Legend of the Embroiderer

Chapter 380 The Final Choice

The shrill sound of sharp blades piercing the air was like a series of poisoned needles, tearing apart this seemingly tranquil space.

Lingyue's pupils contracted sharply, and her body reacted instinctively, pulling Li Zhao to one side at an extremely fast speed.

Sharp fragments of memory flew past her ear, creating a fierce gust of wind that left spiderweb-like cracks on the dazzling starry barrier behind her.

Each crack resembled a greedy mouth, constantly oozing dark purple mist, echoing the wound on her back from being struck by the shadow.

The stinging pain from the wound spread along her spine like an electric current. With each inch it spread, it felt as if countless tiny insects were gnawing at her nerves, making her tremble uncontrollably.

"Be careful! These fragments can materialize into memories!"

As soon as Li Zhao's anxious warning fell, the space on the right side seemed to be torn apart by an invisible giant hand, and began to twist violently.

Immediately afterwards, countless silver-armored figures surged out from the rift. Their silver armor gleamed with a cold light, and the long spears they held aloft were wrapped with the same runes as the shadowy figures, exuding a chillingly evil aura.

The general leading the group had a face that was exactly the same as the "black-robed self" that Lingyue had seen in the Star Abyss Mirror, and the cold killing intent in his eyes seemed to freeze people instantly.

The phantom spun the dark disc, a cold smile curving its lips, its laughter echoing through the space, filled with mockery and disdain: "Do you see? Every choice you make paves the way for darkness."

As the cold words fell, the silver-armored legion, like wolves receiving a command, launched a tidal wave of attacks.

The moment the spear pierced the barrier of the starry river, Lingyue suddenly felt the dark lines on her wrist begin to burn. Those dark red lines that she had suppressed before, like awakened venomous snakes, spread along her blood vessels toward her heart, causing waves of burning pain wherever they went.

At the critical moment, Li Zhao swung his scepter, and the shattered source of light at the scepter's head burst forth with a final ray of light, like a flame of hope illuminating the surrounding darkness.

A light shield unfolded around the two of them, radiating a soft yet firm glow.

The moment the light shield touched the silver-armored spear, it emitted a piercing buzzing sound.

Lingyue keenly observed that with each attack the light shield defended, the darkness in Li Zhao's pupils expanded, and the remaining fragments of the dark disc on his chest were like a greedy glutton, frantically devouring the source of light.

Li Zhao's face grew paler and paler, and his body began to tremble slightly, but his eyes remained firm as he protected Lingyue with all his might.

"This can't go on!" Lingyue was extremely anxious. She bit her tongue, and the sweet and metallic taste of blood filled her mouth.

She pressed the blood-stained fragment against Li Zhao's forehead, and instantly, a flood of memories rushed into her mind.

Deep within the Eye of Time and Space lies the true Key to Destiny, an artifact forged by the first Guardian with his own essence. It contains powerful and mysterious energy, but requires a "complete vessel" to awaken it.

At this moment, the dark purple beam of light on her back resonated eerily with the dark disc in the phantom's hand, outlining a summoning circle within her body that matched the altar, as if guiding her toward an unknown destiny.

"It turns out we are all part of the key..."

Li Zhao suddenly gave a bitter smile, and the black blood overflowing from the corner of his mouth congealed into chain-like shapes in the air, appearing particularly eerie.

He endured the pain of his power spiraling out of control, forcefully reversing the flow of energy and injecting the escaping source of light into Lingyue's body. His voice was weak but firm:

"Head to the core of the Eye of Time! I'll stop them!"

Before Lingyue could refute, he had already transformed into a streak of light and rushed towards the silver-armored legion. The thunderous sound of the scepter colliding with the spear shook the entire space. Each collision sparked dazzling sparks that illuminated his resolute face.

Lingyue turned around with tears in her eyes, only to find that the path to the core was blocked by twelve beams of light and shadow.

Each ray of light corresponds to a crucial moment of choice she experienced—the moment she chose to believe in Li Zhao in the mirror palace, that trust like a glimmer of light in the darkness.

The moment the fragment was activated in the Star Abyss, courage and determination intertwined.

And then there's the departing figure, carrying both reluctance and determination.

The phantom's voice came from within the light and shadow, full of seduction: "Once you admit that you are a vessel of darkness, all sacrifices will become meaningless."

A sudden, intense headache struck, and Lingyue felt as if her head was about to explode. She knelt down and clutched her head tightly with both hands.

She saw her hands gradually becoming transparent in the black mist, and the dark lines on her wrists had spread to her neck, like an invisible shackle, slowly binding her life.

On the verge of losing consciousness, Wenli's last memories flashed through her mind like lightning.

When Wenli placed the fragment into the baby's swaddling clothes, she carved a string of mysterious runes on the inside of the swaddling clothes. The runes were exactly the same as the sealing patterns of the core of the Eye of Time and Space. This discovery was like a beacon in the darkness, giving her a glimmer of hope.

"I am not a pawn..."

Lingyue gritted her teeth, struggled to get up, and her eyes gleamed with determination.

She embedded the fragment into the ground, and in an instant, the space where the starry river flowed began to rotate in reverse, and the dazzling stars seemed to dance in response to her decision.

The twelve beams of light simultaneously let out a scream, a shrill and terrifying sound, before turning into points of light and merging into her body, infusing her with a new power.

As the phantom angrily swung the dark disc, the dark purple beam of light on Lingyue's back suddenly snapped back and collided violently with the disc.

In the aftershocks of the explosion, she finally saw the true face of the phantom—it was her future self, corrupted by darkness, her eyes filled with madness and despair.

"You think you can escape your fate?"

The phantom's body began to disintegrate, its fragments flying through the air, but before dissipating, it hurled the dark disc at Li Zhao.

Lingyue rushed over to intercept him without hesitation, with only one thought in her mind: to protect Li Zhao.

The moment the disc touched her chest, it resonated with the summoning circle within her body, and a powerful suction force pulled her into a pure white space.

Countless "spiritual moons" float here, some holding scepters of light and radiating holy light.

Some were draped in black robes, shrouded in darkness; while in the crystal coffin at the very center lay a sleeping infant, whose brow was marked with the same dark pattern as her wrist, as if foreshadowing some mysterious connection.

The inscriptions around the coffin slowly appeared: "When the twin mirror images become one, the container will be recast from chaos. Only by tearing apart the origin can the end be reversed."

The baby in the coffin suddenly opened its eyes, and the image of Li Zhao being swallowed by darkness was reflected in its dark pupils.

A cold laugh came from behind Lingyue: "Now, it's time to make a choice—to become a god of the new world, or to fall into the abyss with your beloved?"

The pure white space began to collapse, and countless "Spirit Moons" stretched out their hands, dragging her into different vortexes of fate. Her choices would determine the fate of the entire world...