After Bai Ruxue left White Deer Academy, another four hundred years passed.
In these four hundred years of flowing time, Xiao Mo had always followed by Bai Ruxue's side.
Bai Ruxue was searching for a technique called the "Return to Origin Art."
The Return to Origin Art was rumored to exist in ancient times.
By using the "Return to Origin Art" combined with the scroll that Shang Jiuli had painstakingly painted, it might be possible to summon Xiao Mo's shattered soul and re-condense it into a complete soul, allowing him to reincarnate.
In the four hundred and seventy-second year after Xiao Mo's death, Bai Ruxue entered a forbidden land.
In that forbidden land, Bai Ruxue saw the remains of a Kunpeng, encountered the bones of Vermillion Birds, Phoenixes, and True Dragons, and witnessed broken immortal weapons and fragments of sculptures.
This forbidden land was isolated from the world, forming its own realm, as if some great battle had occurred there, ultimately shattering the world and forming this secret realm.
The forbidden land was filled with deathly energy.
The remaining souls had no consciousness, but sensing someone's arrival, they would actively attack.Even though Bai Ruxue was an Ascension realm cultivator, she nearly perished there.
Fortunately, Bai Ruxue truly found the legendary "Return to Origin Art."
When Bai Ruxue barely escaped the forbidden land with her life, the entrance to that secret realm disappeared, and Bai Ruxue could no longer sense it at all.
However, Bai Ruxue didn't care, she had already obtained what she wanted.
Bai Ruxue spent three years mastering the "Return to Origin Art,” but she still needed to go to the Netherworld Cold Spring to find the Underworld Fish before she could perform the "Return to Origin Art."
Bai Ruxue planned to ask Fuchen about the location of the Netherworld Cold Spring.
Although Fuchen hadn't come during the great battle back then, Bai Ruxue didn't blame her and had no reason to blame her.
At that time, Fuchen was deep in the Desolate Lands gathering medicine for her.
The depths of the Desolate Lands naturally formed formations that cut off all contact with the outside world.
So she knew nothing about all this.
Moreover, what right did she have to make Fuchen oppose the Ten Thousand Laws Realm?
"I didn't expect you would actually find the 'Return to Origin Art'."
After hearing about Bai Ruxue's experiences, Fuchen was also extremely surprised.
"I do indeed know where the Netherworld Cold Spring is but Ruxue, do you really want to go there?
According to what the Return to Origin Art states, you'll need to stay there for at least several months, possibly even several years.
The cold energy of the Netherworld Cold Spring will make your life worse than death."
Bai Ruxue looked at Fuchen calmly without answering.
Looking into Bai Ruxue's eyes, Fuchen smiled helplessly, "Right, not finding him would be more painful for you than a fate worse than death."
Ten days later, Fuchen brought Bai Ruxue to a cave in the Desolate Lands.
The two walked into the cave.
This cave led continuously downward, extending who knows how deep underground.
During this time, Bai Ruxue saw a river. Fuchen said this was the Yellow Springs, some cultivators would come here to take Yellow Springs water for alchemy but the Netherworld Cold Spring was even deeper.
Finally, Fuchen brought Bai Ruxue to a lake.
The cold energy emanating from the lake made even Bai Ruxue, an Ascension realm cultivator, shiver involuntarily.
"How long you stay here is up to you. I won't try to persuade you. I'll guard outside for you but according to our previous agreement, you must light a life lamp. When your life lamp is about to extinguish, I will come to take you out to preserve your life.
If you don't agree to this, I won't let you stay here."
Fuchen spoke to Bai Ruxue with no room for negotiation in her tone.
"I understand."
Bai Ruxue lit the life lamp in Fuchen's hand.
Fuchen said nothing more, holding the lamp as she turned and left, leaving only Bai Ruxue alone.
Bai Ruxue cast out a fishing rod, using a strand of her own soul as bait.
She sat motionless by the shore. No matter how cold it was, she needed to control herself not to shiver, otherwise it would affect the Underworld Fish taking the bait.
The cold of this Netherworld Cold Spring indeed exceeded Bai Ruxue's imagination.
As days passed one by one, Bai Ruxue's fair skin and silver-white long hair became covered with a thin layer of frost.
