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Na'er and Bai Xu watched as Gu Yue's figure disappeared into the horizon. Noticing the faint smile on Bai Xu's lips, Na'er felt a pang of unease. After seeing Gu Yue off, the two prepared to embark on their next journey.
"What's wrong? You seem a little down," Bai Xu asked, sensing the shift in Na'er's mood.
"It's nothing… I just suddenly thought about the future," Na'er replied, seemingly unwilling to elaborate. She turned to enter the house and began packing.
But the moment she took a step forward, Bai Xu grabbed her hand.
"What?"
"Na'er, some things are better said out loud. Don't keep everything bottled up. If you had no one to confide in, that would be one thing—but you have someone you can trust right beside you."
Na'er turned back, meeting Bai Xu's gaze, and asked with emphasis, "Do you like Gu Yue… and 'me'?"
"I do," Bai Xu affirmed without hesitation.
Na'er smiled bitterly. "Actually, when Gu Yue and I saw the future in the Heaven of Transforming Ego, I already realized it. I just didn't show it then… This world is exactly as I imagined… a future without me. Ten thousand years later, only Gu Yuena will exist—only Gu Yue… not Na'er.
So… Bai Xu, I want you to remember me.
Even if Gu Yue and I merge in the end, even if ten thousand years pass, I want you to keep me in your heart. Don't forget me. That name isn't Gu Yuena, nor is it Gu Yue… only Na'er."
She buried her face in Bai Xu's chest, her voice trembling with suppressed sobs.
From Na'er's perspective, she had never experienced any profound love. She had few friends, almost all her family was dead, and even Tang Wulin didn't care for her. In the future ten thousand years later… Na'er would be gone. Whether in body or memory, she would cease to exist.
"That won't happen."
Bai Xu stood still, gently comforting Na'er, trying to soothe her emotions.
Perhaps he had a way to break this fate. The principles of Yin-Yang and the Five Elements could derive all things in existence—one could even call him a creator. If he reached a certain level, there might truly be a chance.
But he didn't tell Na'er yet.
After a long while, Na'er finally calmed down. The two returned to the wooden house and began packing their belongings.
Bai Xu said, "Come on, I'll take you to eliminate those evil soul masters."
"Alright."
---
Bai Xu and Na'er walked through a town they had only visited once before. Though barely half a year had passed, the place had begun to recover. Ordinary people from nearby areas had gradually moved in, attempting to rebuild.
The imperial family had also reinforced the town's defenses, dispatching regular patrols to sweep the surrounding areas and prevent further atrocities by evil soul masters.
"Are you really able to find them?" Na'er asked doubtfully.
The incident had happened over half a year ago—any surviving evil soul masters would have long gone into hiding, making them extremely difficult to track down.
As if hearing her words, the Spirit of the Plane manifested and explained, "With my current abilities, I may not be able to locate the Soul Sage leader or the Soul Emperor subordinates, but I can still find the lower-ranked evil soul masters who participated in the massacre. Master, use your fifth soul skill. Their involvement in the slaughter is the cause, and your pursuit of them is the effect… The karma is already established."
A black soul ring shimmered around Bai Xu as his eyes traced a faint but distinct thread of causality stretching beyond the town.
"Follow me!" he called out, sprinting forward.
The white thread was thin but unbroken, leading them toward a remote village outside the town.
---
Wangou Village.
This village was located deep in the mountains, dozens of kilometers from the nearest town. Isolated and sparsely populated, it had been inspected by patrols after the incident. However, since most villagers lacked soul power, the authorities had dismissed it as irrelevant.
But…
That night, a shadowy figure crept stealthily into one of the houses. The homeowner, a middle-aged woman, had stayed awake in the darkness, waiting.
"Yelang, is that you?" she whispered upon hearing movement.
"It's me. I'm back."
A lamp flickered to life, illuminating the man's face. He removed his black cloak, revealing plain civilian clothes.
"Did you get into trouble outside?" the woman asked with concern. "Officials came asking if any soul masters had been here. I denied it… Were they looking for you?"
"No. Did they say what kind of soul masters?" the man probed cautiously.
The woman shook her head before continuing, "Yelang… do you love me?"
"I do."
"Then why won't you take me with you? Bring me away from here. You're a noble soul master—even if I were just your concubine, I'd be content as long as you still loved me. So… take me with you." Her voice trembled with desperation. She was no longer young, her beauty fading, and she feared abandonment.
The man's expression darkened. "You're safer here than with me. I'm no aristocrat—just a wandering three-ringed Soul Elder."
Years ago, the man had been gravely injured and left unconscious in the mountains, where this woman—then young and beautiful—had found him. They had fallen in love at first sight.
He had revealed his identity as a soul master but never mentioned that he was an evil soul master—one who had killed to cultivate his power and was hunted by the Star Luo Empire.
"But—"
Before she could finish, the man tossed her a pouch of coins—enough Star Luo currency to start a new life in town.
"There's over a hundred thousand in there. Take it and leave these mountains. I won't be coming back." With that, he picked up his cloak and turned to leave.
The woman clung to him from behind, sobbing. "Are you abandoning me? After more than ten years together, from youth to middle age… can all that really be measured by money? I don't want this—I want to stay with you!"
"Enough!"
A pulse of soul force sent her stumbling back before she collapsed, unconscious.
The man sighed, carefully carrying her to the bed. After one last lingering glance, he left for good.
The path ahead of him was one of exile and peril—she would only suffer if she followed.
But the thread of karma binding him to Bai Xu had long since tightened. The retribution for his role in the massacre had finally caught up to him. Perhaps it was this lingering attachment that had drawn him back tonight—and this same attachment would now cost him his life.
The moment he stepped beyond the village, before he could vanish into the mountains, a mental assault struck him like a hammer. He didn't die instantly—instead, he crumpled to the ground, his skull splitting with agony.
"You hid quite well."
A calm voice reached his ears, but the pain was too overwhelming—like ants devouring his soul. He couldn't even open his eyes.
Then, an iron grip seized his throat. Suffocation followed, and darkness swallowed him. His soul was wrenched free, now held in the palm of a child.
"Soul Search."
Bai Xu scoured the man's memories—his fellow evil soul masters, his superiors, even the hidden stronghold they frequented—all laid bare in an instant.
With a single squeeze, the soul dispersed into nothingness.
"I never thought an evil soul master could have such tenderness… Murderers who cultivate through killing, yet still capable of loving an ordinary woman." Na'er gazed toward the village, having observed the entire encounter. She was quietly learning the complexities of human nature.
"His superior is a Soul King. Let's go—I know where to find him."