Cai Lin stood not far from the black mist region, her curious eyes fixed on Xiao Bai.
Since waking, she'd lost all sense of her other self, leaving her puzzled about what had transpired after that personality was suppressed.
Sighing softly, Xiao Bai stepped to her side, extending a hand.
"Come with me."
Seeing his suddenly somber expression and outstretched hand, Cai Lin hesitated briefly before placing her jade-like hand in his, letting him lead her forward.
Abruptly, Xiao Bai stopped, his voice low. "Stand still, don't move. Reach your hand forward."
Cai Lin glanced up, scanning ahead. The area looked no different from the rest of her consciousness.
Though confused by his sudden odd behavior, her trust in him prompted her to slowly extend a delicate hand.
Xiao Bai watched silently as her hand crossed into the black mist region. In an instant, the mist swarmed toward it like a predator scenting prey, coiling around her hand.
Within moments, in Xiao Bai's view, her hand was wreathed in writhing black mist.
"Ugh…"
Cai Lin's brows furrowed, a soft groan escaping as shock flashed in her eyes.
"Familiar feeling, isn't it?" Xiao Bai asked, pulling her hand back, noting her expression.
Her stunned eyes met his, bewildered by his uncanny knowledge.
After a long pause, she nodded faintly, her voice trembling. "Yes… it's just like when she first started to emerge!"
"When did it begin?" Xiao Bai's gaze softened, his thumb gently smoothing her furrowed brow.
Feeling his tenderness, a faint blush colored Cai Lin's cheeks, a trace of shy delight in her eyes. She spoke softly, recounting, "Not long after you left, I started feeling it. At first, I thought it was a side effect of absorbing the Seven-Colored Heaven-Swallowing Python's remnant soul during my breakthrough. I figured once all the soul fragments were integrated, it'd resolve itself. But I didn't expect…"
"Didn't expect it to get worse, right?" Xiao Bai finished, withdrawing his hand.
"Yes." Cai Lin's lips pursed as she glanced at his retreating hand, nodding lightly.
"I didn't expect…" Xiao Bai released her other hand, clasping his own behind his back. Staring at the menacing black mist, guilt flickered in his eyes. "It's my fault you ended up like this."
"Hm? Your fault?" Cai Lin's eyes widened with disbelief. "What does this have to do with you?"
"Don't resist with your soul. I'm going to show you something," Xiao Bai said, turning to her calmly.
"Alright."
Meeting his deep, star-like eyes, Cai Lin bit her lip, a flicker of unease rising within her.
With a thought, Xiao Bai summoned a golden arc of lightning that streaked across the consciousness, settling on his fingertip.
"Tch, you and it really are sworn enemies," he mused, watching the Geng Metal Tribulation Lightning writhe, straining toward the black mist.
Shifting his gaze to Cai Lin, he warned, "This'll sting. Bear with it."
His fingers formed a sword gesture, slashing swiftly before her eyes.
Pain!
A golden flash blinded Cai Lin, her vision plunging into darkness. Panic surged.
Then, a searing agony erupted in her eyes, the soul-deep pain far worse than any physical wound.
Clutching her eyes, she staggered back several steps.
This is his idea of "stinging a bit"?
Her fists clenched, itching to throttle him. If she didn't know he wouldn't harm her, she'd have thought she'd gone blind!
That infuriating bastard!
"You okay?"
His concerned voice grated on her nerves. Furious, she snapped, "Get lost! I don't need your fake concern!"
Pushing him back, Xiao Bai watched her trembling, enchanting face and gave a wry smile.
This step was necessary to explain and proceed, so he'd steeled himself to use this method.
Moments later, the pain on Cai Lin's face eased. Her eyelids fluttered, opening to reveal a fleeting golden glint in her pupils.
"What is this?"
Blinking to adjust to the light, Cai Lin's expression shifted to horror. She recoiled from the sight ahead, stumbling into a warm embrace.
"This is why your personality changed," Xiao Bai said, holding her trembling form, his voice soft against her delicate ear.
