Three days later, Yinuo awoke.
The world was dim at first—blurred silhouettes, muffled voices, the scent of crushed herbs and incense hanging faint in the air. She blinked slowly, her eyelashes brushing against the edge of the pillow.
A hand gripped hers tightly.
"Su Ning," she murmured, voice thick with confusion and relief.
His face came into focus, gaunt from sleepless nights, but his eyes—oh, his eyes—were wet with relief.
"You're awake," he said, voice breaking. "You're here."
Her heart clenched as she reached for him, but there was an unease creeping in. The memory of the serpent, the weight of the decision she had made—none of it felt fully gone.
She shifted slightly, and every muscle ached. Her spirit felt… altered. Not shattered, but still not whole. Something had been burned away—yet something new had grown in its place.
She felt it: a strange, quiet balance. The serpent within her… was silent.
Su Ning hesitated before speaking again. "It's sealed, Yinuo. You did it. Whatever power was inside you… it's locked back, for now."
Yinuo's gaze shifted past him, her thoughts distant. "Zhang Li?"
His absence echoed in her mind like a forgotten memory, the weight of his final letter still heavy in her heart.
Gone.
He had left a single scroll, sealed with his blood.
Yinou
I won't ask for forgiveness. I have no right.
But I want you to know—everything I did was to protect you, even if I did it wrong.
Live freely now. Not as a vessel. Not as a weapon. But as yourself.
When the wind shifts over the mountains, and the stars seem still—
Know that I am watching, quietly.
Always your brother,
—Li
Her tears fell softly, quiet and bitter. The pain of his departure—the love and sacrifice hidden in his words—struck her deeply, but with Su Ning by her side, she allowed herself to feel the loss.
But that moment of peace shattered.
The ritual chamber trembled beneath the surge of corrupted qi, the very walls screaming in protest as the Shadow Serpent coiled within its ethereal prison. Cracks veined through the floors, through time itself, as the world teetered on collapse.
And there she stood—Xiao Hong, no... Yinuo.
Her eyes, once glassy from torment, now burned with terrifying clarity. Hair clinging to her face, blood caking her skin, her breath came out in wisps, visible in the cursed cold. But she was standing—trembling, yes—but standing between the world and the end of it.
"I can hold it back," Yinuo whispered. The words barely left her lips, but everyone heard them. Her voice felt like it echoed across the planes of life and death.
Su Ning took a step forward. "No. There has to be another way."
"There isn't," Lan Hua said quietly, his voice hoarse with grief. "She's the only one who can absorb the serpent's essence. It responds to her now… because of the samsara cycle. Because of what Huain did."
"I was reborn for this," Yinuo said, smiling faintly, brokenly. "It's funny. All this time, I wanted to live. Then I wanted to die. And now… now I want to protect. Even if I disappear."
Su Ning grabbed her wrist before she could walk further. His hands trembled. "You don't understand. If you bind yourself to the seal, it's not just death. You'll fade. We'll lose all traces of you."
Her voice cracked. "I know."
He saw the crack in her strength, the barely-hidden fear. And then, she leaned in, her head resting weakly on his chest, her arms curling around him like she was trying to keep her own soul from slipping away.
"I might go crazy again," she whispered, her voice small and shaking. "Like before. Like when I killed. When I didn't know who I was."
Su Ning pressed his forehead to hers, tears catching in his lashes. "I know. But even then… I'll remember who you are."
A sob broke from her chest. "I'm scared."
"I'll come with you," he said, barely audible. "Not in death… but in memory. In the seal, if you let me."
"No," she said softly. "You still have to live. Susu, Li Yang, Bai Lin, Mei, the rest—they need you."
He didn't speak. Just held her tighter.
But then came Jiu Tian.
"No! You can't! This isn't what was supposed to happen!" he cried, his voice filled with fury. "I… I betrayed you, Yinuo, but not for this! I didn't want you to die! I wanted the original soul back. I only wanted the real you, the real soul—what you're doing, it's a sacrifice for nothing!"
The words struck her like a physical blow, shaking the last thread of control she had. Anger boiled in her chest—betrayal cutting deeper than any blade.
But before she could react, Jiu Tian unleashed a violent wave of magic. His spell hit her square in the chest, forcing the serpent to surge to the forefront. Yinuo gasped in pain, her limbs jerking as the cursed power inside her began to spiral out of control.
Her eyes widened. "No—! I'm still in control—" but her voice was swallowed by the serpent's roar.
Su Ning rushed to stop her. His body moved instinctively, his hands reaching out, but he knew he couldn't match her power. Instead of fighting with strength, he fought with precision, soft movements that redirected her force, his hands brushing her arms just enough to steer her from attacking those around her.
"You're not lost!" he shouted, trying to reach her, his voice strained. His movements were subtle, his fingers grazing her wrist, her shoulder, just enough to guide her but never harm her.
