Chapter 171: Life and Death Together Amidst the Demonic Fire Burning the Sky

The moment Shen Yan’s fingers touched the metal panel of the server, the entire ancient tomb shook violently. The blue light went out, alarm sirens blared, and the terminal flashed with crimson characters: 【Self-destruct program activated. Spatial annihilation countdown: 180 seconds】.

He glanced back at Yu Xiaotang, who was leaning against a stone pillar, gasping for breath, her face pale. Without a word, he stuffed the memory file into the hidden compartment of his phone and sprinted back.

“Go!” he roared. His phone displayed three routes; the red one was the shortest and also the most dangerous.

Ye Zhao immediately drew her sword to clear the way. Pei Yue pulled the last silver needle from her medicine pouch and stabbed it into her own wrist. Spiritual Power instantly spread, stabilizing the cracking fissures beneath their feet. Gritting her teeth, Yu Xiaotang tore off a talisman paper and slapped it onto her forehead, barely managing to erect a protective barrier.

Shen Yan, carrying Yu Xiaotang, charged forward. Behind them, the ground rumbled and collapsed, tongues of fire spewing from the cracks, licking after them like living creatures.

“Hurry! The Seal chamber is just ahead!” Shen Yan stared at his phone; only half the route remained.

But a wall of Demonic Fire blocked the end of the passage, three zhang high, its fiery waves churning and sealing the door shut. Ye Zhao slashed down with her sword, but the Sword Qi was swallowed by the flames the moment it made contact. Yu Xiaotang flung two talismans, but they turned to ash before even getting close. Pei Yue’s silver needle melted into a bead of iron, clattering to the ground.

“We can’t get through,” Ye Zhao panted. “This fire isn’t ordinary Spiritual Fire—it’s a product of the Demon Clan’s origin being corrupted.”

Luo Li suddenly stepped to the front.

She removed her hairpin, her purple-red hair cascading down, her cat ears perking up, silver bells ringing wildly. She glanced back at Shen Yan, her voice soft: “This is my debt. I’ll repay it.”

As her words fell, Demonic Fire surged from her body, her form swelling as the Nine-Tailed Fox True Body manifested. Eight tails unfurled behind her, transforming into a curtain of light that stubbornly withstood the impact of the Demonic Fire.

“The ninth tail—send him in!” she commanded in a low voice.

A tail wrapped around Shen Yan’s waist and flung him violently. He flew over the fire wall, crashing heavily before the door, still holding Yu Xiaotang in his arms.

“Luo Li!” he shouted, looking back.

On the other side, her first tail began to fracture, section by section turning to drifting ash. The second and third tails collapsed in succession. She clenched her teeth, not uttering a sound.

A popup window suddenly appeared on Shen Yan’s phone: 【High-purity Demon Core energy release detected. Receive?】

He pressed his finger on “Yes” without blinking.

The next moment, Luo Li bit the tip of her finger, a final drop of blood seeping into the Demon Core, and she tossed it with a flick of her hand. The purple-glowing crystal core arced through the sea of fire, heading straight for him.

The moment Shen Yan caught it, the Demon Core was scalding hot, like clutching a beating heart.

“Hold on!” he shouted to her. “Wait until I come out—I’ll make you roasted marshmallows!”

The corner of Luo Li’s mouth twitched, but she said nothing. Her eighth tail shattered. She knelt on one knee, her final tail guarding her heart, her figure swaying unsteadily.

Shen Yan turned and slammed open the door, rushing into the Seal chamber. The Star-Shattering Token was embedded in the central stone platform, its groove perfectly sized for the Demon Core.

“One more type of power is missing!” His mind raced. “It requires the resonance of five bloodlines to activate!”

He looked back. Ye Zhao, Pei Yue, and Yu Xiaotang had all followed him in, each bearing injuries.

“Listen to me!” he roared. “Channel your power to me! I’ll use the Source Code Spiritual Root as a vessel to inject all the energy at once!”

