Chapter 114: Memory World (End)

Outside Liangjing, the cold wind howled. A somewhat aged Bai Fan stood atop a massive rock, three miles away from the city gate.

Lord Heiyan arrived here as promised to retrieve the antidote.

But this time, Bai Fan did not give him an antidote; instead, he circulated his unique internal Qi to completely neutralize the poison within Lord Heiyan's body.

"My Lord! What are you doing?" Lord Heiyan asked, feeling both excitement and confusion.

"Go now, you are free!" Bai Fan said calmly.

Lord Heiyan broke out in a nervous cold sweat. He fell to his knees abruptly and crawled trembling toward Bai Fan's knees.

"My Lord, for these past thousand years, I have served you with all my heart. I beg you, do not cast me away."

"Go! Your poison has been completely neutralized. Go and live a life of freedom." Bai Fan's voice was flat, yet it conveyed the undeniable truth in every word.

Lord Heiyan's heart was filled with wild joy, and he kowtowed deeply.

"My Lord! If you ever have need of me in the future, Lord Heiyan will brave any danger and face any trial for you without hesitation!"

After speaking, Lord Heiyan slowly stood up and dashed into the distance, his silhouette gradually disappearing into the twilight of Liangjing.

Bai Fan turned slowly, his gaze piercing through the thick clouds to look out at the winding path leading to the wooden cabin.

"It is time to go home!"

That was the only path home in his heart, filled with longing for Bai Youyou.

In his hand, he held an exquisite wooden carving, depicting Bai Youyou dancing under the moonlight.

Under the moonlight, her skirt fluttered as lightly as clouds, as if she were a Fairy.

Bai Fan gently caressed the statue, his fingertips tracing the delicate craftsmanship, as if he could feel her presence.

After Bai Fan had walked twenty miles along the path home.

The Human Emperor Seal pulsed with a faint light on his chest, indicating that the distance between him and Liangjing had reached its limit.

Bai Fan slowly reached out and plunged his hand into his own chest, fresh blood flowing down his fingers.

He retrieved the Human Emperor Seal, and his imperial blood dripped continuously onto the Soul Transformation Stage Pill.

As each drop of blood fell, the golden light of the Medicinal Pill grew increasingly dazzling, and several golden Dragons swam across its surface.

Bai Fan smiled faintly and threw the Human Emperor Seal high back toward Liangjing. A curtain of light instantly bloomed, enveloping the million-mile territory of Liangjing.

"Youyou, I am back."

Dragging his blood-stained body, Bai Fan continued toward the winding path.

He did not know how many times he had fallen on the winding path. He felt his consciousness fading, but he held on desperately to his last breath.

"No, I haven't seen Youyou yet. I cannot die!"

Bai Fan used his blood-stained palms to press against the ground, struggling to rise.

His blood no longer flowed; he did not know if it had run dry or if there was simply too little left to bleed.

A hundred miles outside Liangjing, the wind brushed gently through the treetops, carrying a hint of chill.

A small wooden cabin in the forest appeared quiet and mysterious in the moonlight.

Bai Youyou sat alone on the stone steps in front of the cabin, her gaze distant, as if she were staring at the far-off horizon.

Under the moonlight, her figure looked exceptionally slender and alluring, her white gauze dress swaying gently with the wind.

Her skin was like snow, her face still beautiful, and bathed in the silver radiance, she was breathtakingly lovely.

[The Yao Race Cultivates slowly, but they possess one advantage: a very long lifespan.]

She gently raised her hand, revealing her slender fingers.

There was a small, unhealed wound on her fingertip, caused by a sharp stone a few days ago while she was carrying medicinal herbs.

Though the trace of blood had dried, Bai Fan's figure seemed to still be before her eyes, sucking on her wound.

Bai Youyou reached out to touch Bai Fan, but she discovered there was nothing there.

The Bai Fan before her eyes was merely a figment of her imagination.

"Brother Fan… It has been a thousand years… Will you truly return?"

She whispered softly, her voice scattered by the wind into the night sky, audible only to herself.

Just then, faint footsteps came from the distance.

Bai Youyou's body stiffened abruptly. She stood up quickly, her gaze fixed intently on the approaching figure.

The moonlight shone upon the person, revealing his familiar silhouette.

"Brother Fan?"

Bai Youyou could hardly believe her eyes. Her voice trembled slightly, filled with deep anticipation and unease.

The man stopped and slowly raised his head, revealing a face that was aged, handsome, and haggard.

The tenderness in his eyes remained, and a familiar smile curled at his lips.

"Youyou, I am back."

Bai Youyou could no longer control herself and rushed forward.

However, the emotions suppressed by a thousand years of waiting suddenly surged forth, and she swung her hand, slapping Bai Fan across the cheek.

"A thousand years! Do you know how I have lived!" Her voice was laced with anger and sorrow.

"I heard that you became the Human Emperor! I heard that you married the most beautiful Princess Zhaoyang! In all these years, have you ever thought of me?!"

The pain on Bai Fan's face was far less than the stinging in his heart. He explained in a low voice, "Youyou, listen to me!"

"Don't come over! Get away! I don't want to see you."

Bai Youyou suddenly drew her long sword and pointed it at Bai Fan, her eyes filled with out-of-control emotions.

