chapter 168: The Final Choice of a Healer's Obsession

Shen Yan’s finger paused on the phone screen, the Code of the Star-Shattering Token still running. He could feel the Energy of the shield slowly draining away, like water slipping through his fingers.

The Terminal suddenly displayed a line of red text: 【Detected Heaven’s Secret Holder core disintegration. Force intervention?】

He looked up abruptly.

Pei Yue stood at the edge of the Altar, one hand pressed against the base of the Star-Shattering Token, the other hidden behind her Medicine Pouch, the Tip of her Finger gleaming faintly with a Silver Needle. Her face was as pale as paper, yet the corners of her mouth held a smile. Her lips moved, her voice almost inaudible: “If my very existence is the source of the Tribulation, then fading away is the way home.”

No one had noticed when she had retreated there.

Ye Zhao stared in the direction of Ye Shi’er, her sword tip trembling slightly; Luo Li had her eyes closed, her nine tails swaying slowly as if sensing something; Yu Xiaotang crouched on the ground inspecting the Talisman Array, muttering to herself, “This round is stable.”

Only Shen Yan saw it—the blood from Pei Yue’s wrist was flowing down the Silver Needle into the ground, transforming into an invisible Spiritual Power vein that led directly to the Star-Shattering Token.

“Pei Yue!” he roared, lunging forward.

But it was already too late. The Terminal’s progress bar jumped frantically: 【Life binding progress: 78%】.

Shen Yan slapped his hand onto the phone, his fingers rapidly typing on the Virtual Keyboard. He pulled up the underlying Protocol, found the “Reverse Data Traction” Module, forcibly tapped into the residual Energy of the Nirvana Array, and pushed the Compile speed to its limit.

“Break!” he gritted his teeth and pressed Enter.

A burst of green light exploded, forcibly severing the connection between Pei Yue and the Star-Shattering Token. Her body swayed, and she fell to her knees.

The System’s Notification Tone sounded: 【Warning: Operation will cause backlash on the caster!】

Shen Yan ignored it. He rushed forward, supporting Pei Yue and pulling her away from the center of the Altar. Her body temperature was frighteningly low, her breathing intermittent.

“Are you insane?” His voice trembled. “Who allowed you to make this decision alone?”

Pei Yue opened her eyes, glanced at him, and smiled weakly. “I… am the Saintess of Medicine Valley. Saving people… should never be about asking whether it’s worth it.”

Shen Yan’s throat tightened. He knew what she was thinking—the last one to perform a blood sacrifice for the Star-Shattering Token was her ancestor. This time, she believed she should walk the same path.

But he couldn’t let this happen again.

He pressed the phone to his ear and continued writing Code. This time, it wasn’t for defense or a shield, but a tracing Program. He wanted to find out why Pei Yue, of all people, was judged by the System as the “Heaven’s Secret Holder.”

The Terminal began reverse-analyzing her Bloodline Data. A few seconds later, the result popped up:

【Identity recognition: Artificial Heaven’s Secret Holder. Gene sequence 97.6% matches original template. Missing portions supplemented by ancient Spiritual Arrays. Source: Medicine Valley Forbidden Land · Mother Container】.

Shen Yan froze.

So she wasn’t a natural Heaven’s Secret Holder at all. She was “created”—using ancient Medical Cultivator techniques to transform an ordinary girl into a Key to open the Abyss Gate.

No wonder she felt unwell every time she approached the Star-Shattering Token. No wonder she unconsciously hummed Children’s Rhymes when using her needles—those were residual Signals from implanted Memories.

“So… you knew all along?” he asked, looking down at her.

Pei Yue nodded, then shook her head. “Before Master passed away, she said my fate was special, but she never told me the truth. It wasn’t until just now that I understood—I’m not here to save the world… I’m here to replace it.”

Shen Yan felt a pang in his chest. He remembered how her hands trembled the first time she performed acupuncture needling on him, how she hid in the herb field for three days after being poisoned, too afraid to face anyone, and the look in her eyes when she said, “I want to heal everyone.”

She wasn’t unafraid of death.

She was just used to valuing others’ lives more than her own.

“Then have you ever considered,” Shen Yan’s voice lowered, “what if I don’t let you die?”

After saying this, he directly opened the main interface of the terminal and entered a long string of commands. This was a new function he had been researching recently—”Multi-Core Synchronous Binding.” Originally intended to integrate the four types of Spiritual Power, he now planned to use it to rewrite the rules of the contract.

