Stop pretending, the seemingly useless junior sister is the real boss.

Bai Xiaobai floated above a desolate, boundless sea of ​​consciousness. Deep within the soft light that was about to be completely enveloped by the surging, swirling black mist, she saw a familiar white-haired figure.

Overjoyed, she didn't think twice and instinctively flew towards the soft light.

The black mist in her sea of ​​consciousness seemed to be startled by her, or perhaps afraid of her aura. It slowly surged to both sides, revealing a faint, almost extinguished soft light deep within the black mist.

This warm yet familiar, crisp scent was the one she had experienced countless times—whether it was wrapped around her master's wrist, hidden in his collar, or nestled in his arms.

"...Master?"

She tried to speak, but her voice was so faint in this deathly silent sea of ​​consciousness that it didn't even echo.

Bai Xiaobai then realized with a start that his master's boundless sea of ​​consciousness had neither the flowing sound of spiritual energy nor any sign of life, as if it were just a completely forgotten ruin.

The swirling, boiling black mist was now slowly eroding the remaining soft light.

Her heart skipped a beat, and she suddenly remembered hearing her snake parents mention it before. They said that a Nascent Soul cultivator's sea of ​​consciousness is the foundation of their divine sense and the manifestation of their Dao heart. If a Nascent Soul cultivator's sea of ​​consciousness is stable, then their spiritual sea is clear and impervious to all evil.

But the fact that his master's sea of ​​consciousness is in such a state shows that his Dao heart is already riddled with holes.

Yes, cultivating both immortality and demonic arts, his Dao heart must endure the tearing between the two Daoist energies. Only the person involved knows the extent of the suffering he must go through.

Bai Xiaobai felt a sudden surge of sourness rise to the tip of her nose. She bit her lower lip, forcing herself to calm down.

No, we can't panic. Now that she's here, we have to find a way to save him.

Although her cultivation level is low, she is supported by the Heart of the Divine Tree, the Chaos Spiritual Root, and the divine beast power of Little Red and the others, so everything is currently normal.

She took a deep breath and carefully walked towards the soft light.

But the closer she got, the more frightened she became.

The black mist visible to the naked eye must be demonic energy, and now this boundless demonic energy is eroding his master's remaining divine consciousness.

They have shapes and patterns; upon closer inspection, they resemble countless extremely fine threads, one end plunging into the depths of the soft light, while the other end extends towards the dense, almost viscous darkness in the far reaches of the sea of ​​consciousness.

She looked along the silk thread, and her pupils suddenly contracted.

In the deepest darkness, what seemed to be faintly suspended was also the body of one's own master.

It was the body she saw in her own sea of ​​consciousness, with long, dark red hair and a pale, bloodless face.

The body was already mangled and riddled with cracks. From within these cracks, black mist continuously grew and spread. It was this black mist that transformed into countless threads, binding the soft light tightly and relentlessly eroding it day and night.

Looking at the shattered body, Bai Xiaobai felt a sharp pain in her heart.

Therefore, this broken body and the soft light shrouded in black mist are both Master.

They coexist and are interconnected. If I rashly sever these black mists, my master might really die.

This realization was like a sharp icicle, piercing her heart.

She staggered, almost losing her balance, and her eyes instantly burned red.

So what should we do?

What should she do?

Two bodies, one immortal and one demon, intertwined and coexisting, both being masters.

Just then, the soft light shrouded in black mist seemed to flicker slightly. It was as if it were responding to her, or perhaps warning her.

She froze, then clearly felt an extremely familiar yet incredibly weak divine thought slowly emerge from the depths of the soft light, struggling to speak, word by word, in her ears:

"…Little…Little White…how…did you get in? Quick…get out of here, it's very…very dangerous."

The voice was extremely soft and ethereal, yet she heard it clearly; it was her master's voice.

Master has actually woken up?

No, no, no, more precisely, it was his remaining consciousness that sensed that he had entered his sea of ​​consciousness.

She snapped back to her senses, hurriedly breaking through the swirling black mist that seemed to be trying to block her, yet also instinctively trying to avoid her, and then stumbled toward the soft light.

One step, two steps, three steps...

Even though it was right in front of her, she didn't know how many steps she had taken, and she still couldn't get close to the only light in her sea of ​​consciousness.

Bai Xiaobai felt a pang of panic, her voice choked with sobs: "Master, you...you must hold on. Xiaobai won't let anything happen to you. Master, don't sleep. Your disciple hasn't reached the Foundation Establishment stage yet. Your senior brothers and sisters are all waiting for you outside. You'll be alright, Master..."

She stretched out her hands, desperately trying to grasp that glimmer of light through layers of black mist.

No matter how hard I tried, I still couldn't touch that one and only light.

"Master, don't be afraid, Xiaobai knows everything. Everything will be alright, wait for me."

"Master, let me tell you a secret. I don't have mixed spiritual roots; I have the legendary Chaotic Spiritual Root. You know what a Chaotic Spiritual Root is, right? It can contain spiritual energy, demonic energy, malevolent energy, life force, and the power of annihilation. It is naturally capable of bearing both immortal and demonic cultivation techniques."

"So Master, I will definitely save you. It's just cultivating both immortal and demonic arts, what's the big deal? Besides, even if you are a wicked and evil demon, I will still acknowledge you as my Master."

"Master..."

Realizing that continuing like this would only waste time, Bai Xiaobai stopped and finally turned her gaze to the body that was constantly generating more and more black mist.

Since their master cultivates both immortal and demonic arts, the soft light should represent the immortal path, while the black mist should represent the demonic path.

Based on the current situation in the sea of ​​consciousness, it is clear that the demonic path has gained the upper hand and is gradually eroding the already weakened immortal path.

Since the demonic path has gained the upper hand, why not start with the demonic path?

Having made up her mind, she changed direction and headed towards the broken body.

But with just the first step, she felt that the divine thought that had entered her master's sea of ​​consciousness was being crushed by an even more powerful and domineering force, and a sharp pain exploded instantly!

With each step she took, it felt as if countless needles were piercing her divine sense, or as if she were being torn apart by extreme pain.

Every step she took brought her endless pain.

But as she gazed at the increasingly close, mangled body, even as her vision blurred and unbearable pain lingered deep within her mind, she gritted her teeth and resolutely continued forward.

One step, two steps, three steps...

After an unknown amount of time, her trembling fingertips finally touched the body that was constantly emitting black mist.

"Master...Master, Xiaobai is here, don't be afraid anymore."