Re-birth: The Beginning after the End-Chapter 222: CHALLENGING

She placed her hand in his, feeling the familiar warmth that had returned to his touch. Mo Xing pulled her to her feet in a single fluid motion, his arms wrapping around her briefly—a gesture that seemed as much to reassure himself of her solidity as to offer her comfort. When he released her, his hand remained at the small of her back, a subtle point of connection as they turned to face their new guide.

"Please lead," Mo Xing said to the fox, his voice carrying the quiet authority of one accustomed to command, yet with newfound respect for the ancient guardian before them.

The fox bowed its head once more, nine tails fanning behind it like a crown of living flame.

As it began to move, reality around them seemed to liquefy, colors running together like wet paint in rain. A shimmering portal formed in the fox's wake, its edges pulsing with ancient symbols that rearranged themselves continuously. The white void engulfed them momentarily before new surroundings coalesced.

They emerged in a vast crystalline cavern where massive formations jutted from floor to ceiling, their surfaces reflecting prismatic light. But the beauty was marred by dark, writhing masses that clung to the crystal structures, slowly corrupting them from brilliant translucence to opaque obsidian.

Li Hua's senses tingled with warning as she studied these entities. Though different in form from those at the lake, they carried the same unsettling signature—existence that somehow violated the natural laws of the realm. She couldn't help but wonder if consuming these aberrations was truly safe, even for whatever Mo Xing had revealed himself to be.

"The first nest," the fox announced, its tails gesturing toward the corruption. "These aberrations have infected the Crystal Nexus that maintains spiritual balance across the forbidden zone."

Mo Xing stepped forward, darkness flowing from his hands with practiced control. Li Hua watched his movements carefully, noting subtle differences from his display at the lake.

Here, his actions seemed more precise, more measured—as if he were deliberately restricting the flow of his power. The entities sensed his approach and attempted to flee, their formless bodies stretching into distorted shapes as they tried to slip between crystal formations. But his shadow tendrils moved faster, encircling and consuming them with methodical efficiency.

As the last entity disappeared into the darkness surrounding Mo Xing's form, Li Hua noticed a subtle tension in his jaw—the first sign that something wasn't quite right. A flicker of concern bloomed in her chest. What if these entities were somehow toxic even to him? What if consuming too many overwhelmed whatever process allowed him to assimilate their essence? She had only just discovered this deeper aspect of his nature; the thought of losing him to it sent a cold chill through her meridians.

"Are you—" she began, moving closer with hand outstretched, but he silenced her with a slight shake of his head.

The fox led them through another reality-bending transition. This time they emerged in a grove where trees bore luminescent fruit that pulsed with spiritual energy. Here, the entities had nested within the fruits themselves, transforming them into vehicles of infection.

"The Spirit Fruit Grove," the fox explained. "Its harvest sustains the various spirit beasts that roam the Forbidden Zone."

Again, Mo Xing dispatched the aberrations, but this time Li Hua clearly saw him flinch as the darkness returned to his body. A fine sheen of sweat appeared on his forehead, and his breathing became slightly irregular—changes so subtle that only someone intimately familiar with him would notice.

Li Hua felt a knot of anxiety tighten in her chest. The confident, seemingly invulnerable man who had casually consumed lake entities was showing signs of strain that worried her deeply. Whatever price he was paying for these abilities was clearly mounting with each encounter. She wondered if the fox understood the toll this was taking—or worse, if it understood perfectly and was deliberately exploiting Mo Xing's protective nature.

When he turned away from the cleansed grove, Li Hua caught his arm. "They're hurting you," she whispered, her storm-gray eyes searching his.

"Not exactly hurting," he replied, his voice strained despite his attempt at nonchalance. "Digesting them is... challenging. My body is trying to convert it."

He's lying, she thought, seeing the telltale tightness around his eyes that betrayed genuine pain. In both her lives, she'd become adept at reading people who minimized their suffering. It was a trait she recognized because she practiced it herself—downplaying injury to maintain control of a situation. But why? Why would he endure such pain? Was whatever hidden in the shrine that important?

Before she could press further, the fox opened another portal, and Li Hua's protest died on her lips.

"The Boundary," the fox intoned. "The threshold between the Ascending Plateau Realm and the Forbidden Zone."

Mo Xing stepped forward, but Li Hua noticed his hesitation—a fractional pause that spoke volumes about his condition. As his darkness expanded to envelop the entities, a tremor ran through his physical form. The consumption process took longer this time, and when it finally completed, blood trickled from his nose—a crimson line stark against his increasingly pale skin.

"We need to stop," Li Hua insisted, stepping between Mo Xing and the fox. "This is harming him." Her protective instinct flared with unexpected intensity, surprising even herself.

The fox's tails swayed in what might have been concern. "The shrine is just beyond the final gateway. There, he can rest."

Mo Xing wiped the blood away with the back of his hand. "I can continue," he stated, though the slightest quaver in his voice betrayed him.

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She bit back further protest, knowing his pride wouldn't allow for weakness. Instead, she moved closer to his side, her arm subtly positioned to support him if needed.

Their final transition brought them before an impossibly ancient structure built into the side of a mountain that seemed to exist simultaneously in multiple planes of reality. Parts of it shifted between states of matter—stone becoming mist becoming light before returning to solid form in endless cycles.

"The Ancient Shrine," the fox announced. "Within lies both knowledge and relief."

As they approached the massive doors that absorbed light rather than reflecting it, Mo Xing stumbled, dropping to one knee. His golden eyes flickered with internal struggle, and veins of darkness became visible beneath his skin, pulsing with unnatural rhythms.

Li Hua was at his side instantly, her heart racing with fear as she wrapped an arm around his waist. "Mo Xing!" she cried, all formality forgotten as she felt his body tremble against hers. The darkness beneath his skin seemed to respond to her touch, calming slightly where her fingers made contact. She pressed her palm against his chest, channeling her own essence into him in a desperate attempt to stabilize whatever conflict raged within.

"Hold on," she whispered fiercely, her voice thick with emotion. "Just hold on a little longer." Her eyes searched his face, finding pain there that he had carefully hidden during their journey. How long had he been suffering while pretending to be fine? The realization that he had endured this torment without complaint only intensified her determination to help him.

"Quickly," the fox urged, its voice sharp with sudden urgency. "Get him inside. There are a few bedrooms inside, take him to one of them."

Adjusting her stance to better support his weight despite their difference in size, Li Hua helped Mo Xing toward the entrance, her fear transforming into focused resolve.