Chapter 481: The Girl in the Crystal Coffin
"Thank you... Your eyes are sincere and resolute. A powerful soul is hidden within you, and even greater is your immeasurable potential... Now, I can finally be at ease and move on. I will pray for my little master... and for you... in another world..."
"Thank you..."
The old woman's voice grew slower and weaker. Before her words fully faded, Yun Che had no time to ask anything—her figure dissipated like smoke blown away by the wind, vanishing completely.
"Her last remnant soul has also completely dissipated. The timing is about what I expected. Unfortunately, she is destined not to reincarnate, so she cannot go to that so-called 'other world,'" Mo Li said indifferently.
Yun Che looked at the red light orb in front of him and was about to ask something when suddenly, the light on the orb stopped flickering and became completely still. Then came a soft cracking sound—
*Ping.*
Like the sound of glass shattering.
A vertical crack appeared on the solidified orb, and then, like a burst soap bubble, it shattered in an instant, scattering into countless red fragments. These fragments further broke apart into smaller red specks that filled the air, slowly fading away until they vanished.
The protective red light orb was gone, but the red glow did not completely disappear. As the orb vanished, a crystal coffin emitting a faint red light came into Yun Che's view.
Inside the crystal coffin lay a person—a little girl, far smaller than Yun Che had anticipated!
The girl had a petite and delicate figure, her hands folded over her chest as she lay quietly in the crystal coffin, a gentle curve on her lips. She had long hair that naturally spread behind her, reaching all the way to her lower back. Her hair was a brilliant red—not the fiery red of flames, but as crystal-clear and translucent as ruby.
The girl had a face like carved jade, perfect yet still bearing the youthful innocence of a young girl. On her milk-white face, a delicate and exquisite nose tilted slightly upward, and her soft, tender lips were gently pressed together. Beneath her red eyelashes, anyone would believe that her eyes, once open, would be as bright as stars.
She wore a bright red palace dress. The fabric seemed thin, perfectly outlining her petite and graceful silhouette. Her snow-white, slender arms and delicate calves were partially exposed, and on her feet were a pair of crystal-clear red crystal princess shoes. Most notably, on each of her wrists and ankles, there was a small red crystal ring. The rings were slender, fitting tightly against her delicate skin.
...Such an adorable little girl...
Wait... Why is it a little girl?
"So this is the 'little master' that person mentioned?" Yun Che's eyes widened. This little girl looked even younger than Mo Li when he first met her—at most around ten years old. But despite her youth, she already showed a face that could captivate kingdoms. Perhaps anyone who saw her for the first time would think they were looking at a sleeping, adorable doll.
"In that case, wouldn't you be more willing to save her... you big pervert!" Mo Li said half-sarcastically, half-grudgingly.
"...Will she pose any danger to me?" Yun Che chose to ignore the last three words of Mo Li's sentence.
"Oh? You, the big pervert who excels at tricking all kinds of girls, are actually afraid of such a little girl?"
"You also know that she is likely a figure from ancient times. What if she is as powerful as you?" A cautious expression hung on Yun Che's face. Before meeting Mo Li, Yun Che would never have believed that a pretty little girl who looked like a doll could be associated with the word "terrifying." But with Mo Li as a precedent, Yun Che couldn't help but be wary of the girl in the crystal coffin.
Mo Li was silent for a moment, then said, "This crystal coffin should be the 'Eternal Pivot' that person mentioned. My consciousness cannot penetrate it at all. Her aura is completely sealed, with not a trace leaking out, so I cannot know if she possesses power enough to threaten you. If you're afraid, you can simply leave her be."
Yun Che didn't hesitate. He stepped forward and stood before the crystal coffin: "Since I already promised that person, I should follow through on my word. Besides... hmm, such an adorable little girl—she doesn't seem like an evil person at all. And after I save her, I'll even be considered her benefactor."
Saying this, Yun Che placed his hand on the top of the crystal coffin and pushed gently. To his surprise, the lid opened easily under his light touch.
The remnant soul must have also removed the protective light orb and the Eternal Pivot before dissipating.
"It's indeed the aura of demon poison! Detoxify her immediately!" Mo Li suddenly urged. "Once the Eternal Pivot is opened, the suppressed demon poison has instantly awakened! Use the Heavenly Poison Pearl to purify it quickly! Otherwise, in her current unconscious state with no resistance, her life, consciousness, and soul will be rapidly devoured by the demon poison!"
