Chapter 58
The cave was silent.
Too silent.
Not the peaceful silence of mountains.
Not the comforting silence of snowfall.
This was the silence of something ancient.
Something waiting.
The Demon-Hunting Team moved deeper into the darkness.
Every step echoed strangely.
Sometimes it sounded like whispers.
Sometimes like distant crying.
Sometimes like laughter.
No one spoke for a while.
Even Ying Lei seemed uneasy.
The deeper they went, the colder the air became.
Then suddenly-
a voice echoed throughout the cave.
Neither male nor female.
Ancient.
Timeless.
It seemed to come from everywhere at once.
Wen Xiao stepped forward.
“We seek a way to repair the Yun Guang Sword.”
Silence followed.
Then the answer arrived.
“The Five-Colored Stone.”
The group exchanged glances.
Zhao Yuanzhou’s expression immediately darkened.
Because they already knew.
The Five-Colored Stone had shattered.
The voice continued.
“The Stone absorbed demonic blood.”
“The balance was broken.”
“There is no longer a vessel capable of sealing it.”
The cave walls trembled faintly.
Ice slowly spread across the ground.
The voice spoke again.
“There remains one final method.”
Everyone became still.
“What method?” Wen Xiao asked.
The answer came immediately.
“A descendant of the Bing Yi Clan must remain here.”
The temperature dropped sharply.
“Forever.”
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Even breathing seemed difficult.
The meaning was obvious.
Too obvious.
Ying Lei immediately shook his head.
“No.”
Pei Sijing’s eyes narrowed.
Wen Xiao’s face turned pale.
But before anyone could argue-
ice erupted from the ground.
CRACK.
CRACK.
CRACK.
The frozen surface surged upward.
In an instant, Wen Xiao, Pei Sijing, and Ying Lei found their feet trapped beneath thick layers of ancient ice.
They struggled.
Nothing moved.
The cave had already made its choice.
Only Zhuo Yichen remained untouched.
The voice echoed once more.
“Choose.”
Everyone understood.
The cave wasn’t asking them.
It was asking him.
Yichen stood silently.
The black veins beneath his neck pulsed faintly beneath his collar.
The demonic energy.
The shattered sword.
The dying life force.
Everything led here.
For a long moment-
he said nothing.
Zhao Yuanzhou stepped forward immediately.
“No.”
His voice echoed sharply.
“No.”
The cave ignored him.
Yichen closed his eyes briefly.
Then opened them again.
Calm.
Far too calm.
The same expression he wore whenever he had already made up his mind.
The expression Zhao Yuanzhou hated most.
“Yichen.”
No response.
“Yichen.”
Still nothing.
The demon’s voice cracked slightly.
“Don’t.”
Finally-
Yichen looked at him.
And smiled.
A small smile.
A heartbreaking smile.
The kind that appeared only when he had already accepted something terrible.
“We knew there would be a price.”
“No.”
Zhao Yuanzhou stepped closer.
“There has to be another way.”
“There isn’t.”
“There always is.”
“There isn’t.”
For the first time, Yichen’s voice became firm.
Not angry.
Not emotional.
Just certain.
The certainty frightened everyone.
Because they all recognized it.
This was Commander Zhuo.
The man who would walk into death if it protected others.
Ying Lei struggled against the ice.
“Stop talking like that.”
Pei Sijing looked away.
Wen Xiao’s eyes were already red.
But Yichen remained calm.
Almost gentle.
He turned toward Wen Xiao first.
“You’ll restore the Wilderness.”
His voice was quiet.
“You always finish what you start. The sword must be restored to save bai jiu..”
Wen Xiao shook her head immediately.
“No.”
He ignored the interruption.
Then looked toward Pei Sijing.
The archer immediately clenched her fists.
Unable to answer.
Unable to look at him.
Ying Lei lowered his head.
His eyes were red.
Because everyone knew what these words sounded like.
A farewell.
Then finally-
Yichen turned toward Zhao Yuanzhou.
The silence became unbearable.
The demon stood completely still.
Like if he moved, the world would break.
Yichen looked at him for a long time.
Long enough to memorize every detail.
Every scar.
Every expression.
Every lifetime.
The husband he had only just married.
The person he had chosen.
The person fate kept trying to take away.
His voice softened.
Almost becoming a whisper.
“Take care of yourself.”
That was the moment Zhao Yuanzhou broke.
“No.”
The answer came instantly.
Like a wounded animal.
“No.”
His eyes were already shining.
“No.”
Yichen stepped closer.
The ice beneath his feet began creeping upward.
Slowly.
Patiently.
Claiming him.
Still he moved.
Until he stood directly in front of Zhao Yuanzhou.
Close enough to touch.
Close enough to feel his trembling.
Yichen reached up.
His hand rested against Zhao Yuanzhou’s face.
Warm.
Alive.
For now.
The demon immediately grabbed his wrist.
Holding it desperately.
As if refusing to let go could stop destiny itself.
Yichen smiled sadly.
“You once asked me not to disappear.”
Zhao Yuanzhou couldn’t speak.
His throat felt closed.
“So listen carefully.”
Yichen’s voice shook slightly.
Only slightly.
“I never wanted to leave you. But our fate has always been like this.”
The confession struck harder than any sword.
Tears finally slipped from Zhao Yuanzhou’s eyes.
Yichen gently wiped one away.
Just as he had done countless times before.
Then he leaned forward.
Resting his forehead against Zhao Yuanzhou’s.
One final moment.
One final breath.
One final piece of happiness stolen from fate.
The ice continued climbing upward around his body.
Cold.
Merciless.
Ancient.
But Yichen never looked away from him.
Not once.
Because if this truly was the end-
then the last thing he wanted to see…
was Zhao Yuanzhou.