"So… everything that happened to me was because of this eerie black mist?" Cai Lin froze, tilting her head to avoid his warm breath.
"Yes. You couldn't see it before, so it influenced you without your knowledge, making you think you had two consciousnesses," Xiao Bai said, resting his chin on her fragrant shoulder.
"What? A misunderstanding?" Cai Lin's face paled, her voice rising as she turned to Xiao Bai, incredulous.
"Yep! Someone was having a blast cursing herself," Xiao Bai teased with a grin.
Her mind raced, and realization hit. His expression made sense now.
Recalling her earlier tirade—calling herself a "weakling"—her face drained, then darkened. Her eyes glared, teeth gritted. "Xiao Bai! You'd better erase those scenes from your mind and never tell a soul, or I'll silence you permanently and tear you to pieces!"
"Heh heh heh…"
Feeling his suppressed laughter against her shoulder, Cai Lin's face turned stormy. She bent her arm, delivering a sharp elbow to his ribs.
"Heh—ugh!" His laughter cut off abruptly.
"Did… you… hear… me?"
Her voice, cold as a winter gale, spat each word. Xiao Bai jolted, nodding frantically. "Rest assured, Your Majesty! Today's events stay between us—no one else will know!"
"Hmph!"
Cai Lin shot him a frosty glance, snorting before turning to the black mist occupying half her consciousness.
After a stunned pause, she sighed, her body softening into his embrace, as if finding solace. Closing her eyes, she murmured, "Tell me… what happened."
Seeing her usual proud, regal demeanor tinged with faint exhaustion, Xiao Bai realized the soul ordeal had taken its toll. His heart ached.
Even the strongest woman needs a shoulder to lean on sometimes—and I'm hers.
"During your evolution's tribulation, the sealing array fused into your soul due to the lightning, remember?"
Her mind drifted to that day, a soft smile curving her lips. Without him, she might've failed.
With a lazy hum, she nodded. "Mm."
"Truth is, you got caught up in my mess. This black mist was after me first."
"What?" Cai Lin's eyes snapped open, worry flashing as she turned to him.
"I'm fine," Xiao Bai said, shaking his head. Seeing her skepticism, he chuckled, touched by her concern. "See for yourself."
He extended a hand into the black mist. It surged toward him but stopped a foot away, unable to advance.
"Hm?" Cai Lin gasped, noting the mist's reaction at the gray-black divide. Understanding dawned. "So my consciousness split in half because I fused with your soul force, which resisted the black mist's erosion?"
"Exactly." Xiao Bai tightened his hold, nodding with a smile.
That talisman's incredible, he thought. Just a trace of its aura held the black mist at bay.
Recalling the black mist in his own consciousness, he realized the talisman had likely allowed it, or it wouldn't have appeared there.
"Where did this black mist come from?" Cai Lin asked, blinking curiously.
Xiao Bai hesitated, his voice tight. "It might be tied to my cultivation technique… or even to the world we live in. I don't know the exact cause."
"Forget it. If we don't know, we don't know," Cai Lin said, waving it off with a forced smile. "With these eyes that can see the black mist, I'll be careful not to let it invade again."
"Uh…" Xiao Bai's expression turned odd, rubbing his nose awkwardly. "Those eyes are temporary. They'll only last a few days."
"What?" Cai Lin gaped, wrenching free from his embrace, her voice sharp. "Xiao Bai, you bastard! I endured that agony, and now you're telling me it's temporary?"
She wanted to strangle him. She'd been moved learning the truth, thinking the pain was worth it for eyes that could see the black mist.
But a trial version? Only days before it expired? And to renew, she'd have to endure that soul-searing pain again? Her face paled at the thought.
"Heh, calm down!" Xiao Bai soothed, his eyes darting as her heaving chest strained against her robe. "Once I deal with the black mist, you won't need them. Temporary's enough!"
"You can handle it? Didn't you say you don't know its source?" Her anger paused, her brows knitting.
