What can you offer?

"The only thing I didn't expect..." Zhong Yun gasped, "was that even from such a distance, Wang Jingze could still launch a sneak attack."

"It seems this universe is truly endless with extraordinary people and unusual arts. Let your guard down for even a second, and you'll capsize in a gutter." Having spoken so much in one breath, Zhong Yun looked somewhat mentally exhausted.

"Don't speak anymore, just rest well," Yu Daoqing said with distress, gently wiping the sweat from his forehead.

Although an unknown medication had caused a backlash from his primordial energy, strangely enough, Zhong Yun was still able to maintain consciousness, and flashes of purple light rippled across his body from time to time.

"I feel terrible." The purple light on Zhong Yun flickered even more violently. Pain was etched across his face, and the sweat that had just been wiped from his forehead welled up once again.

Yu Daoqing pulled him into her arms. His body trembled uncontrollably, and not knowing how much agony he was enduring, she felt as though her heart was being carved by knives. Watching Zhong Yun suffer such torment while remaining utterly helpless tore her apart inside.

"Zhong Yun, you cannot die..." Yu Daoqing clutched tightly at his neck, consumed by overwhelming grief.

Zhong Yun laboriously moved his eyes to look at her, his lips parting and moving twice, yet no sound came out.

Feeling the vibration of his throat, Yu Daoqing raised her head. Seeing his lips moving, she hurriedly lowered herself, pressing her ear close to his mouth.

"I... am not resigned... I have never... kissed a girl..." Hearing these disjointed words, Zhong Yun's voice trailed off until it was completely inaudible. Feeling the life force of the person in her arms rapidly slipping away, Yu Daoqing hesitated no longer, pressing her soft lips against his. Zhong Yun's mouth curved slightly into a triumphant smile of a successful prank.

The very last shred of primordial energy within his body had been eroded, and Zhong Yun's consciousness grew increasingly hazy. "Xiao Ling, you'd better find a handsome guy for me to possess in my next life..." These were his final thoughts before he plunged into boundless darkness.

Feeling Zhong Yun's scalding lips grow icy cold, Yu Daoqing felt her heart shatter into countless pieces. She raised her head. The purple light on Zhong Yun's body had vanished, and the shocking red flush across his skin had also dissipated, leaving behind only an alarming pallor.

"I won't let you die..." Yu Daoqing murmured softly by his ear, as if trying to wake him from his unconscious state.

She cradled him tighter, resting his back against her embrace. Pressing one hand against his chest, the faint, steady thrum beneath her palm became her source of strength, offering her a sliver of hope.

"You know what? We Jialan have a legend..." Holding him close, Yu Daoqing kept whispering stories into his ear, finishing one only to immediately begin another. Zhong Yun had always loved hearing her tell of strange tales and marvelous anecdotes.

Seconds ticked by. The entire spacecraft remained utterly silent, save for Yu Daoqing's gentle, murmuring voice in the main control room.

How much time had passed, she did not know. Yu Daoqing remained motionless, holding Zhong Yun tightly, entirely immersed in the stories.

Suddenly, a piercing alarm rang out from the main control room. "Attention. Insect Bee Number Three is beginning its return to the bay."

Yu Daoqing snapped out of her trance, staring in astonishment at the flashing control panel. A surge of wild joy flooded her heart. "Zhong Yun, did you see that? We've arrived, you're going to be saved immediately."

A moment later, the flashing lights ceased, and the system's voice chimed once more. "Return to the bay complete."

Then, the cabin door automatically slid open, and a bed-shaped machine glided in. "Place Zhong Yun upon it," an emotionless voice commanded.

Yu Daoqing looked down at Zhong Yun in her arms. His complexion seemed even paler than before, his lips devoid of even a shred of color. Gritting her teeth, she lifted Zhong Yun and laid him gently onto the machine bed.

The moment Zhong Yun lay down, a transparent helmet descended to cover his entire head. Then, a smaller mask sealed over his mouth and nose. A pinkish liquid surged upward, completely filling the sealed helmet and submerging Zhong Yun's head entirely within it.

The machine bed then began to move, and Yu Daoqing followed closely behind, her hand firmly clasping Zhong Yun's.

***

The machine bed carried them into the main control room. Upon entering, Yu Daoqing caught sight of a youth with long black hair, dressed entirely in black, who bore a faint resemblance to Zhong Yun. He exuded an intensely aloof aura that made others instinctively want to keep their distance.

"Your name is Yu Daoqing."

The youth's tone was icy, causing a wave of discomfort to rise in Yu Daoqing. However, deeply concerned with Zhong Yun's condition, she had no spare energy to care about attitude. "I am. You must be Xiao Ling, the one Zhong Yun mentioned. We must hurry back to Dawu—"

"It's too late." Zero, manifested in the form of a youth, interrupted her. His frigid words pierced straight into Yu Daoqing's fragile heart.

"How could it be too late?" Pushed to the brink regarding her deepest fear, Yu Daoqing's long-suppressed emotions instantly spun out of control. "It's not too late, it must not be too late..."

She glared at Zero. The clothes across her entire body suddenly began to whip around violently without any wind, and an intense, suffocating wave of killing intent erupted from her. "Are you going or not? If not, I will kill you."

