Before the jade book could answer, a long-buried memory suddenly resurfaced in the depths of Xiao Ning's consciousness.
It was a memory from decades ago, back when he had just broken through to the Nascent Soul Realm.
At the time, he had challenged an elder of the Heaven Sound Sect, a mid-stage faction renowned for its soul cultivation techniques. The elder was also a Nascent Soul cultivator, but he held a far greater position as one of the sect's thirteen Grand Protectors.
What had driven Xiao Ning to provoke such a figure? Even now, he could barely remember. Perhaps it had been revenge, or perhaps something else.
Regardless, he had lost.
Not only had he been defeated, but the elder had placed a soul mark on him and hunted him for ten years. With nowhere left to run, Xiao Ning had eventually fled into the No Dao Territory, a cursed region on the edge of the known cultivation world.
Ancient records referred to it as the Grave of Heaven's Laws. Within its boundaries, karmic connections became untraceable, while fate and fortune gradually lost their meaning. The laws governing space and time were unstable, and countless cultivators had entered the territory only to disappear without a trace.
Yet Xiao Ning had no other choice.
He wandered through that desolate land for months, gradually losing his sense of direction and time. Eventually, he stumbled upon an ancient forest.
The Timeless Forest.
It was unlike any forest he had ever encountered. Twisted black trees stretched toward a motionless sky, their bare branches resembling skeletal fingers. There were no leaves, no wind, and no signs of life.
Time itself seemed frozen within the forest.
His wounds stopped bleeding, but they showed no signs of healing either. Even his spiritual sense began to weaken, as though an invisible force were slowly unraveling his soul.
Days passed, or perhaps centuries. He could no longer tell the difference.
His body began to age at an alarming rate, while his soul grew increasingly faint. Eventually, he reached the point where he could barely maintain his consciousness.
And then, just as the last remnants of his soul force were about to disappear, a light appeared.
It came from within the forest, its pale radiance resembling moonlight. Xiao Ning couldn't detect any spiritual or demonic energy from it, yet something compelled him to follow.
He struggled forward, his consciousness fading with every step, until the light finally stopped.
It flickered once before vanishing.
In its place lay a jade book, half-buried beneath ancient roots.
Its cover was pristine, untouched by the decay surrounding it. Intricate crystalline patterns adorned its surface, while delicate silver chains wound tightly around its edges, as though sealing something within.
Xiao Ning hesitated for a moment before reaching out.
The instant his fingers touched the book, the forest began to change.
Time seemed to stutter, and the stagnant surroundings trembled as though an invisible force had disturbed their ancient stillness. Before Xiao Ning could understand what was happening, everything blurred.
When he regained his senses, he was lying on the outskirts of the No Dao Territory, the jade book clutched tightly against his chest.
He had somehow escaped the Timeless Forest.
To this day, Xiao Ning still couldn't remember how it had happened. One moment, he had been on the verge of death beneath those ancient trees; the next, he had found himself outside the forbidden territory with the book in his possession.
From that moment onward, the jade book had remained with him.
For decades, he had tried everything to uncover its secrets. He had probed it with his spiritual sense, attempted to imprint his soul brand upon it, and even resorted to blood sacrifices.
Nothing had worked.
The book had remained silent, never showing the slightest reaction to his efforts.
Until today.
Until his death.
Among high-level cultivators, the destruction of the physical body did not necessarily mean the end of one's existence. After reaching the Nascent Soul Realm, a cultivator's soul gained a degree of independence from the flesh, allowing it to escape the destruction of the body and seek refuge in special artifacts or even take possession of another vessel.
After all, the body was merely a vessel, while the soul contained one's memories, will, and cultivation.
However, even a powerful soul had its limits. Without a physical body or some other means of sustaining itself, its spiritual energy would gradually dissipate until nothing remained.
And once the soul completely dispersed, there would be no second chance.
Only true death.
Now, suspended between existence and oblivion, Xiao Ning finally understood why the jade book had remained silent for so many years.
His gaze returned to the floating book.
Its light was calm, and its crystalline patterns shimmered faintly, as though it had been waiting for this moment all along.
"...So, I was chosen from the moment I touched it."
His consciousness trembled, but not with fear.
For the first time in many years, Xiao Ning felt something he had almost forgotten.
Freedom.
He had spent his entire life struggling against the limitations imposed upon him, believing that sufficient strength would eventually allow him to control his own destiny. Yet even after reaching the heights of the cultivation world, he had discovered that he remained trapped within the Grand Dao's rules.
Now, he had been offered a chance to escape them entirely.
The price was steep. By stepping beyond the Grand Dao, he would lose the protection of reincarnation. If he failed, there would be no rebirth, no second life, and no opportunity to start over.
But what did he have left to lose?
He had already experienced the worst fate he could imagine. Returning to the same system, only to struggle through another predetermined life, held little appeal.
If this was his chance to break free, he would take it.
Even if it meant risking his very existence.
After all, a life in which every outcome was already decided was hardly worth living.
"...Then I choose the path beyond."
The jade book suddenly erupted with brilliant light.
The silver chains binding its edges trembled before shattering into countless fragments, dissolving into nothingness.
The crystalline patterns across its cover blazed with unprecedented radiance.
And then—
The world changed.