"Gu Yuena... was so fortunate..."
Ah Yin's voice was very soft, carrying a faint, barely noticeable tremble.
"She actually... had a husband who loved her so deeply."
Her gaze went unfocused, as though she could see, through the Sky Screen, the blissful smile on the face of the Silver Dragon King she had never met.
Such happiness was something she had never experienced.
"If only I... if only I had a husband who cherished me this much..."
Ah Yin's eyes gradually reddened, and her voice choked with emotion.
"Even if I had to die for him, I would do so willingly, without a moment's hesitation!"
Two clear tears slid down her pale cheeks.
Without comparison, there could be no harm.
Compared to Gu Yuena's circumstances, hers were simply worlds apart.
Someone else's husband had given away the Super Divine Artifact ranked second on the Exotic Treasures Ranking as a token of love. That affection ran as deep as the sea.
And what about her husband, Tang Hao?
For his own selfish desires, he had treated her as a Spirit Ring that could be sacrificed at any time, forcing her to offer herself up. How was such behavior any different from that of a beast?
The enormous disparity made Ah Yin's heart feel as though it were being sliced apart by knives.
Listening to their discussion, Lu Ming's gaze deepened as he fell into brief contemplation.
The Eternal Life Pendant...
This exotic treasure truly had been a gift from him to Gu Yuena.
He still remembered how much effort he had put into refining that pendant.
He had once ventured deep into the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Cave in the Extreme North Land, searching for the purest core of life.
He had also dived ten thousand meters into the Deep Sea Abyss to gather Seabed Divine Crystals containing the Eternal Solidity Divine Law.
He had crossed mountains and rivers, traversed starry skies, and collected countless Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures. In the end, using his own source Divine Fire, he had spent eighty-one days refining it.
He had poured all his love and protection for her into that tiny pendant.
Still, that girl had probably always believed it was merely an ordinary token.
Lu Ming sighed softly to himself.
Gu Yuena believed he was dead. Now that she had suddenly learned from the Golden Ranking of this treasure's true origins and value, she would probably... cry her eyes out again.
That silly girl was good in every way, except that she cried too easily.
She was practically made of water.
Just as he was lost in thought, Ye Lingling's dreamy voice rang out once more.
"Senior Gu Yuena's husband gave her such a precious treasure, and after Senior Gu Yuena learned that he had died of old age, she must have shed sorrowful Tears of the Silver Dragon King... Wow, what a touching love story!"
The young woman clasped her hands over her heart, her face full of longing.
"I just wonder... who exactly was Senior Gu Yuena's husband? To win the Silver Dragon King's heart, he must have been an unparalleled hero!"
Hearing this, Lu Ming emerged from his thoughts. He lifted his teacup and blew lightly on the floating tea leaves.
His expression remained calm as he spoke indifferently.
"Probably someone exceptionally charming."
The moment those words fell, everyone was stunned.
Yet Bai Xiuxiu, who had been silently standing beside Lu Ming all this time, had a trace of complicated emotion flash through her deep eyes.
Of course, she knew that Gu Yuena's husband was the unfathomable Ancestor standing before her.
And precisely because she knew, her heart was filled with envy.
To receive such devoted love from the Ancestor, just how fortunate was that Silver Dragon King?
At that moment, the information regarding the original owner of the "Eternal Life Pendant" finally appeared in full upon the Golden Ranking.
[Original owner: Lu Ming] [Current owner: Gu Yuena (his wife)]
When those two clear lines of Golden Characters entered her sight, Ye Lingling's eyes instantly widened into circles!
She pointed at the sky, her voice even beginning to stammer.
"W-what?!"
"Senior Gu Yuena's husband... is also named Lu Ming?!"
"T-then doesn't that mean he has the same name as our Ancestor?!"
Ye Lingling was truly dumbfounded. She had never imagined that such an incredible coincidence could exist in this world!
Boom!
As soon as she said that, every Ye Family elder present in the courtyard, Ah Yin included, felt their hearts shake violently!
Everyone's gazes unconsciously converged upon the composed young man seated on the Main Throne.
Could it be...
An absurd thought that nevertheless made their hearts race began to grow wildly within them!
However, before that thought could take shape, Ye Qingxian, seated below, spoke first and broke the strange silence.
Her voice was steady, carrying a rational analysis.
"Lingling, don't let your imagination run wild."
Ye Qingxian shook her head. "When the Sky Screen previously announced the Angel Holy Sword's ranking, there was a note attached."
"The note clearly stated that the peerless expert who severely wounded the Sea God Poseidon and saved the First Generation Angel God Qian Yuhan was also named 'Lu Ming,' but that happened a full twenty thousand years ago."
She paused, sweeping her gaze over Lu Ming before continuing, "As for our Ye Family's Ancestor, according to the family records, he lived more than ten thousand years ago. The timelines simply do not match!"
"So this Lu Ming is not that Lu Ming. It should merely be a coincidence of identical names."
Hearing the analysis of Ye Qingxian, the First Elder, Ye Lingling came to her senses and nodded repeatedly.
"Right, right, right! The First Elder is right!"
She patted her ample chest and let out a long breath.
"Besides, Senior Gu Yuena's husband... already died of old age. But our Ancestor is sitting right here, perfectly fine!"
"So they definitely aren't the same person!"
Upon hearing this, everyone felt that the analysis was perfectly reasonable, and the absurd thought in their hearts faded considerably.
That was right. The timing did not match, nor did life and death.
How could they possibly be the same person?
For a time, the atmosphere in the courtyard relaxed once more.
The crowd discussed it among themselves, all marveling at how vast the world was and how strange its wonders could be, for there to be such a coincidence of identical names.
Only Lu Ming remained seated there from beginning to end, a faint smile on his face.
He held his teacup, his eyes deep, without saying a word.
Within the Ye Family Mansion, the relaxed atmosphere brought about by the "coincidence of identical names" did not last long.
Just as everyone was sighing in their own way, the ancient Golden Ranking in the heavens suddenly flared with light once more!
This golden light was more brilliant and dazzling than ever before!
It was as though all the radiance of heaven and earth had been absorbed in that instant, condensing into a line of gilded characters that shook the hearts of all who saw them!
[First place on the Douluo Exotic Treasures Ranking will be revealed shortly!]
The instant those words appeared, heaven and earth fell silent.
No matter who they were, where they were, or what they were doing, everyone's mind was seized by this sudden announcement.
Elsewhere.
The battlefield.
Jialing Pass.
At this moment, it had already become a living hell where blood and fire intertwined.
War cries shook the heavens as the light of countless Soul Skills intertwined, collided, and blossomed above the battlefield in dazzling yet deadly fireworks.
Before you continue