150: The word "love" has no origin.

It was deep night again.

The youth's breathing stabilized. The Royal Clan Demonic Technique, Forgetful Heaven, which was reputed to be unsolvable, was forcibly resisted by him, and he even managed to glean a trace of the True Intent of Returning to Void.

The goal of his solitary training this time was achieved.

Therefore, he finally contacted his Jade Token, notifying his Protector and Shen Family members of his location.

"Thank you," the youth said sincerely, looking at the girl beside him.

Seeing that he had finally recovered enough to speak, the girl finally sighed in relief. But just as she was about to talk, she felt dizzy, tumbled into the youth's arms, and fainted.

This made the youth look serious. He immediately grasped her wrist, then quietly sighed in relief—she had only fainted from hunger. However, his gaze, which had initially been cold, softened as he looked at her.

Since his mother passed away, he had never felt such selfless dedication from another person. Having always carried the great expectations and the heavy burden of the entire Shen Family and the future of the Human Race on his shoulders, this was the second time he felt cared for.

After the youth injected her with spiritual power, the girl woke up shortly after.

The youth standing before her said softly, "Tell me what you want. I can give it all to you."

This instantly made the girl smile, but she felt too embarrassed to expose him.

You're poor enough to live with me in a ruined temple, yet your mouth is quite big for someone so young.

However, seeing the youth's serious expression, it didn't look like a joke, so she thought about it seriously, even if it was just for fun.

But the more she thought, the more it seemed that what she truly wanted could never be realized—her parents were gone, and she could never go back... "Then buy me a string of candied hawthorn," the girl finally answered with a smile.

The youth was stunned for a moment. He glanced at the wooden stick on the ground and frowned, asking, "Is this item very expensive?"

For a moment, he couldn't quite tell, especially since this item had genuinely lessened his pain.

"Of course it is!"

"I only earn thirty copper coins a month, and one string of candied hawthorn costs five copper coins! I have to work for five full days without eating or drinking!" the girl immediately exclaimed with excitement.

"Copper coins?"

"What is that?" The youth frowned tightly, seemingly hearing this term for the first time, looking perplexed.

The girl was also stunned for a moment, asking confusedly, "You don't know what money is? It's the best thing in the world! It can buy lots of candied hawthorn. Everyone in the world knows about it!"

The youth shook his head and replied, "Since I was born, I have been cultivating... I have been practicing martial arts, never resting for a single day. My father said there are many meaningless things I don't need to know..."

"Ah?"

"Then aren't you very tired?" the girl asked, feeling a pang of sympathy.

The youth trembled slightly, revealing a bitter smile. He gazed at the snowflakes drifting down from the night sky and whispered, "I didn't think so before, but now that you mention it, maybe a little..."

The girl stretched out her head and asked, "Is it snowing?"

"Mm." The youth nodded.

"I... I want to go up to the temple roof to look, but I don't think I can climb anymore..." the girl said awkwardly.

The youth thought for a moment, bent down, wrapped his arms around the girl's slender waist, took a step, lightly touched his toes, and they stood on the temple roof. Looking out, the city several miles away was brightly lit. The sky was dotted with stars, and hexagonal snowflakes drifted down, creating a dreamlike scene.

"Aren't you tired from standing all the time?" the girl asked, a blush on her face. She clearly hadn't expected him to simply pick her up; she had only wanted him to help her up, as there were stairs in the back.

At the same time, however, a sense of fear and loss arose in her heart. He could fly; he was no longer an ordinary Mortal.

She had heard that among the Human Race, there were lofty Cultivators resisting the Yao Race invasion. Thus, she guessed the youth's identity. He couldn't possibly stay in a ruined temple for long. And how could someone of her humble background, who struggled even to feed herself, be worthy of a Cultivator?

Sooner or later, he would definitely leave me.

The youth didn't speak. Instead, he sat beside her and asked, "What is your name?"

"Snow," the girl said, pointing to the snowflakes in the sky and smiling with narrowed eyes. "My name is Lu Xue'er. My mother gave it to me because it was snowing on the day I was born..."

"What about you?"

"My name is Shen Lan. Just like you, my mother gave it to me," the youth Shen Lan replied, looking at the starry sky.

"Shen Lan..." Lu Xue'er murmured a few times, then turned her head, looked at him, and praised, "That's a very nice name."

As she spoke, Lu Xue'er stared blankly at his unparalleled handsome profile. Snapping back to reality, she couldn't help but say, "You are so good-looking, your mother must have been very beautiful too."

"Mm." Shen Lan nodded, unwilling to say more, as if he did not wish to mention his mother.

Lu Xue'er, being very understanding, did not bring it up again. She rested her head on her knees, looked at the distant myriad lights of the city, and whispered, "Actually, you don't have to be so tired. Although I know you definitely have your reasons and motivations for having to move forward, you could still squeeze out a little time to just be yourself. Otherwise, your mother would surely be sad to see you work so hard."

