Chapter 1491 - 434: Hope Amidst Desperation

The rain washes over the scorched earth, but it cannot cleanse the land of ice crystals.

The baby in his arms starts crying again, its tiny fists clawing helplessly at the air.

Suddenly, Zhou Qing is jolted; he snaps his head up—something’s not right!

After a Spirit Severing Realm cultivator’s death, there should be a hundred-mile radius filled with violent emotional remnants, yet everything appears normal now.

This discovery makes his heart race, as a frightening light bursts from his eyes.

Immediately, he struggles to harness the last of his spiritual power, his divine sense spreading out like a flood.

Every inch of the land, every grain of dust is meticulously examined by him, afraid to miss any clue.

Suddenly, his divine sense captures a faint fluctuation—a familiar aura only he can perceive.

Zhou Qing is jolted; his hands move swiftly to perform sealing signs.

Instantly, a blood-red phoenix shadow slowly takes form behind him.

With each flap of this Blood Phoenix’s wings, Zhou Qing’s complexion pales a little more.

Just as his vision begins to darken and he is about to collapse, the void in front of him suddenly ripples like water.

Through the rain, another nearly transparent Blood Phoenix gradually appears.

Its form is so insubstantial that it seems it might vanish at any moment, and its wings bear tiny ice crystals, trailing cold light in the air.

The two Blood Phoenixes circle each other in the sky, their mournful cries causing the rain in the entire valley to tremble.

This scene mirrors almost exactly the one in the cave years ago.

Zhou Qing’s gaze remains locked on the heart of the transparent Blood Phoenix.

There, a palm-sized shadow is curled up in a ball.

Though its outline is blurred beyond recognition, those familiar strands of hair, that moon-white dress...

"Han Yi!!" Zhou Qing cries tears of joy, stumbling forward, carefully cradling the remnant soul in his hands.

Feeling the familiar pulse, he finally collapses, wailing in grief.

Then, trembling, he takes out a Soul Nourishing Jade, gently placing the remnant soul inside, pressing it tightly to his chest.

At this moment, he allows himself to kneel in the mud, letting out a howling scream that seems part laughter and part sobbing.

...

Inside the cave, the flickering firelight casts Zhou Qing’s hunched figure on the rock wall, intermittently bright and dim.

Seated cross-legged, he carefully holds the swaddled infant on his lap; the baby’s red face glows with an unnatural crimson in the firelight.

"It’s all Daddy’s fault..." Zhou Qing’s voice is severely hoarse, his hands gently hovering three inches above the baby’s chest, as light blue spiritual power slowly flows in like mist.

Under his tightly furrowed brows, bloodshot eyes are fixed on the child’s quivering eyelashes.

The next moment, the baby suddenly begins to cough violently, its small body curling into a ball in his palm.

Zhou Qing’s pupils constrict, hastily retracting ninety percent of the spiritual power, using the back of his hand to gently touch the baby’s feverish forehead.

"Yaoyao, be good..." He opens his shirt, pressing the child against his warm chest, continuing to guide the baby’s meridians with the gentlest spiritual power.

This was all his fault!

In his pursuit of Han Yi’s remnant soul, he let the swaddled child get drenched in a torrential downpour.

This tiny body, barely a few hours old, how could it endure the bone-chilling wind of the mountains?

After about half an hour, the baby’s tightly clenched fists finally relax, its nostrils no longer flaring with rapid breaths.

Zhou Qing lowers his head, touching the child’s forehead with his lips, confirming the fever has subsided before he collapses backward like a spent shell.

His head hits the rock wall heavily, yet he feels no pain.

"It’s okay... it’s okay..." He murmurs to the hanging stalactites, his Adam’s apple rolling up and down as he swallows the metallic taste of blood.

The baby in his arms unknowingly grabs a lock of his fallen hair, the soft little hand gently tugging, causing Zhou Qing to hesitate slightly.

He looks down, suddenly realizing that, at some point, strands of glaring gray have appeared within his once jet-black hair.

"Han Yi..." His throat moves, as he buries his face deep into the swaddle, sobbing silently.

His wide shoulders shake incessantly, suppressed sobs echoing through the silent cave.

After a long while, he slowly lifts his head, eyes bloodshot and terrifyingly crimson.

Trembling fingers hastily retrieve the warm Soul Nourishing Jade from his chest, gently placing it beside Yaoyao.

"Yaoyao..." his lips tremble, the sound so faint it is nearly inaudible.

But Little Yaoyao seems to sense something, reaching out with chubby hands to gently touch the Soul Nourishing Jade.

In an instant, the jade emits a gentle white spiritual light, like a mother’s caress, wrapping softly around the baby’s fingertips.

"You... you can’t bear to part with her either, can you?" Zhou Qing suddenly becomes emotional, bloodshot eyes fixated on the Soul Nourishing Jade.

A thought flashes through his mind like lightning.

Without hesitation, he focuses on the Soul Nourishing Jade, beginning his Daily Reflection.

Then, a piece of information emerges.

[Soul Nourishing Jade: This jade, with its warm texture, is carved from a superior grade Soul Jade. It can nourish the divine soul, stabilize the spirit, and is especially effective for remnant souls about to dissipate.]

Beyond this, there are no other useful clues.

Zhou Qing’s fingers unconsciously tighten, taking a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the disappointment surging in his heart.

It’s okay, after midnight when the count refreshes, he can appraise it again.

If once is not enough, then twice, if twice isn’t enough, then ten times, a hundred times, a thousand times...

His eyes remain fixed on the Soul Nourishing Jade in his hand, the obsession in his eyes almost tangible.

There will certainly be a moment when he finds a way for Han Yi to awaken.

It must be known, a Spirit Severing Realm cultivator who was already severely injured, forcibly self-exploding right after childbirth under the Supreme being’s nose—this should have been an outcome of the soul shattering and scattering completely.