Tianshi'ao opened his eyes from his stupor, feeling a long-lost agony. The Stigma, riddled with cracks, could no longer sustain his ravaged body. Beneath the Crow Tengu's shattered mask, his own pale face was revealed.

Just now… what was that?

A violent coughing fit seized him, and he bent over to vomit blood tinged with a faint radiance. The Crow Tengu's essence rose from the blood, floating in the air and emitting billows of dark mist.

The miracle was fading at a heartbreakingly rapid pace.

Everything was progressing toward the worst possible outcome as if nothing was abnormal, naturally… welcoming death.

The Curse was fulfilling itself.

It was like watching himself slowly bleed to death; the overwhelming fear made him struggle desperately, crawling out of the shattered buildings.

The lone remaining feather seemed unable to comprehend what had happened, frantically fluttering around him.

"No time left."

With all his might, Tianshi'ao propped himself up and said hoarsely, "Take me to… something that can save me…"

The feather trembled in the air, then began a panicked search for a clue. Soon, it quivered with excitement, circled him twice, and soared into the sky, taking Tianshi'ao's hope with it.

Using his last strength, Tianshi'ao spread his shattered single wing and flew awkwardly into the sky, following the feather onward… until a melody, so gentle it seemed capable of soothing all wounds, grew clear. The feather circled above an ancient venue, guiding him downward, as if leading him to the source of the piano music.

Overjoyed, Tianshi'ao could hardly contain his relief. He descended an inch from the sky… only to be engulfed by a tangible, icy chill.

Fear—incomprehensible, unspeakable fear—surged from his heart.

Unprecedentedly, his intuition shrieked a desperate alarm, wailing with all its might.

Do not go forward, do not go forward, do not go forward!

An inexplicable despair tore at his Soul in an instant; the baseless fear solidified, buzzing inside his skull. The ominous premonition made him want to scream.

If I go there, I will die.

Such a clear understanding rose in his heart, followed by a terror that dwarfed even death itself, nearly shredding his iron will.

That place is a deathtrap!

In mid-air, the dying Crow Tengu stiffened for a moment, then shot upward, fleeing desperately into the distance, too preoccupied to care for his wings and body, both nearing their limits.

Only one thought remained: Escape! Leave this place! The farther, the better!

When he regained a shred of consciousness from the chaos, he realized he didn't know where he had fled, only that he was tumbling erratically from the sky. The bewildered feather still followed beside him, clueless as to what had transpired.

With a loud CRASH, he landed clumsily, smashing into a ruined storefront, and gasped violently for breath.

"Not there… Don't go there… That path leads only to death."

He grasped the feather with all his might, glaring at his last straw. "Take me to something that can save me… My time… my time…"

Tianshi'ao convulsed violently, vomiting shattered organs. In the spreading pool of blood on the ground, he saw his own pitiful reflection.

His time was running out.

Hurried footsteps approached in the distance, and his heart gradually sank.

Someone shouted excitedly, "I saw it! Something fell here, I'm sure of it!"

"Be careful, everything here is damn strange."

"Fuck, it's a birdman!"

"Who cares what it is? Kill it first!"

Outside the broken storefront, several Sublimators cautiously raised their weapons. The Crow Tengu stared at them in astonishment, as if terrified. Then, unable to hold it in, he burst out laughing—laughing uproariously, amused by this cruel joke.

Death had arrived, yet those sent to kill him were of such pathetic caliber.

Recalling the ludicrous encounters since entering Xiematai and his own wretched state, he wondered when he had fallen so low.

Is this my Fate?

Tianshi'ao clenched his teeth and slowly shook his head. "No, that's not right. It's the complete opposite."

He propped up his shattered body, pulling steel rods and metal fragments from the gash in his chest. He raised his head high and, inch by inch, climbed from the rubble that bound him, roaring at the obstructors ahead, "Now is not the time! Not yet!"

He took a step forward, facing the oncoming bullets. His lone arm rose, his mangled fingers closing like a blade, and severed a metallic glint.

"—You dog-like things! Do you think you're worthy of killing me?!"

Perhaps I will die, true. But not now, not here, and not at the hands of such vermin.

The Tengu howled.

A casual swing of his arm unleashed a surge of void energy, forming a tangible phantom blade that effortlessly sliced through the bullets.

The limit that had barred him for so many years was finally broken. He had stepped into the legendary Extreme Realm, the true Tengu Transcription.

