C2026 Do Not Die

In the heart of the shattered Fire Star, Yuan Lianyao, whose Primordial Spirit and Blazing Flame spiritual sense had been wrenched from her by the Crucible of Evil, was reverting to her true form. Deep within the fiery meteor debris, she gazed at her palms with a look of profound sorrow. The lines on her palms resembled the fissures in the Fireheart Mountains, oozing blood and emitting a crimson mist.

Peering inward with her mind's eye, she could see that her bones and organs were marred with wounds. Her body, lacking the resilience needed, seemed on the verge of bursting apart at any moment under the relentless torment of the blazing fire. The last of her vital energy and flame power seeped out through the fractures that riddled her entire body, vanishing as soon as they emerged.

Yet, she was aware that the vital energy, flame power, Soul Power, and the Lunar Spirit that had vanished from her real body, along with the Solar Spirit, were all converging towards the divine seat within the Crucible of Evil. The blazing fire, maintaining its connection to her body, continued to extract power from within her, even from the depths of the cauldron's world, with no regard for her survival.

The actions of the blazing fire would only hasten her demise, reducing her blood, bones, Lunar Spirit, and Solar Spirit to nothing but ash. Yuan Lianyao felt a wave of helplessness and sorrow wash over her. She had devoted herself to cultivation, tirelessly pursuing Yu Yuan, hoping to bridge the gap between them. Yet, she found the distance between them growing ever wider.

The Secular Bird Queen demonstrated her formidable power, capturing Lin Daoke's sword from the Sword Sect, leaving onlookers in awe. Kaiya from Boulderdawn, even while possessed by the blazing fire, managed to extract the Lunar Spirit from Yuan Lianyao's body, preserving a sliver of hope for her survival. Zhong Chichen employed his enigmatic space-time abilities to isolate her in alternate dimensions, showing restraint in his actions.

It was this restraint that allowed her to survive until now. However, the reason they had spared her, refraining from delivering a fatal blow, was merely out of concern for Yu Yuan, fearing his displeasure. Even Yu Yuan himself showed hesitation when he struck the fire shield twice, given her possession by the blazing fire.

"In the end, I've become nothing but a burden to you," Yuan Lianyao lamented. "Now, held captive by the Will of the Deep, I stand as an enemy before you. And still, it continues to siphon the scant strength I have left, contending with you at the base of the cauldron."

Yuan Lianyao offered a pained smile.

"This is not what I wanted."

She shook her head as a thought surfaced in her mind.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Flames ignited simultaneously in her sea of spiritual sense, at the vital point in her chest, and within both her Golden Sanctum and vitality little worlds. Every last bit of strength she could muster within her was set ablaze.

Boom!

Yuan Lianyao's body was consumed by fire. Sparks shot from her eyes, nostrils, and ears, while flames burst forth from the cracks spreading across her body.

She was sacrificing her own life!

To avoid being dominated by the blazing fire and opposing Yu Yuan, this woman, who had been forcibly elevated to the Supreme God status, chose a tragic way to sever her ties with the blazing fire.

She was prepared to die, to obliterate any chance of the blazing fire possessing her again, sparing Yu Yuan from any dilemma.

"This woman, she's courting death."

Hua Xin and the Indigo Wraith were taken aback by her actions.

"Why must it come to this?"

Liu Ying of the Starmoon Sect, Tan Junshan, and others, amidst the nebulous starlight where the Starpierced Armor was being forged, were equally shocked by Yuan Lianyao's decision.

"She's a tormented soul."

Tan Junshan lamented, "Anyone who seeks to unravel the mysteries of flame cannot escape the influence of the Earthfire's will. Her ascension was forced by the blazing fire and the powers of the Everlands, without any regard for her wishes."

"As long as she lives, the residual power within her will be exploited by the Earthfire. Her body, remaining strength, and soul will never be able to resist."

Liu Ying's beautiful face was etched with compassion as she listened to Tan Junshan. Biting her lip gently, she whispered, "Can Yu Yuan save her?"

"It's unlikely."

Tan Junshan shook his head with a sigh.

Yuan Lianyao, engulfed in self-immolation, finally noticed everyone's serious gazes from all around.

