"Some oaths—once spoken—are etched into the Heavens themselves.The one who breaks it shall be destroyed.The one who upholds it... may destroy the heavens."
Between Heaven and Earth – After the Hunt
The battlefield still reeked of ash and shattered Spiritual Energy.Winds swept across the fractured plains, where the Dao had been torn asunder.Lâm Mạc stood amidst the ruins, his body torn and bleeding, eyes veiled in ash—still fixed on the place where the woman in white had blocked the Soul Lord's finishing blow.
He spoke softly:
"Why… did you appear?"
She said nothing for a long while. Then, turning to the Soul Lord, she asked:
"Do you still remember the 'Blood-Purged Pact' made between the Primordial Sovereign and the Ashen Empress?"
The Soul Lord's face paled.
"That vow… was nullified eighty thousand years ago!"
"No," she replied."I still live. And so does he.Which means the oath… still holds."
Suddenly, from the deepest sea of Lâm Mạc's soul, a memory surged forth—
A scene from an ancient era:
A man clad in war-robes of ash stood before the Celestial Realm,carving words into the decree of Heaven with his own blood:
"If she dies, I shall burn all Nine Heavens with my Dao.""If I betray her, may my blood be drained to the last descendant."
Beside him stood a woman in white, her robes fluttering in the wind, eyes filled with sorrow… yet colder than frost.
She—the Empress—without hesitation, bit her finger, and drew an ancient sigil in midair:
"Heavenly Oath: So long as Ash flows, the Human Dao shall not perish."
A grey light erupted from her chest and spread across the world.
The Soul Lord's eyes widened in horror:
"You're mad! That vow… it will sever your path of Cultivation forever!"
"I've already died once.What is there left to fear?"
BOOM!!
A divine seal enveloped the battlefield—The Oathbound Prohibition,sealing half the Soul Lord's Dao force in an instant.
With a mere flick of her hand, space itself cracked open.
A sword of frozen ash emerged from her soul—its edge dull, yet every swing made the heavens scream.
"Lâm Mạc," she whispered."Stand behind me.Just this once… let me defy the heavens in your name."
He—who had long ceased to trust anyone—felt his soul tremble.
"She's giving everything… even her Dao Soul…Just to shield me.""All for an oath from a past life I can barely remember?"
His hand clenched.
"I can't let her defy the heavens alone."
Lâm Mạc stepped forward, summoning his Ashen Spirit Form.
Their auras merged—One, the ruthless defiance of Reversal Dao.The other, the icy resolve of the Frost Empress.
Together, they unleashed a single, final strike.
BOOM!!
Though it was merely a projection, the Soul Lord's manifestation shattered—his essence forced back to the Celestial Temple, gravely wounded.
After the battle, the Empress collapsed, her face pale as snow.
Lâm Mạc caught her in his arms.
His hand touched her back—and he felt it: her Dao Soul… was fracturing.
"Why… would you go this far?"
She looked at him, her eyes still the same—warm, yet filled with despair.
"Because once… you were the only one who dared to die for me.So now… I want to live once, for you."
And then—she fell into unconsciousness.