Not far from the Western Qin Imperial Palace, on a hillside in the northern suburbs of the city.

There stands a cluster of cave-like buildings, which is the site of a Taoist temple called Yuntai Temple.

Yuntai Temple is divided into a central courtyard and east and west side courtyards. The overall layout of the temple buildings follows the contours of the mountain, with the main buildings arranged along the central axis in a symmetrical manner.

Upon entering the mountain gate, one finds numerous halls, pavilions, kiosks, and caves scattered throughout.

The buildings are mostly single-eaved hip roofs, three bays wide and five beams deep, with a surrounding corridor on all four sides.

There is a saying among the people of the Western Qin Kingdom: "Ascend Yuntai Temple, and you are only three feet and three inches from the sky," which means that the temple is very high.

If you stand on the Yutian Pavilion platform in the temple and look south, you will see towering peaks, arranged like a screen, their verdant green like ink.

Looking down, the Wei River meanders like a ribbon, and the Western Qin Imperial City is filled with tall buildings and streets that extend in all directions.

Looking around, one sees dense trees, winding paths, and pleasant scenery.

From this vantage point, one can see all things in the world, a myriad of sights that are truly breathtaking!

Three days later.

When Yi Shangyun opened his eyes again, he was in this Taoist temple.

He was still unclear about what had happened, and found himself alone in the empty room.

She raised a fist and pounded her still somewhat dizzy head, but it seemed she still had no memory of it at all.

What's wrong with me?

"Where is this place?"

How did I get here?

So he slowly got up, opened the door, and went out.

Only then did I realize that, without my noticing, it had snowed heavily again during the night.

In the courtyard, a young Taoist priest was diligently sweeping the fallen snow.

Yi Shangyun suddenly realized, "Am I in a Taoist temple?!"

Suddenly, looking up, he saw that above the little Taoist priest's head, in the corner of the courtyard, a persimmon tree that had peeked in from outside the wall was laden with bright red, lantern-like, heavy fruits.

The colorful ribbons hanging on the trees for blessings, along with the branches full of red persimmons, create a charming and heartwarming scene.

Bathed in the warm sunlight, at this moment, Yi Shangyun's mood seemed to suddenly improve as well as everything she saw before her.

So, taking the opportunity to greet him, he asked curiously, "Good morning, young Taoist priest. Why is everyone hanging so many colorful ribbons for blessings on this persimmon tree?"

Upon hearing the sound, the young Taoist priest stopped what he was doing and leaned the broom he was holding against himself.

He then quickly placed his left hand over his right fist, bowed slightly to Yi Shangyun, and said, "Miss, you're awake?!"

Yi Shangyun nodded.

The young Taoist priest continued, "That's because this tree is over five hundred years old! Everyone hangs their wishes here, praying for everything to go smoothly and for peace and safety year after year!"

Upon hearing this, Yi Shangyun seemed to recall something and began to silently repeat after her.

May all your wishes come true...

May everything go smoothly for you...

When he suddenly came to his senses, he asked, "Excuse me, young Taoist priest, how long have I been asleep?"

The young Taoist priest replied, "It has been three whole days."

Yi Shangyun could hardly believe her ears and exclaimed in surprise, "What? Three days?"

Then he asked, "Who brought me here?"

Just as the young Taoist priest was about to speak, he suddenly heard the courtyard gate being opened from the outside with a creaking sound.

The two of them looked towards the door at the same time.

The young Taoist priest bowed respectfully to the visitor and said, "Master!"

Yi Shangyun looked at the white-bearded, green-robed old Taoist priest who had pushed open the door, scrutinized him for a moment, and asked somewhat angrily, "Did you bring me here?"

The old Taoist priest, holding a tea tray, said to the young Taoist, "Alright, you can leave this to me now. You may leave."

"Yes!" the young Taoist replied, then picked up a broom and left the courtyard, gently closing the door behind him.

At this moment, the old Taoist in the green robe walked straight to a warm stone table in the corner of the courtyard, bathed in sunlight.

He placed a few dishes of congee and side dishes from his tea tray and said to Yi Shangyun, "Now that Miss is awake, please have something to eat!"

Although Yi Shangyun was a little angry, she should have been at the Yi residence at the moment, so how did she end up being brought to the Taoist temple by this old Taoist?

Just as I was about to question him, "Gurgle..."

Just then, my stomach, which was really hungry, started growling, so I had no choice but to sit down and eat first.

After a while, Yi Shangyun asked the old Taoist priest, "I remember I was almost home, so how did I end up here?"

Unexpectedly, the old Taoist priest countered, "Where do you mean by 'doorway', Miss? Is it in front of the Yi Mansion in the west of the city? Or perhaps..."

She paused, then blurted out, "Does Miss believe she can open a portal to another dimension? That wall in the Yi Mansion?"

Yi Shangyun listened for a moment, then widened her eyes and exclaimed in surprise.

"you……"

How did you know?

The old Taoist smiled, stroked his white beard, and said, "It's no use! As I said before, the original soul of this body has already departed, but her responsibilities and mission are forever sealed within this body. Any soul that enters this body must fulfill her responsibilities and mission in order to be freed."

Only then did she realize: "So you are that Taoist priest from back then!"

