Inside Aldrian’s mindscape, he looked at the man before him. Even after diving into his mories, he could not recall ever seeing this man. He wasn’t sure whether they had t in the past.
However, the man seed to recognize him.
"The great emperor of all Heavens, huh?" he thought. This was the first ti he heard soone call him that. So did that an he was the ruler of all heavens in his past life? No wonder he could control the cosmos back then.
After a mont of silence, Aldrian spoke.
"Long Leiyun, huh? For you to act like this, you must know to so extent. Tell , Leiyun—do you know personally? Did you ever co to see in my past life, when I t the Silver Lightning Dragon clan?"
Long Leiyun straightened his posture.
"Answering Your Majesty, I do know you—though not closely. We t long ago, but I was still a child at the ti. I didn’t dare hope you would rember , as I was not soone worth rembering."
He spoke humbly, but Aldrian shook his head.
"That would be my decision—whether you’re worth rembering or not. If I ever t you, you would be engraved in my mory. Still, I must admit, there are gaps in the visions of my past life. I don’t truly rember you. But I assu you know about my situation?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. Of course I know. Placing my will within the artifact ring was my way of greeting you, helping you answer so of your questions, and perhaps aiding in the recovery of your past life’s mories. And it’s not just —many have been waiting for your return."
Aldrian fell silent for a few monts.
"Your situation... if you placed your will inside the artifact, and the ring was made from the core of the Silver Lightning Dragon, then doesn’t that an you are—" Aldrian stopped mid-sentence.
Long Leiyun, already understanding what Aldrian ant to say, simply nodded.
"Yes, Your Majesty. I am already dead. This will is the only remnant of my consciousness left in the world."
Hearing the answer, Aldrian let out a quiet sigh. He didn’t know why, but a heaviness settled in his chest.
"I have a few questions I hope you’ll answer. But you don’t have to, if you’d rather not."
"Please ask, Your Majesty. I’ll answer them if I can."
"Alright, first... I’ve t a few people who said I would return—and that they were waiting for it. My question is: return to where? What does it an, the ’worthy place’ for to return to?"
"The place of Your Majesty’s return is the highest place," Long Leiyun replied. "To the highest status, the highest realm—to beco the absolute ruler you were always ant to be."
Aldrian fell into thought for a mont. From the way he answered, it seed that the ’place’ wasn’t necessarily a physical location, but rather a term referring to sothing he was worthy of—whether that be a place, power, or status.
"Do you know how I died in the past? I knew I was so kind of mighty figure. Many still seem to hold in reverence... but with that much power, how did I still end up dead?"
Long Leiyun remained silent for a mont.
"To be honest, I don’t know either, Your Majesty. What I rember is that, at the ti, the entire universe seed to tremble. Heaven and earth were plunged into sadness, the stars’ light dimd, and many of Your Majesty’s followers were crying. The only thing I know is that I once heard from my parents that Your Majesty had made a decision, and no one could persuade you to stop, which is why you entered the reincarnation cycle."
Aldrian touched his chin, still unsure. The answer was vague.
"You and so others said that they are waiting for my return. Why are they waiting for ? What if I decide not to return to that ’place’ and just stay here? What if I don’t follow all of your expectations?"
Suddenly, Long Leiyun’s expression shifted to one of absolute conviction.
"I believe Your Majesty choose to return—no, Your Majesty will return! You will undoubtedly choose to return to the peak. Many have placed their faith in you. Your Majesty will return, one way or another. This is my belief, and the belief of many others."
There was not a sliver of doubt in his voice. Aldrian could see in his eyes that he truly ant every word.
Looking at Long Leiyun like this, Aldrian felt that he could finally ask a question that had been lingering in his mind since he had encountered so many figures seemingly waiting for him.
"Actually, I wonder... why does everyone seem so desperate for my return? Even without returning to the place I once was, everything will still go on, right? Even without , the universe seems to be just fine, operating as usual."
Long Leiyun’s expression suddenly turned serious.
"No, Your Majesty. Although everything may seem fine on the surface, that’s only because chaos has yet to reach this place. If chaos finally arrives and Your Majesty is unable to stop it, there will be no hope left for anyone to face those bastards!"
Aldrian frowned, a sudden thought crossing his mind. Could the chaos Long Leiyun ntioned be tied to the prophecy? From the way Long Leiyun spoke, it seed that the chaos wasn’t just sothing caused by specific parties.
