Relying on the [Concealment] amulet, You Xue had actually been hiding close to Su Li all along, watching him from not too far away.
She watched the three of them cooperate to hunt demon beasts, saw them catching their breath under a massive boulder, watched the giant serpent swoop in and treat Su Li as its prey, and witnessed them flee in panic.
Finally—
Su Li lured the giant serpent away alone.
She remained unmoved until now.
You Xue had thought about intervening.
At every moment of danger, seeing Su Li’s strained expression, she’d felt an urge she could barely suppress.
But in the end, she held back.
A small emotion influenced her: she didn’t want him to see her like this.
Yet the main reason was that, in the original story, at this point in time, Su Li had already successfully used the true power of his Supernatural Ability, [Light Blessing].
After all, this was a world of fantasy fiction.
As the world’s chosen protagonist, he had been designed from the start by the sadistic original author to be a tragic hero defeated by a cruel world.
But the prerequisite for a tragic hero was first to become a hero, to possess the power of a hero.
And Su Li’s Supernatural Ability, [Light Blessing], was naturally the source of that heroic power.
This Light Blessing came from the world’s favor.
Light was merely its most basic form, while the true power was a brand-new force built from these fundamental rays of light.
If he longed for a sword to pierce his enemy, the light of his wish would transform into a brilliant, razor-sharp longsword.
If he desired a shield to protect his companions, the sacred radiance would condense into an indestructible and dazzling shield.
If he wanted to heal someone’s injuries, that light would turn into a remedy for wounds…
Any power—so long as Su Li held conviction and sincerely prayed to the world—would be granted to him without reservation.
So, logically, this power should have no limit, should be unconstrained.
In the original story’s city-destroying disaster, he survived by chance, but became so humble, afraid of everything, utterly dejected.
His body lived, but his heart died.
Then, he was abandoned by the entire world—more accurately, abandoned by the author.
The novel’s story ended, and his future was already sealed.
In the end, Su Li lost everything, even himself.
He might encounter the same tragedy again, but he no longer had the power to change it.
Finally, carrying the same regrets as before, like an autumn wind sweeping fallen leaves, he died so easily, leaving nothing behind.
Such a tragic ending—You Xue didn’t want that to happen.
So…
She watched it all unfold, watched the giant serpent drive Su Li into a corner, watched him stumble and fall in the mud.
At last, she saw that dazzling light burst forth from within Su Li, saw the radiant longsword sever the serpent’s head.
He had taken the first step.
The event differed from the original story, but it barely put him on the right track.
After that scene, it was time for You Xue to act.
She didn’t want to appear before Su Li, because once she saw him, she’d always think of the past.
But her heart was tangled; she just couldn’t let go.
Having a little of this emotion wasn’t necessarily bad.
Because merely recalling those beautiful moments seemed to let her experience warmth she’d never felt before.
You Xue could only think that way.
Then she took off her eyepatch and stepped out.
The wind was so fierce, blowing her grayish-white hair backward.
Rain began to fall, driven sideways by the wind.
Her left eye, a blazing gold, was as dazzling as flowing lava.
Sensing the sudden presence, the giant serpent’s eight heads instantly turned, its vertical pupils locked onto that distant, petite figure.
She was so small, yet the serpent dared not advance, because from that burning vertical pupil, it felt an unassailable majesty.
You Xue took a step forward.
Her left eye felt as if it were on fire—actually, it really did burn with pain.
But she didn’t even furrow her brow.
With a wave of her hand, an invisible force expanded, spread, and enveloped the entire giant serpent.
In an instant, accompanied by a massive tearing sound, a huge hole abruptly opened in the serpent’s body.
The serpent let out a shrill hiss.
Its remaining seven heads thrashed wildly, and its massive body rolled on the ground, flattening entire trees.
It wasn’t dead.
The edges of the torn hole were visibly growing new flesh.
“You Xue…”
You Xue turned at the sound.
It was Su Li.
His face was full of shock, as if he couldn’t believe what was happening.
