Chapter 837: The Separation of Soul and Core

Chapter 837: Chapter 837: The Separation of Soul and Core

The brilliant light surrounding An Mo and Teng Yunxiao continued to spread, illuminating in a blinding golden-green aura.

Su Qinglan stared anxiously at the two figures, her heart pounding against her ribs. Beside her, Xuan Long could no longer sit still, his bloodshot eyes burning with desperate panic.

"What is happening to him?!" Xuan Long demanded, his voice trembling. "Why isn’t he waking up?!"

An Mo did not answer immediately. He kept one palm pressed firmly against Teng Yunxiao’s chest, his divine aura slowly and methodically entering the ancient man’s body.

After a long, agonizing moment, An Mo finally opened his mouth, his voice dark and heavy. "He was cursed."

Xuan Long’s expression changed instantly. "Cursed?"

An Mo nodded grimly. "It seems someone forcibly imprisoned him here a long time ago. Not only was his body trapped inside this mountain, but his beast core was forcibly torn from his body."

Su Qinglan’s green eyes widened in shock. "His core?!"

"Yes," An Mo’s voice became solemn. "His beast core was ripped out of his body and sealed deep within the foundation of this cavern. Without his core, his body could never leave this place."

He looked down at the spot where the glowing green crystal had just been. "And that crystal..." His dark eyes narrowed slightly. "That crystal was his core."

Xuan Long’s entire body stiffened into stone. "The crystal...?"

An Mo nodded. "That’s why he remained here for many years. His physical body was forcibly bound to this land because his core was separated from him. He could not truly leave, even if he wanted to."

Xuan Long stared at Teng Yunxiao in complete disbelief. Then his trembling gaze fell upon the sleeping Yue Yue in Su Qinglan’s arms. "So Yue Yue..."

"She didn’t just find a magical treasure," An Mo explained gravely. "She accidentally took his sealed core with her when she tried to escape."

An Mo’s expression grew solemn. "Once the core left its altar, the mountain’s ancient seal shattered, and everything began falling apart. But more importantly..." He glanced around at the collapsed ruins.

"His body had been separated from its core for far too long. The moment Yue Yue carried the crystal away, his physical form lost its final anchor and began dissolving."

Su Qinglan finally understood the horrifying truth. "So when Yue Yue escaped... his connection was broken."

"Think about it," An Mo added, his swirling golden eyes fixed on the unconscious man.

"For thousands of years, countless wicked beastmen and power-hungry people must have entered this mountain, searching endlessly for the source of its divine power. Yet not a single one of them was ever able to locate or take this core. Do you think it was just luck?"

An Mo shook his head softly, his divine light flaring.

"Even with his core forcibly separated and his memories fading, a small trace of his soul lingered behind to guard it. His soul would have instinctively destroyed anyone who dared to touch it to protect his own life force. But when Yue Yue stumbled into that chamber... everything changed."

"Why? Is it because of..." Su Qinglan whispered, her hand instinctively tightening around her sleeping cub.

"Because of her bloodline," An Mo confirmed gravely.

"The moment his soul sensed Yue Yue, he recognized the pure Teng Snake blood flowing within her. He knew she was his own kin, his own descendant."

"Even in his senile, forgetful state, his fatherly instinct to protect his flesh and blood was stronger than his desire to survive. He willingly surrendered his core to her...knowing full well that giving it away meant breaking his anchor to this world and choosing his own death, just so she could escape."

"That’s why he was dying," Xuan Long whispered, his heart tightening into a painful knot.

"Yes," An Mo looked up at him. "That’s why I had no choice." He glanced at Teng Yunxiao’s chest, where the crystal had already fused into his sternum. "I used my divine magic to force his core back into his body."

Xuan Long stared wildly at his father’s motionless face. "Then why is he still unconscious?! Why is his spirit still flickering?!"

An Mo’s expression became even heavier. "Because his body is rejecting it."

Su Qinglan’s heart jumped into her throat. "Rejecting his own core?!"

"It has been separated from him for far too long," An Mo explained, his hands glowing brighter with divine light. "To his withered body, the core has almost become something foreign and violent."

As he spoke, Teng Yunxiao’s lean body suddenly trembled violently! A harsh, chaotic ripple of raw energy erupted from his chest, threatening to tear his internal organs apart.

An Mo immediately strengthened his divine aura, pressing down with full force. "Don’t worry," his voice remained calm and steady. "I’m helping him."

His divine spatial aura slowly wrapped around Teng Yunxiao’s trembling body, gently soothing the violent, wild energy clashing inside his chest. "His body needs time to accept the core once again."

Xuan Long watched without blinking, his fists tightly clenched so hard his nails dug deep into his bloody palms. "Will he survive?"

An Mo looked at Teng Yunxiao’s pale face for a quiet moment. "If his body accepts the core..." He paused, his dark eyes flickering. "...then he can live."

Xuan Long’s breathing stopped completely for a second. "But if it rejects it..."

An Mo did not finish the sentence. He didn’t need to. Xuan Long already understood the tragic alternative.

His eyes slowly turned bloodshot again as he stared down at the ancient man who had given him life.

After searching for his father for so many agonizing years... he had finally found him. And now, he could only stand there helplessly and watch his fate hang by a single thread.

An Mo continued channeling his divine aura, his voice quiet and reassuring. "Stay calm. I’m helping him accept his core."

The brilliant, radiant light surrounding the two men burned even stronger, washing over the ruined place. And deep beneath that heavenly glow, Teng Yunxiao’s tightly closed fingers suddenly twitched once more.