Chapter 3075: The Road To Redemption (4)
"Because of me," Ning Yue said softly, placing a hand over her heart. "I am the key, Big Brother Yun. Not a physical key, but a spiritual one. I was born from this place, from the Creator’s soul and the World Tree."
"My connection to it is fundamental, intrinsic. When Nian Shi suppressed you, when he believed he had erased you, the last spark of your consciousness, your unwavering will to fight, cried out. And I heard it."
Her eyes glowed with a soft light. "I am the only one who can feel the true Land of Nowhere’s presence within the shell. I am the only one who can bridge the gap between the facade and the reality."
"Your spirit, though bound, is still connected to this land through the Beyond Heaven King’s Crown and your Profound Vein. I used my connection to create a... a reflection, a spiritual sanctuary within the true Land of Nowhere, and I pulled the core of your awareness into it."
She looked at him, her gaze filled with a love that was both familial and cosmic. "You are not dreaming, Big Brother Yun. You are having a conversation across the veil that separates the facade from the truth. Your body is there, imprisoned. But your spirit is here, with me, in the heart of all creation. This is the Creator’s final design."
"This is why I exist. To be your guide when all seems lost, to be your tether to the source when the enemy believes you are completely cut off."
The torrent of revelations slowly subsided within Yun Lintian’s mind, leaving behind not chaos, but a profound, awe-inspiring clarity.
A moment later, a wry, weary smile touched his spiritual form. The smile was not one of joy, but of bittersweet acceptance.
"All this time... all these years of struggle, and the answer was right here," he murmured, more to himself than to anyone. He then looked at Ning Yue, his expression softening with genuine warmth. "But... it is good. It is truly good to see you again, Yue’er. To know you are safe... that is a greater comfort than you can imagine."
His gaze then shifted to the tall, majestic figure standing beside the World Tree. The weight of his failures, momentarily lifted by the grand revelations, came crashing back, but now with a specific, painful focus. He stepped forward and bowed deeply, a gesture of utmost respect and profound apology.
"Senior Long Yi," Yun Lintian’s voice was heavy with guilt and sorrow. "This junior... is incompetent. I have failed you, and I have failed your lineage. I could not protect Senior Long Xi. I could not protect Qingxuan or Niuniu. The Dragon God Clan... they sacrificed everything, and I... I could not stop it. I offer my most sincere apologies. Their loss is on my hands."
He remained bowed, expecting anger, disappointment, or cold dismissal from the First Ancestor.
Instead, Long Yi’s response was gentle, carrying the weight of immeasurable ages. "There is no need for such apologies, and no need to blame yourself."
Yun Lintian slowly straightened up, meeting Long Yi’s ancient eyes. They held a deep sadness, a grief that was as vast and timeless as the stars, but there was no accusation in them.
"It was not your fault," Long Yi continued, his voice a low rumble that seemed to soothe the very air. "Everything that has transpired... it was destined to be so. During my time here, waiting within this sanctuary, the Young Miss Ning has helped me understand many things. I have learned of the Creator’s arrangements, of the great conflict that was always meant to come."
A profound sorrow flickered in the depths of his draconic eyes. "I knew... I knew that none of my descendants, none of my clan, would survive this cataclysm. It was a fate written into the fabric of this struggle. Seeing them fall... watching the Dragon Queen erased, seeing Dragon Princesses burn their souls... the pain is no less than when I witnessed the fall of my Fourth and Fifth brothers in Nian Shi’s hand. The grief is a constant companion."
He paused, and a hint of powerlessness, rare for a being of his stature, entered his tone. "But what could I do? Although I am hailed as the First Dragon Ancestor, although my name once shook the heavens... in the face of beings like Nian Shi and Yin, I am nothing but an ant. My power, my rage, my desire for vengeance... they are meaningless. I could not protect them then, and I cannot avenge them now."
His gaze settled firmly on Yun Lintian, filled with a desperate, ancient hope. "The only one who has even a sliver of a chance... is you. You are the vessel. You are the one who holds the power they died to protect. Their sacrifices were not for nothing if they bought you this moment, this opportunity."
Yun Lintian shook his head, the weight of their faith feeling like a mountain on his shoulders. "But I failed them. If I had been more cautious... if I had realized my potential earlier, understood the Profound Vein faster... if I hadn’t been so easily manipulated by Nian Shi’s schemes... perhaps things would be different. Perhaps they would still be alive."
The guilt was a corrosive poison in his heart. He had been outplayed, and the cost had been everything he held dear.
It was then that Ning Yue spoke again, her voice gentle yet piercing. "Big Brother Yun, do you truly believe that?"
Yun Lintian looked at her, taken aback by the question. He opened his mouth to affirm his self-blame, but the words died in his throat under her calm, knowing gaze.
"Since the day I met you," Ning Yue said, her eyes holding his, "you have been the most cautious, the most meticulous person I have ever known. You plan for every possibility, you doubt every wind, you trust slowly and act only after careful consideration. You have carried the weight of countless lives on your shoulders since you were young, and you have never buckled under it."