If it were just Yali from Shrek Academy coming to see him, no matter his past ties with the academy, Chen Xinjie would never have left the Battle God Hall or taken a single step away from Eternal Heaven.
But, but—!
The handwriting on that letter was Long Yeyue's. The very girl he had loved for two hundred years.
Her handwriting—no matter if a hundred years or a thousand years had passed—he, Chen Xinjie, would still recognize it!
When he learned that Shrek Academy had been bombarded by a Grade 12 Fixed Soul Ammunition, this two-hundred-year-old man had cried.
A battle-hardened general of the Federation had wailed, sobbing in agony, feeling as though his heart was being ripped apart. He had nearly taken his own life to follow the woman he loved.
But his duty and mission to protect the Federation had forced him to suppress that suicidal impulse with the last shred of his reason.
And now, seeing Long Yeyue's handwriting again, learning of the possibility that she had survived, the last of his rationality was almost completely eroded.
He had to see her!
—
Outside the Sea God Legion's station, atop a towering mountain.
As soon as he arrived at the agreed-upon location, a frail silhouette came into view.
Just as Chen Xinjie was about to step forward, overcome with emotion, that figure suddenly turned around, making his body freeze and stopping him in his tracks.
Because it was Yali, not the woman he loved—Long Yeyue.
But Yali's current state left Chen Xinjie utterly shocked, to the point where he almost couldn't believe his eyes.
The once unparalleled beauty, the most stunning healing-type Soul Master of the continent, had completely changed.
She looked as though she had been drained of all moisture, her face devoid of any color, her entire figure appearing gaunt and skeletal.
That once breathtakingly beautiful visage now carried an eerie sense of withering. Her long, flowing hair had turned completely gray.
A single night turning one's hair white—this was it.
Chen Xinjie's shock came swiftly, but it faded just as fast.
Yes, they were both people of tragic fate, sharing the same pain.
To Yali, Yun Ming was what Long Yeyue was to him.
Yali didn't give Chen Xinjie much time to ask questions, nor did she make him wait. Without hesitation, she retrieved a piece of wood from her Soul Guidance storage device.
Light and darkness intertwined and shifted upon it three times, before a gateway of light and shadow was torn open.
From the gate, a spirit emerged. A youthful visage—Long Yeyue's spirit appeared before Chen Xinjie.
Soul Masters who had reached the limits of humanity, unless their souls were deliberately shattered, had ways to remain in the world for a time.
Just like Yun Ming. Even after burning his Life's Flame and Four-Word Battle Armor, after self-destructing his Demi-God Position, his soul did not immediately dissipate. Instead, it was captured and imprisoned by the Holy Spirit Cult, carried at all times by one of their Four Heavenly Kings—the Yandere King, Leng Yulai.
The treasure preserving Long Yeyue's soul was the Soul-Nurturing Wood from the Tang Sect's vault—an artifact capable of nourishing both spiritual power and souls.
When Chen Xinjie finally got a clear look at the person emerging from the portal, his pupils shrank violently.
Even after all these years, seeing her up close, the feeling was just as intense, the emotions from deep within his heart still making it beat uncontrollably.
Long Yeyue's spirit carried a proud demeanor, yet her eyes held a weathered exhaustion that did not match her youthful appearance. But within them, there was still vitality.
"You… you…"
Seeing this face that had only ever appeared in his memories, Chen Xinjie felt his throat tighten, as if something was lodged within it.
Long Yeyue's spirit simply floated there, silently staring at him. The two gazed at each other.
For a long time, it was Chen Xinjie who finally broke the silence.
"Yeyue, at last, I see you as you once were."
"But… why are you only a spirit? Why have you ended up like this?"
As he spoke, Chen Xinjie instinctively reached out to touch her cheek.
However, Long Yeyue's spirit withdrew, evading his hand.
That slight retreat made Chen Xinjie—a federal grand marshal, a man who had weathered two centuries of storms—feel utterly at a loss, almost flustered.
He could only turn to Yali with questioning eyes.
"What happened to Yeyue? Who did this to her?"
Yali's expression remained unchanged, but her voice was filled with grief.
"When I found Sister Yue, I could only recover her spirit. Her body was completely destroyed."
Yet, Chen Xinjie, lost in turmoil, did not notice the subtle, fleeting glance that Yali cast toward the Battle God Hall.
Finding no answers from Yali, he looked back at Long Yeyue's spirit. The cold and mighty federal general, at this moment, was as gentle as water.
"Yeyue, don't worry."
"I will find out who did this. Even if I have to throw away my life, I will send them to hell!"
As people age and the years wear them down, their once hardened natures gradually soften.
In the wake of his overwhelming sorrow and joy, he had completely let go of the unyielding pride he once held.
Deep down, he silently vowed that no matter what, he would accompany Long Yeyue through her final days—even if she was only a spirit now.
At the same time, regret surged through his heart.
If he had not been so rigid back then, would their relationship have reached such an impasse?
If, upon learning that Long Yeyue was going to marry the previous Sea God Pavilion Master, he had immediately cast aside everything to find her, would things have turned out differently?
For a moment, the pain in his heart was so intense that he could barely breathe.
Hearing his declaration of vengeance, Long Yeyue's spirit quivered slightly. Her hoarse voice finally spoke.
"Chen Xinjie."
"…Hm?" At the sound of her voice, Chen Xinjie snapped back to reality.
"I came to ask you… where is Eternal Heaven? Will you tell me?"
As she spoke these words, her eyes carried an endless grievance, as if she might break into tears at any moment.
Chen Xinjie suddenly felt dazed, a deep sorrow filling his heart.
She had come not for him, but for Eternal Heaven.
That grievance in her eyes—it was only because she was forced to plead before him.
His broad figure, once as unshakable as a mountain, now seemed as if it might collapse at any moment.
He should refuse!This was his bottom line!This was what countless comrades expected of him!
Yet, when the refusal reached his lips, he found himself unable to say it.
He knew that if he refused, with Long Yeyue's stubborn nature, she would leave without hesitation.
After a long moment of bitter silence, he suddenly spoke.
"If I tell you, will you be willing to be with me?"
As Long Yeyue froze in shock, he pressed on.
"If you're willing to be with me, I will tell you!"
"I swear it!" Those three words left his lips with resolute finality.
In that instant, Long Yeyue suddenly grabbed his collar, her trembling voice demanding:
"Didn't you swear upon the sea itself that you, Chen Xinjie, would never betray the Sun-Moon Federation?!"
"Where is your conviction?! Your duty?! Your family's honor?!"
Faced with these ideals that he had once regarded as sacred, that had once meant everything to him—Chen Xinjie now saw them as nothing more than dust in the wind.
At this moment, he had reached true enlightenment.
(Chapter End)