Chapter 176

Tears welled up without warning, sliding down her pale cheeks. She bit her lip hard to keep from crying out, but her shoulders trembled uncontrollably.

Gu Yusheng and Mei Ruoxue watched her in silence. They had never seen Shi Ran like this—fragile, lost, like a child adrift in thick fog. This was nothing like the powerful female cultivator who had just wielded three forces and clashed head-on with a god-transforming demon.

Gu Yusheng felt a stir in his heart; he seemed to vaguely understand something. The many doubts about Shi Ran, her occasional strange utterances, her astonishing progress and power system on the path of cultivation—perhaps they were all connected to this skeleton, to these characters she did not recognize but they did.

"This... is a predecessor's remains." Gu Yusheng tried to steady his voice. "He seems... to be waiting for something."

Shi Ran snapped her head up, tear-blurred eyes fixed on the token. She reached out—this time without hesitation—and gently took the token from between the skeleton's fingers.

The token felt warm and smooth in her hand. Its front bore intricate cloud patterns, with two ancient seal characters in the center: she recognized them as "Xun Tian." On the back was a clear numerical inscription—"Jia Qi San."

As she took the token, the crystalline skeleton seemed to have fulfilled its final duty, letting out a faint sigh-like sound before dissolving into specks of lustrous light particles, like summer night fireflies, slowly rising and finally dissipating in the stone chamber's air. The spirit-light condensed gardenia flower swayed with it, its glow gradually fading, yet its fragrance grew richer, as if bidding a final farewell.

At the same time, a vast stream of information flowed into Shi Ran's mind through the token.

It was not a cultivation method, not a secret art, but a fragment of damaged memory and brief information about this "Xun Tian Ling."

In the memory fragment, she saw a youth wearing a modern jacket, his hair cut very short, standing dazed in a primeval jungle, clutching a garishly covered web novel in his hand. He stumbled and struggled to survive, accidentally discovered this secret realm, obtained some ancient inheritance, and his cultivation soared... He tried to find a way back, traversed countless dangerous realms, searched through innumerable ancient relics, and finally here, aided by a lingering trace of strange spatial fluctuation in this place and his own condensed "longing for home" (that spirit-light gardenia), he sensed something, left a message and token, and ultimately sat in meditation until death.

He came from an era earlier than hers, also a transmigrator! His message indicated that this "Xun Tian Ling" might be related to an extremely ancient organization that traverses realms—the "Xun Tian Ge"—serving as an identity token and possibly containing secrets to cross worlds. He speculated that when two souls from the "same source" world resonate under specific conditions, perhaps the token's power could be stirred, pointing toward... the way home?

The information cut off there.

Shi Ran gripped the cold token, her heart pounding like a drum.

Not an isolated case! Besides her, there were other transmigrators! And perhaps a way back! This "Xun Tian Ling" was the key!

"Shi Ran?" Mei Ruoxue saw her shifting expression and couldn't help but call out softly.

Shi Ran came to, looking at Gu Yusheng and Mei Ruoxue, their eyes full of concern and questions. She opened her mouth but didn't know where to begin. Her transmigrator identity was her greatest secret, and the temptation of "going home," for someone who had already formed bonds in this world, had become a sudden, difficult choice.

She clenched the Xun Tian Ling tightly in her palm; its cool touch helped clear her muddled thoughts slightly. She gazed at the two before her—the male and female leads of the novel, who, under her influence, had not yet gained advantage in this world.

Go back? Or stay?

In the stone chamber, the last gleam of the spirit-light gardenia faded, leaving only the white jade pool water emitting a faint glow, illuminating the three silent faces, each lost in thought. The earlier joy of victory amid the ruins had long been washed away by this astonishing discovery, replaced by deeper mist and dilemma.

An indescribable throbbing seized Shi Ran's heart; she gripped the icy "Xun Tian Ling," her knuckles whitening from force. The three characters "Jia Qi San" on the token seemed to carry a scorching temperature, branded into her palm and deep into her soul.

Go home.

These two words were no longer a buried pain she dared not touch, but had become a visible glimmer piercing through layers of mist, shining before her. Yet this light instantly drew an invisible, profound chasm between her and Gu Yusheng, Mei Ruoxue.

