Black and White Twin Dragons Cooperate! Long Xiaoyao's Atonement Begins!

Douluo Era 2.

Inside the Holy Spirit Cult.

Ye Xishui slumped in her chair, like a shell drained of its soul.

Long Xiaoyao had only been gone for a moment, and the Light Screen had just finished broadcasting those Sharp Critiques.

Yet, in this short span of time, she seemed to have lost all motivation to live.

That face, which once captivated so many, had now withered into that of an old crone.

Wrinkles crawled across her face like knife carvings, and her withered skin clung to her bones, exuding an indescribable aura of death.

She no longer used her soul power to maintain a youthful appearance. It was meaningless.

"No, this isn't me."

Ye Xishui spoke, her voice dry and hoarse.

She stared blankly ahead, muttering mechanically:

"This Light Screen is all wrong; I was forced into this."

Her hand clawed at the empty air, but she grasped nothing.

She clawed again, and still, there was nothing.

"I didn't mean to harm Xiaoyao and Mu En."

Her fingernails dug into her palms, yet she felt no pain.

"This is all fake, this is all wrong."

Her voice grew increasingly frantic, like a drowning person desperately clutching at a final straw.

Her hands flailed in the void, but there was only cold air.

"Why, why did it turn out like this?"

Ye Xishui let out a shrill, mournful wail, her entire body trembling as her gaunt fingers gripped the armrests tightly.

"Xiaoyao, I never betrayed you."

She shook her head desperately, murky tears swirling in her eyes.

"That's not what I meant. I never wanted to become stronger, I never wanted to absorb the resentment of the dead. I was just, I was just..."

She opened her mouth, trying to find an excuse.

But the words reached her lips and refused to come out.

What was she, just? Forced? Helpless? Wanting power to protect herself?

Every excuse was so pale.

She knew better than anyone that those things were done, and no amount of excuses would change that.

No one would believe her, not even she believed herself.

Ye Xishui's mouth opened and closed, like a fish tossed onto the shore.

In the end, no sound could escape.

A tear slid from the corner of her eye, tracing the wrinkles on her face before dripping onto the back of her withered hand.

She stared blankly at that tear, her lips trembling violently.

"I'm sorry."

Her voice was as soft as a whisper to herself.

"I'm sorry, Xiaoyao."

Another tear fell.

"I'm sorry, Brother Mu En."

Her body convulsed, yet she made no sound, simply letting the tears flow freely.

"I really didn't mean to. I was blinded by power."

"I kept claiming I was forced, but every action I took was my own choice."

Ye Xishui closed her eyes in agony. She did not want to see this world anymore, nor did she want to see herself.

If she could, she would not even want to look at her own soul.

"I'm sorry."

These were the last three words she spoke.

Then, she collapsed in her chair, like a desiccated corpse.

There was no rise and fall of breath, no sign of life, only endless, deathly silence.

Douluo Era 2.

Sea God Pavilion.

Long Xiaoyao hovered in the air above Sea God Island.

He looked down at the old man sitting in the wheelchair below, his throat feeling as if it were being tightly throttled by something.

He struggled to swallow, wanting to say something, but the words were all stuck in his throat, and he couldn't utter a single syllable.

Mu En sat in his wheelchair, looking up at Long Xiaoyao, who was hovering before him.

His lips trembled slightly, and his eyes held far too many complex emotions.

Anger, resentment, pain, sorrow, and all those longings that had spanned over a hundred years.

He opened his mouth, a thousand words surging in his chest, but in the end, only one sentence came out.

"Xiaoyao, you've come?"

Long Xiaoyao closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled.

He descended.

He walked up to Mu En, looking at the brother who had once been his closest, the person he had failed his entire life, and his eyes turned red.

"Mu En."

His voice was so hoarse it was almost unintelligible.

"For the first half of my life, I was paying off Xishui's debts."

He paused, his chest heaving violently.

"From now on, I have come to pay my debts to you."

Mu En's pupils contracted slightly.

Long Xiaoyao continued, every word seemingly spoken with the last of his strength:

"All these years, I have helped the villain, and although I did not directly participate in the Holy Spirit Cult's operations, I ultimately indirectly hindered your Shrek Academy."

He took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry."

The moment those three words were spoken, Long Xiaoyao felt as if all the strength had been drained from his body.

His shoulders slumped, and he seemed to age ten years in an instant.

Mu En's body shuddered violently.

This apology had spanned over a hundred years.

Over a century of grievances, over a century of betrayal, over a century of pain—all condensed into these three words.

Mu En opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but his throat felt as if it were blocked by something.

He just looked at Long Xiaoyao, the emotions in his eyes becoming even more complex.

The two of them remained silent.

The Sea God Pavilion was so quiet that they could hear each other's breathing.

No one spoke, no one moved; they just stood there, letting time slip away second by second.

I don't know how much time passed, but a smile slowly appeared on Mu En's face.

The smile was complex, filled with bitterness and helplessness, but more than anything, it was the smile of one friend to another.

"No, you haven't failed me."

Mu En's voice was very, very soft.

"All these years, you were deceived by her, too."

"You are a victim as well."

When Long Xiaoyao heard this, his eyes turned red instantly.

He took another deep breath, his mouth twisting into a bitter smile that looked worse than crying.

"What do you mean, deceived?"

He shook his head.

"Hasn't this Light Screen dissected me until there's nothing left?"

"The Light Screen is right; I was foolish enough."

His voice began to tremble.

"A man of my stature, abandoning righteousness for the sake of my own personal feelings."

"All these years, I have acted as her guardian, which ultimately amounted to aiding the villain."

Mu En did not speak, only watching him quietly.

"Now that Xishui's true face has been exposed, my heart seems to have died as well."

Long Xiaoyao spoke, his eyes revealing a deathly stillness:

"I don't know what I should do."

He raised his head and looked at Mu En.

"I only know that in this world, apart from her, you are the brother I care about most."

Mu En's eyes also turned red.

"Mu En, I don't ask to fully atone for my sins in the remaining time I have left."

"But at least I still have some strength."

"Let me stay by your side, even if it's just to make a small contribution to this world."

Long Xiaoyao's voice grew lower and lower.

"Even if it's not even one percent of the evil I've committed, it's still better than doing nothing at all."