252: The law that manifested that day gave rise to her today.

In another courtyard.

Li Qingluan's long eyelashes fluttered a few times, and she slowly opened her eyes.

The moment her consciousness returned, fragments of a hazy dream slipped away from her mind like a receding tide.

She subconsciously tried to recall it, but found that she couldn't remember even a trace of its content, only an indescribable sense of emptiness lingered in her heart, which was extremely strange.

"Young Miss." The maidservant standing by rushed forward and reported softly, "That person just came by. Seeing that you were not awake, he sat for a moment and then left."

"That person" naturally referred to Qin Wangchuan.

Li Qingluan pressed her slightly throbbing temples, her voice still hoarse from just waking up: "Did he say anything?"

"No, Young Miss."

"I only heard that he seemed to have gone to the Ancient Realm of the Meteor Star with someone."

Li Qingluan nodded slightly, then waved her hand for the maidservant to withdraw, and walked into the adjacent room where a medicinal bath had already been prepared.

She took off her clothes and stepped into the bath. Warm water flowed over her body, and a graceful silhouette was vaguely visible in the steaming mist.

Only after the medicinal properties had permeated her limbs and bones did she get up.

Water droplets rolled down her exquisite waistline, blooming into tiny splashes on the jade-like floor.

After changing into a plain white ruqun, she walked to the wooden desk, took out a small, palm-sized booklet with an ancient-looking cover, dipped her brush in ink, and began to record.

This was a habit Li Qingluan had developed recently, because she was afraid of forgetting important things.

March 17th, Overcast

Today, I fought with Qin Wangchuan, and in the end, I lost.

He is indeed very strong. His Sword Intent is like an abyss, capable of suppressing several of us at once. It's just... I held back during the fight, not daring to use my full strength, for fear of hurting him.

If it were truly a life-and-death struggle, giving my all...

She wrote this line, and the tip of her pen paused.

The heavenly punishment sword Dao Slaying Sword Art has two swords: the heavenly punishment sword and the Dao Slaying Sword.

Previously, she only used the heavenly punishment sword. If she lost to someone else, Li Qingluan was confident that she could win with the second sword.

But Qin Wangchuan, it was really uncertain.

Closing the small booklet, she sat blankly in the chair, lost in thought.

She was both trying to savor every moment of her confrontation with Qin Wangchuan and fruitlessly trying to recall that ethereal dream.

What on earth... did she dream of?

Why did her heart feel so empty?

As Li Qingluan thought, her peripheral vision swept over the mirror beside her.

The mirror reflected her cold and unworldly face, with a hint of laziness and sharpness in her brows.

Only those eyes—they were blood-red.

Looking at the figure in the mirror, Li Qingluan suddenly let out a sneer, with a hint of self-mockery:

"After coming out of the Heavenly Gate, I thought... I would never have a Heart Demon again in this life."

"It seems that's not the case."

Before her voice faded, the Azure Phoenix Sword moved with her thoughts, instantly manifesting and landing in her hand with a clear sword hum.

The cold sword edge pointed directly at a figure that had appeared at some point not far away, a figure identical to her!

Li Qingluan didn't waste words facing this Heart Demon, directly activating the Sword Intent Furnace and striking with her sword—

But before the sword edge could fully descend, the figure, like a bloody afterimage, tore through the air and suddenly invaded within three feet.

It was faster than imagined!

A slender hand, indistinguishable from her own, precisely clamped her sword-wielding wrist.

The force was like an abyss, causing the Azure Phoenix Sword to let out a mournful cry, freezing in mid-air, unable to cut down even an inch further.

The other "Li Qingluan" stopped at a distance where their noses almost touched, her red eyes silently reflecting Li Qingluan's instantly constricted pupils.

Hair intertwined, breaths mingling.

The sword was within reach, yet it felt as far as the horizon.

Only then did Li Qingluan truly see the other party.

Although her appearance was extremely similar to hers, the subtle feeling was completely different, as if... it wasn't a Heart Demon.

Those eyes were not her original color, but a calm crimson that had accumulated through endless years.

There was no killing intent in her eyes, only a condescending, pure scrutiny, as if she were examining an interesting object.

After a moment of silence, "she" spoke, her voice identical to Li Qingluan's, yet chillingly devoid of emotion:

"So weak."

As she spoke, Li Qingluan felt her wrist loosen.

The figure, like an illusory bubble, passed directly through her body and appeared behind her, leaning lazily against the wall.

"I am Li Qingluan."

"She" declared indifferently, her crimson eyes sweeping over, "I am also a thought left by the Supreme Will, to prevent you from making some... irrevocable wrong decision at a crucial crossroads."

"This was originally my mission."

"But..."

'She' paused slightly, and a curve, utterly different from her original self, suddenly appeared at the corner of her lips. The smile was infused with rebellion and frost.

"May I ask—"

"If you were to be a bystander, watching another version of yourself and him, Qin Wangchuan, make love and be intimate... would you be willing?"

Upon hearing this, a scene flashed through Li Qingluan's mind, and she instinctively blurted out: "No."

'She' nodded at her words, a hint of triumph flashing in her red eyes.

"You see. You're not willing, and of course, I'm not willing either, because we are both—Li Qingluan."

After speaking, this 'Li Qingluan's' voice suddenly turned cold, her gaze pressing down like a physical weight, carrying an irresistible decisiveness.

"So..."

"You go die! Hand over your body and future to me."

"I promise I'll do better than you."

Suddenly encountering another version of herself, who kept telling her to die, such a bizarre event would instantly confuse anyone.

But after the initial shock, Li Qingluan keenly grasped the most crucial information revealed in the other party's words.

Far from being frightened, a knowing smile bloomed on her lips.

She only spoke and did not act, proving that the other party could not harm her.

Taking a step forward, her originally suppressed figure instantly straightened, and she instead pressed towards the other party.

"Preventing me from making wrong decisions..." Li Qingluan repeated softly, her gaze like burning starlight, piercing directly into those crimson pupils, "So familiar with my stubbornness, so precisely grasping my weakness—"

Saying that, she took another step closer, their breaths almost mingling. The originally passive position had completely reversed, becoming the oppressor.

"The 'Supreme Will' that could set up your thought..."

Li Qingluan deliberately paused, her voice low and certain:

"It can only be my future self, right?"

'She' did not respond.

Li Qingluan immediately pressed on, her tone certain: "The things I've forgotten recently should be related to you. Tell me, what were those...?"

The other Li Qingluan responded with a sneer:

"I don't need to tell you. Knowing it now would be useless to you."

'She' paused, a flicker of deliberation in her crimson eyes:

"But for the sake of the bigger picture, there are three things you must do now."

"First: Find someone named Lü Yingxin. She should have already infiltrated somewhere in the Three Thousand Continents. Find a way to gain her trust, use her, and lead the myriad races of the foreign realm."

"Second: Go to Myriad Dao Academy, find someone named Tan Lingfei, and kill him."

"Third: Collect the three divine items: Reincarnation Lotus Petals, Nine Heavens Breath Soil, and Chaos Origin Spirit, to create an Origin doppelganger."

"These are the things you must do now."