Qian Renxue knelt down at the exact spot where she had first found Tianmeng nearly eighteen years ago.
Carefully—she placed him back.
For a brief second, her fingers lingered against his smooth skin.
Her expression did not change, but her eyes softened.
She knew the road she walked was perilous.
The enemy inside her that she needed to confront was not merely powerful—but was ominous in a way that defied reason. It's existence was intertwined with the laws of the world itself. Even knowing of them, even perceiving their gaze, could invite a fate worse than death.
Tianmeng was one of the very few she could call a friend, who can still be saved
And she might have already lost her teacher, Electrolux. She did not know whether her teacher was still truly "there."
She could not afford uncertainty and she could not afford attachments that could be used against her.
So she chose the cruelest kindness, she had restored Tianmeng's body.
Then sealed his memories about his time with her and returned him to the safest place she knew—
Kneeling before him, she spoke softly:
"This is our promise."
Her voice echoed faintly through the cavern.
"And even if it takes ten thousand years… I will fulfill it."
Her golden hair swayed behind her as she turned away.
With each step she took, her figure became fainter—like light dissolving into mist.
Until she vanished completely, silence reclaimed the ice cave.
For a long while, nothing moved.
Then—Tianmeng stirred. His small body twitched faintly. Blurry eyes opened halfway.
"Promise…?"
His voice was weak, muddled with drowsiness.
He looked around at the familiar ice walls, the frozen cavern and the endless cold.
"…Must be dreaming…"
His eyelids drooped again.
Before sinking fully into sleep, a thought drifted through his mind—fragile and fleeting.
'It was a good dream.'
After all… how could a silkworm—one at the very bottom of the food chain—have a friend like that?
How could someone like him stand beside a goddess?
He let out a faint, self-mocking mental chuckle.
'I wonder when I'll have such a good dream again…'
And with that final, bittersweet thought—
Tianmeng Silkworm sank into another long sleep.
-----
Qian Renxue walked slowly across the endless white expanse, snow crunching softly beneath her boots.
In her arms lay a small fox—barely half a meter long. Its fur was so pure it shimmered faintly like moonlight reflecting off fresh snow. A delicate tuft of silver marked its forehead, and beneath that tuft rested a closed vertical slit.
A third eye.
Though closed, it pulsed faintly—like something watching beyond sight.
Its crystal-blue eyes, however, were open and lively, filled with unmistakable mischief.
Qian Renxue stopped at the edge of a frozen ravine where northern winds howled endlessly.
She crouched down and gently placed the fox upon the snow.
"We are here," she said calmly. "Go back into hiding."
Her golden eyes met its blue ones.
"You are the fate of the Soul Beasts of the North."
The fox tilted its head slightly, tail swaying.
After reviving Tianmeng, Qian Renxue had also revived this Auspicious White Fox—the 150-year-old soul beast that had once sacrificed itself to become her sixth soul ring.
For years, its decision had weighed on her.
It had not been a powerful beast and just symbol of fortune and fate.
The question about its sacrifice always lingered in her mind. Today, she had finally resolved that lingering dilemma.
She received an answer—one that the Auspicious White Fox with limited intelligence not fully comprehend, it just replied looking at Qian Renxue.
"Fate's Crown."
That was the message.
As she turned to leave, the White Auspicious Fox's third eye opened slightly. Through that slit, the world appeared different. The fox suddenly called out in its soft, youthful voice.
"Auuu—"
Its tone was clear.
"Fate's Crown."
Qian Renxue paused for only half a second. Then continued walking.
If one could see through the fox's eyes at that moment, they would see-
Around Qian Renxue's head were countless lines of fate—interwoven, layered, spiraling.
They formed something resembling a crown. It was composed of threads—threads extending infinitely outward.
Some threads connected to individuals she had met.
Some stretched beyond the very plane of Douluo World, disappearing into an depths of higher laws of universe.
The threads did not rest gently upon her, they pressed down, as if suppressing something.
At the same time, they were being assimilated—slowly merging into her being, as if she were becoming both wearer and origin of this crown.
It saw that above the crown of fate, something darker lingered.
----
Star Dou Forest
The ancient canopy of the Star Dou Forest stretched endlessly. Towering trees intertwined like the ribs of some primordial beast, their roots coiling through damp earth heavy with the scent of moss and blood.
A thousand-year-old Dark Claw Terror Bear stood stiffly in a clearing.
Its black fur shimmered faintly with metallic luster. Claws like curved sabers carved deep grooves into the soil without effort. Yet now—
It did not attack, but only stared, because before it stood a golden-haired girl.
Recognition flickered in the bear's crimson eyes—though it did not understand why.
The last memory etched into its fragmented consciousness was pain.
Its parents roaring.
A powerful human pressing them to the brink of death.
Its own body broken, ribs crushed, vision fading—
And then—A smaller human with Golden hair stepping forward with a blade.
Then there was only darkness, but now it stood alive.
The Dark Claw Terror Bear felt the emotion of hate and fear instinctively.
---
(Author Notes: There are many things like friendship and even obsession that can keep a person sane even in madness. Qian Renxue has them which has become a wedge to keep her sanity.)