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

The golden light on the stone wall flickered, illuminating the monk's pale, almost transparent face.

He raised his hand, his fingertips tracing the pattern of the huge sycamore tree in the air, his movements gentle, revealing an indescribable longing.

"People only know that the phoenix is ​​an auspicious creature, that it will not perch on anything but the parasol tree, will not eat anything but the fruit of the phoenix tree, and will not drink anything but the sweet spring."

The monk's voice echoed in the empty cave, carrying the scent of time.

Little did they know, behind this auspicious omen lay the most poisonous curse in the world.

Gu Xiang stared at the painting, his brows furrowed.

"curse?"

The monk withdrew his hand, turned around, and his gaze fell on Gu Xiang's chest.

"In ancient times, the two Phoenix Emperors cultivated the Great Dao together, intending to break through the heavens and ascend to heaven."

"However, the way of Heaven is flawed and cannot accommodate two great emperors living in the same world."

"In that calamity, the Phoenix Emperor perished."

The monk paused, his eyes churning with a dark, swirling mist.

"The Phoenix Emperor was unwilling to accept this, so she transformed all her Dao fruits into this exquisite seven-aperture heart, leaving it for future generations to use as a medium to rebuild the Great Dao."

"But she forgot that since this heart carried her Dao fruit, it also inherited her destiny."

Gu Xiang's heart skipped a beat.

"What destiny?"

"The Phoenix must die."

The monk uttered those three words lightly, yet they felt like a mountain pressing down on Gu Xiang's heart.

"All who possess this heart are substitutes for the 'Phoenix'."

"No matter how powerful one's cultivation is, or how much power one wields over the world, in the end, they cannot escape the same fate."

The monk pointed to the large, empty hole in his chest.

"To do the work for someone else's benefit."

"Either have your heart ripped out, so that others can become immortals and ancestors."

"Either die of heart and soul, and turn into a wisp of dust in this world."

Su Qing stood to the side, her face frighteningly cold.

She stared intently at the monk, the primordial fire at her fingertips flickering wildly.

"So, this isn't a matter of chance at all."

Su Qing said coldly.

"This is a death warrant."

The monk glanced at her, a bitter smile playing on his lips.

"Yes, a death warrant."

"Three hundred years ago, I was the chosen 'Phoenix'."

"At that time, I also thought that I was destined by heaven to protect the Great Zhou and her."

The monk's gaze became somewhat unfocused, as if he could see through time and see the little fox that always followed him.

"She's smarter than me, and she's also more ruthless."

"She saw through the secret of this heart."

"She doesn't believe in fate."

The monk sighed, his voice lowering.

"To break the deadlock, she made a decision."

"Since the phoenix must die, what if there is no longer a distinction between the phoenix and the dragon in this world?"

"If she transforms into a 'phoenix,' will she be able to protect me, this 'phoenix'?"

Su Qing's body jolted violently.

She remembered the phoenix remains deep within Fallen Phoenix Slope.

He recalled the wisp of Phoenix True Fire that had fused within his body.

"She... fused with phoenix blood?"

Su Qing's voice trembled slightly.

The monk nodded.

"Alone, she ventured into the perilous Luofeng Slope, narrowly escaping death, and obtained a drop of the Phoenix Emperor's essence blood."

"She wants to use the power of the Phoenix Emperor to forcibly rewrite this damned fate."

"She wants to stay with me forever."

The monk closed his eyes, and two lines of clear tears slid down his pale cheeks.

"But she forgot that the ways of Heaven are merciless."

"The more you struggle against fate, the tighter it grips you."

"Her actions not only failed to break the deadlock, but instead brought about an even greater disaster."

"The phoenix blood has appeared in the world, its aura soaring to the heavens."

"It attracted the Xuan Yin of the Supreme Forgetfulness Sect."

Gu Xiang gripped the sword hilt tightly, his knuckles turning white.

It turned out to be the case.

So that's what caused the catastrophe three hundred years ago.

The little fox who defied fate to change her lover's destiny ended up tolling her lover's death knell herself.

"The Mysterious Yin has arrived."

The monk opened his eyes, and there was only death in them.

"He wants both the heart and the phoenix blood."

"To protect her, to protect the Great Zhou, I have no other choice."

The monk pointed to his chest.

"I ripped my heart out."

"In exchange for Xuan Yin, the Great Zhou Dynasty has lingered on for three hundred years."

"It also saved her life."

The cave was deathly silent.

The only sound was the dripping of water, drip-drop, drip-drop.

Each sound seemed to strike right at one's heart.

Su Qing looked at the monk, then turned to look at Gu Xiang.

Her eyes were filled with fear.

This was the first time she had ever felt fear.

Even when facing the Xuan Yin Zhenren's butcher's knife back then, she was never this afraid.

Because at that time, she felt that as long as she died, Gu Xiang would live.

But now, the monk tells her that this is a dead end.

A dead end that has been going on for three hundred years.

She has now merged with the Phoenix True Fire and become the new "Phoenix".

Gu Xiang, now possessing a brilliant mind, became the new "Phoenix".

How similar this is to what happened three hundred years ago.

They are exactly the same.

"Old man."

Su Qing took a step forward, her voice sharp.

"You mean, Gu Xiang will end up looking like you?"

"His heart was ripped out, leaving him a desiccated corpse, neither human nor ghost, hiding in this gutter, barely surviving?"

The monk did not speak.

He simply watched Gu Xiang quietly.

In those gray eyes, there was no sympathy, no pity, only the scrutiny of someone who had been there.

Are you scared?

The monk asked.

Gu Xiang loosened his grip on the sword.

