Rust, Lemon, and Sweet Orange

Before his eyes lay seamless, unbroken darkness, thick enough that not even the light of the Flowing Gold River could seep through. Beside his ear was the sound of ragged breathing, making even the chirping of the Square-Round Cicada feel infinitely far away. Yaxiu felt as though he were dreaming, yet also like someone caught in the daze of waking up. In his muddled confusion, a lucid thought occasionally flickered through his mind—why hadn't he crushed her heart yet? Was it physical, because he lacked the strength to resist? Was it rational, because he still needed Silver Lantern to control the Square-Round Cicada? Or was it all an effect caused by the blood seed? "Ugh!" A sudden pang of pain hit Yaxiu's lips. Silver Lantern had bitten through his lower lip with her teeth. The lips were far more sensitive than fingertips, and Yaxiu instinctively flinched back from the pain. Yet Silver Lantern pressed forward even more aggressively, seeming to aim for a second bite. This lunatic! He had already felt profoundly uneasy from the loss of all his strength and the restriction of his vision, and now that Silver Lantern dared to pull this, he immediately deployed the only weapon he could still command—his teeth—and bit back! Silver Lantern made no effort to dodge or resist. She let him bite through her lip, and then she kissed him tenderly. As fluid flowed, Yaxiu's tongue tasted something different. His blood was authentic Blood Moon human blood, carrying a faint metallic, bittersweet tang of rust. Hers was Silver Dragon Blood, with a tartness underscored by distinct sweetness—like a lemon with sugar added. After a moment, Silver Lantern tilted her head back and asked, "What does my blood taste like?" Yaxiu didn't want to answer, but sensing that staying silent would only make her push further, he had no choice but to say, "Lemon and sweet orange." "Do you like it?" "I'm not of the Blood Saint clan." Weise leaned close to his ear and whispered, "I don't know if you've ever kissed anyone before, nor do I care who you might share passion with in the future..." "But I want you to remember my taste," she said. "It's the taste of rust, lemon, and sweet orange." The reasoning threw Yaxiu into utter confusion. All he could do was struggle as much as he could, cursing softly, "You truly are insane." Weise seemed to take special pleasure in seeing him resist, lowering her head once more to pluck and savor him. *Thump!* A sudden loud boom coming from somewhere unknown jolted the weak, disoriented pair completely awake. Weise still kept Yaxiu's eyes covered as she saw the golden dome vibrating relentlessly. "What happened?" "Yaxiu, it seems you have a rather fine group of companions." She turned her head toward the Square-Round Cicada. "Though for us, that might not be so fortunate." The greatest impact the vibrations had on the palace passage was the alteration to its drainage system. Amid the rumbling tremors, many new drainage outlets opened along the passage. The Flowing Gold River was no longer a single, continuous stream; it rapidly split apart and began to dry up! The Square-Round Cicada grew instantly frantic. It was already only dozens of meters away from the two of them, and as the water level dropped, it dashed along the current toward the source—right where Yaxiu and Weise were! Or rather, it was coming straight for them. If the Flowing Gold River water was like air to it—an absolute necessity for survival—then Yaxiu and Weise were at least emergency oxygen tanks! Its newly sprouted survival and hunting instincts made it realize it had to devour them both to prepare for the drying up of the Flowing Gold River! Yaxiu heard the cicada's chirping draw near at frightening speed and felt Silver Lantern's body trembling. He hesitated, sighed in his heart, gave up trying to push her away, and simply sat there in silence. Weise keenly sensed the subtle change in him. Pressing her cheek against his, she was finally able to suppress the terror born of survival instinct and greet the arrival of eternity with dignity. *Crack!* Suddenly, the torch upon the pedestal burst into raging flames. The ferocious fire surged like an explosion, instantly engulfing the entire passage. Weise instinctively shielded Yaxiu, only to find the flames had no effect on them. Instead, the Square-Round Cicada let out an ear-piercing screech. Its shadow stretched extraordinarily long, crossing the entire passage until it was cast onto the wall at the passage's origin! Then, like ropes, those shadows dragged the Square-Round Cicada back toward the wall! "Zhi—" "Liao!" No longer an ignorant grand law, the Square-Round Cicada seemed to recall the countless years it had spent embedded in the wall. It exerted every ounce of its might in an attempt to escape the fate of being buried in stone once more. Its body flickered incessantly, and the surrounding river water evaporated at extreme speed, signaling its attempt to traverse the future and return to the past to evade the miracle trap left behind by the Grey Fox sorcerers. Yet Weise saw through it clearly. This miracle trap was likely a combination of miracles from shadow, light sorcery, truth, fate, and various other factions. Crucially, its core was a time miracle, specifically engineered to counter all of the Square-Round Cicada's spellcasting abilities! It seemed the Square-Round Cicada Sect had long known the Square-Round Cicada might undergo a metamorphosis into a sorcery spirit, and had even foreseen the savage instincts it would possess once transformed. That was why they had gone to such painstaking lengths to design this reclamation