But it wasn't enough.
In the chaos, Mei, the child she had sworn to protect, was thrown across the room by the force of Yinuo's erratic power. Immortal Lan Hua, attempting to shield Mei, was struck down by a blast. Blood poured her mouth as she crumpled to the floor.
"No!" Su Ning yelled, but before he could reach her, Bai Lin threw himself into the way, stepping in front of Lan Hua. He took the full brunt of the force's impact, the force ripping through his chest. He fell, his body collapsing into the darkened floor.
"Bai Lin!" Lan Hua cried out, but it was too late. He became still.
"No!" Yinuo screamed, but her body moved on its own, her eyes wild and pained. The serpent's power surged within her, and she lost herself again.
And then, Susu arrived. She had been hidden away in the shadows, waiting for the right moment. Her heart ached as she saw Yinuo's destruction.
"Yinuo! Stop!" Susu shouted, running towards her.
Su Ning's eyes caught her, and in that moment, they shared a silent understanding. He could no longer reach her. But Susu—Susu was her anchor.
With tears streaming down her face, Susu reached for Yinuo, calling her name, a soft, pleading sound. "Yinuo… please. You don't have to do this. Come back to me."
Yinuo's eyes flickered—confusion, pain, and recognition all blended into one fleeting moment.
Susu stepped forward, and with a soft touch, she cupped Yinuo's face in her hands, eyes full of love and desperation.
"You're not alone," Susu whispered. "You never were. You don't have to be the weapon anymore. You're mine. You're our sister. We need you."
The warmth of Susu's hands on her cheeks grounded Yinuo, the tension in her body easing. The power inside her began to quiet.
With a shaky breath, Yinuo's gaze softened, and the serpent within her, for the first time in what felt like eternity, fell silent.
And that's when Yinuo came back.
She took a deep, shuddering breath, and with it, her own voice returned, weak but resolute.
"I'm… sorry."
She collapsed into Susu's arms, her body trembling with exhaustion.
Su Ning was at her side in an instant, but he said nothing. Instead, he wrapped his arms around them both, silently vowing to protect them from the coming storm.
For a moment, everything seemed to pause. The air around them, heavy with uncertainty and grief, felt almost still. Yinuo's heart beat in rhythm with the quiet understanding between them—an unspoken promise that, no matter the cost, they would face what was to come together.
But peace is fleeting in such times.
And then, Lan Hua moved.
Her eyes, cold as ever, locked onto Yinuo with a clarity born of desperation. She had seen the way things were supposed to end, the way they must be sealed. This was the only choice left, and she would not let anything or anyone—least of all Yinuo—stand in her way.
With one swift motion, Lan Hua raised her hand, and the air around them thickened with the pulse of raw energy. "You have no choice, Yinou," she called out, her voice filled with authority. "You must become the seal. You must hold back the serpent."
Yinuo's heart dropped. She knew what Lan Hua intended—she would bind Yinuo to the serpent's curse once and for all, locking her away with the demon in the deepest prison of her soul. But there was more—something darker and far more twisted.
Lan Hua's gaze turned to Mei, and a cruel smile touched her lips. The child—the one Yinuo had tried so desperately to protect—was lifted in a swirl of magic, her small body hovering, helpless, in the air.
"Mei will be the sacrifice," Lan Hua declared, her voice laced with grim certainty. "Only through her pure blood can the serpent be sealed for good."
"No!" Yinuo cried out, a surge of panic flooding her chest. She tried to move, but her limbs felt heavy, still trembling from the battle with the serpent's power. "You can't—!"
But before she could finish, Li Yang stepped forward. His face was pale, his body battered from the earlier chaos, but his resolve had never been clearer.
"Stop," he said, his voice hoarse but firm. He stood between Lan Hua and Mei, his arms outstretched as if he could physically block her from carrying out the sacrifice. "You won't take Mei. You won't take anyone."
Lan Hua froze, the moment hanging in the air like the calm before a storm. "Li Yang, you are wasting your time. The seal requires this sacrifice. There is no other way."
"No," Li Yang said firmly, his voice gaining strength as he stepped closer. "I won't let you decide who lives and who dies. I won't let you use Mei or anyone else to bind the serpent. There must be another way."
Lan Hua's eyes hardened. "Then you would doom us all? You think your love for this child will save the world? You're a fool."
But Li Yang did not back down. His gaze was unwavering, and there was a fierceness in him that made Lan Hua pause.
Yinuo, her vision blurred with tears and the last remnants of power, looked up at the scene unfolding. She couldn't believe what she was hearing—this wasn't how it was supposed to be. Mei—her beloved Mei—was not the key to the serpent's seal. She could never be.
