Shen Yi finally stood on a lonely cliff at the far northern edge of the Central Region, the fierce wind pulling at his black cloak as he finally let out a breath that tasted faintly of cold defeat.
"Even with all this power at my command... still no way to track them."
He briefly closed his eyes, his immense spiritual power searching the world's deepest corners. If even the widespread branches of the Soul Clan had absolutely no records of them, then the timeline had changed far more brutally and completely than he had ever feared possible.
Just as he turned away, fully planning to leave the area entirely, a faint flicker of an unfamiliar, poison-laced energy brushed lightly against the edge of his keen senses.
A lone figure was walking along the narrow, dangerous path between the cliffs: a young woman in simple green robes, her steps quiet and measured. Her long, flowing silver hair drifted behind her like moonlight smoke. Her violet eyes were cautious and watchful, though not hostile, and the faint, soft smell of medicinal herbs followed gently in her wake.
Shen Yi instantly recognized her from the original story. Xiao Yi Xian. The legendary Poison Empress.
His form flashed and silently appeared in her path. She didn't notice him, lost as she was in her deep thoughts.
After a while, Xiao Yixian stopped suddenly when their paths finally crossed. She immediately noticed him waiting for her, which made her cautious look instantly sharpen with suspicion. "Who are you?"
Shen Yi spoke with a polite expression. "Just a traveler, you could say. I am currently looking for someone that you know."
Her eyes narrowed further with suspicion. "In the Central Region? Most people only come here desperately seeking ultimate power or frantically running from powerful enemies. Few simply search for others."
Shen Yi paused for a calculated moment, then chose the lie that was closest to the terrible truth.
"I am searching for someone from the Xiao Clan. A young man named Xiao Yan. My family... owes his clan an old, deep debt. If he still lives somewhere in this world, I plan to pay it back completely."
The very moment the name left his mouth, Xiao Yi Xian's cautious expression completely froze.
The wind suddenly stopped around them.
"You... Are you looking for Xiao Yan?"
He slowly nodded, keeping a calm, unreadable composure. "You know him, right?"
The silver-haired girl slowly lowered her gaze, her fingers gripping her sleeve tightly in a white-knuckled fist. For a long, painful moment, she didn't speak, and Shen Yi felt the world around them grow intensely heavy, as if even the massive mountains were holding their breath in anticipation.
Finally, Xiao Yi Xian's voice emerged, a sound barely above a whisper:
"...You're too late."
Shen Yi's powerful, Dou Saint heart instantly stopped beating in his chest.
Dead? Already? Before even reaching the supposed safety of the Falling Star Pavilion... before he had truly begun his world-changing journey?
Xiao Yi Xian continued, her voice soft but steady, each awful word like a sharp blade carving a new, terrible reality.
"The Xiao Clan was completely destroyed. Almost all of them tragically died. The few who survived ran away to distant, forgotten regions... scattered and constantly hiding in fear. As for Xiao Yan... I personally saw the devastating aftermath of the massacre myself."
She swallowed hard, fighting back a sudden rush of tears. "There was absolutely nothing left to save him."
Shen Yi felt his own heartbeat echo like the sound of thunder in his ears, a chaotic, loud rhythm against the deep stillness of the world.
This was not just a small change from the story.
This was an undeniable, world-breaking disaster of the highest level.
"What about Yao..." he stopped himself quickly, choosing his next words with careful thought. "What about any companions he might have traveled with? His honored teacher, perhaps?"
She slowly shook her head, her silver hair gently swaying.
"No. If he had someone powerful protecting him, they definitely weren't strong enough to save them. No one of any importance survived what happened there."
Shen Yi clenched his fist so hard that a faint shimmer of golden Dou Saint energy briefly vibrated in the air around him before he fiercely suppressed it.
Xiao Yi Xian noticed the tiny shift in his immense power and instinctively took a small step back, her caution immediately returning. "Why... Why does this matter so deeply to you? You only claim you owe the Xiao Clan, but your raw reaction..."
"I had desperately hoped I wasn't too late to prevent it all," Shen Yi said quietly, his voice empty of emotion.
"But it seems fate has already completely decided everything for this world's path."
The wind stirred again, carrying dust and the faint, distinct smell of poison from Xiao Yi Xian's robes.
Shen Yi lowered his gaze toward the distant, hazy horizon. If Xiao Yan was truly dead... and Yao Chen had either been captured or taken by force... then the terrifying Soul Clan had already begun their deadly mission far ahead of the original flow of events.
Nothing in the world was as it should be. And worse still... he was now absolutely certain that Xiao Yan's death was merely the painful beginning of a much larger, darker, and more terrible plot.
"I am absolutely going to destroy the Soul Clan!" Xiao Yi Xian declared with grim, fierce determination, her teeth gritted as she made the powerful promise. Then she turned and walked forward toward a nearby city, moving past him and leaving Shen Yi alone on the lonely cliff.
Shen Yi quietly looked at her retreating back, a profound, new thought forming in his mind.
'No, I simply don't believe he's truly dead. The main character in stories this grand always seems to emerge from some hidden place in the near future, possessing even more powerful, astonishing strength than before, especially after facing such a devastating problem.'
With a final, resolute thought, his form quickly blurred, and he vanished completely into the swirling mist that covered the cliff.
...
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