Q: What is it like to suddenly hear the news of your impending death?

Answer: Thank you for the invitation. I am in the desert and have just got off the flying vine.

As someone who has experienced it personally, I just want to respond to this incident with one sentence: Actually, I knew about this a long time ago, you didn’t expect it, haha!

Ningning was in a snow-white space all around, staring silently at the strange woman who was right next to her.

The other person's eyes were condensed with white mist, and it was impossible to see the expression hidden in them. When Ning Ning heard those unclear words about death, only one thought flashed through her mind -

According to the deal she made with the system, she would indeed fake her death and escape after completing the mission.

This is the most obvious and straightforward idea, but with a little thought, you will realize that things cannot be that simple.

Not to mention that the inexplicable figure of the young man that appeared in her mind could not be explained, just the words that came out of the woman's mouth were enough to make her feel overwhelmed.

"What do you mean?" Ning Ning said seriously, suppressing her heart's beating, "Every time I come here... I will never forget it?"

The woman stared at her, silent for a long time, and then chuckled, answering the question irrelevantly: "So that's how it is, there is something else in your body."

Ningning pursed her lips and did not respond, her brain working rapidly.

Something else? Do you mean the system? How could she see the existence of the system?

"You want to use that thing to survive, right?"

Her body trembled slightly when she laughed, and the white mist gathered and dispersed with her movements. She continued to talk to herself, "You have failed again and again. If it were someone else, they would have given up long ago. Only you are still so persistent - who are you doing this for? For yourself? It doesn't seem like it."

"Wait a minute, can we interrupt for a moment?"

The amount of information was too much for Ning Ning to digest in a short time. She could only press her temples hard, frowned and asked her: "Sister, can we start from the beginning? Where is this, who are you, and what does failure after failure mean?"

The atmosphere around him suddenly became tense.

The woman laughed even more wantonly than before. There was a cloud of mist around her, and even her facial features were blurred.

"Sister? You actually called me sister - I'm not used to you being so serious."

As she spoke, she condensed into shape again, stood on tiptoe, put her hands behind her back, and rose straight into the air, looking down at the girl in front of her.

"I've been here for so long that I can't remember many things."

The woman spoke in a low voice with a hint of hesitation, as if she herself had almost forgotten the past. "I used to be a sword. During the great war between immortals and demons, I followed my master to the desert... Then there was a rumbling explosion and I was covered in blood. When I regained consciousness, I was already here, in this state now."

This is a sword spirit that has separated from the sword body.

In order to condense into a conscious sword spirit, the sword must be extraordinary. As for the "master" she mentioned, he should also be a powerful person who once dominated the world.

Ning Ning asked curiously: "Do you still remember your name?"

Seeing Bai Wu shaking her head, he had to change the subject and continue asking her: "Then do you know what exactly this place is?"

"I didn't know that at first, but you told me."

She chuckled at the words and quickly spun in the air: "You said that my sword spirit left my body and should have disappeared, but I was protected by an extremely strong spiritual power and fortunately I survived. As for this place, it is a peerless magic weapon called 'Purple Star Realm'. Once you enter it, you can be isolated from the outside world and not be interfered by external forces."

"Did I tell you?"

Ningning's eyelids twitched.

Her complicated thoughts were like a ball of wool wrapped in layers, with no head or tail to be found. However, a thread was slowly pulled out, allowing her to vaguely glimpse a glimpse of the secret.

Ningning asked: "I have been to this place many times?"

"yes."

Bai Wu stared at her motionlessly: "The first time, it seems that I fell here accidentally - after all, you said that this secret place is under a steep cliff, and it is easy to fall in if you are not careful."

When she said this, she tilted her head slightly, as if trying to recall: "After that, you would occasionally come to me and talk to me - in fact, besides you, there were several other people who often fell in here, but every time they seemed to have lost their memory and didn't remember having seen me before."

Ningning listened carefully and did not say anything for a long time.

