He had just been reborn when he was imprisoned by his nemesis, the Empress?

Punishment, is it? Fine... I'll make you taste all the suffering I've made you endure these past few days!

......

At noon, halfway up a snow-capped mountain.

Xu Yi released Su Qingluan's hand, turned around and took out several smooth and flat black wooden boards from his storage ring.

Then he took out the fixed straps and carefully fiddled with them, preparing to teach Su Qingluan how to wear them.

Su Qingluan squatted to the side, looking at the wooden board in front of her with curiosity in her phoenix eyes, and gently tapped the surface of the board.

Xu Yi first strapped on his skis, stood steadily on the snow, and slid his feet slightly, demonstrating a basic balance posture.

He turned around, waved to Su Qingluan, and patiently explained how to put on the clothes.

Su Qingluan learned very quickly and soon grasped the essentials.

The two then used a secret technique to completely seal their spiritual power, standing on the hillside with their mortal bodies.

After adjusting their postures, the two looked at each other and simultaneously slid down the mountain using their walking sticks.

As we glided to a bend halfway up the mountain, a dull thud suddenly came from the once peaceful snow-capped mountain, and the snow beneath our feet trembled violently.

Xu Yi quickly slowed down his glide and glanced up.

"What...what's going on? An avalanche?"

Su Qingluan's face darkened, and her eyebrows furrowed tightly.

At the same time, Xu Yi raised one hand and quickly made hand seals, trying to break the seal of the secret technique and mobilize spiritual power.

However, it was impossible to maintain their gliding posture with just one hand. The snowboards went completely out of control on the steep snow slope, and the two of them fell into the snow one after another.

Su Qingluan instinctively opened her arms and tightly shielded Xu Yi in her embrace, her back facing the rocks and snow below.

Her heart sank as she realized that the force of the tumbling was simply not enough to complete the incantation for unlocking the secret technique.

The only option is to tough it out with a mortal body.

Fortunately, both of them were wearing protective magic items that were close to their bodies, which allowed them to easily withstand the impact even if they couldn't control them with their spiritual power.

She held Xu Yi even tighter, pressed her cheek against the top of his head, and silently closed her eyes.

After an unknown amount of time, the raging avalanche gradually subsided, and the snow layer slowly stabilized.

Su Qingluan struggled to crawl out of the thick snow, her hair covered in snowflakes, her face pale, and her voice filled with panic.

"Damn it... Where's Xu, Xu Yi?"

"She was just in my arms a moment ago...she was just in my arms a moment ago."

In a panic, Su Qingluan deciphered the secret technique as quickly as possible.

An extremely terrifying aura erupted from her, causing the surrounding snow-capped mountains, spanning tens of thousands of meters in radius, to tremble slightly.

She used her divine sense to scan every corner around her, from snow caves and ice crevices to the bottom of rocks.

But they couldn't find even a trace of Xu Yi's presence or shadow. The vast snow-capped mountain seemed to have never had any trace of him.

Su Qingluan staggered back a step, her phoenix eyes bloodshot, her whole body trembling uncontrollably.

"No, no, no... I have to go back and find Jiang Xuange... She and Xu Yi are bound by a bond of hearts, she will definitely be able to find Xu Yi... she definitely can."

......

But deep in the dense forest, 500,000 miles away from this snow-capped mountain.

A simple wooden cabin is nestled among the cedar trees, with a stove burning brightly inside.

Beside the bed, a woman with long, snow-white hair cascading over her shoulders gently held the unconscious Xu Yi, carefully feeding him medicine with a porcelain spoon.

The woman was extremely beautiful, with a full head of white hair that cascaded down like a waterfall, and even her eyebrows and eyelashes were pure white, long and curly.

Xu Yi coughed twice and slowly opened his heavy eyelids.

His eyes were immediately drawn to the exquisite whiteness of the woman before him. He stood frozen in place, staring blankly at her.

He felt like he had seen a woman who looked somewhat like her before, perhaps... Bai Li's mother?

Xu Yi's throat was dry, his voice was hoarse, and his tone was blank.

"Why...am I here?"

He felt dizzy and couldn't remember many things.

Bai Li picked up the medicine bowl, her tone gentle and soothing, conveying a sense of comfort.

"An avalanche occurred near where you are. You must have been swept here by the snow wave. I found you when I passed by and rescued you."

Xu Yi suddenly snapped out of his daze. He struggled to get up and pressed for an answer.

"Yes...yes, an avalanche! My...benefactor, have you seen a woman traveling with me?"

One day, I too will be called a benefactor by my own benefactor...

Bai Li immediately put on a puzzled expression, tilted her head, and looked completely bewildered.

"Woman? No, when I found you, you were the only one lying in the snow ditch."

Upon hearing this, Xu Yi quickly broke the spiritual energy seal, intending to teleport out of the wooden house to search for the source.

But just as he managed to gather a trace of his breath, the white-haired woman gently pressed down on his shoulder.

Xu Yi was startled. What realm is this woman? She casually suppressed me, a Star Realm cultivator.

Bai Li gently pressed his shoulder, shook her head, and spoke with a tone of dissuasion.

"Sigh, you'd better not go out looking for me. It's been seven days since I found you."

Xu Yi struggled to stand up.

"Then I should go look for it even more."

Bai Li reached out and gripped his wrist tightly, her strength not great but not enough to break free, her voice filled with worry.

"No, you're out of your mind. Running around like that could cause even more damage."

Xu Yi frowned, a hint of displeasure rising in his heart, and looked at her as he spoke.

"Huh? You... saved me, I'm very grateful, but you can't insult me. What do you mean I'm mentally ill?"

As he was about to get out of bed, a severe headache struck him, as if thousands of steel needles were piercing his soul.

His body went limp, and he quickly grabbed the wooden wall beside him for support; his face was pale.

"No... am I really out of my mind?"

Seeing this, Bai Li immediately stepped forward to support his swaying body, gently helping him back to bed, and spoke softly.

"See, I told you so."

"After my examination, I have determined that you have Soul Vein Rift Syndrome."

"This disease specifically attacks the cultivator's soul and meridians. The higher the cultivation level and the stronger the soul, the more painful the onset of the disease."

"The longer it drags on, the more severe the damage to the soul will be, eventually causing the soul to dissipate from the pain, making it impossible to even enter the cycle of reincarnation."

Xu Yi's face turned pale; he simply couldn't believe it.

"Impossible! How could I have contracted this disease for no reason? My benefactor, please relax."

No sooner had she finished speaking than another wave of excruciating pain swept over her, and she couldn't help but tug at Bai Li's sleeve twice.

Bai Li blinked, her tone tinged with helplessness.

"You're in this state, please trust me this once..."

"As long as you stay here and recover, I will be able to stabilize your soul meridian and repair the cracks within three months. It won't be too late to look for someone then."

Xu Yi looked at her face and felt a sense of doubt. Why was this woman so kind to him?

Could it be... that she is Bai Li?