The Legend of the Princess' Counterattack

Chapter 757: Decision on the Edge of the Cliff

The blood-red mist of the Netherworld hadn't yet dissipated when the Nine-Turn Resurrection Flower in Yun Yao's arms suddenly exuded wisps of cold blue air, which snaked up along her clothes. Her heart skipped a beat, and just as she was about to concentrate and check, Chu Mochen in her arms suddenly trembled violently. The black blood that flowed from his throat dripped onto the Resurrection Flower, causing bursts of fishy white smoke to rise.

"Mo Chen!" Yun Yao pressed her palm against his back, and the vast spiritual energy of the Void Refining Realm surged into him like a surging tide. But as soon as this spiritual energy touched the black mist of the Heart-Eroding Curse lingering in his dantian, it was like encountering the hottest flame, instantly consuming it. Her face turned pale, and the Heaven-Defying Fate Disk spun wildly in her sea of consciousness, its red warning light threatening to pierce through her spiritual altar.

"Host, please be advised! The Heart-Eroding Curse has taken effect prematurely due to the impact of the Pseudo-Heavenly Dao Domain. The toxin has already invaded the heart meridians!" The system's sharp alarm exploded in Yun Yao's sea of consciousness. "If it cannot be eliminated within twelve hours, Chu Mochen's soul will completely disintegrate!"

At that moment, a sinister laugh suddenly echoed from the cliffside. Liu Yan'er slowly approached, treading through the shattered void. A thick, inky demonic aura enveloped her. The Soul-Snatching Banner in her hand rustled, its surface clearly reflecting the image of Yun Yao confronting the Scarlet Flame Kui Niu in the netherworld. Each scene spoke silently, her every move clearly observed.

"Yun Yao, you didn't expect that, did you?" Liu Yan'er's voice was filled with twisted pleasure. "From the moment you stepped into the Netherworld illusion, you have fallen into our trap. This Heart-Erosion Curse is just a small gift for you!" She shook her wrist, and the picture on the Soul-Capture Banner suddenly switched to the "ifs" that Yun Yao saw in the mirror world - those softest and most secret desires deep in her heart.

Yun Yao's pupils narrowed, and the Resurrection Flower in her hand suddenly burst into a dazzling light. The golden lines on the petals moved as if alive, outlining a mysterious formation in her palm. This was the "Natural Refinement Realm Breakthrough Opportunity" she had unexpectedly gained while absorbing the Resurrection Flower, and it had manifested itself at this critical moment.

"Want to save him?" Liu Yan'er's lips curled up with a vicious smile, "Then hand over the Destiny Plate! Otherwise, I will let him watch with his own eyes that you die in front of him!" Before she finished speaking, the demonic energy behind her suddenly turned into a huge demon hand, grabbing Yun Yao fiercely.

Yun Yao's eyes glared, and the spiritual energy around her instantly surged. She gently set Chu Mochen aside, her hand tracing a graceful arc through the air, and the petals of the Resurrection Flower instantly transformed into a sky full of golden blades of light. "Do you think you can threaten me?" Her voice was cold as ice, yet there was a subtle tremor in it.

The demonic hand and the radiant blade collided with a thunderous clashing, a powerful blast sweeping across the cliff face. Liu Yan'er was shaken back, a flicker of surprise in her eyes. But just as Yun Yao was about to press on, her spiritual energy suddenly became chaotic. In the Netherworld, she had consumed so much energy battling the Scarlet Flame Kui Ox and achieving a breakthrough that she was even beginning to feel the faintest signs of spiritual exhaustion.

Liu Yan'er keenly noticed this, and the surprise in her eyes instantly turned to ecstasy. "So you're already at the end of your rope!" She screamed, and the demonic energy on the Soul-Snatching Banner surged even more violently, condensing into a giant ghost face in the air. "Die!"

