Myriad Realms Gatekeeper

Two maidens floated in mid-air, holding lanterns, looking down at the boy in the dark alley below.

The boy was looking at them too.

——These two were the same ones he had seen on his way to Xirang Middle School.

Everything was repeating.

But it's difficult to make everything repeat.

Could it be that the memories of everyone on Floating Island were altered by Song Qingyun, waiting to replay everything with him?

Otherwise, if someone messed up their performance, wouldn't they be seen through by him?

Could a person... go to such lengths?

What a grand gesture.

What a terrifying ability!

"Lead the way," Shen Ye said.

The two maidens gave him a slight bow, turned in unison, and flew slowly into the sky.

A sneer crept onto the corners of Shen Ye's mouth.

——Just like last time.

He swiped his ring, releasing the Ghost Fire Motorcycle, and waited for the two maidens to fly a distance away before he straddled the bike and twisted the throttle.

The bike roared angrily into the night sky, racing like lightning to catch up with the two.

"You're too slow," he said to them playfully, twisting the throttle again and surpassing them to traverse the night sky at even greater speed.

He took a moment to glance at the Ghost Fire Motorcycle.

The battery level was at 96%.

It should have been fully charged.

——A bit had been used just now.

That was something memory couldn't change.

So he had his second piece of evidence——

Song Qingyun could not control time!

Then, what should he do next?

Shen Ye pondered for a moment.

The note with the map of the underground passages gave a suggestion from the Master of Weeping Demon Prison.

"If you act in accordance with Song Qingyun's will, perhaps you might stand a slim chance of survival."

Should he do that?

Behind Song Qingyun stood an Evil God!

By following her lead, being used by her as a tool, there's a chance to stay alive.

But what then?

To continue living like a walking corpse?

The motorcycle roared as it landed on the Floating Island.

A gathering was taking place here.

As soon as Shen Ye landed, two attendants approached him with a bow and said respectfully:

"The young mistress is waiting for you, please follow me."

Shen Ye put away his motorcycle and followed the two.

Under the watchful gaze of various people, he passed through the crowd and entered a side hall with red walls and green tiles.

There weren't many people in the side hall.

The broken statues of divine spirits stood on the altar, silent and still.

Rows of candles exuded a flickering light, illuminating the hall as if it were daylight.

Song Qingyun stood with her hands together in prayer, her eyes closed.

At this moment, she had changed into a white gown; the light spilling on her flawless, beautiful face exuded an indescribable sanctity and majesty.

The attendants withdrew.

Shen Ye stood quietly not far away, waiting.

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After a while,

Song Qingyun opened her eyes, turned to look at Shen Ye, and said with a smile:

"It's been many years since we last met, Brother Shen Ye."

"Yes, it has been many years," Shen Ye said with a smile.

——How wide was the range of her technique?

If she found out he was not a useful tool and thus harbored a killing intent, using that technique again——

Could he escape?

"Come with me, I have someone I want you to see," Song Qingyun stepped back a few paces, gestured to him, and turned towards the back of the great hall.

Shen Ye was puzzled but still took steps forward.

The two of them turned past the deity statue on the left, stepping over the threshold into the courtyard behind it.

There, a thin old woman staggered along the courtyard.

"Auntie,"

Song Qingyun called out affectionately to the old woman.

The old woman seemed not to hear, her murky eyes expressionless; she wobbled through the courtyard as if she were a mindless zombie.

"This is my aunt."

Song Qingyun moved slightly closer to Shen Ye, her voice soft as she spoke.

This manner of talking immediately made them appear intimate.

She prattled on:

"When my mother was bedridden with illness, she caught my father's fancy and even persuaded my father to send me and my sister to spend the New Year with the Shen Family."

"When that ferocious dog charged at me, fortunately, you saved me."

"——No, I should say, you and my sister saved me together."

"Yes, I remember that incident," Shen Ye said.

Song Qingyun's face showed a reminiscing smile as she continued:

"My sister was so silly, shorter than me, with a slender frame, and yet she stood in front of me."

"That winter, my sister and I nearly died. Only later did I find out——"

Song Qingyun continued in a conversational tone:

"That vicious dog was arranged by my aunt behind the scenes."

No sooner had she finished speaking,

The old woman stumbled, her feet seeming to lose strength, her body tilting forward, losing balance, and falling face-first in an undignified heap.

Her knees hit the ground, her rear raised high, her upper body falling forwards, her neck bracing against the ground, her hands splayed helplessly at her sides.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three seconds.

The old woman's body continued to tremble but could not stand up or change her position due to the lack of strength in her limbs.

——She had no way of falling to the side, nor could she prop herself up.

Her mouth was open, making a gurgling noise as saliva dribbled onto the ground.

She could only press her face against the ground, maintaining such a posture—

—silently, soundlessly, enduring the agony and torture brought by her aging body in such a humiliating way.

