“Ahhh… so cold… ah… so painful…”
Qi Yue’an curled her body, trembling incessantly.
She had forgotten her name, and her past memories.
Ever since consciousness dawned, she had been confined to this frigid ruin.
“Xiao… ahhh…”
The searing pain in her chest lingered, refusing to dissipate.
The bone-chilling cold seeped through her even as she curled up, penetrating not only her clothes but also the gaping hole piercing her body.
“Why… why did you leave me again…”
She mumbled, an overwhelming resentment surging through her once more.
Her fragmented memories were filled with that person’s image.
Dark, viscous emotions permeated her heart, connecting disparate fragments, a constant torment that had haunted her since she first gained awareness.
Thought and slumber were luxuries she could ill afford.
The incessant pain, emotions disproportionate to her sparse memories, and the inability to die—a curse bestowed upon her by an unknown entity—tormented her relentlessly, making even release impossible.
She no longer remembered how many days had passed, only that each day was spent among monsters identical to herself, endlessly devouring or birthing them.
She trembled as that dreadful sense of fullness returned, followed by a tearing pain.
Another monster, a perfect replica of herself, was birthed into existence, crying out.
This time, it was an individual without arms, seemingly having fallen, now crawling on the ground, struggling to stand.
With its birth, her chaotic consciousness finally cleared a little, her scant rationality attempting to organize memories and suppress the hunger that threatened to consume her sanity once more.
However, just as she prepared to rise, a familiar aura wafted towards her—an aura like a poison crafted specifically for her, causing her to instantly scramble to her feet.
“…!”
“You’re back! I knew it… I knew you wouldn’t abandon me!”
She roared, an intense yearning instantly sweeping away all pain and her meager rationality.
She lunged forward like a madwoman, but before she could reach her, a scorching sword once again pierced her abdomen.
Her eyes locked with a pair of emotionless, icy silver pupils.
“Ah… it’s you again… it’s always you! Imposter!”
Intense fear flickered in her gaze, yet the brief memory, only hours old, ignited an uncontrollable fury within her.
“Why, why do you stop me?!”
She cursed furiously, but the other remained unmoved, merely increasing the force in her grip and twisting the impaled sword.
“Die, again.”
The same icy voice, identical to her own, echoed in her ears, and scorching jealousy began to burn within her once more.
“Ugh, ahhhhhh…”
Soul-devouring flames began to corrupt her form, burning her soul body away piece by piece, as if subjecting her to a thousand cuts.
She wailed, her despair deepening, for she knew she would not perish, but merely be reborn without rationality among the other monsters.
Pain scorched her soul, yet her beast-like eyes caught sight of the figure behind her.
Moreover… she detected a familiar scent on the chest and hair of this ruthless executioner…
It was his alone, something that should have been hers.
“You… how dare you… how dare you! You pretentious imposter! Thief! Whore!”
Obscenities spewed from her mouth.
Her aura shifted, transforming her into a zombie-like, bestial monster that seized the sword, which was still piercing her abdomen and poised to twist further, destroying her internal organs.
Then, an immense force erupted, crushing the blade into fragments instantly.
“…!”
This sudden turn of events alerted Qi Yue’an.
She executed a graceful backflip, retreating to Lin Xiao’s side, and re-summoned a golden sword.
“Step back, Xiao.
Something is wrong with her.”
Qi Yue’an’s face remained placid, utterly unfazed by what had just transpired.
“What’s wrong with her? And didn’t you eliminate her before?”
Lin Xiao obediently took two steps back.
His physical capabilities were those of an ordinary person at present, and the suppression of some unknown force field still weighed upon him.
Charging forward would only make him a burden to her.
“This particular entity is… unique.
No matter how many times I’ve killed her before, she always revives, while the others are merely fragments split off from her.”
The girl explained in an uninflected voice, like an emotionless robot driven by pure rationality.
“She might have sensed something, jealous of our previous indirect intimate encounter.”
“Intimate…”
Lin Xiao, who had been listening intently, was struck by this sudden, blunt statement.
He felt heat rush to his face, suddenly recalling the faint sensation moving incessantly downwards from his neck when he had first woken, unable to open his eyes.
He remembered the final feeling of two soft, warm envelopes, and a flame that soared like a crashing airliner before its final plummet…
“Yes, it is.
After failing to awaken you using a method described in a book whose name I can’t recall from my memories, I began to try…”
“Stop, stop, I… I understand.”
Lin Xiao hastily cut her off, but it was already too late.
