Future? Or the Past?

Zhu Zhuqing was a little speechless. If it was good, then say so.

He just stared at Xiao Chenghe, pretending to be profound, without replying.

Xiao Chenghe: "..."

"Sigh, wasn't I just trying to lighten the mood? I was afraid you wouldn't be able to take it later and would start crying. When Brother Luo wakes up, wouldn't he come looking for trouble with me?"

Zhu Zhuqing still said nothing, merely staring at Xiao Chenghe's evasive eyes.

"Can I see part of what concerns you?"

Xiao Chenghe said, "I don't know. The first time I saw it was when I was five years old. Brother Luo awakened his Martial Soul then, and a Soul Ring appeared automatically. Everyone in the village fainted, but I was the only one who remained conscious."

Xiao Chenghe silently thought, It was also because I saw a different version of myself, and even Brother Luo Yihe, who was so powerful, had...

If I hadn't seen that other me, then when Brother Luo took out Volibear's fur, I might not have had the courage to charge through that storm!

Xiao Chenghe and Zhu Zhuqing walked over to Luo Yihe together and looked toward the orb of light.

Xiao Chenghe said, "Sister Zhuqing, I'm starting to turn it now."

Zhu Zhuqing looked in the direction Xiao Chenghe pointed and indeed saw it.

Inside Xiao Chenghe's orb of light.

Luo Yihe was a true god. His divine body stood billions of kilometers tall, and planets were like grains of sand before him.

He was a deity, sacred and untouchable, sitting alone above the Ninth Heaven as gods and demons subdued the universe...

But as the view lowered, Xiao Chenghe appeared, covered in wounds and clad in tattered golden armor. He said something to Luo Yihe, who was like a true god.

Luo Yihe suddenly made his move, trapping Xiao Chenghe atop the Ninth Heaven.

He left alone and never returned. After an unknown amount of time had passed, Xiao Chenghe finally emerged from the Ninth Heaven.

He searched the entire universe for Luo Yihe. Only when his lifespan had reached its limit did he finally find Luo Yihe in a shattered void.

However... Luo Yihe had become an enormous corpse by then, nailed in the void by one hundred and eight divine spears.

Around Luo Yihe's corpse were countless purple fish, insects, and humanoid creatures. The entire void was filled with purple corpses, stretching endlessly beyond sight.

The Xiao Chenghe within the orb was already weeping tears of blood. He transformed into a massive white bear, crying out as he tried to pull out the spears, constantly calling for Lord Luo Yihe.

But... even after Xiao Chenghe burned away the last of his life, he could not leave the slightest mark on the spears.

Seeing that there was no way to bring Luo Yihe's remains back to the Ninth Heaven, Xiao Chenghe used his final moments to refine himself into an incomparably powerful corpse flame. He carved out one final command: protect Lord Luo Yihe's remains. If anyone accidentally arrived here in the future and dared show disrespect toward Lord Luo Yihe's remains... kill them all.

When Zhu Zhuqing saw Luo Yihe's miserable state as he was nailed to death in the void, her heart inexplicably ached, and the tears at the corners of her eyes would not stop.

By the end, when Xiao Chenghe had willingly become a corpse flame to protect Luo Yihe's body from desecration, she was deeply moved.

She finally understood why their relationship was so close. Perhaps... this was the bond of past and present lives!

One had faced danger alone to protect his brother, while the other had willingly become a corpse flame so that his brother's remains would not be desecrated, silently standing guard.

Xiao Chenghe smiled. "So? Were you moved by the brotherhood between Brother Luo and me?"

Zhu Zhuqing said through a sob, "It really makes me envious."

"Hehe, now that you're done watching, hurry up and cultivate! We don't know whether what we saw was the future or the past, but we have to become stronger."

"In my memories, Brother Luo was already so powerful, yet he still fell while fighting those purple creatures."

"If... this is the future, can we fight alongside Brother Luo? Or will we... once again be protected by him while he goes alone?"

Zhu Zhuqing became sorrowful as well. That was right! The Luo Yihe in that little orb had been so powerful that words could not describe him... Could he have been a god?

Zhu Zhuqing felt that was not all. She had not even seen many Title Douluo, much less a "god," yet she had this feeling in her heart: the Luo Yihe in the little orb was definitely far more than merely a god, even compared to the saintly Luo Yihe beside her.

Zhu Zhuqing went to the bathroom and splashed her face hard with water. After calming herself down, she sat cross-legged beside Luo Yihe and began cultivating.

Yet as soon as she started, Zhu Zhuqing sensed something was wrong. The energy leaking from Luo Yihe was replacing the Soul Power within her body, seemingly... transforming her?

Before Zhu Zhuqing could even wonder about it, her consciousness was suddenly pulled into a small bamboo grove.

While Zhu Zhuqing was still puzzled, she suddenly saw a transparent version of herself cultivating. The circulation of power within that figure's body was displayed before her without reservation.

Then another Zhu Zhuqing suddenly appeared beside her. She launched a sneak attack and directly severed the real Zhu Zhuqing's head.

The real Zhu Zhuqing immediately came back to life. Looking at the version of herself cultivating, then at the one who had attacked her, she seemed to understand something.

She began imitating the Zhu Zhuqing in the bamboo grove courtyard. Whether it was her attack methods or her special cultivation technique, the real Zhu Zhuqing was killed again and again, but she quickly adapted. She learned the special cultivation method and exchanged moves with her other self. Neither side used Martial Souls or Soul Rings in battle, or rather... they could not.

Zhu Zhuqing was deepening her understanding of fighting solely with herself, without Soul Rings or Martial Souls.

While everyone in the hotel was cultivating, Dai Mubai suppressed his heartache and went to Zhao Wuji's room.

"Teacher Zhao, you have to avenge me! That Luo Yihe must be in one of the rooms in this hotel. Not only did he humiliate me, he even stole my fiancée."

Zhao Wuji was rather displeased. This rare, dense Soul Power had appeared, and he had wanted to cultivate for a while longer!

But seeing Dai Mubai crying with tears and snot all over his face, Zhao Wuji still agreed.

When Zhao Wuji and Dai Mubai arrived outside Luo Yihe's room.

"Meow?"

Mew suddenly appeared, blocking their path as she curiously sized them up.

"A pink cat? Is this Luo Yihe's Martial Soul?"

Zhao Wuji curiously examined Mew as well.

But Dai Mubai did not care about any of that. The moment he saw Mew, his eyes turned red. He immediately used Martial Soul Possession, and two yellow Soul Rings and one purple Soul Ring appeared beneath his feet.

"Third Soul Skill: White Tiger Vajra Transformation!"

"Second Soul Skill: White Tiger Fierce Light Wave!"

Golden markings covered Dai Mubai's body as the White Tiger Vajra Transformation empowered him. He opened his mouth and spat a blazing white tiger-shaped light wave at Mew.

Zhao Wuji did not stop Dai Mubai, merely watching the little pink cat with curiosity.

Unexpectedly, Mew did not dodge at all. A pink energy shield appeared before her, directly dissipating all the energy.