She already had a rough outline of the whole story in her mind.

According to Bai Wu, Ziwei Realm is not affected by external forces and is independent of the universe.

In other words, no matter how drastic changes and devastation occur outside the magic weapon, even if the end of the world is approaching, this place will always be unchanging white.

So, if the outside world starts to go back and reincarnate again and again——

For the sword spirit living here, time must be just like usual, passing slowly and irreversibly.

That's why Bai Wu saw her coming again and again, and dying again and again with a dead aura all over her body.

So it was clear that only a few decades had passed since the war between immortals and demons, but Bai Wu claimed that it was "too long, too long" and he had no memory of what happened back then.

Therefore, those who accidentally fall into the secret realm will never remember the existence of the white fog, and every reunion is like a first encounter.

Because in the world of constant reincarnation, this was indeed the first time they met her.

Ningning thought, then what is she?

If she is the only one who has memories in every reincarnation... could she be the reason why time keeps going back?

The back of her head was throbbing with pain. Ningning took a deep breath, calmed down and sorted out her thoughts.

Bai Wu said that she had a strong aura of death and would die soon.

After a while, she laughed and said that there was something extra in her body, which might help her escape death.

If that "thing" corresponds to the system, can we assume that she once used some kind of magic to restart time over and over again in order to avoid death, and after countless failures...

Trying to use "the system" to change your fate?

But why did she lose her past memories? Once memory is lost, isn't it more difficult to change your fate? How does the system work?

The most important point is, with her personality, would she really start reincarnation over and over again just to escape death?

Ningning doesn't think so.

Countless reincarnations correspond to countless deaths, which is too painful. She is most afraid of pain and it is impossible for her to like it.

Even Bai Wu mentioned it inadvertently, and felt that she didn't seem to be doing this just for herself.

So what exactly was she trying to stop?

What irreversible things will happen next in the desert?

There is no clue and I can't figure it out no matter what.

This is the end of the clues that Bai Wu can provide.

She didn't know how many years she had been alone in Ziwei Realm. She couldn't even remember her past clearly. It was very difficult for her to recognize Ningning's face, and she couldn't remember any more details.

The top priority now is to get out of this small world as soon as possible and find out what will happen next.

Before leaving Ziwei Realm, Ning Ning asked her curiously, "Have you ever thought about going out and taking a look in all these years?"

"Go out? No."

The white mist was swaying in the air, like a noisy child. "My master has kept me here for a reason. What if I run away and he can't find me?"

But the war between immortals and demons happened a long time ago.

That person never showed up from beginning to end, and I'm afraid he will never come back.

Ning Ning was about to speak, but she heard a snort of laughter coming from the white mist: "I know what you want to say. You have said the same thing many, many times."

"He must still be alive. Even if he doesn't come looking for me, when the master swings the sword, I can reach him in an instant."

"Although I have forgotten many things, I always remember——"

The white mist suddenly dissipated at this moment, and the female voice showed unprecedented reverence, filling the entire lonely and empty little corner: "My master, he is the most outstanding sword immortal in the nine provinces and hundreds of cities, in heaven and on earth."

=====

The desert is vast and boundless.

The demon-attracting incense summoned endless monsters. Lin Xun and He Zhizhou protected Wen Hemian, who whispered the attributes of the monsters and strategies to defeat them. Swords were flying in the desert and monster corpses were everywhere.

The demons here are all infected with evil spirits, their minds disturbed by the strange fragrance, and they gather together in layers.

Fortunately, all the monsters are intelligent, unlike the demon beasts that act at will and only know how to kill. Seeing that the two sword cultivators have high skills, many of them wanted to retreat, and they hovered not far away, not daring to get close.

This should have been a good situation, but Wen Hemian frowned slightly and glanced at the yellow earth surging under the sand dunes.

The whirlpool that Ningning and the other two had just fallen into has disappeared.

