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…Humans are the greatest and only intelligent race that poses a threat to the Spirit Beast Clan in this World.
As long as the human race is erased from the World, then no matter how the Spirit Beast Clan develops in the future, it will be an internal matter for their own clan, and no one else will be able to pose a substantial threat.
Whenever this thought surfaced, Xuan Ming felt extreme revulsion and struggle. He was not inherently bloodthirsty, and destroying billions of innocent lives severely conflicted with certain bottom lines deep within him.
If it were just about eliminating the existing Spirit Master class, he might still be able to convince himself that it was eradicating a threat.
But the existence of spirit power is part of the rules of this World; as long as humans exist, those with spirit power talent will continue to be born.
Merely eliminating one generation of Spirit Masters is nothing more than a temporary solution.
Perhaps it wouldn't even take thousands of years, just a few hundred, for new Spirit Masters to emerge like bamboo shoots after rain, and the Reincarnation of history would repeat itself.
Therefore, to fundamentally "solve" the problem, there seemed to be only one path left… to completely destroy the human race!
Whenever this conclusion clearly appeared in his mind, Xuan Ming would feel a moment of trance, wondering if he had lost his sanity and was descending into madness under immense pressure.
Reason told him how crazy and cruel this was, but that obsession with his promise, and the cold logic of finding the "optimal solution" in despair, prevented him from completely ruling out this option. This cold and cruel option was still quietly listed by him as one of the ultimate "backup plans."
Especially after the Ice Dragon King sacrificed herself for him, Gu Yuena could clearly feel that Xuan Ming's deep-seated desire for destruction and his desperate, devil-may-care resolve had grown increasingly strong.
He seemed to be preparing the most insane and thorough retreat for his potential failure—even if it meant a dying counterattack, he would clear the biggest obstacle for the Spirit Beast Clan.
She was afraid. Afraid that if she told him now that even the Dragon God's divine soul had acknowledged him, implicitly placing the expectation of revitalizing the Dragon Clan and even surpassing the Dragon God upon him, would this heavy expectation become the last straw that broke him? Would it truly force him onto that path of no return, into complete madness?
She couldn't take that risk.
The pressure was already great enough. She couldn't add even a single bit more to him.
She just hugged him tighter, as if wanting to use her own body temperature to dispel the chill quietly growing in his heart, and softly said, "It's nothing, I just… suddenly wanted to hug you."
Xuan Ming was slightly startled. Although he found Gu Yuena's reaction a bit strange, feeling the warmth and dependence from her in his arms, his chaotic and heavy thoughts were temporarily suppressed. He raised his hand and gently hugged her back, whispering, "Mm."
…Sea God Island, by the Circular Sea.
Tiny white waves repeatedly washed over the pristine white sand, leaving wet marks, then quietly receding, over and over, like the restless hearts of the maidens by the shore.
Hu Liena, Ning Rongrong, Zhuqing, Xiao Wu, Dugu Yan, Ye Lingling, Shui Bing'er, Huo Wu… They stood or sat, scattered across the beach, but their gazes all converged on the distant Ice Crystal Castle, shimmering with magnificent luster in the setting sun.
"Were we… too selfish before?" Ning Rongrong looked at the sea, her voice a little ethereal.
She recalled how they used to unconsciously gather around Xuan Ming, placing their vague affection and dependence on him, yet rarely truly thinking about what they wanted and how to face this complex emotion.
Ning Rongrong sighed softly, "We always wanted him to understand, to choose, but we forgot that feelings are never one-sided demands and waiting. We threw the difficult choice to him, letting him bear all the entanglement and pressure alone."
Zhuqing's usually cold face also showed a hint of complexity: "His personality… he always takes responsibility upon himself, unwilling to hurt anyone. By pushing him like this, we only make it harder for him, and it might even… make him make a choice against his true wishes."
Xiao Wu lowered her head, her rabbit ears slightly drooped, saying nothing, lost in thought.
"Brother Xuan Ming's inability to give us a clear answer is actually… an answer in itself," Ning Rongrong said softly, a hint of understanding flashing in her eyes. "Perhaps he can't bear to reject any of us, or perhaps… he himself can't distinguish, can't bear to let go. But no matter which it is, it means we can no longer completely hand over the choice to him."
Dugu Yan stood up, "This is not just his choice, but our own choice. We must think clearly about what we truly want, what we can accept, and what price we are willing to pay."
She looked at everyone: "Do we continue this vague entanglement, making everyone suffer? Or… does someone choose to withdraw, and someone choose to persist? Or… do we find a new way of interacting that we can all accept?"
"I don't want to have regrets," Shui Bing'er said softly. She and Huo Wu exchanged glances, both seeing determination in each other's eyes. Their talents might not be as good as Hu Liena's or Ning Rongrong's; reaching this point, besides Gu Yuena's help, was more due to their unwillingness to fall behind and their obsession with following in his footsteps.
Ye Lingling nodded silently. Her nature was the gentlest and most introverted, but at this moment, her fingertips lightly gripped the corner of her clothes. The single-line inheritance destiny of the Nine Heart Begonia made her long for a stable and warm emotional home more than anyone.
Dugu Yan tossed her dark green long hair, a hint of wildness flashing in her snake eyes: "Hmph, at worst, I'll just be rejected! I, Dugu Yan, can pick up and put down! It's better than guessing like this now!"
Despite her words, her slightly trembling fingertips still betrayed her inner tension.
The sun gradually sank into the sea, dyeing the sky and waves a warm orange-red.
The sea breeze ruffled the maidens' long hair and clothes, carrying the coolness of the night… As night deepened, Sea God Island was enveloped in tranquil starlight.
The Ice Crystal Castle glowed with a cool luster in the moonlight, like a bright pearl in the deep sea.
The maidens ultimately did not choose to rush him all at once; that would only make the situation more chaotic. After a brief silence, Hu Liena proposed a method that seemed fair, yet also carried a touch of destiny—drawing lots.
"Go one by one," she held several seaweeds of varying lengths in her hand. "Say everything you want to say clearly. No matter the outcome, at least… we were brave."
No one objected. As the slips were drawn one by one, and they saw their order, everyone's heart skipped a beat.
The first was Xiao Wu.
This result surprised everyone, yet also seemed somewhat expected. Xiao Wu and Xuan Ming's bond began very early, intertwined with the grace of saving her life, the kinship of depending on each other, and later, various complex feelings that were difficult to disentangle. She appeared lively and flighty, but her mind was delicate and sensitive, and her attitude towards this relationship was the most complex and hesitant.
Time passed in silence as night deepened.
At midnight, the gates of the Ice Crystal Castle silently opened.
Gu Yuena's figure appeared at the doorway, her silver long hair flowing with a cool luster in the moonlight. Her gaze swept over those waiting on the beach, finally resting on Xiao Wu.
"He's awake, go in."
Gu Yuena stepped aside to let her enter, then gently closed the castle doors.
Inside the castle, the light was soft. The walls and dome were made of transparent ice crystals, reflecting the moonlight, appearing serene and cool. Xiao Wu followed the familiar path to Xuan Ming's room.
Xuan Ming was not Cultivating; he was just standing quietly by the window, gazing out at the boundless starry sky and the sea. Hearing footsteps, he turned around, his ice-blue eyes falling on Xiao Wu.
"I…" Xiao Wu opened her mouth, but found the words she had prepared stuck in her throat. She had originally thought she would ask him directly, as Dugu Yan had said, or express her years of affection as she had envisioned.
But when she truly stood before him, feeling his calm yet invisibly pressure-filled gaze, she suddenly realized that the "feelings" she had been struggling with all this time did not seem to be entirely about romantic love.