"Look, I'm tired too, and I also wish that one of those myriad lights was shining for me. That's why I desperately try to save money. But, I occasionally buy myself a string of candied hawthorn as a treat, because if I don't, I almost forget what I'm living for..."

Shen Lan did not speak, but looked into the distance. He knew his responsibility deeply. It wasn't that he didn't want to relax, but that he couldn't.

Whether the Second Ancestor was still alive was unknown. The Shen Family desperately needed someone who could suppress the cosmos, and the Human Race needed one too.

A moment later.

Lu Xue'er woke up from her dream, freezing in place as she rose. Outside the ruined temple, dense figures knelt, stretching for ten thousand meters. Every single one looked like an immortal, clad in snow-white armor, shining like divine fire in the dark night.

The elder leading them had an extraordinary demeanor. Lu Xue'er watched as he walked up to Shen Lan, who was sitting cross-legged and motionless, and knelt on one knee.

"Young Lord, this old servant is guilty!"

Shen Lan opened his eyes and spoke indifferently, "It has nothing to do with you. The opportunity to break through the Realm only appears between life and death. With you all constantly around, it would be difficult to achieve."

The elder immediately showed surprise and looked up in shock, "Has Young Lord entered the Returning to Void?"

Shen Lan nodded.

"Good, good, good!" The elder shouted the word 'good' three times in excitement.

Shen Lan frowned and said, "Keep your voice down."

He then stood up, walked over to Lu Xue'er, and asked softly, "You weren't scared, were you?"

Lu Xue'er shook her head, but her eyes still held intense shock. She could no longer imagine what kind of identity the other party possessed.

At the same time, she had a bad feeling in her heart. She knew it was time for them to part.

But Shen Lan's next words made her delicate body tremble.

"Come with me."

"I cannot give you one of these Mortal world lights, but a clan on the Eastern Profound Star will forever shine for you!"

The elder standing nearby watched and listened with a look of shock, then instantly flashed and disappeared the next second.

"Everyone, kneel further away! Our Young Lord is in love!"

Lu Xue'er gazed at him blankly, then smiled, tears streaming down her face.

"Wait for me!"

"I need to take my bedding!"

"And my pots and bowls!"

"Also, the rice I bought a while ago that I haven't finished, I need to take that too..."

Shen Lan felt helpless, yet he allowed her to pack, his expression soft and relaxed.

Perhaps just watching Lu Xue'er was the moment Shen Lan allowed himself to relax.

He just hadn't expected that all of this had long been observed by the Demon Ancestor behind the Forgetful Heaven Demonic Mark, and Lu Xue'er had become the chess piece used to force Shen Lan into the trap.

Ten years later.

Shen Lan held a corpse and stepped alone into the Heavenly Demon Realm. On that day, the blood moon of the Heavenly Demon Realm was frozen over, and snow fell upon the Yao Race.

At this moment.

Shen Nian stared blankly at the person in the painting. This woman looked exactly like Miss Hong Xiu, whom he had met in the Great Xia Imperial Capital.

Is this... Reincarnation?

"Alas, after Third Ancestor brought Miss Lu back, the Shen Family Elders initially opposed Third Ancestor marrying a Mortal. But seeing that with Miss Lu present, Third Ancestor's cultivation speed accelerated—he could form a layer of dao palace in a month—the dissenting voices gradually vanished. Especially since even the Second Ancestor transmitted a message acknowledging her as a Shen Family daughter-in-law, no one dared to say anything further. On the contrary, Miss Lu won the affection of many Shen Family members, and even the Ji Family Old Ancestor, who has the best relationship with our Shen Family, praised her profusely..."

"But who knew that the Demon Ancestor of the Azure Black Dragon Clan had already set a deadly trap, planting the Forget-Sorrow Flower on Miss Lu back at the ruined temple..." Eighth Ancestor showed a look of regret, and killing intent flashed in his eyes.

Shen Nian's expression turned cold. After hearing the story of Third Ancestor, anger rose in his heart, and he asked, "Couldn't the Second Ancestor solve it?"

"He could."

"But Miss Lu sacrificed herself willingly..."

"Miss Lu knew she was Third Ancestor's soft spot, his only weakness, and coupled with the old Dragon's deception..."

"Miss Lu made her own choice..."

"She was foolish. In truth, she didn't know that Third Ancestor's love had already run too deep—so deep that he was willing to fail the expectations of the Human Race for her sake, even destroying his own Great Dao and forcibly breaking into the Harmonizing Dao Realm to enter the Heavenly Demon Realm alone..."

"The word 'love,' one knows not whence it arose, where it resides, how it is tied, or how it is undone..."