bookrebus Chapter 758: The Memory Maze of the Demonic Barrier
Chapter 758: The Memory Maze of the Demonic Barrier
The dark purple mist of the Demonic Abyss swirled around Yun Yao like a living being, sending a chill cascading through her meridians and into her spiritual core. She clutched the Pure World Lotus tightly in her arms, the warmth emanating from its petals contrasting sharply with the chilling surroundings. Ahead, the entrance to the first level of the Demonic Barrier resembled the mouth of a giant beast, a terrifying pressure surging from the pitch-black vortex.
"Host soul resonance detected, loading 'Prior Life Heavenly Saint Maiden Authority'—" The system's mechanical voice exploded in her sea of consciousness. Before Yun Yao could react, she felt a sudden sharp pain between her eyebrows, and an unfamiliar and powerful force awakened within her. Her hair turned white at a visible speed, as if covered with frost and snow, and a golden seal with the same pattern as the Heaven-Defying Fate Plate appeared on her forehead.
The moment she stepped into the vortex, the world spun. When Yun Yao opened her eyes again, she found herself in a chaotic space, surrounded by countless fragments of memory, each shimmering with a faint blue light. "This is..." She had barely finished her words when the nearest fragment suddenly exploded, and in the blinding light, the scene of a modern laboratory explosion reappeared before her eyes.
The piercing alarms, the sky-high flames, the terrified screams of her colleagues—everything felt so real. Yun Yao instinctively raised her hand to shield herself, only to find it passed through the flames. She watched her younger self desperately protecting the experimental data in the sea of fire, until the blast toppled her to the ground, her consciousness gradually fading. "No!" She tried to rush forward, but was held in place by an invisible force.
"Host, this is one of your most painful memories. Only by facing it can you break through the demonic barrier." The system's voice echoed behind her. Yun Yao gritted her teeth and forced herself to calm down. She knew that this was the Demon Abyss's test of her Dao heart. If she couldn't overcome her inner demon, not only would she be unable to save Chu Mochen, but she herself would be trapped here forever.
Fragments of memory exploded, and the scene shifted to the palace she'd just crossed over to. She huddled in the corner of the woodshed, her body covered in whip marks, the servants' taunts echoing in her ears: "A powerless concubine's daughter, you still want to compete with the legitimate daughter?" In the scene, young Yun Yao raised her head stubbornly, her eyes filled with unyielding determination. "So, I haven't given up since then," Yun Yao muttered to herself, a surge of strength welling up within her.
However, the cruelest memory was yet to come. When Chu Mochen misunderstood her as having an affair, his cold words pierced her like a sharp blade: "Yun Yao, I really misjudged you." In the scene, she knelt on the ground in despair, tears streaming silently. "Why..." Yun Yao's voice trembled, and a sharp pain spread through her heart, as if she had returned to that heartbreaking moment.
Just when she was about to be overwhelmed by the pain, the system suddenly sounded an alarm: "Abnormal energy fluctuations detected! The host's soul is being eroded!" Yun Yao suddenly woke up. She saw the memory fragments around her turned into black vines, entwining her limbs and neck, trying to drag her into endless darkness.
"I will not lose!" Yun Yao roared, mobilizing the newly awakened power of her past lives. Her hair moved without a breeze, and the Fate-Defying Wind coiled before her chest shone brightly. "Rewind!" With a clear shout, time froze throughout the space, the black vines ceased their wriggling, and fragments of memory hovered in the air.
Yun Yao took a deep breath and began searching the ocean of memory for a breakthrough. She discovered that within every painful memory, there was a faint glimmer of hope. In the modern laboratory, her colleagues had pushed her out of danger at the last moment; in the palace's firewood room, Xiao Cui had secretly delivered hot meals; and Chu Mochen, despite having misunderstood her before, always stood in her way when she was truly in danger, regardless of the consequences.
"It turns out I've never been alone." Tears glistened in Yun Yao's eyes. She reached out and grasped the light, gathering it into a brilliant ball of light. The moment the ball blossomed, all the dark vines were purified, and the fragments of memory reassembled, transforming into a picture of Chu Mochen smiling at her when he woke up.
The demonic barrier shattered, and the bronze door ahead slowly opened. The emblem of the "War Halberd God" engraved on the door shone with a mysterious light. Yun Yao was about to step forward when a familiar laugh suddenly came from behind her: "Yun Yao, do you think this is the end?" She turned abruptly and saw Liu Yan'er's figure appear in the wreckage of her memory, a malicious glint in her eyes.
"Why are you here?" Yun Yao stepped back cautiously, gathering spiritual energy in her hands. Liu Yan'er sneered, "Don't forget, I'm from the Chaos Demon Sect. This Demonic Abyss is our territory. Every step you take is part of our calculations." With a wave of her hand, space distorted again, and Yun Yao found herself in a brand new maze of memories.
This time, the memory was no longer of her painful experience, but Chu Mochen's. Yun Yao witnessed every moment of his seventeen reincarnations: as a mortal, he shielded her from arrows in the flames of war; as a cultivator, he held up a barrier for her during the thunderstorm; as a divine monarch, he sacrificed his godhood in the great war in the divine realm, just to give her a chance of survival.
"So, you've endured so much..." Yun Yao's tears welled up. She finally understood that every time Chu Mochen approached her, every time he protected her, it was filled with deep affection that transcended time and space. Yet, she had always believed that she was the one who gave more.
At this moment, Liu Yan'er's voice sounded again: "Are you touched? Unfortunately, these memories will become your shackles. Watching him die for you again and again, can you still hold on?" In the memory fragments, Chu Mochen's figure began to dissipate, and the ending of each life became more tragic.
Yun Yao's Daoist heart wavered again, and she felt her strength draining away. At this critical moment, the system's voice suddenly softened, "Host, don't forget, your bond isn't one-sided. Look deep within these memories to see what else lies ahead."
Yun Yao suppressed her grief, carefully examining every memory. At the moment Chu Mochen fell, she saw herself. Whether he was a mortal, a cultivator, or a saint, she would have rushed towards him, desperately trying to save his life. "So, we've always been running in both directions." Yun Yao's eyes rekindled with fighting spirit.
She held up the Destiny Plate and shouted, "Liu Yan'er, your conspiracy will not succeed! The bond between Chu Mochen and me cannot be easily destroyed by you!" As she roared, the memory maze began to collapse, and Liu Yan'er's figure became illusory.
"Impossible!" Liu Yan'er screamed in horror, "You're clearly on the verge of collapse!" Yun Yao sneered, "You're wrong. A true bond becomes stronger when you protect each other. And you will never understand."
As the memory maze completely collapsed, Yun Yao finally reached the bronze door. She reached out and touched the emblem on the door, and a warm power came over her, as if Chu Mochen was telling her, "Don't be afraid, I'm always here." The door slowly opened, revealing the deeper secrets of the Divine Monarch Palace and a final confrontation with the remnant of Chu Mochen's past life. This time, she was ready. No matter how many hardships and obstacles lay ahead, she would rescue Chu Mochen and rewrite their fate.