Transforming into a stunningly beautiful fox spirit, leaving a scar on the heart of a prodigy.

fog.

A thick fog filled the sky.

Bai Yin stood in a desolate swamp, the muddy water beneath his feet icy cold and reaching above his knees.

He clutched a severed sleeve in his hand, still stained with blood—the last thing Su Xiaojiu had left behind.

"noob."

A voice called out from ahead.

Bai Yin suddenly looked up.

Deep within the mist, Su Xiaojiu was bound by several golden chains and being pulled upwards by a tremendous force.

She was barefoot, her white skirt fluttering in the wind, and her face, which always carried a somewhat lazy smile, was now streaked with tears.

"I'm not leaving..."

She cried out, her voice breaking like paper torn by the wind.

"Little White, save me..."

"Little White, I'm scared..."

Bai Yin charged forward like a madman.

He tried to shout, but no sound came out of his throat.

He wanted to fly, but his legs seemed rooted to the spot, stuck firmly in the mud and unable to move.

They could only watch helplessly as the white figure grew farther and farther away, smaller and smaller, until it finally disappeared into the clouds above the heavens.

"Xiao Jiu—!!!"

A mournful roar forcefully shattered the shackles of the dream.

Bai Yin suddenly sat up.

A sharp pain struck instantly.

It felt as if every bone in my body had been broken and then put back together, and every inch of my flesh was screaming in pain.

"hiss……"

He gasped, his body went limp, and he fell heavily back onto the haystack.

Before me stood a dilapidated mountain god temple.

The house was drafty on all sides, and half of the roof had collapsed, but one could see the dark night sky and a few sparse stars outside.

He was lying on a thick layer of dry grass, his body wrapped in white bandages, and he exuded a strong herbal scent.

A bonfire was burning not far away.

The flickering firelight illuminated a hunched figure.

That was an old Taoist priest.

His hair was a mess, like a bird's nest, and his Taoist robe was so greasy that its original color was unrecognizable. He held a tree branch in his hand and was intently poking at a roast chicken on the fire.

The roast chicken sizzled and dripped with oil, emitting a wonderful aroma.

The old Taoist priest turned the roast chicken while shaking his head and humming an unknown tune:

"Foolish child, foolish child, how laughable! To lose your life for a beautiful woman."

"Even with broken bones and a bent back, he still calls for his wife when he wakes up."

"Hehe, it smells good, really good."

The old Taoist priest tore off a chicken leg, not caring about the heat, and stuffed it directly into his mouth, chewing it heartily until his mouth was greasy.

Bai Yin lay on the haystack, panting heavily.

The confusion in my mind gradually dissipated, and memories flooded back like a tide.

Yunmeng Marsh.

Warships.

Emperor Shitian.

And... Xiao Jiu was taken away.

"Little Nine!"

Bai Yin's pupils suddenly contracted, and with a strength he didn't know he had, he braced himself on the ground with both hands and sat up abruptly.

"I have to go save her..."

He struggled to stand up, his voice hoarse.

The moment he moved, a tearing pain shot through his chest, and the newly scabbed wound burst open, instantly staining the bandage with blood.

"Smack."

A greasy hand landed on his shoulder.

A seemingly light press actually feels as heavy as Mount Tai.

Bai Yin felt his body sink, and he was pinned to the spot, unable to move.

Save your breath.

The old Taoist priest appeared beside him at some point, his other hand still holding the half-eaten chicken leg.

"With your current state, you can't even climb over the threshold of this dilapidated temple, let alone save anyone."

Bai Yin stared intently at the old Taoist priest, his eyes bloodshot.

"open."

"I'm going to save her."

The old Taoist priest rolled his eyes and casually tossed the chicken bones into the fire.

"Save them? With what can we save them?"

"Will I take your broken sword, or your worthless life?"

The old Taoist priest pointed to Bai Yin's right hand, which was wrapped in bandages.

"That's the Heavenly Demon Dynasty, the Emperor Shitian, and Tianpeng, who commands 80,000 naval troops."

"You can't even destroy one of their warships, and you want to steal a bride?"

Bai Yin's body trembled.

He knew the old Taoist priest was telling the truth.

But he couldn't wait.

The thought of Xiao Jiu being held by that group of people, and the image of her crying and begging for help in his dream, made his heart feel like it was being torn apart.

"That's my business."

Bai Yin gritted his teeth and squeezed out a few words.

"Even if I die, I want to die by her side."

The old Taoist priest sighed as he looked at his stubborn, mule-like appearance.

He withdrew his hand, wiped the oil stains on his Taoist robe, and plopped down in front of Bai Yin.

"Foolish child."

"Do you know why they wanted to catch that fox?"

Bai Yin didn't speak, he just stared at him.

The old Taoist priest took out a gourd of wine from his pocket, tilted his head back and took a swig, a complex light flashing in his cloudy old eyes.

"This world is in complete chaos."

"That ancestor of the demon race, who was also the master of Emperor Shitian, was a true peerless hero."

"Thousands of years ago, in order to protect the little bit of fortune of the demon race, he withstood the backlash of the Heavenly Dao and suffered a lot of Dao injuries."

"He should have died long ago, but he's held on by sheer willpower until now."

The old Taoist priest pointed to the sky.

"He's holding on, that's why the demon race hasn't fallen. If he were to collapse, all the demons in the Nine Provinces would have to become mounts for humans and food for demons."

"That nine-tailed fox is his medicine."

