112: Memory Anchor 1

The night sky over the Magic Beast Mountain Range was covered by white petals, and with each falling petal, the surrounding temperature dropped a degree.

Outside Yao Chen's small house, a layer of frost had already formed, and the defensive Formation creaked under the low temperature, sounding overwhelmed.

Inside the house, Xun'er held Xiao Yan's hand, and the Golden Emperor Sky Burning Flame circulated where their hands touched.

She gazed at Xiao Yan's tightly shut eyes and the black Texture spreading across his right cheek, her heart aching.

It hadn't been long since they last met, yet her Flame Brother had transformed into this state.

"Are you ready?" Yao Chen held the Bone Chill Cold Fire, its silvery-white flames casting flickering shadows within the small house.

"Once we begin, we cannot stop."

Xun'er nodded resolutely, while Xiao Bing and Ling Xiao on the other side were also prepared as Protectors.

"Aunt said that people from the Purification Sect would find this place soon," Xiao Bing's left arm was already covered in interwoven red and blue ice-flame Texture.

"We will try our best to buy time."

Ling Xiao's silver hair moved without wind, and the nexus seed floated in his palm: "Xuan Shuang Celestial Venerable is more than ten times stronger than Frost Soul... but we will hold the line."

Yao Chen took a deep breath, and the Bone Chill Cold Fire and Golden Emperor Sky Burning Flame simultaneously landed on Xiao Yan's brow, forming a peculiar flame vortex: "Remember, in the spiritual world, do not trust everything you see.

Look for the brightest emotional memory points; those are places Chaos cannot completely erode."

Xun'er closed her eyes, her consciousness following the flames into the vortex.

Yao Chen's illusory figure followed closely behind.

Only the faint sound of burning flames and the increasingly approaching chill from outside remained in the small house.

When Xun'er opened her eyes again, she found herself standing in a shattered world.

The sky was dark red, like dried bloodstains, and the earth was cracked, with countless memory fragments floating about.

Each fragment flickered with blurred images, but most were entangled by black threads, becoming fragmented.

"This is Flame Brother's spiritual world..." Xun'er reached out her hand tenderly to touch the nearest fragment.

The image vaguely showed young Xiao Yan testing his Qi, surrounded by the mockery of his clansmen.

The black threads, like living things, immediately wrapped around her fingers!

"Be careful!" Yao Chen's illusory figure appeared in time, and the Bone Chill Cold Fire cut off the black threads.

"Do not directly touch corrupted memories!"

Xun'er quickly retreated, the Golden Emperor Sky Burning Flame automatically protecting her: "These black threads..."

"The seed of chaos is devouring his memories," Yao Chen's expression was solemn as he looked around.

"We must find uncorrupted 'anchors' to awaken his true self-consciousness."

The two cautiously navigated through the memory labyrinth.

The deeper they went, the more bizarre the scenes became—some fragments turned completely black, emitting inhuman roars; others repeatedly played a painful moment, such as the scene of Nalan Yanran breaking off the engagement, which was repeated thousands of times.

"Flame Brother has endured so much..." Xun'er's eyes welled up, and the Golden Emperor Sky Burning Flame, sensing its master's emotions, shone even brighter.

Suddenly, a memory fragment much brighter than the others caught their attention.

The image showed young Xiao Yan and Yao Chen's first meeting in a cave, with Yao Chen guiding him in refining Foundation Establishment Spiritual Liquid.

"This is..." Yao Chen approached in surprise.

"A clean memory!" Xun'er said joyfully, "It hasn't been corrupted by black threads!"

Indeed, this fragment was not entangled by black threads and instead emitted a faint silver light.

Yao Chen tried to touch it with the Bone Chill Cold Fire, and the fragment immediately expanded, sucking them into it.

A familiar scene reappeared—in the cave, young Xiao Yan was intently controlling the flames, and Yao Chen's illusory figure was guiding him.

When Yao Chen said, "From today on, you are my Disciple," the light in the young boy's eyes was pure and fervent.

"Emotional memories..." Yao Chen mused, "Especially those profound moments that changed the trajectory of one's life, Chaos finds it difficult to completely erode them."

Xun'er suddenly pointed to the edge of the fragment: "There's a passage there!"

At the edge of the memory scene, there was indeed a faint path of light extending into the depths.

The two stepped in without hesitation, and the path of light immediately closed, teleporting them to the next "anchor."

This time, it was the back mountain of the Xiao Family, a night when young Xiao Yan and Xun'er sat side by side.

Under the starry sky, the girl softly said, "I believe Flame Brother will definitely become a strong practitioner," and the boy secretly resolved to be worthy of that trust.

Seeing this scene, Xun'er's tears finally fell: "So he remembers it so clearly..."

The path of light reappeared, leading them deeper.

One "anchor" after another was activated—the joy of obtaining the first strange flame, the sense of responsibility from forming the Yan Alliance, the move of reuniting with his father...

With each anchor awakened, the sky of the spiritual world brightened a bit, and the spread of black threads also slowed down.

However, when they arrived at the deepest part of the memory labyrinth, the scene before them stunned both of them.

A giant black heart floated in the center of the Void Realm, with countless black threads extending from it, connecting all the memory fragments.

Even more alarming, the heart was bound by seven chains, each connected to a tightly protected memory bubble.

Six of them were already dim and lifeless, with only the last one still faintly flickering.