We failed in the end...
What monster was that? With a single strike, almost all of us died!
That errant void too...It devoured many peak paragons.
Damn this...I'm already prepared to die when I made this plan, but this feeling of regret, I won't accept this fate!
I wanted to revive them...my parents, my friends, my comrades, and Xue'er...I failed...I failed all of you... ...
Although Meng Yue attained the pinnacle of cultivation, the sense of remorse still haunts him like pair of iron chains.
He wish to resurrect his loved ones but didn't expect to fail in the end. However, he had no one to blame for, after all, the wormhole onwards the Realm of Legends was a land that none have come out safe, not even Goddess Nuwa or Pangu returned after they entered it.
[Dummy, what's wrong with you?]
Huh?...
Meng Yue, drowned in emotions, heard a familiar voice out in the blue. Thousands of years might have passed, but he could never forget this voice.
[Hey, stop ignoring me!]
Meng Yue shook his head.
I'm probably hearing things...
In my dying moment, I still hear her voice, still can't forget her.
Meng Yue let all his sentiments out as he braced himself from death. Before he even felt anything, a sharp pain suddenly struck him.
Meng Yue abruptly opened his eyes, the darkness vanished, and the bright light assaulted him.
After adjusting to the light, Meng Yue was astonished.
What appeared in his sight was a rowdy room filled with students, while in front was a blackboard with written words, and chairs surrounded him.
On the right side, two doors were wide open, as students walked out from it.
Back then, he had seen this scene numerous times, when he was a mere mortal studying at school on earth.
Don't tell me...
Meng Yue looked at the person calling his name. It was a young girl in a pink skirt and white uniform. Her skin was as pale as jade, eyes shade in diamond, with hair tied behind her back. Students who happen to pass would look at her twice...she was like a goddess in a mortal world, simply too stunning!
"Xue'er..."
Meng Yue's lips trembled, his heart beating in excitement, at the same time, confusion.
What's going on? Why am I seeing her?
Meng Yue's blank stare only made the young girl more helpless.
"What are you staring at? Come, let's go home," Ling Bingxue helplessly shrugged. She had no idea what happened to Meng Yue. When the class ended, and the teacher left, he suddenly fell into a trance.
Meng Yue seemed to have woken up. He shook his head and stood up, holding Ling Bingxue on her two shoulders, bringing his face close to her. "Xue'er, pinch me."
"What?"
Ling Bingxue was at loss for words but still did what as she was instructed. She pinched, and Meng Yue's face twisted in pain. Instead of screaming in misery, this dude seemed to be happy.
"I've returned...I've really returned! This is earth!"
Ignoring Ling Bingxue's expression, Meng Yue clenched his fist in excitement.
Earth had faced its end five thousand years ago.
Back then, Meng Yue was the sole survivor, almost on the brink of death. He only survived thanks to the humans from the other world who rescued him. Since then, Meng Yue was exposed to martial arts, after years of seclusion, he reached the pinnacle of cultivation.
Despite his achievement, he was helpless to revive the dead. He was left with one option which was to enter the wormhole rumor to be the path that connects to the Realm of Legends.
Naturally, he didn't enter alone.
Along with him, paragons followed to witness the universe beyond.
Sadly, they came across terrifying dangers, not even paragons could resist, let alone an Immortal Emperor like Meng Yue. In the end, a strange monster exhausted him, ultimately leading to his demise.
But Meng Yue never expected this kind of twist!
He had returned...He returned before the earth's destruction!
Meng Yue felt surging emotions flooding within him, but he quickly suppressed them.
Taking a deep breath, he glanced at Ling Bingxue, and took a single step, wrapping his hands at her waist.
Ling Bingxue was startled. Meng Yue was too bold, he actually hug her in public! This dummy was even resting his head onto her shoulders!
Similarly, the students' attention shifted at them. Meng Yue's actions were just too courageous, moreover, the class had just ended, and everyone's attention was free.
Most of Meng Yue's classmates sighed.
Meng Yue and Goddess Xue's friendship wasn't secret to the class, everyone knew that, but everyone didn't expect their relationship to be this deep; they were actually lovers!
It seems that they could only give up.
The girls shared the same sentiment. The handsome Meng Yue was their Oppa, but a person of his worth, only Goddess Xue was worthy of him.
"You dummy...Let go of me."
Ling Bingxue stomped Meng Yue's feet, but the man didn't move. Instead, he smiled. He heard some shyness on Xue'er voice, it was natural.
Back then, they have fallen with each other but didn't take the last step.
When the catastrophe descended, however, Meng Yue regretted not confessing his feelings.
Now that he had returned, Meng Yue wanted to confess right on the bat. He didn't want to have regrets in his heart. He has suffered for five thousand years to see her once more. Never did he expect fate to give him a second chance.
Since he was here, Meng Yue would change the course of destiny.
He would not allow the earth to be destroyed!
He would stop the catastrophe and the beast invasion!
This was Meng Yue's regret which he wished to change!
Meng Yue smiled. In others' perspective, this was a simple smile, but only Meng Yue knew this was the first time he had smiled in five thousand years!
Meng Yue wrapped his hands at Ling Bingxue's waist, smelling her aroma. He said seriously:
"I would not allow fate to separate us from now on. I swear."
...
The commotion in school was short-term. After remorse, everyone understood Meng Yue and Ling Bingxue were people they could only be friends with, so they no longer bothered themselves in it.
Even so, they were students that gossiped, saying how Ling Bingxue doesn't deserve to be with Meng Yue; mostly girls say so, but in the end, nothing happens.