The ‘Qi Yue’an’ in the nightgown from the Li Xing Palace froze.
Her eyes, once filled with madness and pain, were now replaced by a deeper chill, one capable of freezing the soul.
She had heard it, clearly and unequivocally, the blunt description uttered by her cold ‘self’.
In an instant, all the sadness, confusion, and grievance, like ice cast into a furnace, instantly vaporized, replaced by a soul-scorching, bone-gnawing jealousy capable of consuming her very being.
This jealousy was so pure, so dark, that even the pervasive mental pollution in the air paused in its presence.
Simultaneously, the fragmented ‘shards’ scattered throughout the Silent Corridor—those mutilated, varied forms she had birthed—all ceased their movements in unison, as if receiving a powerful resonance from their main body.
They slowly, stiffly, turned their heads, and countless hollow or distorted eyes silently focused on Lin Xiao and the rational Qi Yue’an.
A silence heavier than any before settled, like a tangible boulder pressing down on one’s chest.
“Heh… heh heh…”
The nightgowned Qi Yue’an let out a low laugh, at first suppressed, fragmented syllables, then her laughter grew louder, more maniacal, finally escalating into chilling, maniacal laughter.
Blood-red tears, like a breached dam, surged from her hollow eye sockets, carving two stark crimson trails down her pale, twisted face.
She understood! She finally, completely understood!
All this time, she had been consumed by fear—fear of being replaced by ‘Qi Yue,’ fear of being despised by Lin Xiao, fear of not being good enough, fear that another ‘self’ within this body would seize everything she coveted.
She had attributed all her pain and all her resentment to her own incompleteness, to the existence of other ‘shards.’
But now, that cold ‘self’ had shown her a simpler, more direct truth through her actions:
There was no need for futile jealousy, no need for humble fear, no need to resent her incompleteness.
She only needed to seize it proactively, as long as… only *she* remained to be called ‘Qi Yue’an’!
As long as she killed all other ‘selves’—be it Qi Yue or Qi An—uniting all fragments, all emotions, all existence into one, then she could become the sole entity, truly and eternally, without fear of loss, to attain… love!
“Hahahaha—!!!”
Amidst her hysterical laughter, she abruptly raised her hand and fiercely clenched it in the surrounding void!
“Poof, poof, poof, poof—!”
As if crushed by an invisible, immense force, the fragmented monsters scattered throughout the corridor—those she had given birth to—couldn’t even utter a wail before instantly turning into dust scattering across the sky.
These powders did not dissipate, but instead surged wildly towards the nightgowned Qi Yue’an’s body, as if drawn by a black hole.
Not only these fragmented bodies, but deep within the Silent Corridor, even more minute soul fragments, hidden among the broken walls, crumbling ruins, and shadowy corners, not yet fully manifest, were forcibly torn out by this powerful suction, wailing as they were swallowed.
Vast, chaotic emotions, brimming with pain and darkness, instantly overwhelmed her last, tottering shred of rationality.
The grotesque void in her chest began to writhe and heal at a visible rate, and her vanished legs regrew.
More and more fragments were forcibly swallowed and fused, causing her body to swell and contort uncontrollably, her arms proliferating, her limbs mutating.
The original silhouette of Qi Yue’an rapidly disappeared, replaced by a colossal, bloated, continuously writhing monster, formed from the accumulation and amalgamation of countless suffering souls and dark emotions.
Countless blurred faces, all belonging to Qi Yue’an, surfaced on her skin, wailed, then sank back down, completely embodying the darkest, most desperate, and most obsessive facets of Qi Yue’an’s inner self.
Facing this horrifying sight, Qi Yue’an’s silver eyes remained calm and unperturbed, as if observing an inconsequential experimental phenomenon.
She did not even spare a glance at the forming monster, merely tilting her head slightly and asking Lin Xiao in an uninflected voice:
“Ancheng, in which direction is it?”
Her voice pulled Lin Xiao back from his extreme shock and discomfort.
He suppressed his dual physiological and psychological discomfort, immediately pointing in the direction they had come from:
“That way! Through these ruins, you’ll see the city gates!”
“Good.”
The rational Qi Yue’an responded succinctly, grabbing Lin Xiao’s wrist.
“Let’s go.”
Her strength was unexpectedly great, and she pulled Lin Xiao, almost dragging him, as she sped towards Ancheng.
Lin Xiao felt a slight ease in his heart, assuming she intended to leverage Ancheng’s power or seek the help of City Lord Qi Wei to confront this terrifying aggregate monster.
