Legend of the Embroiderer

Chapter 455 Mystery of Tongyuan

The space after the energy storm subsided was a mess, the distorted spacetime like a canvas torn and haphazardly pieced together, with sharp, knife-like edges curling up.

Dark purple lightning streaked through the shattered gaps in spacetime, occasionally striking the floating gear debris and blasting out ear-piercing roars.

The pale green mist seeping from the cracks wriggled like living things, and wherever it touched, the remnants of the Key of Time quickly corroded into ash, rising up plumes of white smoke with a pungent, acidic smell.

The fused being knelt amidst the scattered debris, her knees aching from the pebbles. She trembled as she placed her fingers on Xiaoying's neck.

His pulse was so weak it was like a thread, and each beat felt like a struggle against death.

The bright light on Xiaoying's chest was now tinged with strange dark purple patterns, like spider web-like cracks spreading under her skin, rising and falling gently with her breath, as if it would completely devour the last remaining glimmer of light in the next second.

"Guardian, what about Hotaru...?"

The fusion entity's voice trembled with barely concealed anxiety, but was mercilessly interrupted by the "bang bang" of the crystals pulsating.

Blood-red patterns appeared on the surface of the evil crystal left behind by the gatekeeper, like blood vessels awakening. With each pulsation, spiderweb-like cracks appeared in the ground.

A translucent arm emerged from the crevice, its fingertips tinged with bluish-gray, and congealed black blood embedded in its nails, like a demonic claw reaching out from the depths of hell.

The guardian struggled to his feet, his damaged armor shedding metal fragments with each movement, making a soft, rustling sound.

He swung his sword at the nearest arm, but the blade seemed to be stuck in mud, tightly bound by some kind of viscous force, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't break free.

"These are the sealed souls of time and space."

A hoarse voice suddenly came from behind, carrying the vicissitudes of time and weariness.

Everyone turned around abruptly and saw an old man in a faded robe walking slowly with a wooden cane. His steps were slow and heavy, each step seeming to be measuring the distance between life and death.

The old man's left eye was empty, its dark socket seemingly hiding endless secrets, while his right eye shone with a star-like light, deep and mysterious.

Where his robe swept, the dark purple mist receded like a tide, revealing a brief moment of clarity.

"I am the last ferryman of time and space, ordered to guard the secret of the third seal."

His gaze swept over the crystal, and his cloudy right eye suddenly burst forth with a dazzling light, as if thousands of stars were twinkling in it.

"But the gatekeeper activated the crystal ahead of time, and now it is devouring all the life energy in this area."

Just as the fused entity was about to ask a question, Xiao Ying in its arms suddenly convulsed violently, her body shaking like a leaf.

Dark purple lines crawled up her neck and onto her cheeks, instantly covering her originally pale skin.

Xiao Ying's eyes rolled back, black foam overflowed from her mouth, and her lips twitched incessantly, making her look terrifying.

The time ferryman's pupils contracted sharply, and he slammed his wooden staff heavily against the ground, producing a dull thud.

"Not good! The power of the Chaos Infant is backfiring on her origin! Only by finding the fragment of the Key of Time left behind by the First Observer in the Star Sand Space can we temporarily suppress it!"

Before the words were finished, the crystal suddenly exploded, and countless blood-red light arrows shot towards the group at great speed, leaving behind scarlet afterimages in the air.

The guardian reacted quickly, immediately releasing an ice barrier, but the power of the light arrow was too great. The ice barrier shattered instantly, and the light arrow grazed his shoulder, burning a charred crater in the ground. The air was filled with the smell of burning flesh.

Amidst the flying rubble, twelve figures in black robes coalesced once more, appearing around the group like ghosts.

Longbows appeared in their hands, with dark purple energy arrows nocked on the bowstrings. Thin chains were wrapped around the ends of the arrows, and the ends of the chains glowed with an eerie blue light, as if they were telling of the approaching death.

"Looking for fragments of the Key of Time? We can take you there."

The leader, clad in black, pulled down his hood, revealing half of his mechanical face. Metal gears whirred beneath his skin, making a cold, ruthless sound. "But in exchange, you'll have to exchange your star-like eyes and the bloodline of the observer."

The fused entity shielded Xiao Ying behind it, its three-colored light flowing around it, but much dimmer than before, like a candle flickering in the wind.

She could feel the star-shaped mark on her chest burning with pain with every use of her power, as if countless silver needles were piercing it. The Guardian gripped the hilt of her sword tightly, blue energy flowing along the blade, yet the blade trembled.

His strength was already exhausted, and the fight just now was just him holding on to his last breath. Every movement was accompanied by excruciating pain in his body.

The time ferryman raised his wooden staff, and the tattered compass embedded in its head suddenly spun, its pointer swinging wildly, pointing to a distant vortex shrouded in darkness:

"That leads to the Star Sand Space, but..."

His warning was interrupted by the black-robed man's attack. Twelve arrows pierced the air at incredible speed, distorting space into vortexes and emitting a buzzing sound wherever they went.

The fused entity gritted its teeth and poured the power of twins into its star-like eyes. The golden light collided with the dark purple patterns, forming an unstable light shield.

The runes that kept appearing and disappearing on the surface of the light shield were the sealing incantations of the first observer. As the runes flickered, they seemed to be waging a silent struggle against the dark forces.

Suddenly, golden light appeared on Xiaoying's fingertips. The light traced the outline of the Key of Time in the air and resonated with the light from her starry eyes. This forced the arrow to change its trajectory, causing it to deviate from its course and shoot into the distance, creating a huge crater in the ground.

The man in black robes let out an angry roar, his voice sharp and piercing, like a vengeful ghost from hell.

The runes on their bodies began to burn, turning into black flames that rushed towards the crowd. Wherever the flames touched, the air was ignited, making a "whooshing" sound.

The time ferryman waved his wooden staff, and a silver light shot out from the broken compass. Wherever the light touched, the black-robed man's flames were extinguished instantly, like candle flames being doused.

"Hurry! I can only hold them off for a moment!"

The old man's voice grew weak, and golden liquid seeped from the hollow of his left eye, as if his life was slipping away.

"Remember, the mirror of the Stardust Space can lie. The true fragment of the Key of Time is hidden..."

His words were drowned out by the attacks of the man in black robes, and his body gradually became transparent, fighting a final battle against disappearance every second.

The fusion entity and the guardian seized the opportunity to rush towards the vortex, the ground beneath their feet trembling as if it were about to crack open at any moment.

Just as they were about to step into the vortex, the dark purple patterns on Xiaoying's body suddenly surged, like a blooming black datura flower, enveloping the three of them.

Before their consciousness faded into darkness, the merged entity saw the black-robed figures standing beside the crystalline debris. They inserted their mechanical arms into the ground, and the rumble of gears turning echoed from beneath, as if a massive conspiracy was brewing.

Further away, the enormous eyeball of the third seal slowly opened, and a familiar figure was reflected in its pupil.

The Time Watcher, staff in hand, smiled knowingly at them. A shimmering crystal fragment coiled around the staff's tip, its patterns mirroring the dark purple markings on Xiao Ying's chest, as if foreshadowing an even greater crisis to come...