Chapter 1268: 18.106 First Grey Star - Su Jin, you are too foolish and blind.
"No. How can that be? They all returned to their youth. If we meet with them again, should we still call them brothers or brats?" Heavenly Guardian Xian Wu asked.
The old doctor imagined the scene of the two of them meeting four teenagers rudely calling them old men or bastards. He might not be able to hold back and spank their asses.
Doctor Sen responded, "That is indeed a question to be answered. We should go help them the next time a glitch in the seal comes again. Returning to youth should be quite an experience."
"I don't want to, though. I'm smaller when I'm young. As an adult, my current height is already considered the tallest for my race," Heavenly Guardian Xian Wu said.
Doctor Sen chuckles as he hears his partner's reasoning. "You truly care too much about your height. I like you regardless of your height, though. You might become cuter when you are younger."
Hmp!
Perhaps due to the effects of drinking, Heavenly Guardian Xian Wu's face was flushed red with fluster and delight. Wang Xingyun and Fu Zin eventually joined their table. They heard bits and pieces of their conversations, particularly those involving the capital and the reigning monarch.
Fu Zin asked, "Lord Xian, Doctor Sen, you were talking about something happening in the capital. Did something happen again?"
"There is indeed something that happened, but don't worry, it was resolved. The problem this time is about the seal on the entrance of the Ruins of Time Dungeon. A certain glitch happened with its seal and caused some unknown monsters from the dungeon to escape," Doctor Sen said.
Seeing the worried expression on Wang Xingyun, Heavenly Guardian Xian Wu added. "There are four Heavenly Guardians in the capital. They should be alright. It was resolved already, so there is nothing to worry about."
Wang Xingyun asked, "Does the Master know what kind of monsters are there inside that Dungeon?"
"It's random. The last time before the current glitch appeared, the monsters that came out of it were ordinary beastial monsters. But the monsters in this last incident are different. It had the attribute of time, and the backlash of killing such a monster affected the attacker's time. According to what we heard, those who defend when the first waves of monsters come out turn old or young.
It was also because of this that there were some deaths during the first wave. Those who turned old were too old to run or dodge the incoming attacks. As for those who became babies, they were stomped to death."
Wang Xingyun, the former king, and Fu Zin, the former prime minister, scowled. It is too fantastical to have a repercussion that alters a person's life course. They could only envision the horrific outcomes for those who were unable to flee those creatures' attacks, even if they were not present.
Fu Zin asked, "If they resolved it, did it mean they had found the pattern to kill those monsters?"
"Yes. According to the messenger, Xiao Mu... I mean, Heavenly Guardian Mu Zang found the weakness of the monster and the cause of turning young and becoming old. It's the power of the attack. Being too powerful will lead to one becoming old. Being too weak will lead to a regression in age.
The monster can be killed after a hundred hits, and the last one will cancel the effects of the monster's peculiarities," Doctor Sen said.
Wang Xingyun said, "That means aside from the last hit person who can cancel the effects on him, the rest had no change after they were affected. The frequency and power of the attacks. I guess it can be resolved."
"That's right. Except for the first wave where they were caught off guard, they survived the rest of the monster waves without a problem. They didn't know when the next glitch would happen, though," Doctor Sen said.
Wang Xingyun said, "Since they can solve the first one, they should be able to resolve the next one too."
His words were suddenly cut when a customer shouted an order, and Wang Xingyun needed to take the order for the customer. Fu Zin remained on the table and sighed when he heard his partner's reaction.
"Senior, please forgive Yun'er's rudeness. Even though he tries to act like he no longer cares anything about the capital, it is still hard to turn a complete blind eye to his former home," Fu Zin said.
The two seniors shrugged their heads, clearly not troubled by Wang Xingyun's current outburst. Both his family and the knights deceived him. He left his house and nearly died after being forced to abdicate by his own brother. His history, which is an integral part of who he is, follows him even after he makes an effort to live his new life.
Doctor Sen said, "Don't worry. This old man can understand. But I still think you two shouldn't get involved with what is going on with the royal family in the capital. The current king and his illegitimate son were both possessed by something evil. This is something you two cannot fight against. Let them fight for the future.
It will all change when the seal on that dungeon fully disappears."
"Senior means that the seal will be broken completely in the future," Fu Zin asked.
Heavenly Guardian Xian Wu said, "Mu Zang said that the glitches are proof that the seal can no longer hold back that weird dungeon. To resolve it, humans can no longer do it on their own. Maybe the Evil God on that tower or that devil behind the current king might be able to save it. It would be better if Mu Zang's grandson made his move. That brat... he is not a simple individual."
"Satan. Is Satan also not human?" Fu Zin asked.
Heavenly Guardian Xian Wu said, "I don't know. But if you heard everything he did in the past few months, you will know how powerful he is compared to others. I have no doubt that he is stronger than all living Heavenly Guardians combined."
