A Second Past Life?
The cloaked figure didn't respond to Sage Yang but instead walked over to Xue Bai first and brought a finger up to the boy's forehead.
Yet he didn't touch Xue Bai but instead used his Spiritual Qi to indirectly scan through Xue Bai's body. It was like what Old Lu had done to Xue Bai on his first day of transmigration, but instead, without contact.
A few seconds passed with Xue Bai and the Kun Empire students confused out of their minds. But eventually, the cloaked figure finished analyzing Xue Bai and turned back to Sage Yang.
"You're interfering with the treaty. Remove the seal." The cloaked figure spoke.
The cloaked figure had a cold and detached voice that sounded like it was coming from an emotionless robot.
However, Sage Yang only smiled at this.
"Aren't you doing the very same just by existing? Also, I never planned to kill him. You know more than well that if I wished to kill the boy, he would've been long dead." Sage Yang replied.
Though no one could see any of the cloaked figure's body and, consequently, his facial expression, once Sage Yang finished his sentence, the temperature dropped more than 20°.
The air became cold, and a small snowstorm started to manifest around the cloaked figure.
"Remove. The. Seal. I won't ask again." The cloaked spoke once more.
It was obvious that it had lost its patience and was one step away from violence.
"We can fight if you'd like. This servant may be humble, but I can throw a punch." Sage Yang laughed.
Sage Yang didn't care about anything in this mortal realm. It was only here for a treasure. So any fun it could have during this boring time would be gratefully appreciated.
But beneath all of that, the reason why Sage Yang said this was because it knew the figure was bluffing.
'You can't fight me. You've already abandoned your timeline. You can't regenerate anything more.' Sage Yang laughed inwardly.
And it was right.
The air became colder and colder, and the snowstorm around it became even more violent, yet it never made a move.
"Tch!" The figure clicked its tongue angrily.
Then without any more words, it waved its hand.
Suddenly from his palms, a pink mist was manifested, and it rapidly invaded the atmosphere. Like oxygen, the pink mist invaded the atmosphere, and before anyone could notice its existence, it entered the nose of every student in the camp.
And like dominoes, they all tumbled over, unconscious.
"The Land of Heavenly Dreams!" Sage Yang sighed in admiration once it saw that, "No matter how many times I see it, I can't help but think how beautiful it is. Truly a beautiful Divine Decree. Much stronger than my own Mesmerizing Melody. And to think I was the artist. It's just a shame that…."
"Shut up!" The cloaked figure roared at Sage Yang, interrupting him.
"Mah, mah. No need to get angry, Ghost. I'm complimenting you." Sage Yang laughed, ignoring the cloaked figure's anger.
Seeing that it was losing its calm, the cloaked figure took a deep breath to calm himself down. It then looked at Xue Bai as it decided to accomplish its goal.
"I'm taking him. Do you have any complaints?" The cloaked figure said, but it didn't wait for an answer.
Not caring about Sage Yang's answer, the cloaked figure walked over to the unconscious Xue Bai and summoned a gust of wind that carried the boy near him before slowly walking away. And just like he arrived, he once again melted with shadows before disappearing like it was never there.
Left alone in a camp with unconscious young men, Sage Yang smiled, ignoring it all.
"This timeline is going to be interesting!" Sage Yang laughed to itself.
"Only with such an irregularity can you all be a worthy stepping stone for Second Young Master! Fight Xue Bai! Grow Xue Bai! Dazzle the world, and become the boost Second Young Master needs!" Sage Yang laughed hysterically to itself as he watched the cloaked figure arrive at Steel Moon City.
However, it soon realized that it had lost its composure and coughed lightly to stop itself.
"Students! Wake up!"
Once more, like what happened with Mo Chou, a calm breeze followed his words.
And like tendrils of order, the breeze entered the noses of the students, expelling the pink mist and waking them up.
–
"Darling, run. I can hold them back!" A heroic young-looking lady in a set of unisex swordsman's robes shouted out as she stopped running.
Her companion, the one referred to as Darling, was a young boy who looked to be only in his late teens.
But with the several ounces of blood that scattered both him and his robes, the cold ferocious glint in his eyes, and the profound cultivation bases he was showing, the boy was definitely something not to be looked down upon.
Once the girl with him shouted those words, his facial expression immediately changed.
"No! Never! I won't leave you with those devils, Fei'er. They only want to kidnap you so that you can be that scum's furnace! I'd rather die than let you sacrifice yourself for me." The young boy shouted as he tried to grab his companion.
However, Fei'er dodged his grab.
"Fei'er, stop playing around, please! We have to keep running. Those beasts from the Yin Yang Sect are getting close!" The boy shouted once more once he saw he dodge.
"Darling, we can't keep running. They have a wisp of my soul already, so they will be able to track us until the end of the world." Fei'er desolately spoke.
The young boy's face also gained the same emotion as hers. How could he not know that?
He just didn't want to bring those words up.
