The sky had turned crimson.

Clouds rolled like an endless sea of blood, swallowing the heavens one layer at a time. Lightning tore through the horizon, illuminating the broken remains of floating mountains that had once been sacred lands. Rivers of spiritual energy had long since dried up, leaving only cracks that stretched across the earth like scars.

The war had ended.

Or perhaps... this was merely the beginning of another tragedy.

At the center of the battlefield stood a lone woman dressed in robes as white as fresh snow. The once-pristine fabric was stained with blood, some belonging to her enemies, some to herself. Long silver hair danced wildly in the violent wind, and a jade hairpin, chipped from countless battles, barely held it together.

She leaned on a black sword embedded in the shattered ground.

Every breath she took was heavy.

Yet her back remained straight.

Around her lay thousands of corpses. The strongest cultivators from every great sect had fallen before her blade. The air was thick with the scent of blood and burnt spiritual energy.

Silence lingered.

Then footsteps echoed across the broken stone.

One...

Two...

Ten...

Dozens.

She slowly lifted her eyes.

The people walking toward her were familiar.

Too familiar.

The Sect Master who had once called her his greatest disciple.

The friend who had laughed beside her under the stars.

The woman she had risked her life to save from the Demon Realm.

The sworn brother who had once promised, "As long as I breathe, no one will ever harm you."

Each of them held a weapon.

Each of them pointed it at her.

For a long moment, no one spoke.

Finally, the Sect Master sighed.

"You've worked hard."

His voice was calm, almost gentle.

"But your existence has become... inconvenient."

A faint smile appeared on her lips.

"Inconvenient?"

The word tasted bitter.

Another elder stepped forward.

"The Heavenly Heart Crystal belongs to everyone."

"You've become too powerful."

"As long as you live, no one can surpass you."

The woman she had saved lowered her gaze.

"I'm sorry..."

"It was never personal."

The silver-haired woman stared at them quietly.

Her eyes swept across every familiar face.

Not one dared to meet her gaze.

How laughable.

For hundreds of years she had crossed forbidden lands, challenged ancient beasts, and entered countless secret realms.

She had nearly died more times than she could remember.

Every treasure she obtained...

Every opportunity she found...

She had shared them with these people.

When the human race faced destruction, she stood alone against armies of demons while the others escaped.

When their sect was cornered, she burned her own lifespan to protect them.

She had believed loyalty was rewarded with loyalty.

She had believed kindness created kindness.

She had been wrong.

Very wrong.

A soft laugh escaped her lips.

It started quietly.

Then it grew louder.

The sound echoed across the empty battlefield until even the wind seemed to fall silent.

The others frowned.

"Have you gone mad?" someone asked.

She wiped the corner of her mouth where blood had begun to trickle.

"No."

Her voice was surprisingly calm.

"I've simply realized something."

She looked toward the darkening heavens.

"The greatest enemies were never the demons."

"They were the people standing beside me."

The words struck like thunder.

For the first time, several of them hesitated.

Guilt flickered across a few faces.

Only for a moment.

Then greed swallowed it whole.

"Attack!"

Spiritual light erupted from every direction.

Swords.

Spears.

Chains.

Thousands of techniques descended upon her like a storm.

She did not dodge.

She closed her eyes.

In that instant, memories flashed through her mind.

A little girl dreaming of becoming a hero.

Her first master smiling proudly.

Friends sharing wine beneath a full moon.

The warmth of trust.

The joy of belonging.

Every beautiful memory shattered like fragile glass.

When she opened her eyes again...

There was nothing left inside them except endless cold.

"So this..."

"...is the price of trust."

Her fingers tightened around the hilt of her sword.

The battlefield trembled.

Mountains collapsed.

The heavens themselves seemed to cry.

A terrifying aura exploded from her body.

Everyone's faces changed.

"No!"

"She's burning her soul!"

"Stop her!"

Panic spread through the crowd.

But it was already too late.

She smiled.

Not a smile filled with hatred.

Not one filled with regret.

Only relief.

"If there is another life..."

"...I will owe no one."

"...Trust no one."

"...And never allow anyone to decide my fate."

With those final words, she shattered her own soul.

A blinding pillar of silver light pierced the heavens.

The world fell silent.

Then everything exploded

A dull ache spread through her body.

It was unlike any pain she had ever experienced.

Heavy...

Weak...

Human.

For a long moment, she could hear nothing but the steady rhythm of a heartbeat.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

"...Miss?"

A soft voice drifted into her ears.

