Chapter 28: From Now On, I Will Never Be Free Again

Su Ziye gazed quietly at Christina.

Without a word.

He rarely found himself in awe of anyone, for he himself was an intensely calm and sharp-witted youth.

Yet at this moment, he could not help but be captivated by the Christina before him.

Christina had not yet perished; even with her heart removed, even with her blood ceasing to flow, she still lived.

However, her time was running out. The primary function of blood is to carry oxygen through the limbs and torso, supplying the human body with oxygen and energy.

Leaving aside energy for a moment, simply in terms of oxygen, the human body would almost instantly plunge into a state of hypoxia once blood exchange ceased. This was especially true for the brain, which had extremely high energy demands and would lapse into unconsciousness within minutes.

As for whether Christina could successfully complete such a delicate surgical operation at this juncture, Su Ziye could not predict.

From a rational standpoint, there was absolutely no possibility; yet from a purely emotional perspective, Su Ziye hoped she would succeed.

The young girl picked up the Exquisite Heart and pressed it directly into her chest.

It came to rest precisely where her heart once was.

Then, with her fingers, she picked up the severed blood vessels one by one, reconnecting them to the Exquisite Heart.

Su Ziye watched her movements and reflected upon his own capabilities.

He truly could not have done it.

Not only could he never perform such surgery upon himself, but even if Christina were lying before him, he would have no way to complete this heart-transplant procedure.

Was this the power of the Alaya-vijnana?

Su Ziye could neither imagine nor comprehend it.

Yet he was deeply in awe.

For Christina's actual strength was exceedingly weak, yet she was truly capable of achieving such an unimaginable feat with such meager strength.

As one blood vessel after another was reconnected to the Exquisite Heart, Christina's blood began to flow into this colorful crystal sphere. Su Ziye watched as a vibrant splash of bright red gradually filled the crystal globe.

Yet Christina still did not stop.

Calmly and slowly, she continued her work—not only finishing the reconnection of the vessels, but also making subtle adjustments to the Exquisite Heart itself.

When the Exquisite Heart was originally designed, it possessed no such function as an artificial heart. Thus, Christina had no choice but to make further modifications to it. After an unknown length of time, the young girl finally let out a long, drawn-out breath.

She had held her breath almost until this very moment.

To keep her chest steady, she had not breathed at all.

Or rather, breathing would have been of no use anyway, since her lungs had lost the ability to exchange gases.

With the exhalation and inhalation of that single breath, the crystal sphere in Christina's chest finally emitted a faint, brilliant light.

Blood began to flow further within the Exquisite Heart, which then began to pump blood through the lungs. The originally dull venous blood was infused with oxygen, transforming into arterial blood that flowed back into the Exquisite Heart, before surging out along the aorta and ultimately circulating throughout Christina's entire body.

Once again, it supplied her body with oxygen and energy.

Su Ziye was on the verge of applauding Christina.

Instead, the young girl simply smiled with a sense of lingering relief.

She raised her hand and gently snapped her fingers.

The next moment, the Exquisite Heart in her chest emitted a subtle and wondrous glow, and the massive wound on her chest began to heal out of thin air.

Bones reconnected, and flesh mended the lacerations. Almost instantly, the terrifying gash on Christina's chest all but vanished, replaced by a peculiar crimson pattern right over her heart.

This pattern, born upon her chest, appeared to be interwoven threads of blood. These crimson threads formed a gorgeous flower, looking both bloody and beautiful.

Christina snapped her fingers once more.

Threads of magic began to manifest around her body, weaving themselves together until they finally formed a white coat.

Su Ziye looked at Christina, who had redressed herself, and realized she was now entirely different from before—she had practically become a brand-new life.

"Once blood enters the Exquisite Heart as a medium, I have finally attained complete mastery over it," Christina quietly explained to Su Ziye. "As I am now, perhaps even Xingxi is no longer my match."

With these words, she extended her palm toward Su Ziye: "Very well, now it is our turn to clear up the final aftermath. Will you witness the end alongside me?"

Su Ziye thought for a moment, finding no reason to refuse.

Ultimately, he reached out and grasped Christina's hand.

The next instant, the scenery before their eyes began to shift once more.

When the view solidified, Su Ziye saw Douglas, already collapsed upon the ground.

This was the massive courtyard of the Palace of Black and White that Su Ziye had seen before, now utterly ruined by the aftermath of the battle. At the edge of this shattered battlefield, Douglas lay in tattered clothing, having nearly lost all signs of life.

The outcome of this battle had finally been decided.

Before Douglas, Yi Lanshan slowly turned back.

The iron mask on his face was half-shattered, revealing a half-countenance of peerless, breathtaking beauty.

He gazed at Christina, who stood suspended in mid-air, and at Su Ziye by her side.

"I am very sorry," Yi Lanshan said quietly. "This battle has already ended. Your Highness, you have arrived too late."

"Perhaps I have not arrived too late, and this battle is only just beginning." By Su Ziye's side, Christina spoke softly: "Lord of the Mountain, I saw the warning you left behind, and therefore, I chose to remain hidden until now."

Yi Lanshan looked into Christina's eyes, and in that instant, his expression shifted.

He understood the meaning of Christina's words.

"Are you the Alaya-vijnana?" Yi Lanshan asked.

"Perhaps, though I am not certain myself," Christina did not confirm her identity as definitively as she had to Su Ziye. "However, I shall strive to prove this identity."

"For instance, right now, I have a bargain to offer you, Lord of the Mountain. I wonder if you care to listen?"

Yi Lanshan stared at the Christina before him. He was reluctant to believe this possibility, yet everything was converging toward this unthinkable outcome.

"Christina, upon the chessboard of this transaction, you have no qualification to sit."

He stated this calmly.

At the edge of the battlefield, Stella had also caught sight of her daughter. In that instant, casting all caution aside, she flew upward, coming within ten meters of Christina.

"Tina, are you alright? We are about to grant you true freedom; all you need to do is enjoy your life from now on," Stella pleaded urgently, her face stained with blood. She had previously engaged in a brutal slaughter alongside Noct and the clansmen who still supported Douglas. Corpses already littered the Palace of Black and White, but the scale of victory had tipped entirely in their favor.

"I am sorry, Mother," Christina gazed at her mother's face, speaking with a trace of sorrow. "From this day forth, I shall never be free again. You have bestowed upon me the heaviest shackles."

With these words, Christina pointed a finger at Stella. In an instant, the beautiful woman lost consciousness in mid-air, plunging straight down like a bird struck by an arrow into the courtyard below.

A deafening roar shook the earth.