Life, Hear My Command

Hearing Lin Ze'an's words, Ling Yuan's eyes reddened. She bowed solemnly. "Thank you, Elder!"

Just as Ling Yuan was about to leave, Lin Ze'an suddenly remembered something and called out to her. "Wait."

She stopped at once and turned around respectfully. "Does Elder have any other orders?"

Lin Ze'an thought for a moment before saying, "You two should get settled first and find a room to stay in."

"There are plenty of rooms here. The top floor is mine, but you can choose any of the others."

With that, he headed toward the stairwell. "I'm going to check on Uncle Ghost."

He'd been wondering what he kept forgetting. Seeing those two poor souls who'd been set up finally reminded him.

Uncle Ghost was probably the one in the most danger right now.

Ling Yuan thought it over briefly and understood who Lin Ze'an meant. She bowed quickly. "As you command."

A short while later, Lin Ze'an stood before Gui Mei's palace, where he could still faintly sense a chill in the air.

He raised his hand and knocked.

"Knock, knock, knock—"

After a moment, the door swung inward without a sound, and a wave of icy air poured out.

Gui Mei's hoarse voice rang out from inside the palace. "Come in."

As Lin Ze'an walked in, he said helplessly, "Uncle Ghost, why put on this act with me?"

As he drew closer, he saw that Gui Mei was completely shrouded in shadow. Only his eyes, gleaming with an eerie light, were clearly visible.

Uh, was this still the world of the living?

He waved his hand lightly. An emerald glow rippled outward, and wherever it passed, the cold air in the palace quickly dissipated.

"Ze'an," Gui Mei asked, puzzled. "What do you need?"

But Lin Ze'an didn't answer. Instead, he walked closer and studied him carefully.

Only when Gui Mei began to feel uncomfortable under his gaze did Lin Ze'an speak. "Uncle Ghost, in your current state... are you already dead? Or half-dead?"

"Ahem—"

At that, Gui Mei choked, and a black line appeared on his forehead, plain as day.

What kind of question was that? Had this kid come all the way here just to ask him that?

Lin Ze'an blinked innocently. "I was just curious. Look at you, all gloomy every day, with more death energy than vitality in your body."

He smiled faintly, a sly glint in his eyes. "Actually, I came to ask if you'd be interested in coming back to life, Uncle Ghost."

Sure, he might lose a little strength, but at least he wouldn't get wiped out the moment he ran into Sea God's Light, right?

Who knew what was going on? The most sacred Angel's Holy Light hadn't managed to destroy Gui Mei, but Sea God's Light could.

He didn't dare gamble on the plot of this ridiculous continent anymore. Who knew what kind of trouble might crop up next?

At that, Gui Mei went completely rigid, disbelief filling his deep-set eyes.

"You... what did you say?"

Lin Ze'an raised his hand and gathered his life force into a small orb of light, then held it out before Gui Mei. "I can use my life force to cleanse your body and turn the death energy inside you into vitality."

After a pause, he continued, "The process will temporarily weaken you, but after that, you won't have to fear holy attacks anymore."

Hearing Lin Ze'an's explanation, Gui Mei froze.

As a Soul Master who had died once, he knew better than anyone how much holy attributes countered him.

Countless times in battle, he'd had to carefully avoid Soul Skills that radiated sacred light.

Of course he wanted to come back to life, but Ze'an was only a Soul Elder... and he was a Titled Douluo.

"Will... will this affect or harm your body?" Gui Mei asked anxiously after a moment's hesitation.

Lin Ze'an sighed, took Gui Mei's icy hand, and gave it a gentle pat.

"Uncle Ghost, other people might not know, but I do."

His gaze swept over Gui Mei's pale skin as he spoke softly. "The way you exist now is just like your name, isn't it? A ghost."

That was why Sea God's Light had made him disintegrate into nothing the moment it touched him.

He didn't want to lose anyone again.

After a moment of silence, Lin Ze'an said earnestly, "Uncle Ghost, I don't want to see any possibility of that happening to anyone close to me."

"Just trust me."

"You little rascal..." Gui Mei said helplessly. "You still know just what to say."

Well, the boy wouldn't hurt him. If his strength dropped a little, so be it.

Hearing Gui Mei's tone, Lin Ze'an felt a surge of joy and hurried to say, "Thank you for trusting me, Uncle Ghost."

After calling Yue Guan over to stand guard, Lin Ze'an slowly raised both hands. Mo Ruier quietly appeared behind him.

In an instant, abundant life force began to swirl around Lin Ze'an, turning into emerald streams of light that enveloped him and Gui Mei.

Lin Ze'an reminded him, "Uncle Ghost, I only gained this ability after reaching level thirty. This is my first time using it, so it might hurt a lot."

Gui Mei sat cross-legged on the ground, a calm smile on his pale face. "It's fine. Just do what you need to do."

As a Titled Douluo, he'd long since grown used to all kinds of pain.

Compared with the torment of walking between the worlds of yin and yang, physical pain was nothing.

Hearing this, Lin Ze'an nodded, his expression growing focused.

He held his hands in front of his chest, palms facing each other. Emerald life force gathered between them, forming an orb that slowly spun.

Then he closed his eyes and began to chant. "Life and death are opposing forces, yet they sustain each other. As their ruler..."

Just then, Lin Ze'an opened his eyes, brilliant light bursting from his emerald-green pupils.

He thrust his hands forward, and the orb in his palms became a torrent, rushing straight toward Gui Mei.

"Life, hear my command. Answer me, drive death away, and return the dead to the world of the living."

As his words fell, a flood of life force poured into Gui Mei's body.

"Ugh—!"

Gui Mei let out a muffled growl, his whole body trembling violently.

He hadn't expected... the pain to be far worse than he'd imagined.

It wasn't physical pain, but agony on the level of the soul...

The death energy rooted deep within his soul was being forcibly stripped away, while surging vitality filled every void.

It was painful, but the sensation was strange and wonderful, both unfamiliar and familiar, as though he had returned to a time long ago, when he had still truly been alive.

Naturally, this couldn't escape the notice of the Goddess of Life, who had already turned her gaze upon them.

Watching what Lin Ze'an was doing, she said in surprise, "He can actually do this much?"

Even if that Titled Douluo's condition was unusual, this still amounted to reversing life and death. It wasn't something that could be achieved simply by infusing him with life force.

It seemed the child's authority was... But he was still too hasty. He didn't have enough power.

With that thought, the Goddess of Life raised her hand, and a stream of divine power shot straight toward Gui Mei.