Chen Xuan felt his Dao Heart waver.
Despite his century of experience and tempered will, a strange flame ignited within his body, as though the woman’s singing possessed the power to bypass reason and tug directly at the deepest strings of his heart.
For a brief instant, his thoughts grew sluggish. His mind began to sink into that enchanting melody.
Fortunately, before he could lose himself completely, the memories of his hundred years of cultivation surged through his consciousness.
At the same time, the Great Yin-Yang Origin Dao began circulating of its own accord once more, washing over his mind like a stream of clear water and instantly awakening him.
His pupils regained their clarity. Soon, the dazed expression in his eyes disappeared completely.
Even so, Chen Xuan had yet to return to the library.
He still stood within the endless grassland, as though he had truly been transported into another world rather than pulled into an illusion.
The melodious singing continued to drift through the air.
Following its source, Chen Xuan slowly turned around.
Before long, he came face to face with its owner.
It was a woman.
Although her back faced him, many of her features were still visible.
Her long black hair cascaded below her waist like flowing silk, while the exposed skin of her neck and hands was flawless, resembling polished jade or the finest porcelain.
She sat gracefully with an ancient harp resting before her as her slender fingers gently plucked its strings one after another.
Each movement was natural and elegant.
A magnificent melody spread throughout the grassland, intertwining perfectly with her own soft singing.
Together, they formed a heavenly chorus that seemed as though it belonged not to the Mortal World, but to the Immortal Realm.
Merely gazing at the woman nearly caused Chen Xuan’s Dao Heart to tremble once again.
Fortunately, now that he was prepared, he steadied himself almost immediately.
Rather than approach the mysterious woman, Chen Xuan instinctively extended his divine sense, intending to investigate his surroundings first.
Unfortunately, the result left him speechless.
His divine sense simply refused to emerge.
No matter how he tried, it remained trapped within his body.
Soon, he discovered something even more alarming.
Not only could he not use his divine sense, but even his cultivation seemed sealed.
His Spiritual Energy remained completely motionless no matter how hard he tried to call upon it.
For a brief moment, it seemed as though Chen Xuan had truly reverted to an ordinary mortal.
"Husband, what are you looking at? Come. Sit beside me."
Suddenly, a gentle female voice echoed directly inside his mind.
It was identical to the singing voice filling the grassland.
Yet strangely enough, despite speaking to him, the singing itself had never ceased.
Chen Xuan instinctively opened his mouth, intending to reply. However, he quickly realized that he could not utter a single word.
At the same time, his body no longer obeyed his commands. It moved entirely on its own.
By the time Chen Xuan regained control over his own body, he had already taken several steps forward and quietly seated himself beside the woman.
From this angle, part of her face became visible.
A thin veil concealed most of her features, yet her crescent-shaped eyes and delicate facial features remained impossible to hide.
Even after encountering countless peerless beauties throughout his life, Chen Xuan had to admit that the woman before him was extraordinary.
Among all the women he had met, she could easily rank within the top three.
Combined with the ethereal aura surrounding her and the enchanting melody she sang continuously, her beauty became even more irresistible to the opposite gender.
Under ordinary circumstances, Chen Xuan might have quietly admired such breathtaking beauty.
However, given the situation, he had absolutely no intention to admire the sight.
Although the woman in front of him had the form of an ethereal fairy, the way he had appeared here made her look more like a demoness.
"Husband... what troubles you? Are you thinking about... again?"
The woman spoke once more. Toward the end of her sentence, several words became completely incomprehensible.
It was as though an invisible law prevented Chen Xuan from hearing them. Or rather, he lacked the qualifications.
As before, Chen Xuan was unable to answer. Yet the woman seemed to have already received the response she wanted.
For the first time since he arrived, the elegant melody ceased.
Her fingers left the strings of the harp.
Then, she slowly turned around and reached out.
Each delicate hand gently rested upon one of Chen Xuan’s cheeks.
Before he could react, she softly pulled him closer. Their faces drew nearer.
The veil covering her face fluttered gently in the breeze, revealing the peerlessly beautiful face hidden beneath.
It was a face capable of toppling kingdoms. Perfect beyond words.
Yet Chen Xuan had no opportunity to appreciate it.
The instant their lips met and the instant his eyes met her face, he froze.
The countless insights he had accumulated while studying the mysterious patterns erupted. The fragments of understanding resonated with one another.
Boom!
It felt as though countless fireworks exploded inside his mind.
Before Chen Xuan could react, everything was integrated.
To Chen Xuan’s perception, the entire process lasted no more than a single heartbeat.
By the time he woke up, the endless grassland was gone.
The woman had also vanished with it.
Chen Xuan found himself standing inside Luan Yuan’s library.
The book still floated before him, suspended by his Spiritual Energy exactly as before. Everything appeared unchanged.
It was as though neither the grassland nor the mysterious woman had ever existed.
Yet Chen Xuan knew with absolute certainty that none of it had been an illusion.
For no other reason than the information inside his mind.
"Primordial Yin Dao Canon..."
He subconsciously murmured the name born from the culmination of his countless insights.
However, he made no attempt to examine it immediately. Instead, he slowly raised a hand toward his face.
More precisely, he touched his lips.
As his fingertips brushed against them, he sensed an unmistakable trace of moisture lingering there. Along with it came a faint aura.
It did not belong to him, nor did it belong to anyone he had ever met before. It was completely unfamiliar.
Even so, Chen Xuan already knew its owner.
The mysterious woman from the grassland.
Thinking of her, he instinctively lowered his gaze toward the floating book.
Every page had become blank. Every pattern had disappeared.
Not only on the final page, but also in the rest of them.
For reasons he could not explain, a strange sense of loss emerged within Chen Xuan’s heart.
It felt as though he had lost something close to him.