At this moment, Meng Yue accompanied Ling Bingxue on the way home, he kept looking at her face, mumbling to himself if all of these were illusions.
But from which angle he sees it, everything appears real, Meng Yue could only accept his reborn.
Ling Bingxue was mindful of Meng Yue's stares, her cheeks reddened, "Have you had enough?"
"Nope." Meng Yue smiled, "They say, beautiful girls are attractive, it seems it's true. I can't move my eyes away from you."
"Sweet mouth, hmph." Ling Bingxue snorted, a smile forming on her lips. Then, thought the incident earlier, she halted, "Why did you do that?"
Meng Yue expected the question, so he wasn't flustered. "There are two things I have to say. First, I'm manning up—I'm gonna confess my love!"
"Hateful. It took you so long..." Ling Bingxue rolled her eyes, "so what's the second one?"
Meng Yue wasn't in a hurry as he rubbed her hand. "Before that, let me tell you a story. There was this guy who came across a stranger, and they became friends. After years of friendship, the guy confessed, only to be rejected.
"What's funny is that the friendship which they bonded for years has instantly collapsed after the failed confession. They return being strangers."
Meng Yue lifted his head, the sky was blue and felt conflicted. The words that came after was his past life mindset, "I'm afraid, deeply afraid, that our friendship will collapse like the aforesaid story. I don't want to lose you nor want to see you treating me as a stranger."
"..." Ling Bingxue stared intently at him, and sighed, "How would you know if you haven't even tried? Have you imagined how long I've been waiting for this day, thankfully, you finally let out your feelings."
"I want to hear your response," Meng Yue stared at her face.
"That..." Ling Bingxue bit her lips, her gaze wandered —No one was around, the street empty. She took a deep breath, a blushed on her face, as she said, "Come closer."
Meng Yue smiled and leaned closer. At that moment, he felt a soft sensation pressing against his lips. He was startled, but after calming down, he also pressed his lips against her.
...
Lu Se School was only around the neighborhood and it would only take them around a few minutes to return home.
Meng Yue and Ling Bingxue were neighborhoods, but their house was separated in three intersections.
After he accompanied her back to her house, Meng Yue bid farewell.
He looked at Ling Bingxue as she closed the door, and he couldn't help but remember the kiss earlier.
Then, he quickly shook his head and walked in another way.
He was not in hurry.
In the meantime, he needed to restore his strength.
A while ago, he talked with Xue'er, and Meng Yue realized he only had short five months to restore his strength.
Meng Yue was not worried that he couldn't recall each catastrophe on earth. That was because he reached Immortal Emperor, granting him a photographic memory. Although he was only a mortal right now, his soul was boundless and limitless. With this, he was even confident to climb up five realms in just short five months.
Meng Yue wasn't boosting on this part. There were many resources on earth that earthlings perceived as ordinary. Bananas, apples, strawberry... little did they know they could be used for cultivation!
"For now, I have to reach Nascent Soul at the very least. Five months from now, a massive tsunami would strike the Philippines, completely eradicating it." Meng Yue's eyes shone. "I won't allow it to be destroyed! With my presence, I'll not allow any catastrophe befallen earth!"
....
Midnight.
Atop his bedroom, Meng Yue sat cross-legged with eyes closed. Stellar energies hovered about as they followed the breadth of Meng Yue. A pile of one-month-old golden fruit marshaled around his feet.
Strangely enough, these golden fruits seemed to attract the attention of Stellar Particles. When the particles entered the fruits, they would become stellar energy which then Meng Yue absorbed.
However, the golden fruits became thinner the more they turned into stellar energies. Soon after, the golden fruits all evaporated, only leaving behind peels.
"As expected, because of my soul, my cultivation is ten times faster. Unexpectedly, with only ten bananas, I was able to reach the first layer of Body Tempering."
Meng Yue felt emotional when he thought of this. When he started cultivation, it took him a month to reach the first layer of body tempering. Those days, resources were tight and many disciples were fighting over them.
Back then, Meng Yue was quite speechless. He learned the seemingly ordinary bananas on earth were actually used for cultivation.
But because the earth had been destroyed, Meng Yue was not able to benefit from the limitless resources of the earth. This was also the reason why monsters from foreign lands invaded earth.
"I need resources, but my family is tight with money."
Meng Yue's brows furrowed.
Many resources were waiting for Meng Yue to grab, but his short budget won't allow him to squander.
With his allowance, he had only purchased ten golden fruits earlier today.
"This is frustrating."
Meng Yue sighed, shrugging.
But then, his eyes suddenly shone. With a single leap, he arrived at the roof. The stars shone above the skies with the moon as a presence.
"That's right. That one..."
Meng Yue closed his eyes and reminisced a scene.
When catastrophe hit China, everything collapsed. Businesses, educations, and technologies stopped working. Back then, Meng Yue met a rich businessman.
"Thank you for saving me."
Meng Yue had thanked that man. If not for him, buildings would have squashed him to death.
"It's nothing."
Meng Yue and that man then became temporary compatriots. Because of disasters that would strike randomly, they almost died every time. For ten days, they became closer until they referred to each other as brothers.
One day, a disaster struck, and the man died...
Meng Yue still couldn't forget that day. When that man was dying, he remembered his words...
"My only regret is that I wasn't able to save her."
Meng Yue knew who the man was referring to, so he couldn't help but feel anguish and helplessly watched him being burnt by the acids.
"Brother Ren, this time, I'll repay your benevolence. If not for you, I wouldn't be alive till this day..."
Meng Yue softly uttered as he glanced at the stars. With one last look, he leaped down, easily crossing the windows to his bedroom.