Yan's consciousness was gradually returning. He seemed to be in a dreamlike world, where an extremely terrifying giant monster stood in the sky staring at him. Its head was a purple spider, and its eight spider legs, like its eyes, were constantly swaying, as if blinking. Its body was made of congealed blood, exuding a bloody aura. Everything seemed so bizarre, yet strangely harmonious.
"Is this the place where the dead go to be reborn?"
Yan looked around at this strange world with a calm expression. He knew he was dead, but he felt no fear. The dead had nothing to fear. He had once read in a book that the dead go to a strange world, a world full of bizarre and wonderful things. The scene before him was almost exactly like the place of the afterlife he had imagined.
Then a look of worry appeared on Yan's face, "I wonder if Xie Yue has managed to escape."
"Yan, do you still have any regrets?" A hoarse and eerie voice came from the giant spider-headed monster on the horizon.
Yan gazed at the giant on the horizon, guessing that he must be the God of Death Reaper who ruled this Land of Rebirth. Faced with his question, Yan felt no fear, his eyes filled with determination, and he answered with a strong voice, "To die in battle to protect the honor of the Spirit Hall is truly a death without regret."
"Isn't that girl Hu Liena the regret in your heart?" the terrifying giant asked.
Upon hearing this, Yan smiled calmly and said, "Of course it's not a regret. Regret refers to things that are beyond one's control or cannot be remedied. As for Hu Liena, she can't be considered a regret; it's just that my wish hasn't been fulfilled yet. Because I understand that no matter what I do, she won't fall in love with me, so she's not my regret."
The spider legs on the giant's head on the horizon twitched incessantly, as if agreeing with Yan's statement. "I'm satisfied with your answer. I have another question: If the Spirit Hall were to ask you to do something contrary to the Spirit Hall's honor in the future, what would you choose? For example, if you were asked to kill some unarmed ordinary people, what would you do?"
Upon hearing this, Yan fell into deep thought. After a long while, he gave his answer, "I will follow the Spirit Hall's arrangements and kill them."
"But wouldn't that be tantamount to giving up that glory? Violating the principles of justice? Didn't you choose to perish together with the Evil Soul Master because of that glory?"
"I am not a saint; I have my own selfish desires. I was an orphan from a young age, homeless and bullied everywhere. It was the Spirit Hall that took me in and raised me. To me, the Spirit Hall is my home. If my family asks me to do something, I will do it, even if I know it's wrong. I know that when I suffer any humiliation, justice is useless; only the strong uphold justice. And the Spirit Hall will definitely step in to help and kill those who bullied me."
"Therefore, I chose to obey the Spirit Hall's arrangements. Furthermore, my decision to perish together with the Evil Soul Master was not only because of the Spirit Hall's duty and honor, but more importantly, to ensure the survival of my brother, Xie Yue. It was for his sake that I chose to self-destruct."
Yan's face was filled with determination. Even when facing this " God of Death," he still possessed his own pride. He would never forget the glory that the Spirit Hall had brought him, and that was his faith.
"I never expected you to be this kind of person. It seems I don't know you well enough. If you had another chance, what would you do?" the giant asked slowly.
"If I really had another chance, I would cultivate diligently and strive to eradicate all the Evil Soul Master on the continent and defend the honor of the Spirit Hall!" Yan replied firmly.
"So how would you deal with the girl you like?"
"I will not provoke her again. Today's battle with the Evil Soul Master made me realize how important it is to improve my strength. If I had used the time I spent entangled with Nana to cultivate, we would not have faced such a great crisis today, and Xie Yue would not have been seriously injured. All of this is my fault."
Yan's gaze hardened, his hands clenched into fists. He hated himself for being too weak, for not being strong enough to protect his dearest brother. Even at the most critical moment, he couldn't guarantee Xie Yue's safe escape, even if he sacrificed his own life. It was all his fault.
Sometimes, letting go is another form of gain. I hope you can keep your word.
Having said that, the giant in the sky stretched out its blood-red hand and reached out to grab Yan. Yan simply floated slowly in mid-air without making any movement, letting the giant grab him. He understood that this must be the God of Death sending him to his death.
And so, as the giant hand grabbed Yan, he temporarily lost consciousness.
In the outside world, Yan had fully recovered, except for his consciousness. Jun Yi was guiding his soul to revive his consciousness. The questions Jun Yi had just asked were to confirm Yan's true nature. If he was truly a bad person, Jun Yi would extract his soul, keeping his body as a vessel for others to possess. However, Yan's answer satisfied Jun Yi, and he decided to fully revive him.
As his soul awakened and his consciousness returned, Yan's body gradually began to react, trembling slightly.
"Resurrect! My... uh, something seems a little off." Jun Yi had intended to recreate the famous scene of Buddha Ancestor Tang, but he didn't know what adjective to use to describe Yan.
Immediately afterwards, Yan slowly opened his eyes, and what came into view was a man wearing a spider mask and a red robe, exactly like the " God of Death " he had just seen.
"Am I... past life? Then why is God of Death appearing before me again?" Yan asked slowly.
Jun Yi looked at Yan's dazed expression and said in a low, hoarse voice, "You're awake. Stand up and walk a few steps. See if you're still limping."
"What do you mean? Am I not dead?" Yan asked, puzzled.
Jun Yi silently turned his head and reminded Yan, "Don't worry about whether you're dead or not. Put some clothes on first. Even though there's no one here right now, if someone sees you with your bare butt exposed, they might think I've taken advantage of you. I don't have homosexual tendencies."
Yan looked at his body in astonishment, finding himself completely naked, yet without a single wound. Even the scars from his previous training injuries had disappeared, which shocked him greatly...
(End of this chapter)