"The only medicine."

Bai Yin listened without any change in expression.

What demon clan's destiny, what peerless hero?

He couldn't understand.

I don't want to understand either.

"so what?"

Bai Yin asked coldly.

"So I should just give Xiao Jiu to them?"

"So I'm just supposed to watch them rip Xiao Jiu's heart out to save that damned ancestor?"

The old Taoist priest was taken aback.

He looked into Bai Yin's calm, expressionless eyes and suddenly laughed.

"Hey kid, you're more sensible than that old man."

Bai Yin struggled to push away the old Taoist's hand and stood up unsteadily.

He picked up the broken knife from the ground; it was the one he had clutched tightly in his hand before he lost consciousness, and even though it was broken, he had never let go of it.

I don't care who he is.

"No matter how great he is."

"If he wants to live, that's his ability. But he can't trade my Xiao Jiu for it."

Bai Yin, leaning on his broken sword, moved step by step toward the temple entrance.

With each step, a bloody footprint was left behind.

"I'm going to take her home."

The old Taoist priest looked at the stubborn figure and shook his head.

"They're not coming back."

"She was taken to the Demon Court in the Nine Heavens."

"It is protected by the Zhou Tian Star Array and guarded by thirty-six demon gods."

"and……"

The old Taoist priest paused, his voice lowering slightly.

"The time there is different from that down here."

Bai Yin suddenly stopped in his tracks.

He turned around and stared intently at the old Taoist priest.

"What do you mean?"

The old Taoist priest shook his wine gourd.

"A day in heaven is equivalent to a year on earth."

"This is a rule left behind by the ancient demon court, and it was also a scheme set up by that old thing to delay the healing of his injuries."

"One day she spends up there is a year for you down there."

Bai Yin's pupils contracted violently.

A day in heaven is equivalent to a year on earth.

"However..."

The old Taoist priest changed the subject, a meaningful smile playing on his lips.

"This is also your opportunity."

Bai Yin suddenly looked up.

"Chance?"

"Yes, an opportunity."

The old Taoist priest stood up and dusted off his bottom.

"You're too weak right now."

"As weak as an ant."

"Even if we let you go up there, it would be suicide."

"But if..."

The old Taoist priest walked up to Bai Yin, and a startling light suddenly burst forth from his cloudy eyes.

"What if you take advantage of this time difference?"

"She spends one day up there, while you train for a year down there."

"She spends ten days up there, while you train for ten years down there."

"She spends a month up there, while you train down there for thirty years!"

The old Taoist priest's voice grew louder and louder, shaking the tiles of the dilapidated temple.

"As long as you train fast enough, and as long as you live long enough."

"Wait until you become a Great Sage, wait until your swordsmanship reaches the divine level."

"Back then, you could have broken through not only the Demon Court, but even the heavens themselves!"

Bai Yin was stunned.

He looked at the old Taoist priest, his breathing becoming rapid.

Yes.

time.

It is a curse, and a blessing.

As long as he can endure this long period of loneliness, as long as he can survive in this hellish world.

He still has a chance.

"I want to learn."

Bai Yin threw away the broken knife in his hand and knelt down on the ground with a thud.

His knees slammed into the gravel, drawing blood, but he didn't even flinch.

Teach me.

"As long as I can become stronger, as long as I can save her."

"I'll do anything you ask."

The old Taoist priest looked at Bai Yin kneeling before him, a hint of relief flashing in his eyes, yet also a touch of reluctance.

This kid is ruthless and cruel.

He is indeed a promising candidate for the path of killing and conquest.

Unfortunately, he was a romantic at heart.

Deep affection is short-lived.

Get up.

The old Taoist priest reached out and helped him up.

"From today onward, forget your name, forget your past."

"Follow me, old Taoist, and let's go to that hellish place in the far west."

"There are no living people there, only dead ghosts."

Whether you can make it out alive depends on your fate.

Bai Yin stood up and looked towards the distant east.

That's the direction of the Demon Court.

Although he couldn't see her, he knew that Xiao Jiu was there.

"Xiao Jiu, wait for me."

He silently recited it in his heart.

"You take a nap up there, and I'll be there."

Even if it takes a hundred years, or a thousand years.

"I will definitely come."

The old Taoist priest looked at Bai Yin's resolute profile and sighed inwardly.

The cause and effect in this world are truly wondrous.

That old demon emperor had been scheming his whole life, trying to find someone destined to face this calamity to bear the backlash from the heavens.

Unexpectedly, the person destined for disaster was right here in this dilapidated temple, right here in this wilderness.

For the sake of a woman, he made a grand vow to slaughter the heavens.

"Let's go."

The old Taoist priest waved his hand, and the bonfire instantly went out.

"The road ahead is still long."

Two figures, one old and one young, limped out of the dilapidated temple and disappeared into the vast night.

The wind rises.

Roll up the fallen leaves on the ground.

The old Taoist priest's desolate song could still be faintly heard echoing in the wind:

"A day in heaven is different on earth; youthful beauty fades while temples turn gray."

"Don't say that the foolish child is too cruel, he only wants to see his old face again."

……

"To the Tune of Bu Suanzi: Awakening from a Dream"

The waning moon shines on the desolate hill, where dreams are shattered and souls are terrified.

The mist shrouds the towering buildings, the person is gone and far away; tears fall on the road of longing.

A day of leisure in heaven is wasted on earth.

When the Asura sharpens his sword, blood will stain the Lingxiao Ferry.