【Initiate Eternal Bond Binding Program? Requires approval from four Linked Individuals.】

The interface popped up, followed by a heavy silence.

Ye Zhao was the first to move. She sheathed her sword, walked behind Shen Yan, and gently placed her hand on his shoulder.

“I’ve said it before,” she said. “Your Code, I will always be the first Executor.”

As her words fell, a clear and sharp stream of Sword Qi flowed down his spine into the terminal, and an approval mark flashed across the screen.

Next was Pei Yue. She struggled to raise her hand, a wisp of silver light gathering at the tip of her finger, which she pressed against the edge of the phone.

“This time,” her voice was weak but clear, “let me extend your life.”

The light point lit up, completing the second authentication.

Luo Li opened her eyes, her nine tails rising simultaneously as purple Demonic Fire twisted into Rune patterns, slowly covering the screen.

“I am no one’s Key,” she said. “I just want to walk alongside you.”

The third authentication passed.

Yu Xiaotang jumped up, clutching the last Talisman Paper of peace in her hand, and slapped it onto the back of the phone.

“Silly brother!” she shouted. “We never agreed to let you carry this alone!”

The Talisman Paper ignited with golden light, lighting up the fourth authentication.

The terminal hummed and vibrated, and the entire Altar began to Resonate. The Star-Shattering Token hung in the air, the Code Flow accelerating as if awaiting final confirmation.

Shen Yan looked down at the screen, his finger hovering above the “Confirm” button, hesitating to press down.

He knew that once he pressed it, it meant he could no longer escape. He had to shoulder the trust everyone had placed in him, to become the one who could lead them all out.

But he was also afraid. Afraid he wasn’t strong enough, afraid the Program would fail, afraid of watching someone important disappear once again.

Ye Zhao sensed his hesitation and whispered, “Don’t be afraid. We’re all here.”

Luo Li leaned in a little closer, her tail gently brushing against his arm.

Pei Yue’s eyes were closed, but her fingers still rested on his wrist, her pulse steady.

Yu Xiaotang stood on tiptoe and leaned in. “Hurry up! We’re waiting for your official announcement!”

Shen Yan took a deep breath and was about to press the button.

Just then, a soft chuckle came from the corner.

Ye Shi’er sat up from the pile of rubble, half of his mask cracked, revealing a face almost identical to Shen Yan’s. He raised his hand, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and said in a hoarse voice, “Brother, do you really think binding a few people can change the outcome?”

Shen Yan turned to look at him but said nothing.

Ye Shi’er slowly stood up, raising the broken Blood Scythe: “Do you know why Father chose you as the vessel of goodness? Because you make people believe in hope. But precisely because of that… you keep pushing yourself to the brink for others, time and again.”

He took a step forward, “You want to save Pei Yue, you want to bind the four of them, you want to Restart the Abyss Gate. But in the end… who will save you?”

Shen Yan stared at him, his finger still hovering over the confirm key.

He knew what Ye Shi’er said was true. He also knew he might lose.

But he knew even more that if he didn’t press it now, there would never be another chance.

He spoke slowly, “I don’t need anyone to save me.”

“I just need to make sure none of you have to carry the burden alone.”

After saying this, he pressed down firmly with the tip of his finger.

The screen erupted with blinding light, as four streams of Spiritual Power converged like rivers into the sea, merging completely with his Source Code Spiritual Root. The Terminal Interface shook violently before finally settling on a new Protocol name:

【Five-Person Collaborative Debug Mode·Activated】

The Star-Shattering Token hummed and trembled, the Code began to reorganize, and the light shifted from blue to gold.

Shen Yan slumped to the ground, his phone rolling to a stop before his knees, the screen still glowing.

Pei Yue leaned against his shoulder, her breathing steadier. Ye Zhao stood guard in front, her sword still sheathed, her gaze fixed on Ye Shi’er. Luo Li sat cross-legged in meditation, her Nine Tails encircling the group, maintaining the final layer of protection. Yu Xiaotang shrank back against the stone pillar, clutching a melted Candied Hawthorn in her hand, her eyes fixed unblinkingly on Shen Yan.

Ye Shi’er stood where he was, his mask completely shattered, revealing a face identical to Shen Yan’s, save for an old scar at the corner of his eye. He looked at the glowing Command Token and suddenly laughed.

Shen Yan raised his hand, reaching for his phone.

The tip of his finger was just an inch away from the screen.

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(End of Chapter)