But the loss solidified his resolve. It was proof of the cost, proof of his choices.
"We are at an impasse, then," Ye Cangtian growled, his form radiating immense power. "You cannot defeat them without my full power, and I cannot manifest my full power without a willing vessel. You cannot fight the Taixu Palace by yourself, boy. Not even you."
"Then we will fight together," Xiaochen declared, his voice firm. "But not with you controlling me. With us cooperating. You are the knowledge, the power, the ancient fury. I am the will, the strategist, the one who remembers the faces of the people we fight for."
Ye Cangtian hesitated, his crimson eyes studying Xiaochen with an unsettling intensity. The vast, ethereal chamber of Xiaochen’s mind was silent, save for the faint, desperate pulsing of