When the blazing fire had possessed her, those fearful and horrified looks were because of the power it wielded through her.

Once the Crucible of Evil had drawn out the blazing fire and her primordial spirit, no one spared her another glance.

As she was regaining her spiritual sense and being sapped of her strength by the blazing fire, she was left without a single person to care for her.

Only Yu Yuan's Solar Spirit glanced at her before entering the Crucible of Evil's little world; no one else gave her a second thought.

However, when she decided to pay with her life to prevent the blazing fire from drawing power from her body, it seemed to finally stir concern among everyone.

"Don't die!"

"I didn't give you permission to die, so you're not allowed to!"

"Stop this instant!"

Yu Yuan's furious roar echoed from the Crucible of Evil suspended in the air.

His roar, resonating with the fundamental rules of the Ashlands, sent shivers down the spines of all its inhabitants.

His outcry reverberated to the far reaches of the Ashlands, across Eiwrone, throughout Tyria, and into every nook and cranny of the universe!

"If I have to die, so be it. It's okay."

Yuan Lianyao smiled amidst the roaring flames, her voice tinged with sorrow, "As long as I live, it can use my body to trouble you, and that primal force is constantly warping my thoughts. I know my limits; I can't escape them, nor can I resist. Only in death can I make them stop."

Crack!

A faint cry of despair emanated from the Red Demon Bell she had been refining, as the artifact soul and the heavenly-grade artifact itself shattered because of her.

With the destruction of the Red Demon Bell, Yuan Lianyao's life force began to ebb away even faster.

Her enchanting long hair turned to ash in the flames.

Her luminous eyes slowly charred to black.

Her alluring and sensual body lost its luster, becoming as lifeless as a stone scorched red and black.

Whoosh!

Yu Yuan, submerged within the Crucible of Evil, ignored the Primal Blood's charge from the Dark Star and the Primal Vitality's will from the Wraithlands. Abruptly, he burst forth from the cauldron.

A crimson cloud brimming with boundless life force materialized in the palm of his hand.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Every formidable living creature, along with alien beasts like the Stormwraith, the Three-legged Golden Crow, and the Duskjaw, became wildly agitated, desperately trying to draw near the crimson cloud.

"Life dew!"

"The eternal life dew!"

"The very life dew that the blazing fire has been seeking!"

"It is said that only five Beast Gods or five Dark Deities of the Everlands can distill a single drop of life dew!"

Cardo of the Dawnbringers has been in search of such life dew!

A collective gasp of astonishment echoed around.

"You..."

Amidst the flames, Yuan Lianyao watched as Yu Yuan burst forth from the Crucible of Evil, a crimson cloud of blood materializing in his palm, his face a mask of bewilderment.

"I said, you're not allowed to die!"

The Blazing Fire's plea was desperate, and the Will of the Deep also urged on, striving to merge the life dew with Mo Baichuan. Following Yu Yuan's command, it forcefully pressed against Yuan Lianyao's scorched chest.

This life dew, with its power to revive the dead and grant eternal life to a giant dragon, could also nurture new life. It surged into Yuan Lianyao's heart.

Yu Yuan's eyes, red as blood, bore into her with ferocity as he bellowed, "Survive!"

A Primal Soul, emerging from the Abyss, offered its essence. The Blazing Fire imprinted the intricate laws of fire magic, forcibly elevating her to the status of Supreme God.

Yet, this would ultimately lead to her demise.

The life dew that Yu Yuan had refined was also forcibly inserted into her chest, merging with her heart in a bid to resurrect her from the brink of death.

"Uh!"

Yuan Lianyao bowed her head, feeling the life dew intertwine with her heart.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The flames that had engulfed her suddenly withdrew into her body, and the heat from the surrounding Fire Meteors, Fire Crystals, and meteorites converged on her heart.

The molten fire from the shattered Fire Star, along with the Earthfire beneath, all moved towards her.

The catalyst for this convergence was not the Blazing Fire, but the life dew within her chest!

Simultaneously,

With a snap, the divine seat she had been compelled to forge, driven by the Blazing Fire and Primal Vitality, shattered into pieces.

​