New chapter 26

# Chapter 26 — Resonance of Two Souls

# Sun City — Eastern Breach District

The street remained silent after the resonance explosion.

Broken stone scattered across the ruined district while silver-black spiritual energy slowly faded through the air like mist after lightning.

And surrounding Xu Yuan and Xia Yu—

corrupted beasts lay dead everywhere.

Some exploded apart completely.

Others fled trembling into deeper streets.

Fearfully.

---

Several cultivators stared toward the two in disbelief.

One younger guard slowly lowered his weapon.

“…What was that?”

Nobody answered him.

Because nobody understood.

---

Xu Yuan himself still held Xia Yu’s wrist unconsciously.

The warmth of her spiritual energy continued flowing through him naturally while the violent resonance inside his chest gradually stabilized again.

This time—

it felt calmer.

Less painful.

---

Then Xu Yuan noticed everyone staring.

Including Xia Yu.

He quietly released her wrist afterward.

“…Sorry.”

Xia Yu calmly shook her head.

“You reacted correctly.”

Lin Hao slowly walked closer while looking emotionally exhausted.

“I don’t even know what counts as normal anymore.”

Xu Yuan looked thoughtful briefly.

“I think normal left the city around the time giant sky eyes appeared.”

“That was unfortunately accurate.”

---

Nearby guards slowly resumed moving again after the shockwave dispersed.

Several rushed toward injured civilians while others cautiously searched surrounding streets for remaining corrupted beasts.

The city never stayed calm long anymore.

---

Meanwhile—

high above the eastern mountains—

the giant crimson eye continued watching silently.

And now—

Xu Yuan could clearly see two thicker crimson threads descending from it.

One connected to him.

The other—

to Xia Yu.

---

His expression slightly changed.

Something about that felt dangerous.

---

The Observe ability activated automatically again.

---

> Target Detected:

>

> Soul Resonance Pair

>

> Synchronization Rate: Increasing

>

> Warning:

>

> Ancient entities responding

---

Xu Yuan immediately disliked the word “warning.”

The system loved warnings far too much.

---

Xia Yu noticed his expression again.

“You saw something.”

Xu Yuan hesitated briefly.

Then quietly answered:

“…I think the gate noticed us both now.”

Lin Hao immediately looked horrified.

“You say that like it’s a small problem!”

---

Before Xu Yuan could answer—

multiple explosions echoed from farther inside the district.

BOOOOM!

BOOOOM!

Another corrupted wave attacked nearby barricades.

---

“Reinforce the southern streets!”

“Protect the healers!”

“Formation masters to the lower district!”

Chaos spread again instantly.

---

Xu Yuan exhaled slowly.

Apparently reality refused giving him time to mentally collapse properly.

---

The three quickly moved deeper into the damaged district alongside several Xu Family disciples.

The closer they approached—

the worse the corruption became.

Buildings covered in black crystal growths lined broken streets while crimson mist drifted between ruined houses silently.

Some areas barely looked like Sun City anymore.

---

One younger disciple nervously whispered:

“The corruption spreads faster every hour…”

Another answered quietly:

“At this rate the entire eastern district will fall by tomorrow.”

---

Then suddenly—

a scream echoed from ahead.

Everyone rushed forward immediately.

---

Several civilians had become trapped beneath collapsed buildings while corrupted creatures slowly circled nearby.

The beasts hadn’t attacked yet.

They simply watched.

Waiting.

---

Xu Yuan frowned slightly.

Something felt wrong.

---

Then—

one corrupted humanoid slowly lifted its head toward him.

Its crimson eyes flickered violently.

Recognition again.

---

The creature suddenly took one step backward.

Then another.

Fearfully.

---

The other corrupted beasts reacted similarly.

None attacked.

Instead—

they retreated slowly into surrounding ruins while staring toward Xu Yuan cautiously.

---

Nearby cultivators froze again.

One guard quietly muttered:

“…They’re afraid of him.”

---

Xu Yuan honestly wished people would stop saying things like that aloud.

---

Lin Hao leaned closer nervously.

“At this point you either become humanity’s greatest hero or greatest disaster.”

Xu Yuan calmly answered:

“Those sound surprisingly close together.”

“That response was NOT comforting.”

---

Meanwhile—

Xia Yu quietly observed the retreating corrupted beasts.

Her silver eyes narrowed slightly.

“They’re not afraid of you.”

Xu Yuan looked toward her.

“What?”

She stared toward the distant crimson gate silently before answering.

“They’re afraid of something inside you.”

---

For several seconds—

Xu Yuan said nothing afterward.

Because strangely—

he felt she was correct.

---

Then suddenly—

the giant crimson eye above the mountains pulsed again.

BOOOOOOM!

This time—

every crimson thread throughout the city tightened violently.

---

Xu Yuan instantly felt it.

A massive pulling sensation erupted inside his chest.

The resonance became unstable again.

And beside him—

Xia Yu suddenly grabbed the wall briefly.

Her spiritual energy fluctuated violently too.

---

Xu Yuan immediately moved toward her.

“You okay?”

Xia Yu slowly steadied herself.

“…It tried pulling my spiritual energy.”

Nearby cultivators instantly turned pale hearing that.

---

Then—

the Observe function activated again automatically.

---

> Soul Resonance Detected

>

> External entity attempting synchronization

>

> Resistance successful

---

Xu Yuan’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Synchronization?

The eye wasn’t simply observing anymore.

It was trying to connect.

---

Far above the mountains—

the crimson eye slowly widened.

And within its center—

something ancient stirred.

A massive silhouette barely visible behind endless crimson clouds.

Watching.

Waiting.

---

Then—

the cold voice echoed inside Xu Yuan’s mind again.

Clearer than ever before.

> “The incomplete fragment has found its pair…”

---

BOOM!

Xu Yuan’s resonance exploded violently.

Black symbols briefly spread across his neck this time before fading instantly.

Several nearby cultivators noticed.

And fear spread rapidly again.

---

One younger disciple stepped backward nervously.

“Those symbols…”

“They look exactly like the ones on the gate…”

Another whispered shakily:

“…What if he’s connected to whatever is sealed there?”

---

Xu Yuan heard every word clearly.

And for the first time—

he realized something dangerous.

If the city became frightened enough—

people might eventually fear him more than the corruption itself.

---

Before the atmosphere could worsen further—

Zhao Tianhe suddenly appeared atop nearby ruins.

His voice exploded across the district firmly.

“All cultivators return to defensive positions immediately!”

The tension eased slightly afterward.

The city lord’s presence still stabilized people.

Barely.

---

Zhao Tianhe’s gaze briefly landed on Xu Yuan and Xia Yu.

Complicated.

Thoughtful.

But he said nothing.

Not yet.

---

Then—

far beyond the eastern mountains—

another ancient chain cracked apart.

CRAAAAACK!

The sound echoed across heaven and earth.

And this time—

something inside the gate laughed.