——You must dance this dance well.
Niao Xiaomi thought so.
Besides that, there was no other thought.
She didn’t know how the audience reacted, for her eyes remained closed.
Now, it was no longer her commanding her body to dance.
Instead, she had surrendered her body to the rhythm.
The rhythm of the zither, the rhythm of the rain, the rhythm of the wind, and the spirits of every life in this mountain range yearning for “life.”
Her spiritual energy depleted rapidly, already beginning to be replaced by life force.
Fortunately, in this state of self-forgetfulness, she could feel no pain.
“Xiaomi…” Nanalia’s hoarse voice called out.
But Niao Xiaomi could no longer hear it.
Blood-colored cracks slowly seeped through her skin—overburdened blood vessels leaving branched veins like carved patterns on her jade skin.
They became an intricate engraving on her flesh.
Blood flooded her ears; her eardrums ruptured, and she could hear no sound anymore.
But Bai Xiaozhi’s zither music still echoed in her mind, becoming the sole guide in the hollow world.
Then her vision faded.
Though her eyes remained closed, two streaks of blood ran down from the corners.
Even if she opened them, she could no longer see.
……
This was a war between water and fire.
At the Lianyi Association hall, the cries of agony had vanished, leaving only the zither’s melody and the gentle rustle of flowing water.
All the teachers and students gazed at the stage in a trance.
Water birds fluttered down from the dark clouds, extinguishing every spark of flame.
The girl twirled.
With the zither’s fervent notes, her dance grew ever more vigorous.
Blood streamed from her shoulder down to her elbow, then to her fingertips, and finally, with each flourish, flicked into the flowing water.
“This is… the Spirit of Abundance’s Siren Dance?”
At the Lianyi Association hall, all the teachers and students had long forgotten the danger they were in.
Some were awestruck, feeling that if they could witness this once in a lifetime, their lives would have been worthwhile.
They instinctively decided it was better to miss an entire lifetime than to miss this sublime figure on stage, this fleeting moment of dance…
“How can such a thing exist in this world…”
“Such a thing as…”
Such a thing as what, they could not put into words.
……
The Black Panther continued to expand; this meticulously plotted plan spanning centuries had now officially succeeded.
The rift was too large, impossible to mend.
The seal was broken—an irreversible fate.
“It’s nearly formed.”
The paint-like monsters roaming the Zang Gu land reverted to black mist, returning to their source.
Body, head, limbs—the huge panther’s form became clear.
It was coming back.
Zang Gu.
The terrifying malevolence that even the Spirit of Abundance could only seal, never destroy.
It was back.
“Zhū Míng—”
Mang Gu hissed like a snake, lowering its head.
Its massive golden eyes, like twin suns, fixed on Wu Xiaomi.
It raised its mountain-sized claws, overshadowing the sky, covering the entire academy overhead.
There was no stopping it, no way to stop it.
No escape; that single claw covered nearly half the Mang Gu mountain range—escape was impossible.
Everyone would be crushed to pulp; the mountains flattened under that claw.
Then burned to ashes by those wicked flames.
……
“Ding-whoom—”
At the same time, outside Fengshou Village.
An inconspicuous drop of water fell into a lake.
Tiny ripples spread, gradually expanding until they touched the shore…
Suddenly, the lake’s surface shattered like a mirror!
A vast white mist surged forth from the shattered barrier!
From the lake, from the river, from windows, even from dewdrops…
And every water bird suspended in the sky!
“It’s Mirror Night?!”
Thousands of streams of white mist converged from all directions, carrying the power of the Spirit of the Wilds, flowing into the frail figure on the stage.
Without any side effects, only bringing the purest and most abundant spiritual energy.
The once thinning, dissipating dark clouds at the brink of collapse suddenly swelled tenfold!
Lightning danced within the clouds, which began condensing and taking shape like Mang Gu, gaining a body and form of their own.
It was a water phoenix vast enough to confront Mang Gu, wings flapping, backlit by the dying rays of the sun.
The Water Phoenix dived! Tearing off one of Mang Gu’s arms with a bite!
It tossed the severed limb disdainfully toward the distant forest.
“Shē Wū—”
Mang Gu roared furiously, lunging at the Water Phoenix.
Lightning wrapped around the phoenix’s body, thunder roaring as it fearlessly met the attack!
The collision made the world tremble.
A stalemate.
……
The zither reached its final, exalted climax.
The Siren Dance neared its end.
Wu Xiaomi felt her body grow heavy, as if filled with lead—each step demanding immense effort.
Without that strange, unknown power aiding her, she would have collapsed long ago.
That she had endured this far was unbelievable even to herself.
Since she had come this far…
She might as well give this dance a perfect ending!
The folding fan was raised to the sky.
A smile unconsciously curled at her lips.
Nothing special—just thoughts of the absurd days that had just passed.
Thanks, Kang Jie, Ah Lei.
Without you, these days would have been unbearably hard.
Thanks, Lulutina.
We’ll always be “iron brothers.”
Teacher Nanalia, being taken back to the shrine by you is one of the luckiest things in my life.
Xiaozhi…
……
……
Sorry.
Good night.
–The folding fan fell.
The girl rose on tiptoe, stepping into a pool of deep red water, tracing her path on the ground.
The dark, blood-stained cracks had reached the corners of her eyes.
It felt as if the next moment she would shatter like porcelain.
But at this moment on the brink of collapse, the outpouring of spiritual energy and the fierceness of her dance had also reached their peak.
Her fox tail was the most graceful ribbon, entwining the girl’s light steps.
As she spun and turned, droplets scattered like stardust, her smile blooming like a lotus.
She was not afraid.
Nor was she regretful.
“Fall—”
……
The final lingering note slid across the keys, the echo lingering.
The peerless, unparalleled dance suddenly ceased.
She knelt halfway in a pool of blood, head raised with vacant eyes, the folding fan pressing down.
The Water Phoenix flapped its wings, clutching Mang Gu with its feathers, spreading thousands of water blades that tore Mang Gu’s body apart.
Mang Gu’s screams echoed endlessly between the mountains.
It was being cut smaller and smaller; the body it had barely formed was rapidly severed.
Its strength was visibly waning.
The arrogant posture from its arrival had vanished.
It could only howl in impotent rage, which gradually turned to pleading.
The Water Phoenix looked down mercilessly on the panther, without defense.
Its body faded away along with Mang Gu’s disintegration.
Finally—
Bang!
The Water Phoenix wrapped around Mang Gu completely, then exploded—
It was a heavy rain.
The rain extinguished all the evil flames.
The shattered remains of Mang Gu cowered under the shelter of rain but were already crumbling, losing all form.
“Xiaomi!”
Bai Xiaozhi rushed to the girl’s side immediately.
The girl still held her final pose.
Her body stiff.
Just as Bai Xiaozhi touched her, she slumped sideways.
Checking for breath.
It was completely gone.
“Don’t sleep! Damn it! Don’t sleep!”
“Wake up! Wu Xiaomi! You stupid… idiot!”
Tears streamed down the white-haired girl’s cheeks.
Down her chin.
Falling onto Wu Xiaomi’s lips.
“Wake up!”
Bai Xiaozhi shouted desperately.
But Wu Xiaomi had long lost her hearing and could no longer respond.
……
Before her was endless darkness.
She heard nothing, only a faint zither melody echoing endlessly.
Echoing endlessly.