He lowered his head and looked at his chest.

That heart is still beating.

Powerful, warm.

That was the heart Su Qing gave him.

He raised his head again and looked at Su Qing.

Su Qing was staring intently at him, her eyes slightly red, and her fox-like eyes, which always held a hint of mockery, were now filled with panic.

She was afraid.

I'm afraid he'll die.

I'm afraid he'll turn into a monk.

Gu Xiang suddenly laughed.

He reached out and gently smoothed the wrinkles between Su Qing's brows.

The movements were gentle, as if caressing a rare treasure.

"Afraid?"

Gu Xiang shook his head.

"I am not afraid of death."

He turned around and looked directly into the monk's gray eyes.

The righteous energy flowing from his body dispelled some of the chill in the cave.

"Throughout my life, I have studied the classics and acted as a gentleman."

"While I dare not say that I have no regrets before Heaven and Earth, I at least have no regrets before my own heart."

Gu Xiang's voice wasn't loud, but every word was firm and resounding.

"This heart was given to me by her."

"As long as it beats in my chest, I will still be Gu Xiang."

"I am neither a substitute for Phoenix nor anyone's pawn."

The monk looked at him, a strange glint in his eyes.

"You don't regret it?"

"Three hundred years ago, I was just as spirited as you."

"But in the end, I lost miserably."

"Aren't you afraid of repeating the same mistake?"

Gu Xiang smiled.

He took Su Qing's hand, their fingers intertwined.

The warmth from her palm traveled down her fingertips, dispelling the coldness from Su Qing's hands.

"regret?"

Gu Xiang turned his head to look at the woman in red beside him.

His eyes were full of doting affection.

"If you say you regret it..."

"My only regret is that I didn't realize she was a woman sooner back in Qingniu Town."

"I only regret that those three years were too short, and that I couldn't draw her eyebrows more often or buy her more roast chickens."

"I only regret that on our wedding day, I couldn't protect her and let her suffer so much."

Gu Xiang took a deep breath, his gaze becoming incredibly firm.

"As for this heart, this so-called destiny."

"If Heaven wants to destroy me, then let Heaven take it away."

"If anyone tries to steal it, then I'll give my life in exchange."

"In my life, I, Gu Xiang, only believe in my own principles."

"She is my wife."

"As long as I can protect her, I'd be willing to go to hell."

Su Qing's body trembled slightly.

Tears welled up in her eyes.

She wanted to call him an idiot, an moron.

But the words that were on the tip of his tongue turned into a sob.

She gripped Gu Xiang's hand tightly, her knuckles turning white with her strength.

The monk watched this scene in silence for a long time.

After a long while, he finally let out a long sigh.

The voice carried a hint of envy, a sense of relief, and an indescribable sense of desolation.

"What a stubborn person!"

"What a wonderful statement about not having any regrets."

The monk slowly closed his eyes, and the pattern of the paulownia tree on the stone wall behind him seemed to light up for a moment.

"If only I could have been like you back then..."

"Perhaps, the ending would have been different."

He didn't finish speaking.

But Gu Xiang and Su Qing both understood.

Back then, the monk chose to compromise.

In order to preserve the overall situation and to ensure the survival of the imperial advisor, he chose to sacrifice himself and accept his fate.

Gu Xiang, however, chose not to acknowledge it.

Even if there's a bottomless abyss ahead, he'll still grab Su Qing's hand and jump down together.

Li Qingge stood to the side, toying with the withered bone in her hand, her eyes darting back and forth between the three people.

She suddenly pursed her lips and muttered something under her breath.

"That's so cheesy."

"But... it's actually quite enviable."

She looked at the monk, her eyes filled with a complex emotion.

"Father, you lost."

The monk opened his eyes and looked at his daughter.

He nodded.

"Yes, I lost."

"We lost because we were too rational, and we lost because we wanted to achieve everything."

"In this world, the more you try to achieve perfection, the less likely you are to achieve it."

The monk looked at Gu Xiang again.

This time, there was a glimmer of light in his eyes.

That was the light of hope.

"Since you have no regrets, then go ahead and give it a try."

"Let's see if we can break this damned fate."

"Let's see if we can find a path that she and I couldn't make it through."

The monk raised his hand and pointed to the roots of the paulownia tree on the stone wall.

There was an inconspicuous groove there.

Its shape is exactly like a heart.

"Go."

"Put your hand on it."

"Let this thing that has been sleeping underground for ten thousand years see."

"Does this new generation of 'Phoenix' even have the right to awaken them?"

Gu Xiang glanced at Su Qing.

Su Qingchong nodded.

Although she was still afraid, she was willing to do anything as long as Gu Xiang was around.

Gu Xiang released Su Qing's hand and strode towards the stone wall.

He reached out and placed his hand on the groove.

boom!

The entire cave shook violently.

An ancient and powerful aura surged wildly into Gu Xiang's body along his arm.

That is the destiny of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

It is the remnant soul of a phoenix.

It is also the most unwilling roar in the world.

At this moment, Gu Xiang's exquisite heart pounded like thunder.

Boom!Boom!Boom!

Each sound made the runes on the stone wall tremble.

Every sound is a declaration of war against this damned fate.

The Magpie Bridge Fairy: Asking the Heart

The path to the underworld is severed, past dreams are distant, who can unravel the cycle of fate?

The phoenix perches on the parasol tree, its sorrow unending; alas, in this life, deep affection met with a shallow fate.

Even if bones turn to ash, the original intention remains unchanged; only the longing for each other will never die.

To travel with you to the netherworld and the heavens surpasses countless journeys in the mortal realm.