The ghost face opened its bloody mouth and lunged at Yun Yao. At the critical moment, Chu Mochen suddenly opened his eyes. A fleeting golden vertical pupil flashed in his eyes, the symbol of the ancient mythical beast Zhulong. He suddenly leaped up, and in his hand, a war halberd burning with karmic fire appeared, the very heirloom of his previous life's Divine Monarch Palace.

"Yao'er, don't be afraid." His voice, though weak, held a reassuring firmness. With a swing of his halberd, a brilliant golden light collided with the ghostly face, unleashing a deafening roar. But the blow seemed to exhaust his remaining strength. He stumbled back a few steps, black blood oozing from the corner of his mouth again.

Yun Yao's heart felt as if it were being gripped tightly by an invisible hand. She watched Chu Mochen's shaky figure and recalled the scenes she had seen in the Netherworld—seventeen reincarnations, each one of them a death protecting her. She couldn't let the same thing happen again in this life!

"System!" she roared in her mind, "Tell me, is there any other way to save him?"

"Strong emotional fluctuations detected in the host. Emergency plans are being activated." The system's voice was unusually hesitant. "The Pure World Lotus deep within the Demonic Abyss is the only divine object that can completely remove the Heart-Eroding Curse. However, the Demonic Abyss has three levels of demonic barriers, each of which is enough to annihilate even a cultivator in the Void Refinement Realm. Moreover, given the host's current condition..."

"Enough!" Yun Yao interrupted the system, a determined light flashing in her eyes, "Even if it means going through mountains of swords and seas of fire, I will go!"

At this moment, Chu Mochen suddenly grabbed her wrist. His palm was cold, but he held it tightly, as if he was holding the most precious treasure in the world. "Don't go, Yao'er." His voice was hoarse and gentle. "I can hold on until you reach the Void Realm..."

Yun Yao lowered her head and gently kissed his cold lips. This kiss carried all her attachment and determination, as well as her expectations for the future. "Seventeen lifetimes ago, you died for me; in this life, it's my turn to protect you." She whispered in his ear, "Wait for me to come back."

After saying this, she carefully placed the Resurrection Flower in Chu Mochen's hand, turned around, and flew towards the Demon Abyss. Seeing this, Liu Yan'er's eyes flashed with panic, and she immediately commanded the Soul-Capture Banner to chase after her. But at this moment, the Resurrection Flower in Chu Mochen's hand suddenly burst into a brilliant light, which turned into a golden barrier, blocking Liu Yan'er tightly.

"If you want to pursue her, you'll have to get past me first!" Chu Mochen gripped his halberd tightly. Although his body was shaky, his eyes were unwavering. He knew he had to buy time for Yun Yao, even if it cost him his life...

At this moment, Yun Yao had arrived at the entrance to the Demonic Abyss. A thick black fog filled the air, from which lingering, blood-curdling roars could be heard from time to time. She took a deep breath and stepped in without hesitation. What awaited her was an unprecedented challenge, and the Pure World Lotus hidden deep within the Demonic Abyss...

The first level of the Demonic Abyss is the legendary "Memory Maze." As soon as Yun Yao stepped inside, the surrounding scene underwent a drastic change. She found herself back in a modern laboratory, where blaring alarms and flames shot up into the sky. That was the last scene before her time travel, and it lingered in her heart forever.

"No!" She subconsciously tried to escape, but the walls suddenly closed in on her. Then, the scene switched back to the palace she had just crossed over to. The servants' vicious looks and mocking words flooded back like a tide. Every scene mercilessly tore at her Daoist heart.

Just as Yun Yao's Dao heart was about to collapse, the system's voice suddenly rang out: "Host soul resonance detected, loading 'Prior Life Heavenly Dao Saint Maiden Authority'!" Her hair instantly turned white, and a golden seal with the same pattern as the Heaven-Defying Fate Plate appeared between her eyebrows. A powerful and familiar power awakened within her. She raised her hand and "rewinded time," freezing all the illusions in the maze at the moment Chu Mochen smiled at her upon his awakening.