“You… stay here. Don’t go anywhere. I’ll deal with it.”
Their eyes met for only a second before You Xue looked away.
She didn’t want to talk to him.
She didn’t know what to say.
Was she supposed to tell him, “Your childhood sweetheart came to help you looking like this—aren’t you touched?”
She was always the type to back down at critical moments.
She could never break that bad habit.
So she walked toward the giant serpent without looking back.
She hoped this serpent was tough enough to buy her some time to think.
The serpent’s remaining seven heads had regained mobility.
Its amber vertical pupils stared intently at the tiny figure approaching it.
Its instincts told it to flee, but hunger and anger overpowered fear.
It didn’t retreat.
One head roared, opened its massive mouth, and charged at You Xue.
“Beast.”
You Xue spat the word coldly.
The domain of death turned into an invisible blade, instantly severing that head’s neck.
The head rolled away, while the remaining neck flailed wildly.
Flesh buds quickly grew at the stump, but they continuously aged and died.
She was so noble that the world had to obey her commands.
She had bestowed death upon it, so it could no longer be reborn.
The rain intensified, drenching the dust kicked up by the stampeding beasts.
The nerves in her left eye felt like they were on fire, yet she found it exhilarating.
Pain interwoven with pleasure, the burning mingling with the cold of the rain.
“Then, I shall decree your end.”
The moment the words fell, a chill suddenly erupted around You Xue.
“Death is your destination.”
The pouring rain became tainted by the aura of death, condensing into ice so cold that the crystals spread and eventually formed a giant sword larger than the serpent itself.
The giant serpent felt it.
The soul-shaking aura was closing in—a symbol of the end of all things.
It wanted to flee.
But its body no longer obeyed.
You Xue raised her right hand, fingers spread, aiming at the serpent’s massive form.
The giant sword fell, piercing through the serpent’s torso, pinning it firmly to the ground.
The serpent struggled wildly, like a writhing rope, but it couldn’t escape the sword that held it down.
Its cells continued to regenerate, but they couldn’t keep up with the rate of decay.
Finally, the serpent’s struggles grew weaker, until, as if its bones had been removed, it collapsed limply into the mud.
The rain kept falling.
Her grayish-white hair was soaked, plastered softly against her face.
“You Xue.”
It was a familiar voice, but a little weak.
You Xue turned around and saw Su Li limping toward her.
She froze for a moment, looking at her own hand.
A strange doubt arose in her heart.
Suddenly, something she couldn’t understand bothered her—why exactly did she have to help Su Li?
She could have been bound by no one, could have used this power to dominate everything.
Why did she have to die, have to endure all this pain?
Why did she have to hide in the shadows, silently waiting for the end?
Why could she only watch them live so brilliantly?
No, this wasn’t what she was supposed to accept!
You Xue covered her left eye, bent over, and let out a stifled groan.
“You Xue!”
Su Li quickened his pace, stumbling toward her.
“What’s wrong? What happened? Why are you here? What happened to your left eye?”
“Don’t come near me!”
You Xue shouted.
Su Li was frozen in place.
“No, I…”
You Xue clutched her forehead.
Countless thoughts surged and clashed in her mind.
Absolutely rotten—this world.
She came to that conclusion.
And she had no need to save anyone.
You Xue looked at Su Li.
Why was this world created?
Such a miserable, joyless story had not a single shred of meaning to exist.
Then would destroying this story also be the right choice?
Her left eye ached terribly.
Her vision suddenly went dark, and everything lost its color.
Everything in front of her turned a bleak gray.
She turned her head slightly.
The world only showed blacks and whites, devoid of any vitality.
“It’s become like this…”
You Xue was a little dazed.
She raised her hand; even her hand was only black and white.
A bit disappointed, even more afraid.
She didn’t like any of this.
Bad, rotten—she didn’t like it, yet she always had to try to accept it.
“Hey, Su Li, will you die with me?”
The black-and-white raindrops fell.
She murmured to herself in the rain, her voice hollow.
She looked back.
Her mismatched gold-and-blue eyes reflected Su Li’s figure.
