From a loser to an immortal sage

Chapter 472 The Price of the Star Core

My fingertips hovered three inches from the core of the star, my heart pounding so hard it felt like it was going to burst out of my chest.

Xuanxiaozi's words, "the most precious thing," felt like a needle pricking behind his ear. The wound on his left shoulder, split open by the Thunder Demon King, had long since lost its pain, but a layer of cold sweat seeped out on the back of his neck—it was his intuition screaming, saying that once this step was taken, some things would never come back.

"Yaoyao."

Wen Chen's voice suddenly exploded in my right ear, like a piece of warm jade falling on the snow.

I turned my head sharply and saw that he had somehow passed through the layers of barriers and was standing at the edge of the arena.

His pristine white robes were tinged with the golden light of the star core, the jade crown in his hair swayed slightly, and the concern in his eyes almost overflowed.

The once noisy arena suddenly fell silent, and even Qinglian loosened her grip on my arm—Wen Chen rarely appeared in such situations, let alone call me by my nickname in public.

"No matter what happens, I will stand by your side." He took two steps forward, his dark boots crunching over the fragments of black armor left behind by the Thunder Demon King. "The path you chose, I will shield you from half the wind and snow."

These words were like a fire rolling into my heart.

I gazed at the Azure Frost Sword that he never parted from at his waist, and I remembered that three months ago in the far north ice plains, he stood beside me in the same way, using his sword to cleave through the overwhelming ice shards for me; I remembered that three years ago when I was devoured by the Fiend Pearl, he guarded outside the alchemy room for seven days and seven nights, even postponing the Immortal Venerable Ceremony.

At this moment, the fine lines at the corners of his eyes were softened by the golden light; where was the revered immortal being he now?

It was clearly Wen Chen, the one who would secretly slip me candied fruit when I fell and hurt myself while practicing swordsmanship.

The wound on my left shoulder suddenly became hot.

I turned back, and the light of the star core, carrying the sound of warm dust, surged into my veins. Those hesitations melted away like spring snow meeting the warm sun.

"Touch." I said to the air, my fingertips finally touching the starlight.

The change came faster than the Thunder Demon King's thunder hammer.

First, the bluestone slabs underfoot made a cracking sound like tearing silk, and then the barrier around the arena rippled with purplish-black waves, like the surface of a lake being hit by stones.

General Zhao drew his longsword with a clang and held it horizontally in front of him: "Protect the altar!" Pharmacist Lin's medicine pouch fell to the ground with a thud, and several thousand-year-old ginseng roots rolled out, but he stared at the distorted space and trembled; Deacon Li collapsed to the ground, the veins on the back of his hand gripping the hem of his clothes bulging; Fairy Zhou, on the other hand, remained steady, drawing her black-sheathed sword from her back, the tip pointing directly at the expanding golden light.

"This is the power of the Star Core..." The jade lamp of Azure Lotus suddenly burst forth with a blinding red light, the flame on its wick condensing into the shape of a lotus flower. "It's repelling external spiritual consciousness!"

I felt enveloped even more tightly by that warm energy, and tiny starlight floated on the surface of my skin, as if someone had crushed the Milky Way and sprinkled it on me.

At the same time, my temples throbbed, and images uncontrollably flooded my mind—

In the beginning of chaos, a woman in white knelt in the center of a star trail, holding a small, pearl-like orb of light in her palm. Blood stained her brows, yet she still smiled: "This is the Key of Destiny, using my thirty thousand years of lifespan as the catalyst..."

The scene shifts to Xuanxiaozi in his youth, kneeling before the woman, his voice trembling with tears: "Master!"

You cannot…

Then, I'm back a hundred years in the past, standing in a modern hospital corridor holding a diagnosis report, the words "malignant tumor" stinging my eyes.

My mother stroked the top of my head and said, "Don't be afraid, Yao Yao, Mom will help you get treatment." The white hair at her temples gleamed silver in the sunlight, but I didn't notice the medicine bottle she was hiding on her back—I later learned that she had secretly gone to a construction site to carry bricks in order to raise money for the surgery and had broken her leg.

"boom!"

The fragments of memory suddenly exploded, and I staggered back half a step, only to be caught steadily by Wen Chen.

The familiar scent of agarwood emanating from him, mixed with the warmth of the star core, brought tears to my eyes.

Before I could even speak, a strange, dull pain suddenly welled up in my chest, like a blunt knife cutting into my heart and lungs.

I looked down and saw that the veins on the back of my hand were visibly fading, while the starlight beneath my skin was becoming brighter.

