“One and the same? I don’t know you!” Baili Xiao’s expression turned panicked again. “This is the Baili Clan, an imperial lineage. You’d better not get too reckless.”
“Deep down, you know the truth. We are one. Running away won’t solve anything,” the cold voice replied. “Otherwise, how do you think you obtained the Grand Grand Empress’s inheritance?”
“That inheritance has nothing to do with me anymore,” Baili Xiao said calmly.
“If you truly want revenge, there’s still hope,” the voice coaxed gently. “Relax your mind. Let go of resistance. Merge our souls into one, and I can help you.”
“And then what? After merging our souls, will I still be me?” Baili Xiao asked, voice flat.
“I told you, we were always one. Even if you resist now, soon enough, our souls will merge on their own. That outcome cannot be changed,” the voice replied. “Or rather, the current you is already incomplete. The name ‘Baili Xiao’ is just your name in this lifetime. Your true name… is Lin Yuqing, the Jade Purity Immortal.”
As the voice faded, Baili Xiao remained silent for a long time.
Back when she returned to the Baili Clan, she had discovered a second soul within her body.
Strictly speaking, this soul had always been there, only recently had it begun to awaken.
At first, she thought someone was trying to possess her. But eventually, she sensed something strange, this soul was not foreign.
The feeling was surreal. Like looking into a mirror, identical in form, but entirely different in personality.
“What exactly is going on?” Baili Xiao took a deep breath and asked.
“So you’re done running away?” the voice replied with a hint of amusement.
“I never intended to run,” Baili Xiao said calmly. “Did I receive the Grand Grand Empress’s legacy because of you?”
“Don’t divide things so cleanly. I told you, we’re the same being,” the voice replied with reverence.
“You knew the Grand Empress Hongtian?” Baili Xiao asked, curious.
“To be precise, she was my master, so she’s your master too,” the voice said proudly. “That old ancestor Soaring Goose from True Martial Sacred Ground is also my junior sister.”
“This is all too much…” Baili Xiao’s head felt like a storm of confusion.
“It comes down to the two cultivation systems,” Lin Yuqing explained. “Do you know why the person chosen by Heaven’s Will in each era becomes invincible? Or what Heaven’s Will even is?”
Baili Xiao shook her head. “Heaven's Will feels too far away. What are the two systems?”
“The Path of Dao and the Path of Immortality,” Lin Yuqing said plainly. “In truth, once a cultivator reaches the God Meridian Realm, and opens all eight meridian gates, the body undergoes unimaginable transformation. At that point, they enter an entirely new world, and must choose a new path.”
“The Path of Dao was established by the first True Martial Emperor. It’s recognized by the Heavenly Dao. Though the Grand Dao is indifferent, all things still have a sliver of hope. The Path of Dao is that thread of hope, it’s the chance for any being to reach the pinnacle of martial cultivation, transcend mortality, and even escape the Heavenly Dao itself.”
“And what about the Path of Immortality?” Baili Xiao asked.
“The Path of Immortality is born of helplessness. Not everyone can walk the Path of Dao. In every era, only the chosen Grand Emperor of Heaven's Will can enter the Path of Dao. Everyone else… has no chance,” Lin Yuqing said wistfully. “So those who can’t carry Heaven’s Will but still seek power, can only take the Path of Immortality.”
“The Path of Immortality is vague and unrecognized by the Heavenly Dao. It’s filled with hardship and uncertainty. No one knows where it ends.”
“But what does this have to do with us?” Baili Xiao asked.
“I once followed the Grand Empress and defied the heavens, as her top general. I witnessed her inherit Heaven’s Will firsthand,” Lin Yuqing said with emotion. “Though I fought by her side, even I wasn’t qualified to walk the Path of Dao. I was unwilling to accept that. In the end, I chose the uncertain Path of Immortality like everyone else.”
“At my request, the Grand Empress paid a steep price to reincarnate me and passed her legacy down to me.”
“So… I’m just your reincarnation in this life, aren’t I?” Baili Xiao asked quietly.
“That’s one way to see it. You’re still in control of this body because my soul hasn’t fully awakened yet,” Lin Yuqing said. “But I am the true consciousness, you’re just a secondary one. Once I fully awaken, the name ‘Baili Xiao’ will vanish. Only Lin Yuqing will remain.”
Hearing that, Baili Xiao fell into another deep silence. She let out a bitter laugh and said, “So I was never meant to exist in this world to begin with.”
“I wasn’t supposed to awaken so early,” Lin Yuqing said coolly. “But your Soaring Immortal Physique was stolen. In this new life, I’m meant to carry the Heaven’s Will and walk the Path of Dao. Losing that body severely affected my ability to bear the Heaven’s Will. I can’t allow you to keep messing around.”
“Messing around? What did I do wrong?” Baili Xiao laughed, full of defiance. “From the start, it was Xu Zimo who came after me for no reason. Even Chu Yang… he died at his hands. I don’t get it, why... why does he hate us so much?”
“So what do you plan to do now?” Lin Yuqing asked.
“I’ll do everything I can to destroy True Martial Sacred Ground. And if I can’t… then at least I’ll kill Xu Zimo, to avenge Chu Yang!” Hatred burned in Baili Xiao’s eyes. She clenched her teeth in fury.
“The Sacred Ground is the Grand Empress’s lineage. I won’t let you destroy it,” Lin Yuqing said coldly.
“If I hadn’t awakened, fine. But now that I have, I’ll return to the Sacred Ground, find Junior Sister Soaring Goose, and reclaim my Soaring Immortal Physique. The Sacred Ground will support me in carrying Heaven’s Will. Once I ascend to Grand Empress, I’ll protect them in return. After all, it was the Grand Empress who gave me this chance.”
“Then we walk different paths,” Baili Xiao said, rising to her feet as the night breeze lifted her robe. “Right now, I still control this body. Whether or not we are one… I only know this: My name is Baili Xiao.”