He stood in the dim glow of the lanterns, his strikingly handsome face masked in unreadable emotion.
Though she had been saved, all she felt was even greater disappointment.
She stepped closer, her gaze filled with mockery.
“Are you satisfied now? The Lord of the Central Heavens truly wields boundless power. I admit it—I am no match for you. You sealed my powers, and now you come to my rescue. I suppose I owe you a debt of gratitude? Should I thank you?”
Jin Xiu remained silent.
He had never intended to humiliate her, but her fate had long since slipped beyond his ability to divine.
The only reason he had arrived just in time was that, moments ago, he had suddenly felt uneasy—an inexplicable disturbance in his heart.
Hong Ning asked coldly, “How long will my powers remain sealed?”
Jin Xiu did not answer directly.
“Forcibly seizing an inner core damages one’s divine merit.”
Hong Ning scoffed. “I don’t seek immortality. I have no use for merit.”
Jin Xiu replied, “You are gravely injured. You should rest for a time.”
Hong Ning laughed. “The Lord of the Central Heavens is truly an excellent liar.”
Because of his lies, she had once gone against her own nature, blindly following his arrangements, rushing forward without hesitation—only to fall to the mortal realm in the end.
But had she truly forgotten everything?
Jin Xiu gazed at her for a long moment, then sighed softly.
“Why risk your life opposing the Celestial Court? It will bring you no benefit.”
Hong Ning’s eyes sharpened. “Is that a threat?”
He shook his head. “You cannot touch Lu Jiu.”
She lifted her chin. “So you mean to stop me?”
Jin Xiu no longer evaded the question. “Yes.”
Her fingers curled into fists.
For a long time, she stared at him, then let out a cold laugh.
“You truly think this will stop me?”
Jin Xiu said evenly, “This is my seal. No one can break it.”
Hong Ning’s expression turned icy.
Jin Xiu averted his gaze slightly and spoke in a measured tone.
“The son of the Lord of Kunlun was fated to struggle against his tribulation of love. He died for you—his trial is complete. From now on, there will be no ties between you. Clinging to the past will only bring greater calamity. Even if he ascends to immortality in the future, he will not remember you. And the Lord of Kunlun…”
Hong Ning froze.
She cut him off abruptly. “You’re saying… he will ascend to immortality in the future?”
Jin Xiu did not respond.
Ashes to dust—that was supposed to be the worst possible outcome.
But just as she had resigned herself to that fate, a single thread of hope appeared.
Hong Ning’s heart pounded violently.
Her breath nearly stopped.
She whispered, “Are you saying… he can come back?”
Her fingers clutched his sleeve, her eyes locked onto his, trembling with emotion.
Joy.
Desperation.
Hope.
“Lu Jiu is only a five-tailed fox—his powers are lacking. That means… that means he didn’t actually die, did he?”
Her bright eyes gleamed with fierce anticipation, brimming with urgency.
It was the same expression she had worn in the past—when she had once pleaded on behalf of another, willing to bear divine punishment for the sake of repaying a past life’s debt.
Had he not helped her shed her mortal self and be reborn, she would have long ceased to exist in this world.
If he told her the truth now, perhaps she would no longer be consumed by hatred.
Perhaps she would let go of her obsession with revenge.
Maybe—just maybe—she would even take the path of cultivation as he had once hoped, seeking an eternal love instead of a fleeting, mortal one.
But Jin Xiu’s phoenix eyes, once soft with unspoken emotion, slowly darkened.
He lowered his gaze, staring at her for a long moment before finally speaking.
“When the soul is destroyed, how can there be rebirth?”
The light vanished from her face in an instant.
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