Chapter 28: The Prophecy of the Heavenly Tome

Inside the room, a yellow-skinned book, dusted clean, rested upon the wooden table. With a heart full of apprehension, Ji Ning pinched the corner of the page and turned to the second leaf.

Her pupils, flecked with gold, contracted slightly. Her brows knit together instinctively. Her hand froze in mid-air, remaining motionless for a long time. It was as if she had seen something beyond belief. The room was deathly silent, save for the sound of the wind outside the window.

Having stretched its legs and finished a yawn, Snowball leaped onto the wooden table. It tilted its head to look at the page, extended a small paw to press against it, and stared with eyes full of confusion.

"Squeak, squeak! This person covered in blood looks just like you!"

The little fox did not understand the purpose of the book, but it recognized Ji Ning's face.

"Not just this face. There is also this bracelet..." She withdrew her hand, her fingertips stroking the crystals on the chain. Her expression was as calm as stagnant water, showing no ripple of emotion.

The world of black-and-white ink had begun to take on color. The blurred faces had come into focus—faces she had seen, people she knew, strangers, and her own reflection.

Corpses lay scattered for miles, the scene a sea of red. In the desolate forest, two figures wearing silver chains and pink crystal talismans lay gray and lifeless.

Once color was applied, the massive shadow in the distance began to take shape: it was a spirit beast that had fallen into demonic corruption after being invaded by a malevolent spirit. The beast was wreathed in black mist; the long fur on its body and tail had turned a charcoal gray. On its fox-like face, narrow eyes glowed with a sinister red light. Its ears stood tall, shifting from their tips downwards into a pitch-black hue tinged with red.

It was deeply corrupted.

The illustration was far too vivid. It was like a prophecy, heralding a tragedy. In this vision, Ji Ning was dead again—dying even earlier than in her previous life, with an ending just as bleak.

A sense of powerlessness spread from the depths of her heart throughout her entire body. She crossed her arms and slumped over the table, her mind a tangled mess of countless threads, knotted into an unsolvable web. She stared blankly out the window, through the interlacing branches, through the mountain peaks and clouds, yet she could never see the end.

Was this world real or false? Why did she appear here, resurrected after death? If she died this time, would there be another? Would she retain her memories? And would her next method of death... be a bit more creative?

"Sigh! So many questions..." As long as the Ye sisters remained alive, Ji Ning could not leave in peace.

Perhaps due to the soul-bond, or perhaps because it sensed Ji Ning’s desolation, Snowball crawled over the top of her head and lay down facing her. Its ear-tips, adorned with tufts of yellow fur, twitched left and right. Its large, fluffy tail arched up, brushing against Ji Ning’s arm repeatedly. Being so close, the warm breath of the little fox puffed against Ji Ning’s face, leaving a moist, ticklish sensation.

"You are so annoying!" Ji Ning reached out to wipe her cheek and pushed Snowball a little further away.

"Squeak, squeak! I was clearly comforting you, you stingy thing!" Seeing that Ji Ning did not appreciate the gesture, Snowball grew indignant. It straightened its body and batted at Ji Ning’s fair cheeks with both front paws, determined to save some face.

Knowing that the claws would leave red marks, Ji Ning leaned back to dodge, letting the fox swipe at empty air. She then scooped Snowball into her arms, covering its little head with her palm and stroking it gently.

"Alright, this stingy person has received your comfort. Now, don't move around; I need to... think."

Doubt and fear were only momentary emotions. When facing the unknown or death, most people would fall into a low mood. She was no immortal; she could not maintain a state of perfect detachment and emptiness at all times. She had joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness; she was both selfish and selfless, cowardly and brave. Contradictory traits could exist within a single person, but she would not let this turn her into a coward who retreated in the face of fear.

She scoured the boring memories of her past life, eventually finding something useful. The final assessment for the outer disciples was related to their rankings, which in turn determined their eligibility to enter the inner sect.

