The Legend of the Princess' Counterattack

Chapter 708 Saint's Conspiracy

The secret door shattered with a bang, and the Holy Maiden of Youyue emerged, treading a bloody path paved with reborn bones. Each step seemed to tread on the heart's core, bringing with it a chilling chill. Her black robe rustled, her dark hair danced like a snake, her face pale as frost and snow. Only her eyes, filled with endless resentment and madness, like a demon from the Nine Nether Hell.

As soon as she appeared, her gaze shot straight at Yun Yao like a sharp arrow. The silver lotus seal on Yun Yao's chest was reflected in her eyes, as if she had discovered the most precious and most hated treasure in the world. Suddenly, she let out a piercing laugh, the sound like sharp nails scraping against iron, making people shudder. "So that's how it is... You are the 'Lotus Heart Host' chosen by the Lord God of the Divine Court! No wonder you can activate the Holy Son's soul."

After she finished speaking, she suddenly raised her hand and waved it. A black magic light shot out like lightning. In an instant, Chu Mochen's body shook, and a mouthful of blood spurted out. The light of the Lotus Heart Lock on his chest dimmed instantly, like a candle that was about to go out.

"The Holy Son's Soul Contract? Unfortunately, his destiny star has long been tampered with by me—" Saintess Youyue said, and a blood-red destiny star slowly condensed on her fingertips. It was covered with hideous cracks, like shattered hope. "Do you see it? He only has three days left to live."

Yun Yao felt a dizzying sensation, as if struck by a thunderbolt, her soul ripped apart. The usually calm and reliable System Master's voice trembled: "Damage to the target's destiny star has been detected! Conventional methods cannot repair it. You must proceed to the 'Heavenly Dao Siming Palace' to have your destiny chart rewritten."

Chu Mochen, however, acted as if he hadn't heard the tragic news. He slowly raised his hand, gently wiping away the tears from Yun Yao's eyes with his fingertips. A faint yet resolute smile played on the corner of his mouth. "Yao'er, do you still remember when we were in the secular world, I said, 'If fate is unfair, rewrite it yourself'?" He held Yun Yao's hand tightly, the warmth of his palm seeming to dispel all the chill in the world, and continuously infused the power of the Divine Court into her body. "Now, it's our turn to defy fate and change it."

Their eyes met, filled with determination and trust. They simultaneously formed a hand seal, and in an instant, the teleportation array erupted with a blinding light that seemed to tear through the darkness. Amidst the Saintess Youyue's exclamations, their figures gradually blurred, eventually disappearing in the blood-soaked rain. Their destination—the forbidden land of the cultivation world, Siming Palace!

The Siming Hall, like an ancient and mysterious behemoth, lurks in the "Land of No Return," the northernmost reaches of the cultivation world. An eerie aura emanates from it, and its gate, tall and eerie, resembles the entrance to an endless abyss. Stepping inside, it feels like stepping into another time and space. Millions of life lanterns hang suspended in the air, resembling vast stars. Each one corresponds to the fate of a living being, and the flickering wicks seem to tell a story of joy and sorrow.

Yun Yao and Chu Mochen had barely stepped through the hall, barely breathing when countless dark shadows emerged from the life lamps, like awakened demons. These shadows were the enemies they had slain, transformed into "life calamity illusions," attacking with rage and fury.

"Don't be fooled by illusions!" Chu Mochen shouted, tightly grasping Yun Yao's hand as if holding the most precious treasure in the world. He led Yun Yao through the ocean of life lanterns, like a lone boat sailing through turbulent waves. "The rule of Siming Palace is - see the heart and understand the nature, then you can move forward."

Yun Yao's heart pounded like thunder, her eyes scanning the surroundings warily. Suddenly, her gaze was drawn to a familiar life lamp. The lamp seemed to possess a magical power, and she slowly approached it, as if being drawn by an invisible thread. On the wick, a scene from the modern world danced: she lay on the operating table, her electrocardiogram gradually becoming a straight line... That was the scene of her death before her time travel! The system's voice rang out at the perfect moment: "Host, please note! The life lamp ahead is related to the origin of your time travel!"

