dognovel Chapter 108 Burning Life to See You
Chapter 108 Burning Life to See You
Xiao Yi collapsed to the cold ground, staring at the now-closed portal of time and space, his eyes hollow and hopeless. His body trembled violently from the exertion, every muscle aching. It felt as if most of his soul had been drained away, leaving only an endless sense of exhaustion and frustration. Atop the silent palace terrace, only the cold, full moon bore witness to his tragic plight.
After a long moment, Xiao Yi slowly stood up, his figure looming in the night breeze, a forlorn and desolate presence. He knew conventional methods would no longer be enough to reunite him with Li Lingyuan, yet his deep longing for her burned like a raging fire, consuming him with every ounce of pain and confusion. Amidst the utter agony and bewilderment, Xiao Yi suddenly harbored a mad and dangerous thought: to sacrifice his own destiny and life in exchange for a chance to forcibly travel through time and space.
Once the thought took hold, it grew like wild weeds within him. Xiao Yi knew that to do so would mean completely abandoning everything he had in this world: his throne, his subjects, even his soul. But in the face of love, he had lost all reason and the ability to weigh the pros and cons. He knew only that if he could not be with Li Lingyuan, this long life would be nothing but endless torture.
Xiao Yi, with heavy steps, slowly descended the platform and returned to the secret room where he had attempted countless time travels. The room was filled with an oppressive and mysterious atmosphere. The various ancient books, runes, and spiritual objects placed around it seemed to silently speak of his past failures and pain. Standing in the center of the room, his eyes determined and frantic, he began preparing for this time travel ritual, a life-or-death gamble.
He first retrieved a long-forgotten ancient tome he had stumbled upon deep within the imperial palace's library. It contained a profoundly evil and forbidden spell, said to be accessible only to those with powerful spiritual power and unwavering will. Once unleashed, it would trigger energy fluctuations between heaven and earth, potentially altering the very order of space and time. Xiao Yi was well aware of the danger, but he had no escape route.
According to the manual, Xiao Yi needed to use his own blood as a guide at a specific time and place to create a vast and complex rune formation. This formation would gather the dark energy of heaven and earth, merging it with his own vitality and destiny, thus opening a portal to an unknown time and space. Without hesitation, Xiao Yi grabbed a sharp dagger and slashed his wrist. Crimson blood gushed out, dripping onto the ground with a dripping sound.
He endured the excruciating pain of his wound, dipped his trembling fingers in blood, and began to draw runes on the chamber's floor. Every stroke was imbued with his entire being and his yearning for Li Lingyuan. The runes glowed with an eerie red light, as if absorbing his life force. As the runes gradually completed, the temperature in the chamber plummeted, and a powerful dark energy slowly surged from the ground, enveloping Xiao Yi.
Xiao Yi's face grew increasingly pale, his body beginning to falter, but he gritted his teeth and persevered. He knew that if he gave up, he would never see Li Lingyuan again. When the last rune was drawn, the entire chamber was enveloped in a dazzling red light, and the energy surge reached its peak. Xiao Yi stood in the center of the formation, muttering something to himself, and began to cast the forbidden spell.
As the spell was cast, Xiao Yi's soul seemed to be swept into a vast storm. He saw the thread of his destiny flicker before his eyes, a golden thread connecting his past, present, and future. However, to transcend time and space, he must sever this thread himself, dedicating his life and soul completely to the forces of darkness. Without hesitation, Xiao Yi stretched out his trembling hands, grasped the thread tightly, and tugged hard.
A sharp pain shot through Xiao Yi's body, and he felt as if his soul had been torn in two. But he endured the pain and continued chanting the spell. Dark energy surged towards him like a surging tide, gradually engulfing him. In the deepest part of the light, a portal in time and space slowly opened, revealing a blurry scene beyond, seemingly the outline of the modern world.
Xiao Yi was filled with ecstasy. Despite his extreme weakness, he rushed towards the space-time portal. However, just as he was about to step through the portal, a powerful counterforce suddenly hit him, violently flinging him back. Xiao Yi fell heavily to the ground, spitting blood. He watched helplessly as the space-time portal slowly closed before his eyes. All his efforts and sacrifices were in vain in that moment.
"Why? Why!" Xiao Yi cried out in despair, his voice echoing through the chamber, filled with endless pain and unwillingness. He struggled with all his might to stand up again, but his body was no longer able to respond. His vitality was rapidly fading, his soul was severely damaged, and the scene before him gradually became blurred.
Elsewhere in the palace, the maids and eunuchs sensed the powerful energy fluctuations emanating from the secret chamber. They gathered at the door in fear, but dared not enter without permission. When everything calmed down, a young eunuch bravely pushed open the door. The scene before him terrified him so much that he collapsed to the ground.
Xiao Yi lay in a pool of blood, his face as pale as paper, his breath barely fading. His surroundings were in shambles, the rune formation shattered to pieces, the dark energy gradually dissipating. The young eunuch's voice trembled as he called out, "Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Wake up!" But Xiao Yi remained unresponsive, his consciousness already mired in a deep darkness.
Upon hearing the news, the imperial doctors rushed to the scene. Seeing Xiao Yi's tragic condition, they shook their heads and sighed. They tried every possible means to save Xiao Yi's life, but to no avail. Xiao Yi's body had suffered irreparable damage, and his fate and soul had been eroded by the forces of darkness, leaving him in critical condition.
In his coma, Xiao Yi's soul seemed to be floating in a chaotic void. He saw Li Lingyuan's figure looming in the distance, her eyes full of tenderness and love. Xiao Yi ran towards her desperately, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get close to her.
"Lingyuan... I miss you so much..." Xiao Yi called out weakly, but his voice could not reach Li Lingyuan's ears. He felt his body getting heavier and heavier, and his soul was gradually dissipating, as if it was about to be swallowed by this endless darkness.
After an unknown amount of time, Xiao Yi slowly regained consciousness. He found himself lying in the imperial chambers, surrounded by anxious maids and eunuchs, and helpless imperial physicians. His body was still extremely weak, barely able to move, but his eyes revealed a resolute resolve.
"I haven't given up yet..." Xiao Yi said weakly. His voice was soft but full of power. Upon hearing this, the palace maids and eunuchs burst into tears. They felt sorry for His Majesty's plight, but they couldn't stop him from pursuing that almost impossible love.
In the days that followed, Xiao Yi, despite everyone's dissuasion, began searching the palace for other possible methods of time travel. He read numerous ancient books and visited many reclusive masters, but the answers he received were always disappointing. Each failure brought him deeper pain and despair, but his faith remained unwavering.
He knew he had already paid too much, and if he couldn't reunite with Li Lingyuan, all this would be meaningless. Throughout this process, Xiao Yi's health deteriorated, his life like a candle in the wind, ready to be extinguished at any moment. Yet, he continued to struggle forward in the darkness, waiting for a glimmer of hope.