"Sigh." Xiao Bai's tone turned pitying. "Cai Lin, read more books in your spare time. Don't just focus on fighting. Not knowing the cause and being unable to solve it are two different things!"
"You're calling me a brute!" Cai Lin nearly exploded, grinding her teeth.
She'd almost forgotten—this dog of a man had called her a fool multiple times before!
"Haha, I didn't say that—you did!" Xiao Bai laughed, stepping to the black mist's edge. His smile faded, his expression turning serious.
With a thought, a seal appeared in his external consciousness, circling the talisman before flying out.
Cai Lin, seeing his focus, quieted, holding her breath as she watched.
Xiao Bai beckoned, and a blinding light cluster materialized in the consciousness. Where its radiance touched, the black mist recoiled as if meeting its nemesis.
"A seal… but with a different aura!" Cai Lin's eyes narrowed, recognizing the seal.
It was the start of her bond with this infuriating man.
"Edict!"
Xiao Bai tapped the light cluster, and the seal expanded into a curtain along the gray-black divide, stretching into a towering barrier that split the consciousness in two.
"Is he… isolating the black mist region?" Cai Lin mused, grasping his intent but unsure how he'd handle the mist itself.
"Seal!"
With a soft command, Xiao Bai's hands formed signs, encasing half of Cai Lin's consciousness in the seal. A massive light dome enveloped the black mist region, concealing it entirely.
"Contain!"
His signs shifted, the dome contracting. The black mist, fearful of the dome's aura, shrank inward, condensing into a massive dark cloud at the center.
"It worked!" Cai Lin's lips parted, her eyes sparkling with delight.
Her gaze softened as she looked at the resolute black-robed figure, admiring the confident air that no challenge seemed too great for him.
Though his cultivation lagged behind hers, she believed he'd soon rise to shake the continent.
Suddenly, his brows furrowed, and her heart tensed, unsure what was wrong.
Xiao Bai's head snapped up, his eyes gleaming as if piercing the void to an unseen realm.
Moments ago, as he sealed the black mist, a faint wisp had seeped from the void into the consciousness.
It was subtle, blending with Cai Lin's gray mist, but his spiritual sense caught it—a familiar trace from that void.
"Next time my soul breaks into the Spiritual Realm, I'll have to explore that void actively," Xiao Bai murmured, his eyes flickering as he lowered his gaze.
Per past patterns, each soul breakthrough drew his mind into that void without fail.
"You alright?" Cai Lin approached, her voice tinged with concern.
"Fine." Xiao Bai shook off his thoughts, smiling. "Not mad anymore?"
"Hmph! For fixing this threat, I'll let you off—this time," Cai Lin said, tilting her head regally, her eyes glancing at him. "Make sure it doesn't happen again!"
"Haha!" Xiao Bai chuckled at her tsundere facade. "My thanks for Your Majesty's mercy!"
He beckoned, and a palm-sized black pearl flew from a corner of the consciousness, landing in his hand.
"How will you handle it?" Cai Lin asked warily, eyeing the roiling black mist within.
"Don't worry, it's valuable!" Xiao Bai said, tossing the pearl with a smile.
His Spiritual Realm breakthrough might hinge on it. With the three-year deadline nearing, he'd tackle it afterward.
"Your soul force lost half its strength. It'll take time to recover," Xiao Bai said, scanning the sparse soul mist, pondering solutions.
Unlike Xiao Yi Xian, he couldn't teach Cai Lin the Heavenly Heart Sensing Chapter due to the void's black mist infiltration.
Such a loss wasn't like low-realm injuries healed by sleep. Without a soul technique, recovery would be slow.
"It's nothing compared to before," Cai Lin said, shaking her head, relief flooding her. She was finally free of soul worries.
Seeing her ease, Xiao Bai sighed, choosing not to mention the void's infiltration.
For now, Cai Lin should be safe. The black mist issue could wait until he explored the void after reaching the Spiritual Realm.
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