Starting Over

After listening to Qian Renxue's story, Qian Daoliu there stunned.

"Dead?"

His voice held a hint of disbelief:

"Xiao Xue, didn't you say that you had become Angel God in your dream? First-Level God, how could you...?"

He didn't finish his sentence.

Because in his centuries-old understanding, God is immortal.

The gods of the Divine Realm are above mortals and possess near-eternal life.

Unless the Divine Realm collapses, how can gods die?

But her granddaughter said she died in her dream.

How is that possible?

A wave of panic washed over Qian Daoliu, and he instinctively looked at Qian Renxue, his eyes filled with undisguised worry.

Then he realized—it was just a dream.

It was just a dream.

He took a deep breath, suppressing his unease, and was about to say something when Qian Renxue continued speaking.

"Grandpa, that last scene... it was very eerie."

Her voice was low, with a slight, almost imperceptible tremor:

"Fu Shiyan was surrounded by a group of powerful figures at the God King or above. There were many of them, densely packed, at least dozens."

"And my body... lay quietly in his arms."

Qian Daoliu's pupils contracted slightly.

Qian Renxue continued:

"The auras of those gods are terrifying; each one is no weaker than First-Level God. But..."

She paused, as if recalling that scene:

"But Fu Shiyan's aura is stronger than all of theirs combined."

"I could feel the fear in the eyes of those gods as they looked at him."

"Fear originating from the soul."

Upon hearing this, Qian Daoliu silent.

Dozens of powerful beings, at the level of God King or above, surrounded one person.

That person was so powerful that they were terrified.

What level of existence must this be?

"And then?" he asked.

Qian Renxue closed her eyes, as if reliving that scene:

"Then... Fu Shiyan seemed to be talking to something."

"I can't see that being, I can only feel his gaze piercing through the gods, and finally..."

She opened her eyes and looked at Qian Daoliu:

Finally, he looked at me.

"Looking at you?" Qian Daoliu frowned.

"Yes." Qian Renxue nodded, her voice very soft.

He said one thing.

"What did you say?"

Qian Renxue took a deep breath and said, word by word:

"Let's start over, but please, Xiao Xue, never meet me again."

As soon as he finished speaking, the hall fell into a deathly silence.

Qian Daoliu stared blankly at his granddaughter, the words echoing repeatedly in his mind.

Let's try again.

I hope I never see him again.

Let's try again...

He muttered to himself, repeatedly chewing over these words:

"Try again... try again... could it be...?"

He looked up, a glint of disbelief flashing in his eyes.

Three years ago.

Fu Shiyan.

A sudden reappearance of memories.

The scene in the dream where I could "start over".

He pieced these clues together, and a terrifying hypothesis gradually took shape in his mind.

Could it be... there are two worlds?

He muttered to himself, his voice trembling with a sound that even he himself found hard to believe.

Upon hearing Qian Renxue's heart skipped a beat.

Two worlds?

She recalled the look in Fu Shiyan's eyes when she died at the end of the dream—a look filled with pain, longing, and deep guilt.

And that sentence--

"Let's start over, but I don't want to meet you again."

What does this mean?

Does this mean that she met him in another world, at some time she doesn't know about?

once...

A thought suddenly flashed through her mind, leaving her completely stunned.

Three years ago.

The memories that suddenly flooded her mind when she first heard the name Fu Shiyan.

Those memories came out of nowhere, yet they didn't seem abrupt.

It's as if... it was always there, just awakened.

What if those really are memories from "another world"?

What if she really did experience a lifetime, but... it was just a second chance?

Qian Renxue's breathing became slightly rapid.

--

After seeing Qian Renxue off, Qian Daoliu alone in the hall, lost in thought for a long time.

Finally, he got up and walked towards the Angel Temple.

He hoped that through his devout faith, his ancestors could answer his questions.

However, since he became high priest, he has never received any divine pronouncements from his ancestors.

This time was no exception.

He knelt before the statue for a long time, praying devoutly, but received no response.

The towering Angel God Statue stood silently, its holy light enveloping the entire temple, yet it offered him no answer.

Qian Daoliu slowly rose, took one last, complex look at the statue, and turned to leave.

--

Then, he found Qian Renxue again.

"Xiao Xue," he said in a deep voice, "Let Grandpa examine your body more carefully."

Qian Renxue nodded.

This time, Qian Daoliu was even more focused and meticulous.

His Soul Power, like fine threads, cautiously probed into the depths of Qian Renxue's sea of consciousness, searching little by little.

finally--

He found it.

Deep within Qian Renxue's consciousness, there was a faint halo, like an invisible barrier, firmly enveloping her core consciousness.

The halo was extremely faint, so faint that it would be impossible to detect without deliberate investigation.

But the level of power contained within that halo...

Qian Daoliu's pupils suddenly contracted.

That power far surpassed his Angel Divine Power.

It's not a difference in quantity, but a crushing defeat in quality.

It's like... like fireflies and the bright moon.

He withdrew his hand, his face filled with disbelief.

Qian Renxue also became nervous:

"Grandpa, what's wrong?"

Qian Daoliu a deep breath, looked at her, and said in a low voice:

"Xiao Xue, deep within your consciousness... there is a divine power protecting you."

Qian Renxue was taken aback.

Divine power?

Protect her?

Qian Daoliu continued:

"That divine power is on a level far higher than my Angel Divine Power."

"So high... that I can't even touch it, much less shake it."

He paused, then said with a deep gaze:

"Without this divine power protecting you, your 'memories' from back then would probably have been washed away by time long ago."

Qian Renxue was stunned.

She recalled those memories that suddenly surfaced three years ago.

Those memories are unbelievably clear and unbelievably complete.

So... it was because of divine protection?

Who is the owner of this divine power?

Who would use such terrifying power to protect her consciousness?

A name simultaneously surfaced in the minds of both the grandfather and grandson.

Fu Shiyan.

Qian Renxue's heart skipped a beat.

Is it him?

Was it him who had been protecting her all along?

From the "previous life" to the "this life"?

She remembered the figure in her dream holding her corpse, the complicated look in his eyes when he looked at her, and the words, "Let's start over, but don't meet me again."

If it really is him...

If he really did use some kind of heaven-defying method to start all over again...

If, when he could start over, he didn't forget to use his divine power to protect her consciousness, allowing her to retain those memories...

What does that mean?

This means that in that lifetime, between them...

Qian Renxue's eyes reddened slightly.