Beyond the physical cold, Bai Ruxue used her own soul fragment as fish bait. The Netherworld Cold Spring permeated her soul fragment, and the fragment's sensations transferred to her main body. She felt as if she were an ice sculpture gradually cracking apart.
Sitting beside Ruxue, Xiao Mo couldn't imagine what heart-wrenching pain she was enduring.
He only knew that Ruxue had bitten through her lips, her fingernails had dug into her flesh, blood flowing out only to quickly freeze.
Her eyes gradually closed, and Xiao Mo could feel her consciousness fading.
Fortunately, Fuchen was guarding her life fire outside. At the final moment, Fuchen would take her out.
[Book of a Hundred Lives reward calculation complete. In ten seconds, the host will leave the River of Time. Ten, nine...]
At this moment, the voice of the Book of a Hundred Lives sounded in Xiao Mo's ears.
Xiao Mo stood up and walked in front of her.
Looking at her entire body covered in a layer of frost.
Looking at the fishing rod she gripped tightly.
Looking at her stubborn appearance.
[Eight, seven... six...]
"You clearly said you would listen to everything I said, but when I told you to move forward and not look back, why wouldn't you listen..."
[Five, four... three...]
Xiao Mo reached out his hand, caressing her silver-white hair, as if wanting to imprint her appearance in his soul forever, never wanting to forget:
"You're already the Demon Empress of the Four Seas."
[Two, one...]
"Silly girl, why are you so stubborn..."
As the final countdown disappeared, a gentle breeze blew by. Bai Ruxue, who was about to lose consciousness, suddenly opened her eyes wide.
"Xiao Mo..."
Bai Ruxue's heart beat rapidly as she called out his name.
At that very moment, Bai Ruxue's soul fragment felt a fish rushing toward it.
The instant the fish was about to devour Bai Ruxue's soul fragment, she immediately withdrew it. The Underworld Fish lunged at empty space and bit the hook.
Bai Ruxue pulled hard.
A large fish, completely black and resembling a koi, was lifted into the air.
Bai Ruxue recited the incantation of the "Return to Origin Art" while unrolling the scroll and throwing it toward the Underworld Fish.
According to legend, the Underworld Fish would use this scroll as a medium to summon Xiao Mo's remnant soul but the next moment, something strange happened.
The scroll instantly shattered, pieces of paper floating down onto the lake surface.
Sensing the disturbance at the Netherworld Cold Spring, Fuchen also came to Bai Ruxue's side, just in time to witness this scene.
With a "splash," the Underworld Fish broke free from the hook, fell into the Netherworld Cold Spring, and quickly swam away.
"Could it be that Xiao Mo's soul has already entered reincarnation?" Fuchen frowned and speculated.
"What do you mean, Daoist?" Bai Ruxue clenched her delicate fists, suppressing the anxiety in her heart as she turned to ask.
"My master once said that all soul-summoning techniques in the world have one principle, that the soul must not have entered reincarnation. If the soul has already entered reincarnation, then the medium used for summoning the soul will inevitably shatter.
Xiao Mo's soul scattered, all remnant souls returned to heaven and earth. It should be impossible for him to enter reincarnation, so logically, this medium shouldn't have broken.
Unless..."
"Unless Xiao Mo's soul has already entered reincarnation." Bai Ruxue's eyes lit up with joy, but quickly, she calmly murmured, "But how is this possible? That thunder tribulation back then..."
"Ruxue, there's something I've never told you. Do you know what that forbidden land where you found the 'Return to Origin Art' is also called?"
Fuchen slowly spoke.
"That forbidden land is also called the Divine Tomb. In ancient times, it was also called the Age of Gods. It's said that divine beings truly existed.
These divine beings, some controlled war, some controlled marriage, some controlled life and death but in ancient times, something unknown happened, and all the divine beings perished. It's rumored that only the divine being who controlled reincarnation and life and death survived."
"Daoist Fuchen means that she condensed Xiao Mo's remnant soul?" Bai Ruxue became increasingly confused, "But why?"
"I don't know."
Fuchen shook her head.
"There are too many things in this world that we don't know. What I've said is merely legend but one thing is certain."
Fuchen looked directly into Bai Ruxue's eyes, "If there really is such a god, then Xiao Mo may have caught Her attention."