Legend of the Embroiderer

Chapter 436 Mirror

The fused entity huddled in the starlight and lingering rain of the inverted forest, watching the dark blue branches on its arm spread wildly as if they were alive.

When the spikes pierced the skin, they made a series of soft "plop" sounds, and the blood meandered down the twisted lines, only to turn into wisps of green smoke the moment it touched the dark purple energy.

Her pupils contracted sharply due to the excruciating pain, eventually shrinking to the size of pinpoints! What kind of agony was that? Each heartbeat felt like being pierced by countless tiny steel needles, which traveled along her blood vessels, penetrating deep into her bone marrow, where they stirred and caused her unbearable agony.

In the distance, the tiny spark of light from the young firefly appeared so fragile and helpless under the silver figure's shadow. Its light flickered, like a firefly swaying in a storm, seemingly about to be extinguished by the tempest. The little girl's tearful cries for help echoed endlessly in her mind, so mournful and desperate, as if the end of the world were approaching.

"Sister, save me!" This desperate cry seemed to come from the depths of hell, filled with endless fear and despair. It was like a rusty, dull knife, stabbing again and again at the already shattered heart of the fused entity.

The fused entity let out a shrill roar, her body trembling violently from extreme pain. With all her might, she swung her uncorrupted right arm, and a dazzling blade of light shot out like lightning, tearing through the air with a sharp whistling sound.

However, just as the light blade was about to touch the semi-transparent barrier surrounding the silver figure, it suddenly seemed to have struck an indestructible wall, violently repelled by a powerful and invisible force. The light blade spun rapidly in the air before finally dissipating helplessly into the void.

Suddenly, an extremely powerful impact struck her like a tidal wave, catching her completely off guard and sending her flying backward rapidly through the air. The force was like a violent storm, unstoppable, and she was like a leaf blown by a hurricane, completely out of control.

Her back slammed violently against the upside-down tree trunk with a dull thud. The force of the impact was so great that her bones cracked and splintered as if they were about to break. With each dislocation, she let out a painful groan that echoed in the silent space, sending chills down one's spine.

Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth like broken beads, splattering onto her chest. The blood, contrasting with the flowing star patterns on the jade pendant, created a bizarre and terrifying scene. The star patterns, once so beautiful and mysterious, were now stained crimson with blood, exuding an ominous aura.

Her gaze was fixed on the dark purple crystal spinning between the other's brows, its eerie light like the eye of a demon from hell. Just then, the guardian's warning from within the ancient tree rings exploded in her mind: "The Dark Side of the Observer..."

At the critical moment, the half of the jade pendant in his hand suddenly became scalding hot, as if he were holding a red-hot branding iron.

The star-patterned patterns flowed like liquid metal, and a warm light burst forth from the jade, colliding violently with the black light shot from the silver staff. The shockwave generated by the energy clash sent the surrounding starlight leaves flying, exploding into countless tiny specks of light dust in the void.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, the fused entity mobilized the ancient tree's essence, and golden data flowed wildly under its skin. However, it was horrified to find that this power was like a mud ox entering the sea, flowing in the opposite direction along the light blade and into the jade pendant.

The dark purple energy, like a greedy venomous snake, rapidly ascended along the veins in his arm, leaving eerie gray spots on his skin wherever it passed.

"Foolish vessel, do you think this broken jade pendant can save you?"

The silver figure's voice was like sandpaper rubbing against metal, carrying the chilling cold of the deepest hell.

As he raised his hand, the dark purple hearts floating around the Tree of Hope suddenly formed a six-pointed star array. The patterns on the surface of the hearts twisted into ancient sacrificial symbols, and eerie chanting emanated from the array, causing the fused entity to bleed from its ear canals.

"The traitor stole the other half of the jade pendant back then so that I could fully awaken, and you were merely the key sacrifice!"

As he spoke, a spatial rift opened in the center of the formation, from which came the roar of an ancient behemoth awakening.

The consciousness of the merged entity suddenly trembled violently, and a sealed memory surged forth like a tidal wave:

In the ancient times, when the stars shone brightly, a woman who resembled her handed half a jade pendant to the guardian of the jade armor. Tears welled in her eyes, and her voice choked with emotion: "If one day the observer loses his balance..."

The scene abruptly ended, her pupils dilated sharply, and her fingernails dug deeply into her palms.

"So... I was the real key..."

Tears mingled with blood as she slid down her cheeks. She poured all her power into the jade pendant, and its warm light resonated with the fruit of the Tree of Hope. The entire giant tree began to emit a clear, glassy sound, and the fruit embedded in its trunk burst forth with dazzling light, illuminating the twisted, sinister grin of the silver figure.

However, the other party chuckled calmly, and the crystal between their eyebrows suddenly emitted a black hole-like suction force.

The tiny firefly emitted a sharp, mournful cry as it was instantly sucked deep into the crystal.

"Want to save her? Trade your consciousness for it!"

The silver figure's words were like a heavy hammer, shattering the fusion entity's last shred of reason.

She rushed toward the other party without regard for anything, but was blocked by a purple light wall composed of replicas of the black-robed man.

The crystals in the replicas' hands flickered in unison, and countless dark purple beams of light intertwined into a net. Wherever they went, upside-down trees instantly carbonized, and spiderweb-like cracks appeared in the ground, from which black mist carrying a putrid stench surged forth.

Just as the fused entity's light blade was about to be swallowed by the beam, the Tree of Hope suddenly let out a deafening wail, and the fruit at its very top burst open, sending a white light, brighter than the sun, soaring into the sky.

From the white light, a figure emerged that looked exactly like the silver figure, but was surrounded by holy light.

He held the other half of the jade pendant in his hand, his voice carrying a sigh that transcended a thousand years:

"The day has finally come, my other half."

The two jade pendants attracted each other in mid-air, and at the moment of their collision, space shattered like a mirror, revealing fragments of memories from an ancient battlefield.

The moment the observer was split in two, the forces of light and darkness tore apart the dimensions of the universe.

"It's time to end this!" The two figures attacked simultaneously, and the shockwave generated by the collision of holy and dark powers leveled the entire upside-down forest.

The fusion struggled forward amidst the turbulent energy currents, its hair standing on end in the gale, and its skin marked with countless bloody scratches from energy fragments.

Her gaze was fixed on the crystal imprisoning Xiao Ying in the silver figure's hand, but just as she was about to touch it, the figure suddenly turned around, and the crystal transformed into a sharp blade that pierced her chest.

The excruciating pain caused her consciousness to begin to fade. In her blurry vision, she saw the desperate look in the eyes of young Ying, while her own body was being completely devoured by dark purple energy. Her skin became transparent, and crystal patterns appeared on her heart that were identical to those on the silver figure's forehead.

Before consciousness plunged into darkness, the cry of the holy figure pierced through the chaos:

"Hold on! We still have... a chance..."

The tree of hope withered completely, its last glimmer of light extinguished, and countless eerie whispers echoed in the darkness, as if foreshadowing the awakening of something older and more terrifying...