If it were any other time, I would have been ecstatic, wouldn't I?

But now, his heart was calm, as solid as Iron Stone. He pressed forward, brandishing intersecting blades of light, moving at breakneck speed.

In an instant, he swept past the Sublimators.

Behind him, blood erupted, staining the narrow street red.

He staggered and fell to his knees. More and more blood flowed from his face and wounds, leaving a ghastly and faltering trail behind him.

I cannot die yet. Not yet. I have to make it back alive.

Tianshi'ao clenched his teeth, propped himself up, and stumbled forward, leaning against a wall. In his daze, he forgot where he was, only persistently chasing the lone feather that floated before him.

Step after step, he moved like a walking corpse.

He didn't know how much time had passed before the feather finally dissipated in the wind.

He was still moving forward.

Numbly, he drove his exhausted body onward until he stumbled and collapsed, unable to rise again.

In his stupor, gentle footsteps slowly drew near. The newcomer tilted her head, looking down at him. She listened to his intermittent yet tenacious breaths, then bent down to gaze upon his disheveled face. A look of surprised amusement spread across her face, as if she had found a treasure.

"You seem quite strong," she said.

"Save me…"

Tianshi'ao struggled to lift his hand, reaching for the white hem of her skirt, but it felt so distant, so out of reach.

Soon, a drop of sweet nectar touched his lips. The dew, blessed with wondrous power, seeped into his wounds, reviving his consciousness and forcibly wrenching him back from the brink of death.

He was saved.

But the power of salvation stopped there.

"More…" he gasped, reaching out to snatch the bottle from the woman's hand. "Give me more…"

"This is a very precious Dark Gold Item, you know."

The smiling woman lifted the bottle an inch, casually avoiding his grasp. "Isn't it a bit much to expect it for nothing?"

Tianshi'ao paused, then slowly lifted his head to study the woman before him.

She was beautiful—no, exquisite would be more appropriate.

She wore a gentle, spring-like smile, her ponytail resting askew on her shoulder, her long white dress immaculate, as if she were simply out for groceries. She was utterly out of place in this city. Yet, her tranquil eyes seemed to harbor a darkness far beyond the city's reach, as if concealing something profound—inscrutable, yet instinctively evoking fear.

"Give that to me."

Tianshi'ao was silent for a moment before he spoke hoarsely, "I can give you anything you want…"

"Oh? Anything?"

The woman appeared intrigued, her eyebrows raised. After a moment's contemplation, she smiled. "In that case, how about a fight to the death?"

"…" Tianshi'ao was stunned.

"You see, gambling is something one is born with, right? We'll just treat this item as the stakes."

The woman stood up and stepped back a few paces. She placed the life-giving potion at the end of the street, then stood before Tianshi'ao, blocking his path to rebirth.

"The loser dies, the winner lives."

She smiled and asked softly, "Fair, isn't it?"

"…Yes, indeed…"

After a long silence, Tianshi'ao nodded. "Nothing could be fairer."

He pushed himself up with his arms and examined his opponent. After the initial shock and confusion, only a steely calm remained. Nothing more needed to be said.

Under the excited gazes of countless unseen spectators, he lifted his solitary arm, assuming the opening stance of Tengu Transcription.

"—Yingzhou Phylogeny, Tianshi'ao of Koyasan."

The woman was silent for a moment, as if pondering her response. Then, she smiled.

"I am Luo Xian."

She introduced herself, "Accountant and receptionist at the Orchard Gym."

Bending down, she slipped off her high heels, placed them gently to one side, and stepped barefoot onto the shattered road, leaving a trail of delicate prints in the hard stone and earth.

She faced the insurmountable foe, the high and mighty Fourth Stage Sublimator.

She raised her hand, smiling cheerfully. "Come at me."

The instant she spoke, an explosion erupted.

As blood flew, the Crow Tengu's broken wings suddenly vibrated, transforming into a jet-black whirlwind that rushed forward. The Tengu Transcription cleaved horizontally.

Then, BOOM!

Behind him, a protruding fist imprint appeared, and fresh blood burst from his lungs.

Luo Xian's movements were imperceptible, as if perfectly natural. She raised a hand, threw a punch, and her slender, fair wrist unleashed horrifying power.

Triple-fold Lightning.

—Heaven Collapse!

The air itself shattered, a fleeting fault line appearing and spreading outward like cracks on glass.

But the Tengu instantly cleaved the shattered air in two.

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