The importance of her and her sister in Lord Qi Zhimu's heart was originally far from being comparable to Jingliu's.
He only saw them as subordinates, or friends with the same tragic past.
But that didn't stop him from doing so much for them.
Saving them time and again on the battlefield, and laboring for years over her leg ailment.
Lord Qi Zhimu didn't know that she and her sister had long since ceased fighting for themselves, or for Yaoqing or the Alliance, but for him.
Without him, they should have died in that catastrophe in Azure City.
Following his will and walking the path of hunting the immortal emissaries, they had no regrets.
When he finally learned all this, they successfully occupied a place in his heart.
But by then, their deaths were already a foregone conclusion.
So Lord Qi Zhimu asked: Were they willing to fall into the abyss with him?
The answer required no thought at all.
To Lord Qi Zhimu, it was an abyss from which there was no turning back.
To her and her sister, it was the only future where they could follow Lord Qi Zhimu and fulfill the oath they had long ago sworn to fight for him.
Even if they became the greatest sinners of the Xianzhou for all eternity, they would not be alone... After an unknown amount of time, Qi Zhimu finally stopped self-harming, and the frenzied crimson in his eyes gradually faded, returning to clarity.
Clear Cold slowly approached, the worry in her eyes unconcealed.
"Lord Qi Zhimu, can even something as strong as The Self-Actualization Aspect not dilute the influence of the mara affliction?"
"Because of her... I can't for the time being."
"Jingliu?"
"Yes, to save you and Sleeping Snow, I must stabilize your consciousnesses to resist the negative effects brought by activating The Self-Actualization Aspect."
Qi Zhimu said softly:
"But your near-death consciousnesses were too fragile; I could only briefly merge my consciousness with yours."
"With our consciousnesses merged, you were able to see parts of my memory."
As for deeper memories that did not belong to this world, they were naturally protected by the system.
And he could see more in the sisters' memories, including their emotions.
Even though he had sensed it before, he was still touched when facing the answer directly, learning things he hadn't noticed in his daily life.
For example, even if he ordered the sisters to charge into a tide of Abominations to their deaths, they would not question him in the slightest.
Becoming the entirety and faith in others' hearts caused complex ripples to rise in Qi Zhimu's heart.
Clear Cold nodded; she naturally understood what he said.
They had already learned most of Qi Zhimu's important memories from the Star Calendar year 5749, when the second Abundance Plague War broke out at Yueque, until now.
It was also then that Clear Cold truly understood—
The way Qi Zhimu had cured her leg ailment back then was actually by transferring the residual power of Rahu into his own body, suppressing and devouring it with The Self-Actualization Aspect to make it his own.
The flesh, nutrients, and blessing power of the countless Abominations of Abundance that died at his hands were all plundered.
If these plundered powers were used to strengthen himself with The Self-Actualization Aspect technique, the level of Abundance blessing would increase with accumulation.
When it reached a high enough level, it should be able to dilute the influence brought by the mara affliction.
But now, perhaps these plundered Abundance powers would have to be used to fill Jingliu's 'heaven-deficient condition' symptoms.
Thinking of this, Clear Cold didn't ask further, her gaze falling on Qi Zhimu's solid chest.
Inside beat a heart that didn't originally belong to him, an abundance scourge originating from the deceased Borisin war leader, Ussa.
The mass of minced meat handed over to the Ten Lords Tribunal was merely a portion carved from the surface of the heart.
After a certain amount of time, that portion of heart meat would also regenerate.
This was the terrifying thing about an abundance scourge.
If Ussa hadn't needed this item to command the entire race and consolidate his power—if it were shared with the pack—it would have surely brought immense trouble to the Xianzhou.
But that was impossible; if shared, how could one remain a dictatorial ruler?
Before Ussa became the Borisin war leader, he was a member of the Eclipsed Moon Hunting Pack.
The Eclipsed Moon Hunting Pack were the most battle-hardened predators; their founder claimed to have swallowed the flesh of a god, and was thus known as the God-Devouring Hunter.
The Borisin of this pack received the most lunar madness blessings, falling into an uncontrollable state of madness when entering lunar madness.
A small number of Foxians on Yaoqing could also suffer from lunar madness symptoms, so it was a mandatory course in Cloud Knight training, and everyone was very familiar with it.
The characteristics and traditions of the Eclipsed Moon Hunting Pack led them to prefer consuming the flesh of different races, constantly mutating and innovating their genes.
Therefore, when fighting the Eclipsed Moon Hunting Pack, one had to focus on clearing the battlefield; the remains of comrades must not be left behind.
This was not just a matter of honor and emotion, but a regulation that had to be enforced.
In summary, it would be a lie for Clear Cold to say she wasn't worried.
No one had ever tried to transplant a scourge from a Borisin's body and assimilate it into an internal organ through The Self-Actualization Aspect technique; heaven knew if there were hidden dangers.
"It is something from a Borisin after all, and the blessing level is not low. Won't there be side effects?" Clear Cold asked with concern.
"Yes. If I'm not careful, it's easy to get lost in a bloodlust, causing mental loss of control and inducing mara. If I kill for too long, or too much, I even feel like drinking blood."
Speaking of side effects, Qi Zhimu couldn't help but frown.
Regarding Abominations of Abundance, although every Cloud Knight wished they could eat their flesh and drink their blood,
Generally speaking, who would actually do such a thing?
He plundered the Abominations of Abundance only by using The Self-Actualization Aspect technique to seize the nutrients and blessings in their flesh, rather than directly devouring them with his mouth.
"Can The Self-Actualization Aspect eliminate this influence?"
"It should. That impulse isn't hard to restrain. As I plunder more Abundance blessings, the influence will gradually weaken."
At this, Qi Zhimu studied Clear Cold's face, remaining silent for a long time.
Clear Cold was a bit puzzled by his gaze and became slightly self-conscious.
"What is it, Lord Qi Zhimu?"
"Possessing The Self-Actualization Aspect means it can never be undone. It means committing the Ten Unpardonable Sins, being tolerated neither by the Ten Lords Tribunal nor by the laws of the Xianzhou. Do you really not regret falling into such an abyss?"
"Lord Qi Zhimu!!"
Hearing this, Clear Cold couldn't help but bite her lower lip. A strong impulse surged in her heart, prompting her to step forward—
She stood on her tiptoes, reached out to wrap her arms around his neck, and kissed his lips without a word.
Qi Zhimu was stunned.
After a good moment, Clear Cold realized what she had done. She pulled away and let go in a panic, not quite daring to look him in the eye.
"...Before, Lord Qi Zhimu did not respond to this humble girl's feelings because of your involvement with the forbidden. But now, we are already walking on the exact same path..."
"My sister's and my future continue because of you. No matter the outcome, we accept it calmly and will never regret it for all eternity."
She plucked up the courage to try and hold his hand, but changed it to a hug halfway, tightly embracing his waist.
Even in the cold, deep sea, Qi Zhimu could still feel the body temperature of the woman in his arms and her unreserved sincerity.
He was speechless.
It was precisely because he knew the bitterness of walking in the abyss that he didn't want those who loved him to step into this realm... and it was precisely because the one in his arms was someone willing to give everything for him that he had asked that question.
If one person falling into the abyss could trade for their safety, and the safety of his disciple,
He would not hesitate.
"In that case, follow me then... The war is not yet over. It's time to prepare for the next battle."
When the war ended, he would renew the future for Jingliu.