Ling Yin withdrew her hand and sat back on the swing.
She said, “Back then, both the Sword Sect and the Beast Realm chose to sacrifice spiritual root awakeners to awaken the Guixu in return. This method was not without reason.”
Sang Dai seemed to understand something.
Ling Yin continued, “The Guixu was actually the first thing to be born in the cultivation world, followed by the emergence of the four realms of Humans, Demons, Ghosts, and Monsters. The Heavenly, Mysterious, Earthly, and False spiritual roots, despite differing in rank, are all gifts from the Guixu.”
“And Heaven-grade spiritual roots are not only gifts from the Guixu but also gifts from the Heavenly Dao. Over tens of thousands of years in the cultivation world, fewer than a hundred Heaven-grade spiritual root awakeners have existed. Among them, apart from ten who died in battle and you seven new Heaven-grade awakeners, all your predecessors have already ascended. These individuals were personally chosen by the Heavenly Dao.”
“The Heavenly Dao granted them the best of everything—talent, cultivation, appearance. Each attribute is enough to make people envious. Even the Guixu, left behind by the Heavenly Dao itself, only recognizes Heaven-grade spiritual root awakeners. Only Heaven-grade spiritual root awakeners can use the power of the Guixu, and only they—”
Ling Yin’s smile deepened.
“—can awaken the Guixu.”
Therefore, when the Sword Sect and the Beast Realm sacrificed those Mysterious-grade and Earthly-grade spiritual root cultivators, their method was correct, but they chose the wrong people.
The Guixu has always recognized only Heaven-grade spiritual roots. It even forbids other spiritual root awakeners from entering. How could it possibly be awakened by those cultivators?
If they had chosen a Heaven-grade spiritual root awakener to sacrifice back then, things might have been different.
However, there are now only seven Heaven-grade spiritual root awakeners, and each one holds an extraordinary status.
Fu You is the master of Bairen Alley, the true ruler of the Underworld—no one dares to kill him.
Ji Cang is the Lord of the Demon Realm and the most favored child of the former Demon Lord—no one dares to kill him.
Tan Huai is the heir of the Zen Sect, who has received the sect’s utmost devotion—no one dares to kill him.
Shen Ciyu is the young master of the Shen family, which controls a third of the spiritual veins in the Immortal Realm—no one dares to kill him.
Sang Dai is the eldest daughter of the Sword Sect. As the Zhiyu Sword Master and the youngest Golden Core cultivator in the cultivation world, she is highly regarded—no one dares to kill her.
Ying Heng is a Sword Sect Immortal Sovereign, but at the time, he was already “surrounded and attacked,” so naturally, no one considered him.
And Su Xuan—
Su Xuan?
Sang Dai suddenly turned around and looked at Su Xuan behind her.
His expression didn’t change. He remained indifferent, as if completely detached from his past, simply gazing at Sang Dai.
Sang Dai tried to discern what he had gone through back then, but the turmoil in her heart faded at this moment. Su Xuan wasn’t thinking about those events at all.
[“Dai Dai… are you scared?”]
Sang Dai couldn’t pinpoint how she felt. He was always like this, worrying about whether she was scared.
Sang Dai wasn’t afraid of anything.
She looked into Su Xuan’s eyes, stepped forward, and raised her head to ask him, “Su Xuan, tell me, when you were chosen to be sacrificed to the Guixu’s spiritual veins back then, what exactly did you go through?”
They were very close. In the past, Su Xuan would have been overwhelmed with all sorts of nonsensical thoughts.
But now, the Sword Cultivator’s face was devoid of any trace of a smile. Her cold, somber eyes quietly fixed on him, waiting for him to give an answer.
[“Dai Dai…”]
Sang Dai asked, “Su Xuan, I want to know.”
Liu Lixue had also dropped his usual playful demeanor. Though he was surrounded by a garden of rare immortal plants he dearly loved, there wasn’t a hint of joy in his expression.
Of course, he knew what Su Xuan had gone through back then.
He also understood the implications of Ling Yin’s words.
They meant that if Heaven-grade spiritual roots truly could save the Guixu, then not only Sang Dai but all seven Heaven-grade spiritual root awakeners would face the combined hunt of the Four Realms.
No matter how important their identities were, once the majority’s interests were threatened, the ultimate outcome for them would inevitably be collective condemnation and annihilation.
Sang Dai furrowed her brows in thought. Su Xuan, seeing the slight crease in her brow, suddenly reached out his hand, the pad of his finger brushing against the center of her forehead.
“Sang Dai, don’t frown.”
The scorching touch of the Nine-Tailed Fox’s finger reached her, the contrast between their vastly different body temperatures stark and undeniable.
“Su Xuan, what exactly happened back then? What did you go through?”
“It’s already in the past.”
“Did you suddenly seize the throne… because of that incident?”
“…Yes.”
“…Alright, I understand now.”
Su Xuan didn’t want to speak, but just from what she had learned, Sang Dai could piece together some of his experiences.
