The air in Su Chan's small courtyard crackled with an almost unbearable tension. Bai Lianxin knelt beside her unconscious disciple, her usually flawless, jade-like hand trembling slightly as it hovered above his chest.
The unnatural, corrosive heat radiating from his body was a palpable testament to the horrifying curse that was devouring him from within. Her Saint King spiritual sense, vast and profound, probed his condition, and what she found sent icicles of dread piercing through her heart.
The vibrant, boundless energy of the newly fused Chaos Divine Body was indeed fading, being consumed at an alarming rate, and his cultivation, so recently and spectacularly at the Peak of Foundation Building, was regressing with every passing second, threatening to dissipate entirely.
Fang Xin, Ning Youxi, and Lin Ruo'er burst into the courtyard moments later, their faces pale with terror, their breaths coming in ragged gasps.
"Master! Junior Brother Su Chan!" Fang Xin cried out, her usual cool composure shattered, her voice thick with unshed tears.
"Second Senior Brother! What happened to him?!" Ning Youxi choked out, her beautiful eyes wide with fear and a dawning, unbearable grief.
Lin Ruo'er was already sobbing openly, her small hands covering her mouth. "He… he was fine just now! Master, save him! Please save Senior Brother Su Chan!"
Bai Lianxin's expression was grim, a profound helplessness, an emotion she had not felt for centuries, etching lines of pain around her usually serene eyes. "His condition is… critical," she said, her voice barely a whisper, yet carrying the weight of a collapsing mountain. "An incredibly potent curse, beyond anything I have ever encountered, is consuming his physique and his life force. My own spiritual energy, though vast, seems only to momentarily slow its advance, not halt it."
Just as a wave of utter despair threatened to engulf them all, a new series of notifications, this time a stark, clinical blue instead of the alarming crimson, flashed within the minds of Bai Lianxin and her three disciples – and simultaneously, within the minds of every other diary holder across the continent.
Ding! System analysis of Host Su Chan's critical condition ongoing...
Ding! Based on the residual energies of the Chaos Divine Body and the nature of the curse's erosion (though its origin remains unknown), a temporary, high-risk stabilization solution has been extrapolated.
Temporary Stabilization Solution: Infusion of potent, pure Saint Yuan Yin energy via Dual Cultivation.
Requirements for Saint Yuan Yin Provider:
1. Must be female.
2. Must possess an exceptionally pure Yin-aspected cultivation or physique.
3. Must be at or above the Saint Realm.
4. Must willingly offer her primordial Saint Yuan Yin (virgin essence at the Saint Realm or above).
Effect: The highly pure and potent Saint Yuan Yin, when harmonized with the residual Chaos energy through dual cultivation, may temporarily suppress and stabilize the curse's progression, buying precious time for a more permanent solution to be found or for the System to upgrade and provide further analysis.
Warning: This process is extremely dangerous for both parties. The curse may attempt to backlash against the provider. The provider will suffer a significant, though potentially recoverable, loss of cultivation essence and may face a severe drop in cultivation level.
Warning: This is a temporary measure. The curse will eventually resume its erosion unless a true counter is found.
The four women in Su Chan's courtyard stared blankly for a moment as the system's words registered, the clinical, almost detached tone of the message a stark contrast to the life-and-death urgency of the situation.
Dual Cultivation? With Saint Yuan Yin?
Bai Lianxin's breath hitched. Her gaze, filled with a myriad of complex, tumultuous emotions – shock, desperation, and a dawning, almost terrifying resolve – fell upon her unconscious disciple. She was a Saint King. She cultivated an ice-aspected art of supreme purity. And she… she still possessed her primordial Saint Yuan Yin, having dedicated her entire existence to the solitary pursuit of the Dao.
Fang Xin, her mind reeling, looked at her master, then at Su Chan, then back at her master. The implications of the system's solution were staggering, almost unthinkable. "Master…" she whispered, her voice trembling, "Saint Yuan Yin… dual cultivation… It means…"
Ning Youxi's face, already pale, turned ashen. She understood, perhaps more acutely than even Fang Xin due to the nature of her own (still dormant) Primordial Yin-Yang Body, what such a process entailed, especially the sacrifice required from the provider. Her gaze darted to her master, a look of horrified understanding and a dawning, immense respect in her eyes.
Lin Ruo'er, though younger, was not naive. She had read enough ancient texts and heard enough sect lore to grasp the profound, almost sacred, significance of a female Saint's primordial Yin essence. "Master Bai… you wouldn't… you couldn't…" she stammered, tears streaming freely now.
Bai Lianxin closed her eyes for a fleeting moment, her exquisite face a mask of inner conflict. The path of a cultivator, especially a female cultivator aiming for the highest realms, was one of immense discipline and sacrifice.
Her primordial essence was not just a symbol of her purity, but a vital component of her own cultivation foundation, a key to her future breakthroughs towards the Emperor Realm.
To expend it, especially in a process as intimate and draining as dual cultivation to save another, was a sacrifice of unimaginable proportions, one that could cripple her own path, perhaps irrevocably.
