Legend of the Embroiderer

Chapter 388 The Paradox of the Soul

The excruciating pain surged like a tidal wave, instantly engulfing Lingyue in a sensory abyss.

The moment the Key of All Things in Wenli's hand pierced her chest, a blinding purple light burst forth, like a sharp blade burning with evil fire, splitting her consciousness in two.

The ground of the Chaos Realm twisted as if it were alive, cracking open with spiderweb-like fissures. Countless tiny tentacles emerged from the cracks, their surfaces covered in slime and emitting a pungent, putrid stench. They tightly wrapped around Lingyue's limbs, each tightening feeling like steel cables digging into flesh, bringing excruciating pain.

She instinctively swung her weapon in resistance, but to her horror, she discovered that the weapon, which had combined her and Li Zhao's power, was disintegrating. The golden and black light turned into specks of light, dissipating into the chaos like fireflies drifting in the wind.

“From the moment you were born, every awakening has been a carefully designed drama.”

Wenli's voice no longer carried its former gentleness; it was as cold as millennia-old ice, each word like a poisoned ice spike piercing Lingyue's heart.

With a wave of her hand, Wenli caused the sky of the entire Chaos Realm to begin to swirl, revealing a dazzling and mesmerizing scene.

A giant chessboard floats above, with countless tiny universes twinkling within the squares, like dazzling stars.

Lingyue stared intently, shocked to discover that her and Li Zhao's figures were repeatedly experiencing reincarnation and struggle on different chess squares:

Sometimes they are partners fighting side by side, sometimes they are enemies facing each other with swords drawn; each scene is like a puppet show manipulated by the hand of fate.

Lingyue's consciousness gradually blurred amidst the excruciating pain, and the scene before her eyes became distorted and illusory.

At this critical moment between life and death, the yin-yang symbol on his chest suddenly burst forth with golden light, and a warm and powerful force surged from the symbol.

The chaotic tentacles that tried to erode her emitted piercing screams under the golden light, and white smoke instantly billowed from their surfaces before turning into ashes and dissipating into the chaos.

This sudden power reminded Lingyue of the memory threads she had seen in the pure white space, and a strong desire to survive and a will to resist ignited in her heart.

She suddenly reached out and used all her strength to grab the Key of All Things in Wenli's hand, reversing her own primal power to try to break free from this manipulated fate.

The runes on the key's surface began to rotate in reverse, emitting a piercing buzz, as if resisting this force.

Wenli's pupils contracted sharply, and for the first time, a look of panic appeared on her face: "What are you doing?!"

As the key turned, the entire chaotic realm began to twist and deform, the space resembling a crumpled painting.

Countless eyes appeared on the slowly opening gate in the distance, each reflecting the spirit moon from a different time and space. Some eyes were resolute, some were filled with despair, and some radiated an evil light.

Deep within the gate, a blurry figure slowly rose, its outline bearing a striking resemblance to the demon god depicted in the altar murals, radiating a suffocating sense of oppression.

Just then, a violent tremor came from the spacetime rift, as if some powerful being was breaking free of its restraints.

Li Zhao's fragment of light broke through the encirclement of the dark forces, like a brilliant meteor streaking across the chaotic sky and falling into the realm of chaos.

The fragments exploded around Lingyue, and in the dazzling light, they reformed into Li Zhao's figure.

His armor was riddled with cracks, each one oozing blood, black blood constantly spilled from the corner of his mouth, the chaotic disc on his forehead had disappeared, and he appeared extremely weak yet possessed an indomitable will.

“The observer’s domain has no entity; they exist in the gaps between all possibilities.”

Li Zhao's voice was weak but firm, each word seeming to be squeezed out from his chest.

He plunged the remaining scepter of light into the ground, and the light emanating from the scepter formed a barrier, temporarily blocking Wenli's attack.

The barrier's surface flowed with sacred patterns, yet it twisted and deformed under the impact of chaotic power, emitting a hum that seemed unable to bear the strain. "We must find their core anchor point!"

Lingyue's gaze was suddenly drawn to the thirteen statues.

