The White-Robed Woman's Request

Xiao Yan looked at the stone stele and discovered that there really seemed to be a body within it. He then glanced at the white-robed woman before him and said softly, "There are indeed some strange things hidden inside this stone stele. I came down here because of it. As for what you need my help with, tell me. If I can, I will help you."

Xiao Yan was merely speaking casually. Although the white-robed woman had come to him for help, he could not make promises too readily. Otherwise, when the time came...

Moreover, Xiao Yan vaguely sensed that whatever lay within the stone stele was far from simple. There would inevitably be quite a battle ahead...

The white-robed woman looked at Xiao Yan, a strange glint appearing in her eyes as she asked softly, "They say that after people die, they become ghosts. Yet in the mortal world, ghosts have never been welcome. Cultivators often spread rumors and describe them as evil demons that harm people, so everyone kills them on sight."

"But why did you not attack me when you first saw me, even though you knew who I was?"

"And I can sense that your heavy ruler is extremely domineering. There is something within it that restrains me..."

Xiao Yan frowned tightly at her words. Long Yi was the only one within the Primordial Fire Ruler, yet even the Twin Ghost Emperor could be restrained by Long Yi's power...

However, Xiao Yan was not overly surprised. After all, he had not come here to fight the white-robed woman. Looking at her, he sighed softly. "All things are born by nature. Among the Seven Realms, ghosts are naturally included as well. It is only that ordinary people generally do not understand. Once they are attacked by malicious ghosts, they label all ghostly beings as evil. But that is not necessarily true."

"Even among humans, there are countless wicked people. Right and wrong, good and evil—those must be judged with one's own eyes and judgment. One cannot decide what is right or wrong merely by listening to rumors."

"To me, as long as I can see something, it exists. It merely takes a different form."

"Tell me what you need my help with."

A trace of gratitude appeared in the white-robed woman's eyes as she said softly, "If one day in the future, you encounter a man named Mu Zi outside, tell him something for me."

"Tell him that the vows and promises of the past are all over. Let what has passed remain in the past."

"The woman named Yu Xuan has already left him. Tell him to forget it all."

"If he presses you for answers, do not mention me. Just tell him: the soul has shattered, the melody echoes in vain, the person has gone far away; clear eyes hold tears of blood, and beauty falls!"

"That is all. If you are willing to help me, I will be endlessly grateful." A faint mist of tears seemed to veil the deep affection in the white-robed woman's hazy eyes.

"Mu Zi..."

"Why does that name sound somewhat familiar..." The Golden Dragon King fell into slight contemplation.

Xiao Yan looked at her and sighed softly. "Rest assured. In the future, I will help you search for him."

"But several thousand years have already passed. Is he still alive in this world? Could he already be dead?"

The white-robed woman gently shook her head and gazed faintly toward the horizon. "No. He will not die. He must still be alive in this world."

"When I first met him, he was a young Daoist priest. I will never forget that scene. It is a pity that I did not know how to cherish it then."

"I remember, the moon was bright that night..."

"I cannot bear to look back!"

At her words, a faint sorrow appeared in Xiao Yan's eyes. He sighed softly. "There are many things in a person's life that must be kept in the heart and savored slowly."

As he spoke, he could not help thinking of Cai Lin and Xun Er...

"The feeling is not only sweet; it carries bitterness as well. Do not regret what has passed. Look forward instead." As Xiao Yan finished speaking, he sensed that the white-robed woman's aura had steadied, and the ghostly energy buried deepest within her body had temporarily been suppressed.

"If you can help me settle this concern, then I will be the one asking a favor of you. I know why you came here..."

"But how could the Twin Ghost Emperor be so easily suppressed..." The white-robed woman gave a faint, self-mocking laugh.

"Who can know what the future holds?"

"Now let me see what exactly is inside this stone stele, and why it has kept you trapped here all this time."

Ignoring the white-robed woman's self-mockery, Xiao Yan gently landed before the stone stele. A brilliant milky-white light erupted from his body, while streaks of fiery energy shot from his eyes. His soul force approached the stele, rapidly probing its secrets.

The moment it drew near the stone stele, the stele emitted an intensely repulsive force. Xiao Yan's entire body trembled slightly, and a trace of shock appeared in his eyes, his expression turning strange.

Glancing at the white-robed woman, Xiao Yan said softly, "Your aura contains the sealing energy within this stone stele, so your body cannot leave this place..."

"This stone stele vaguely possesses a binding force capable of restraining all souls and primordial spirits."

"And you fall within that category, which is why you have never been able to leave."

"Even my soul force has been trapped within it. What a strange thing indeed."

The white-robed woman sighed softly. "For all these years, loneliness has always accompanied me. I have grown accustomed to it."

"If not for the attachment in my heart, perhaps I would have been content with such a life."

"Meeting you today has given me hope. My heart is content now."

"As long as you can leave and help me fulfill that one wish, I would not mind remaining here forever."

Xiao Yan looked at her, slowly savoring her words in his heart.

Turning back, Xiao Yan slowly approached the stone stele.

When Xiao Yan came within ten feet of the stone stele, it suddenly released a beam of red light, blocking him five feet away.

The red light was immensely powerful. Its fierce aura forced the white-robed woman to retreat far away, not daring to approach.

Yet the instant the red light appeared, an extremely terrifying surge of ghostly energy emerged around the white-robed woman's body, as though it were protecting her.

A dazzling force erupted from Xiao Yan's eyes. The milky-white light around his body flared violently as he fiercely resisted the red beam.

For a moment, within the mysterious space, the black river water of the Forbidden Water Domain was instantly thrown into the air, shimmering with different hues of light in a breathtaking sight.

At the same time, the two powerful forces clashed, forming an overwhelmingly powerful pressure streaked with multicolored radiance that shot straight toward the sky above the space.

"Damn it!"

"I refuse to believe this nonsense!" After speaking, Xiao Yan began circulating the Flame Mantra on his own. An even more immense power surged forth to contend against the red light within the stone stele.

"Not bad, little one. You actually managed to make the host of this Twin Ghost Emperor suppress the hatred in her heart..."

"Not bad, not bad." The mysterious figure from before slowly emerged once more.

"Senior, this is..." A familiar voice rang in Xiao Yan's mind. It did not belong to his ancestral master, the Golden Dragon King, but to the mysterious figure within the stone stele.

"Yin Moon will arrive soon enough, and this woman is nearing her end as well..."

"Ah..."

"The soul is exhausted, the spirit shattered; the human heart dies, and the Ghost Emperor is born..." Those familiar words echoed incessantly through Xiao Yan's mind.