When Si Wanning found the resolve to fight with everything she had, the dream stopped looping. She jolted awake.
Lying there in a daze, she struggled to process it.
Just a dream
Yet it felt so real, so overwhelming, as though she had lived that lifetime. The despair still clung to her bones, making her hands tremble uncontrollably.
If not for that fleeting glimpse of Xiao Jin, that surge of defiance it sparked in her, she might still be trapped in that endless loop of suffering.
Ye Danxia.
The man in black.
The Demon Sovereign.
A shiver ran down her spine.
But things had already changed.
Xiao Jin had come to Tianjian Peak.
Ye Danxia wasn't the untouchable darling of the sect anymore.
Their master had regained his cultivation.
Yue Zhao was nothing like the broken man in her dream.
That future… it wouldn't repeat.
Right?
"Senior Sister."
Si Wan'ning was still lost in thought when Yun Jin, guided by the system's notification that the soul fusion was complete, returned to the room with the others from Tianjian Peak.
"Master... Senior Brother, Junior Brother, Xiao Jin." Si Wan'ning looked around at the familiar faces, her gaze unfocused.
In reality, she was not even a hundred years old, yet that dream had made her feel like she'd lived through centuries. Returning to herself so suddenly, she couldn't even tell if the dream was false or real.
"Are you alright?" Yun Jin asked gently.
Si Wanning slowly sat up, then suddenly reached out and clutched Yun Jin's hand.
Warm. Solid. Real.
No matter how many times that nightmare had looped—this was the truth.
No matter if that dream had been fate's original design, they'd already torn free of it.
A sob ripped from her chest. She pulled Yun Jin into a crushing embrace and wept like a child.
The others exchanged bewildered glances. Normally, when someone overcame their inner demon, they were supposed to feel relieved, even jubilant. Si Wanning's tears looked more like... the breakdown of someone who had endured far too much and was finally letting go in front of someone safe.
What had she gone through, exactly?
No one pressed. They simply waited in silence.
Yun Jin, piecing together the meaning of "soul fusion," simply held her, one hand gently patting her back.
Eventually, Si Wanning's tears ran dry. She wiped her eyes and gave a sheepish smile. "Sorry, I... couldn't hold it in."
"Getting past an inner demon is something to celebrate. You're just overwhelmed with joy," Lin Ya chuckled. "Come, let me examine you, make sure nothing's lingering."
Si Wanning obediently extended her wrist.
After a careful check, Lin Ya found that not only was her spiritual energy full and steady, but she actually looked more energized than before. He frowned slightly.
Normally, even if someone survived their inner demon, they'd be weakened for a while.
But Si Wanning had no such weakness.
Her qi was stronger than ever, even showing signs of approaching a breakthrough.
"Anything wrong?" Yue Zhao asked, a hint of concern in his voice.
Lin Ya shook his head slowly. "No. In fact, it doesn't feel like she endured an inner demon at all. More like she just took some rare heavenly treasure."
That kind of situation?
Yue Zhao and Yu Songnian exchanged a glance, puzzled.
Si Wanning bit her lip. She'd suspected as much. That hadn't been a heart demon. Not at all. Her gaze flicked to Yun Jin, who wore a thoughtful expression.
Does Junior Sister know something?
She waited until the others had dispersed before sending Yun Jin a covert message. When they were alone, the fear returned to her eyes.
"Xiao Jin, I… I had a nightmare."
"It was just a dream," Yun Jin said softly, comforting her. "You don't have to take it to heart."
But Si Wanning shook her head. "Xiao Jin, listen to me."
She recounted every detail—the decay of Tianjian Peak, Lin Ya's humiliation, Yue Zhao's tragic end, her own poisoning. And Ye Danxia, whispering sweet nothings to a Demon Sovereign in the dark.
Yun Jin already had her suspicions. Now that she heard everything, she was nearly certain.
Si Wanning's dream had to be a remnant of the previous timeline.
Yun Jin listened quietly. The "dream" matched the original timeline perfectly—the fate she'd overwritten by restarting this world.
Si Wanning's experience was akin to a rebirth, though gentler. Instead of being overwhelmed by past memories, she'd absorbed them as fragments, her current self remaining dominant.
A blessing in disguise.
Fused souls meant greater spiritual potential. And foreknowledge of future dangers was priceless.
"Xiao Jin," Si Wanning said hesitantly, "in the dream... you never came to Tianjian Peak."
She didn't know what Yun Jin's status had been in that dream.
In the past timeline, Yun Jin had entered the sect as Ye Danxia's maid. She wasn't even on the path of cultivation. No one would have noticed her.
It was normal for their paths to never cross.
In fact, if not for Si Wanning's detailed account, Yun Jin herself wouldn't have known about her tragic fate. Back then, she had already been imprisoned, completely cut off from the outside world.
"Senior Sister," Yun Jin said with a soft smile, "but in this life, I did come, didn't I? We're all doing well. Master is healthy, Senior Brother too, and you... you're still here."
Her voice carried a quiet confidence, the kind that made people believe in her without question.
The color slowly returned to Si Wanning's pale face. "Still... that dream felt too real."
"You can think of it as a warning," Yun Jin said gently. "Heaven might be showing you something, hoping you'll avoid what lies ahead."
A shadow crossed Si Wanning's face. "Then… that man. Do you think he exists? Is Ye Danxia truly sheltering a demon?"
In today's cultivation world, human-demonic conflicts raged fiercely. Most sect missions involved purging demonic influences. If Ye Danxia was caught harboring a Demon Sovereign—
Yet Si Wanning couldn't understand one thing.
The cultivation methods used by demons and cultivators were completely different. That was the primary way of identifying them. But in the dream, the man beside Ye Danxia had no trace of demonic aura. She couldn't imagine how he had concealed it.
Yun Jin's expression was unreadable. "If the dream really was a warning from heaven, then that man likely exists. But this time, we're prepared. Nothing in that dream will be allowed to happen."
The words settled Si Wanning's restless heart.
The dream's trajectory had already been altered.
And now, they had foresight.
If Ye Danxia still dared to collude with the Demonic Clan—
Si Wanning's fingers curled into fists.
We'll be ready.