063 The Awakening of the Nether Butterfly (1)

Agonizing pain shot through her knees, the cold seeping in, banishing the last trace of warmth. Nuoluo remained kneeling on the ground, bidding farewell to the familial bond she had lost.

Niaoniao was deeply worried for Nuoluo. Now, it could no longer sense her presence—what had become of her? The King of the Underworld and Lige had blocked every escape route, enclosing it within a cramped space it could not easily escape. At the same time, they too were trapped.

Now, the only threat Nuoluo had to worry about was the Guardian. Would she succeed? Niaoniao’s gaze flicked anxiously toward Nuoluo, and panic swept across its features.

A sudden cry broke the tension. In the instant Niaoniao was distracted, Lige struck it with a fierce blow. It crashed to the ground, a cry of pain tearing from its throat—a sound so desperate and anguished it seemed as if it might shatter the barrier itself, filled with bitterness and endless suffering. How could Niaoniao, already struggling against the King of the Underworld and Lige, bear such a ruthless attack?

A trickle of crimson slid down Niaoniao’s lips, strange and sorrowful.

“Nuoluo, you fool! Why are you still kneeling there? Get up! Danger!” Wounded and furious, Niaoniao tried to shout at Nuoluo, but all that came out was a tormented groan. Its voice could not reach her. The time it had fought so hard to win for her was being wasted so carelessly—what was she thinking?

“Nuoluo, get up, quickly! Danger!” Niaoniao gazed at her in fear.

Nuoluo, still kneeling, never looked up. When the heart is broken beyond endurance, there is no more pain—none left to be felt. Her mind was a blank void, empty as her heart, granting herself this single moment to forget her burdens and mourn her lost kin.

The Guardian’s hand fell, and a surge of overwhelming power crashed down upon Nuoluo.

“Danger!” Niaoniao screamed with all its might, forced to watch as Nuoluo was flung high into the air and then slammed down onto the ground.

“Nuoluo, you great fool!” Niaoniao’s voice broke with grief.

After enduring so much peril, was it possible that disaster would strike at this final moment? What had happened to her—what wound had so destroyed the strength of the ever-resilient Nuoluo?

Had her soul become ensnared in some invisible illusion, blinding her to reality?

Niaoniao squeezed its eyes shut in despair. Her fate, it seemed, was already sealed.

Nuoluo lay on the ground, blood gushing from her body, pooling beneath her and winding toward Niaoniao in a crimson stream. She had not resisted the Guardian’s ferocious blow; even the pain in her flesh could not repair the fissures in her soul. Blood veiled her gaze as she stared vacantly toward the barrier above. Now was the time to awaken—she no longer had the right to indulge herself. Only the pain of her body could jolt her numb spirit back to consciousness.

Nuoluo and Niaoniao seemed destined for doom; the shadow of death hung heavy above them.

Niaoniao opened its eyes for one last look at her. “Oh!” Its mouth gaped in disbelief, eyes wide—what was happening? What had occurred in the instant its eyes had been closed?

Nuoluo, lying in the blood, was rising—slowly, she stood!

The Guardian could not believe its eyes. She was able to stand? That blow had nearly exhausted all its strength; after such a grievous wound, how could she possibly rise again?

The King of the Underworld’s eyes lit up. “Could it be—?”

Lige, too, stared in disbelief. Had the Guardian’s power been neutralized?

Nuoluo, standing once more, seemed reborn. The barrier’s protection reappeared, flawless. In that instant of ice and fire entwining, a faint breath was heard.

The Underworld Butterfly had finally awakened. When Nuoluo’s blood stained both her hands, and that blood seeped through her palms, the slumbering Underworld Butterfly was at last called back to life.

It fluttered joyfully in Nuoluo’s palm, wings beating with abandon. As its power flowed, it lent her new strength.

Nuoluo felt a profound change overtake her body, reminiscent of the strange encounter when she first met the Underworld Butterfly on Sunset Mountain, reminiscent of the wonder it first bestowed upon her. The butterfly’s breath was like a bolt of lightning, stirring the last reserves of courage in Nuoluo’s heart. She had lost too much already; the Earth God lineage could withstand no further harm.

Nuoluo’s eyes fell on Niaoniao—her steadfast companion. She begged forgiveness for the pain she had caused it, forgiveness for the anguish she’d brought at the last moment.

Seeing the blood at the corner of Niaoniao’s mouth sent a shock through Nuoluo’s heart. At last, she roused herself from her agony.

The Underworld Butterfly, as if no longer content to only flutter in her palm, beat its wings faster and faster, eager to soar once more in the boundless sky.