"What's going on?" Ling Feng gripped my other hand, the calluses on his palm chafing me painfully. "Your spiritual veins... are disappearing?"

“It’s lifespan.” Wen Chen’s voice suddenly turned as cold as snow in December. His fingertips pressed against my wrist, his pupils contracting sharply. “The power of the Star Core is traded for lifespan.”

I suddenly looked up at him.

The fine lines at the corners of his eyes deepened, and a layer of gloom clouded over his once clear eyes—the look he only had when he discovered me secretly taking risks.

The jade lamp of Qinglian cracked with a "crack," and the flame shot up three feet high with a "whoosh"; General Zhao's sword fell to the ground with a "clang," making the bluestone slab tremble; Fairy Zhou's black-sheathed sword hummed mournfully, and she stared at the back of my hand, her lips pressed into a line.

"Yaoyao." Wen Chen cupped my face, wiping away the tears that had fallen without my noticing with his thumb. "It's not too late for you to stop now."

But as I gazed at the jade crown swaying in his hair, I remembered the porridge my mother had cooked for me despite her broken leg, the three days and three nights Qinglian knelt in the Ten Thousand Poisons Cave to find medicine for me, and the words Ling Feng said when he handed me the broken sword, "Take my life and use it."

The dull ache in my chest suddenly turned into a warm current. I covered his hand, which was resting on my wrist, and whispered, "I know."

The light in the star core suddenly dimmed, as if it were sighing.

I stared at the fading veins on the back of my hand, and heard a faint cracking sound mixed with my heartbeat—the sound of my lifespan slipping away.

Wen Chen's palms were sweating, but he only held me tighter. The Qing Shuang sword made a clear and melodious sound in its sheath, as if responding to something.

"Miss Xiao!" Pharmacist Lin suddenly rushed over, his trembling hand holding up a crimson pill. "This is a Soul-Sustaining Pill, it can... can give you some respite..."

“No need.” I smiled at him. “Sometimes, someone has to pay the price.”

Before the words were finished, the star core suddenly burst forth with a blinding white light.

My vision went black, and when I opened my eyes again, I was standing on a wasteland paved with star trails.

The illusory figure of the woman in white stood before me, her face bearing a striking resemblance to mine, yet she possessed a more weathered air: "Do you know that each use of the Star Core diminishes one's lifespan by a hundred years?"

“I know.” I gazed at the shimmering starry sky behind her, recalling Wen Chen’s reddened eyes earlier. “But I have people I must protect.”

The woman's illusory figure smiled, raised her hand, and a ray of starlight fell into my brow: "Very good."

Remember, when your lifespan is nearing its end, the Star Core will give you one last choice...

"Ding--"

The crisp sound of jade shattering pulled me back to reality.

I coughed violently, and Wen Chen's clothes were instantly stained red with the blood he coughed up.

He wiped my mouth with trembling hands, his voice hoarse: "Yao Yao..."

"I'm fine." I tugged at his sleeve, trying to reassure him, but my gaze involuntarily fell on the back of my hand—the veins there were almost transparent, like mist that might dissipate at any moment.

The jade lamp of the Azure Lotus shattered completely, the lamp oil splattered on the ground, burning a charred circle; Ling Feng picked up the broken sword, the cracks on the blade were even deeper than before; General Zhao, his eyes red, slammed his fist on the bluestone slab, his knuckles bleeding; Fairy Zhou sheathed her black-sheathed sword back behind her back, and when she turned around, I saw the tips of her ears trembling.

Wen Chen suddenly pressed down on my back, and his immortal power surged in like a hot spring.

As I gazed at his increasingly pale face, I finally understood what Xuanxiaozi meant by "the most precious thing"—it wasn't family, it wasn't friendship, it was my own life.

But if this life could be exchanged for the safety of those I care about, for the revival of the spiritual veins, for the world to be free from calamities like the Thunder Demon King...

I looked down at my palm, where the warmth of the star core still lingered.

"Wen Chen," I called softly, "If one day I..."

“That day will never come.” He interrupted me, pressing his fingertips heavily against my lips. “I will find a solution, I will.”

But looking into the dark turmoil in his eyes, I knew he was lying.

The secret of the star core pierced my heart like a thorn, causing me so much pain that I could hardly breathe.

The years slipping away are like a tide, slowly drowning my hopes for the future—I haven't yet gone with Wen Chen to see the cherry blossoms on the Penglai Immortal Island he mentioned, I haven't yet fulfilled my promise to Qinglian to brew the Hundred Fruit Wine, and I haven't yet taught Ling Feng how to conceal his weaknesses when using a sword...