"Besides, unlike you, I am in the Golden Core realm. And those lackeys are only in the later stages of the Golden Core realm. If I threaten to blow up my golden core, maybe they'll give up." Fei'er persuaded.
But even she, the speaker of those words, didn't believe them.
Seeing his struggle, hesitation, and sadness, Fei'er continued to speak.
"Darling, you're far more talented than me. You're not even 17 yet, and you're already at the 7th stage of the Foundation Establishment realm. It's only a matter of time before you enter the Golden Core realm and even surpass it." Fei'er said as she lovingly grabbed the cheek of the young boy.
"I know my own potential, Fei'er. That's why I am telling you to run with me. All I need is two, no 18 months at most! By then, let alone the Yin Yang Sect, even their backer, the Duality Empire, would be nothing in my eyes!" The boy said as he tried to continue pulling the love of his life.
But she didn't move. She was much stronger than him. And if she didn't wish to move, he couldn't force her.
"Darling, I know you're extremely talented. Something that this world has never seen before. But that's all in the future. You're not the Immortal Emperor you were destined to be right now. Right now, you're just a sapling in the Foundation Establishment realm. You're weak, and that is the greatest sin in this world. And while we both had that pervert with every fiber of our being, he's strong. And both of us can't escape this situation. You know that. So please, please, please, make the smart decision." Fei'er said as she wiped the tears coming out of her companion's eyes.
And before he could argue, Fei'er turned around and jumped in the direction of their pursuers.
Staring at her figure, the boy didn't move an inch. Instead, he stood still, staring at her as if he wanted to engrave her figure into his mind.
But eventually, he realized that if he wanted to make her sacrifice worth anything, he had to get moving.
So after he unclenched his fists and wiped away his tears one last time, he, too, ran away.
"Fei'er! I'll bring you back! One day! I Xue Bai swear it!" The young boy shouted at the top of his lungs as he ran away.
However, what he didn't see was how saddened Fei'er became after hearing his words.
'Silly boy. You can't. This is my curse. If you could've, you would've done it already.' Fei'er thought to herself before facing the three men who had made her make this decision.
"Han Fei'er, this is your last warning. While Young Master needs you, he won't be distressed over your death! Come with us obediently or…." The lackey in the lead menacingly said as he unsheathed his sword.
His words were seconded by his two weaker companions.
This idiotic woman had made their lives a living hell for the past year and a half. So while they did want to complete their mission, they also wished she would continue to struggle so they could vent their anger.
But to their shock, the once panic-filled and distressed girl they had been chasing for almost 20 months was filled with complete calm.
"There is no need for this, you fools. I must get onto the next life. Darling is waiting for me there." Fei'er coldly spoke.
And without any other pleasantries, she self-destructed her golden core, turning the entire forest into a wasteland and Xue Bai into a sobbing mess.
However, she, even at the end of it all, was filled with a smile.
'Till our next meeting. Darling. I'll free both of us. One day.'
–
*crack*
In Steel Moon City, in a random motel on the outskirts of the city, Xue Bai rested on a bed. But it was obvious he wasn't comfortable and most likely having a bad dream, as every second or so, he would twist and turn like he was fighting something.
And this effect would continue for minutes until Xue Bai's eyes suddenly burst open.
"Fei'er!" Xue Bai shouted out in a panic as he stood up.
However, very quickly, he became confused.
He wasn't in a forest running away from the hunters from the Yin Yang Sect but in a motel.
Confused, he quickly jumped up to see where the hell he was, but soon, his real memories came back.
"Was that a dream? But it was so realistic." Xue Bai mumbled to himself as he looked around the room he was in, but then he realized something, "I'm crying?"
Putting his hand up to his eyes, Xue Bai could feel dozens of teardrops falling down.
Flowing down like a waterfall were dozens of tears.
'Was that another future event like my past life? Wait, no. They were talking about the Golden Core and Nascent Soul realm. Cultivation doesn't proceed like that in this universe.' Xue Bai's head couldn't understand what he had just dreamed.
And since it was so realistic, he couldn't even label it as a dream and forget about it.
'Maybe it's another past life of mine? But then, did that come first, or did my Earth life did? Moreover, I was also Xue Bai then. So that can't be a coincidence.'
'But if that's even the case, why did I see it now? Aren't past lives supposed to be forgotten? Did the cloaked man have something to do with it?'
His thoughts strayed for a long time, but eventually, Xue Bai gave up thinking about it.
It was like Xiao Xuan. He didn't know enough to continue thinking about it.
Shaking his head, Xue Bai lowered his guard and walked over to the window. He wanted to see where he was, but oddly enough, a large animal skin scroll manifested in front of him before he reached the window.
"Huh?" Bewildered at the beyond questionable series of events he found himself in, Xue Bai could only mumble stupidly.
However, he was too curious, so without any hesitation, he grabbed the scroll.
It was obviously for him. So why wouldn't he grab it?
And most likely, it explained how the hell he ended up here in this motel room.
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