Muxuan’s fingers brushed gently across Qiansitelin’s furrowed brow.
The slight coolness of her fingertips made the silver-haired knight’s taut body tremble.
“It’s okay.”
Then Muxuan’s gaze swept over the narrow black bridge spanning the Bottomless Abyss and finally landed on the massive metal circular door that exuded an ancient, heavy aura.
“But Your Highness, your body…”
Qiansitelin’s worry had not fully dissipated.
First, Muxuan had exhausted her strength in the Kanoqiesi Forest, recovering only a little, then overexerted herself again in the Molten Core.
Even though the medicinal liquid and the power from the passage just now had provided some restoration, Qiansitelin could clearly feel her young liege’s weakness.
If any other danger lurked inside, her young liege might not be able to hold on.
Her heart grew heavy, and she turned her gaze back to the Great Artisan God.
Seeing Qiansitelin looking at him again, the Great Artisan God helplessly spread his hands, indicating he could do nothing.
Feeling the coolness of Qiansitelin’s cheek under her fingertips and the worry that almost overflowed from her eyes, Muxuan gently turned her face back, a warm current surging in her heart.
She brought her own small face a little closer.
“Trust me, Qiansitelin.”
One hand slowly extended from within Qiansitelin’s arms and gently patted the hand that gripped her own arm.
The voice was soft, yet carried an unyielding determination.
Then, slowly, with a slight unsteadiness but extraordinary resolve, she broke free from Qiansitelin’s warm embrace.
Her feet stepped back onto the cold, hard metal bridge deck.
The suction force from the ground made her sway a little, but she immediately steadied herself.
“Your Highness!”
Qiansitelin’s heart leaped into her throat, and she instinctively reached out again.
Muxuan didn’t look back; she just raised a hand to signal her to stop.
Then she fixed her gaze on the metal circular door at the end of the narrow bridge.
Taking a deep breath, Muxuan’s foot landed on the bridge.
One step, two steps.
Her footsteps fell on the black metal narrow bridge, making a faint yet remarkably clear “Tap… tap…” sound that echoed through the vast, empty, silent space.
Each step pulled at the heartstrings of the three people behind her.
Qiansitelin’s fingertips almost dug into her palms.
Silver radiance silently flowed around her body, and [Lyrasel] was ready to be drawn at any moment.
If Muxuan showed even the slightest sign of instability, she would charge forward without hesitation.
The Great Artisan God stood like a rock, his bronze face expressionless, but a whirlpool of extremely complex emotions surged in his deep eyes.
As Muxuan walked deeper, the bridge deck seemed to change subtly.
Beneath the metallic luster, extremely fine, almost imperceptible pale golden patterns began to appear.
When she reached the middle of the narrow bridge, the original cold touch under her feet was gradually replaced by an indescribable warmth.
Then, a warm current welled up, like the morning light at the break of early spring, silently seeping into her limbs and soaking her overdried meridians.
Muxuan was slightly startled.
When she realized this force posed no harm to her, she couldn’t help but let out a breath.
Then she steadied her mind and continued forward.
The dull ache inside her body lessened considerably, and the original fatigue receded like an ebb tide.
Most importantly, the Lightforce that had been nearly depleted was restored quite a bit under the nourishment of this power.
Finally, she stood before that massive metal circular door.
However, the door in front was tightly sealed, with no gaps.
Muxuan took a deep breath and released all the Lightforce she had just nourished.
A pure, gentle holy radiance slowly spread like liquid mercury, covering the great door that had lain silent for who knew how many years.
The moment the Lightforce touched the door—
“Hum—”
A low, distant hum, as if from an ancient era, suddenly resounded.
When Muxuan’s Lightforce contacted the metal door, the seemingly uniform dark luster on the door suddenly rippled like water.
Countless tiny pale golden runes, nearly invisible to the naked eye, emerged layer by layer within the door’s depths, then flowed.
They were not static carvings; they moved rapidly along certain trajectories like living things, then combined to form a vast, sacred, three-dimensional tableau.
It was the moment when the Great Artisan Ka Li Bo Ju Jiang forged the Divine Artifact, and it also contained his understanding and engraving of the Goddess’s supreme power.
The hum gradually rose, transforming into an ethereal and solemn chant that echoed through the enormous underground space.
On the opposite bank of the narrow bridge, Qiansitelin’s heart almost stopped beating.
Her eyes were locked on Muxuan’s figure, which looked exceptionally small and slender before the great door.
The muscles on the Great Artisan God’s bronze face were taut, his eyes filled with uncontrollable excitement and pilgrimage-like reverence.
He instinctively shielded Theodore, who was nervously holding his breath, by his side.
That was his ancestor’s creation!
Before the Great Artisan God could utter a sigh, a heavy sound replaced the hum.
The door that had never been opened since its creation slowly opened.
And in the gap where the door moved aside, a pure, heart-shaking holy white light gushed out like a burst dam, a surging torrent that illuminated the cold metal framework, the dark vault, and even the bottomless darkness under the bridge.
Feeling that light, Muxuan couldn’t help but let out a soft moan:
“Mm…”
Then the residual stinging and red marks on her wrist and neck quickly faded.
Her pale little face regained a warm luster.
Her golden eyes shimmered brilliantly under the holy light.
An unprecedented lightness filled her entire body.
She could even clearly feel that her control and understanding of Lightforce were undergoing some profound transformation and elevation under the baptism of this holy light.
The light gradually stabilized, no longer dazzling, and turned into a soft curtain of light, quietly enveloping the space behind the opened door.
The scene inside the door was hazy in the light curtain; only an indescribable “presence” could be faintly sensed.
Muxuan took a deep breath; the air itself seemed to be imbued with a holy aura.
After a brief pause, she couldn’t help but turn her head.
Across the long bridge flowing with holy light, she looked at Qiansitelin with her worried face, the Great Artisan God standing solemnly, and little Theodore peeking curiously.
She gave them a reassuring look, then, without hesitation, raised her foot and resolutely stepped into that pure, flawless holy light.
Muxuan could feel that within this light curtain, there was something continuously pulling at her… something very important.
It was as if inside the door was part of her own body.
She didn’t know why she felt this way… but since she had come this far, there was no reason to retreat.
Moreover, within this light, her condition had fully recovered.