“Ah, ah, ah, ah… ah… huh? I’m not dead?”
Mo Xiaoxing jumped up from a pool of scorching lava, surrounded by pools of red, glowing magma or solidified volcanic rock.
She scrambled on all fours, crawling rapidly toward a rock formation.
Her feet felt as if they were trudging through a swamp, impossible to drag along. Once she finally made it to the shore, Mo Xiaoxing stared at the lava dripping from her hands and feet and burst into tears.
“I must be dead, right? Otherwise, how could I have fallen into lava and not turned into ashes?”
“…Is this hell? I died so miserably!”
In the vast, empty canyon, the girl’s miserable wailing echoed.
“Is there anyone? No, wait—sob, sob—is there any ghost here?”
[Cough, cough—stop crying.]
Suddenly hearing an extremely pleasant voice, Mo Xiaoxing stopped crying instantly.
“Ah, miss, did you die too? Where are you?”
[Don’t look for me; I am inside your bracelet. I am currently unable to manifest.]
Mo Xiaoxing raised her hand, looking at her bracelet in surprise. “You must be joking!”
The white jade bracelet suddenly emitted a faint white light.
[I am not joking. Guiding you here has already exhausted much of my spiritual energy. I cannot condense into a spirit form for a short time. You are not dead; you are still alive.]
The woman’s voice was naturally beautiful, and to Mo Xiaoxing, it sounded like a heavenly melody.
“So, you saved me!”
She calmed down, suddenly remembering. The plane she was on had crashed, and before she could even process anything, she was swallowed by a great fire. At that moment, she had heard this same gentle voice in her mind, saying, “Don’t be afraid, I will take you away.”
And then, she had appeared here!
“Miss, where am I now? What is going on?”
[This is no longer the world you originated from. You are now existing in the identity of someone else.]
Just then, Mo Xiaoxing felt a wave of dizziness, and suddenly, a flood of memories poured into her mind!
“Oh, I see, I’ve soul-transmigrated!”
[Strictly speaking, you are only borrowing her identity, because she died when she fell into this ravine. From now on, you are her.]
Mo Xiaoxing: “Sigh… there is no pain in heaven, and heaven is full of handsome men. Stranger sister, I wish you well in your next life, left and right in the arms of lovers…”
[…]
Mo Xiaoxing had her reasons for saying this. The person she had transmigrated into was named Qin Yu, a princess of a nation, born into nobility, with everything she could ever want—truly a life of glory.
However, Qin Yu had a massive flaw… she was lustful, the type who bullied men and forced women. As it turned out, six months ago, she had become infatuated with the Demon Sect’s Crown Prince, obsessed to the point of betraying her own sect. Consequently, Qin Yu was locked away for seclusion, and today, she slipped and fell here… and died.
Alas, lust is like a knife.
Mo Xiaoxing: “Right, what is your name? And why are you inside my bracelet?”
[You may call me Hanyan.]
Mo Xiaoxing: “Sister Hanyan!”
The woman smiled gently: [The bracelet on your wrist is called ‘Mo Huo.’ It is a divine artifact. I am merely a wisp of consciousness dwelling within it; it took over a thousand years for me to condense into a spirit form. Now that you have arrived here, you must be careful, or I will not be able to manifest to protect you.]
Mo Xiaoxing: “Ah? It took you over a thousand years to condense your spirit form, and you went back to your original state just to save me?”
[It is of no consequence; I simply need to cultivate for a while longer.]
Mo Xiaoxing was deeply moved. She gently caressed the bracelet. “Why are you so good to me?”
[…Let us not dwell on that. There will come a time in the future when I will need your help.]
Mo Xiaoxing: “Oh, okay!”
Silence followed. Mo Xiaoxing thought about her life; she was an orphan who grew up in an orphanage, with no attachments other than the elderly director. Switching worlds really wasn’t that big of a deal. This bracelet had been with her since she was a child, which made Sister Hanyan feel even more familiar!
However, the world Qin Yu lived in was a strange and bizarre world of cultivation! Even though she had transmigrated, the world seemed dangerous; one wrong move and she could lose her life!
“Right! Sister Hanyan, why can I walk through lava?!”
Hanyan’s voice sounded puzzled: [I am also surprised by this. You have some unknown secret within you; perhaps it is related to Mo Huo.]
