The Nine Heavens Goddess's eyes flickered when she heard Tang Long's words, but she remained silent.
The reason she had handed the Myriad Exchange master's token to Tang Xiaoling earlier...
Was entirely because she had seen Houtu give up even her position as ruler of the Netherworld just to be with Tang Long.
Jealousy had welled up inside her, and she had handed it over in a moment of rashness.
Thinking back on it now, she really had been a little impulsive.
Tang Long could also see that she was blaming herself, so he reassured her:
"It's all right. This isn't that big a deal."
"Lingling's soul has already received nearly all the nourishment it needs."
"Even if you give it to her, it won't matter much."
"Besides, once the barrier between worlds is breached, I plan to reel in the net."
"That will be the most critical moment!"
Hearing this, the Nine Heavens Goddess nodded slightly, then asked:
"Why do you care so much about this world?"
Tang Long smiled faintly. "Because Lingling's soul is being nurtured within this world's essence."
"Her mother placed it there herself back then."
"But for some reason, it triggered a phenomenon throughout heaven and earth, connecting this world to other evil spirit worlds and forming an instance."
"The strangest thing is that, all these years, Lingling has been selected every single time."
"But she was still little then. I was worried something would go wrong, so I kept stopping her."
"If circumstances hadn't forced my hand, I still wouldn't have let her go."
At this point, Tang Long raised his head slightly and gazed toward the northwest.
"I keep feeling there's an invisible hand controlling everything behind the scenes."
"Most likely, it's the work of someone from That Realm!"
The Nine Heavens Goddess