Yun Yao gazed at the life lamp, lost in a vortex of endless memories. Deep within the wick, a silver lotus seed lay hidden, the very image of the lotus seal on her chest. The system finally revealed the truth: "The host is the 'Lotus Heart Messenger' of the ancient Divine Court, reincarnated due to the collapse of the Heavenly Dao. Your time travel is the result of the Divine Court's Lord God's desire to reunite you with the Holy Son and restore the laws together."

Chu Mochen was also shocked by the truth. He paused and looked at a golden life lamp in the distance that was about to go out. "That was the life star of my previous life. Thousands of years ago, in order to protect Yao'er's reincarnation, I voluntarily had my memories of the Divine Court erased. I didn't expect the Holy Maiden Youyue to tamper with my life chart..."

But before they could recover from their shock, a sudden, resounding explosion erupted from outside the hall, as if the heavens were collapsing and the earth were splitting. Saint Youyue had broken through the formation and entered, like a demon from hell, shrouded in demonic energy. In her hands, she held Xiao Cui's corpse—but Yun Yao, upon closer inspection, saw the heart-protecting bell on Xiao Cui's chest glowing. The corpse was actually a puppet!

Yun Yao's mind raced, instantly realizing this was Saint Youyue's ruse. While she was still basking in her self-righteous elation, Yun Yao's eyes flashed, and she decisively merged the silver lotus seed into Chu Mochen's golden life star. Instantly, the two life lamps seemed to be infused with life, their light blazing brightly. They instantly intertwined, forming the mysterious and powerful "Twin Lotus Life Plate."

The massive horoscope in the center of the Siming Hall roared and spun like a giant beast awakened, as if to crush all injustice in the world. Just beyond the two horoscopes, another ray of light shone, revealing a third horoscope—the star of Saint Youyue!

"So that's how it is... You stole the Three Lives Stone from the Divine Court back then and bound your life star to us!" Chu Mochen's eyes flashed coldly, like the sharpest stars in the night sky, "So every time we get close to the truth, you can sense it."

The Saintess of Youyue's face drastically changed, as if her most uglier scar had been exposed. She roared in anger, "Since you've discovered us, let's die together!" With that, she detonated her own life star like a madman. In an instant, the entire Siming Hall collapsed as if doomsday had arrived. Millions of life lamps fell like a meteor shower, like the shattered fragments of the world.

At this moment of collapse, Yun Yao had only one thought in mind: to protect Chu Mochen. Using all her strength, she pushed Chu Mochen into the teleportation array. However, she herself was unable to dodge and was struck by the falling fragments of the Life Lamp. Like a kite with a broken string, she fell into the "Well of Fate" deepest in the Siming Palace.

Within the well, a mysterious universe drifted countless cocoons of light, each containing memories from a different time and space. Yun Yao felt like a traveler lost in the vast river of time and space. Within the cocoons, she saw another version of herself wandering through the celestial realm with Chu Mochen, carefree and at ease like a divine couple. In yet another cocoon, she held a child before the ruins of the Divine Court, her eyes filled with determination and hope... The System Lord's voice seemed to echo from the distant horizon, looming: "This is the 'Well of Fate,' where all possible futures can be seen. Host, your choices will determine the course of the Three Thousand Worlds."

Meanwhile, Chu Mochen awoke within the teleportation array, finding himself back in the secular world's palace. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw Yun Yao, dressed in modern white, standing by the lotus pond, smiling at him, as if nothing had happened and the years were peaceful. But alarm bells rang within Chu Mochen, knowing full well that this was a most dangerous illusion, like sweet poison.

Yun Yao, in the Well of Fate, felt like a traveler groping in endless darkness. She gritted her teeth, biting her tongue, using the pain to dispel illusions, her gaze growing ever more resolute. Within this vast cocoon of light, she searched for her "true destiny," as if searching for the world's last ray of hope.

Finally, she discovered that the end point of all the light cocoons was the scene where she and Chu Mochen stood hand in hand at the peak of the "Rules Realm", repairing the cracks in the Heavenly Dao. At that moment, she seemed to have found the direction of her life, and without hesitation, she reached out to touch the light cocoon.

In an instant, the silver lotus seed, like an awakened spirit, erupted with a radiance so vast it seemed to penetrate time and space. Suddenly, the true form of "Heavenly Law" emerged from the well—a torn ancient book containing the contents of a novel she had written in the modern world!