“Mo Huo…”
Mo Xiaoxing stroked her bracelet. Even though it was a white jade bracelet, why did it have such a dark name?
“Since it belongs to me, shouldn’t I be the one to control it? I’ve heard that divine artifacts require a blood contract to recognize their master. I’ll give that a try.”
She took a dagger from Qin Yu’s storage bag and gently cut her palm.
She didn’t expect the dagger to be so sharp! It left a deep gash in her palm. The blood flowed down and, the moment it touched the white jade bracelet, it was sucked right in! The white jade bracelet turned red in an instant, then deep red, and soon became pitch black!
“I, I, I—it’s drinking my blood!”
Everything happened too fast! Mo Xiaoxing felt dizzy and suddenly passed out!
Mo Xiaoxing slowly drifted back to consciousness. Everything around her was grey.
“You’re awake.”
A white shadow appeared before her, fluttering and ethereal, though its features were impossible to make out.
Mo Xiaoxing was overjoyed. “Sister Hanyan? Did you manifest?”
Hanyan sighed lightly: [I have not manifested; rather, you have entered inside Mo Huo. You were too reckless. Although Mo Huo is a divine artifact, it is an evil object. It cannot be contracted normally; once it touches blood, it will devour the soul.]
Mo Xiaoxing: “Ah? Then am I dead too?!”
Dying right at the start? That would be too unlucky!
Hanyan spoke again with confusion: [That is not the case. You ultimately have some connection with Mo Huo. You actually succeeded in contracting it…]
Mo Xiaoxing sighed in relief; she was naturally optimistic.
“As long as I’m not dead, it’s fine. Sister Hanyan, don’t worry too much. At least I have a ‘cheat’ now, right?”
Hanyan: [You are certainly carefree.]
Mo Xiaoxing looked at Mo Huo. Before she fainted, she had seen the white jade bracelet turn black, but now it was white again…
She thought about how to get out, and in the next second, she was back outside! The surroundings were still the pools of golden-red lava.
“Enter!”
With a thought, she entered Mo Huo again! She looked around; she didn’t know how big it was inside, but everything was grey and dull, with nothing to look at.
Hanyan: [It is said that inside the internal space of Mo Huo, there exist mountains and rivers, the four seasons, wind, thunder, water, and fire. In its current state, it must be sealed. Perhaps in the future, you will be able to unlock these seals.]
Mo Xiaoxing’s spirit lifted immediately!
“What do I need to do?”
Hanyan: [Naturally, your cultivation base must improve.]
Mo Xiaoxing’s little brain started working quickly. Although this world was dangerous, with Mo Huo, she could hoard supplies, eat and drink well, and cultivate until she became immortal. How carefree and free that would be!
“Okay! Then I will cultivate diligently and improve my cultivation fast!”
Hanyan smiled but didn’t speak, unable to bear bursting the child’s bubble. Was cultivation really that easy?
“Sister Hanyan, I have contracted Mo Huo, but I still don’t understand why I can walk through lava.”
Hanyan: […That is indeed a strange matter.]
Mo Xiaoxing: “Forget it, forget it. I won’t think about it. Sister Hanyan, this cliff is so high, how can I get up?”
Hanyan: [I will pass you a cultivation method. Once you reach the Foundation Establishment stage, you will be able to fly using a sword.]
Mo Xiaoxing: “…”
Qin Yu was only at the third level of Qi Condensation!
It would take at least ten or twenty years to reach Foundation Establishment, you know!
Hanyan seemed to know what she was thinking: [Do not be pessimistic. Given your aptitude, perhaps three or five years will be enough.]
Mo Xiaoxing wailed: “Three to five years is still a long time!”
“Help! Can anyone hear me?! Please, someone kind, save me and pull me up!”
Hanyan: [Stop shouting. This place is the Fire Tomb of the Earth’s Core. Anything that falls in is incinerated into dust; cultivators won’t come near here.]
Just as she finished speaking, a cloud-like white shadow suddenly descended! Its speed was extremely fast!
In the blink of an eye, with a “bang,” it fell right into the lava!
Hanyan: “…”
Mo Xiaoxing was also stunned. A ray of holy light seemed to split the sky above! She only saw white feathers, and before she could see its full form, the giant white creature suddenly grabbed her and flapped its wings, flying upward!