Alone, he killed the twelve elders of the royal court, bathing the royal family in blood. Su Xuan’s journey could not have been smooth.
She couldn’t pinpoint why, but her heart ached slightly. In her mind, Su Xuan had always lived a good life—a king of the Beast Realm, a Heaven-grade spiritual root awakener, living luxuriously and comfortably, always proud and unrestrained. She thought Su Xuan was the epitome of Heaven’s favored child.
She believed Su Xuan, as a prince of the Beast Realm, would not be harshly treated by the realm even if they disliked him.
What could have pushed a young boy into becoming an enemy of the entire Beast Realm? What had the Beast Realm done, and what had Su Xuan endured?
Someone pinched her cheek, gently squeezing the soft flesh.
The strength was very light, but the burning warmth of his fingers made Sang Dai acutely aware of it.
Su Xuan’s eyes carried a hint of amusement. “Sang Dai, are you thinking about me?”
Sang Dai nodded. “Mm.”
She was too sincere and never lied.
Su Xuan liked this about Sang Dai the most—straightforward and simple, easy to read, and easy to be around.
He pinched the soft flesh of the sword cultivator’s cheek again and poked the tip of her nose. “Your nose is red. I’m still alive, you know, and I even became the Beast King. Impressive, right?”
“Impressive.”
“Then what are you worried about?”
“Nothing, I just feel… that you’ve had it hard.”
Sang Dai, who had little worldly experience and had once been wholly devoted to cultivation, didn’t realize how her words might come across. She was just speaking earnestly.
Su Xuan looked into her eyes, feeling a deep sense of peace in his heart.
It was strange—so long as Sang Dai was by his side, it seemed like all the past could be forgotten.
She gave him an endless sense of security.
“Sang Dai.”
“Mm?”
“I’m not having a hard time.”
[“As long as you’re here, I have the courage to do anything.”]
His spoken words and the unspoken ones in his heart entered Sang Dai’s mind one after another.
Her heartbeat seemed to skip for a moment, followed by an intense rhythm that made her feel as if she might suffocate.
Su Xuan straightened up, running his fingers through the sword cultivator’s black hair, adjusting the hairpin on her bun to sit properly.
“Looking this good, don’t keep frowning. And don’t trust strangers so easily—it’s too easy to be deceived.”
While Su Xuan was helping his sword cultivator fix her hairpin, his eyes were locked on Ling Yin, who sat on the swing.
She always wore a composed smile, seemingly indifferent even when met with unfriendly gazes.
Su Xuan couldn’t figure out what kind of feelings Ling Yin had for Sang Dai—her aura was too complex, too hard to discern.
After tidying up the sword cultivator’s bun, Su Xuan pulled Sang Dai behind him, his tall figure shielding her, his long lashes lowered slightly.
“Ling Yin, what exactly are you trying to do?”
Ling Yin countered, “Weren’t you the ones who came looking for me? Why ask what I’m trying to do?”
Su Xuan replied, “Didn’t you already know from the start that we would come looking for you?”
His face suddenly turned cold. “Ling Yin, do you want to kill Sang Dai, or do you want to save her?”
Ling Yin raised her eyebrows. “Why would I want to kill her?”
“If you didn’t want to kill her, why did you block the path to the Red Sand Spring?”
Liu Lixue looked at Su Xuan in shock.
He had known from the very beginning?
Not only Su Xuan, but even Sang Dai, standing behind him, appeared unusually calm, as if she had been aware of this matter all along.
“You… you both knew?”
Su Xuan cast him a sidelong glance, one filled with disdain, as if saying, “We’re not fools.”
Liu Lixue: “…”
They could’ve said so earlier!
He had been racking his brain trying to figure out how to sneak past Ling Yin to tell them!
Liu Lixue shook open his fan and began furiously fanning himself.
He took back what he said earlier: even with Sang Dai present, Su Xuan still wasn’t acting like a decent person.
Sang Dai stepped out from behind Su Xuan and asked, “Senior, why did you block the path to the Red Sand Spring? Do you not want me to leave?”
Ling Yin shook her head. “I never intended to kill you.”
“Then why do this?”
Ling Yin asked, “Sang Dai, do you know why I severed my legs and trapped myself here?”
Sang Dai answered, “I don’t know. Will you tell me, Senior?”
“If you ask, I will tell you.”
Sang Dai nodded. “Very well, then please give us the answer, Senior.”
“Because if I leave the Red Sand Spring, the Heavenly Dao will kill me. Also, I have a reason that compels me to stay here, but I can’t tell you that. You’ll find out eventually.”
Su Xuan asked, “Is it because of the heavenly secret you revealed back then?”
For the first time, Ling Yin’s smile faded. “Yes.”
“What exactly was that heavenly secret?”
“You guess.”
Su Xuan’s face turned cold again. “Ling Yin.”
But Ling Yin remained seated on the swing, her face devoid of emotion, an invisible tension stretching between the two sides.