"If you want Zhong Yun to die, go ahead and strike." Despite her threat, Zero's expression remained relentlessly cold.

Yu Daoqing's chest heaved violently, her exquisite and flawless face twisting slightly. The fierce snapping of her clothes subsided as the tangible killing intent dissipated.

Her face was deathly, ashen pale. "What do you want... for you to save him?"

"What are you willing to pay?" Zero's voice echoed back.

"Can you bring him back to life?" Yu Daoqing stared fixedly at him, as if trying to pierce straight through to the depths of his soul.

Zero perceived that she had seemingly fallen into some sort of misunderstanding, but he had no intention of explaining. "Provided you can pay a sufficiently heavy price."

"I can pay with everything," Yu Daoqing declared with absolute finality, her tone allowing no room for doubt. "As long as you can save him."

"Including your life?" Zero's gaze narrowed. This was the first emotional shift Yu Daoqing had seen from him.

"Including my life."

"You may leave now." Having obtained his answer, Zero turned around, issuing a dismissal.

"How are you going to save him?" Yu Daoqing asked anxiously.

"On a certain planet."

***

On Qiyun Star, the Mars descended once more. Countless subjects of Zhong Yun swarmed toward the base, prostrating themselves in worship toward the vessel in the sky.

Indeed, they were now Zhong Yun's subjects—humans still in the dawn of the primitive age, transported here by the Omi National Management Company. Within the greater cosmic civilization, any society incapable of interstellar flight was considered primitive. Much like Zhong Yun's home planet Earth, which was merely a primary civilization that had just broken free from ignorance.

The valley housing the base had completely transformed. Fifty thousand people had constructed a sizable complex along the base's perimeter. Further out, a tall, metallic outer wall encircled the entire settlement and complex, preventing wild beasts from wandering in and harming the populace.

The Omi National Management Company had been remarkably considerate; all the people they delivered were children aged ten or younger. Individuals of this age were easily molded, and once properly educated, they would grow up to become Zhong Yun's capable assistants.

"What did you say?" Inside the main control room of the Mars, Yu Daoqing was shaken beyond measure.

"If you want to save Zhong Yun, the only way is with the spring water of the World Tree." Zero repeated his previous statement.

"You're insane, the World Tree went extinct ages ago..." Yu Daoqing felt the world spin around her. Zhong Yun's condition was worsening by the day, and seeing that he was barely holding on, who could have imagined that this Xiao Ling would bring them to this primitive planet, delaying his treatment? Zhong Yun's life was now hanging by a thread.

"If anything happens to him, I will make you pay with your life." Yu Daoqing could barely contain her surging murderous intent.

Seemingly indifferent to her words, Zero continued, "You are the Saintess of the Jialan clan. Do you know of the ritual of sacrifice?"

Yu Daoqing's pupils constricted as she cast an extremely dangerous look at him. "How do you know about that? Speak, who sent you?"

"Zhong Yun doesn't have much time left," Zero looked at her coldly. "Answer."

Veins throbbed on Yu Daoqing's forehead. Remembering Zhong Yun lying inside the healing pod, her resolve melted once more. "I've heard of it, but I don't know..."

"This is the complete process of a life sacrifice. Memorize it." As Zero finished speaking, the space before them began to project a panoramic holographic video.

A woman dressed in a moon-white long dress performed an exquisite and archaic dance before a magnificent, awe-inspiring tree...

Watching the footage, Yu Daoqing was deeply shaken. She had never seen this recording before, but the ancient memories deeply embedded within her bloodline made the scene before her feel with a sense of predestined familiarity.

"This is..." After watching, Yu Daoqing looked on in shock.

"How do you have this?" Yu Daoqing murmured as if in a dream. The video felt so real, radiating a sacred and ancient aura that made one feel personally present; this was unmistakably not simulated by virtual technology.

This was footage captured on-site, Yu Daoqing was certain of it.

"Zhong Yun's time is running out," Zero emphasized once more.

Yu Daoqing's mind jolted. Pulling herself out of her shock, she quickly gathered her focus. "I have memorized it."

"Be warned. What you are about to undertake is the highest-risk life sacrifice. Nurturing a World Tree sapling to its juvenile state is very likely to drain away your entire life force," Zero warned coldly.

Zero's grave expression and words made Yu Daoqing's heart leap into her throat. Could it be that a World Tree, extinct for five thousand years, truly existed on this planet?

If this was real... Even if it weren't to save Zhong Yun, she would offer her life for the World Tree without a moment's hesitation. This was her natural mission as the Saintess.

"When the World Tree grows into its juvenile state, a spring will form. The water welling up from it can eradicate all negative states—it is the proven optimal medicine for curing primordial energy backlash," Zero explained.

"I will ask you once more. For Zhong Yun's sake, what are you willing to pay?" Zero stared intently at Yu Daoqing, his cold gaze piercing deep into her soul.

"My everything," Yu Daoqing replied with a calm expression, as though speaking of the most mundane matter in the world.

*(Note: The next chapter will be published relatively late. Requests for monthly tickets.)*