Holding a lantern, guiding souls across, Lady Hou comes from the underworld.

Ren Fengjue was covered in injuries and was barely holding on by sheer willpower.

But then he saw the Di people around him suddenly stop and turn their heads. He immediately looked in that direction and saw a familiar red figure...

Before he could even see the other person's face clearly, a wave of dizziness caused him to begin to sink rapidly.

As his consciousness faded, he vaguely heard Yu Lang call out beside him.

"Lord Ren!"

-

Ren Fengjue struggled to open his eyes, but all he saw was a sea of ​​green.

A snail is slowly crawling among the lush, verdant leaves, almost within reach.

He was startled and nearly fell off the tree.

It was only then that I realized I was lying on a tree.

In the distance, the sky is high and the clouds are wide, and the breeze is gentle for thousands of miles…

Where is this place?

Ren Fengjue wondered if he was dreaming, but at this moment, he was still wearing blood-stained clothes, and the weakness in his body made him clearly remember that he had just experienced a life-or-death struggle.

The Di people, the corpse puppet Gu, the poplar forest—everything was vividly clear in my mind.

He even remembered Xia Ximo; he had vaguely seen her figure before.

Thinking of this, Ren Fengjue became even more curious and subconsciously reached for the Soul-Crossing Lamp and the Mystic Mirror that he had previously hidden in his bosom.

But both of these things are gone.

He paused, sensing a figure approaching from behind. He immediately turned around and was startled.

A face exactly like his own was standing behind him.

Ren Fengjue instinctively asked, "Who are you?"

The man smiled. "Don't you know who I am?"

Ren Fengjue immediately recalled what the lamp spirit Wuyou had once said: within the barrier Xia Ximo entered, there was a wisp of soul…

Could it be…

"Have I entered a protective barrier?"

The man replied, "It was that Mystic Mirror that captured your soul here. But that's fine, it saves me the trouble of going out to look for you again."

Ren Fengjue didn't quite understand the meaning behind his words, but still asked, "Where's Mogu?"

The man sighed, "Knowing you were in danger, she couldn't wait to leave. It seems you're more important to her than I am."

"..."

Ren Fengjue was slightly taken aback, but for some reason felt very comfortable hearing these words.

"Although you and I are essentially the same person, I still envy you. Back then, Mo Gu never took me seriously."

The words sounded somewhat joking, but there was also a hint of regret in them.

Ren Fengjue was always filled with curiosity about Mo Gu. He carefully asked, "What happened between you back then, and why did you leave behind a fragment of your soul?"

Upon hearing this, the man simply smiled slightly.

"This matter is too long to explain. Let's wait until your soul returns to its original state and then think about it slowly."

After saying that, he took a few steps closer to Ren Fengjue, his voice softening considerably, "But you must promise me that you will not have any regrets in this life."

After saying this, his figure spread across the calm lake like ripples until he disappeared.

At that moment, Ren Fengjue felt the weakness in his body disappear instantly, and he began to feel incredibly light.

He had never had a concrete feeling about the missing piece of his soul until this moment, when he finally understood what completeness meant.

However, besides the physical sensations, a memory that wasn't originally mine was quickly flooded into my mind...

……

One hundred years ago, in a chaotic world, the world was not yet settled, and ghosts and monsters roamed freely.

At that time, there was no emperor in the human world, only four feudal lords who ruled over their own territories: Zhendong, Pingnan, Anxi, and Dingbei.

In addition, there are four other sects: the Spirit Sword Sect, the Profound Heaven Sect, the Yinming Sect, and the Hidden Cloud Valley.

As the only son of Zhen Donghou, the leader of the four great lords, Bai Jue was sent to Lingjian Sect to learn swordsmanship from a young age.

It was there that he met Mogu.

Mo Gu wasn't originally called "Mo Gu"; although her surname was Mo, she didn't have a given name.

As a 30th-generation disciple of the Spirit Sword Sect, Bai Jue was a favored son of heaven with the backing of powerful lords. Even after joining the Spirit Sword Sect, he was still treated like a star.

Mo Gu, however, was worlds apart from him.

She was an elder of the Spirit Sword Sect, a child she picked up from a pile of corpses while quelling evil spirits on her way down the mountain.

Although in terms of talent, no disciple of the entire Spirit Sword Sect can match her even slightly.

But because of her background, the jealousy in secret will turn into open contempt.

They have always looked down on her.

When Mo Gu was four years old, everyone in the village was killed by ghosts and monsters, and she was the only survivor.

She was so young, and with no adults around, she miraculously survived by eating corpses, just like wild animals.

She lived such a difficult life, thinking that once she joined the Spirit Sword Sect, she could live like a normal person.

But when her senior brothers and sisters learned about her past, all they saw was disdain and exclusion.

Fortunately, she also had a senior brother who treated her very well.

While everyone else called her Xiao Hei, only her senior brother would pat her head and call her junior sister.

To be honest, Mo Gu didn't like the Spirit Sword Sect, but she also knew that she needed to become stronger in order to survive.

During those years on Lingshan Mountain, she always quietly hid in a corner, completely inconspicuous.

The brilliance that shines from within cannot be contained.

Bai Jue spotted her at a glance among those hundreds of Lingjian Sect disciples.

Geniuses are always few and far between.

But that's exactly who she is.

If she, like Bai Jue, had a powerful backer, she would surely become the pride of the entire Spirit Sword Sect.

But she was just an "ominous person" defined as someone who survived from a pile of corpses.

For her, talent was also a sharp blade that wounded her.

During the sword-testing tournament, her fellow disciples threw her sword off a cliff to prevent her from competing.

She had no sword and could only go into battle empty-handed. Amidst everyone's laughter and even insults, she offered no explanation.

That was the first time Bai Jue spoke to her. He stepped forward and handed her his sword.

She looked up at him, a hint of surprise in her eyes.

Master Lingyin was always harsh on his disciples. He angrily rebuked her, "Do you even deserve to hold someone else's sword? Get out of here right now!"

She thus lost her chance to test her sword skills and silently walked off the stage.

But at that time, Mo Gu did not resent his master.

Because it was her master who brought her back from the pile of dead bodies. He valued her talent and would privately teach her the secret techniques of the Spirit Sword Sect, urging her to practice diligently.

Mo Gu was always grateful to him.

Therefore, even when she was kicked off the stage at the sword-testing competition, she did not have any complaints.

She continued to work hard, diligently studying the secret techniques her master had taught her, hoping that one day she would gain his approval.

It took her a full ten years to master the supreme cultivation method that no one else in the entire Spirit Sword Sect, except for the sect's founder, could cultivate.

However, what awaited him was that his master personally dug out his spiritual root, stripped him of his cultivation, expelled him from the Spirit Sword Sect, and turned him into a cripple.

Mo Gu's belief collapsed completely.