Transforming into a stunningly beautiful fox spirit, leaving a scar on the heart of a prodigy.

The last layer of Taiyin Ice Crystal melted off the shoulders of the three.

Moonlight scattered across the ruins of the fallen god, like a snowfall rising backwards. Scorch marks left by the turbulent flow of time still remained among the broken rock layers, and several bronze pillars leaned into the ground in the distance, the wind passing through the pillar holes and carrying a low hum.

Gu Xiang was the first to open her eyes.

His seven-aperture exquisite heart began to beat again in his chest, and the phoenix fire lit up along his meridians. His face was still pale, but his gaze passed over the broken ice on the ground and was firmly fixed on Su Chang'an.

"Qing'er."

On the other side, Bai Yin suddenly propped himself up. His lower body had just been reshaped from the sand, and his bones were not yet fully stable. With the heavy movement, blood seeped from below his knees.

Ignoring his injuries, he reached out and grabbed the hem of Su Chang'an's loose robe.

"Xiao Jiu".

Chen Xuan remained silent.

He was the most severely injured, with black marks from the Nine Netherworld Refining God Array still remaining on his collarbone and limbs. But the first thing he did after opening his eyes was to grab Su Chang'an's wrist. His fingers were tightly clenched, as if if he loosened them even slightly, the person before him would fall back into the river of time.

Three gazes passed over Su Chang'an and collided in mid-air.

A righteous aura rose from behind Gu Xiang, the phoenix flames reflecting on his green robe. Bai Yin's dark golden vertical pupils narrowed, and the murderous aura of Geng metal seeped out inch by inch along his arm. The killing intent in Chen Xuan's sea of ​​consciousness also trembled, and several strands of pitch-black sword energy peeked out from the torn cuff.

The rubble on the ruins rose silently.

Su Chang'an glanced down at the hem of her clothes that was being clenched, then looked at the five fingers clasped around her wrist, her brow twitching slightly.

"They snatched people right after they crawled out of their coffins."

She raised her hand to remove the Taiyin Moon Amber from between her eyebrows, then pressed her palm into the ground.

"Do you think you have too much time on your hands?"

boom!

The moonlit array spread across the earth, and nine fox-tail array patterns simultaneously passed beneath the three people. The earth's veins sank, Gu Xiang's righteous energy was forced back into his dantian, Bai Yin's rising baleful energy instantly dissipated, and Chen Xuan's sword intent was also fixed at the edge of his sea of ​​consciousness.

The three were still recovering from their injuries and were no match for the power of this tribulation.

Gu Xiang was forced back against the broken stone, only able to clutch the jade pendant in his sleeve. Bai Yin's tiger claws dug deeply into the corner of his clothes, but he didn't exert any more force. Chen Xuan still refused to let go, his finger bones turning white from the pressure of the light, but his arm was already unable to lift.

Su Chang'an let him hold her, without breaking free.

"Quiet down."

She turned her palm over, and three marks of mortal life emerged from the depths of her soul.

The first mark blazed with the true fire of the phoenix, its dark golden aura flowing within. As the light and shadow spread, a woman in red stood within it, her eyes bright and beautiful, a jade hairpin tucked diagonally into her hair.

The second mark floated on the shimmering waters of Yunmeng Marsh. The fragrance of gardenias drifted on the breeze, and a woman in white walked barefoot on the water's surface, her nine tails swaying gently behind her.

The third mark was entwined with the sword intent of the broken sword. The silver-haired, red-clad figure stood with his arms crossed, the hem of his robes stained with the frost of the sealed cave.

Gu Xiang's hand, which was gripping the jade pendant, tightened suddenly.

Bai Yin paused for a moment.

Chen Xuan's gaze remained fixed on the third figure, never looking away.

Su Chang'an said, "The Nine-Tailed Tribulation Technique of the Ancient Celestial Fox, the Taiyin Moon Amber, and the final authority, when combined, have stably produced the Nine-Tailed Mortal Body."

"Su Qing, Su Xiaojiu, Su Chang'an."

"It's not a temporary avatar that disappears after the mission is over, nor is it an empty shell created to fool you."

Gu Xiang's heart, which was full of seven orifices, trembled violently.

The phoenix fire passed through the hem of the garment, echoing the first mark from afar.

"Gu recognizes Qing'er's heartbeat."

His voice wasn't loud, but every word he uttered was delivered steadily.

"I remember her scent, her habits, the way she frowned when she complained that my soup was bad at Zuixianju, and every word she said by the Luo River."

Gu Xiang looked at Su Chang'an.

