Milky Way morning stars, azure sky lone moon.

Pale clear radiance spilled in from the hall entrance, scattering around Jian Chou’s side and at her feet. The cool night wind stirred her robes. Every breath of heaven and earth carried a touch of clear, cold worldly atmosphere, as if suddenly returning her to those days on the isolated human world island.

Days bitter or sweet, tears and laughter in her heart.

Jian Chou truly felt dazed for a moment, yet not because of the words he had just spoken, but merely due to this scene that stirred her memories.

After a while, she withdrew her gaze and looked toward Wu Guan Wang.

The light in her eyes wasn’t very clear in this dim great hall.

But her voice was very clear: “When I mistakenly entered the Extreme Domain years ago, I indeed harbored some obsession regarding the Book of Life and Death and that child. I had originally intended to entrust Zhang Tang to investigate the matter for me, but it never came to pass. I never expected that when you plant flowers with intention they don’t bloom, but when you plant willows without care they flourish…”

Hearing this, the cunning look in Wu Guan Wang’s eyes deepened. He felt that Jian Chou’s words clearly showed she had been moved by his earlier question and truly wanted to read the Book of Life and Death to resolve her past obsession.

Only her tone wasn’t quite right.

Anyone familiar with Jian Chou would easily notice that though she spoke thus, her voice carried a smoke-like ethereal quality—not very excited, but rather revealing a light-hearted detachment of someone who had seen through everything.

But at such a moment, how could Wu Guan Wang notice this subtle difference?

The smile at his lips widened as he said: “Since ancient times, mortals have said that life and death are fated, wealth and status are determined by heaven. The lives and deaths of most mortals are recorded in this Book of Life and Death. This master book is held by Qin Guang Wang, while subordinate judges merely hold partial books for calculation and verification. Even if you had wanted Zhang Tang to investigate back then, he wouldn’t have had such heaven-reaching means. But this hall is one of the Eight Halls’ Yama Kings, privileged to glimpse the secrets of reincarnation. I can not only examine the Book of Life and Death, but also seek out your child’s soul from the Six Paths of Reincarnation and change his fate.”

Above, a lone moon was sinking eastward.

Gradually, the moonlight falling became more slanted, like river water overflowing the embankment, washing over Jian Chou’s figure, enveloping most of her in clear, cold silver radiance, yet leaving no shadow on the ground.

Jian Chou seemed not to notice this anomaly.

After her gaze fell upon Wu Guan Wang, it never shifted even slightly. Only after quietly listening to his entire speech did she slowly lower her eyes.

The long sword she had raised also dropped its tip accordingly.

As if thinking for a while, or perhaps struggling for a long time, Jian Chou finally raised her eyes again: “I suppose there are no such things as free meals falling from heaven. You came bearing Qin Guang Wang’s strict orders, certainly not to resolve troubles for your opponent. Lord Wu Guan Wang, if you wish to summon that child’s soul from the Six Paths of Reincarnation and even change his name, it surely won’t be so simple?”

“Between you and me, there is originally no mortal enmity.”

Wu Guan Wang’s fingers pressed against the Book of Life and Death as he rose, actually walking toward Jian Chou. The tassels on his twelve-tassel crown swayed lightly, creating delicate clinking sounds.

“I came under orders, originally to use you in setting a trap to intercept that demonic friend of yours. But this scheme was seen through by you from the beginning and never succeeded. What remains for me to do is merely to make amends through achievement, hoping to at least kill you for some explanation. But first, I underestimated you, and second, Taishan Wang is my close friend, leading to today’s uncompromising situation. In truth, whether this Extreme Domain has reincarnation or who rules it has little relation to me. Why don’t we use this opportunity to shake hands and make peace? This matter of examining souls and changing fates through the Book of Life and Death shall be my pledge of allegiance to Fellow Daoist Jian Chou.”

A pledge of allegiance?

This way of speaking put himself quite low indeed.

Wu Guan Wang’s face at this moment had none of his earlier youthful innocence, instead displaying a kind of effortless demonic strangeness. Every word and sentence was reasonable and logical, seeming perfectly fine.

Jian Chou appeared to be persuaded: “Are Lord Wu Guan Wang’s words true?”

“True.”

Wu Guan Wang’s footsteps had already stopped before Jian Chou.

In his demonic pupils appeared traces of compassion, and even his voice became much gentler. He actually directly extended the Book of Life and Death in his hands toward her: “This is the record of infants who should have been born on the isolated human world island that year. I have no power to resist under your hand. If you don’t believe me, feel free to open this book and examine it yourself.”

The Book of Life and Death.

The life and death of mortals seemed already predetermined. Only a very few by chance could jump out of the fate others had drawn for them, entering Wangsi City or becoming cultivators.

After becoming cultivators, they automatically freed themselves from fate’s bonds.

At least it appeared so.