Before Lan Hua could react, Bai Lin emerged from the shadows, his movements slow but purposeful. He had been near death, but the fire in his eyes was unmistakable.
"Enough," he said, his voice grave, though there was a softness to it. "The child will not be sacrificed."
He stepped forward, his body still weak, but his resolve burned bright. In a swift motion, he pushed past Lan Hua, positioning himself between her and the child.
"You can't do this," Bai Lin said. "If we are to stop the serpent, it will be with our will, not bloodshed."
Lan Hua snarled in frustration, her patience snapping. But before she could strike, Li Yang moved again, stepping between Bai Lin and Lan Hua. He stood there, his body poised, ready to protect.
"Li Yang," Lan Hua warned, her eyes flashing with a sudden fury. "Stay out of this. This is not your fight."
But he didn't move. He couldn't move. Not when Mei's life—and Yinuo's—hung in the balance.
In the moments that followed, there was no sound but the oppressive weight of magic swirling around them, tension thick in the air. Everyone stood, waiting. And then, the unimaginable happened.
Bai Lin lunged forward, his body colliding with Lan Hua's attack. The force of the magic sent him flying backward, but his determination held. He took the brunt of the blow, sacrificing himself to protect Mei.
"Bai Lin!" Lan Hua screamed, her voice breaking as she saw him fall, blood staining the ground beneath him.
In that moment, the world seemed to stop.
Yinuo's breath caught in her throat as she watched Bai Lin fall. His body crumpled onto the cold floor, lifeless.
"No..." Yinuo whispered, a sob escaping her lips. "No!"
Her body trembled with grief and fury, the serpent's power awakening again within her. But now, it was different. It wasn't just a force she couldn't control—it was the embodiment of her loss, her guilt.
She wanted to scream. She wanted to fight.
But the only thing she could do was hold on to the fleeting memory of Bai Lin's sacrifice.
The silence that followed Bai Lin's fall was like a final breath—one that no one dared exhale.
Lan Hua dropped to her knees, staring at the man who had once been her closest ally, her fiercest rival, and perhaps, in another life, her only equal. Her fingers trembled, reaching toward him, but he was already gone. The light in his eyes had dimmed. The last of his qi unraveled into the wind.
Yinuo's vision blurred, tears falling freely. Her fingers curled against the cracked stone floor, the ache in her chest louder than the serpent's roar in her blood. So many had died—for her, because of her. It had to end.
Slowly, she rose.
"Mei will live," she said, her voice like steel under silk. "Bai Lin's sacrifice won't be in vain."
Lan Hua lifted her head, her expression a ruin of sorrow and disbelief. "You'll… take her place?"
Yinuo nodded. Her hands were steady now, even as the cursed energy wrapped around her like a second skin. "The serpent chose me. This life… maybe it was always meant to end here. But I'll end it on my terms."
Li Yang stepped forward, eyes wide. "No. There must be another way."
Yinuo turned to him, and a soft smile tugged at her lips. "You said it yourself once, remember? Some endings are written with blood. Mine just happens to be inked in every life I've ever lived."
Su Ning grabbed her wrist. His hands were shaking again.
"I won't let you go," he said, barely above a whisper. "Not like this. Not again."
She turned to him slowly, her gaze gentle and infinite.
"You've always carried me, Su Ning. Through madness, through memory. But this… I have to carry alone."
He shook his head violently. "I don't care if it kills me—I'll fight fate with you!"
Her hand rose to his cheek, thumb brushing away a tear. "You already have."
Then, she looked past him—to Susu, to Mei, to Li Yang, even to the broken Lan Hua.
"You all gave me something no one else ever did," she whispered. "A place where I wasn't just a vessel. You made me human."
A wind stirred—unnatural, heavy with destiny. The serpent within her pulsed, waiting, sensing the truth.
This was the end.
Yinuo stepped toward the altar—the ancient seal, still cracked from centuries of failed bindings. She stood at the heart of it, blood dripping from her hands, the remains of her essence unraveling with every breath.
The serpent within her screamed. The world shook.
"By my name," she whispered, "by the soul that wandered through a thousand lives—I bind you."
The serpent surged up through her veins, roaring to escape, but her spirit clamped down. She gritted her teeth as agony laced every nerve, every thought.
"In this life… and in no other…"
Golden light erupted from the altar, swallowing her whole. Her robes fluttered, caught in the storm of power and qi.
"I offer myself not as a vessel—but as a seal."
"Yinou!" Su Ning cried out, rushing forward.
But it was too late.
Her body lifted from the ground, hair floating in a cascade of starlight and flame. Her eyes—those haunted, resolute eyes—met his one last time.
"I love you," she mouthed, inaudible.
Then—silence. Yinuo vanished. No explosion, no flash. Just absence. She was gone. The serpent's roar ceased. The altar quieted. The air grew still. And the world, once again, knew peace.