Song Qingyun looked at the old woman, appreciating her trembling form, and softly said,

"You wouldn't know how charming she was back then."

"Honestly, when she came to my house, even the servants couldn't take their eyes off her."

"But look at her now."

Shen Ye fell silent for a moment.

—So was this her way of telling him as a friend that she had resolved the issues of the past?

Or as an enemy, was this a warning to him—

Look.

This is what happens to my enemies.

"How have you been these years? How is it going for you and your sister now?" Shen Ye asked in a casual tone.

Song Qingyun's face revealed a sincere smile as she whispered,

"I'm doing well, my Talent has awakened, and my Strength is growing stronger."

"But my poor sister has been unwell, and although I've always wanted to help her, she just won't accept it."

"She won't?" Shen Ye asked.

"Yes, I can summon Divine Spirits and ask them to heal her body, but she's always unwilling," said Song Qingyun.

"Why not just heal her directly?"

"Because the illness she has is incurable by medicine, and other Divine Spirits can't help either. She must be willing to sign a pact with a god herself to recover her health," sighed Song Qingyun.

"Why is she unwilling?" Shen Ye pressed.

"She hates Divine Spirits," Song Qingyun said with a tone of helplessness.

Divine Spirits...

Are you referring to that nine-headed, vertically-pupiled, one-eyed monster looming behind you?

If it were me, I wouldn't want it either!

Could this be her purpose?

Is everyone just a pawn to be used to pressure and provoke her sister, to sign a pact with an Evil God together?

Shen Ye came back to his senses slightly.

The other party fell silent after these words.

She was waiting.

—Waiting for his response.

Shen Ye opened his mouth and said softly,

"Your sister is too willful."

Song Qingyun's eyes drooped for a moment, agreeing, "Yes, she's grown up but still has the same stubborn temperament as when she was a child."

"You're also at fault," Shen Ye said.

"Me?" Song Qingyun asked.

"As her elder sister, if you had directly helped her to sign a pact with the Divine Spirit earlier, wouldn't she have recovered by now?"

Shen Ye's tone grew harsher, "After all these years, you haven't managed to do this."

Unrest stirred in Song Qingyun's gaze, but then all at once it dissipated. Her bright eyes darted toward Shen Ye as she spoke rapidly and decisively,

"That's easy for you to say. I've made a lot of effort, but she just wants to be Normal; no matter what I say, she won't listen. What can I do but continue to spoil her?"

Shen Ye naturally continued,

"Speaking of which, I haven't seen her for many years. If there's an opportunity, I will also persuade her."

Song Qingyun paused, seemingly evaluating the feasibility of that statement.

But Shen Ye promptly diverted the subject:

"So what exactly happened with that video?"

—He had to ask.

He must not show any hesitation or fear.

This trip was originally made to hold someone accountable.

If he came and didn't ask about it, it would seem very strange.

At this moment.

Revenge on the enemy and complaints about his sister made the atmosphere quite relaxed.

The distance between them was narrowed.

Now was the time to bring it up and see how she would respond.

Song Qingyun seemed to be waiting for this question too.

Her eyes shone with admiration.

The timing of Shen Ye's question about the matter was very good—

Their current casual conversation was like that of old friends, and bringing up the issue was like consulting a friend.

"I'm very sorry, it was indeed me who said I liked you at the time, but I thought it was a very private occasion and that it would not be leaked," she said.

—Her words had changed!

So, should he back off or push forward?

Better to push forward!

"You like me?" Shen Ye asked.

Song Qingyun hesitated for a moment, then suddenly slapped him lightly, looking somewhat embarrassed as she slightly turned away, as if a bit shy.

That was as good as an admission.

—She was trying to change the situation from last time.

Shen Ye's lips curved with an enigmatic smile, as if he were floating on air.

—I was doing the same.

"That's right, the person who sent the assassin after you, causing a big mess, I've already found out who it was,"

Song Qingyun skillfully changed the subject, her face carrying a smile as she uttered those few words,

"Zhongli Fengluo."

"Who is that?" Shen Ye asked.

"—He's the rightful heir of the Zhongli Clan, named Zhongli Fengluo. He was jealous of you and did many bad things behind your back, including sending the Great Upholder of his family to kill you during the exam," she said.

"To show my apology—"

"I killed him."

Shen Ye was stunned.

No, that can't be.

I just saw someone claiming to be Zhongli Fengluo when I arrived.

And now you've killed him?

That's got to be fake!

"Brother Shen Ye, don't you believe me?"

Song Qingyun stuck out her tongue, took Shen Ye's hand, and led him through the courtyard into another pavilion.

Inside the pavilion, there stood a huge glass vessel, filled with a clear liquid, in which lay the body of a man.

It was indeed Zhongli Fengluo.

He was dead.