Elsewhere, Chu Mochen, as if awakened from a nightmare, saw through the illusion before him. Anxious, he disregarded his own safety and forcibly reversed the teleportation array. Just as the Well of Fate was about to close, he seemed to transcend the barriers of time and space and grasped Yun Yao's hand: "No matter how many worlds I pass through, I will find you."

The two embraced each other tightly, like lovers reunited after a lifetime of hardships. Their eyes were filled with gratitude for surviving a tragedy and a determination for the future. At this moment, they knew that the road ahead was still full of thorns, but as long as they walked hand in hand, they would not be afraid of any storm.

After returning to reality, before they could calm down, they discovered that Xiao Cui had already been rescued by the system using "time travel" and was now guarding the cave entrance. Xiao Cui's eyes were red and her face was full of self-blame: "My Lord, Princess, it's Xiao Cui who is useless and has dragged you down."

Yun Yao couldn't afford to rest. She knew time was running out, and every second depended on Chu Mochen's life. She immediately activated the "Twin Lotus Heart Technique" to repair Chu Mochen's life star, but as her spiritual power flowed, she suddenly discovered that a trace of the evil spirit of the Youyue Saint still remained in his body, like a hidden cancer.

"The soul must be tempered with the 'Lotus Heart Tribulation Fire,'" the system reminded, his voice heavy with gravity. "However, the backlash from the Tribulation Fire is extremely strong, and the host may lose some of their memories."

Upon hearing this, Yun Yao didn't hesitate, like a fearless warrior. She took a deep breath and resolutely ignited the calamity fire. In an instant, golden flames blazed between them, as if to consume all the darkness in the world. She saw her own image reflected in Chu Mochen's eyes, as if it was the most cherished image in his life. She heard him whisper, "Don't be afraid. I remember you in every way—whether you were Princess Yun Yao or the modern Su Yao."

The voice, like magic, pierced through the roar of the flames and burrowed deep into Yun Yao's heart. Her eyes warmed, and an endless surge of strength surged within her. She gritted her teeth and persevered, allowing the flames to burn like a phoenix rising from the ashes, simply to protect the one before her and rewrite this cruel fate.

Amidst the blazing flames, Yun Yao seemed to enter a ethereal state. Her consciousness seemed to drift outside her body. Deep within Chu Mochen's sea of consciousness, she unexpectedly discovered a torn "Secret Scroll of Demonic Cultivation." Glittering runes appeared on it, as if hiding endless secrets. Upon careful study, she was pleasantly surprised to discover that it contained a method for transforming demonic energy into spiritual power. It felt like she had found a glimmer of hope in a desperate situation.

A flash of inspiration struck her, as if divinely enlightened. She remembered the "Xuan Yin Jade Slip" she had obtained in the Taixu Secret Realm, and how it perfectly complemented this secret scroll. "So that's how it is... The evil isn't insurmountable, but requires a harmonious balance of yin and yang," she muttered, as if unraveling the world's greatest mystery.

Yun Yao didn't dare delay and quickly placed the jade slip against Chu Mochen's chest. Instantly, the chill of the Mysterious Ice Lotus and the heat of the Tribulation Fire collided like ice and fire, creating a sizzling sound and unexpectedly forming a small "Tai Chi Spiritual Formation" within Chu Mochen's body. Under the influence of this miraculous formation, the remaining demonic energy was slowly transformed into pure spiritual energy, like ice and snow meeting the warm sun.

Xiao Cui rushed in at this moment, holding a pile of jade slips, as if bringing the dawn of victory: "Princess! I found this in the ruins of the Blood Demon Sect. It seems to be related to your system!"

Yun Yao took the jade slip and scanned it. It was engraved with the "System Core Code," the very source of the system she had bound to during her time traveling. The System Master suddenly emitted a mechanical sound, as if awakening from a deep sleep: "Master code detected! Fusion in progress—"

Yun Yao felt a wave of dizziness wash over her, as if her soul had been drawn into a mysterious vortex. After the dizziness subsided, the system's real interface emerged in her mind. Surprisingly, it now had new features like "Heavenly Law Deduction" and "Fate Analysis," as if a door had opened to a new world. Even more astonishing, forbidden options like "Creation Skill" and "Power of Rules" appeared in the system store, but they all displayed "Insufficient Permission."