"...Miss, please wake up."

She slowly opened her eyes.

The ceiling above her was unfamiliar—aged wooden beams crossed with faded silk curtains, simple but carefully maintained. Sunlight slipped through a paper window, painting golden patterns across the room.

She frowned.

"I'm... alive?"

The last thing she remembered was shattering the Eternal Origin Heart.

There should have been nothing left.

No soul.

No body.

Nothing.

Yet here she was.

She raised a trembling hand before her eyes.

Small.

Smooth.

Unscarred.

Not the hands of the woman who had fought for centuries.

The hands of a child.

A sharp pain suddenly exploded inside her mind.

"Ah..."

Memories that did not belong to her flooded in like a broken dam.

Li Yue.

Age: Thirteen.

Youngest daughter of the Li Clan's third branch.

Spirit Root...

Broken.

Cultivation...

None.

Mother...

Dead.

Father...

Missing for six years.

The servants mocked her.

The younger disciples bullied her.

Even members of her own family treated her as though she were invisible.

A month ago...

The fiancé chosen for her since childhood publicly canceled their engagement.

He had looked at her with nothing but contempt.

"A cripple like you is unworthy of standing beside me."

She had smiled weakly.

Gone back to her room.

And cried until she fainted.

The original Li Yue never woke up again.

Silence filled the room.

The woman closed her eyes.

"So..."

"I borrowed another person's life."

There was no joy in her voice.

Only acceptance.

She had witnessed countless reincarnations during her first life.

She never imagined she would become one herself.

A maid noticed the strange look in her eyes.

"Miss... are you feeling better?"

The woman turned toward the girl.

The maid flinched.

Those eyes...

Why did they suddenly feel so cold?

So ancient?

It was as though an immortal had awakened inside the body of a young girl.

"I'm fine," she replied quietly.

The maid hesitated before nodding.

"I'll prepare breakfast."

As soon as the door closed...

The room fell silent once more.

Li Yue stood.

Her legs trembled from weakness, forcing her to lean against the wooden table.

"So this body truly cannot cultivate..."

She examined herself.

The spiritual meridians were damaged.

The dantian was nearly empty.

Even breathing spiritual energy into this body felt like trying to pour water into a cracked jar.

If this had been anyone else...

Their future would have already ended.

But she simply smiled.

A faint smile.

"Broken..."

"I've repaired worlds."

"This body is nothing."

Just then...

A tiny silver light flickered in front of her chest.

One spark.

Then another.

The room suddenly froze.

The air became strangely still.

The world around her seemed to fade.

A familiar voice echoed from the depths of her soul.

"Soul compatibility confirmed."

"Host recognized."

"The Eternal Origin Realm... awakening."

Her golden eyes widened.

"No..."

"I destroyed it."

The silver light expanded until it swallowed her entire body.

The room disappeared.

The walls dissolved into countless stars.

She felt herself falling—not through the sky, but through endless layers of space.

When her feet finally touched the ground...

She found herself standing beneath an enormous silver tree.

Its trunk was wider than a mountain.

Its branches stretched into a sky filled with galaxies instead of clouds.

Every glowing leaf shimmered with mysterious runes.

The air itself overflowed with spiritual energy.

Before she could take another step...

A small white fox with nine elegant tails emerged from behind one of the roots.

Its sapphire-blue eyes filled with tears.

It lowered its head until its forehead touched the ground.

At last, it whispered,

"Welcome home..."

"...Master."

Silence.

An endless silence stretched beneath the silver tree.

Li Yue stood motionless, her golden eyes fixed on the small white fox kneeling before her.

The creature's snow-white fur shimmered beneath the starlight. Nine elegant tails rested quietly behind it, each one flowing like moonlight over fresh snow. It wasn't merely beautiful—it carried an ancient dignity that made the vast world around it seem insignificant.

Yet the fox remained kneeling.

Its forehead pressed against the crystal-like ground.

Not daring to rise.

Not daring to meet her eyes.

The breeze stirred the leaves of the colossal silver tree above them.

Thousands of glowing leaves drifted down through the air like tiny stars. Instead of falling to the ground, they dissolved into sparkling motes of light before reaching the earth, becoming pure spiritual energy that spread throughout the Realm.

Li Yue looked around.

Everything felt... endless.

The sky was unlike anything she had ever seen.

There was no sun.

No moon.

Instead, countless rivers of stars flowed across the heavens, weaving together like living galaxies. Floating islands drifted lazily through the sky, connected by bridges of light. Mountains stretched beyond the horizon, wrapped in silver mist, while distant waterfalls poured upward into the heavens instead of down.

