The Soul of Wang Yulan's Mother

As soon as these words were spoken,

Wang Yulan frowned.

Night King?

She had heard this name countless times here.

But she had never seen him before—was he truly that powerful?

Meanwhile, Yinyue's expression changed drastically, his voice trembling: "N-Night King?!"

"That bastard is actually in the mortal world too?!"

"Your Majesty... what should we do?"

During the ancient war, the Night King had always been the greatest nemesis of their Netherrace.

Because his abilities perfectly countered theirs.

Seeing this, Gu Yan spoke in a deep voice, "There's no need to panic."

"I have already devised a plan."

"Though our Netherrace forces are vast, very few have truly broken free from the Nether Prison to enter the mortal world."

"I have learned that there are currently five forbidden zones in this world."

"Three in the Eastern Nation, two in the Western Nation."

As he spoke,

Gu Yan raised his left hand, encased in black-red armor.

Hum!

Four eerie glowing orbs slowly floated before Wang Yulan and Yinyue.

"Within these forbidden zones are our allies."

"Plant the 'Nether Seeds' at the center of each forbidden zone."

"I will then connect all five zones, harnessing their power to gather every demonic creature in the world!!"

"Only then... will we stand a chance against the Night King!"

Hearing this,

Wang Yulan gripped the Nether Seed, sensing an endless aura of death emanating from it.

This thing was truly sinister—only a being like the Nether Sovereign could casually create something like this.

"Yes! Understood, Your Majesty!" Yinyue immediately replied.

With his orders given,

Gu Yan prepared to leave.

But...

"Your Majesty, I have a question I'd like answered."

Wang Yulan called out to stop him.

Gu Yan halted and turned to look at her.

A moment later,

Wang Yulan asked solemnly, "Your Majesty, do you have a way to revive someone who has been dead for a long time?"

Was she asking about her mother?

Gu Yan replied in a low voice, "Hmph, as long as the soul hasn't dissipated, it's as easy as lifting a finger."

Wang Yulan: "........"

She clenched her fists and asked unwillingly, "Do souls naturally disperse after death?"

"......"

The answer was yes.

And that was indeed the truth.

Gu Yan could devour and store the souls of those who had just died.

But for souls that had been gone too long, he had no means to retrieve them.

But it wasn't necessarily impossible.

Perhaps... once his cultivation advanced further, he could pull souls back from the realm of the departed?

Seeing the Nether Sovereign's silence, Wang Yulan felt a surge of grief in her heart.

Does that mean... my mother...

But just as the thought crossed her mind,

Gu Yan spoke gravely, "For others, it would be as difficult as scaling the heavens."

"But I... am the Nether Sovereign."

"The sovereign who commands souls."

Hearing this,

Wang Yulan's heart trembled, her gaze fixed on the eerie figure before her.

Did this mean... her mother could still be saved?!

Watching her reaction,

Gu Yan raised his hand.

Hum!

A spatial rift tore open.

Tao Ying of the Peach Blossom Society stepped out.

At first, she looked panicked, but when she saw Wang Yulan, her expression brightened with joy: "Yulan!"

"Tao Ying?"

Gu Yan's figure gradually faded, his voice echoing in Wang Yulan's ears: "Once everything is settled..."

"You will see the one you long for."

These words lingered in Wang Yulan's mind.

She took a deep breath, her resolve hardening.

Mother... I will save you.

And Xiao Lin... I will definitely kill you.

Yinyue sighed beside her, "Don't grieve, Lan. His Majesty will surely save your mother."

Then, with a hint of lament, he added, "Fate truly plays cruel tricks—even the heir of the Dragon King Palace has died."

"And by the Night King's hand, no less."

?

Dragon King Palace... heir?

Wang Yulan whipped her head toward Yinyue: "What did you say?"

"Uh... Didn't His Majesty say? The Divine Dragon and Black Tortoise have fallen, and the Divine Dragon's power resided in the heir of the Dragon King Palace."

Yinyue was puzzled—had Lan not heard what the sovereign just said?

"............."

"I see."

Wang Yulan fell silent.

The heir of the Dragon King Palace... was Xiao Lin.

Xiao Lin... is dead...

Then her vengeance...

No.

Wang Yulan took a deep breath.

Her thoughts cleared—there was only one thing she needed to do now!

And that was... follow the Nether Sovereign! Then beg him to revive her mother!!!

The forbidden zones in the Western Nation... Very well.

She would complete the task His Majesty had entrusted to her.

........

........

Leaving the forbidden zone,

Gu Yan moved through the shadows.

Wang Yulan's question echoed in his mind.

He understood—she wanted to revive her mother.

Back then, he had set a trap, luring Xiao Lin to strike down her mother.

That was what set off this chain of events.

Of course, Gu Yan felt no regret.

After all... if Wang Yulan had sided with Xiao Lin, it would have doomed all the so-called "villains" in their story.

However...

Gu Yan raised his hand.

[Chirp?]

Zhao Zhao poked its head out, looking at him curiously.

Gu Yan sensed the souls stored within Zhao Zhao.

Among the countless souls packed inside,

There was one ordinary middle-aged woman's soul.

Yes.

This was... Wang Yulan's mother.

Originally, Wang Yulan's mother had been left comatose after an accident.

Following the original plot, she was supposed to be killed by the Peach Blossom Society to push Wang Yulan, who carried the Flower God's aura, into joining them.

But... due to Gu Yan's interference,

Her soul had been preserved.

He withdrew Zhao Zhao.

And let out a quiet sigh.

For the sake of the plan, too many would die.

Being misunderstood or resented didn't matter.

After reliving so many memories—

Especially the most recent ones—

Gu Yan had begun to piece things together.

The Heavenly Dao, the Night King, the system, the sinister texts...

His and Leng Qingqiu's countless cycles of reincarnation.

Reviewing each memory, Gu Yan noticed a common thread.

Every time... he and Leng Qingqiu fell in love, but never had a happy ending.

He fought to be with her, only to be thwarted time and again.

In the latest memory,

That powerful Outer Realm Demon would always appear at the most critical moment, then vanish just as suddenly.

Someone was undoubtedly pulling the strings behind the scenes.

Gu Yan didn't know how many cycles, how many worlds he had lived through.

But he had a feeling.

This world...

Might be his last.

Which meant this was his final chance.

Or rather, even if it wasn't, he would treat it as such—and fight with everything he had.

The eerie stone statues on Dragon King Mountain had already made it clear—this was a matter concerning the Heavenly Dao.

Long ago, the system had also mentioned that it was by obscuring the Heavenly Dao that it allowed him to cross over physically.

Servants of the Heavenly Dao... the Heavenly Dao itself...

The mastermind behind it all... could it be the Heavenly Dao?

He and Leng Qingqiu seemed to have been singled out by the Heavenly Dao.

Perhaps by completing the final fragments of his memories, he would uncover the truth.

But no matter what the truth turned out to be,

this time, in this world,

he was determined to be with Leng Qingqiu in the truest sense.

Even the Heavenly Dao would not stop him!

Ah, right...

Gu Yan leaped forward, darting swiftly toward the Leng Family residence.

Today... was the last day of the year.

Tch, the passage of time in his memories had stretched on for far too long.

If not for his Pure Love Constitution and formidable mental strength, he might have even forgotten the present timeline.