“Let’s see how you escape now?” The white-haired old man revealed a sinister smile as he controlled a massive boulder, hurling it toward Rulu.

  Rulu was greatly alarmed. Currently, he was pinned down by a strong wind, unable to fly or move swiftly to evade the boulder’s attack. In his panic, Rulu’s gaze fell upon the large hole in the carriage that had been created by the boulder earlier.

  Summoning all his strength, Rulu called forth a fierce wind, pushing it forward while simultaneously leaping off the ground. With a “whoosh,” Rulu darted into the large hole in the carriage, slipping inside just in time to narrowly avoid the boulder’s impact.

  “That was close…” Rulu wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, feeling relieved to have escaped danger. He began to survey his surroundings, observing the interior of the carriage.

  The carriage was brightly lit, but it was otherwise empty. In one corner sat a green-haired girl dressed in a white robe. Her hands were tied behind her back, and a cloth gagged her mouth, preventing her from speaking.

  “Is this woman… the one the Sanctuary Emperor wants?” Rulu thought to himself as he slowly approached the girl, examining her closely.

  The girl had snow-white skin and a slender figure, appearing to be around sixteen or seventeen years old. Her long, green hair cascaded down to her waist. At that moment, she gazed at Rulu with a sorrowful expression as he approached her.

  The moment their eyes met, Rulu suddenly felt an indescribable emotion surge within him. His mind grew heavy, and strange, inexplicable illusions began to flood his thoughts.

  Rulu felt as though he was surrounded by countless shining stars in the darkness, and he witnessed the birth and death of countless lives throughout history. His soul was deeply shaken, and he became trapped in these bizarre illusions, unable to break free. He stood still, as if entranced, staring into the sorrowful eyes of the green-haired girl.

  “Oh, can you see me?” The green-haired girl’s eyebrows twitched, and a look of surprise appeared on her face. Though her mouth didn’t move, Rulu seemed to hear her voice.

  With a loud “bang,” the small truck’s carriage suddenly exploded, and the vehicle tipped over, throwing both Rulu and the green-haired girl out onto the ground beside it.

  Before Rulu could regain his senses, a powerful gust of wind appeared above him, pressing down on his entire body. Rulu felt as though he was carrying a massive boulder, pinned to the ground by the strong wind, unable to move.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  “For the sake of the Emperor, please die.” The white-haired old man, realizing Rulu could no longer escape, smiled faintly as he controlled the two-meter-wide boulder, hurling it toward Rulu, who was lying on the ground.

  Suddenly, a white figure darted out, positioning itself between Rulu and the boulder.

  “No…” The white-haired old man was horrified. He frantically waved his golden staff, trying to stop the boulder from hitting the white figure. However, the boulder was too heavy and moving too fast to be stopped in time.

  With a dull “thud,” the boulder struck the figure, sending it flying six or seven meters before it landed beside Rulu.

  “Why? Why did you sacrifice yourself to save me?!” Rulu looked at the green-haired girl lying beside him with a mix of fear and confusion. Her face was pale, and blood flowed from her mouth. It was clear she wouldn’t survive.

  “Finally… finally found you…” The green-haired girl’s lips moved, emitting faint, indistinct words. She lay on the ground, gazing at Rulu with a dazed, sorrowful expression, as if trying to speak to him.

  “What… what do you want to say?” Rulu reached out with trembling hands and removed the cloth gagging her mouth.

  “Hold… hold me…” The girl whispered weakly, her body struggling to move closer to Rulu.

  Rulu was stunned for a moment before a relieved smile appeared on his face. He softly said, “Though I don’t know you, nor why you saved me, having company on the road to the afterlife is better than dying alone.”

  As he spoke, Rulu extended his arms and embraced the green-haired girl, holding her close. At that moment, the girl opened her mouth and kissed Rulu.

  “What?!” Rulu’s pupils contracted sharply. In that instant, strange illusions once again flooded his mind, this time even clearer and more vivid than before. Rulu felt as though he had entered a bizarre, otherworldly space. A strange voice spoke to him:

  “Do you want to live? Do you want to gain immense power, even if it brings you endless pain and plunges you into the abyss of darkness?”

  “Who… who are you? What do you want from me?” Rulu shouted at the voice in the illusion.

  “If you are willing to accept this power, respond to me,” the voice said again.

  “From this moment on, your fate will be tied to mine. My desires will become your desires. I will grant you power that surpasses all others. This power may save you, change your life, or it may bring you ruin, plunging you into eternal damnation. If you are prepared to bear this power, respond to me…”

  “Heh, this is interesting,” Rulu in the illusion laughed. “I don’t know who you are or why you’ve chosen me, but if you can truly grant me such power, I’ll gladly accept it. To achieve my goals, I’ll stop at nothing. Even if I become a demon, even if I fall into eternal damnation, I’ll do so willingly.”

  “Is that so? Excellent…” The voice murmured before fading away.

  A sharp pain shot through Rulu’s head as he felt something invade his mind, leaving behind new memories and knowledge. Rulu became immersed in these new memories, unable to break free. He lost all sense of time. Though only a moment had passed, to Rulu, it felt as though centuries had gone by.