Gu Yusheng and Mei Ruoxue watched her in silence, their gazes of concern and inquiry nearly leaving her nowhere to hide. How should she explain this sudden breakdown, this eerie skeleton, these unrecognizable characters, and this obviously extraordinary token?

"I..." Shi Ran opened her mouth, voice dry and hoarse, tears stopped but eye sockets still red. "These characters... I recognize." She chose partial confession—this was currently the only explanation she could give, and the only thing she could grasp in her turmoil.

Gu Yusheng frowned slightly, not pressing her on why she recognized them, but turning his gaze to the already-dissipated light points of the skeleton, speaking in a deep voice: "This predecessor who sat in meditation had pure, ancient aura, utterly different from external demonic qi. The token he left behind, the characters 'Xun Tian,' I seem to have seen fragments of them in some extremely ancient text in our sect, rumored to involve ancient secrets, related to starry heavens patrol and realm monitoring. I never thought... it actually existed."

Mei Ruoxue's cold voice sounded, carrying a barely perceptible worry: "Shi Ran, do you have some connection to this place, this person? Your emotional fluctuations are extreme, detrimental to cultivation." She practiced the Ice Heart Sutra, making her exceptionally sensitive to aura and emotion; Shi Ran's current soul turmoil was like a boulder dropped into a calm lake, sending waves surging.

Shi Ran drew a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. She could not reveal the transmigrator truth—it would be too shocking, possibly inviting unnecessary suspicion and disaster. She chose her words carefully, speaking softly: "This text comes from... an extremely distant lost land. I happened to learn some. This predecessor, I fear, may share some... same-origin bond with me. His message mentioned that this 'Xun Tian Ling' might... contain clues to return to the homeland."

"Return to the homeland?" Gu Yusheng repeated, a flicker of realization in his eyes. He recalled Shi Ran's sudden change in demeanor, her unique cultivation way, and that detached mindset.

So, she was not of this realm? Or perhaps her roots lay in a place too distant to imagine? This speculation stirred him slightly, but he did not expose it, only saying softly: "Leaving one's homeland is hard, souls tied by dreams. If there truly is a way back, it is indeed fortunate."

His tone was calm, even touched with understanding, but Shi Ran keenly caught a fleeting complexity in the depths of his eyes. What was that? Worry? Or instinctive wariness toward the "other"?

Mei Ruoxue then asked directly: "Do you want to go back?"

Shi Ran was startled by the question, her grip on the token tightening. Go back? Return to a world without spiritual power, without magic, without flying or escaping earth, only nine-to-five, rice, oil, salt, and vinegar—but with everything she knew, carrying all her memories of over twenty years? But here? Here were her life-and-death master, the mercurial Mei Ruoxue, Lu Changfeng and Xiao Muyu, Wei Yuzhu and Ruan Xinli, even the Fantian and Bai Xiaohong still sealed in her sea of consciousness, the cultivation she had painstakingly attained, the vast, boundless path of immortality...

The weight of two worlds pressed heavily on her heart, making her almost unable to breathe.

"I... I don't know." That was all she could manage—a pale, helpless answer. Vast confusion and tearing pain enveloped her.

Gu Yusheng fell silent for a moment, then said: "This place is not suitable for lingering. Though external demonic qi has temporarily receded, we cannot guarantee no other changes. The spiritual qi in this stone chamber is abnormal; perhaps it can temporarily shield external perception. Let us first rest and recover here, then discuss long-term plans."

His suggestion was rational and prudent. They had indeed just endured a great battle, exhausted greatly, needing rest. Moreover, the very existence of this stone chamber was a mystery needing investigation.

Shi Ran nodded and, as instructed, sat cross-legged beside the white jade pool. The pure spiritual qi emanating from the water gently nourished her meridians, but that faint, elusive gardenia fragrance, like the finest thread, kept plucking at her thoughts of "home," making it impossible for her to calm her mind.

She glanced sideways at Gu Yusheng. He had already closed his eyes to meditate, the Yueyue Sword lying across his knees, sword qi inwardly restrained, his handsome profile in the pool's faint light appearing somewhat hazy. She then looked at Mei Ruoxue, who had also entered a meditative state, her Youge Sword gleaming with cold light, merging with the faint chill radiating from her body.