mechanism. Yet the Flowing Gold River channel was clearly prepared for the Square-Round Cicada to feed... With her deeply dark mind, Weise immediately realized that when the Square-Round Cicada Sect brought the Legends into the 'Cicada Song Project,' they must have had multiple contingency plans. If the Cicada Song Project succeeded and everyone could share in consuming the Square-Round Cicada, that would naturally be ideal. But if it failed, those Legends preparing for nirvana would become the materials for a secondary plan. However, that was an affair from over two hundred years ago. No matter how much Weise speculated, it was merely mourning the past. In comparison, another strange thought surfaced in her mind: If a sorcery spirit transformed from a grand law could attain such survival drive and intellect, then a god ascended from a grand law probably wouldn't be far off either. Would the grand laws who ascended in the past truly be willing to serve as the gods of the Senluo god? Right at that moment, the Square-Round Cicada seemed to realize it couldn't escape the miracle trap on its own. It flattened itself against the ground, absorbing the current flowing into its body—or rather, actively absorbing the Silver Dragon Blood that still flowed from Weise! "Yaxiu." "We don't have to die?" "Yes." "That's good news," Yaxiu said slowly. "Though for you, perhaps not." "I know what you mean," Weise replied. "But for me, it's good news as well." *Thump!* As a massive boulder fell from the golden dome nearby, the heavy shackles binding the two of them vanished into thin air— The seals on their sorcery spirits and sorcery power had broken! Sanctuary! Yaxiu and Weise immediately unleashed their Sanctuaries. In an instant, they separated to opposite sides of the passage, just as they had yesterday, just as they had in the past. Sorcery power rapidly replenished their weakened bodies. Yaxiu stood up and saw a familiar silver lantern. She looked identical to the countless times he had seen her before: gorgeous, mysterious, dangerous. She had taken off one mask, only to don her most familiar one. The instant her sorcery power returned, Weise immediately used a miracle to complete her disguise, and her Gate of Truth closed on its own. The moment the environment was broken, the Divine Fire Seed and her extreme time talent began to diminish rapidly. How much could remain as their power would depend entirely on luck. Weise turned to look at the Square-Round Cicada. The cicada was no longer bound by the miracle trap, but it was far from fine, lying languidly in the trickle of water. With a gentle beckoning of her hand, the Square-Round Cicada fluttered toward her. Silver Lantern had actually succeeded in dominating the Square-Round Cicada?! A sharp sense of danger flared within Yaxiu. Even without the Flowing Gold River, the Square-Round Cicada was an extraordinarily dangerous four-winged sorcery spirit. If someone like Silver Lantern truly gained control of it... But right then, Yaxiu also sensed a faint, indistinct connection between himself and the cicada. With a thought, he reached out toward it. The Square-Round Cicada halted immediately, its compound eyes flicking uncertainly back and forth between Yaxiu and Weise. There was hope! Silver Lantern had consumed far too much of Yaxiu's blood, meaning the Square-Round Cicada had essentially been fed by both of them. Consequently, Yaxiu also held a degree of control over it! Weise was somewhat surprised to see this. Naturally, she understood why she had suddenly gained dominance over the Square-Round Cicada—or rather, why the cicada had actively sought a sorcerer's protection. The miracle trap wasn't meant to hunt down the Square-Round Cicada specifically, but rather to capture wild sorcery spirits. As long as it lacked a master, it was destined to be sealed into the wall. This also showed that the Grey Fox sorcerers of the Square-Round Cicada Sect had long prepared to dominate the Square-Round Cicada. With no other choice, the Square-Round Cicada had yielded through the Silver Dragon Blood, pledging its loyalty to Weise. Of course, it hadn't fully become her sorcery spirit; as a four-winged sorcery spirit, it instinctively resisted becoming the pet of a three-winged sorcerer. At the same time, Weise could tell her authority was far higher than Yaxiu's. If she wished, she could seize the Square-Round Cicada entirely. However... After a brief hesitation, the Square-Round Cicada suddenly split into two, becoming a square cicada and a round cicada. The square cicada flew to Weise, while the round one drifted to Yaxiu. Catching the square cicada in her hand, Weise looked up at the cavity where the dome had collapsed, spread her void wings, and took flight. Even if she couldn't reach the surface directly, her mastery of the earth sorcery faction was enough for her to navigate beneath the earth. "What is your real name?" the breathless Yaxiu suddenly called out. Weise looked down at him and shook her head. "I told you, my name will forever belong only to me." She paused. "But Silver Lantern belongs only to you." With that, she flew into the opening, activated a miracle, and vanished without a trace in the blink of an eye. A moment later, a deafening crash echoed nearby as the golden dome caved in, opening a passage that led straight to the surface. Igola and the others leaped down through the opening. Seeing Yaxiu spacing out against the wall, Igola raised an eyebrow. "What happened?" "A lot happened." Yaxiu turned to look at them, glanced at the round cicada on his shoulder, and wiped his lips with the back of his hand. "But it was all just an illusion."