Back at Sunset Mountain, it had not yet regained its full strength; it needed Nuoluo’s power, a perfect space to grow. Nuoluo’s arrival had given it hope of rebirth—a perfect choice. Since entering her palm, it had slumbered, but once Nuoluo obtained the Sacred Fire of the Earth Spirit, her strength grew and so did the butterfly’s. They complemented each other; its hidden strength became her support.

After Nuoluo entered the Underworld, it returned to its longed-for realm. Everything in the Underworld was like a natural energy field, endlessly nourishing it.

Finally, with Nuoluo’s acquisition of the Nether Fire, all the conditions for reigniting the Sacred Fire of the Earth’s Core were fulfilled.

The Underworld Butterfly could finally awaken. As the Nether Fire fused with Nuoluo’s body, it felt an indescribable shock.

The most extreme flame—though not yet fully integrated—was the purest source of all power. The butterfly, waking from slumber, greedily absorbed it.

With the butterfly’s awakening, the Earth Spirit’s Sacred Fire’s fierce heat, and the Nether Fire’s icy chill, three powers radiated from Nuoluo’s body, surging through the barrier like pounding waves.

Nuoluo smiled faintly at Niaoniao and, in an instant, was at its side.

The Guardian’s vision blurred; when he looked again, they were gone. Nuoluo’s final burst of power had whisked them from the Nether Fire Barrier.

The Guardian could sense the mysterious force that had flared within Nuoluo at the last moment—could it truly be the Underworld Butterfly? She possessed the Underworld Butterfly! The Earth God lineage possessed the Underworld’s Supreme Butterfly. He sighed inwardly; some things defied all reason. Perhaps his only comfort was that he could once more sense the butterfly’s formidable presence.

He stared a long while in the direction where Nuoluo had vanished, then quietly turned away. It was time for the Nether Fire Barrier to return to calm.

Once the Earth God lineage became involved, all events strayed from their natural course. The developments were ever full of dramatic turns.

With the appearance of the Underworld Butterfly and the departure of the Nether Fire, after Nuoluo left the barrier, he could no longer wound her.

For tens of thousands of years, he had been the Nether Fire’s last shield. Though the King of the Underworld and Lige could not easily enter the barrier, it was not forbidden.

But as the Guardian, endowed with immense power, he could never take a single step beyond the barrier. His strength could be wielded only within; the Nether Fire Barrier was more like a cage—a prison for eternity. His existence was a secret of the Underworld, but for him, it was a sorrow.

The King of the Underworld and Lige exchanged a glance, each seeing shock in the other’s eyes. The butterfly’s power had reached such a level. Now, they shared a single thought: she must not leave the Underworld, or if she did, the butterfly must remain.

“After her!”

They turned to the Guardian. Lige was startled to see a trace of sadness in the Guardian’s eyes. He was…sad?

The Guardian waved them away with a gentle gesture, signaling them to go. He understood their intentions clearly, and in Lige’s gaze, he even saw urgent anticipation.

He recalled that ancient legend about the Underworld Butterfly—he recalled Lige’s fate. Now, he understood Lige’s longing.

The King of the Underworld and Lige left the barrier.

The Guardian returned to the place of his first awakening and lay down slowly. On his shoulder, a strange little spark still fluttered. The Nether Fire had departed; it would need long ages to grow again, waiting for another challenger, or perhaps to linger in silence for millennia.

After all, the Nether Fire Barrier was not open to just anyone. Besides absolute strength and courage, one needed opportunity. The little spark would not so easily merge with the Nether Fire.

The trembling of that little spark seemed to breathe new life into the barrier. With Nuoluo’s departure, the silence returned, yet the Guardian felt a touch of loneliness.

It was harder to accept than decay after glory. After such a great contrast, the emptiness within became even more acute.

The Guardian sighed again. He had not yet noticed his own change, but the little spark had. This always-aloof Guardian was sighing—and not just once. What was happening to him?

The Guardian slowly closed his eyes, recalling every event that had unfolded within the barrier—from the first time a member of the Earth God lineage entered, meeting Fengming and Lingji, to the second time, meeting Nuoluo. Everything played out in his mind like a slow-unfolding scroll.

Every detail was etched deeply in his memory, never to fade. No matter what, the Earth God lineage was always a worthy opponent.

As the Guardian drifted into slumber, the Underworld Barrier returned to silence. Only the soundless wind bore witness to all that had occurred, chronicling the story of Nuoluo, the miracles of the Earth God lineage. They had won their dignity in their own way.

——Author’s Note——

Apologies, apologies, today’s update is a bit late. Please forgive me!