They all thought that the evil cultivator's target was Pei Ji, but the long vine moved without hesitation, showing that it had already identified its prey, and it immediately fled after taking Ning Ning away.

But why did he take her away? Ningning is just an ordinary little girl. The only demon she has come into contact with since she was a child is probably Pei Ji.

Wait, Pei Ji.

The young man's fingertips moved slightly and his heart skipped a beat.

He had heard Tian Xianzi mention that Ningning had a close relationship with Pei Ji. The latter was a loner and rarely interacted with others. If he were to ask who he cherished in his heart, the answer would definitely be Ningning.

...Only she can become a bargaining chip to threaten Pei Ji.

Wen Hemian felt that something was not going well.

"That group of demon cultivators are too cowardly! Instead of confronting us head-on, they only dare to use despicable means like the demon-attracting incense!"

While fighting, He Zhizhou kept talking: "What should we do with Ningning and the others? The vortex is gone, where should we find them?"

Lin Xun said hastily: "Brother He, be careful behind you!"

As soon as he finished speaking, before He Zhizhou turned around to fight back, he saw a familiar figure suddenly approaching, flying forward and punching the sneak attacking Sha Mei, knocking him far away.

Lin Xun was shocked by this extremely rough and heroic action, and stared at the shadow in amazement.

Wen Hemian frowned without saying a word.

"You——" He Zhizhou stared at the newcomer with his eyes wide open, wiping the blood off his face: "Are you following us?!"

The girl standing in front of him was holding a round compass the size of a palm. She had a pair of cunning cat-like eyes and narrowed her eyes when she smiled, showing no sign of shame at all.

It was Lu Wanxing from Pingchuan Town.

"Can treasure hunting in the desert be called tracking?"

Lu Wanxing chuckled: "It's just a coincidence, a coincidence."

"Bah! This girl has been following you guys secretly. I wonder what she is thinking!"

Another voice that he had never heard before was heard. He Zhizhou turned his head and saw a group of burly men under the sand dunes not far away.

The middle-aged man in the lead held a bloody sword in his hand, and his body was covered with bloody marks from being scratched and bitten by monsters.

As he spoke, he glanced at Lu Wanxing with disdain and said loudly, "Her brother has done things like murdering monks. You better be careful and don't fall into her trap."

Lu Wanxing made a face at him.

"These people are sand bandits who are traveling across the desert."

Wen Hemian transmitted the message: "You two should be careful."

"You don't need to be so defensive."

The leader laughed loudly and said, "My last name is Qian, and I am the third oldest. You can call me Qian San. We were all born and raised in Pingchuan. We have witnessed the tragic battle between immortals and demons with our own eyes, and we have the utmost respect for cultivators. When we meet today, we will never do anything disloyal or unjust."

This group of knife-wielding bandits are filled with murderous intent, while the monks holding swords beside them are full of sword energy. Neither side is a soft persimmon to be trifled with.

The demons had been thinking of retreating, but when they saw them suddenly meet together, they immediately scattered like birds and beasts and soon disappeared without a trace.

He Zhizhou said "thank you" and turned to look at Lu Wanxing beside him, saying in a rather helpless tone: "Little aunt, what on earth do you want to do by following us?"

"I, I'm not—"

Lu Wanxing hesitated and decided to just give up. He scratched his head and said, "I was thinking that since you have a high level of cultivation, the demons will definitely not dare to get close to you. As long as I follow you, I can find more treasures in the depths of the desert..."

This guy is really after money and doesn't even care about his life.

He Zhizhou took a deep breath and heard the bandit leader named "Qian San" sneer: "They work so hard to make a fortune from the dead. Brother and sister are indeed a family."

The most important thing in the desert is to settle scores and enmity. As bandits, they value morality and chivalry even more.

Whether it was the townspeople betraying the monks or Lu Wanxing and others stealing the relics, in their view, they were all extremely despicable acts.

