“I had no choice in the matter,” she said bitterly, shaking her head.

The pain visible in her smile softened Bai Xiaochun’s heart a bit. Lowering his voice, he said, “Who exactly are you? Where are you from?”

After a long moment of silence, she took a deep breath and said, “I'm from the Heavenspan Sea, and that’s all I can say. Don’t ask any more about it....”

Shaken, Bai Xiaochun remained silent.

Outside, the sun was setting, and the sky was growing dark. It was quiet in the immortal's cave, with the only sound being their breathing.

Eventually, the immortal's cave grew dark, and finally, Bai Xiaochun decided to ask another question, a question which had been lurking in his heart for a long time, a question which he very much wanted to know the answer to.

“Back in the Luochen Mountains, the tears you shed, were they real, or just for show...?”

She didn’t directly answer his question. Instead, she extended her right hand, within which appeared a violet tongue of flame. As it burned, it released...