However, he did not know that beneath this warm shell operated a cold machine, and a plan had swiftly taken shape in her mind.
First, to hunt down those Qi Yue—those relatively complete consciousnesses from past cycles—as they were superior ‘fuel.’
Devouring them would allow her to replenish her strength faster and eliminate future threats.
Even if that failed, she could divert the attention of the frantic aggregate monster behind them towards Ancheng, using their strength to fight it.
Regardless of the outcome, this would buy her time or create opportunities.
She knew Lin Xiao would undoubtedly object to such a strategy of involving, or even sacrificing, others.
Thus, she chose to remain silent.
“Give me back my Xiao!!”
Behind them, the bloated monster let out a deafening roar, a blend of countless inflections, and began to give chase with its twisted, heavy footsteps.
Qi Yue’an’s speed was exceedingly fast.
She seemed to possess a certain instinctive familiarity with the terrain of this area, always finding the optimal path.
Lin Xiao, pulled along by her, barely touched the ground, only feeling the wind whistling past his ears and the increasingly close, malevolent sense of oppression from behind.
Finally, the towering city walls and the massive city gates reappeared in their sight.
Below the city gates, the Advisor who had previously stopped Lin Xiao, along with several grim-faced residents, stood ready, having clearly detected the anomaly in the distance.
Seeing the rational Qi Yue’an and Lin Xiao speeding towards them, and the terrifying, sky-obscuring monster behind them, the Advisor’s expression shifted dramatically, and she shouted sharply:
“Stop! What have you brought here?!”
Qi Yue’an halted before the city gates, still expressionless, merely observing the Advisor with her hollow silver eyes.
Lin Xiao spoke up hastily:
“Sorry! We encountered some trouble…”
“No!”
She rejected him flatly, her gaze sharp.
“Ancheng does not welcome external calamities! Especially those brought by you, Lin Xiao!”
Just then, the timid Qi Ye, who had once been shielded by Qi Hua, peered out from behind the crowd.
Upon seeing Lin Xiao and Qi Yue’an, she mumbled softly in support:
“Hua… Hua Hua… let them in… that thing outside… it’s so scary…”
Qi Hua glared at her, but her brows furrowed deeply as she watched the ominous monster relentlessly approaching in the distance, clearly weighing her options.
At that moment, a vibrant figure ran out from within the city.
Her face still bore a radiant smile, and she waved from afar:
“Wow! Little Lin… and An’an, you two came back together!”
However, as she ran closer, her gaze swept over Qi Yue’an’s expressionless face and her tight grip on Lin Xiao’s wrist, as if guarding a possession.
Qi Li’s signature, sunny smile imperceptibly stiffened for a moment.
In the depths of her eyes, an extremely keen gleam, mixed with doubt and vigilance, flashed.
Compared to their last meeting, she felt something was missing from the other woman.
Those eyes seemed to hold nothing at all, only a chilling emptiness, and the eerie feeling she exuded was comparable even to the monster in the distance.
“Qi Li.”
Lin Xiao, seeing a familiar face, unavoidably raised his voice.
“Be careful! That monster behind us doesn’t look right.”
Qi Li did not immediately reply.
Her gaze darted between ‘Qi Yue’an’ and the monster behind them several times, and the smile on her face slowly receded, replaced by a rare seriousness.
She cut Lin Xiao off, looking directly at the rational Qi Yue’an, her tone no longer relaxed, as if pretending it was their first meeting.
“Hey, newcomer, are you… truly just ‘escaping’ to this place?”
The rational Qi Yue’an’s silver pupils turned towards Qi Li, without a ripple, merely stating calmly:
“Entering Ancheng is currently the optimal choice.”
She neither admitted nor denied it.
But Qi Li’s internal alarm bells rang even more urgently because of this.
She felt that if she truly believed the other party, it would likely invite consequences far greater than anticipated.
“Qi Yue… Qi Yue! You… you’ll all be buried with me!”
Before they could make a decision, the roar of the snowballing monster resounded; its speed was unexpected, and it was already closing in.
“Everyone, prepare to defend!”
The armored girl shouted, and the ‘Qi Yue’ gathered by the bell sound took up their stances.
Meanwhile, ‘Qi Yue’an’ watched Lin Xiao, who was preparing to break free from the suppression and unleash his power to assist.
A flicker of light passed through her eyes, hinting at an unknown plan.
Her eyes remained hollow, yet a rare flicker of the emotions she had previously plundered flowed within them.