"You of the Human Race are all the same. You don't care about our Snow Fox clan at all. In your eyes, we are nothing."

Bai Fan did not stop his steps and continued to walk slowly toward her. "Youyou, listen to me!"

"I said don't come over!" Bai Youyou raised her sword in a panic, but Bai Fan did not hesitate and continued to close the distance.

Finally, the tip of the sword pierced the air and stabbed into Bai Fan's chest, but surprisingly, not much blood spilled out.

Bai Youyou realized something was wrong. She released the long sword in terror, her voice trembling.

"Brother Fan, are you alright?"

She hurriedly tore open Bai Fan's clothes, only to see that his chest was hollow, with no heart inside.

[That was the place where the Human Emperor Seal once resided. Now, it remained in Liangjing, having transformed into the protective curtain of light.]

"How could this be? Brother Fan, hold on! You can still be saved!"

Bai Youyou was so panicked that she almost lost her sanity, tears falling like pearls from a broken string.

Bai Fan gently took her hand, his voice weak yet still tender. "Youyou, it is useless… My time is running out. Listen to me."

Bai Youyou wept, her face tear-stained and full of regret. "Speak, I am listening."

Bai Fan slowly took a golden glowing Medicinal Pill from his bosom and handed it to her gently.

Upon seeing it, Bai Youyou's eyes widened immediately, and she was so shocked she could not speak.

"A Soul Transformation Stage Pill! A Soul Transformation Stage Pill that took a thousand years to refine…"

Several golden Dragons spiraled around the Medicinal Pill, wrapped in the radiance of imperial blood. Bai Youyou finally understood why Bai Fan had not returned to find her.

"You… you actually…"

She choked on her words, unable to speak. Her hands trembled as she held the Soul Transformation Stage Pill, her heart aching with immense bitterness.

The corners of Bai Fan's mouth lifted slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but it ultimately turned into a whisper. "Youyou, help me… protect the Human Race, protect those weak women in the Xuanyin Qin Sect."

His voice grew weaker, and blood continued to spill from his mouth.

"I promise you, please stop talking, quickly regulate your breath…"

Bai Youyou sobbed uncontrollably, pressing her hands against Bai Fan's chest, continuously channeling Spiritual Qi, trying to grasp at the last glimmer of hope.

Bai Fan wore a weary smile, his voice growing even weaker. "It is useless, Youyou. Just as you said… I married Zhaoyang."

He pulled an exquisite wooden carving from his bosom—it was the very one Bai Youyou had given him all those years ago.

The wooden carving had been caressed until it was incredibly smooth, feeling delicate, clearly having been touched countless times.

"I return this to you!"

Bai Fan slowly handed the wooden carving to Bai Youyou. Halfway through, he suddenly felt his consciousness blur, and his hand fell limply.

As the wooden carving fell, everything went silent.

"No!"

Bai Youyou screamed in panic, tears streaming down. She frantically poured her Spiritual Qi into Bai Fan's body, but there was no reaction.

Bai Fan's body remained cold, falling limply into her arms.

"Brother Fan! Hold on! There must be a way!"

Despair spread, and Bai Youyou's eyes were filled with pain and unwillingness.

She slowly raised the golden glowing Soul Transformation Stage Pill, looked at the silent Bai Fan, and made a decision in her heart.

"Perhaps… perhaps a Breakthrough to Soul Transformation will be useful." She muttered to herself, and without a shred of hesitation, she swallowed the Soul Transformation Stage Pill.

As the Medicinal Pill entered her mouth, golden light dispersed within her body, and several golden Dragons swirled up. Her Spiritual Qi surged instantly, and the blood in her body began to slowly transform into gold.

Bai Youyou's vast Spiritual Qi poured continuously into Bai Fan's body; she even bit the tip of her tongue, attempting to use her own vital blood to save Bai Fan.

However, Bai Fan's aura remained weak, drifting further and further away.

Bai Fan knew that Bai Youyou had already swallowed the Soul Transformation Stage Pill, and a hint of relieved smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

His eyelids slowly drooped, his breathing gradually became shallow, and finally, it settled into silence.

— Drip — Drip — Drip —

Heaven and Earth fell into an endless silence. The Spiritual Qi in the air began to stagnate, and specks of snowflakes began to fall.

A faint yet deep and affectionate sound of a Qin slowly flowed through the air, as if it came from the depths of a distant space-time, or perhaps like a call from the deepest part of someone's heart.

This Qin music carried endless sorrow and memories, winding and weeping, gently plucking at every string of melancholy.

The sound of the Qin became clearer, and the melancholy melody echoed between Heaven and Earth; it was none other than the "White Fox."

"…I am a fox that has waited for a thousand years, a thousand years of waiting, a thousand years of loneliness. In the rolling Mortal World, who has planted the Gu of love? In the vast sea of people, who has drunk the poison of love? When I loved you, you were destitute, studying hard by the cold window. When I left you, you had achieved fame and were in the bridal chamber. Can I dance one more dance for you? I am the white fox you set free a thousand years ago. Look at my sleeves fluttering, my sleeves fluttering. In the next life, I will still be your fox…"

This familiar melody tugged at the memories of Bai Youyou and Bai Fan, drifting from the past into the future.