"Man'er, how are you?"
"I'm fine!" Xiao Man leaned against the barrier, looking towards the coffin. The person who should have been a corpse had opened their eyes and was looking at her with a puzzled gaze.
"Who are you?" The person in the coffin reached out to Xiao Man, who moved towards him uncontrollably. "A familiar aura, is it my substitute?"
Xiao Man looked at the person before her with steady eyes: "You are Xuan Xin."
"It's been a long time since I heard that name." Xuan Xin released Xiao Man, her gaze falling on Nangong Yu outside the barrier, her eyes momentarily distant. Then, she stepped out of the coffin and stood before the barrier, meeting Nangong Yu's gaze.
"Long time no see, Human Emperor," Xuan Xin said slowly, her voice cold, devoid of any emotion. Even the expression on Xuan Xin's face was chillingly indifferent.
Nangong Yu looked at such a face, his expression momentarily lost, as if a distant memory had been awakened, only to disappear quickly.
Nangong Yu steadied himself and looked at Xuan Xin, saying word by word, "I am not the Human Emperor, and she is not anyone's substitute. Her name is Xiao Man."
Xuan Xin turned to look at the restrained Xiao Man, a flicker of confusion in her eyes: "Xiao Man, so your name is Xiao Man."
Xuan Xin snapped her fingers, and Xiao Man regained her freedom, staring warily at the person before her. Everyone had told her Xuan Xin had long since perished, but here stood a living person, whose mere glance seemed capable of piercing one's soul.
"How long have I slept?"
"I don't know," Nangong Yu replied indifferently. "After all, we only just arrived here."
"You two?" Xuan Xin swept her gaze over them. The subtle ambiguous aura between them made her uncomfortable. "Where is Yu Tian?"
"A person from tens of thousands of years ago, who knows where they are," Nangong Yu said unhurriedly. "Perhaps, they have ascended to immortality."
"Tens of thousands of years..." Xuan Xin frowned. "Have I slept for tens of thousands of years? Right, I remember the Sky Demon Clan rebelled, and the Xuan Clan was besieged... What happened to the Xuan Clan?"
"Some people remain, living in the wasteland," Xiao Man chimed in. "As for the rest, I don't know."
"Tens of thousands of years have passed, is this world still the same world?"
"Currently, the Sky Demon Clan controls the Cang Xuan Continent. The spatial laws of the Cang Xuan Continent have developed loopholes, and the Sky Demon Clan is powerless to reverse it. Soon, the Cang Xuan Continent, to protect itself, will destroy all cultivators above the Nascent Soul stage in this space."
Xuan Xin sat on the coffin, her gaze fixed on Xiao Man. This person carried her soul's aura; she must be her reincarnation, yet there was too much in those eyes that she couldn't understand.
"What about Yu Ju?"
"He was injured by the Sky Demon Clan and is currently recuperating in the Ghost Realm."
"He escaped already?" Xuan Xin nodded, as if a wish had been fulfilled. "In that case, there is nothing left for me to care about."
Xiao Man remained silent. The immense pressure emanating from Xuan Xin made her dare not act, nor could she. If they were to fight, this person could easily annihilate them.
"Since there is nothing you care about, can we leave now?" Xiao Man asked tentatively. She had only heard about Xuan Xin from others; only Xuan Xin herself truly knew what kind of person she was.
"Young one, why have you come here?"
"To capture someone," Xiao Man explained. "One of the people who intruded here is my enemy. I've come to capture him."
"Not to search for the Xuan Clan's treasure?"
"The Xuan Clan fell from grace tens of thousands of years ago. Even if there were treasures, they would have been plundered by the Sky Demon Clan," Xiao Man replied gently. "Moreover, my ambition lies elsewhere."
Xuan Xin stared at Xiao Man for a long time, then slowly said, "In that case, you may leave, but he must stay."
"We came together, so we must leave together," Xiao Man remained unmoved. They arrived as two, and they would leave as two.
"I have some things to say to him."
"He is not the Human Emperor of that year. The Human Emperor is dead, and he is an entirely different person," Xiao Man explained. "I believe you also understand that the person before you merely resembles someone you knew; he is not the one you are looking for."
"Why are you so worried? What is your relationship with him?"
"I am her husband," Nangong Yu interjected first. "Man'er, you go first. I will follow shortly."
Xiao Man shook her head. Facing Xuan Xin, even if they joined forces, they would not be a match. If Nangong Yu were alone, the chances would be even slimmer.
"Don't worry, I will be fine. You go first, be good," Nangong Yu whispered to Xiao Man. "Think about Jun Yan."
Xiao Man hesitated for a moment. Just as she was about to leave, the stone hanging around her neck revealed itself.
"Stop," Xuan Xin immediately commanded Xiao Man.
Nangong Yu thought Xuan Xin had changed her mind and immediately stepped in front of Xiao Man. "Whatever you have to say, say it to me."
"Where did you get that thing around your neck?" Xuan Xin pointed to the stone hanging on Xiao Man's neck and asked.
"This?" Xiao Man touched the stone on her neck and replied truthfully, "Yu Ju gave it to me."
"So, you were the one who released Yu Ju." Xuan Xin's gaze fell on the stone, then her figure moved, appearing before Xiao Man. She placed her hand on Xiao Man's chest. Thump, thump, thump – it was the sound of a heartbeat.
"You actually have a heart?" Xuan Xin was surprised. How could her reincarnation have a heart?
"I am human, of course, I have a heart."
Xuan Xin snatched the stone from Xiao Man's neck and held it. It was merely a stone, but in Xuan Xin's hand, it transformed into a living, beating heart!
Xiao Man instantly realized it was Yu Ju's heart. Demons could live without hearts, but if their heart was injured, Yu Ju would also be hurt.
"Don't hurt him!" Xiao Man said urgently. "Yu Ju was sealed for tens of thousands of years, suffering immensely, yet he never hated you. This heart, even if you don't wish to return it to him, do not destroy it, otherwise, it is highly likely to harm Yu Ju's very essence."
"Are you very familiar with Yu Ju?"
"I am not familiar with Yu Ju, but I am very familiar with Wu Huan. Wu Huan is my friend, and Wu Huan is Yu Ju, so Yu Ju is also my friend. Please do not harm my friend." Xiao Man extended her hand, signaling Xuan Xin to calm down.
"Yu Ju is a demon, and you are human. Aren't you afraid of being friends with a demon?"
"What is a demon, and what is human?" Xiao Man retorted. "If we are to distinguish between good and evil by race, there are wicked and evil people among humans, and there are pure and good people among demons. How can we differentiate? In my eyes, it is demonic to harm lives for one's own selfish reasons. He, who endured being sealed for tens of thousands of years for others, is a living person!"