When Yunxi regained consciousness, she found herself standing on a perfectly still lake. The water was crystal clear, reflecting a figure in red with perfect clarity—yet that face was not her own.
She frowned, and the woman in the lake's reflection frowned as well. She raised a brow, and the reflection made the same motion. She scrutinized the image in the water before speaking after a moment.
"Xihe!"
Realizing she had been seen through, the woman in the reflection smiled faintly. She then slowly rose from the lake and stood opposite Yunxi, saying with a smile,
"Ah! You saw through me. How boring."
Yunxi did not respond. She merely cupped her hands respectfully in salute.
"Wei Yunxi greets Xihe the High God!"
Xihe waved it off carelessly.
"No need for such formalities. I told you before: I am you, and you are me."
The implication in that final sentence could not have been clearer.
Yunxi's expression did not change. After completing her salute, she lifted her eyes to the woman before her.
"High God, did you enter my Ascension Thunder Tribulation because there was something you wished to tell me?"
Xihe looked calmly at the girl opposite her and said in an even tone,
"Yunxi, once you ascend to the God Realm, Xihe Divine Palace will be completely unsealed. You and I will merge into one and become Divine Venerable Xihe. This is a reality you cannot escape."
Yunxi likewise regarded Xihe with an impassive expression.
"High God, I have said before: you are you, and I am me. We are independent individuals. Your true body is in Xihe Divine Palace in the God Realm, while I may merely be the reincarnation of a wisp of your divine consciousness.
"But I have already developed my own consciousness. I have lived