Chapter 276

With Qin Feng's declaration imbued with Absolute Rule Authority, the temporal and spatial chaos within the core region of Kunlun Mountain was forcibly suppressed and frozen. The "Kunlun Star Core," the source of all anomalies, hung suspended like ice-encased amber at the center of the silent "Hollow," its silver patterns dimmed, all energy fluctuations and spiritual pollution utterly sealed and suppressed.

Absolute silence enveloped this once-ferocious region.

Qin Feng's gaze did not linger long on the now-controlled "Star Core." His perception, like the most precise radar, instantly swept across the space stabilized by Rule Force, searching for that faint yet resilient life signal—Xia Wan.

Soon, he found her at the edge of a fold in the lingering chaos of energy flows.

Xia Wan's condition was dire.

She curled within a fragile, pale golden Light Cocoon barely held together by her own Bloodline Power. The cocoon's surface was riddled with cracks, as if about to shatter at any moment. Her face was pale as translucent paper, her breath as feeble as a candle guttering in the wind; dried blood clung to her lips, corners of her eyes, and ears—the marks of severe spiritual and soul trauma.

To survive in this realm of chaotic Rule Force and omnipresent spiritual pollution, to forge that fleeting connection with the "Star Core" and transmit the critical information, she had nearly exhausted everything—her lamp was dry, her flame extinguished. Had her Bloodline not been unique, and had Qin Feng not arrived in time to stabilize this region with Rule Force, she would long ago have been torn apart by chaotic rules or entirely assimilated and erased by the inescapable spiritual corruption.

Qin Feng stepped before the Light Cocoon and extended a finger, gently touching its cracked surface.

A pure, gentle stream of Rule Force—imbued with order and vitality—seeped into the cocoon like a trickle, nourishing Xia Wan's nearly depleted life source.

Under the nourishment of Rule Force, Xia Wan's long eyelashes trembled, then, with immense effort, slowly opened her eyes.

Her gaze was initially unfocused and hollow, filled with the dazed confusion of survival and bone-deep exhaustion. After several seconds, her focus gradually sharpened, and she made out Qin Feng standing outside the cocoon, his expression calm.

There was no outburst of emotion, no tears, no sigh of relief as imagined.

Xia Wan looked at Qin Feng. In eyes once as still as water, complex emotions now churned—relief at being saved, lingering terror after enduring immense Pain, a sliver of release for completing her mission—but more than all of that… an indescribable mix of grievance, resentment, and even a trace of… bitterness.

She opened her mouth, her lips cracked and trembling, as if trying to speak, yet no sound emerged.

Qin Feng watched her silently, saying nothing, continuing to pour gentle Rule Force into her, stabilizing her injuries.

After a moment, Xia Wan seemed to finally gather a sliver of strength.

She looked at Qin Feng, her voice hoarse as a rusted bellows, trembling with heart-wrenching weakness, and with halting breath, asked a question that utterly stunned Qin Feng:

"You… came to save me…"

Her voice was soft, yet like a needle, it pierced through the absolute silence.

Before Qin Feng could respond, her eyes—depleted of most of their luster—suddenly flooded with sorrow so thick it could not be dissolved, and a near-desperate helplessness. Almost weeping, she summoned her last strength to demand:

"But… I saved you—who will save me?"

These words exploded like thunder in this space frozen by Rule Force!

It was not a question of why he came so late. Not a complaint about the mission's danger. But… a deeper, more profound lament—rising from her Bloodline and soul!

Qin Feng's finger, channeling Rule Force, trembled imperceptibly. For the first time, his eyes—once as still as an ancient well—rippled with the faintest disturbance, stirred by Xia Wan's words.

He understood.

Xia Wan was not asking about the safety of her physical body.

She was asking about her mysterious Bloodline—originating from the same source as this "Kunlun Star Core," yet seemingly burdened by some heavy fate! She was asking about her unique ability, uncontrollable, dragging her into peril time and again! She was asking about the unseen karmic chains and shackles hidden behind the unbidden "brother" she had called!

With this Bloodline Power, she had found a lifeline in despair and transmitted the critical information, indirectly "saving" Qin Feng and the "New Era" from the consequences of missing data.

But she—who bore this power, imprisoned by it, and perhaps drawn deeper into greater whirlpools because of it…

Who would "save" her from this Bloodline's fate? Who would reveal the truth behind it all? Who would help her master this power, where fortune and misfortune were intertwined?

I saved you (and your civilization)—who will save me, lost in the labyrinth of Bloodline, with an uncertain future?

This was Xia Wan's most instinctive, most desperate cry, uttered as her consciousness blurred and her spirit unraveled.

Qin Feng silently watched the girl within the Light Cocoon—fragile as if she would shatter at a touch, yet whose eyes burned with defiance and sorrow.

He slowly withdrew his finger. Her injuries had stabilized under Rule Force; her life was no longer in immediate danger.

He still did not answer her question.

Some answers must be found by herself. Some paths must be walked alone.

He simply said softly:

"Only you can save yourself."

Saying this, he did not linger, turned, and walked toward the suppressed "Kunlun Star Core."

Some secrets were ready to be unveiled.

And some responsibilities—once accepted with that "brother"—could no longer be avoided.

Xia Wan lay within the now-stabilizing Light Cocoon, watching Qin Feng's retreating back as he approached the "Star Core," and silent tears finally slipped from her eyes.

Grievance, confusion, and a faint… spark ignited by his words.

Save myself…?

She slowly closed her eyes, feeling the power within her—subtly resonating with the "Star Core," yet bound as if by invisible chains.

This path was destined to be hard.

But it seemed she had no choice but to walk it.