Black Mist stared at Lin Xiao in utter disbelief.
In this world, nothing should have been able to truly hurt him. Yet the person before him, Lin Xiao, had managed to strike the killing blow. That could only mean one thing: Lin Xiao was far stronger than he had imagined, and what he represented... was life itself. Hope.
Before Black Mist could even finish his thought, Zhang Nu’s weapon pierced through him once more.
And just like that, under the combined assault of Zhang Nu and Lin Xiao, Black Mist was finally destroyed.
The moment Black Mist perished, Zhang Nu collapsed from exhaustion and fell unconscious. At the same time, a secret technique — a final reward from the fallen monster — was transferred to him.
Of the four who had fought, only Liu Hai remained unscathed. Lin Xiao, too, had fainted from the backlash of unleashing his full power. Standing amid the chaos, Liu Hai looked helplessly at his three unconscious companions, unsure how he could carry them all out on his own.
Then, an idea struck him — the YaoGuais who had come with them. Without wasting a second, Liu Hai rushed out of the bamboo forest and found the group of YaoGuai-folk waiting anxiously beyond the tree line.
There was no time to explain.
“The battle’s over. Black Mist is dead. Hurry! Come help me. I can’t carry all three of them on my own!”
The YaoGuais were stunned at first, but quickly snapped back to reality and followed Liu Hai inside. Working together, they carried the unconscious trio back to Ling Xi’s cave dwelling.
Back at the sanctuary, the YaoGuais looked at Ling Xi with complex, unreadable expressions. She now understood the truth of who she was — and what power lay dormant inside her. For a long time, these YaoGuais had hidden that truth from her, afraid someone might one day try to take that power for themselves.
“Why are you the only one who came back unharmed?” one of them questioned Liu Hai coldly. “Didn’t you promise to protect Ling Xi? This is the result of your so-called protection?”
Liu Hai had no words. No explanation could change what had already happened. He stood alone while the others were unconscious, and that fact alone made all his reasoning feel hollow.
“…I’m sorry. We failed you.”
The YaoGuais turned away in silence, clearly unwilling to listen to any further excuses.
That night passed quietly. The next morning, Zhang Nu and the others slowly regained consciousness.
Ling Xi was the first to awaken. She looked down at her palms, dazed, overwhelmed by all that had happened. But deep down, she understood now — she was different. From this moment forward, she would have to learn to protect herself.
When Zhang Nu opened his eyes, he caught sight of Ling Xi’s expression and his heart ached for her. He was deeply grateful, too. If not for Ling Xi’s help, they might have all died at the hands of Black Mist.
“Ling Xi… thank you for saving us.”
Startled, Ling Xi snapped out of her thoughts. She shook her head.
“There’s nothing to thank me for, Zhang Nu. I did what I had to for all of us.”
“We all survived, didn’t we?”
Zhang Nu nodded, but guilt still lingered in his heart. He was determined to repay her — he wouldn’t let Ling Xi walk this path alone again.
“If you ever need our help, we’ll be there. No matter what.”
Ling Xi nodded softly. After witnessing just how vast and beautiful the world truly was, she realized she didn’t want to stay in the mountains forever. She wanted to grow stronger to protect this place and its people.
“Zhang Nu, I want to leave with you all,” she said quietly. “I don’t want to hide here anymore. I finally understand just how small my strength is… and I want to become someone who can truly protect this mountain.”
Zhang Nu smiled, proud of her resolve. He believed in her — believed she would grow into someone strong enough to stand tall, someone worthy of the world’s respect.
“Ling Xi, don’t worry. Everything you dream of, you’ll make it happen.”
And so, Ling Xi joined Zhang Nu and the others once again, ready to journey beyond the mountain.
But Lin Xiao still hadn’t awakened.
Even in his sleep, he was trapped in a nightmare, one he couldn’t escape from. He tried over and over to free himself, but every time, he found himself back beneath that towering tree — the Tree of Life. As if his entire life would always be bound to it… unable to break free.
Zhang Nu and the others tried everything they could to wake him, but nothing worked.
At last, Ling Xi stepped forward and activated her healing powers once more.
Her offensive magic might not have been strong but her gift for healing was unrivaled.