Jian Chou looked down at this Book of Life and Death extended before her, then thought of all the life and death she had witnessed in her half-lifetime of wandering, feeling a myriad of emotions.

She slowly reached out to take it, her fingers gently pushing to unfold this dark gold bamboo scroll.

At this time, that moon above had hung at the hall entrance.

Silver moonlight penetrated through the void, passing over her somewhat slender shoulders and hanging black hair, illuminating every character carved on the bamboo scroll.

It was indeed the Book of Life and Death from the isolated human world island.

At the top was even marked the year.

Following were row upon row of names, recording birth dates, lifespans, ancestral homes, and parents’ names.

Being the Book of Life and Death from over eighty years ago, many infants born then had already grown up. Those with short lifespans had already re-entered reincarnation, assigned to the Six Paths according to their good and evil deeds; those with long lifespans still lived in the human world but should also be aged elders by now.

Jian Chou looked through the names one by one.

Finally, near the end, she saw a blank space.

Not yet named, so nameless and without surname.

Birth date: August 24th, three quarters past the hour of Xu. Lifespan: sixty-nine years. Ancestral home: Jiangning. Father: Xie, nameless. Mother: Xie-shi Jian Chou.

“Plop”—a tear fell from her eyes.

Dropping onto the blank space in the Book of Life and Death, it dispersed into a patch of shallow golden light dust.

Yet Jian Chou’s lips actually carried a trace of smile.

She felt no sorrow, nor any reason-burning hatred, only some faint regret.

The past was like smoke, ultimately uncatchable.

Even if its existence had once left deep marks on her heart, they were merely marks. Those wanting to move forward, when looking back at the past, would only sigh once at these ugly or glorious marks.

Wu Guan Wang stood very close to her, but because she lowered her head, he couldn’t see her facial expression—only this utterly real tear.

From the Nineteen Continents to the Extreme Domain, how rare were great power cultivators?

And compared to these already rare existences, even rarer were the tears of great power cultivators.

Comprehending heaven and earth, achieving the Dao through heaven.

How many had already experienced all of life’s joys and sorrows, bittersweet flavors when they first entered the world? Once returning to void, all thoughts became transparent, glimpsing the Heavenly Dao, gradually achieving transcendence. Regarding ordinary partings and reunions, all could maintain hearts like still water.

Yet this female cultivator before his eyes seemed different from others.

Wu Guan Wang waited patiently without urging, fearing to wake Jian Chou from this dazed reminiscent mood, and fearing to reveal his hand at such a crucial moment.

What he needed was the best timing.

An opportunity sufficient to reverse the losing situation!

Jian Chou also seemed truly unable to break free from this mood, only extending her finger, wanting to wipe away the tear marks that had fallen on the blank name.

However, the moment she touched it, a point of lustrous purple light bloomed from her fingertip!

In this instant, Wu Guan Wang’s pupils suddenly contracted, his mind thundering! Everything from when Jian Chou had concealed her identity to participate in the tripod contest, breaking through to Soul Bead Realm and reaching Jade Nirvana, all surfaced at once…

Imperial Purple!

That point of lustrous purple light, initially tiny and secluded in its purity, instantly surged like a waterfall, filling the entire Yama Hall!

Both Jian Chou and the Book of Life and Death were enveloped within.

Moments later, the line of characters where the blank space was located flew up from the bamboo scroll in the jade-like lustrous purple light, transforming into swirling ink qi!

“Buzz!”

A resonant sound in the void!

With Jian Chou holding the Book of Life and Death as the center, endless purple light contracted, winding around her body like six petals of purple crescents, spinning like a disc!

The dark gold Book of Life and Death appeared solemn and austere within the rotating wheel.

When this purple disc began to turn, the seal character ink qi that had flown from the Book of Life and Death seemed drawn by some strange force, flying back like water lines descending from heaven, falling onto one of the six spinning crescents in the disc.

Thus the rotation suddenly stopped!

The ink qi condensed into a mass, expanding and writhing on its own, like an infant in its mother’s womb. Soon it extended limbs and grew a head.

Then its stature stretched, facial features gradually becoming clear.

Finally stopping at the appearance of a thirteen or fourteen-year-old youth.

Distant peaks and ranges in pale ink, his eyebrow and eye contours closely resembled Xie Buchen. But without that innate aloofness, much more approachable, also gentler and brighter, like snow falling from heaven melting on warm jade.

The moment he raised his eyes to look at Jian Chou—

The disc shattered, the Six Paths collapsed!

The imperial purple radiance in the great hall silently extinguished, and the faint golden light on the Book of Life and Death also quietly dimmed.

Only this upright youth remained, carrying some childishness, standing in the silver moonlight.

The instant his gaze fell upon her face, his lips bloomed with a smile that was clear and sweet yet dazzling, like sunshine after snow.

Somewhat surprised, somewhat affectionate.

“Mother, how are you here?”