The demonic barrier shattered, and a bronze door bearing the emblem of the "War Halberd God" appeared before her. Yun Yao gazed at the familiar emblem, a complex wave of emotions welling up in her heart. She knew that behind this door lay the secrets of Chu Mochen's past life, as well as her hope of saving him...

The moment Yun Yao pushed open the bronze door, a fierce aura washed over her. Behind the door lay the Divine Monarch Palace of Chu Mochen's previous life. His remnant soul and obsession transformed into countless shadowy halberds, descending upon her like a torrential rain. Each halberd carried devastating power, and the air was filled with a suffocating sense of oppression.

Amidst the overwhelming shadows of halberds, Yun Yao witnessed fragments of Chu Mochen's memories from seventeen reincarnations. He repeatedly appeared at her moments of death, even as a mortal, willing to use his own body to shield her from the fatal blow. In one life, he was a swordsman in the martial arts world, single-handedly fighting an entire cult to save her, ultimately collapsing in a pool of blood. In another, he was a general in the imperial court, disobeying imperial orders to protect her and being pierced by thousands of arrows...

"So you already knew about our bond..." Yun Yao's voice choked with sobs, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably. She grabbed the halberd thrust towards her heart, letting the sharp blade pierce her skin, staining her clothes with blood. "This time, I don't want you to be my shield anymore." Her voice was firm yet gentle. "I want to stand shoulder to shoulder with you and face everything together!"

The halberd suddenly trembled violently, as if touched by her words. The shadows gradually condensed, transforming into Chu Mochen's appearance. He looked at Yun Yao, his eyes filled with relief and joy, and bowed solemnly: "Lady Saint, in this life, the gates of the Divine Monarch Palace will always be open to you."

Yun Yao was about to speak when a familiar yet dangerous aura suddenly reached her from behind. Startled, she spun around, only to see Liu Yan'er, who had somehow broken through Chu Mochen's obstruction and appeared in the Divine Monarch Palace. The demonic energy surrounding her was even stronger than before, and the Soul-Snatching Banner in her hand had even begun to absorb space.

"Yun Yao, do you think you can save him so easily?" Liu Yan'er's voice was full of resentment and madness, "This Demonic Abyss is where you will die!" She waved the soul-capturing banner, and a black beam of light shot towards Yun Yao. Wherever it passed, the space was distorted.

Yun Yao didn't have time to think and immediately summoned the Heaven-Defying Fate Disk. But at that moment, she suddenly noticed that the cracks on the disk seemed to have deepened. It turned out that during the previous battles in the Netherworld and with Liu Yan'er, she had repeatedly forcibly used the power of the Heaven-Defying Fate Disk, causing considerable damage to the artifact.

The black beam of light collided with the Heaven-Defying Fate Disk, the powerful impact sending Yun Yao flying backward. Blood streamed from the corner of her mouth, but her gaze remained resolute. At this critical moment, Chu Mochen's remnant soul suddenly transformed into a golden light and merged into her body. A familiar force flowed through her meridians: it was Chu Mochen's spiritual power, his protection.

Yun Yao felt this power, and a warm feeling welled up in her heart. She gritted her teeth and activated the Heaven-Defying Fate Disk once more. This time, even as the cracks on the disk widened, an unprecedented light shone forth. The light transformed into a massive barrier, blocking Liu Yan'er's attack.

"Do you think you can win like this?" A trace of panic flashed across Liu Yan'er's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by madness. "Don't forget, there are still the second and third levels of the magic barrier! Even if you can pass it, the Pure World Lotus is not so easy to obtain!" After saying that, she turned around and disappeared in the demonic energy, obviously planning to set an ambush in the depths of the Demonic Abyss.

Yun Yao stared at the direction she had disappeared, her eyes icy. She knew Liu Yan'er was right; the road ahead would only get more difficult. But for Chu Mochen, she had no choice but to retreat. She took a deep breath and walked deeper into the Demonic Abyss. There, the Pure World Lotus lay, and it was also the turning point in her and Chu Mochen's fate...