You Must Be Happy

Nezha froze where he stood.

His eyes widened, his pupils contracting sharply.

His body seemed frozen in ice, utterly motionless.

His mind went blank.

No.

It wasn't blank.

The scenes from the Static Domain just now surged into his consciousness like a tidal wave.

He saw it.

He saw everything.

He saw Ah Rou set him down.

He saw Ah Rou cup his face in her hands.

He saw Ah Rou tell him, "Aunt Rou has to leave first," and saw her reluctant yet gentle smile.

He saw Ah Rou lower her head and leave a kiss on his forehead. The warmth of that kiss still lingered on his skin.

He could even feel the warmth of Ah Rou's final tear as it fell onto his cheek.

Then, he saw the burning blood-red flames.

He saw Ah Rou's body gradually turn transparent within the flames.

He saw her transform into countless motes of light, condensing into the bright red Soul Ring and translucent Soul Bone before him.

"No..."

Nezha's lips trembled slightly.

"No!"

A beastlike howl tore from his throat.

Three Heads and Six Arms erupted uncontrollably. His other two heads opened their eyes at the same time, and the same twisted anguish filled all three faces.

Blood vessels filled his six eyes, tears and fury churning together within them.

"Aunt Rou—"

"Don't—!"

He suddenly lunged forward, all six arms flailing madly as though he could seize those fading crimson motes of light again.

But he couldn't catch anything.

He couldn't grasp anything.

His hands passed through the empty air, clutching only cold emptiness.

At that moment, the Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring and Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone seemed to be drawn by some invisible force as they slowly floated toward Nezha.

The Soul Ring slipped around his body, and an immense surge of energy that nearly burst his meridians flooded into him.

The Soul Bone directly merged into his left arm, turning into a warm current that settled deep within his bones.

A Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring.

A Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone.

These two supreme treasures, enough to drive the entire Douluo Continent mad, merged into Nezha's body just like that.

But he couldn't care less about any of it right now.

Because Ah Rou's sacrifice wasn't over yet.

Within the Soul Ring and Soul Bone remained her final trace of will.

That will took the form of Ah Rou's phantom and appeared before Nezha.

Her figure was already faint, as thin as a wisp of mist about to disperse.

Yet the smile on her face was still so gentle, exactly like when she had picked him up from the fallen leaves six years ago.

"Nezha."

Ah Rou's voice seemed to come from somewhere unimaginably far away.

"This is all Aunt Rou can do for you."

"Don't be sad."

"Aunt Rou never regretted bringing you home."

She raised a hand. The fingers of her phantom gently brushed over Nezha's face. Though she could no longer touch him, that warmth still passed through his soul.

"You must cultivate well and grow up properly."

"When you've grown up, go see... the world beyond the Star Dou Forest for Aunt Rou."

"The place Aunt Rou always wanted to take you..."

Her phantom grew fainter and fainter.

More and more blurred.

Her voice also drifted farther and farther away.

"Nezha... you must be happy..."

As the final word fell, Ah Rou's phantom completely turned into specks of light and vanished into the air.

Like the last firefly in the night sky, extinguished beneath dawn's first light.

Heaven and earth fell silent.

Only crimson motes of light drifted down slowly like rain.

Nezha knelt on the ground.

His six hands pressed into the dirt, his three heads lowered. Tears rolled from all six eyes at once, striking the scorched earth and kicking up tiny clouds of dust.

His shoulders shook violently.

Broken sobs spilled from his throat.

"Aunt Rou..."

"Aunt Rou..."

Nezha called out again and again, as if that name could summon her back.

But no one answered.

Only the rustling wind through the forest sounded like a soft sigh.

Bibi Dong's expression darkened until it seemed ready to drip water.

The Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring and Soul Bone had been right before her eyes, only to be sacrificed by that rabbit to this child at the very moment they were within her grasp.

That Soul Ring had originally belonged to her.

That Soul Bone had belonged to her.

She had planned for so long, personally bringing Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo to the Star Dou Forest and laying a net from which there was no escape.

But now, the Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring and Soul Bone had merged into that child's body. Even if she killed him and took the bone, the Soul Bone would be downgraded.

Killing intent surged in Bibi Dong's eyes.

"Seeking death!"

She ground out those two words through clenched teeth, each one seeming to be squeezed from the gaps between them.

At that moment, she was no longer the noble Pope of Spirit Hall. She was more like an enraged hunter whose prey had been stolen.

She wanted to grind that damned rabbit's bones to dust and scatter its ashes.

Even though it had already sacrificed itself, she would still tear its corpse into ten thousand pieces.

Bibi Dong's gaze suddenly shifted to Nezha, who was kneeling on the ground.

Besides that damned rabbit, there was also this damned little brat.

It was that little brat who had taken the Soul Ring and Soul Bone that should have been hers.

Since that rabbit had already sacrificed itself, then she would kill the little brat it had fought desperately to protect.

Bibi Dong swept both hands out, and dark green light churned wildly around her.

The phantom of the Death Spider Emperor swelled to its limit behind her, its eight pitch-black spider legs all aimed at the kneeling Nezha.

"Die!"

Countless dark green spider spikes poured down upon Nezha like a torrential downpour.

Nezha didn't dodge, nor could he.

He simply knelt there, his six hands clutching the dirt as tears blurred all six of his eyes.

Ah Rou's final words still echoed in his ears.

"You must be happy..."

Happy?

How could he possibly be happy without Aunt Rou?

And under Bibi Dong's furious attack, he wouldn't be able to survive even if he wanted to.

Nezha raised his head and saw the sky full of dark green spider spikes hurtling toward him.

Just then—

"ROAR—!!!"

A world-shaking roar exploded from the depths of the Star Dou Forest.

Boundless fury filled that roar. Waves of sound rolled outward and shook the land in every direction. Even the surrounding trees trembled violently, countless leaves falling in rustling cascades.

A massive black shadow shot out from the depths of the forest, moving so quickly that it left only a blurred afterimage in the air.

It was an enormous giant ape, its entire body covered in dark brown fur, muscles knotted like mountain rock.

His eyes burned with blazing rage, and every beat of his chest rang out with a thunderous boom.

Titan Giant Ape, Er Ming!

He had come!

Er Ming's enormous body crashed down like a meteor, landing in front of Nezha.

He threw both fists out at once, and terrifying force blasted a visible shockwave through the air.

The dark green spider spikes were struck by the shockwave midair and shattered one after another, not even a drop of venom splashing onto Nezha.