Lu Wanxing seemed to be accustomed to such words and turned his head away, ignoring them.

"They have great ill will towards Miss Lu."

Lin Xun activated his spiritual consciousness and secretly transmitted his voice: "Shouldn't she be the one to bear the sins committed by her brother?"

He Zhizhou was also curious: "What was the specific cause and effect of that incident back then?"

"Back then, the demons were defeated one after another, and the only stronghold left was the Tianhe Desert."

Wen Hemian was silent for a moment, then responded, "The demonic energy in the desert is much denser than it is now, and there are deadly traps everywhere. In order to ensure the safety of the vast majority of cultivators, a sixteen-member exploration team has been formed, led by Taoist Master Jueming of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect."

Lin Xun was suddenly startled: "Master Jueming!"

Among sword cultivators, there is probably no one who has not heard of this name.

This man's sword could split mountains and his sword energy could penetrate bones. He was a sword genius that was rarely seen in thousands of years. It was a pity that he died in the battle between immortals and demons and his body was never found.

"The demon cultivator had the intention of murdering me, and laid a deadly trap in the desert. He even lured the awakened 'Demon God' from the Demon Realm to set up a trap to kill me."

Wen Hemian lowered his eyelashes to hide the dark color in his eyes: "Jueming tried his best to kill the demon god, but he was exhausted and died in the demon god's self-explosion before his death. His sword that was said to be able to cut through everything is also missing. I'm afraid it was destroyed."

The demon god is an immortal or immortal beast that has fallen into demon form. It has extraordinary strength and is rumored to have the ability to destroy the world. Fortunately, he has been sleeping in the devil's realm for many years and rarely wakes up.

Their existence is also an important reason for setting up the Yin-Yang Microdust Array to separate the human and demon worlds.

“That’s not right.”

He Zhizhou scratched his head: "If all the monks died in the sea of ​​sand, how did the news of the townspeople's rebellion spread?"

"Among the sixteen people, only one talisman cultivator named Liu Xiuyuan managed to survive."

Wen Hemian frowned, "It's a pity that he was also seriously injured and died of illness at home a few days later."

So they all died anyway.

Lin Xun felt upset when he heard this. He glanced around and realized that Lu Wanxing had come to his side without him noticing.

She looked very curious, and she chuckled and raised her chin towards him: "Why are you all so still? Is this the legendary immortal monks' secret voice transmission?"

Lin Xun wilted like an eggplant and responded with a low “hmm”.

Wen Hemian's expression did not change, and he asked her slowly, "Miss, was that a physical training technique that you used just now?"

Lu Wanxing finally showed a hint of shyness, touched his nose and nodded.

He Zhizhou didn't understand: "Why would a good girl like you learn physical training?"

"If I don't learn physical training, will you buy me a sword, a harp, and a talisman?"

Lu Wanxing glanced at him and said, "First of all, I have no money, and secondly, I don't have any way to practice Taoism. I can only learn from whatever I can find in the desert."

"No money?"

He Zhizhou looked her up and down, his tone even more incredulous: "Just with the sword you showed us, I can guarantee you three lifetimes and three worlds of ten miles of gold, and you still say you have no money?"

Lu Wanxing curled her lips and was about to retort, but she heard a scream in the sky. The black fog that had finally dispersed condensed again, becoming so thick that it blurred her vision.

"Look, there's someone on the sand dune!"

A bandit shouted in horror: "That, that is——"

He Zhizhou looked in the direction of the sound and saw two slender shadows in the sudden strong sandstorm.

One of them covered his face with a black cloth, so his appearance could not be seen clearly, and the other one...

The cat's pupils were dark and its face was fair. Although it was a face he had never seen before, it somehow exuded a sense of familiarity.

He felt the little girl beside him trembling violently.

"That is..."

Lu Wanxing stared at the man on the sand dune, his voice trembling, his lips pale and bloodless: "That's my brother."

Her brother had died many years ago.