On the other side of the Spirit Sea, the white-haired girl and Lu Ziye were transported to the location of the [Boundary Stele].
A stone stele, as tall as a person, stood amidst a vast expanse of pale emptiness. The characters carved into its surface shifted endlessly upon closer inspection.
“Leave. Everything here is over.” A hollow, childlike voice echoed from nowhere. Though it carried no tone or emotion, the two could clearly sense its exhaustion—and with it, fear and unwillingness.
The pair felt an indescribable kinship with the voice’s owner, as if they were a part of it. This was the newly born [Will of the World].
Lu Ziye asked, “What’s wrong with you?”
The white-haired girl followed up, “If we leave, what will happen to you?”
Meanwhile, Lu Ziye studied the strange symbols on the stele.
“By your understanding, I will die,” it replied, sorrow seeping through.
“And what of our world?”
“Assimilated into His domain.” Its voice trembled with fear.
The terrifying entity that commanded all Greater Demons was on the verge of devouring the World’s Will.
Hearing this, the girl sighed helplessly. “There’s nowhere left for us to escape.”
“There is one place—a hidden realm within the seams of the world. It is safe there.” This time, the ethereal voice carried urgency. Time would not allow them to hesitate any longer.
Lu Ziye stepped closer to her. “I’m going back. What about you?”
Images flashed through the white-haired girl’s mind—Ling Xiaoxiao’s face at every age, the massacre of her family by Greater Demons when she was just a child.
“Xiaoxiao, I’ve failed you. I couldn’t give you true happiness.”
“Mother, Father… I’ve struggled, I’ve searched my whole life. Yet all I can do is bear witness to destruction. I refuse to accept this.”
“I already discovered the truth—why couldn’t I have been faster? Why couldn’t I have acted sooner?”
“Master… Xiaoxiao… What should I do…?”
The hollow voice urged, “Go. Now. There’s no time left.”
“[Time]! Yes—I must fight for every scrap of it!”
The white-haired girl did not flee. She would protect those she loved. Today, she would punch that parasitic god right in the face!
“You said the hidden realm is isolated—meaning once we enter, we can’t leave?” Her voice was rushed; there was no time for deliberation.
“Correct. Once you enter, I will destroy the Boundary Stele, severing the path completely.”
“Can that monstrous entity be lured inside?”
“Even if He enters, His power will eventually allow Him to break free. The outcome remains the same.”
“No! It’s not the same at all!” Her voice trembled with fervor. “If there’s still time, why not fight for it?”
“If I am a part of you, then as long as I refuse to give up, neither should you!” Her words were ironclad. “If you can do nothing more, then cry out to your creations. Everything—everyone—will stand with you.”
Lu Ziye joined in, “Let me ask you this: That thing has hurt you, tried to take everything from you. Do you want to strike back?”
“I do! I want to!” For the first time, emotion surged in its voice.
And so, the world’s self-salvation began.
With its guidance, the white-haired girl attempted to manipulate the stele. “What happens if the stele is shattered?”
“I will fall into slumber, and without the stele’s support, the world will fracture into fragments of varying sizes. The Great Dao will also disperse among them.”
After a moment’s thought, the girl said, “So each fragmented world, shaped by its own fragment of the Dao, will develop differently.”
“Yes. But time is limited. The seams can only trap Him for 1,376 years. During that time, due to the incomplete laws of these worlds, they will naturally give rise to [Nullifiers]—entities tasked with purging the flawed worlds. Someone must protect these worlds from destruction.”
“Which of you will take on the role of [Guardian]?”
The two exchanged glances. The white-haired girl nodded, signaling for Lu Ziye to take the duty.
She smiled faintly. “Someone is waiting for me. I can’t break my promise.”
Thus, Lu Ziye accepted the responsibility and approached the stele. The shifting symbols now glowed brilliantly before detaching and merging into his body.
As he felt himself fading from the space, he hurriedly asked one last question: “Do you not hate me? Your family’s death is tied to me. If I hadn’t carelessly drawn the Greater Demons into your lives, you might have known happiness.”