Recalling what happened back then, Yi Shangyun said, "But I remember you clearly said something like, unless, unless you don't meet that person? So, there must be other ways to solve this, right?"

The old Taoist priest sighed, "Miss, don't you understand yet? I told you back then that you had no way to avoid it, and it was all too late. You met that person the very day you arrived in this space!"

"They encountered it that very day..."

"That person..."

Who exactly is he?

Yi Shangyun clutched her head, frantically trying to recall, but still couldn't understand.

The old Taoist priest prompted, "If one day you really have to leave this time and space, who will be the person you will miss the most, Miss?"

Yi Shangyun quickly asked herself, "The person I'm most reluctant to part with..."

In an instant, all that came to mind were memories of her and Xuanyuan Han.

From the night they first arrived in this time and space, until their last meeting three days ago, when he held her tightly and spoke those heartfelt words.

At that moment, she finally understood: "It was him!"

The old Taoist priest added, "The Hundred Lifetimes Contract has always belonged to him!"

What else could she say at this point?

After a long silence, Yi Shangyun slowly looked in the direction where the old Taoist was standing and said, "So, only by completing my mission can I return to my own world?"

The old Taoist priest stroked his white beard and nodded slightly.

Yi Shangyun smiled helplessly, turned her gaze back to what was in front of her, and asked, "Then what should I do?"

The old Taoist slowly spoke: "The true dragon emerges from the sea, the spiritual realm is unified, the phoenix is ​​reborn from the ashes, life is death, and death is life."

Upon hearing this, Yi Shangyun was immediately taken aback: "You mean, to unify the Lingkong Continent?"

The old Taoist priest nodded.

Yi Shangyun smiled, finding it unbelievable: "This... how could this be something an ordinary woman like me could do?"

The old Taoist priest disagreed: "How could you be an ordinary woman? You are the last guardian of Western Qin. No, to be precise, you are no longer just the guardian of Western Qin, but the guardian of this continent. Once the Lingkong Continent is unified, there will be no more guardians in the world."

Hearing what the old Taoist priest said, Yi Shangyun assumed that the old Taoist priest must have been possessed by some evil magic during his cultivation and was going crazy.

He then let out a self-deprecating laugh: "What kind of bullshit guardian? I can't even protect my own child again and again, so who can I protect?"

Upon hearing this, the old Taoist priest said anxiously, "No, that's not how it is. Your child, he didn't..."

Just as Yi Shangyun was anticipating his next words, the old Taoist suddenly stopped.

Finally, he mysteriously said, "This is a secret of heaven that cannot be revealed. In short, everything is ordained by heaven, and heaven's will cannot be defied!"

Yi Shangyun knew he would say that, so she sneered at him and turned her head away.

After thinking for a moment, he suddenly asked with some curiosity, "If what you say is true, then who will unify the remaining three kingdoms on this continent? Judging from the current situation, it seems that only the Western Qin Kingdom has the strongest overall strength."

Upon further reflection, he realized that Dongning's strength should not be underestimated.

Then I thought, "This Nan'an Kingdom..."

The old Taoist priest raised his head and said, "The world has always belonged only to a wise ruler."

Yi Shangyun repeated thoughtfully, "A wise ruler?"

He then analyzed, "From what I've seen, none of the current rulers of these three kingdoms seem to be wise rulers. Emperor Jing is arrogant, suspicious, and cruel, often causing the people to suffer without regard for their plight; Mei Zhixuan, due to his humble origins, is now in power and inevitably acts recklessly and unscrupulously; and I've heard that almost everyone in Nan'an Kingdom knows how to make Gu poison, and the art of Gu poison is rampant. If we were to choose someone to shoulder the heavy responsibility of this continent, it would be extremely difficult."

The old Taoist seemed quite satisfied with her analysis, and then asked her, "What do you think of the King of Qin, Miss?"

Yi Shangyun was startled: "Him?"

After thinking for a moment, he felt a pang of regret: "If it were him, he would certainly be better than all others, but he is not the true chosen one."

Unexpectedly, the old Taoist priest said, "How do you know he isn't, young lady?"

Yi Shangyun looked at the old Taoist priest in surprise and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

The old Taoist smiled and then recounted some past events to her in detail.

...

Yi Shangyun was stunned by the old Taoist's words.

It took a long time before he slowly came to his senses.

Holding her breath, she asked him again for confirmation: "You mean that the one who is now high and mighty in the palace... Emperor Jing, is the one who was replaced by the current Empress Dowager, and is not the bloodline of the late Emperor?"

The old Taoist priest said, "Before the late emperor passed away, he must have already known about this matter. And far away in Dongning, she was already the most honored empress of Dongning, and also your birth mother. She must have sensed that the emperor of Western Qin was in trouble, which is why she traveled thousands of miles, risking the danger of giving birth at any moment, just to return to Western Qin and see the late emperor one last time."

Recalling the past, the old Taoist frowned: "The Guardian went through many hardships and finally knelt before the late emperor, who was on his deathbed. He then learned that the Empress Dowager intended to kill the late emperor's only bloodline, the current Prince of Qin. This is why the Guardian was instructed to protect the only bloodline of the Western Qin Kingdom no matter what."

What brought him a sliver of comfort was: "Later, your birth mother fell off a cliff and died while protecting the King of Qin. Unexpectedly, even after falling, she left behind your bloodline..."