"But that child is naturally cold-hearted. Unless it's his beloved who asks for it, he will just ignore anyone's pleas, including his children and his relatives," Doctor Sen said as he recalled the last time Ye Jieye went to this town to save them from the beast riot. His aura had not only affected the beasts but also them, who were in the area at the time.
Only Mo Xuejing remained unharmed, but that darkness came from within Ye Jieye.
---
Anairam Trench's core region. The ocean floor.
Ye Jieye opened his eyes to a world of darkness after being unexpectedly engulfed by the black marsh. The never-ending darkness that envelops this planet would probably drive someone nuts if they had fallen into it. The sensation was akin to plunging into a chasm. Never-ending, with no way in or out, it just is, and nothing can take it away.
But as the God of Void, Ye Jieye can govern all of the darkness in this realm. This scene is so recognizable. In the very same black universe, he met another Tun Shizhe in his dream and swallowed the vacuum before him. Ye Jieye recognizes this familiar location and knows that he must eat it once more. He will not meet this void's present master till then.
Ye Jieye wanted to devour the void before him but recalled that he almost lost control of himself when he last did it. He was thinking of the possible results that might happen after he devoured this place.
"If I devoured this place, would the Anairam Trench disappear with it? If that happened, my wife and children who were outside would get involved. It's better for me not to do it myself." The God of Void mumbled as he tapped the sleeping black dragon on his wrist.
Slowly, the small black dragon woke up and even yawned as it groggily opened its eyes and looked at the black world around him and his master. Unexpectedly, there was no fear imprinted on its eyes; instead, there was joy.
Roars~
Ye Jieye said, "Do you want to eat?"
Roars!
Ye Jieye smirked and said, "Well then, eat until you're full. The rest will be mine to take."
The small black dragon flew away from its master's wrist and slowly got bigger and bigger until its limb's width was as large as Ye Jieye's body and became longer. A majestic but evil-looking black dragon emerged from the darkness surrounding the God of Void.
"Devour the darkness, Roi!"
ROOOAAARRR~
Roi, the black dragon king, began consuming the surrounding darkness. Masticating, swallowing, and botching happily the emptiness in front of its eyes. He could consume as much of the darkness as his digestion would allow him to know that it was a portion of his master's might. Thus, it contentedly consumed until the layer outside the shadows became visible.
A sight of starry galaxies that he knows so well.
Ye Jieye asked, "So this domain was located in the space outside the world I was just in. No wonder the darkness had spread widely because of such an open area."
And just as he had anticipated, he encountered another guy wearing a black cloak, this time with a face that was neither his own nor the same as the one in the Tower of Gods. He had to believe that this was a reality or perhaps even his former self. This individual was not immediately eliminated since he was not sure. The man gives him a scowl as though he despises his presence.
---
On the domain under the Moray Eel God...
Su Jin was taken aback by the harsh comments that Mo Xuejing had just returned. However, with more reflection, it is clear that he is unfamiliar with Mo Xuejing. Their only relationship is that Lu Ming, his lover, is a relative of his husband. Still, it was not uncommon for Mo Xuejing to treat Lu Ming like a stranger. Ye Jieye, his spouse, had severed his ties to the Lu Clan.
Tension and awkwardness increased in the room. In the perspective of the young couple and the enormous eel, even Mo Xuejing's playful smile appears evil. However, Mo Xuejing eventually stopped making fun of them after realizing that his joke was a little too intense.
Mo Xuejing said, "You guys are boring~ I'm just kidding around, but you guys all turned mute. Well, I can still give you the answer to save that man who calls you brother. But are you sure he needs your help? Did he tell you he wanted to return here? Are you capable of making decisions for him? If you can answer these questions with all positive responses, I don't mind telling you how to save him."
Su Jin believed he was completely unworthy of saving his brother in the face of these series of questions. He had no idea whether his brother desired to come back. He was incapable of even choosing for himself. He had received this second life from his sibling as well. Su Jin was stunned absolutely dumbfounded by Mo Xuejing's barrage of queries about reality.
Su Jin stammered as he attempted to express his ideas; sadly, at this precise moment, his mind was entirely blank.
"I... I... I..."
"You are too foolish and blind. You can only see the one you lost but not the one who had chosen to stay by your side. He lost his previous memories and all his original strength, even so, he still chose regardless of all the fate had suggested and stood by your side. Is it truly hard to see the most important thing if it's too close to you?" Mo Xuejing asked.
Su Jin was momentarily surprised before realizing what Mo Xuejing had said. He looked straight at his sweetheart, who had been consoling him the entire time. What he had heard was beyond belief.
He asked his beloved, "You... lost your previous life's memories and abilities?!"
"I do not know what kind of memories I lost. As for my strength, I am also unsure. But I don't care; don't I still have you by my side? That's the most important," Lu Ming said while smiling as he pulled his beloved into a hug.
Su Jin started crying when she heard what he had said. It was only at this point that he realized that the two most significant individuals in his life had made the ultimate sacrifice, which led to his rebirth. Ji Yoonjun, his brother, and Lu Ming, the lone man in his heart, make up his own family.