For several moments, Lin Xue simply sat beneath the ancient tree.
The golden feather remained in his palm.
Its words had already faded.
The first seal has broken.
Five remain.
Five seals.
Five unknown forces.
And somewhere beyond the mortal realm, something had awakened.
Lin Xue slowly closed his fingers around the feather.
“What exactly are you?”
A quiet groan came from beside him.
Lin Xue immediately turned.
Mo Yuan’s eyelashes trembled.
A moment later, his eyes opened.
“Lin Xue…”
“I’m here.”
Mo Yuan tried to sit up.
Lin Xue quickly supported his shoulder.
“Don’t move too quickly.”
“I’m fine.”
“You always say that.”
Mo Yuan looked at him.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Mo Yuan noticed Lin Xue’s hand.
“The feather.”
Lin Xue showed it to him.
Mo Yuan read the words.
His expression became serious.
“Five seals.”
“Yes.”
“Do you know what they are?”
“No.”
Mo Yuan looked toward the dark sky.
“But I think we’ll find out.”
Lin Xue glanced at him.
“You sound strangely calm.”
“I’ve already died once.”
He looked back at Lin Xue.
“Very little frightens me now.”
Lin Xue smiled faintly.
“That makes two of us.”
Mo Yuan slowly stood.
His face was still pale, but his spiritual energy had begun to stabilize.
Lin Xue noticed a small streak of blood at the corner of his lips.
He reached out and wiped it away with his sleeve.
Mo Yuan froze.
Lin Xue froze too.
Their eyes met.
The distance between them suddenly felt much smaller than before.
Lin Xue withdrew his hand.
“You had blood.”
“I noticed.”
“You didn’t wipe it.”
“I was waiting.”
“For what?”
Mo Yuan’s gaze softened.
“For you.”
Lin Xue’s heart skipped.
He immediately looked away.
“You shouldn’t say things like that so casually.”
“Why?”
“Because…”
He couldn’t finish.
Mo Yuan’s lips curved slightly.
“Because?”
Lin Xue cleared his throat.
“Forget it.”
For once, Mo Yuan didn’t tease him further.
Instead, he looked toward the mountain. Follow the newest chapters on novelping.com.
“We should return to Qingyun Sect.”
Lin Xue nodded.
“If the Heavenly Mirror was destroyed, the sect will be in chaos.”
“And Lin Yue…”
Mo Yuan’s expression darkened.
“He stayed behind.”
Lin Xue looked at the distant mountains.
“I don’t think he’s dead.”
“Neither do I.”
The two began walking.
But before they had gone far, Lin Xue suddenly stopped.
“Wait.”
Mo Yuan turned.
“What?”
Lin Xue looked down.
A thin golden line had appeared across the ground.
It stretched between two ancient trees and disappeared into the darkness.
“The formation.”
Mo Yuan crouched.
“Someone placed it here.”
Lin Xue touched the line.
A faint image appeared.
A woman.
She wore white robes and held a sword.
Her face was hidden.
Then the image changed.
A child.
A palace.
A burning temple.
And finally—
A red moon.
Lin Xue’s Soul Lotus began to glow.
Mo Yuan immediately pulled him away.
The image shattered.
“What did you see?”
Lin Xue shook his head.
“I’m not sure.”
“But?”
He looked toward the fading formation.
“I think the first seal isn’t somewhere.”
“It’s someone.”
Mo Yuan’s expression changed.
“Someone?”
Lin Xue nodded.
“The feather said the first seal has broken.”
“Perhaps the seal wasn’t an object.”
“Perhaps it was a person whose power had been sealed.”
The forest suddenly became colder.
A voice whispered from somewhere among the trees.
“Correct.”
Lin Xue and Mo Yuan turned simultaneously.
A woman stepped out of the shadows.
She wore a white veil over her face.
A silver sword hung at her waist.
She looked toward Lin Xue.
“The first seal has indeed broken.”
Mo Yuan drew his sword.
“Who are you?”
The woman ignored him.
Her gaze remained fixed on Lin Xue.
“You carry the Soul Lotus.”
Lin Xue’s expression hardened.
“How do you know?”
“Because I was there when it was created.”
Mo Yuan’s eyes narrowed.
“Another ancient cultivator.”
The woman laughed softly.
“Ancient?”
“Perhaps.”
She lifted one hand.
Lin Xue felt an overwhelming spiritual pressure.
Mo Yuan stepped forward.
“Don’t.”
The woman finally looked at him.
Her eyes widened.
“You…”
Her voice trembled.
“You have returned too.”
Mo Yuan’s expression turned cold.
“Who are you?”
The woman slowly removed her veil.
Lin Xue’s eyes widened.
He knew that face.
Not personally.
But from the memories hidden inside the Heavenly Mirror.
She was the woman standing beside the first bearer of the Soul Lotus.
The woman from the ancient palace.
The woman who had watched the Crimson Seal being created.
She looked at Lin Xue with sorrowful eyes.
“My name is Bai Yue.”
“And I was the first person to betray Heaven.”
Lin Xue stared at her.
“Why?”
Bai Yue’s gaze shifted toward Mo Yuan.
“Because Heaven demanded that I choose.”
“Choose what?”
“Between saving the world…”
Her eyes returned to Lin Xue.
“…and saving the person I loved.”
The forest fell silent.
Lin Xue felt something tighten in his chest.
Bai Yue continued.
“I chose love.”
“That choice destroyed an empire.”
“And began the cycle you two have been trapped in for a thousand years.”
Mo Yuan’s grip tightened around his sword.
“What cycle?”
Bai Yue looked toward the sky.
“Every time you are reborn…”
“You find each other.”
“Every time…”
“One of you dies.”
Lin Xue’s face went pale.
“And this life?”
Bai Yue smiled sadly.
“This life is different.”
“Why?”
“Because…”
She looked at the Soul Lotus.
“…for the first time, both of you remember.”
A distant thunderclap shook the sky.
Bai Yue stepped backward.
“The second seal will awaken soon.”
Lin Xue immediately asked,
“Where?”
Bai Yue pointed toward the eastern horizon.
“The Imperial Capital.”
“The second seal lies beneath the Dragon Throne.”
Then she vanished into the white petals.
Lin Xue stood motionless.
Mo Yuan looked at him.
“We’re going back.”
Lin Xue nodded.
“Yes.”
But neither of them noticed the faint crimson mark that had appeared beneath Mo Yuan’s collar.
A wolf-shaped seal.
Its first line had just awakened.
And somewhere beneath the Imperial Palace…
A second heartbeat began to beat.