The darkness of the Shadow Abyss surged as though alive.Countless claw-like shadows reached from the void, accompanied by a deep, bestial roar, lunging straight toward Lin Tian.
Instinct told him to dodge, but he quickly realized there was nowhere to stand—no ground, no sky. It was as if he were suspended in a single drop of black ink, moments away from being swallowed whole.
"Lin Tian, hold on!"Zi Dian roared, thunder exploding into a web of lightning chains that shattered some of the incoming claws. Yet the darkness healed almost instantly, reforming new talons in the blink of an eye.
Mu Changsheng stood beside the ice coffin, making no move to help. His eyes were closed, lips moving in an ancient chant. With each echoing syllable, intricate silver patterns surfaced on the coffin, flowing like a galaxy before gathering into an ice-blue sigil at the center of the lid.
Zhu Feng had already sheathed his blade, his gaze locked on the glowing spirit pearl in Lin Tian's chest, as though waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
From the depths of the Shadow Abyss, You Xuan's voice resounded—low, cold, and oppressive enough to chill the soul:
"Hanyuan will be mine in the end—even if it hides within the frail shell of a mortal."
Lin Tian clenched his jaw, his palm instinctively pressing against his chest. The pearl's light stabbed at his eyes. Then, without warning, it flared violently. A wave of frigid power surged through his meridians, suppressing the flow of his own qi—as though another heart had awakened within him.
In his ears, that ancient whisper returned:
"Bear me, and you shall bear the chill of eternal night… Do you accept?"
His consciousness was instantly drawn into an illusory realm of ice and snow. There, upon an endless snowfield, stood a throne of ice sealing heaven and earth. A pair of ice-blue eyes slowly opened from the darkness of an eternal night.
"I accept!" he growled.
Boom—!Silver-white frost burst from within Lin Tian, intertwining with the pearl's radiance into a storm of ice. In an instant, dozens of shadow claws froze mid-strike. They writhed, cracked apart, and shattered with an ear-splitting wail.
Zi Dian's pupils contracted sharply. "The power of Hanyuan… it's truly awakened!"
For the first time, You Xuan's expression darkened. He extended his hand, and the boundaries of the Shadow Abyss began to shrink, intent on crushing Lin Tian and the awakened Hanyuan together. But Lin Tian's eyes had already turned completely ice-blue. He extended his palm, and an ice blade condensed out of nothing, slicing straight toward the shadow talons.
The blade cut through the void, carving open a fissure in the very mists of the Abyss, revealing a sliver of the outside world.
Mu Changsheng opened his eyes at last, his voice calm yet brimming with excitement. "Good… yes, that's the power I wanted."
"Lin Tian, come with me!" He raised his hand, and the ice coffin floated into the air on its own, flying toward Lin Tian.
"Over my dead body!" Zi Dian roared, his thunder surging into a tidal wave toward Mu Changsheng. At the same time, Zhu Feng stepped forward, blade flashing in a sweeping arc that cut straight for Lin Tian.
The pearl in Lin Tian's chest pounded violently, urging him to choose—Remain in the Shadow Abyss, merging with the frost to fully awaken…Or seize the chance while the fissure still existed and force his way out of the darkness that devoured all.
You Xuan's claws lunged once more. Mu Changsheng's hand was a breath away from the coffin. Zi Dian and Zhu Feng's strikes closed in from either side—
Four directions, no retreat!
The ice-blue light in Lin Tian's eyes flared to a blinding peak. He shouted: "All of you—back off!"
BOOM!!!Frost and thunder intertwined, tearing the Shadow Abyss apart. The silver fissures shattered completely, and the light of the outside world flooded in like a tidal wave—