Walls of force snapped up around Xue and Hui. Hui held onto Xue for one more second, and then the walls expelled him, throwing him backward. Hui plunged toward the earth below.

“I said I’d make you my furnace, and I will!”

“You’re ours, now!”

“Teehee.”

Hui’s back slammed into Xue’s ice slide. He reached out blindly for it. Cold slammed into his hand. His fingers slipped down the ice. The ground rushed up at him as he spiraled uncontrollably down the slide.

His hand slammed into a rough part of the ice. Hui clenched ahold with all his might. Slowly, he drew himself to a halt.

Dangling from the slide by one hand, Hui glanced down. His feet dangled over the castle. From this high, it looked like a toy, too small to be real.

Ice melted under his hand. Numb fingers began to slide free, slowly, inexorably. He tore his eyes off the drop and tightened his grip on the ice.

Trapped in the prison, Xue struck at the walls with her fans, furious. The triplets jeered at her, each of them standing on a small magical shuttle.

“Give in! Pledge to become our furnace, and we’ll let you go!” the first triplet announced.

“C’mon, c’mon,” the second agreed.

The third stared at the void, jaw slack and eyes wide.

“The world is collapsing! We don’t have time for this!” Xue snapped.

“We? You don’t have time for this,” the first replied.

“We can ground the formation and leave you here. You’re the one in trouble, not us!”

“Ahhh… so pretty…”

Xue glanced at Hui. Hui returned the look, apology in his eyes. He dangled twenty feet below her, well out of reach. Even if I could climb up onto the slide, I have no idea if I could climb it without her full movement technique. She said I couldn’t, and I believe her. The triplets couldn’t either, and they’re a realm higher than me.

Xue sighed, turning her eyes away from him. She slashed at the walls again.

“There’s no use!”

“You aren’t getting out!”

“So dark…”

The world rumbled. Cracks splintered across the sky, growing from the void. The floor ruptured, breaking apart. The ice slide shuddered under Hui. Loud cracks rang out as deep clefts shot through the ice near where he held on. Hui bit his lip, glancing over his shoulder at the slide, then up at Xue.

Shit! What am I thinking? I have to save Xue! Without her, there’s no way out of this!

But… how? Playing dead won’t do me any good here.

Wait!

He grappled an arm up onto the slide and hooked his armpit over the ice, holding on with his whole arm. Cold sunk into his flesh, reaching for his bones. Hui bit back a shiver. With his other arm, he yanked at his robe and tore off a scrap, then passed that to his first hand. He pinned it to the ice, then bit his thumb and reached for the scrap. The motion swung him slightly, pivoting on his armpit. He resisted the urge to glance down, forcing himself to focus on the scrap. Narrowing his eyes in concentration, he scribbled down the talisman's formula yet again.

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The cracks around him groaned. The ice shifted, dropping him half an inch.

Hui sucked in a short breath. Hold on, just a little longer!

“What are you doing over there?”

“Give up. A Foundation-Building cultivator stands no chance.”

The third triplet giggled. “You’re going to die.”

I don’t know what stage the wind talisman’s spell is at, but it’s stronger than anything else I have! Hui finished the talisman and pointed it at the prison.

The first triplet chuckled. “Try it. I need a good laugh.”

No, wait. Even if it’s a higher-tier spell, I should only be able to release it at second-stage strength, even if I use all my qi. Hui bit his lip, thinking.

The triplets turned back to Xue. “It looks like time’s running out.”

“Pledge to us already.”

“We’ll take care of you.”

Xue scowled. “I’d rather die.”

The triplets exchanged a glance. As one, they replied, “We can arrange that.”

Wait! I can do it, I can save her! Hui drew out the flint with death qi inside. Drawing his head back, he held it in his teeth, grabbed his training sword, and knapped off a flake. It fell into his robes. Putting the sword and flint back, he picked the flake out of his robes. Together, he held out the flake of death-qi-filled flint and the talisman, flint in front of the talisman.

He lifted his hand and squinted one eye shut, pointing the flake at the first triplet’s side. Wrapped in between the inner and outer layers of the yin-prison, the triplet ignored him.

“Activate!” Hui shouted.

Wind blasted out of the talisman. It caught the flake of flint and propelled it directly at the triplet.

The triplet looked up, sneering, and then the flake hit the outer wall of the yin-prison.

Gold sparked. The flint struggled against the yin-prison, trapped there by the wind.

The triplet shook his head. “A mere second-stage cultivator—”

Hui reached out to the tiny scrap of his qi in the flint, the spark that powered the death qi. It leaped to life, stimulating the death qi. A black aura surrounded the flint. The black melted the gold, and the flint cut through the outer wall.

Yes! Just like I hoped, the death qi negated the qi in the yin prison! Hui pumped a fist.

The triplet’s eyes widened. He raised a hand against the flake, too slow. Propelled by the wind, flint slammed into the triplet’s gut and burrowed deep inside. Blood spurted. He keeled over, coughing blood.

His corner of the prison wobbled, golden light scintillating wildly. He raised his hands again, but too late. The yin prison collapsed.

“No!” the second triplet shouted. He ran to his fellow’s side and caught the first before he toppled to the ground.

The first triplet gripped his gut. Blood leaked out from between his fingers. His legs wobbled. He lost his balance, and the shuttle flew off into the distance.

Xue burst out of the prison, charging at the two triplets. Fans flashed into her hands. “Time for you to die!”

Far below, the castle shattered with an earth-shaking snap. Flint rained down in the void where the castle had been. With no foundation, the ice under Hui broke apart. He plunged.

“Xue!” Hui shouted, desperate.

Xue turned. At the sight of Hui falling, she clicked her tongue. She swept her fan at him. An icy wind caught Hui and threw him toward her. Arms flailing, Hui struggled to keep himself upright.

Reaching out, Xue caught him. She turned toward the triplets again.

They raced past, the second two carrying the first. “You got lucky this time,” the third triplet muttered, and then they vanished into the void.

The sky wobbled, collapsing in on the void. The ground churned, chewing up the flint spires and the undead far below.

Xue glared at the rapidly-escaping triplets. She raised her fans.

Hui tugged at Xue’s robes. “Xue! We have to go!”

“On it!” Xue shouted. She turned and ran for the void, spreading ice before her as she went. Shattered blocks of flint swirled around them, thrown into the air as the world collapsed. One block smashed down on them, huge enough to darken the sky. Xue threw herself at the void as the shadow fell over them. Hui stared up at a wall of flint, semi-gloss black reflecting him in smudges.

They plunged into black. The world twisted around them. Hui forced his eyes shut, hiding his face against Xue. I don’t want to see that again! Everything twisted uncomfortably around them, and then the world solidified once more.

Hui opened his eyes. Green grass spread around him. Trees towered overhead, brown bark and deep green canopies. Stones poked through lush moss.

“We’re back!” he cried. At last! Out of that dusty, nothing, gray realm!