"If this is just an empty shell with the same appearance, I will not accept it."

Bai Yin pressed his hand against the fox mark on his chest. The mark was burning red, and the outline of a small fox spread along his palm.

"If she's just a shadow you created, then what about the person I've waited nine years for?"

His voice was hoarse, and the bloodshot in his eyes had not yet faded.

"What does that stab in the Moon Palace matter? What do those days in the Cloud Dream Marsh matter?"

Chen Xuan never argued with them.

He simply tightened his grip on Su Chang'an's wrist and looked up at her.

"If they have independent lives, would you still be able to take them back as easily as before?"

The wind swept across the ruins.

For the first time, the three men's questions were not directed at each other, but were simultaneously directed at Su Chang'an.

Su Chang'an did not soften his tone.

She clenched her five fingers, and three mortal marks lit up simultaneously.

In the firelight, Su Qing, dressed in red, slowly opened her eyes. She raised her hand to straighten her clothes, first looking at Gu Xiang's white hair, then at his tattered blue robe.

"Prime Minister Gu, it's been three thousand years since we last met. You didn't even keep your official robes, and you've turned yourself into an old man."

Gu Xiang was stunned.

Those eyes held the lamps of Zuixianju, the moon over the Luoshui Bridge, and the wedding interrupted by war. Even the slight arch of her eyebrows when she spoke was exactly the same as in my memory.

In the second mark, Su Xiaojiu landed on the ruins, and her nine tails unfurled from behind her white robes.

She wrinkled her nose and glanced at Bai Yin.

"Get away from me."

"The smell of blood on you is stronger than that of the wild boar that died three days ago in Yunmengze."

The fragrance of gardenias overpowered the smell of scorched earth in the ruins.

Bai Yin's Adam's apple bobbed, and his raised hand froze in mid-air. He remembered that scent. Outside the Yunmengze cave, every time she finished washing her hair, she would squat by the fire, carrying the same floral fragrance, urging him to grill the fish faster.

The third figure walked up to Chen Xuan.

Her silver hair fell from her shoulders. She didn't speak, but simply raised her index finger and flicked Chen Xuan's forehead.

not heavy.

Yet he was extremely skilled.

The killing intent in Chen Xuan's eyes instantly dissipated.

For thirteen years, the red-clad figure would flick his forehead and scold him for not learning his lesson every time he saw him trying to fight with the broken sword again.

All three of them were momentarily stunned.

Su Chang'an withdrew his hand, and the three figures transformed back into marks, hovering in his palm.

"Now let's talk about the first level of rules."

"The three bodies share the original complete memories and perceptions of the main soul. That's why Su Qing remembers Gu Xiang, Su Xiao Jiu remembers Bai Yin, and Su Chang An also remembers Chen Xuan."

"But from the moment they differentiate, they will have independent bodies, independent destinies, and independent lives. Who they meet, what paths they take, and what kind of personality they develop are all their own business."

Gu Xiang immediately asked, "If their original forms are injured, will they still dissipate?"

Su Chang'an did not answer, but simply pressed the Taiyin Moon Amber downwards.

The Nine-Tailed Calamity Formation suddenly began to rotate.

The three marks of mortal life each drew a line of destiny. The three rays of light—crimson gold, moon white, and dark red—were originally intertwined, but as Su Chang'an brought his two fingers together, the three lines of destiny were cut apart inch by inch.

They still resonate with each other, but no longer devour each other.

If any one of them dims, the other two will not be cut off.

"Won't."

Su Chang'an looked at the three of them.

"No one is anyone's scapegoat anymore."

Bai Yin stared at the three life lines and suddenly said, "But you said you share perception. As long as you can still sense everything about Xiao Jiu, doesn't she still belong to you?"

Gu Xiang also raised his eyes: "The Seven-Aperture Exquisite Heart is connected to Qing'er by karma. Fate can be severed, but affection cannot be erased with a single word."

Chen Xuan asked a more direct question.

"Which body are you going to give to whom?"

Su Chang'an's face darkened.

The nine-tailed phantom behind her suddenly unfolded, pressing down on the shoulders of the three people. The ground, which had just stabilized, sank again, crushing the gravel into powder.

"Can't you understand human language?"

"They are not prizes, nor are they compensation that I'm giving you."

Bai Yin's hand, which was gripping the hem of his clothes, froze.

Gu Xiang lowered his eyes and didn't reply.

Chen Xuan pursed his lips, but loosened his grip on her wrist slightly.

