CHAPTER 112 – The Bond Turns Deadly
Xiao Xi felt the surge of panic like a physical blow, worse than the agony of binding the First Root.
She tore her gaze away from the vortex—
and saw Gu, body glitching violently, being dragged across the cracked earth, his eyes wide with a mixture of terror and resignation.
"No—NO—Yanzhou, stay back!!" she screamed, her concentration on the seal faltering dangerously.
He dug his spectral nails into the ground, leaving deep gouges in the dissolving pavement.
Shen grabbed his arm with desperate strength.
Ling anchored his shoulders with her own light, her small frame straining against the force.
But the bond was not physical.
The bond was a spiritual anchor, a Core-to-Core link, now an active loop of energy.
The stronger Xiao Xi became—the more focused her power on the seal—the stronger the bond tugged at Gu, seeking to equalize the Core's energy.
Her system shrieked inside her mind, overriding all other protocols:
[WARNING: SOUL-LINK DESTABILIZING]
[GU YANZHOU WILL BE PULLED INTO THE SEAL]
[RISK OF MUTUAL IMPRISONMENT: 100%]
Xiao Xi's heart stopped, the reality of her mistake slamming into her.
"NO!!"
Gu gasped, fighting the invisible, fatal pull, his form dissolving faster with the strain.
His voice cracked, weak but firm with terrible understanding:
"If you seal him inside you—you seal me too.
The anchor goes where the ship goes."
Xiao Xi's chaos flickered and convulsed.
Her control wavered on the brink of collapse.
"No—no, I didn't mean—I never meant for you to—!"
The First Root sensed the internal conflict and laughed, a sickening sound dripping with malice and triumph.
"BOND WITH A MORTAL AND EXPECT SURVIVAL? PATHETIC.
YOUR WEAKNESS IS YOUR DOWNFALL, ROOT!"
Gu gritted his teeth, the pain in his body irrelevant compared to the fear of losing her.
"Xiao Xi—finish the seal, but don't sacrifice yourself for me.
Or I will follow you—I swear it!"
His fingers slipped completely through Shen's protective grasp.
Xiao Xi screamed, her voice a raw sound of absolute grief and terror:
"STOP! YOU'RE GOING TO DIE! YOU'LL BE SEALED IN DARKNESS FOREVER!"
Gu smiled weakly, heartbreakingly, the sight piercing her soul.
"I don't care.
Where you go, I go."
Her Core shook violently, the binding effort failing as her attention was torn away.
"No—Yanzhou—DON'T SAY THAT—! I CAN'T LOSE YOU AGAIN!"
His soul flickered violently, a desperate pulse—
and the bond yanked harder—
pulling him directly toward her, faster than Shen or Ling could react