I Won't Let That Happen

Half an hour later.

Gu Yan had pieced everything together.

Just as Lin had told him before, the Four Sacred Beasts—the Divine Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise—were originally the four guardians of the Nether King from the Nether Clan. However, they grew weary of serving as mere protectors and coveted the throne for themselves. So, they conspired with the Nether Clan’s natural enemy, the Night King at the time, to assassinate their ruler.

But after the assassination, things took an unexpected turn.

The Night King betrayed them, devouring the Nether King, leading to a falling out among the five. Knowing they could no longer remain in the Nether Clan, the Sacred Beasts fled to the human world, rallying humans to wage war against the Nether Clan in an attempt to bury this history within the Nether Prison.

As for how the dagger 【Night】 came into existence, Xiao Leng admitted she didn’t know. Her knowledge of these events came solely from the records in the Tome of Shadows.

Gu Yan mulled over the ancient tale Xiao Leng had just recounted. It largely matched what Lin had told him, though Xiao Leng had filled in a few more details.

Noticing Gu Yan deep in thought, Xiao Leng seemed amused by something. A smirk curled at her lips as she remarked casually, "Actually, the other me knows all this too."

"But because of you, she’s slowly forgetting the contents of the Tome of Shadows."

Gu Yan froze, hesitating for a moment before asking, "Qingqiu is forgetting the Tome’s contents?"

"Does that mean...?"

"Mhm, just as you’re thinking."

Xiao Leng’s smile faded, her expression turning icy. "You’ve caused the other me to be on the verge of being abandoned by 【Night】."

"Night is about to reclaim everything that rightfully belongs to the Night King."

Then, her tone shifted again, becoming indifferent. "Of course, you don’t need to worry. After all, Night is transferring its focus to me instead."

Gu Yan looked at her. In truth, Night abandoning Qingqiu was good news for him—he didn’t want her to end up like she did in the original timeline.

But... if Night’s power shifted to Xiao Leng...

The body Xiao Leng was using belonged to Qingqiu.

If the transfer happened...

Frowning, Gu Yan studied Xiao Leng’s calm face and asked, "Will you... become the new Night King?"

"And what about Qingqiu’s body...?"

"To be precise, this is my body too."

Xiao Leng cut him off, her lips quirking up. "Furnace, if I fully become the Night King, Night’s power will make me the dominant personality. I’m sure you understand what that means."

"And if that happens, the one responsible for it all... is you."

"Haven’t you noticed how often I’ve been appearing lately?"

"It’s because you’ve made the other me weak."

Xiao Leng smirked, watching Gu Yan as he lowered his head in thought.

*Hah, Furnace, I wonder how you’ll treat the other me after hearing this?*

*I’m looking forward to the delightful misunderstandings that might sprout between you two.*

But just as she entertained the thought—

Xiao Leng paused.

Because Gu Yan had lifted his head, his eyes devoid of hesitation or distress.

Calmly, he stated, "It won’t happen. I won’t let it."

"The Night King is chosen by the dagger, not the other way around."

"Which means..."

He met Xiao Leng’s gaze firmly. "You could be the Night King, but so could I."

"If I prove myself more suited for the role than you, then..."

"None of what you said will come to pass."

"Besides!"

Gu Yan took a deep breath and declared, "Don’t underestimate the power of pure love between Qingqiu and me!"

"Even if she becomes the secondary personality, I’ll bring her back!"

Pure... pure love?

What kind of nonsense is this?

Xiao Leng inhaled softly, her expression smoothing into neutrality. She studied Gu Yan for a few seconds before letting out a light chuckle.

"Fine, relax. I was just teasing you."

"I haven’t been chosen by Night. The current Night King is still the other me."

Gu Yan’s eye twitched.

*Enough. Seriously, enough.*

"You..."

He sighed. *Stop messing with me like this.*

Just then—

*Vrmm!*

A tremor ran through the forbidden zone.

Xiao Leng seemed to sense something and glanced at Gu Yan. "Seems like the little game you set up has been cleared."

Gu Yan focused for a moment.

Right on schedule.

Time for the next phase.

With that, he reached out to Lin through their mental link.

......

......

Beneath the massive verdant plant that was Wang Yulan’s transformed form—

*Crunch! Crunch!*

Monsters dragged unknown objects and fed them to the plant.

Lin, who had been directing them, suddenly stiffened.

"My King...?"

"Understood."

"The new ally has consumed plenty of energy..."

She looked up at the now-thicker branches and explained, "It seems to have entered the next stage."

"Bring them here?"

"As you command, my Lord."

The connection severed.

"What were you discussing with that Nether Clan member?"

Xiao Leng wore a knowing smile. "Rumors say the humanoid Nether Clan are all stunning beauties."

"Furnace, don’t do anything reckless."

Gu Yan rolled his eyes. "I told you, nothing can shake my unwavering devotion to Qingqiu."

Xiao Leng: "......?"

Ignoring whatever was going through her mind, Gu Yan asked, "What’s your next move?"

"I need to head to the next phase."

Xiao Leng closed her eyes, pretending to ponder.

A few seconds later, she reopened them, amusement glinting in her gaze.

"I’ll stick with you and help play out your script."

"Your end goal is to clear the other me’s name, right?"

"Just tell me how you plan to exit the stage. I’ll handle the rest."

Gu Yan studied Xiao Leng’s face, which practically screamed *I’m plotting something.*

Though her personality was troublesome, she probably wouldn’t sabotage his plans here.

So...

"Fine. Here’s what I’ve got in mind..."