The girl answered frankly, “I do hate you. When we first met, I nearly drew my sword for revenge. But researching the Greater Demons required you. Once that thing is dealt with, I’ll settle my score with you.”
To her surprise, Lu Ziye let out a relieved sigh. As the last of the symbols transferred to him, his body grew translucent.
Just before he vanished completely, her cool voice reached him.
“So you’d better stay alive.”
“Heh. Brat.”
……
Now it was the girl’s turn. She needed to find someone capable of guarding the largest fragment of the world—someone with longevity, who could exist even without spiritual energy.
Almost immediately, she thought of the perfect candidate: the last remaining Vermilion Bird, Ling Xiaoxiao.
But an accident occurred. As she prepared to use the stele to leave, the Greater Demons and their monstrous master surged toward them.
“Close your eyes! Don’t look at Him!” the World’s Will warned.
Too late. Even the mere awareness of His presence summoned an indescribable pair of eyes in her mind.
Madness swallowed her. The stele’s teleportation went awry, leaving her far from her cottage.
To avoid harming innocents, she pierced her own dantian, relying on protective artifacts to drag herself home.
To fight the encroaching insanity, she clung to memories of love and hatred.
In the end, only one thought remained—an obsession with Ling Xiaoxiao. The one who belonged solely to her, the one she had to reach, no matter what.
Now, after endless turmoil and the cleansing power of the Vermilion Bird’s blood, the white-haired girl regained her sanity and recovered those lost memories. She entrusted everything to Ling Xiaoxiao.
“Xiaoxiao, please…” Her face was deathly pale; the toll of recollection had been severe.
But Ling Xiaoxiao refused outright. “No. My world is only you. The only one I want to protect is you.”
In the days that followed, the white-haired girl could only gaze out the window at the vibrant Dao-Seeking Tree, lost in thought.
Her fixation grew until Ling Xiaoxiao intervened.
She made the girl watch as the tree was felled, piece by piece. That day, the girl was eerily calm.
The next morning, Ling Xiaoxiao entered the room to find her unconscious.
Holding her, Xiaoxiao cried out helplessly, “A-Ji? A-Ji!”
Realization struck. Sobbing uncontrollably, her scalding tears fell onto the girl’s chest. Watching this, Xue Ji’s own chest burned with shared agony.
In her final moments, the white-haired girl stirred briefly under Xiaoxiao’s tears.
“I’m… sorry… Xiao… Xiao…” she forced out weakly.
“No, no! I was wrong! I’ll restore your cultivation right now!” A torrent of spiritual energy poured into the girl, and Vermilion Bird flames reignited her dantian—but it was futile.
Her body had long reached its limit. The sudden influx of energy only hastened her demise. When Xiaoxiao tried to sustain her with her own essence, the girl stopped her.
“Don’t… It’s… no use.”
Suddenly, she found strength to speak again. Her hand rose, gently cupping Xiaoxiao’s face.
“I wish… I could have been someone who truly made you happy. Why is there never enough time? I never even… told you I love you.” Tears blurred her vision, then darkness swallowed it whole.
“Forgive me… Even now, I’m selfish. My soul will reincarnate a thousand years later. I’m binding you to a world where I exist.”
With that, her spirit merged with the felled Dao-Seeking Tree, dissolving into motes of light that scattered into the world.
Xue Ji and Lilith stood speechless. From their twisted emotions, something akin to love had been born. Xue Ji felt she had no right to judge—nor did these two care for judgment.
At the same time, he retrieved a faintly glowing fragment of the stele from his storage space. This piece, found in the Ancient Forest’s depths, was part of the Boundary Stele.
Unbeknownst to them, it had taken over when the Soul-Searching Art’s power faded, recounting the tangled tale of the past.
Reliving these memories, Ling Xiaoxiao shed tears of burning blood.
Watching her, Xue Ji’s heart ached, her throat tight.
After a hesitant pause, she stepped forward and embraced the other woman gently.
“I’m sorry… I’m not your master.”
An unfamiliar emotion surged in Xue Ji’s chest—one that had no right to exist.
Jealousy.