Sang Dai suddenly spoke, “Senior, may I venture a bold guess? Could it be that the heavenly secret you glimpsed back then has undergone a change, so even you don’t know what will happen in the future, or if the secret you saw will still come to pass?”
The stalemate was broken.
Ling Yin’s pupils quivered ever so slightly.
Sang Dai continued, “And that change was because of me.”
Ling Yin’s gaze showed no emotion, as cold as ice.
“Let me guess. The heavenly secret you glimpsed was related to the survival of the Four Realms, and the only thing that determines the survival of the Four Realms is the Guixu.”
The surroundings fell silent. No one spoke.
“The Guixu was destined to be destroyed. This is the heavenly secret you glimpsed six thousand years ago, correct?”
Ling Yin said nothing.
Su Xuan and Liu Lixue also remained silent.
Sang Dai kept speaking, “But now, that heavenly secret has changed. And it changed because of me.”
Su Xuan frowned, while Liu Lixue looked utterly confused.
Ling Yin suddenly laughed softly and said in a gentle voice, “Go on.”
“Senior, what I’m about to say next might seem absurd to you.”
Ling Yin maintained her elegant smile, waiting quietly for Sang Dai to continue.
“I was supposed to die in that great battle two months ago, wasn’t I?” Sang Dai said calmly. “At least, in the destiny you glimpsed six thousand years ago, of the seven Heaven-grade spiritual root awakeners, I was the first to fall.”
Ling Yin’s smile collapsed entirely, and for the first time, a trace of astonishment appeared on her usually composed face.
Liu Lixue’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“Sang Dai, what are you saying?” Su Xuan grabbed her wrist, his voice filled with incredulity. “What do you mean, two months ago you were supposed to die? How do you know this?”
Unlike Ling Yin and Liu Lixue’s shock, Su Xuan’s reaction was different.
He was only worried.
The worry in his eyes was so intense it seemed ready to spill over. Sang Dai met his gaze and could hear the turbulence in his heart.
[“What nonsense are you talking about? Why would you die in that battle two months ago?”]
[“Dai Dai, how could you possibly die?”]
[“Who would dare kill you? Who would dare?”]
He was deeply agitated. Just the mere thought of Sang Dai’s death made the oppressive aura around him impossible to suppress. His grip on her wrist tightened unconsciously.
It hurt, but Sang Dai didn’t struggle.
She simply met Su Xuan’s eyes and said softly, “Su Xuan, perhaps it’s fate. You can think of it as if I had a dream—a dream where I died in that battle two months ago. It was so real.”
And in that dream, Su Xuan died a hundred years after her.
In the book, it was written that Su Xuan died at the Sword Sect, in the back mountain.
That was where she lived.
When the Heavenly Dao and Shen Ciyu joined forces to kill him, Su Xuan went alone to the Sword Sect and fell in the back mountain by himself.
“Sang Dai.” Su Xuan’s voice trembled as he gritted his teeth and said, “You won’t die. I won’t let you die.”
Just the mere thought of Sang Dai’s death was enough to redden his eyes.
After her death in the book, what became of Su Xuan?
In this world, only one person would shed tears for her death.
It could only be him.
Su Xuan didn’t want to believe Sang Dai’s words, but Ling Yin’s unusual reaction told him they were true.
In the destiny Ling Yin glimpsed six thousand years ago, Sang Dai’s figure did not exist.
Among the seven Heaven-grade spiritual root awakeners in this world, Sang Dai should have been the first to fall. After all, Ying Heng was still alive.
That meant she was the one destined to die first.
But now, six thousand years later, Sang Dai was still alive.
Su Xuan’s back seemed to collapse under the weight, his body slightly bent, and each breath felt like a sharp, icy wind cutting through his lungs.
If he hadn’t exited his seclusion early, would Sang Dai really have died?
If he had been a mere moment later, she would have been beyond saving.
She would have died.
Sang Dai would have died.
Sang Dai was supposed to die.
It was a nightmare.
Suddenly, Su Xuan surged forward and pulled the unguarded sword cultivator into his arms.
He was tall, and Sang Dai seemed completely enveloped in his embrace, her entire body buried against his chest. From Liu Lixue and Ling Yin’s angle, Sang Dai seemed to have vanished entirely.
“Sang Dai, it won’t happen. Trust me.”
Su Xuan’s voice was as though he was soothing her, yet also trying to calm himself.
He murmured over and over, “It won’t happen. You won’t die. You absolutely cannot die.”
Sang Dai remained quiet in his arms, letting Su Xuan bury his head against her neck. His scorching breath brushed against the base of her ear, warming her entire body like a furnace.
At last, she understood what kind of person Su Xuan became after her death in the original story.
Su Xuan had gone mad.
Though not a warlike ruler, he initiated a conflict with the Immortal Realm. For a hundred years, he waged war, driving the Sword Sect to collapse and killing Sang Wenzhou and Madam Shi. This provoked Shen Ciyu’s revenge, and Shen Ciyu became single-minded in his determination to kill him.