The ranking assessment was always accompanied by danger. According to the events of her past life, this year's test would take place in the Beast Forest at the foot of Spirit Beast Peak, with the task being to extract the malevolent spirits from the bodies of corrupted beasts.

The Beast Forest was divided into three sections: front, middle, and back. It housed beasts that were not yet fully corrupted and might still be saved. The assessment was held in the front section, which mostly contained small, low-tier beasts with lower attack power.

However, the beast depicted in the book was nearly two meters long—it did not look like a low-tier creature at all. If so many people had truly died as the book suggested, news should have leaked out, yet Ji Ning had heard nothing. Perhaps it had been covered up. To conceal such a major event within the sect, the person responsible must hold a high position.

Looking at it from another angle—based on her experience playing games—if this book was truly a prophecy, her goal as the holder was to deviate from the predetermined ending of death.

Currently, Ji Ning faced three choices: first, participate in the final assessment, where her survival was uncertain; second, skip it and hope to survive this crisis, though the Xuanxin Sect was not inherently safe; and third, pack her bags and leave to cultivate at a different sect.

She closed the book and rubbed her brows with her knuckles.

It was a difficult choice. To move forward would likely lead to her being torn to shreds, but it offered a glimpse of the truth. To retreat might bring temporary safety, but a life of mediocrity, blinding herself to the reality, was not what she wanted.

Placing Snowball on her lap, Ji Ning took out the wooden slip containing the "Low-Tier Spirit Beast Compendium" she had borrowed from the library. She flipped through it from the beginning, but as she expected, there was no record of such a creature.

Outside the wooden window, the sun had quietly climbed to its zenith. Laughter drifted in, and Ji Ning looked up to see a few fellow sisters from the courtyard returning, Jiang among them.

Ji Ning quickly opened the door to call out to Senior Sister Jiang, intending to clarify the origin of the bracelet.

Noticing Ji Ning's concern, Jiang Yeqiu, dressed in a simple blue-and-white robe, comforted her.

"This bracelet was bought at the shop you recommended. Each pink crystal is engraved with a protective charm, which can be used to save your life in a critical moment."

"And it wasn't expensive, only thirty spirit stones. You can rest assured and keep it."

Ji Ning’s eyes curved into a smile. "Thank you, Senior Sister."

After watching Jiang return to her room, the smile vanished from Ji Ning's face. Not only had she failed to learn anything, but she was now even more confused.

Could a shop like Shangxuan Pavilion really sell such cheap, powerful goods? Ji Ning trusted that Senior Sister Jiang wouldn't lie to her, so the problem must lie with Shangxuan Pavilion itself.

With all these matters piling up, Ji Ning’s brain was reaching its capacity. Was she here to cultivate immortality or to play detective? Who could say?

***

On Qionghua Peak, in the Xingque Courtyard, the residence of Grand Elder Yuehua.

The courtyard was surrounded by a barrier, invisible and inaudible to others.

After more than a month of effort, Yun Xin finally presented the bowl of Nine-Pear Soup. As the lid of the food box was lifted, a sweet, fragrant scent wafted out—a refreshing and pleasant floral aroma that made it feel as if spring had returned, with the entire courtyard filled with blooming pear blossoms.

After serving two bowls of the sweet soup to the two elders who were playing a game of chess, Yun Xin reported the results of her investigation.

"Grandmaster, Elder Lingxu, after repeatedly going in and out to check over the past two months, there is indeed something unusual about Spirit Pill Peak. There are traces of an aura similar to a malevolent spirit, but it is not exactly the same. As for the source, I could not find it."

"A malevolent spirit? Perhaps it is because Min Rui often goes to the Pill Peak to visit," Elder Lingxu said, placing a white stone on the board.

After hearing this, Yun Xin hesitated for a long moment before adding, "But, on Spirit Cloud Peak, I also tracked a trace of an aura that was almost imperceptible."

"Spirit Cloud Peak? That is rather strange..."