Yet, when she opened her eyes, they held no hesitation, only a clear, unyielding, almost glacial resolve. Su Chan was her disciple. He was family.
He had just shown a spark of hope, a determination that had moved her deeply. And he possessed the Chaos Divine Body, a potential future pillar of the Holy Land, a beacon against the encroaching darkness that the novel (and his diary) hinted at.
"There is no other way," Bai Lianxin stated, her voice soft but imbued with an unshakeable finality. She looked at Fang Xin, her gaze piercing.
"Fang Xin, you are the eldest. You understand what must be done, and what this means. Take your junior sisters outside this courtyard. Stand guard. Allow no one, absolutely no one, to approach or disturb us until I emerge.
The energies involved will be immense and volatile. Protect them, and protect this process."
Fang Xin's eyes widened, a storm of emotions warring within them – shock, awe at her master's selfless decision, a deep, aching sorrow for the sacrifice her master was about to make, and an overwhelming, fierce protectiveness for both her master and her dying junior brother.
She bit her lip until it nearly bled, then nodded sharply, tears finally escaping and tracing paths down her beautiful, anguished face. "Yes, Master! I understand! I will guard this place with my life!"
She gently but firmly took Ning Youxi and a still-sobbing Lin Ruo'er by their arms. "Come, junior sisters. We must obey Master."
Ning Youxi looked from Su Chan's pale, unconscious form to her master's resolute face, her heart aching with a pain so profound she could barely breathe. Master… for Second Senior Brother… she's willing to… An immense, almost unbearable wave of gratitude, respect, and a strange, poignant sorrow washed over her.
Lin Ruo'er could only nod, her small body wracked with sobs, as Fang Xin led them out of the small courtyard, her own form trembling but her will like tempered steel as she prepared to defend the sanctity of what was about to occur.
Alone now with her unconscious disciple, Bai Lianxin took another deep, steadying breath.
The air around her began to shimmer with an icy, silver light, her Saint King aura manifesting, yet carefully controlled, focused. She looked down at Su Chan, at his handsome face now contorted in the throes of the curse's torment even in unconsciousness.
A single, crystalline tear, as pure and cold as a winter diamond, escaped her eye and traced a path down her flawless cheek before vanishing like morning mist.
"Su Chan, my disciple," she thought, her resolve hardening into something unbreakable, "live. For Fairy Peak. For the future you vowed to create. Live."
With that silent vow, she began to make her preparations, her very being focused on the desperate, sacred, and perilous act of sacrifice she was about to undertake.
Reactions of Other Heroines (Upon Receiving the System's Solution):
The blue-texted system notification detailing the "Temporary Stabilization Solution" flashed into the minds of the other heroines, bringing with it a new wave of complex, often agonizing, emotions.
Lan Xianyi (Holy Lord): Her enigmatic expression deepened, a flicker of profound surprise in her ancient eyes. Saint Yuan Yin via dual cultivation… with Bai Lianxin as the only viable candidate present on Fairy Peak? Such a sacrifice… it will undoubtedly alter her destiny, perhaps even the destiny of the Holy Land itself. A desperate gamble, but if it saves the Chaos Divine Body… it may yet be worth the price. She discreetly reinforced the spiritual barriers around Fairy Peak, ensuring no unwanted eyes or senses could pry.
Aan Chinner (Hundred Followers Holy Land): She stared into the distance, her knuckles white where she gripped her training sword. Dual cultivation… primordial Saint Yin… The Frost Moon Fairy is willing to sacrifice her own cultivation path, her very essence, for her disciple? Such devotion… such selflessness… A profound respect, mixed with a strange envy for the bond Su Chan shared with his master, bloomed within her.
Shen Qingyu (Ice Lotus Peak Master): Her icy composure remained, but her aura pulsed with a suppressed turmoil. Bai Lianxin… I always knew she was fiercely protective, but this… this is beyond mere duty. To give up her Saint Yuan Yin… A grudging, almost painful admiration for her fellow Peak Master, her long-time rival and sometimes friend, arose.
Yu Xinyue (Alchemy Peak Master): Tears welled in her gentle eyes. Oh, Lianxin… you foolish, noble woman… To pay such a heavy price… Is there truly no other way? Su Chan… he must be incredibly important to her, to all of them. Her heart ached for the sacrifice being made.
Hua Yueli (Illusory Peak Master): For once, her usual amusement was entirely absent. A somber, thoughtful expression settled on her captivating features. Dual cultivation with a Saint King's virgin essence… That's not just a cure; it's a bond forged in the very crucible of life and death. The implications… they are staggering. This changes the game far more than even I anticipated.
Across the Tiaxu Continent, the heroines processed this shocking development. The desperation of Su Chan's plight was now compounded by the enormity of the sacrifice being offered to save him. The fate of the boy whose diary had so unexpectedly intertwined their destinies now rested on a perilous ritual, a sacred offering that could change everything.