Myriad Realms Gatekeeper

"This was a gift I gave to your sister, how come it's in your hands?"

The sentence carried far, heard clearly by everyone.

No one expected him to say that.

Song Qingyun's eyebrows twitched, and she re-evaluated Shen Ye.

——Even she hadn't anticipated those words!

Shen Ye, however, seemed to have found his rhythm and continued, "Back then, I always thought your sister was prettier than you, so I made this card for her."

"I didn't expect you to still be jealous of her."

"Otherwise, why would you burn my greeting card?"

He stepped forward, placing the damaged greeting card in Song Yinchen's hands.

Song Yinchen pursed her lips, her voice hoarse as she spoke:

"Are you sure this was for me and not for my older sister, or both me and my sister?"

Her voice was shaky, making the sentence sound somewhat odd, as if imbued with a kind of magic, like a kind of incantation.

The Skeleton's voice suddenly rang out:

"Be careful, her words have triggered some sort of strong contract similar to a vow, don't fall for it."

Shen Ye turned a deaf ear.

At that moment, he looked back, conveying some lost message to the girl opposite him.

"It was for you alone," he said.

"Why?" the girl asked.

"I just remembered," Shen Ye's face took on a look of recollection, "when that evil hound chased us, you were protecting your sister."

That was true.

The charred greeting card was no bigger than a palm, but the immature handwriting and drawings on it were like a key, unlocking the memories of that blizzard-mixed afternoon.

It was as if a hole had suddenly been drilled in the dust-covered time, allowing one to detach from the present and once again return to childhood, watching the scenes unfold before their eyes once more.

He almost saw the blizzard of that day again, heard the little girl's scream, and felt the pain of sharp teeth gnawing at his body.

Past and present.

The dead and the living.

Two boys.

As a soul that had traveled through time, at this moment, through the distant memories, he deeply felt the wish of that boy.

So he opened his mouth, just like that boy from back then, and naturally repeated the words from the past:

"I made this card specially for you."

"I hope you grow up healthily, everything goes well, and you live in peace."

"One day, we'll meet again, and with this card, I will grant you a wish."

The words were spoken.

Song Yinchen's eyes suddenly sparkled with light.

No.

Her entire being seemed different somehow.

An unprecedented vitality radiated from her, and Shen Ye even saw a faint light.

An illusion?

"We haven't seen each other for many years, Brother Shen Ye."

Song Yinchen began to speak.

Her voice was no longer hoarse and shaky, but calm and strong, as if unmoved by anything.

"Yes," Shen Ye replied, following her lead.

The incomplete greeting card was placed in Shen Ye's pocket by her.

"My wish is—"

"I haven't been out for a long time, can you take me to Zhongzhou City below to see the lanterns?" Song Yinchen said.

Before she finished speaking, Shen Ye suddenly heard a sigh.

Song Qingyun's sigh.

Her eyes showed a trace of indifference and iciness as she softly said,

"Retreat."

It seemed——

Something had happened.

The world was spinning.

A moment.

The world seemed to be withdrawn.

Shen Ye found himself standing in a quiet and desolate alley, pulling out the piece of paper from a crack in the wall.

On the paper was a map.

The map of Zhongzhou City.

No——

Upon closer inspection, it was a map of the underground tunnels of Zhongzhou City.

Several underground chambers had Skull Heads drawn in them, with the sloppy handwriting noting "Danger."

Among the dense network of tunnels, only one inconspicuous, hidden path marked with arrows led to the exit outside the map.

On a blank part of the paper was written a line:

"Act according to Song Qingyun's will, and perhaps you'll have a slim chance of survival."

Shen Ye looked at it a few times before tucking away the paper.

Tonight, he was supposed to meet Song Qingyun.

The Master of the Weeping Demon Prison had appeared early, only because it thought if he died, it would lose a slave with special abilities.

He would never let it dominate him.

Shen Ye was pondering when he suddenly felt something was off.

Logically, in the Dharma Realm, all his possessions should have been in the ring.

Only the paper representing his identity was in his left pocket.

That was for easy checking of the messages on the paper.

But now, it seemed there was something in his right pocket.

What was it?

Could it be that he had put something in his pocket but had forgotten about it?

Shen Ye reached in and pulled something out.

It was a greeting card, half-burnt.

The card was scribbled with two lines of small words:

"When we grow up, we'll be together."

"— From Shen Ye."

The paper was yellowed, its edges black with ash as if it had been scorched by something, then snatched from a fire.

Strange.

This was... the greeting card I gave to that girl a long time ago.

Why did it suddenly appear in my pocket?

Something must have happened.

——What happened?

