Chapter 215 - 184: Return to Tranquility

Jiang Wu’s eyes flew open in horror. In a flash, a figure shot to her side at the speed of light, blocking Xuan Qing’s sword strike for her like a moth drawn to a flame!

During that momentary lapse, Su Mo pressed her advantage, landing two consecutive whip strikes!

Clutching the sword-pierced Ai Ci, she scrambled backward in a panic.

After forcing down a Great Nourishing Pill, Jiang Wu gathered her Inner Strength and unleashed a wave of red, poisonous gas! Standing within the crimson sea of mist, she summoned her Life Plate and intoned, "By my Divine Soul, I command all to freeze!"

In that instant, a bone-chilling cold surged forward.

Su Mo couldn’t even lift a hand before she found herself unable to move an inch. Everything around her seemed to have frozen solid.

Jiang Wu cradled the man in her arms. For someone as cold and ruthless as she had always been, a flicker of panic now crossed her features.

She tried to feed Ai Ci a Life-extending Pill, but blood kept streaming from the corner of his mouth; he couldn’t swallow a thing.

Ai Ci’s blood-stained hand reached up to her face. "Ah Wu, it’s useless. My body has long been running on fumes. If... if it’s possible, the next time we meet... let me be myself, alright?"

"Not as a substitute, not as a shadow for someone else. Just your Ai Ci. We could have a simple life—three meals a day, watching the seasons pass. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?"

As his voice faded, his hand abruptly lost its strength and fell away.

Jiang Wu stared at the man in her arms, her eyes crimson with rage. "I’ll make them all go with you," she seethed. "Not a single one will be spared! They all must die!"

She raised her eyes to Su Mo. "This is all because of you! If it weren’t for you, Ai Ci wouldn’t be dead, and they..."

Jiang Wu gestured to the people frozen in ice and sneered, "...wouldn’t have had to die!"

Su Mo was still conscious. She could hear Jiang Wu’s words, her Totem Power continuously resisting the spell.

Gritting her teeth against the bone-piercing cold, she spoke. "This is clearly the result of your own obsession, yet you want to drag everyone into this bitter sea of reincarnation with you! Ai Ci died for you, and Jin Tong has been through nine lifetimes of this cycle with you! Not to mention all the innocent people forced into this endless loop because of your selfish delusions! You’re the one who started it all!"

"I am the master of this world! It was their destiny to die for me! If you hadn’t suddenly interfered, I would have already seized control of this lifetime!" Jiang Wu shrieked hysterically. "You ruined my fate! You destroyed my last chance to change my destiny!"

Su Mo sneered. "Fate did give you chances. Nine of them. No, ten! You had so many opportunities to change your destiny, yet you refused to see reason, repeating the same outcome time and time again! I never wanted to be a part of your destiny; I only wanted to end this pathetic, laughable cycle! But now, there’s one more thing I want to end—you!"

"You? End me? Impossible! Only I can bring all of this to an end. As long as I don’t wish it to be over, it never will be!"

A cold, sharp light glinted in Jiang Wu’s eyes as her gaze swept over the crowd. "If I can’t change this outcome, then we’ll all be annihilated together!"

Su Mo frantically called out to Little Nine in her mind.

Little Nine’s broken voice came through. "Ho-Host! I’m trying to break the seal for you!"

"Hurry up!"

Jiang Wu snorted. "Still calling for your little system for help at a time like this? Do you think it’s omnipotent? I’ll show you right now who the true master of this world is!"

A sharp blade materialized at her fingertip and shot toward Su Mo’s wrist. It pierced through the ice, brutally slicing through her skin and gouging out flesh. Blood trickled down the frozen surface.

Su Mo clenched her jaw. A pained groan from Little Nine echoed in her mind.

"Little Nine, what’s wrong?!"

In an incredibly weak voice, Little Nine said, "Ho-Host... I feel my power disappearing... I-I think I might be dying."

"No! You can’t disappear! You have to live—we all have to live! Just help me break free, and I’ll figure out the rest!"

"Okay..." Little Nine said through gritted teeth. "I... I’ll fight alongside you to the very end, Host!"

Jiang Wu summoned her Life Plate again, and Su Mo saw that a crack had appeared on its surface.

’Her mind raced, and in an instant, she had a realization.’

’Ai Ci’s death made her waver!’

Little Nine’s faint voice spoke up. "Host, I’ve found her weakness! The Life Plate shows that her Heart Power weakens with every reincarnation. That’s why she needs Jin Tong’s Heart Soul—to stabilize her own! Only the Heart Soul of someone with the purest of hearts is effective! This Heart Soul can help her stabilize her mind, but it can also... lead to her permanent demise! You were right before. Jin Tong is her greatest weakness!"

Su Mo understood. "So, if Jin Tong uses his Heart Soul to take control of Jiang Wu’s body, is there a chance we could win?"

"It’s a gamble. When two Divine Souls battle for a body, only the victor survives."

Su Mo frowned. ’Even if Jin Tong is willing, there probably won’t be an opportunity. A Divine Soul needs an opening to enter a body. Why would Jiang Wu ever give them a chance like that?’