The statues emitted a faint blue light, and the inscriptions on their backs glowed, each word transforming into a stream of light that flowed into her mind.

As the last streak of light disappeared, her consciousness was suddenly pulled into a strange space:

Countless transparent cocoons float here, each containing a sleeping "Spirit Moon." Their appearances and clothing are all different, but they all have their eyes closed, their expressions serene yet slightly eerie.

Silver threads connected their bodies, the other end of which extended into the endless darkness, as if controlled by some mysterious force.

"These are all obsolete containers."

A mechanical voice echoed in the space, cold and devoid of emotion.

Lingyue turned around and saw a giant structure made up of countless gears and eyes. The gears meshed together, making a piercing sound, while the eyes stared intently at her.

"You are the most perfect experiment, a fusion of light and darkness, carrying all possibilities."

The gears of the structure began to turn, and countless fragments of memory flew out, piecing together an even more astonishing truth:

The first generation of guardians were created by the observers. The so-called "sealing of demons" was merely a means to select vessels that could withstand the power of chaos. The fate of the entire universe was just an experiment in the hands of the observers.

The real-world battles are becoming increasingly intense.

Wenli summoned clones of the Black-Robed Spirit Moon and the Bright Spirit Moon. Their eyes were empty, like soulless puppets, and they attacked Li Zhao's barrier together.

More black blood spilled from Li Zhao's mouth, his face turned as pale as paper, and the cracks on the barrier were increasing, each crack weakening the defense.

At the critical moment, Lingyue returned from the consciousness space, her eyes flashing with a resolute light, her hair moving without wind, and her body exuding a powerful aura.

"Since I am the embodiment of all possibilities, then I will use these possibilities to break your rules!"

Lingyue raised her hands high, looked up to the sky and roared. The light and darkness within her body collided violently, forming countless miniature spacetime vortexes around her.

Each vortex reveals a different version of oneself—some wielding a scepter of chaos, surrounded by an aura of darkness.

Some radiate a holy light, like messengers of light.

Others had blank stares, as if searching for something. They simultaneously brandished their weapons, attacking the observer's core structure; light and darkness intertwined, creating a breathtaking scene.

The structure emitted a piercing alarm, and the entire space began to tremble violently, as if the end of the world was imminent.

For the first time, Wenli's face showed panic. She tried to stop Lingyue, but Li Zhao held her back.

Li Zhao, with his last ounce of strength, brandished the Scepter of Light and engaged in a fierce battle with Wen Li.

The gates to the realm of chaos were fully open, and the figures emerging from within finally became clear.

It was a giant woven from light and darkness, whose body soared into the clouds, shattering space with every step and leaving black cracks beneath his feet.

The chains binding him were engraved with the fates of countless universes, radiating an aura of despair.

"Foolish ants, thinking they can rebel by breaking the container?"

The giant's voice was like a thousand thunderbolts exploding at once, making Lingyue and Li Zhao's eardrums ache and causing blood to spill from the corners of their mouths.

With a wave of his hand, the entire chaotic domain began to collapse, and a powerful gravitational pull drew Lingyue and Li Zhao toward him, as if to crush them. Behind them, the awakened "Lingyue" transformed into streams of light, flowing into Lingyue's body to provide her with her final strength.

Just as Lingyue was about to touch the giant, she suddenly saw her ending in countless timelines.

Some became new observers, taking control of the fate of the universe.

Some vanished along with Li Zhao, turning into dust in the starry sky.

And then... the scene suddenly distorts, and a strange child figure appears at the end of all the endings.

The child's brow shimmered with the same yin-yang pattern as hers, and he gazed at everything with compassionate eyes, as if he knew all the secrets.

Just as the giant's attack was about to land, Lingyue channeled all her power into the ground beneath her feet.

A dazzling light rose from beneath her feet, revealing countless overlapping images of time and space, including memories of the past and possibilities of the future.

In the deepest part of the light, Wenli's figure reappeared. This time, a hint of struggle and regret flashed in her eyes, and the Key of All Things in her hand began to emit a different light, seemingly foreshadowing a turning point in fate...