On a winter night, snowflakes filled the air. The clang of weapons rose and fell, and smoke signals billowed up from all around. Blood occasionally splattered out, painting a bizarrely demonic scene against the falling snow. Amidst the crowd, a graceful figure in white seemed to dance in the snow, her jade-like steps light and indescribably beautiful. This white figure was besieged by more than ten Demons. Although her lotus-like steps were a beautiful sight, she could only retreat again and again. After more than a hundred moves, a Demon launched a surprise attack from behind, its sharp claws sinking deep into her chest...
'Is this really the end?' The light in the white-robed young woman's enchanting eyes gradually faded. 'It's ending,' she murmured. 'Father, your daughter has been unfilial. I failed to honor your last wish and live a good life. But I've tried so hard. It's... it's okay for it to end now, right? Still, I have a small regret.' Remembering the figure of the man she had met in the forest three years ago, a smile blossomed on the young woman's exquisitely beautiful face. 'The world is truly beautiful. Those three months I spent with you felt like a lifetime of happiness. I just never thought our parting would be forever. You have to live on.' For some reason, her mind was now filled with nothing but the image of that man. As scenes from three years ago flashed through her mind, a smile graced her tragically beautiful face. Like an autumn leaf drifting in the wind, she slowly closed her eyes. 'If there is a next life, I will find my way to your side no matter what. Because nothing is more important than you. Nie Yun... I... love you.'
「Three years earlier.」
In the night rain, a young woman in white dashed through the forest. She was panting heavily, and a trickle of crimson blood seeped from the corner of her mouth. Even after being washed away by the rain, it still left a faint stain. Her face was unusually pale, as if she had suffered a severe internal injury.
She was Luoqing City, from Luoshui City in the Divine Wind Empire. She possessed a beauty so great it could topple cities. Her delicate features were like a masterpiece crafted by the Celestial Dao itself. In the misty, rainy moonlight, she seemed to be wreathed in smoke and fog—ethereal and illusory, like a goddess from the heavens. Her expression was as frosty as ice, her elegance and purity beyond compare. Aside from a cascade of lustrous black hair, she was dressed entirely in snow-white. If she were to offer a radiant smile, it would be as if a rare and wondrous flower had just bloomed. An ordinary woman with but three-tenths of her beauty would be considered exceptional. With five-tenths, she would stand above all others, a rarity in the nation. And with seven-tenths, she would be a belle of her generation.
But right now, her situation was far from ideal. She was exceptionally talented and possessed the strength of a Mid-Stage Qi Sect cultivator. As the daughter of the Lord of Luoshui City, her Cultivation Techniques and Martial Arts were naturally not lacking. When she unleashed her full power, she could even rival a Late-Stage Qi Sect expert.
Just the day before, Luoqing City had discovered a thousand-year-old Falling Sakura Grass on a cliff in the Land of Trial. Overjoyed, she had gone to pick it, only to unexpectedly run into Zhao Xingpu and his group, who then surrounded her. Zhao Xingpu alone was at the Late-Stage Qi Sect, and his group not only outnumbered her but also launched a sneak attack. Caught off guard, Luoqing City had no choice but to throw the Falling Sakura Grass into the distance. She then used the force of Zhao Xingpu's palm strike to break out of the encirclement, but at the cost of suffering a grievous injury. Unexpectedly, the deranged Zhao Xingpu coveted her beauty and intended to force himself upon her. Furthermore, his group included a Tracking Master named Zhao Feng, allowing Zhao Xingpu to pursue her relentlessly. Already heavily injured, Luoqing City was now physically and mentally exhausted after fleeing for two days and two nights without rest, on the verge of collapse. If Zhao Xingpu caught up to her, she feared she wouldn't even have the chance to take her own life.
"Hahahaha, Luoqing City, stop running! Even if you run to the ends of the earth, I will catch you! Just be a good girl and come with me. I definitely won't treat you poorly!"
'Judging by the clarity of his voice, Zhao Xingpu must be less than a mile away,' she thought. 'I've been running for two days and two nights without escape. They must have a Tracking Master with them. Even if I try a desperate counterattack, it would be like a moth to a flame. Is this it?'
At this thought, Luoqing City slowly placed her Longsword against her slender, pale neck. 'Rather than be defiled to death by that bastard, I'd rather do it myself. Father, your daughter is coming to join you.'
Just as the beautiful young woman resolved to die, just as her life was about to be extinguished, a lazy voice sounded out. "Miss, if you wanted to die, why bother coming to this trial competition? The requirement for victory is to survive for four months, yet you came here to kill yourself. How ridiculous."
"Who's there!?" Luoqing City's face was filled with alarm. "My business is none of your concern! And what do you mean by skulking around here?" The owner of the voice was right beside her, yet she hadn't sensed him at all. 'Perhaps it's because the wolf is closing in from behind, and I'm in such a panic.'
"I was just resting here because I was tired of walking. And now the young lady who woke me up is questioning me instead?" Along with the same lazy tone, a slender figure emerged from behind a tree. "You're Luoqing City? The daughter of the Lord of Luoshui City, Luoo Zhanhao?"
A flicker of surprise appeared on Luoqing City's calm, water-like face, but it vanished as quickly as it came. 'He must have heard Zhao Xingpu shouting,' she thought. 'But on second thought, that doesn't seem right. There are so many women with the surname Luoo in the world, Luoshui City isn't a famous metropolis in the Divine Wind Empire, and Father is hardly a world-renowned figure. How could he know?' She asked tentatively, "And how would you know that, sir?"
"My name is Nie Yun. I'm also from Luoshui City."
The next second, the young man's words made Luoqing City's delicate body tremble. She immediately understood. 'He's from the Nie Family, one of the Four Great Families of Luoshui City,' she thought. 'But I've never heard of this Nie Yun before…'
"Miss Luoo, Luoshui City has been destroyed by Demons, and my family has been wiped out," Nie Yun said. "Now that I've met someone from my hometown, how can I stand by and do nothing? You go on ahead. I'll hold them off for you."
Hearing this, Luoqing City couldn't help but be moved. 'Receiving help in a time of dire need… The sentiment is overwhelming! He's willing to risk his own life to help me, simply because we're from the same hometown! This is what it means to be a true man!'