Hearing the news about his sister, Ye Xiu did not hesitate.
He reached into his sleeve and took out a small, unassuming box. Its surface was plain, yet it carried a faint warmth.
"Go inside and rest," he said softly as he placed it in Wu Shuang's hands. "Don't wait in the cold anymore."
She looked down at the box, then back at him, slightly startled.
"What's this?"
"Something that help you to your cold body but don't use this yet," before she could ask more about the box.
Ye Xiu replied. His tone allowed no room for doubt. "I'm going to the hospital to check on Ye Xuan."
The scene shifted to the hospital.
Inside a softly lit private ward, Ye Xuan sat upright on the bed, white sheets pooled around her legs. Colour had begun to return to her face, though a lingering fragility still clung to her features.
Before her, a golden screen hovered in the air, its surface rippling gently text flowed across it, illuminating the room with a warm glow.
Ye Xuan frowned slightly and lifted her gaze toward the hovering figure.
"System," she asked quietly, "you said this entire dimension was destroyed… reduced to fragments within the river of time. Then how did we return to the past?"
The tiny figure hesitated midair, its light flickering faintly.
[System Response:]
[Apologies, Host. Even the system lacks complete data on this event.]
The golden screen shifted, lines of information rearranging themselves.
[All known records indicate that this dimension had already collapsed.]
[However… recent data suggests intervention from the Cosmic Space and Time Channel.]
Ye Xuan's breath caught.
"The Cosmic Space and Time Channel…" she murmured.
[Correct.]
[It appears the channel forcibly restored this dimension and reversed its temporal flow.]
[Further details are currently inaccessible.]
Silence settled over the room.
If even the system did not understand what had happened, then the power behind this intervention was beyond comprehension.
Ye Xuan slowly clenched her fist.
So, this was not coincidence.
Something had reached into a destroyed world…
and pulled it back from forgotten river of time.
Ye Xuan took a slow breath, steadying herself.
"System," she asked, her voice low but urgent, "what date and time is it right now?"
The golden screen flickered once.
[System Response:]
[Current temporal point confirmed.]
[This is the day before the Heart of the World begins its evolution.]
Her pupils shrank.
The day before.
That meant—
"My family…" she whispered. "They're still alive."
Relief surged through her chest, sharp and overwhelming. Her lips parted, ready to ask more, her mind racing with plans, warnings, regrets she could finally prevent—
Suddenly, the golden screen shuddered.
Its warm glow twisted violently, flashing crimson.
[WARNING.]
[WARNING.]
[ALERT: EXTREME DANGER DETECTED.]
[A BEING BEYOND THIS DIMENSION HAS BEEN SENSED.]
Ye Xuan's breath hitched.
"What—?"
The screen convulsed, data tearing itself apart.
[ERROR.]
[ERROR.]
[SYSTEM STABILITY COMPROMISED.]
The tiny hovering system froze midair, its light flickering wildly.
[SYSTEM REBOOTING…]
Before Ye Xuan could think any further, the ward door opened.
Ye Xiu stepped inside.
The moment his eyes fell on the girl sitting upright on the hospital bed, something imperceptible eased in his expression. It was subtle, fleeting, but real.
"You're awake," he said.
Ye Xuan froze.
She stared at him as though afraid he might vanish if she blinked.
"Brother…?" Her voice trembled.
Ye Xiu crossed the room in a few long strides. He stopped beside the bed, his gaze steady, his presence grounding. For the first time since opening her eyes, the unease in Ye Xuan's chest began to fade.
"I'm here," he replied simply. "All well."
Her eyes burned.
Tears welled up despite her efforts to hold them back. She reached out weakly, fingers clutching the sleeve of his coat as if anchoring herself to reality.
Ye Xiu placed a hand gently on her head, his touch careful, protective.
Outside the window, the night remained quiet.
Inside the room, a brother and sister sat together once more—
one returned from the brink of death,
the other standing where fate had once taken him away.
Ye Xuan hesitated, then finally asked the question she had been avoiding.
"Brother…" Her fingers tightened against the blanket. "Where are Mom and Dad?"
"Are they… okay?"
The room fell silent.
Even the steady hum of the medical equipment seemed distant.
Ye Xiu did not answer immediately.
Ye Xuan looked up at him, and in that instant, she understood.
Ye Xiu's voice was calm when he finally spoke, but it carried a weight that pressed heavily on the air.
"They passed away," he said.
"It was an accident."
The words landed softly, yet they struck deeper than thunder.
Ye Xuan's shoulders trembled.
She already knew.
She had lived through it once before.
But knowing did nothing to dull the pain of hearing it again.
Tears streamed down her face without restraint, silent and endless. She covered her mouth, her body shaking as grief poured out of her in waves she could not stop.
Ye Xiu stood beside her, unmoving.
Inside, his thoughts stirred.
I tried to revive them but that time they already reincarnated to another world. And also, Ao07 reminds me not to disturbs the order of the universe to much otherwise it will collapse.
Ye Xiu steadied his thoughts and withdrew his hand.
"Rest well for now," he said. "I'll speak with the doctor and see when you can be discharged."
Ye Xuan shook her head immediately.
"Brother, I'm fine," she said, her voice firm despite its softness. "I don't want to stay here anymore. I want to go home."
She hesitated, then asked, "And… where is Sister Shuang?"
Ye Xiu paused for half a breath.
"She's at home," he replied. "She's unwell. I didn't want to worry you."
Ye Xuan's eyes softened. "Then let's go back soon."
Ye Xiu nodded. "Alright. I'll handle it."
He stepped outside the ward and spoke with the attending doctor. After a thorough examination and repeated confirmations that her vital signs were stable, the doctor could find no reason to keep her hospitalized.
The medical staff remained baffled.
A patient who had been in a deep coma for months should not have recovered so completely overnight.
But facts were facts.
After settling the bills and completing the necessary paperwork, Ye Xuan was officially discharged.
By the time they left the hospital, it was already close to midnight.
The city was quiet as they returned home, the streets washed in pale streetlight. When they finally arrived, Ye Xuan looked up at the house before them, confusion flickering across her face.
"Brother… where is this?" she asked.
Ye Xiu did not explain much. "Don't think too much for now," he said gently. "Focus on getting well first."
She nodded, trusting him without question.
Inside the house, the moment Ye Xuan saw Wu Shuang, both girls froze for a heartbeat—
Then rushed forward and embraced each other tightly.
"I missed you," Ye Xuan whispered.
Wu Shuang laughed softly through tears. "You scared me."
That night, the house felt alive again.
They sat together, sharing a simple meal. No cultivation talk, no disasters, no past lives—just warm food, quiet laughter, and the comfort of being together.
For the first time in a long while, Ye Xiu felt something ease within him.
Relief.
When the night grew late, he returned to his room and lay down on the bed. As his breathing steadied, he suddenly felt it—
A change deep within himself.
The fragmented pressure inside his chest vanished.
His Cosmic Heart was complete.
Ye Xiu's eyes opened slowly.
"So… it's done."
Now—
He could break through.
The Infinite Rank awaited.
And this time, nothing would stop him.