Within the great hall, the ethereal blue light cast by the spectral woman washed over the space, turning the deep gloom into a scene as bright as day. The projection of the peerlessly beautiful woman hovered silently, her moon-white robes flowing as if stirred by an unseen breeze. A few stray strands of hair framed a face that held a faint, enigmatic smile. Her gaze was both gentle and profound, seeming to contain galaxies within its depths, yet tinged with the weariness of one who has witnessed the rise and fall of ages.
She watched the stunned Lin Ying for a long moment before her lips—formed of light—parted. Her voice was like the clear chime of a mountain stream, or pearls falling upon a jade plate.
"You have come at last, little one. I… have waited here for you for twenty thousand years."
"T-Twenty thousand years?!" Lin Ying's jaw, which had been hanging open, snapped shut only to drop again. Her large eyes were wide with disbelief. "You were waiting for me? Do you… do you know me?"
The spectral woman—the remnant soul of the Holy Mother of the Azure Lotus—smiled a little more deeply, a flicker of reminiscence in her eyes. "Whether I know you or not is unimportant. What matters is that you are here."
She paused, her luminous gaze sweeping over Lin Ying as if it could pierce through all secrets. "Let me ask you this. Did you not arrive here by touching the great nine-tailed fox statue outside, causing a beam of sapphire light to open a stone door to this realm?"
Lin Ying nodded without thinking. "Yes! The big fox's eyes shot out a blue light, and the door opened!"
"Just as I thought." The Holy Mother nodded, her tone certain. "And upon your body, you bear a lotus mark. It may be upon your brow, your back, your arm, or your leg… but it is there, is it not?"
Lin Ying was utterly flabbergasted. She reached up and touched her own forehead, where the Chaos Azure Lotus Mark was faintly warm. "H-How… how do you know all this?"
The Holy Mother did not answer directly. Instead, she continued, "And I also know that you possess the innate physique of a Beast Tamer. You can communicate with spirit beasts and demonic beasts without barrier, can you not?"
"Yes, yes, yes!" Lin Ying bobbed her head up and down like a pecking chick, her expression shifting from shock to sheer admiration. "Big White, Little Black, all of them listen to me! You're so amazing, Sister! You know everything!"
"Sister?" The Holy Mother chuckled softly, a genuine amusement in her ethereal voice. She shook her head. "Little one, I have existed for far, far longer than you can possibly imagine. It would be more fitting for you to call me… Grandmother."
Her expression grew solemn. The light that formed her body seemed to grow more substantial, and an aura of immense, yet compassionate, authority filled the hall. "I am known as the Holy Mother of the Azure Lotus."
"The Holy Mother of the Azure Lotus…" Lin Ying repeated the name softly. Though she did not fully understand its significance, a deep, instinctual feeling of reverence and kinship welled up within her. Without another moment's hesitation, she dropped to her knees and kowtowed three times. "This junior, Lin Ying, pays her respects to Grandmother Holy Mother!"
"Rise, child." The Holy Mother made a slight lifting motion with her hand, and a gentle force raised Lin Ying to her feet. "There is no need for such formality. What you see before you is but a wisp of my soul, a remnant I left behind in this world. My true self perished and my Dao was extinguished twenty millennia ago. This echo of myself has clung to existence within this jade carving, and it cannot endure much longer."
Her voice carried a note of melancholy, yet also of acceptance. "For twenty thousand years, my only wish has been to wait for the arrival of my… successor. Today, I have finally waited for you."
"Your successor?" Lin Ying blinked, her face a picture of confusion. "Grandmother, are you saying… that I am your reincarnation?"
"Whether you are or are not, you will know in time." The Holy Mother did not answer directly. Instead, her tone grew urgent. "Time is short, child. Listen carefully, and do as I say."
Her gaze fell upon the nine-tailed fox jade carving, which still hovered in the air. "Take the carving. Beneath the throne upon this dais, you will find a hidden square socket. Place the carving within it, with the fox's head facing outward."
Lin Ying quickly stood on her tiptoes and carefully retrieved the jade fox. It was cool and smooth to the touch, and she could feel the vast, gentle spiritual power contained within. She hurried to the massive stone throne, crouched down, and sure enough, found a square indentation at its base, perfectly sized for the carving.
"I found it!" she exclaimed, looking back at the Holy Mother. "Grandmother, what happens next? What do I do after I put it in?"
Seeing the girl's impatience, the Holy Mother smiled faintly. "So eager, little one. Place the carving first. I will tell you the next step."
Lin Ying stuck out her tongue playfully, then carefully aligned the jade fox with the socket. The fox's head faced outward, its tail inward. The moment the carving clicked perfectly into place—
HUM!
A low, resonant hum emanated from within the throne. The entire hall trembled faintly. The fox's eyes, inlaid with brilliant blue spirit crystals, blazed with a light far more intense than before, illuminating the area around the throne in stark detail.
"It's done!" Lin Ying cheered, brushing the dust from her hands. "Grandmother, what now?"
The Holy Mother's projection seemed to dim slightly. She stared at the brilliantly glowing jade fox, her voice trembling almost imperceptibly. "Now… comes the moment of inheritance. Come closer, child. Place your hand upon the carving."
Lin Ying did as she was told. She stepped forward and gently pressed her small hand against the warm surface of the jade.
The moment her fingers made contact, a cataclysmic change occurred!
A vast, pure, and overwhelmingly powerful surge of spiritual energy rushed up her arm and flooded her entire body! At the same time, the Chaos Azure Lotus Mark on her forehead erupted with a brilliant, uncontrolled light, shining in concert with the blue radiance of the jade fox!
A deluge of unfamiliar images, fragmented memories, and esoteric knowledge—like a shattered dam—crashed into her mind!
"Agh—!"
A searing, explosive pain erupted in her head. Lin Ying cried out, her face instantly turning as white as a sheet.