They were real, alive, companions whose fates were intertwined with hers in this world. But that world with gardenia flowers, summer night breezes, and the faint glow of computer screens—was it merely an illusion?

"Xun Tian Ling..." she murmured inwardly, her divine sense cautiously probing into the token again. Besides the damaged memory fragment and basic information, the token's internal structure was immensely complex, filled with prohibitions and runes she could not comprehend; at its center seemed to lurk a cluster of extremely weak yet quintessentially high energy, like a dormant stellar core. She tried to touch it with her own spiritual power—no response. Attempting communication via divine sense was like sinking into the sea.

"Does it require 'same-source' soul aura resonance?" she recalled that message. So-called same-source—did it mean those from Earth? That predecessor who came countless years before her—had he also, in this strange world, struggled, wandered, ultimately clinging to faint hope until his meditation here?

A trans-temporal sorrow and resonance welled up. She was not the first, possibly not the last. What was this "Xun Tian Ge"? Was it an organization of transmigrators? Or some superpower capable of traversing realms? The token number "Jia Qi San"—did it mean at least seventy-two predecessors before her? Where were they now? Had they returned home, or perished in some unknown corner?

Countless questions flooded in, leaving her mind in turmoil.

Time passed in silence. Unknown how long later, Gu Yusheng was the first to open his eyes; his breath had stabilized, his gaze deeper. He looked at Shi Ran, finding her eyes closed but eyelashes trembling—evidently not truly meditating.

"Shi Ran." He called softly.

Shi Ran opened her eyes, meeting his calm gaze.

"Any gains?" he asked about her probing of the token.

Shi Ran shook her head, forcing a wry smile: "The token's prohibitions are layered; I cannot fathom its mysteries. I only know it seems to be in some kind of 'dormant' state, needing specific conditions to activate." She did not mention the specifics of "same-source soul resonance," as it involved her deepest secret.

Gu Yusheng nodded, not surprised: "Ancient treasures have their own spirits; not easily mastered. Since this object is fated with you and relates to your... way home, you should keep it well and slowly seek answers." His tone remained calm, even supportive, but Shi Ran felt as if something had come between them.

"Gu Yusheng," Shi Ran could not help but ask, "if... if there truly is a chance to leave this realm and go to another world, what would you do?"

Gu Yusheng blinked slightly, seemingly not expecting her to be so direct. He pondered a moment, his gaze sweeping over the stone chamber, as if seeing through the walls to the outside world where he had grown up, cultivated, and shouldered responsibilities, then spoke slowly: "My sword way lies in protection—protecting the sect, protecting fellow cultivators, protecting the human race's fire in this realm. My roots are here; my way is also here." His answer was clear and firm, without hesitation.

Shi Ran nodded. Amazing—she could now understand Gu Yusheng, instead of talking past each other like before, chickens and ducks arguing, chickens flying, dogs jumping.

After a silence, Gu Yusheng said again: "Shi Ran, past events are now even harder to explain; you almost caused Ah Xue's death, then chose Wei Yuzhu over her—her annoyance at you is understandable. Now we fight side by side; I hope you two no longer hold grudges!"

Shi Ran wanted to roll her eyes but held back, saying lightly: "Rest assured, she will always be my senior sister, you will always be my junior brother!"

The matter of senior/junior sister/brother between them was eternally unresolved; Gu Yusheng shook his head, sighing: "It's also karmic debt!"

Mei Ruoxue, having finished her meditation, opened her eyes just in time: "What karmic debt?!"

The two exchanged a glance, and Shi Ran said: "Let's talk about the Xun Tian Ge again."

Mei Ruoxue's cold gaze swept over the two, finally settling on Shi Ran's face, and she suddenly said: "On the great path, each has their own way; follow your true heart."

Her words, as always concise, were like a cold spring, letting Shi Ran's turbulent thoughts clear slightly. Follow your true heart? What was her true heart? Was it nostalgia for past ease, or cherishing present bonds and possibilities? Choosing known ordinariness, or embracing the unknown vastness?

She found she could not give a clear answer.

"Let's go," Gu Yusheng stood up. "We should leave this place. Who knows how long the secret realm's exit will hold; we need to make contact with the outside world as soon as possible."