As the super soul-searching technique activated, Xue Ji found herself entering Ling Xiaoxiao’s memories.
Now, through Ling Xiaoxiao’s perspective, she could glimpse a fragment of that lost history from a thousand years ago. Modern archaeological discoveries had recorded the resurgence of spiritual energy during this era.
Yet, there was a clear discontinuity between this and the documented history of the period. The records spoke only of an ordinary ancient society, with no trace of spiritual energy’s revival. It was as if this history had been deliberately erased, becoming what scholars now called the [Lost History].
When Xue Ji opened her eyes, she realized she was now a fledgling bird. The low vantage point, combined with the fact that each of her eyes had two pupils, made her extremely uncomfortable.
After some time adjusting, she poked her tiny head out of the nest, surveying her surroundings.
The habitat of the Chongming tribe was a blessed land, far different from ordinary wilderness. In the early morning, mist curled through the air, and as the first rays of sunlight pierced the clouds, the Chongming birds’ cries rose and fell like waves.
A massive crimson shadow swooped past the tree where Xue Ji perched—an adult Chongming bird, dozens of meters long, its feathers blazing like fire under the sunlight.
The entire mountain forest seemed like a secluded paradise, untouched by the mortal world.
The breathtaking scene left Xue Ji entranced, unable to snap out of her daze for the longest time.
Just then, Ling Xiaoxiao’s mother descended from the clouds, carrying a golden-glowing fruit in her beak and offering it to Xue Ji. It was only then that Xue Ji realized the “sunlight” wasn’t coming from the sun at all.
Disturbed by Ling Xiaoxiao’s mother, the clouds parted, revealing a towering divine tree whose canopy radiated a brilliant light, forming a miniature sun just for this land.
The fruit in Ling’s mother’s beak had come from that sacred tree. She pecked it open, releasing a nectar-like juice so fragrant it seemed to cleanse the soul.
Xue Ji experienced a divine beast’s breakfast firsthand. But since she was still just a fledgling, she could only idly watch as her fellow clan members flew about.
Yet, as she observed, she began to notice the many wonders of the Chongming tribe.
For instance, all the Chongming birds she saw appeared to be female, as their partners were other divine beasts. Not just beasts, either—at noon, one of the transformed clan members returned with her human Dao companion to visit.
Even more surprising, Ling Xiaoxiao’s parents were both Chongming birds—a pair of females in a romantic relationship…
The “mother” who had cared for Xue Ji in the morning had an overbearing, controlling personality. The moment the “father” returned, she was pulled close and thoroughly sniffed.
For some reason, the look in this “mother’s” eyes sent a chill down Xue Ji’s spine.
‘Maybe this is where Ling Xiaoxiao’s personality comes from?’
Then, this segment of memories ended. The next scene was the moment the great horror descended upon the Chongming sacred land.
A colossal figure shrouded in black mist emitted an ancient, indistinct sound—like the murmurs of an eldritch god.
The golden divine tree was corrupted by the black mist, rapidly twisting into a grotesque, pitch-black monstrosity covered in gaping, blood-filled maws.
What followed was the corrupted tree’s massacre of the Chongming birds.
They were corroded by the black mist, devoured whole, or pierced and torn apart by tentacle-like branches…
As Ling Xiaoxiao’s parents perished before her eyes, Xue Ji’s consciousness resonated with Ling Xiaoxiao’s terror. The thought of such a young child enduring such tragedy left a bitter taste in Xue Ji’s heart.
‘What exactly was that thing that corrupted the divine tree?’
The corrupted tree passed by the nest, seemingly unaware of the trembling Xue Ji.
The sound of its roots squirming across the ground gradually faded. After waiting for what felt like an eternity, Xue Ji shakily lifted her head—only to see the grotesque tree’s canopy now covered in bloodshot eyeballs, all fixed intently on her.
Her entire field of vision was consumed by those eyes. The grotesque, unnatural sight filled Xue Ji with an overwhelming sense of imminent danger.
…..
In reality…
Xue Ji’s eyes snapped open, black blood trickling from the corner of her lips.
‘That thing can actually affect me?!’
“Tch, trash sage, you got hurt again? So weak~ Hahaha, what a loser~” Lilith’s voice cooed as she slowly emerged from Xue Ji’s shadow.
At that moment, a patrolling member of the special forces happened upon the scene—a pale, white-haired woman gripping someone while an identical pitch-black figure oozed out of her shadow.
He rubbed his eyes in disbelief, only to see the black-and-white pair turn their gazes toward him. Above them, a blood-red moon hung in the sky, casting an eerie, ghostly aura—as if the legendary Black and White Impermanence had come to claim souls.
“L-Lord Impermanence! I-I’ve always obeyed the law! N-Never done anything evil! I-I’ll just go now, okay?”
He didn’t dare linger, immediately turning to leave—until Lilith’s voice froze him in place.
Her voice turned hoarse and haunting as she whispered, “Oh? Are you sure? Think harder.”
Goosebumps erupted across the patrolman’s body as cold sweat poured down his back. Under the pressure of frantic recollection, he stammered:
“I—I like white-haired lolis! I’ve… ahem… pleasured myself to anime! I confess to the Lords Impermanence!”
After his trembling admission, he dropped to his knees, not daring to look back, hands clasped in desperate prayer.
Xue Ji couldn’t take it anymore and spoke up. “Alright, just go. You’re fine.”
Unlike Lilith’s eerie tone, Xue Ji’s gentle, lively voice dispelled the sinister atmosphere.
The patrolman scrambled to his feet and fled—but not before instinctively glancing back at the “White Impermanence.”
Now, however, the pale figure seemed like nothing more than a living, breathing girl. When he later recounted the incident to his comrades, they simply exchanged knowing smiles and moved on.
Lilith paid no mind, immediately returning her focus to Xue Ji.
In the blink of an eye, she purged the lingering corruption from Xue Ji. Though the entity itself was formidable, its influence through memories had its limits.
When Xue Ji re-entered Ling Xiaoxiao’s memories, the monstrous tree was still watching her—but with Lilith sharing the burden, its corruption could no longer affect her.
Ling Xiaoxiao’s tiny body still trembled, but her will to survive drove her to move.
The grotesque branches toyed with her, deliberately missing, their shockwaves kicking her around like a pebble. To survive, the fledgling instinctively burned her life essence, erupting with a burst of speed as she took flight.
From the sky, she saw the once-beautiful paradise reduced to ruins.
But soon, her strength failed, and like the rest of her kin, she was about to become the monster’s next meal.
The fledgling plummeted from the sky—she was too small, too weak. Even burning her life essence wasn’t enough.
As her body fell, she shut her eyes in despair, waiting for death.
But then—
A sudden change.
The scorching heat of the Chongming land was replaced by a biting frost.
Xue Ji’s consciousness prickled with a sense of familiarity.
‘Could it be…?’
The winds howled, the clouds churned—
Then, a single, razor-sharp swordstroke of glacial fury split the sky.
The thick mist of the Chongming land, the clouds above, and the hundred-meter-tall corrupted tree—all were cleaved in two.
Amid the swirling snowflakes, a battered figure in white robes caught the falling fledgling in her arms.
Exhausted, the little bird weakly opened her eyes.
Through the haze, all she saw was pure, untainted white.
“Sleep now. You’re safe.”
The voice was weak, yet unwavering in its gentleness.