She had traveled across countless worlds in her previous life.

She had walked through immortal realms and forbidden lands.

Yet none of them compared to this place.

"This..."

She whispered almost unconsciously.

"...What kind of world is this?"

The fox slowly lifted its head.

Its sapphire eyes were filled with emotions too deep to understand.

"It is home."

Li Yue frowned.

"Home?"

"Yes."

The fox's voice was calm.

"The place where your soul has always belonged."

Her expression remained unchanged.

She had heard many lies before.

Beautiful lies.

Comforting lies.

Dangerous lies.

Trusting words had once cost her everything.

"So."

She folded her arms.

"You expect me to believe that?"

The fox lowered its ears.

"I expect nothing."

"I merely answer the question you asked."

For the first time...

Li Yue was slightly surprised.

The fox wasn't trying to persuade her.

Nor was it offended.

It simply stated the truth as it knew it.

She remained silent.

A gentle wind passed between them.

Finally she spoke again.

"Who are you?"

The fox smiled faintly.

"My name is Bai."

"I am the First Guardian of the Eternal Origin Realm."

"And... your servant."

Li Yue's gaze sharpened.

"I don't need servants."

Bai shook his head.

"You misunderstand."

"I was not assigned to serve your status."

"I exist to protect your soul."

She narrowed her eyes.

"Who created you?"

Silence.

Bai closed his eyes.

"I cannot answer."

"Why?"

"I am forbidden."

"By whom?"

"I cannot answer that either."

Li Yue's expression darkened.

In her previous life, no one had dared to hide answers from her.

Yet now...

A tiny fox had calmly rejected her questions.

She took a step closer.

A pressure that had once made entire sects kneel instinctively spread from her body.

Although this new body possessed no cultivation...

The will of her soul had not weakened.

The air became heavy.

Even the stars above seemed to pause.

Bai remained kneeling.

Completely unmoved.

"I know what you're trying to do," he said softly.

"You're testing whether I fear you."

Li Yue said nothing.

"I do fear you."

He smiled.

"But not because you're powerful."

"I fear the loneliness you've carried for so long."

Those words struck far deeper than any blade.

Her heartbeat faltered.

Just once.

Then her expression became cold again.

"You know nothing about me."

"I know only fragments."

"I witnessed your final battle."

"I witnessed your betrayal."

"I waited."

"For ten million years."

She stared at him.

"...Impossible."

"The last battle happened only moments ago."

"In your perception."

Bai nodded gently.

"But time does not flow equally everywhere."

Li Yue fell silent.

She remembered the explosion.

The Eternal Origin Heart.

The light.

The darkness.

Then waking inside Li Yue's body.

How much time had truly passed?

She could not tell.

Bai stood for the first time.

He was no taller than her knee.

Despite his small size, the entire Realm seemed to acknowledge his movement.

The stars brightened.

The silver tree rustled.

The ground pulsed softly beneath their feet.

"Master."

"I have a request."

"I don't accept requests from strangers."

He laughed quietly.

"I expected that answer."

Without waiting for permission, Bai turned and began walking toward the giant silver tree.

After several steps, he stopped.

"If you wish to know the truth..."

"Follow me."

"If not..."

"You may leave the Realm immediately."

Li Yue watched his small figure disappear among the enormous roots.

She could have left.

She could have ignored everything.

After all...

Trust had destroyed her once before.

But curiosity...

Curiosity had always been stronger than fear.

She took one step.

Then another.

The roots of the colossal tree twisted into a natural pathway leading deep beneath the trunk.

The deeper she walked, the quieter the Realm became.

Until finally...

They reached a pair of enormous stone doors.

Each door stood over a hundred meters tall.

Ancient golden runes covered every inch of the surface.

Most of them were cracked.

Some had completely faded.

Others flickered weakly, as though they had not been touched for countless ages.

At the center of the doors was a single handprint.

It was exactly the size of Li Yue's hand.

Bai stopped walking.

"This..."

He said quietly.

"...is the First Seal."

Li Yue stared at it.

"What's behind it?"

The little fox lowered his head.

"I do not know."

She looked at him sharply.

"You don't know?"

"I have guarded this place for ten million years."

"But only the Master..."

"...can open the First Seal."

The wind suddenly stopped.

The ancient doors trembled.

A faint golden light began to seep through the cracks.

Somewhere beyond them...

Something had awakened.