A sudden gust of wind in the arena swept up a few withered leaves, brushing against my burning cheeks.

As I gazed at the newly added white hairs at Wen Chen's temples, I suddenly recalled the words of the woman on the Star Trail Wasteland.

What is the last option...?

A slight tremor came from beneath the bluestone slab, as if some enormous creature was awakening from the ground.

Wen Chen suddenly shielded me behind him, and the Azure Frost Sword was drawn with a "hum," with fine runes appearing on its blade—the Demon-Slaying Array he used when facing ancient ferocious beasts.

I stared at his tense back and suddenly felt a little dazed.

The most terrifying thing is never the Thunder Demon King, nor the passing of lifespan, but knowing that there is an abyss ahead, yet still pulling the one you love most to jump down with you.

The light from the star core brightened a little more, casting a shadow in my palm.

In the shadows, a vague outline could be seen—it looked like a coffin.

As I gazed at the taut muscles on Wen Chen's back, the tremors beneath the bluestone slab suddenly intensified, as if a million iron hooves were galloping across the ground.

Zhou Xianzi's black-sheathed sword sprang three inches out of its sheath with a "hum," its tip pointing directly to the southeast: "Demonic energy!"

They are the Demon King's evil army!

My old injury in my left shoulder suddenly throbbed with pain, and I was shocked to realize that the power brought by the star core was surging through my blood vessels—it turned out that when I absorbed the star core, I had actually triggered a resonance with the spiritual veins of heaven and earth, and this fluctuation had probably reached the demon cave ten miles away.

The Thunder Demon King, still severely injured, launched a forced attack, surely intending to eliminate me while my spiritual power was unstable.

“Wen Chen.” I pressed down on the back of his hand holding the sword; the temperature of his palm was alarmingly high. “Protect the Immortal Gate’s barrier first.” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw General Zhao planting the blood-stained command flags at the four corners, his armor still stained with the charred remains from the star core explosion; Pharmacist Lin was kneeling on the steps, biting open the porcelain bottle of Soul-Sustaining Pill with his teeth, the powder falling onto the blood-stained handkerchief; Fairy Zhou had already leaped onto the roof, her black-sheathed sword drawing a half-moon shape, cleaving the first attacking demon wolf in two.

“Yaoyao, you—” When Wen Chen turned his head, I saw bloodshot veins spreading like a spider web in his eyes, “Your spiritual veins…”

"This is not the time to talk about this!" I interrupted him, my fingertips forming a hand seal.

The residual light from the star's core seeped out from the palm of the hand, condensing into a star trail pattern in mid-air.

Three months ago, I stumbled upon the book "Star Enemy Defense Record" in the library, which suddenly came to mind: "Use stars to attract spirits, use cores as arrays!" I bit my tongue, and the blood splattered on the center of the star trail. The golden light patterns immediately came to life, growing wildly along the eaves, pillars, and barrier stakes, wrapping the entire immortal sect into a starlight cocoon.

As the first wave of demonic arrows pierced the air, General Zhao's black iron shield stood right in front of me. "Miss Xiao, retreat to the second level!" The old scar on his neck glowed red in the demonic fire, and sparks from the collision of the shield and arrows splattered on his armor. "This humble general will guard the first three levels!" Pharmacist Lin suddenly pounced from the side, pulling me aside. A poisoned black-feathered arrow grazed my ear and embedded itself in a pillar, splinters of wood splattering his face. "Miss Xiao, your body is too delicate; how can you allow yourself to be bumped or bruised!" The medicine pouch in his hair jingled, and I smelled the bitter fragrance of hemostatic herbs inside.

Suddenly, the sound of Zhou Xianzi's sword rang out louder, and when I turned my head, I saw her being cornered by three demon generals.

The spine of the Black Sheath Sword was already chipped, but she laughed brighter than demonic fire: "Sister Xiao taught me the 'Three Forms of Cloud Breaking,' and today I'll test them on you!" Before she finished speaking, she leaped up, her sword blossoms blooming in mid-air, shredding the weapons of the three demon generals into pieces.

As I gazed at the demonic blood smeared on her hair, I suddenly recalled the image of her kneeling in the training ground three years ago, begging me to teach her swordsmanship—back then, she couldn't even hold a wooden sword properly, but now she could defeat demons with her sword.

"Yao Yao!" Wen Chen's shout brought me back to my senses.

The Demon-Slaying Array on his Azure Frost Sword shone brightly, clashing with the Thunder Demon King's Nine-Toothed Rake.