Why is my mind blank, knowing nothing?

Shen Ye fell silent for a moment.

A gentle, warm breeze blew through the quiet alley, bringing the sounds of hawking, laughter, and music from beyond the wall, faint yet persistent.

The greeting card in his hand was colorful yet tinged with yellow.

Distant memories, like a boomerang that had traveled through history for decades, struck Shen Ye once again.

In a daze, he saw the snowstorm of that day.

The little girl let out a scream, yet bravely stood in front of her sister.

He rushed forward—

No, that's not right!

He had just recalled this scene not too long ago!

When was it?

Exactly... when?

It was as if something in his mind had exploded with a "bang."

I remember now!!!

—Clearly, I had already made a trip to the Floating Island in the sky.

I had met Song Qingyun, encountered Song Yinchen, and even the head of the Song Family.

Why—

have I come back here?

Shen Ye felt a chill travel up his spine.

In the very last moment, Song Qingyun had uttered a word:

"Retreat."

Could it be a reversal of time?

Just like my "Temporal Fluid," does she possess even more powerful time abilities?

It's too powerful.

Controlling time should be the domain of Divine Spirits, right?

How can this battle be fought?

Shen Ye struggled to calm himself and asked softly,

"Big Skeleton, do you know what just happened?"

"The Evil God left, it left you a map, but you shouldn't trust it," the Big Skeleton said.

This descendant of a Divine Spirit had also been tricked!

...Terrifying.

If Song Qingyun can truly control time—

Wait a minute!

Shen Ye suddenly snapped to attention.

He swiped his ring and pulled out his phone, lighting up the screen.

The current time was 6:59 PM.

It's not the time!

Song Qingyun's ability has nothing to do with time!!!

When he met the Master of the Weeping Demon Prison, the Evil God had raised its hand, looked at the watch on its wrist, and muttered—

"It's now 6:32 PM, not bad, I can talk to you for a few more minutes."

Twenty-seven minutes had passed since then.

—So it had hinted to him from the very beginning.

And the reason why I can remember everything—

Shen Ye once again looked at the fragment of the greeting card in his hand.

The card suddenly emitted a faint glow.

Lines of small text appeared:

"An activated memory beacon."

"Special item."

"Designated target: the person who wrote this card."

"Prerequisite: You recognize the correct recipient of this card."

"Description: Once the prerequisite is fulfilled, when you touch the card again, it will activate your memory, allowing you to recall past events—even if you had forgotten them."

"This card was made ten years ago."

"—Prepared in advance by a certain little girl for a future meeting."

Shen Ye was stunned.

It was her.

Ten years ago, she had used her Talent Abilities to create this card.

According to the information extracted from my "Door" ability, her original intention was to give the card back to me when we met again in the future, so that I would remember what had happened.

—This was probably meant to alleviate the awkwardness of a long separation or as a souvenir to discuss the past when we met again.

But now, this card has served an unprecedented function.

It activated my memory!

Shen Ye closed his eyes slightly and carefully recalled, indeed remembering everything that had just happened.

After Song Qingyun said the word "retreat"—

I rode the Ghost Fire Motorcycle back to this alley, then, I reinserted the paper from the Master of the Weeping Demon Prison back into the wall.

After a moment.

My memory directly connected to the moment right after the Master of the Demon Prison had left.

—Song Qingyun can conceal and alter people's memories!

And her sister, Song Yinchen, possesses the power to activate memories and break through the concealment!

A gust of wind rose.

The breeze swept by.

The greeting card shattered, turning into countless specks that vanished in the wind.

—There was only one chance.

Thanks to this opportunity, Shen Ye remembered everything that had just occurred and began to understand Song Qingyun's powers.

So—

what about next time?

If Song Qingyun uses this move again, what should I do?

Look at the time.

The two Maidens would be arriving soon.

I must not give myself away!

"Door!"

Shen Ye walked over to the corner of the alley, pressed against the wall, and opened a door.

"Fei Lun, you go over, and remember this phrase—"

"If I ever go to the Nightmare World again, you must tell me this."

"What is it?" the Big Skeleton asked.

"Song Qingyun's Talent Ability is to change other people's memories," Shen Ye said solemnly.

"What!" the Big Skeleton was astounded and wanted to say more but was thrown directly to the other side of the door as Shen Ye opened his ring.

The door closed.

The door disappeared.

Shen Ye stepped out from the hidden spot in the alley, standing in the middle of the street.

In the sky.

Two lights slowly approached.

In no time.

Two Maidens, carrying lanterns, hovered in mid-air.

"Young Master Shen, we've finally found you—"

"Our two young ladies have requested your presence."