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Desperation had made them docile. Terrified of defying the divine woman’s warning, the people meticulously followed her instructions. Day after day, year after year, they watered the seeds with their blood. Gradually, the Blood Jade Blossom flourished, thriving on blood as its primary nourishment.

The divine woman had not been wrong. Once the Blood Jade Blossom fully bloomed, the barren surrounding soil gave rise to numerous black fruit trees with sweet, nourishing fruits. These fruits not only sustained the humans but also allowed the other creatures of the land to thrive. For a long time, the desolate land began to regain a semblance of balance.

But… as the Blood Jade Blossom grew larger and more radiant, the land itself suffered. Though its fruits filled bellies, the environment became harsher with each passing year. What was once just barren now grew unbearably cold.

The more blood poured into the Blood Jade Blossom, the more the climate deteriorated into freezing extremes. And the colder the environment grew, the more blood was needed to sustain the blossom and produce fruits to stave off hunger and frostbite.

Eventually, the people recognized the endless cycle—one that only led to ruin.

But by then, there was no turning back. Without the Blood Jade Blossom’s fruits, nine out of ten people would starve to death. For a people who had worshipped this flower for over seventy or eighty years, defying fate no longer seemed like an option.

Their hope shifted to the prophecy of the fated one, the divine savior who would one day take the Blood Jade Blossom and break the curse.

After all, the divine woman herself had said that when the Blood Jade Blossom reached its peak bloom, a destined person would arrive to pluck it, bringing salvation to all. With the root cause of all their suffering gone, the land would return to its former state of abundance and warmth.

"So… I’m the fated one she spoke of?"

That night, beneath the howling winds of the icy plains, Yuebai stood before the endless murals carved into the cavern walls. Her platinum-colored eyes reflected a chilling, oppressive light.

She didn’t fully understand what this meant.

It felt like she’d stumbled into something she wasn’t supposed to see, learned something forbidden that she was never meant to know.

If the history recorded in this mural was true, then it shattered everything Yuebai had believed about the world.

It felt like a twisted, dark fairy tale.

And if the Blood Jade Blossom was truly cultivated with decades of human blood as its foundation, Yuebai no longer dared to consider taking it back to brew medicine. This so-called ultimate herb was, frankly, horrifyingly gruesome.

"Ah… ahh…"

The frail old man hunched beside her extended his dry, withered hand, gesturing for Yuebai to look further ahead.

She turned her gaze, her platinum eyes narrowing slightly as she spotted the legendary Blood Jade Blossom at the end of the icy cavern. Its crimson petals glimmered faintly, like a fiery jewel against the frost.

"Should I… take it?"

"Ah… ahh…"

The old man nodded slightly, his eyes filled with a desperate, pleading light as they locked onto her.

At that moment, Yuebai glanced back and realized that the rest of the tribal humans had gathered behind her.

They knelt silently on the ground, bowing as though awaiting salvation from their destined one.

The eeriness of the scene froze Yuebai in place. Her heart pounded uncontrollably as she hesitantly stepped forward, her hand trembling as she reached out to touch the Blood Jade Blossom.

The moment her fingers brushed the petals, a terrifyingly cold power surged into her body, chilling her bones as it coursed through her. Even the Soul Origin Pill sealed within her body quivered with excitement.

Yuebai gulped, instinctively realizing that she had no choice but to take the fully bloomed Blood Jade Blossom.

With a soft snap, she plucked it from its stem.

Returning from her brief moment of trance, her thoughts cleared, and she immediately turned to check on the kneeling humans.

"Are you… are you all okay?"

The silence was heavy—so quiet that Yuebai felt her heart leap into her throat.

But as the old man who knelt at the forefront lifted his head, the dreadful scene Yuebai had imagined never materialized.

Instead, tears welled in their eyes. One by one, they looked at her with gratitude, a wave of relief washing over their expressions.

For the first time that night, Yuebai’s heart steadied.

With the Blood Jade Blossom in her possession, Yuebai prepared to leave the icy lands. But just as she was about to step away, she hesitated and turned back.

"Um… would you all like to come with me?"

"The Blood Jade Blossom has been taken. There’s no need for you to stay here, suffering in this desolate place anymore."

"Why don’t you come with me? I know of a rich forest far, far away—a lush land big enough to support all of you. It won’t be any trouble at all…"

But…

"Later, those humans who followed me to the forest brought along some strange disease. Within half a month, they were all dead, taking with them half the forest’s birds and beasts…"

"Afterward, I returned to the icy lands with food and spirit ores, wanting to repay those humans for saving my life."

"But they had all died too. Same disease. Same tragic end."

"Eventually, I went back to the underground ruins, wanting to see the murals again… and that’s when I encountered her—a divine woman with silver hair and golden eyes, dressed in white."

"She called herself a Celestial Master. I don’t know her real name, but she said that because of certain impossible, contradictory events, my thread of fate had completely broken."

"She told me I had two choices."

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"I could submit to her and help correct the broken threads of fate… or watch as the white-fox clan was struck by disaster and became the next tribe to cultivate a Blood Jade Blossom as penance for their sins."

"I was just a cowardly little fox afraid of dying, so I submitted to her."

"And the Celestial Master didn’t lie. As long as I worked for her and helped cultivate the next fated one according to her prophecies, the white-fox clan’s prosperity would remain untouched."

"This organization… it’s fascinating, really."

"If I do enough for her, not only will my clan avoid calamity, but I could even secure future blessings for the next Holy Maiden."

"She trusted me enough to take me to a temple."

"That’s when I learned the truth: the elders of my clan—they were already members of the organization, each serving different Celestial Masters. The so-called prophecies they passed onto me? They were just orders from their respective masters."

"Yino, this is the truth. This is what you wanted to know…"

"Because you killed Chen Jianxin, who was the Celestial Master’s fated one, she sent me to kill you in retaliation."

"And by the way—Xumo is also one of her fated ones, just like Liuli, though she hasn’t been fully recruited yet."

"Ultimately, Yino, whether today or someday soon, she will come for you too…"