“What… did you say?”
Su Li wanted to go to her, but his steps hesitated.
Everything in front of him was so real.
The girl before him was undoubtedly You Xue, his childhood sweetheart.
But Su Li felt a fear rising in his heart.
That familiar pale-blue eye and that unfamiliar brilliant golden eye were equally hollow, showing no sign of life.
It was like an abyss that could devour all light.
“With me, okay?”
You Xue tilted her head and smiled, very lightly, very faintly, carrying an obsessive air.
But when Su Li saw that smile, a chill surged through him.
He quickly threw himself aside, rolling in the mud.
Looking back at where he had been standing, a row of sharp ice spikes had sprouted from the ground, radiating a fearsome cold that stretched into the distance.
Why?
In the mud, Su Li panted heavily, unable to believe what had happened.
This was real.
She really wanted to kill him?
Su Li saw You Xue stare blankly at her outstretched hand, as if waking from a dream.
Her body trembled as she shook her head.
“I, no, I… I didn’t mean to.”
Her voice faltered.
Her gaze shifted to Su Li.
“I’m sorry.”
What kind of eyes were those?
Pain, sorrow, regret, and a deep self-loathing.
“I’m sorry.”
She said it again.
You Xue’s mind was in chaos.
All kinds of emotions burst like a broken dam, rushing violently through her mental world.
She couldn’t help but fall to her knees, clutching her head.
She actually did it…
She attacked Su Li, without even thinking.
She had clearly decided to protect him.
They were childhood sweethearts who grew up together.
He was the protagonist of the story she had admired.
The emotion called regret began to dominate, gradually suppressing those extreme, obsessive feelings, sobering her up a little.
“You Xue, I don’t know what’s going on, but you must be hurting a lot.”
Su Li’s voice came, not accusatory as she had imagined.
“You… you’re not afraid of me? Just now I wanted to die with you.”
You Xue’s voice grew softer, until by the last word it was barely audible.
“But just now you also saved me.”
You Xue heard Su Li say that.
Surprised, she looked up and met his sincere eyes.
“You must be in trouble. I’m a student at Enlightenment Academy now, and I’ve met many capable teachers. Let’s go back and find a way to solve this together, okay?”
You Xue certainly didn’t want to go to the academy or meet those so-called teachers.
But she wanted to hold Su Li’s hand, just like when they were kids.
So she stepped forward, wanting to grasp her childhood friend’s hand again.
“Su Li, watch out!”
Before Su Li could react, a sharp wind blade swept over his head.
“Alice, don’t!”
But it was already too late.
Even before the words were spoken, it was too late.
The wind blade passed through the slender waist of the girl with the grayish-white hair.
A long gash opened from her abdomen, and blood gushed from the wound—a bright red tinged with a hint of gold.
You Xue felt only a little pain.
She didn’t even look down.
Her body swayed.
She didn’t fall immediately but took another step forward.
“You Xue!”
You Xue saw Su Li rushing toward her.
She wanted to reach out, but she had no strength left.
As her body tottered and was about to fall, a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist.
It was Su Li holding her.
You Xue felt herself falling into a wet, yet warm embrace.
Did this mean…
She had been forgiven?
What came into view was Su Li’s face, full of anxiety and worry.
Good—this was good.
Back then, her mother and brother always looked at her like that, and she would force herself to endure the pain.
Smile and say she was fine.
She could never fool anyone; she just didn’t want her family to worry.
The pain in her body didn’t seem to matter anymore.
The pain from the illness didn’t matter.
The burning pain in her left eye didn’t matter.
The tearing wound in her abdomen didn’t matter.
None of it mattered.
She didn’t want him to worry.
Her vision was fading.
Her eyes could barely stay open.
She pulled the corners of her mouth, trying to form a faint smile.
She opened her mouth, and her voice was small, soft.
She said, “Thank you.”
There was half a sentence she hadn’t spoken, but the weight of her eyelids became so heavy, she couldn’t lift them.
In a daze, the world turned pitch black.