"Now let's see how you escape?" The white-haired elder displayed a sinister smile on his face, controlling the giant rock to smash down towards Rulu.

Rulu was taken aback, as he was being suppressed by strong winds and unable to fly or move quickly, making it hard to evade the crushing rock. In his panic, Rulu's gaze fell upon the large hole in the carriage created by the falling boulder.

Summoning all his strength, Rulu called forth a fierce wind, pushing it in front of him. At the same time, he pushed off the ground with his feet, and with a whoosh, Rulu darted into the large hole in the carriage, narrowly avoiding the impact of the boulder.

"That was close..." Rulu wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, feeling fortunate to have escaped disaster. He began to survey his surroundings, observing the environment inside the carriage.

The carriage was brightly lit, empty of any objects, and in one corner sat a green-haired girl dressed in a white robe. Her hands were bound behind her back with ropes, and a cloth was tied over her mouth, preventing her from speaking normally.

"This woman... Is she the one that the Emperor of the Sanctuary wants?" Rulu thought to himself as he slowly approached the girl, scrutinizing her features.

The girl had snow-white skin and a slender figure, appearing to be around sixteen or seventeen years old. She had long, teal hair that reached her waist, and at that moment, she looked at Rulu with a sorrowful expression in her eyes.

As their gazes met, an indescribable emotion surged within Rulu. His mind became foggy, and strange, indescribable illusions began to fill his consciousness.

Rulu seemed to see countless shining stars spinning around him in the darkness, and he witnessed the birth and death of countless lives throughout history. His spirit was greatly impacted and shaken, trapped in those strange illusions, standing there as if he had lost his soul, fixating on the sorrowful eyes of the green-haired girl.

"Eh, you can see me?" The green-haired girl raised her eyebrows, her face showing a look of surprise. Although her mouth was not moving, Rulu seemed to hear her speak.

With a loud bang, the small truck's carriage exploded automatically, and the truck tilted to one side, throwing both Rulu and the green-haired girl out onto the ground beside it.

Before Rulu could regain his senses, a powerful airflow appeared above him, pressing down on his entire body. Rulu felt as if he was carrying a thousand-pound boulder, crushed to the ground by the strong wind, unable to move at all.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"For the Emperor, please die," the white-haired elder smiled faintly, realizing Rulu could no longer escape. He controlled the two-meter-wide boulder to smash down on Rulu, who was lying on the ground.

Suddenly, a white figure darted out, blocking the path between Rulu and the boulder.

"Not good..." The white-haired elder was taken aback, hurriedly waving his golden staff in an attempt to stop the stone from hitting the white figure. However, the boulder was too heavy and moving too fast to stop in time.

With a dull thud, the boulder collided with the figure, sending it flying six or seven meters away, landing next to Rulu.

"Why? Why would you sacrifice yourself to save me?!" Rulu looked at the green-haired girl beside him with panic, filled with confusion. The girl appeared pale, blood streaming from her mouth, clearly on the verge of death.

"Finally... finally found you..." The green-haired girl’s lips moved, mumbling indistinct words as she lay on the ground, gazing at Rulu with a dreamy, sorrowful expression, as if she wanted to speak.

"What... what do you want to say?" Rulu reached out his trembling hands to untie the cloth from her mouth.

"Hold... hold me..." the girl said in a faint voice, struggling to shift her body towards Rulu.

Rulu was stunned for a moment, and after a while, a look of relief appeared on his face. He softly said, "Although I don't know you or why you want to save me, having someone accompany me on the road to the underworld is much better than dying alone."

As Rulu said this, he extended his arms and embraced the green-haired girl, pulling her into his embrace. At that moment, the girl opened her mouth and kissed Rulu on the lips.

"What?!" Rulu's pupils dilated, and in that instant, strange illusions flooded his mind once more. This time, the illusions were clearer and more vivid than before. Rulu seemed to enter a peculiar space, where a strange voice began to speak to him:

"Do you want to live? Do you want to gain powerful strength? Even if this power brings you endless suffering and plunges you into the depths of darkness..."

"Who... who are you? What do you want from me?" Rulu shouted at the voice within the illusion.

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

"From now on, your fate will be intertwined with mine. My wishes will be your wishes. I will grant you immense power that surpasses all others. This power may save you and change your life, or it may bring destruction, plunging you into an irreversible abyss. If you have the resolve to bear this power, then respond to me..."

"Hehe, this is interesting," Rulu laughed within the illusion. "I don't know who you are or why you chose me, but if you can truly give me such powerful strength, I would welcome it. To achieve my goals, I am willing to pay any price, even if it means becoming a devil and falling into an irreversible hell."

"Is that so? Wonderful..." the voice murmured before disappearing.

Rulu felt a sharp pain in his head, as if something had burrowed into his brain, leaving new memories and knowledge in his mind. He became entranced by this new knowledge and memories, unable to extricate himself. He lost all sense of time; although this moment lasted only an instant, it felt like hundreds of years to Rulu.