The arrival was Feng Ning, who had fallen into a demonic frenzy.
With killing intent radiating from him, he declared, "Those who touch my wife shall be killed without mercy!"
Ye Zhan was filled with grief and indignation.
In his eyes, Jing Yulan's death was entirely Feng Ning's doing.
If Feng Ning hadn't insisted on marrying Jing Yulan, she wouldn't have been hunted by the entire Feng family.
Therefore, without a word, he grabbed his saber and engaged Feng Ning in battle.
Both men intentionally avoided the area where Jing Yulan's body lay, fighting their way towards the cave's exit.
This battle raged through a sky as dark as pitch.
The Ye family members attempted to intervene, but Ye Zhan stopped them. He wanted to avenge the wife he was robbed of and the wife who was murdered, with his own hands.
On Sunset Peak, the immense spiritual energy fluctuations instantly drew countless cultivators to witness the spectacle.
When they clearly saw that one of the combatants was Feng Ning, the one who had fallen into a demonic frenzy, they were all greatly astonished.
No one had expected that Feng Ning, who had disappeared for nearly a decade, had actually been in this Sunset Forest all along.
Although they didn't recognize Ye Zhan, they knew that anyone who could fight against the demonically possessed Feng Ning could not be an ordinary person.
Moreover, judging by Ye Zhan's demeanor, it seemed he would not rest until Feng Ning was slain.
Both men's killing intent was palpable, and the smaller spiritual beasts within the Sunset Forest were so terrified that they fled into their burrows.
The more powerful spiritual beasts also incessantly dug at the ground, as if issuing a warning to the humans.
This battle lasted for ten days and ten nights, finally concluding when both combatants were utterly exhausted.
Perhaps it was a case of "fighting breeds friendship," for upon waking, they each recounted their stories and eventually, they smiled and let bygones be bygones.
However, the ownership of Jing Yulan's body once again sparked a fierce dispute between them.
Ye Zhan asserted without yielding, "Yulan was my lawfully wedded wife, the mistress of our Ye family!"
Feng Ning also argued fiercely, "She was also the wife I brought into my home with a grand sedan chair procession!"
Ye Zhan: "She is my wife!"
Feng Ning: "She is my wife!"
"..."
Unable to settle their dispute, they nearly started fighting again.
In the end, neither could convince the other, and both settled down in the cave.
Zi Linling received this news from Ye family intelligence operatives and found herself both amused and exasperated.
She fixed her gaze in the direction of Sunset Peak in the Sunset Forest and set off.
After a day and night of arduous travel, Zi Linling finally stood upon Sunset Peak.
The Ye family members who had accompanied Ye Zhan spotted her and immediately rushed forward, escorting her into the cave.
Upon seeing Zi Linling, Ye Zhan's face lit up with excitement, and he strode forward, exclaiming, "Miss Zi, you've arrived!"
Zi Linling nodded and replied, "After I dealt with matters in the Demon Realm, I rushed here as quickly as I could. How is Madam?"
Ye Zhan glanced at Jing Yulan, who lay on the stone bed, a look of profound sorrow crossing his face.
Just as Zi Linling was about to approach, Feng Ning stepped in her way.
With palpable hostility, Feng Ning questioned, "Who are you?"
Zi Linling stated calmly, "Your mother-in-law's daughter-in-law!"
Ye Zhan was overjoyed at this declaration.
He knew that by saying this, Zi Linling was acknowledging her connection to the Ye family.
Feng Ning, however, remained wary and asked, "Daughter-in-law? How can you prove it?"
Zi Linling smiled and produced "Chong'er" from her nascent world.
She had always carried Chong'er on her back. During the battle in the Demon Realm, she had to give her all, so she had no choice but to store Ye Lingyuan, along with "Chong'er," within her nascent world.
Later, Zi Linling discovered that the spiritual energy within the nascent world could even cause the cultivation of Ye Lingyuan to grow slowly while his soul was in a coma.
Therefore, after safely leaving the Demon Realm, Zi Linling did not take Chong'er out.
Zi Linling slowly opened "Chong'er," retrieved Ye Lingyuan from it, and asked, "Do I still need to prove anything?"
Feng Ning stared in stunned disbelief. Suddenly, he seemed to recall something and exclaimed in shock, "Is this the child we lost?"
Zi Linling smiled and replied, "I suppose so!"
With that, she placed Ye Lingyuan beside Jing Yulan's corpse.
Suddenly, a wisp of black light emerged from Jing Yulan's body, which had been deceased for over a decade, and merged into Ye Lingyuan's body.
Simultaneously, in the Yellow Springs of the Underworld, the King of Hell's Seal trembled violently, and the entire Yellow Springs churned.
The Ten Great Lords of the Underworld all rushed towards the Yellow Springs, prostrating themselves in extreme awe.
A moment later, the Yellow Springs finally returned to calm, as if nothing had happened.
As the Yellow Springs churned, the Ghost Emperor, who was cultivating in the Ghost Realm, also suddenly opened his eyes.
His eyes were exceedingly cloudy, yet a sharp glint pierced through the haze.
However, before this glint could even leave the Imperial Palace, the Ghost Emperor fainted.
In the blink of an eye, all returned to tranquility.
Zi Linling, startled in the cave, was about to approach when she heard a voice from the Gate of Ghosts.
"Master, that black light was a phantom manifestation of the King of Hell's Seal."
The King of Hell's Seal?
Zi Linling's brow furrowed, and she finally recalled the trial in the Underworld at the Spirit Altar.
Since it was the King of Hell's Seal, she no longer worried.
For Zi Linling knew that Ye Lingyuan was the King of Hell.
However, she was curious as to how the King of Hell's Seal came to be within Jing Yulan's corpse.
As the King of Hell's Seal returned to Ye Lingyuan's body, Jing Yulan's corpse began to disintegrate at a visible rate.
"No!"
Ye Zhan, Feng Ning, and Zi Linling cried out simultaneously.
Ye Zhan and Feng Ning were overcome with unbearable grief, while Zi Linling was filled with shock.
Without Jing Yulan, the "familial love and tear of devotion" would have no anchor, and how could Ye Lingyuan be saved?
Suddenly, a residual soul fragment of Jing Yulan appeared in the air. She smiled gently at Feng Ning.
Tears immediately streamed from the corners of Feng Ning's eyes as he stammered out two words, "Lanlan!"
Lanlan was the name he had given Jing Yulan after rescuing her.
"Yulan!"
Ye Zhan called out, his voice full of deep affection. But Jing Yulan seemed not to recognize him.
"What is going on?"
Zi Linling inquired of the Gate of Ghosts.
The Gate of Ghosts replied, "I was curious earlier as to how a person who died years ago could have her corpse preserved so perfectly. Now I understand. It was the phantom manifestation of the King of Hell's Seal that locked this wisp of her soul within her flesh, thus preventing her body from decaying."
"Master, since this soul fragment exists, it is not impossible for you to save His Highness the King of Hell."
Zi Linling asked in surprise, "How can I save him?"
"Master, you can use this soul fragment as a conduit, and through me and the Six Paths of Reincarnation, we can forcibly summon the other parts of her soul," the Gate of Ghosts explained.
Zi Linling questioned doubtfully, "Can that be done? It's been many years; wouldn't she have already reincarnated?"
The Gate of Ghosts replied, "Impossible. Without this wisp of fragmented soul, she could not have entered the Six Paths of Reincarnation."