"Host's current authority: Lotus Heart Emissary (Intermediate)." The system's voice was more respectful, as if facing a noble king. "Unlocking condition: Gather the power of the origin of three thousand worlds."

Yun Yao's heart was shaken, as if she had seen an incredibly grand blueprint for the future. But she knew that the most important thing at the moment was to resolve the crisis at hand. She took a deep breath, temporarily suppressing these distracting thoughts. Her gaze became firm again, like a warrior about to embark on a journey.

Just as Yun Yao was studying the system, the sky seemed to be torn apart, and a golden light suddenly descended, as if by magic. It landed on the ground and transformed into a letter burning with immortal fire, like a summons from the immortal world.

Chu Mochen took a step forward and took the letter. However, the moment he touched it, his expression changed slightly, as if he had just read some shocking news. "It's a message from the 'Yuxu Palace' in the Immortal Realm. They found the trace of the Youyue Saint and also mentioned..."

"You mentioned my background?" Yun Yao keenly sensed the key point and reached out to take the letter. Unfolding it, she saw the words, "The Lotus Heart Host has appeared in the world, and there is hope for the restoration of the Heavenly Dao." The signature was from the Jade Void Palace's Palace Master, one of the survivors of the Divine Court.

She suddenly recalled the future she had seen in Siming Palace—repairing the Heavenly Dao required gathering the "Three Thousand Law Fragments," and Saint Youyue held the most crucial of these, the "Law of Slaughter." Like a flash of lightning, she instantly understood that the road ahead would be even more difficult and arduous, but for the sake of all living things, and for her future with Chu Mochen, she must bravely forge ahead.

To track down the fragments of the Law, Yun Yao and Chu Mochen, like two eager treasure hunters, decided to head to the "Treasure Pavilion," the largest in the world of cultivation. Legend has it that there's a "Heavenly Compass" there that can locate fluctuations in the Law, seemingly guiding them to the light of hope.

The two of them rushed into the pavilion without stopping. Before they could even speak, they were trapped by a strange barrier, as if caught in an invisible net. The pavilion master appeared, a cunning old fox, gazing at them with a smile. "Want to borrow the compass? Bring me the 'Mysterious Ice Lotus Heart' in exchange."

Yun Yao secretly formed hand seals, her spiritual energy surging as she quietly explored. This exploration seemed to uncover a shocking secret—the Pavilion Master was actually the incarnation of the Holy Maiden Youyue! And within that compass, the souls of countless cultivators were sealed, like a sinister abyss.

Her mind raced, and she suddenly remembered the "Mirror Flower, Water Moon Lamp" she'd found in the secret realm. It felt like she'd found the key to a solution. Without hesitation, she smashed it to the ground. In an instant, the illusion collapsed like a bubble, revealing the Pavilion Master's true form—a semi-immortal cultivator corrupted by a demonic evil, like a monster crawling out of the darkness.

Before his death, the Pavilion Master, in a moment of final clarity, revealed a startling secret: the Holy Maiden Youyue was collecting "half-immortal souls" in an attempt to elevate herself to the realm of "quasi-emperor" through "forbidden techniques." These so-called half-immortals were cultivators stuck in the "transcendent realm," unable to ascend to the immortal realm, yet unwilling to die a natural death.

"She wants to forcibly merge with the Semi-Immortal Soul, which will definitely trigger 'Heaven's Backlash'." Chu Mochen frowned, as if he saw a disaster about to fall. "But if she succeeds, the entire cultivation world will become her nourishment."

Upon hearing this, Yun Yao's heart tightened, as if being grasped by an invisible hand. Suddenly, she felt the lotus seal on her chest grow hot, as if issuing a warning. The system prompted: "A fragment of the Law of Slaughter has been detected in the northwest, three thousand miles away!"

The two exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with determination. Without hesitation, they soared onto their swords, like two streaks of lightning streaking through the sky, hurtling towards the northwest. Unnoticed, Xiao Cui quietly collected the "Half-Immortal Jade Slip" left behind by the Pavilion Master, as if hiding a hidden secret. This secret, one day in the future, would...