Without a word, Ye Zhao slapped her palm against his back. Sword Qi surged through his meridians, the pain making his teeth chatter. Pei Yue swiftly inserted silver needles into his acupoints, thirty-six needles piercing his back, guiding the Spiritual Power circulation. Yu Xiaotang tore off the last three life-preserving talismans and pasted them onto his shoulders and neck, the talisman paper igniting with a golden light.

Shen Yan cradled the Demon Core in both hands, walking step by step toward the stone platform.

With each step, his body felt as if it were about to split apart. Four different forces clashed violently within him, nearly bursting his meridians.

Gritting his teeth, he pressed the Demon Core into the groove.

Click—

The entire space fell silent.

The Star-Shattering Token lit up, its radiance shooting into the sky. The Terminal suddenly projected a holographic image: beneath a starry sky, a man and a woman held two infants. The woman wore green robes, tears glistening in her eyes, a chip in her hand.

“Is this… my mother?” Shen Yan’s eyes widened.

He saw her whisper softly, “May you rewrite the Heavenly Mandate with a mortal body.” Then she inserted the chip into the chest of one of the infants.

The image flickered, and the man picked up the other child, handing him to a distant figure. That child’s face was identical to Ye Shi’er’s.

“So… we were all chosen,” Shen Yan murmured.

The image vanished, and the Star-Shattering Token trembled violently as the Seal loosened. But at that moment, the light from the Demon Core began to dim.

“No!” Pei Yue exclaimed in alarm. “The Demon Core’s energy is draining! Luo Li can’t hold on any longer!”

Shen Yan whipped his head around. Luo Li had collapsed at the edge of the sea of flames, only a single tail protecting her, her breathing faint.

He rushed over, scooped her up, and placed her back in the corner of the sealing chamber. “Don’t fall asleep!” He patted her face. “You promised to watch my Code run successfully!”

Luo Li’s eyelids twitched, but they didn’t open.

Shen Yan looked back at the Star-Shattering Token—its light had dimmed further.

“Just a little more… just a little more, and we can fully Restart!” Sweat beaded on his forehead in desperation.

Suddenly, he thought of something.

“The power you all transferred to me is still there!” He looked down at his hands. “As long as I don’t disperse my cultivation, I can continue supplying energy! But the Demon Core needs its master’s will to sustain it!”

He looked at Luo Li, reaching out to stroke her cheek.

“Hey, half-baked Princess,” his voice was hoarse. “You said you’d test my Code. What kind of person runs away now?”

No response.

He took a deep breath, steeled his resolve, bit the tip of his tongue, and spat a mouthful of vital blood onto the Demon Core.

“I’m throwing Logic out the window today! No matter how many Bugs there are, I’m going to make this Code run!”

A mist of blood spread, and the Demon Core shuddered violently, erupting with a surge of purple light.

The Star-Shattering Token lit up completely, and the hum of the Seal breaking echoed through the ancient tomb.

But the price came as well.

Shen Yan felt as if his internal organs were burning, his limbs growing numb. His knees buckled, and he collapsed to the ground. He reached out, wrapped his arms around Luo Li, and held her tightly against his chest.

“Hold on…” his voice trembled. “You haven’t tried the roasted marshmallows I make… You can’t fall asleep…”

Ye Zhao leaned against a stone pillar, her left arm charred black, panting as she watched him. Pei Yue knelt on the ground, face pale, still using her last ounce of strength to channel Spiritual Power into him. Yu Xiaotang curled up in the corner, clutching a half-melted candied hawthorn stick, tears streaming down her face.

The Terminal beeped, displaying a new Notice: 【Vitality synchronization declining. Host and bound individual connection strength: 99.8%.】

Shen Yan looked down at Luo Li in his arms. Her breathing grew weaker, her body temperature dropping.

He raised a hand, wiped his face, and found it covered in blood and ash.

“Everyone stays alive… you hear me,” he rasped. “No one is allowed to die.”

As his words fell, the light of the Star-Shattering Token suddenly flickered.

At the base of the stone platform, a line of small text appeared: 【Spiritual Pivot Program Initiation Condition: Demon Emperor’s Blood + Source Code Resonance】

Shen Yan stared at the words, his fingers slowly tightening.

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(End of Chapter)