After three years of intense cultivation, Xie Yunting, the 14th generation master of the Heart-Seeking Sword, sacrificed himself to seal a malevolent spirit. His first disciple, Xie Changji, inherited the Heart-Seeking Sword and vowed to eradicate all evil spirits. He spent two hundred years battling in the realm of life and death, alone.
In the same year, the western border was breached by 100,000 monsters who laid siege to Hehuan Palace. Young master Hua Xiangwan and his disciples defended the palace gate for a month until reinforcements arrived. By then, the Hehuan Palace's elite were nearly annihilated, and the once-mighty sect never recovered.
"Two hundred years later:"
"Xie Changji," a girl in an illusion spoke softly, gazing at the starry sky. Her eyes sparkled with a vitality foreign to his life. The flowing river below made a gentle murmur as she turned to him, her youthful reflection in her eyes.
"Have you ever seen a dream butterfly?" she asked.
He looked at her, his face calm. "No."
"Then I'll give you one," she said, releasing a glowing blue butterfly from her palm. It danced in the air before landing on the back of her hand. She leaned closer, offering her hand to him. "Touch it, and you’ll see the person you want to see the most."
His gaze was locked on her, his heart sinking as the butterfly landed gently on her skin. "I... want to see the most..." he whispered, his voice faltering.
Her smile faded into an almost transparent hue. A premonition gripped him as the surroundings began to spin and crumble. He knelt, watching helplessly as the girl fell into the abyss where evil spirits roared. She was consumed by the demons, but her smile remained.
"Xie Changji," her voice echoed, tinged with regret and relief, "Fortunately - you never liked me."
He knelt in the snow, trembling, reaching his bloodied hands towards the void. He wanted to speak but could only manage hoarse, strangled sounds. The girl's voice lingered: "Touch this dream butterfly. Who do you want to see the most?"
Her figure appeared in the snow, and he chased after her, sword in hand. The name he could not utter, the inner demon of his life, drove him relentlessly forward.
"Changji," a distant voice called, but he paid no heed. The figure ahead blurred. Breathing heavily, he pursued her. The Pure Heart Dharma's voice mixed with the call, and the ground began to collapse.
"Changji," the voice said again, accompanied by the sound of the Pure Heart Dharma. The girl stopped, and he ran through the crumbling terrain. Grabbing her sleeve, he heard her final words: "Thank you, Changji."
She turned, her smile bright, but she was disappearing with the world around her.
"Wanwan..." he rasped, as darkness enveloped him. Alone in the void, he finally opened his eyes.
He was sitting cross-legged in the snow, covered by a white silk blindfold. Around him was only white, but his spiritual sense reached out. An old man in a green shirt stood nearby, relieved to see him awake.
"You finally woke up. Your breath was unstable; you entered the illusion again, didn't you?" the old man said.
Bai Ling looked down, not responding. Snowflakes fell around them, and before them lay a massive, bottomless pit. Above it hung a lightsaber, casting a faint light over a rune formation. The Realm of Life and Death, guarded by the Heavenly Sword Sect for millennia, had seen countless demons fail to breach its boundaries.
The deep pit, once filled with magma, was now black and bottomless, a testament to Xie Changji's two hundred years of battle against the demons.
The old man, Kunxuzi, sighed and said, "Forget it. The headmaster sent me to ask a favor."
Xie Changji stood, brushing snow from his tattered robe.
"You’re the Heart Sword master. You should present yourself better," Kunxuzi chided, noticing Xie Changji’s appearance. "The headmaster entrusted you to me. How can I face him with you in this state?"
"What is it you need?" Xie Changji asked, interrupting the old man's complaints.
Kunxuzi, feeling the cold, pulled his clothes tighter and became serious. "Recently, the Demon Lord of the Western Territory has been in trouble. The demon cultivators are vying for the Demon Lord’s position, and a successor trial might be imminent."
"And why should we be concerned?" Xie Changji inquired.
Kunxuzi explained, "The Western Territory operates under a unified command. When a Demon Lord dies, successors are prepared in advance and tested to choose the next Demon Lord. Hua Xiangwan, once seen as the next Demon Lord, now has a shattered golden core and is considered a weak candidate."
"What does this have to do with us?" Xie Changji asked.
Kunxuzi continued, "Hua Xiangwan is the young master of Hehuan Palace, which shares the same cultivation method as our sect. She has requested marriage with our sect to advance her cultivation."
"What do you need me to do?" Xie Changji asked.
As they approached a small, spiritually protected courtyard amidst the snow, Kunxuzi noticed a weathered grave with the inscription: "The tomb of my beloved wife Wanwan."
Kunxuzi hesitated but continued, "The Lingxu Secret Realm is about to open. Your master and your wife once sealed a powerful Gu Ling there. The sect leader fears that Hua Xiangwan’s marriage proposal might be a pretext to access this power. He wants you to oversee the Lingxu Secret Realm. If there’s any disturbance from the Western Territory..."
"With you here, the Sect Leader can be at ease," Kunxuzi finished.
Xie Changji, while tending to the grave, listened to Kunxuzi’s request. "I can't leave the Realm of Life and Death," he finally said.
"I understand," Kunxuzi replied, relieved Xie Changji didn’t outright refuse. "We’ve arranged for Wushuang to handle this. You can attach a wisp of consciousness to him and control him from afar."
Kunxuzi added, "He’s your disciple, well-suited for this task."
Xie Changji, still focused on the grave, finally spoke. "Tell the headmaster to ensure Wushuang returns before the secret realm opens."
He conjured a blue, glowing butterfly, staring at it with a hint of gentleness. He longed to retreat to solitude and the next dream.
"I will take care of the Lingxu Secret Realm," he declared calmly.
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