Black blood was still flowing from the Thunder Demon King's left shoulder, clearly indicating that the injury from the Thunder Hammer had not yet healed, but his eyes were more manic than ever: "Little girl, use your life to fill the hole in the star core!" The gale brought up by the rake overturned half of the wall, and I saw several trembling disciples hiding behind the wall. Qinglian was protecting them with fragments of the jade lamp, the lamp oil burning with a hissing sound.

I suddenly laughed.

The lifespan drawn from the star core surged into a warm current within my body, and the images of my mother, Qinglian, and Wenchen suddenly became clear—it turns out that the most precious thing is never the length of one's life, but the way I am seen in the eyes of these people.

I pointed at the Thunder Demon King, and the star chart above his head condensed into a massive starburst: "You're right, my life is meant to fill the void."

The moment the starlight fell, the Thunder Demon King's scream pierced the night sky.

His rake was shredded into pieces by the star trail, and a bright hole was blown open in his chest, black blood splattering onto the bluestone slab and hissing white smoke.

But his demonic soldiers surged forward like a tide, charging forward one after another, stepping over the corpses of their comrades.

General Zhao's shield cracked in three places, Pharmacist Lin's medicine pouch was half empty, Fairy Zhou's sword blade was stained black and red, the fragments of Qinglian's jade lamp went out completely, and the cries of the young disciples mixed with the roars of the demon soldiers exploded in the night sky.

Wen Chen suddenly grabbed my waist and leaped up the clock tower.

His immortal robes were stained with demonic blood, and the tassel of his Azure Frost Sword had broken off, leaving a half-broken red rope hanging down. "Rest for a while." He pressed me against the rim of the bell, his fingertip touching my brow, immortal power flowing into me like a hot spring. "You just used the power of your star core three times; your lifespan..."

“I’m counting.” I grabbed his wrist; it felt colder than icicles. “The first time, I’ll add a hundred years; the second time, another hundred years; the third time…” My throat suddenly tightened. “Wen Chen, I always felt that when Mother passed away, she was counting the days like this.”

His fingers trembled suddenly.

Moonlight streamed through the broken window of the clock tower, falling brightly on the white hair at his temples. "No," he said, lowering his head to kiss the top of my head. "I found an ancient book in the far north, which says that the backlash from a star's core can be used..."

The clock tower suddenly shook violently, and half of the roof beam collapsed.

Wen Chen spun around and pulled me into his arms. The roof beam grazed his back and hit the ground, splattering wood chips all over my face.

I saw a tear in the back of his robe, revealing bleeding skin—he had just shielded me from the roof beam.

"Wen Chen, you—"

"Shh." He pressed his bloodied thumb to my lips. "Look."

I followed his gaze.

As dawn broke in the eastern sky, the demon soldiers suddenly seemed to have lost their souls, screaming as they retreated into the forest.

The Thunder Demon King's mangled body twitched twice on the ground before dissipating into a cloud of black mist.

General Zhao stood upright, leaning on his broken shield. Blood droplets from his armor dripped onto the bluestone slabs, making a crisp sound. Pharmacist Lin slumped on the steps, still clutching the last half-bottle of wound medicine. Fairy Zhou leaned against a pillar, wiping her sword with the corner of her robe; the demonic blood on the blade gleamed a ghostly blue in the moonlight. Qinglian walked over, carrying her young disciples, a wild chrysanthemum she had picked up from the ruins tucked into her hair, and smiled at me.

"You won?" I asked in a hoarse voice.

Wen Chen wiped the sawdust from my face, his fingertips lingering for a moment on the back of my hand—the veins there were so faint they were almost invisible. "For now," he said, gazing at the gradually whitening sky, "the Thunder Demon King's natal demon core hasn't shattered; he'll come again."

The night wind, carrying the smell of gunpowder, crept into the clock tower, and I suddenly remembered the woman's words on the Star Trail Wasteland: "the last choice."

The moonlight shone on my palm, where the warmth of the star's core still lingered, like the warmth my mother used to warm my hands.

"Wen Chen." I leaned on his shoulder, listening to his heartbeat, which he was trying to keep steady. "Let's go to the library when it's light."

I remember the ancient star records mentioning that the solution to a star's core might be...

“Okay.” He interrupted me, holding me even tighter. “We’ll go at daybreak.”

The bronze bell in the clock tower suddenly rang softly in the wind, "Dong—", startling a few crows into flight.

As I gazed at the gradually brightening sky in the east, I saw the first rays of dawn piercing through the clouds, like a golden sword thrusting into the earth.

Wen Chen's body heat seeped through the blood-stained immortal robe, and I heard myself whisper, "Tomorrow will be a good day."