Wailing cries echoed through the sea of flowers.
But they could no longer bring back the girl's voice, her smile, or her likeness.
Qi Manyao was gone.
This penniless girl, time and again, had used her kindness and resilience to tell Wan Lei that no matter what, he must hold onto the light in his heart and not fall into darkness.
To prevent Wan Lei from living in guilt, and to ensure his relationship with Fang Xiaoyu was unaffected, she had voluntarily told him to forget her.
She had sacrificed her very essence, not even asking to be remembered.
She was pure, selfless, expecting nothing in return, only good to him.
She desired nothing, asked for nothing.
"As long as you are well, I am content."
"Man Yao Yao... Man Yao Yao..."
Wan Lei cried, choked with sobs, his heart feeling as if it were being torn out and forcefully stolen.
This time was different from the last.
Last time, they were in the Lei Feng Realm, and Qi Manyao was merely poisoned. He could have had Sui Xiaohang bring her medicine.
But this time, they were in another world, and she was not just poisoned, but her body had died, and her soul had dispersed.
There was not a single trace of her left in this world.
"I will remember you, I will find you, no matter where you are. I refuse to believe you are truly gone."
Wan Lei stood up, looking up at the sky.
"Ghost Immortal, I know you are watching all of this, but I do not resent you for not intervening.
Everything that has happened is my own doing, my fault, and the sin of the demon race.
You did not actively summon me to the secret realm, nor did you summon her. This happened to us, and it has nothing to do with you.
I hold no resentment towards you.
However, please, for the sake of my perilous journey through six secret realms, and for the sake of this girl's self-sacrifice,
Please tell me, can you resurrect her? No matter the cost, I will agree."
The air grew silent for a moment.
Then, from the sky, the voice of the Ghost Emperor echoed.
"For any deceased person, as long as their soul remains, I can resurrect them with a mere thought.
However, if the soul has already dispersed, then even I am powerless."
Hearing this, Wan Lei was filled with grief and unyielding desperation as he asked,
"Even you cannot resurrect her? Immortals cannot resurrect the deceased? What about Sages?"
"Sages cannot achieve this either. Sages might be able to reconstruct a soul from a sliver of a true spirit, thereby recreating the physical body and resurrecting them.
But if Sages cannot find the true spirit, then theoretically, as long as someone is alive, they cannot resurrect another without a soul."
"Is there… is there really no way?"
Wan Lei's eyes were red, his stubborn will surging in his mind.
The Ghost Emperor hesitated for a moment before deciding to speak,
"But there is an existence that can traverse the River of Destiny, locating a true spirit within time and space, and resurrecting individuals.
Such an existence is omnipotent; resurrecting anyone is effortless for them."
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Wan Lei. He remembered the name of an existence he had heard of before…
"Immortal Venerable?"
"Yes, Immortal Venerables are not life forms; Immortal Venerables are supreme will, true deities, omnipotent."
"How can I find an Immortal Venerable?"
"The Immortal Realm."
"Alright, then after I ascend to become an immortal, I will go to the Immortal Realm to seek an Immortal Venerable…"
"Why would an Immortal Venerable help you? They are the supreme deities of the entire Main Plane's endless universe. Billions upon billions wish to resurrect their loved ones, family, and friends. Tell me, why would an Immortal Venerable favor you? What do you have to move them?"
The Ghost Emperor's words were blunt but entirely true.
Wan Lei knew he was right, but he did not despair, give up, or cry out in complaint against the unfairness of fate.
Instead, he said with firm resolve,
"If the Immortal Venerable does not help me, then I will become an Immortal Venerable myself, and I will resurrect her!"
With that, Wan Lei sat in a cross-legged position, holding the Thunder God's Hammer in his left hand and placing his right hand on Fang Xiaoyu's wrist.
His cultivation had recovered, and he could use the wood lightning to heal Fang Xiaoyu.
Seeing Wan Lei's determined expression, the Ghost Emperor in the sky smiled faintly.
"Well done, young man. Stay strong. Overcome this hurdle, and I believe nothing can break you."
The Ghost Emperor spoke, then spread his palm and tossed something upwards. A point of light flew up from his hand, leaving the Ghost Immortal Secret Realm, leaving the Lei Feng Realm, and entering the endless void.
In the sky, a River of Destiny appeared out of nowhere, flowing slowly.
This was time.
That speck of light flew towards the river.
Suddenly, the figure of a young man in white appeared, beckoning towards the point of light, which involuntarily flew towards him.
The young man was confident, knowing no mishaps would occur.
However, just as the point of light was about to reach his palm, it suddenly veered, flying to his left.
The young man turned to look and saw a figure of a woman in green had appeared there at some point.
The woman had a delicate appearance, a kind and gentle face, but her eyes conveyed anger and sorrow.
"I said no one is to interfere with matters concerning the Lei Feng Realm. Wang Xiaohang and Meng Meng interfered, but they did not alter the normal course of events. What, are you trying to change something now?"
The young man smiled at the woman.
The woman in green retorted without politeness.
"You said? You are nothing."
The young man was taken aback.
"She Yu, can you give me some face? I am, after all, the supreme leader of the Main Plane's endless universe."
"One of them,"
She Yu turned to look at Xia Dayu.
"Alright, I'll show you some respect. Sir, you are nothing."
"..."
"If you don't give me the true spirit, how can I resurrect her?"
"Why resurrect her?"
She Yu retorted.
Hearing this, Xia Dayu frowned and asked,
"Why not resurrect her? She is a good girl who was willing to sacrifice herself for the one she loved, her soul scattered. Do you want to see her end like this?
She is still young, and her future path is long. Why not resurrect such a good girl?
She Yu, you are the kindest among us five. This is not like you."
"Oh? Is that so? Then I must ask you, you can resurrect her, but what about afterward?"
"What afterward?"
"After she is resurrected, will she continue to live in pain? Continue to love in vain, continue to be lonely?
Continue to watch the man she loves happily with another woman?
Do you know how cruel that would be to her?"
She Yu refuted mercilessly.
Xia Dayu looked a bit awkward, rubbed his nose,
"People change. Perhaps after she is resurrected, she can find her own Prince Charming. That way, it would be a win-win situation, good for everyone."