Until now, Aldrian had believed that the devils, with their imnse concentration of negative energy that beca devil energy, were the primary force behind the upcoming chaos. But now, it seed there might be more to it.
"Who are ’those bastards’? All this ti, I thought the devils were the main force behind the chaos, the ones responsible for all the destruction. But from what you’re saying... are there other parties involved in this?"
Long Leiyun fell silent. After a few monts, he finally spoke.
"It would be better for Lady Feng Xuanyan and Lord Long Shentian to explain this to Your Majesty, if you et them. They are far more knowledgeable about these beings."
But then, his tone shifted—fury burning beneath his words, a reflection of the deep hatred he held toward these unknown enemies.
"However, what I do know is that those bastards have done sothing unforgivable. They’ve sullied and challenged Your Majesty’s authority."
"That is also why we believe Your Majesty will return, because they will inevitably co for you. Your Majesty poses the greatest threat to them. We believe that with your power, if you return to the peak, to the place you once stood, there’s no way those bastards could withstand even a drop of your strength."
Aldrian suddenly felt the weight of an even greater problem looming beyond the ti of the prophecy. From the way things were unfolding, it seed he would need to fully regain the power he had glimpsed in his visions if he was to face what lay ahead.
Another thing caught his attention—the nas of two figures.
"Feng Xuanyan and Long Shentian..."
Suddenly, he felt another wave of visions and mories flooding into his mind. He saw glimpses of his past once again—along with new fragnts. In them, he saw the Phoenix Ancestor and the Dragon Ancestor. They had often appeared in his visions, interacting with him more than most. They were among the few who had shared many monts with him.
As if sothing in his mind had finally unlocked, he now knew their nas.
Feng Xuanyan was the Phoenix Ancestor, and Long Shentian was the Dragon Ancestor.
He grab his head as if he felt slight headache.
Those were their nas—the nas his past life had spoken many tis. To think he was only rembering them now... it felt strange and ridiculous. Like suddenly forgetting the na of soone incredibly close to him, only to finally recall it.
It was as if sothing had been blocking his mind, keeping him from rembering. But now, at last, their nas were engraved into his mory once more.
He sighed at this and looked into Long Leiyun’s eyes. But then he noticed sothing—Leiyun’s body was growing more transparent, slowly fading from the feet upward.
"Alright," Aldrian said quietly, "I know there isn’t much more you can tell . I can sense that our conversation is draining your will. I’ll find the rest of the answers myself. It’s ti I leave, so you won’t exhaust what remains of your will."
But Long Leiyun shook his head.
"No, Your Majesty. Even if you leave now, this will of mine will still fade away. Once you awakened my will, my ti was already set to end. I was here only to greet you and to answer what I could. My waiting and duty are complete. It’s ti for to go."
Aldrian sighed again. He couldn’t quite control his emotions in a mont like this. A farewell from soone who had waited so long for him left behind only sadness and a bitter taste.
"Although my will in the ring will fade, a part of has already beco one with the ring. So if you wish to use , I can still be of so help. Or, if you’d prefer I continue supporting the Losaris family, that choice is yours, Your Majesty."
Long Leiyun’s body continued to grow more transparent, his form nearly gone now.
"Your Majesty, may I make one last request of you?"
Aldrian nodded, his expression solemn.
"Say it."
Suddenly, Long Leiyun prostrated and his voice filled with pleading.
"Please avenge us, your loyal followers, please avenge my clan. For , all I can do now is hope Your Majesty will avenge the Silver Lightning Dragon clan. You are the only hope I have left."
Aldrian was stunned. He wanted to ask what had happened to the Silver Lightning Dragon Clan, but he knew ti was running out. Without thinking, he instinctively nodded.
"I will."
At Aldrian’s response, a sense of relief washed over Long Leiyun. He lifted his head slightly to look at Aldrian, offering a faint smile. Then, in a final gesture of respect, he prostrated once more.
"Thank you."
Suddenly, Long Leiyun’s voice rang out with renewed spirit.
"May the glory of the absolute ruler be eternal!"
"May the great emperor of all heavens continue to reign sovereign!"
His words echoed through the space as his will faded, leaving Aldrian alone in the vast, starry space.
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