Only I Walk Alone

Su Xiaoyu passed out.

The horrific nightmares had already deprived her of proper rest, and today, after a series of blows, her last hope had been shattered. Her spirit could no longer bear the burden, leading to her fainting.

The Fox Immortal remarked, “Fainting here, she might very well freeze to death.”

She squatted down, intending to gently touch Su Xiaoyu’s head, but, unfortunately, she touched nothing.

Su Xiaoyu was a person from two hundred years ago; Wu Ge and his companions couldn’t help her. They could only watch helplessly.

We are usually powerless over things that have already happened.

Wu Ge and the Fox Immortal silently observed the unconscious Su Xiaoyu. She seemed cold, curling up, her body trembling slightly, her eyelashes covered with a layer of frost.

Wu Ge frowned, unable to bear the sight. He approached, dispelled the phantom, and then sat down cross-legged on the spot.

The Fox Immortal inquired, “What are you planning to do?”

Wu Ge explained, “Everything in the world is connected, whether in the past or the future. The connections never break. Fox Immortal, perform the spell you cast earlier on me; I’m going into meditation.”

Closing his eyes, Wu Ge had already experienced the stages of awakening, disillusionment, and astral projection. Now, he was attempting a new realm, casting a novel spell that no practitioner had ever contemplated.

That spell was to go against the flow of time, sending his consciousness back to the past.

No one had ever tried this spell, nor had anyone considered its possibility. To many, sending consciousness back seemed impossible, as it would imply reversing causality and altering the past at will.

But Wu Ge’s thoughts and actions had always been out of sync with the world, just like Su Xiaoyu’s decision to diverge from the norm the moment she made it.

If Su Xiaoyu had the courage to take that step, so did Wu Ge.

Sitting cross-legged and closing his eyes, Wu Ge calmed his mind, cutting off all distractions. Forgetting everything, ignoring everything, he relinquished control over his body, letting his spirit drift.

Gradually, Wu Ge entered a mystical realm, where he saw a golden river. This river wasn’t filled with water but with golden particles, rolling downstream like flowing sand.

However, Wu Ge went against the current, moving upstream until he sensed a familiar presence.

Suddenly opening his eyes, Wu Ge found himself back at the bottom of the cave, but the Fox Immortal and Xiao Chao were gone, with only the curled-up Su Xiaoyu remaining.

She was trembling slightly, her body curled up tightly, her breath visible in the cold air.

Observing his surroundings, Wu Ge noted that the walls were ethereal, almost like a dream.

Approaching Su Xiaoyu, Wu Ge touched her head and found that he could physically interact with her.

Immediately, he channeled a warm current into Su Xiaoyu’s body from the Golden Essence Sword within him. This warmth was like that of the sun, and as it flowed into Su Xiaoyu, her trembling ceased.

“So warm!” she exclaimed.

Su Xiaoyu, murmuring to herself, slowly opened her eyes and was startled to see Wu Ge, “Wu Ge, is it really you?”

Wu Ge told her, “Don’t give up, there’s still hope!”

With tears welling in her eyes, Su Xiaoyu expressed her despair, “There’s no hope left. Why? Why let me come this far if it was destined to end in despair? Why set me on this path?”

Feeling incredibly wronged, Su Xiaoyu had tried so hard, been so brave, and even found the shelter. Yet, why did an avalanche happen now? Why was the energy shield so impenetrable? Why couldn’t she succeed after coming so far?

Wu Ge urged her, “Don’t give up. If you give up now, all your efforts these past days will have been in vain. Don’t give up. Think of something, try harder, move forward one more step!”

Su Xiaoyu asked, “What should I do? I’m out of options!”

Wu Ge replied, “Move forward, keep moving forward with all your strength!”

Suddenly, a beam of light shot down, and the dream collapsed instantly. Wu Ge opened his eyes to find himself back, with Fox Immortal looking at him anxiously, “What happened? Did you find anything?”

Standing up, Wu Ge turned to see a phantom, projected by Xiao Chao’s projector robot, showing a struggling figure.

Su Xiaoyu’s eyelashes trembled as she struggled to get up, supporting herself with her cold arms, trying to rise. She gasped for air, whispering, “Get up.”

Her voice grew louder, “Get up!”

She stood up, shouting, then charged towards the energy shield, crashing into it and being flung back, bleeding from her forehead.

The Fox Immortal said with sympathy, “That’s enough, give up!”

Wu Ge, distressed, nonetheless encouraged, “Stand up, don’t give up!”

They were conversing across two hundred years, unheard by Su Xiaoyu. She got up again and approached the energy shield.

Suddenly, the shield, stained with Su Xiaoyu’s blood, glowed. Text scrolled across it, and panels appeared with unfamiliar symbols.

But everyone understood, hope had arrived.

Su Xiaoyu’s blood activated something. The shield seemed to analyze, consider, and finally, respond. It opened a door, greeting in human language, “Welcome home, the 36,521st  generation colonizer of Colony 3.”