A vast killing intent, as tangible as a crashing tide, slammed into the White-robed figure.
He stiffened as if struck by lightning, rooted to the spot and unable to move.
The White-robed figure was utterly dumbfounded.
He was an eighth-rank powerhouse, yet before this force, he felt as insignificant as an ant.
The power of the Reincarnation Sacred Sword!
It was a force capable of judging gods and demons! Who would dare challenge its edge?
He didn't dare take another step forward.
But the boy was covered in wounds. If he wasn't treated soon, he might...
The White-robed figure was frantic with worry, yet powerless to do anything.
Saint Cai'er paid him no further attention. She lowered her head and gazed tenderly at Long Xuanye, unconscious in her arms.
Her little hand rested gently against his chest.
Humm—
Strands of visible silver light surged from within her, transforming into the purest life energy and slowly flowing into Long Xuanye's body.
It was the power of the Reincarnation Spirit Furnace.
As she channeled the power, her already pale face grew even more translucent, as if she might vanish at any moment.
Yet the ghastly wounds covering Long Xuanye's body healed at an astonishing rate.
Somewhere beyond the reach of sight, the Reincarnation Sacred Sword gave a pleased, lilting hum, as if commending her actions.
In Long Xuanye's hazy consciousness, he seemed to hear the sound of some shackle breaking.
On the system panel, the number representing his talent quietly changed from "99" to "100."
Perfection.
The reward he'd fought desperately to earn still lay deep within his sea of consciousness, waiting for the moment he truly awakened.
The White-robed figure stood to one side, watching helplessly.
"Saintess Your Highness, why put yourself through this..."
He let out a long sigh, his gaze returning to Long Xuanye's face.
There was no scrutiny in his eyes now, only pure admiration.
For Saintess Your Highness to treat him this way...
This boy was no ordinary person.
Or rather, he had never been ordinary to begin with!
The forest was utterly still.
Only the rustle of wind through the treetops and the occasional birdsong from afar broke the silence.
Golden sunlight filtered through layers of leaves, scattering into mottled patches that fell gently to the ground.
Its rays enveloped the wolf carcasses in the pools of blood and the two young people holding each other.
Their clothes were in tatters, their bodies smeared with blood, and their frail frames looked as though a gust of wind could knock them over.
Yet the two of them had faced the sunlight all the same.
The White-robed figure stood silently. At last, he sighed again.
So be it.
Let them stay together a little longer.
His gaze settled on Saint Cai'er. The power of reincarnation that had shaken him to his core was receding like the tide.
The girl still couldn't control the Spirit Furnace's true power.
That outburst had been nothing more than instinct born of desperation, mingled with her resonance with the Sacred Sword.
Once the boy woke and he had confirmed that he was all right, he would have to take Saintess Your Highness away.
The thought troubled the White-robed figure.
Saintess Your Highness would be powerless to resist then, but she would surely be heartbroken again.
As for this boy called Long Xuanye...
He hadn't even awakened his Inner Spiritual Power.
Naturally, he couldn't cause much trouble.
And yet...
A trace of pity and compassion showed in the White-robed figure's eyes.
"Saintess Your Highness, the warmth you've found may soon come to an end."
"When you return to that place, you'll fall into a living hell once more."
"But there is no other way."
"For humanity's future, this is your destiny."
Long Xuanye's consciousness slowly rose from the endless darkness.
There was none of the agony he'd expected. Instead, warmth coursed through his limbs and body, so comforting that he wanted to sink into it and never surface.
A faint, dry-grass fragrance lingered beneath his nose, mingling with the unique scent of a young girl.
Clean and pleasant.
Long Xuanye struggled to lift his heavy eyelids. His vision gradually cleared.
The familiar, uneven rock wall came into view.
Was this... the cave where he usually hid?
A trace of bewilderment rose in his heart.
Shouldn't it have been damp and dark, cluttered with junk and carrying a faint musty smell?
But now...
He lay on a thick, soft bed of dry grass that kept the cave's cold and dampness at bay.
The cave floor had been swept spotless. There wasn't even a single loose stone in sight.
His broken dagger and another, intact one had both been wiped clean and placed neatly to one side.
A small campfire even burned nearby, its orange flames quietly chasing away the cave's chill with a soft crackle.
Everything was so orderly it hardly seemed real.
Long Xuanye struggled to sit up.
The moment he moved, a slender shadow glided over.
A cool little hand pressed against his shoulder, gentle and soft. Its touch was comforting.
He looked up and met a pair of clear violet eyes.
It was Cai'er.
She silently shook her head, telling him not to move.
Then the girl picked up the stone bowl warming beside the fire. It held a steaming meat porridge, cooked until tender and fragrant.
Using a sharpened wooden spoon, she scooped up a mouthful, blew on it gently, and brought it to his lips.
Long Xuanye stared at her in a daze.
He wanted to speak, to ask about the White-robed figure from before, about his inexplicable recovery, and most of all, about her...
But Cai'er only watched him intently, his reflection in her violet eyes. Her expression clearly said, "Eat."
So he opened his mouth and swallowed the warm porridge.
Warmth slid down his throat into his stomach, quickly spreading through his limbs and driving away the last of his weakness.
One spoonful, then another.
Cai'er fed him patiently, saying little, as if this were the only thing in the world worth doing.
Long Xuanye's gaze drifted to a corner of the cave.
Two smooth little wooden sticks leaned beside the entrance. Vines had been carefully wound around their tops to make them easier to grip.
Were those... crutches for him?
A strange feeling spread through Long Xuanye's heart.
The whole time, he'd been like a baby who couldn't move on his own, with everything arranged for him.
He hadn't even managed to get a complete sentence in.
Was this... Cai'er?
The Cai'er he remembered wasn't supposed to be like this.
In the original story, Long Haochen had always been the one to care for and protect her, saving her from endless darkness and slaughter.
No.
Long Xuanye suddenly realized how ridiculous that thought was.
He'd forgotten: this girl had been abandoned in the wilderness at the age of three.
When it came to surviving outdoors, this little girl was the real expert.
Making a fire, finding food, treating wounds, seeking safe shelter... Was there anything she couldn't do better than him, a transmigrator who'd only struggled in the wild for half a month?
His idea of taking care of her had been nothing more than wishful thinking, born of his adult soul.
In her presence, he was the one who needed looking after.
The bowl of porridge was soon empty.
Cai'er set down the stone bowl and picked up a clean piece of animal hide, carefully wiping the corner of his mouth.
Only when she was done did she quietly sit beside him and watch, as if checking whether he needed anything else.
Before you continue