Su Chang'an continued, "The second rule is that the three bodies in the mortal world can inherit the old identity, but are not forced by the old identity."

"Whether Su Qing returns to the Great Zhou and continues to be the Holy Empress is a decision for Su Qing herself. Whether Su Xiao Jiu returns to Yunmengze is also a decision for her. Whether Su Chang'an stays in Zhongzhou is not for anyone else to decide."

"The original body can resonate with the three bodies, but it cannot forcibly seize their bodies, erase their personalities, or take back their destiny."

Her gaze swept over the three people in turn.

"You are the same."

"Old feelings, a life-saving grace, unwavering loyalty—none of these can be used to decide their future. They can accept it, or they can refuse it. They can stay, or they can leave."

The hostility on the faces of the three people froze simultaneously.

What they desperately sought to recover was never a relic that could be fought over.

Rather, it is someone who can choose where they go.

In silence, Gu Xiang took out the jade pendant with the character "Qing" from his sleeve.

The jade pendant was smooth and lustrous from being rubbed, with tiny cracks along its edges. It had been preserved for three thousand years, and even as the river of time wore away its flesh and blood, it had never been lost.

Bai Yin opened his palm, revealing a small fox mark, and then tore open the tattered collar of his clothes. On his chest, the same fox mark flickered with his heartbeat.

Chen Xuan released one hand and placed the blood-stained Heavenly Fox Jade Pendant on his lap.

The three old items lit up at the same time.

The karmic connections of the mortal world were stirred, and the three marks in Su Chang'an's palm trembled slightly.

They stopped arguing and just looked at her.

Su Chang'an looked at them one by one.

"I lied to you, I schemed against you, and I did indeed use you to break the deadlock."

She didn't avoid any gaze.

"But the heart-cutting at Luofeng Slope, the sacrifice at Guanghan Palace, and the soul-scattering at Guiyuan Hall are not fake."

"The feelings were real, and the mistakes were real too."

She reached out and took the three tokens, then pushed them back into the palms of the three men respectively.

"I will bear the wounds left by the deception, and I will pick up where my life left off."

"But taking responsibility doesn't mean sacrificing yourself for someone else."

"Su Qing is not Gu Xiang's empress's tablet. Su Xiao Jiu is not the fox mark in Bai Yin's palm. Su Chang'an is not the person that Chen Xuan must lock in his sea of ​​consciousness."

The Nine-Tailed Ancestral Source was shaken open by the sound of the words.

"They can love you, but they don't owe you anything."

"I saved you because I wanted to. Not so that you would use your lives to force me to choose someone."

Gu Xiang gripped the jade pendant tightly, but did not call her over again.

Bai Yin looked down at the hem of his clothes, and the large tiger claws slowly loosened.

Chen Xuan remained silent for a long time before finally removing his fingers from Su Chang'an's wrist. The red marks he had left were exposed to the wind. He glanced at them, then slowly withdrew his hand from his knee.

The three forces on the ruins were completely quelled.

Gu Xiang put the jade pendant into his bosom, his voice somewhat low.

"In the past, I always thought that as long as I arranged everything for Qing'er, she would suffer less."

"In the end, they never asked her how she wanted to live."

Bai Yin remained silent for a long time.

The little fox mark on his palm had faded, but it still retained a lingering warmth.

"If Xiao Jiu chooses to leave..."

He looked up at the moon-white mark.

"Do I even have the right to wait for her to come back?"

Su Chang'an did not answer for Su Xiaojiu.

"You can wait."

Whether she comes back or not is up to her.

Bai Yin's Adam's apple bobbed, and he finally nodded.

Chen Xuan raised his hand and touched the broken sword marks on his knee.

He had said many times, "You can't leave."

Each time, it felt like locking her into his sea of ​​consciousness, into his sword bones, into a place he could never touch again.

This time, he didn't say that again.

"When you want to stay."

Chen Xuan looked up, his voice still hoarse.

"I am here."

Su Chang'an looked at him for a moment, then put the three mortal marks into his palm.

Above the ruins, the last fragments of icy moonlight dissipated in the wind. In the distance, the clouds were torn apart by the morning light, which fell on the broken walls and scorched earth, and also on three independent lines of destiny.

"I will give them a complete life."

"It will also give you a chance to get to know them again."

Su Chang'an retrieved the Taiyin Moon Amber, and the Nine-Tailed Calamity Dividing Array sank into the earth.

"As for how they survive in the end, that's up to them."

The three of them stopped arguing.

They each clutched their old belongings, and for the first time truly accepted that the person before them owed no one anything.