As Mo Li's voice rang out, a dark mist arose from the red-haired girl's body, rapidly thickening at an alarming rate.
Yun Che frowned slightly, nodded, and quickly extended his left hand, pressing it against the girl's chest. A green light immediately flashed and spread.
Yun Che had never heard the name "demon poison" before, but from the girl's body, he could clearly sense an extremely terrifying poisonous aura. Combining this with his two lifetimes of memories, it was completely unprecedented... However, it was somewhat similar to the horrible poison afflicting Mo Li, though not as domineering.
There was no poison under heaven that the Heavenly Poison Pearl could not purify. Under the purifying power of the Heavenly Poison Pearl, the demon poison that had just awakened on the red-haired girl was gradually suppressed, then slowly devoured and purified. The dark mist that had risen not long ago rapidly dissipated until it vanished completely.
After two quarters of an hour, the demon poison on the girl was finally fully purified. The fact that it took the Heavenly Poison Pearl this long to purify it was enough to demonstrate the potency of this demon poison. Given its intensity, if it had fully invaded the girl's soul like it had Mo Li's, it might have taken tens of days at the very least.
The purifying light of the Heavenly Poison Pearl faded. Yun Che withdrew his hand and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
The girl continued to sleep peacefully, making one reluctant to make any sound for fear of waking her. At that moment, Yun Che suddenly realized something. He reached out again and pressed his hand against her chest area... After a moment, he pulled his hand back, his expression twisted.
"No signs of life?" Mo Li asked.
"No life at all..."
"So, she is actually dead?" A red light flashed beside Yun Che, revealing Mo Li's figure. She stared at the girl in the crystal coffin, sweeping her spiritual sense over her body but detecting no life force. She said softly, "Just as I thought. It seems you wasted your effort."
Yun Che was silent, filled with regret. He had focused all his strength on purifying the demon poison from the girl without distraction. Only after the purification was complete did he suddenly realize that during the entire time his hand had touched the girl's body, he had never felt any signs of life. Now that all the demon poison was removed, the girl remained lifeless. Clearly, at some unknown point in time within the Eternal Pivot, she had completely lost her life. But her guardian did not know, still stubbornly and bitterly protecting her, clinging to her fading remnant soul just to wait for that faint glimmer of hope.
The Heavenly Poison Pearl she longed for had arrived, and she departed in peace, but unfortunately...
Still, it was good that her remnant soul had dissipated early; otherwise, seeing this outcome, she would have died with eternal regret.
Yun Che refused to give up. He reached out and touched the girl's neck, forehead, wrists, and chest. Perhaps because she had been in the Eternal Pivot all this time, her body temperature was not cold. Her skin was soft and tender, smooth as warm jade, but no matter how he tested, he could not detect any sign of life, not even the flow of blood.
Yun Che finally gave up. He sighed softly, looked up, and said to the air above, "Senior, I have fulfilled what I promised you. I have completely purified the demon poison from your 'little master.' But things did not go as hoped... All I can do now is let her continue to rest here in peace."
As he spoke, Yun Che placed his hand on the lid of the Eternal Pivot. Just as he was about to close the lid and stop disturbing the girl's sleep, her red eyelashes suddenly trembled slightly. Then, her eyes, which had been closed for who knows how many years, slowly opened.
They were a pair of stunningly beautiful eyes, like red crystal. The moment they opened, it was as if two brilliant stars had suddenly lit up in the dark night. Mo Li's eyes also occasionally turned red... but that was a bloodthirsty red. The vermilion color of these eyes, however, seemed to be the most perfect hue condensed from the essence of heaven and earth, breathtakingly beautiful.
Yun Che stood motionless, his expression frozen, his gaze meeting the girl's open eyes as if petrified. He had verified repeatedly—there was absolutely no life force in her body. Even Mo Li had come to the same conclusion. Yet she had opened her eyes... and such beautiful eyes at that.
As Yun Che stared at her in a daze, those vermilion eyes gazed back at him. After a moment, the girl blinked lightly, then sat up very gracefully from the crystal coffin. Seeing that Yun Che was still staring blankly at her, she blinked again, and suddenly her brows curved into a pair of slender, adorable crescents. A lovely, innocent smile appeared on her face: "Hello there, big brother!"
"..."
Waking up from an unknown length of slumber in a vast, dark place to see a complete stranger... This girl showed no sign of the tension or fear one would expect. She wasn't even confused or dazed. Instead, she smiled sweetly, her face radiant, and greeted him with a cheerful expression!!