[After learning everything, Ruan Lianyue was overcome with grief.]
[She reached out, wanting to take Ye Yu's body from Liang Yu's hands.]
[But a powerful force instantly pushed Ruan Lianyue away.]
[It was clear that Liang Yu believed Ruan Lianyue was unworthy to touch Ye Yu's body.]
[Nevertheless, Ruan Lianyue stepped forward once more.]
[She extended her hands and pleaded tearfully: Ye Yu often said that the spiritual fruit I gave him was very sweet, and he wanted to eat it again.]
[Now, I want to take him back to the Wind Thunder Temple to eat spiritual fruits. Please, Master, grant me this wish.]
[Upon hearing these words, Liang Yu's eyes reddened again.]
[It was only at this moment that she finally understood why Ye Yu had asked her if she had ever eaten sweet spiritual fruits.]
[So, after much contemplation, Liang Yu silently let go.]
[Ruan Lianyue took Ye Yu's body and slowly walked out of the room.]
[At this moment, disciples of the Earth Fiend Sect, upon seeing Ye Yu's death, wanted to question Ruan Lianyue about what had happened.]
[But they were stopped by Vice Sect Master Ze Tian.]
[Ze Tian's eyes were slightly red, and he remained silent.]
[Half an hour ago, he received a heartfelt voice transmission from Ye Yu, saying he would willingly die at Ruan Lianyue's hands.]
[He had issued a final command to all members of the Earth Fiend Sect: not to seek revenge and not to disrespect Ruan Lianyue.]
[This was Ye Yu's final wish.]
[Therefore, no matter how angry Ze Tian was, he would abide by it.]
[After a long time, under a spiritual fruit tree outside the Wind Thunder Temple, Ruan Lianyue leaned against the trunk, holding Ye Yu.]
[There were many freshly picked spiritual fruits around them. Ruan Lianyue placed one in Ye Yu's hand.]
[Then she picked up another one and began to eat it quietly, tears streaming down her face.]
[But the fruit was not sweet at all. Clearly, it was bitter beyond measure.]
[Ye Yu, promise me, okay? In the next life, let me find you earlier.]
[Let it be you who takes me to eat such sweet spiritual fruits. I will stay by your side, never leaving or abandoning you.]
[Until we meet again in the next life.]
[With Forget Sorrow in hand, Ruan Lianyue ended her own life.]
...
In the Wind Thunder Temple...
Ruan Lianyue slowly woke up.
She wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes.
Did I not die?
No, wait, this is my own room.
The familiar surroundings indicated so.
Was that just a dream?
The heart-wrenching sorrow.
The scent on Ye Yu's body.
And the experiences of wandering through mountains and rivers for so many years.
All of this seemed so real, how could it be just a dream?
Ruan Lianyue slowly sat up.
Suddenly, she noticed that there were two new things by the bedside.
One was a golden dragon crystal.
The other was a pitch-black short sword named Forget Sorrow.
Ruan Lianyue was greatly shaken.
It's real.
All of this is real.
It wasn't just a dream!
Ruan Lianyue took Forget Sorrow and the Dragon Crystal in her hands.
First, she went to the spiritual fruit tree outside the Wind Thunder Temple.
Then to the village from her memories.
But she found no trace of Ye Yu.
Finally, Ruan Lianyue even risked danger to reach the outskirts of the Earth Fiend Sect.
She grabbed a disciple and interrogated him harshly.
But the disciple firmly replied, "Lady, please don't beat me. I swear, our Earth Fiend Sect's leader is not Ye Yu. I have no idea who he is."
Such an answer left Ruan Lianyue very dissatisfied.
She kicked the disciple off the cliff.
Looking at the distant clouds, Ruan Lianyue's eyes grew sharper.
This was definitely not just a dream.
It must have all happened for real.
Or perhaps it could be understood as events from a past life.
This time, Ruan Lianyue reincarnated and returned, determined not to let the tragedy of the past life happen again.
She would use all her strength to find Ye Yu.
To protect him well by his side, and to erase all regrets from the past life.
Ye Yu, wait for me!
...
On the other side.
Ye Yu was frantically scratching his head in the room.
Continuously pondering, where could the Dragon Crystal and the spiritual artifact Forget Sorrow possibly appear?
Hmm, there's probably a good chance they are in the Earth Fiend Sect.
Thinking this, Ye Yu temporarily abandoned the idea of going to retrieve these two items.
The reason was simple.
Given his current level of cultivation, the Earth Fiend Sect was too dangerous for him. It's very likely he can't even enter the protective array of the sect.
After all, this isn't a dream.
So, after thinking it over, Ye Yu decided to change his sleeping position and try another dream.
Maybe, he could obtain something better.
However, imagination is full, reality is lean.
The dream didn't continue but ended quickly instead.
This left Ye Yu feeling quite annoyed.
"Damn it!"
The next moment, Ye Yu's window was pushed open abruptly.
Revealing Xie Muling's perfect face.
"Damn? Huh, Junior brother, what are you saying?"
"I said damn it!"
Ye Yu covered his face with one hand, and grimaced in pain, falling back.
What's the deal with this sticky senior sister?
Doesn't she know the difference between men and women?
Opening the window and asking what "damn it" means?
Damn it means damn it!
The next few days passed relatively peacefully.
Through multiple simulations, Ye Yu successfully advanced to the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm.
Not only did he integrate the True Qinglian Thunder Sword Art comprehensively, but he also quietly incorporated over a hundred recovered souls into the Soul-summoning Banner.
Using the banner to nurture evil spirits.
It must be said, this soul banner truly lives up to being a top-grade spiritual artifact.
In just a few days, all the souls inside the banner transformed into evil spirits.
Their resentment far exceeded before, which was quite astonishing.
But as for how powerful it is, Ye Yu has yet to try.
Because this place ultimately belongs to the Azure Cloud Sect's territory. The Sect Master and the elders are not to be trifled with.
Once the soul banner is used, they will definitely sense the spiritual power fluctuations.
Following the principle of caution, Ye Yu naturally won't act recklessly.
However, in these past few days, unexpectedly, Saintess Yun Roumu had come to visit Ye Yu. She brought some spiritual medicines.
This action drew angry looks from all the male disciples of the sect.
Why would Yun Roumu do this?
Yeah, why?
Are you curious?
Yun Roumu told Ye Yu that it was because they were both survivors of the Forest of Creation, and she felt a connection, so she came to see him.
Ye Yu reluctantly accepted this reason.
But then something even more incomprehensible happened.
Azure Cloud Sect received an invitation to attend the birthday banquet of an emperor.
Yun Roumu was appointed as the leader of this delegation.
And she had the privilege to select a few companions.
Very luckily, she chose Ye Yu.
Ye Yu couldn't help but feel some resistance.
What's wrong with staying at the main headquarters of Azure Cloud Sect? It's much safer indoors.
The Forest of Creation is a vivid example of danger. Last time, he almost lost his life there. Now they want to venture out again?
But whether he wanted to or not, Ye Yu couldn't resist the sect's decision.
So he could only board the spiritual boat for the mission.
They flew northward through the air.
However, when Ye Yu found out that the empire they were visiting was the Great Qian Dynasty... he almost collapsed.