While Yetao struggled with his conflicted thoughts, a heavy sigh from Dorn broke the silence.
"I know it's too much for you to bear," Dorn said, his voice softening. He produced a steaming bowl from seemingly nowhere. "Just eat this now and get some energy. I want you to meet someone."
With a casual wave of his hand, the magical threads binding Yetao to the bed dissolved into glittering particles. Yetao slowly pushed himself up to a sitting position, wincing as his weakened muscles protested.
"Who?" he asked, curiosity momentarily overriding his despair.
"Our elder," Dorn replied simply.
Yetao's mind raced. Does he mean the teacher who told Yuchen about the curse? If so, he might know about these timeline distortions. I need to meet him immediately.
"Where is he now? Can you take me?" Yetao asked, his eyes filled with desperate urgency.
Dorn placed a firm hand on Yetao's shoulder, pushing him gently back onto the bed. "Eat first, and then I'll take you to him."
Yetao stared at the bowl of wonton soup as if it were an obstacle rather than nourishment.
In his desperation for answers, he tilted the bowl and swallowed everything in one massive gulp, scalding heat be damned.
A sharp pain erupted across his tongue and his throat burned, but Yetao barely registered it—such was his need for answers.
Dorn's eyes widened in shock. "Are you nuts?" he yelled, grabbing Yetao's chin and forcing his mouth open. His tongue was bright red and already beginning to blister.
With a disapproving glare, Dorn conjured a small, jade-colored pill between his fingers. "This is only a third-grade healing pill, since the world doesn't have much spiritual energy left. Eat it and wait until it's fully absorbed. I'll take you to the elder after that."
Yetao accepted the pill hesitantly but swallowed it when it became clear that Dorn wouldn't proceed until he did.
As the medicine worked its way through his system, Yetao's mind wandered. Was the lack of spiritual energy caused by Bambam's rampage? How much time has passed since then? The questions swirled in his mind like leaves caught in a whirlwind. Reality itself seemed increasingly tenuous.
Once the pill had taken effect and his tongue had partially healed, Dorn checked his condition and nodded with satisfaction.
"Come with me," he said, leading the way out of the room.
Stepping outside, Yetao gasped at the unexpected sight. The area was lush with vibrant trees and expansive training grounds. The sky seemed impossibly close, as if they stood at the very edge of the heavens.
"You said there wasn't much spiritual energy left," Yetao said, puzzled. "Did this place somehow escape Bambam's rampage?"
Dorn paused mid-step, his shoulders tensing. "No..." he replied, his voice barely above a whisper. "You'll understand when you see the elder."
Without turning back, Dorn continued toward a massive shrine that dominated the center of the compound. Yetao hurried to keep pace.
When they reached the shrine, Dorn pressed his palms against the ornate doors and channeled his power. Ancient seals glowed briefly before the heavy doors swung open, revealing the sacred chamber within.
Yetao's eyes widened in shock.
In the center of the shrine, suspended in midair, was a man wrapped in countless golden threads. His eyes were closed, his expression serene despite his obvious imprisonment. The golden threads connected to the chamber's pillars, pulsing with energy as they continuously drained the man's life force.
"The Immortal Realm was not spared from that demon's wrath," Dorn explained, his voice heavy with sorrow. "Our elder has been maintaining this barrier by sacrificing his own life force. He is already dead in every sense that matters. He preserved his final breath of vitality for this day. To meet you"
"To meet me?" Yetao asked in confusion.
Dorn nodded. "Since the apocalypse, the world has become completely barren. The Immortal Realm survives on spiritual power that radiates from the mortal world. But when that became impossible, our elder began sacrificing his cultivation to maintain this barrier, protecting the remaining survivors."
His voice dropped even lower. "He's been doing this for almost two thousand years now."
"Two thousand years?" Yetao repeated, stunned. "Are you saying the incident I just experienced happened two millennia ago?"
"What you experienced was merely a memory that you had the chance to relive," Dorn confirmed. "Did you feel your own consciousness while you were there?"
Yetao recalled the strange sensation—how he'd felt like a puppet at first, his actions controlled by unseen strings. How eventually his own awareness had receded, and he'd merely observed another's life from the shadows.
He shook his head as no.
"Of course you can't. If past can be reversed back just like that, why did we have to go through all this? We can just revert back the time to when the moon goddess's daughter placed the curse and stop her from doing that", Dorn clenched his fist in his inability to do such a thing.
Yetao was lost in thought for a while as he murmered, "Zihao....."
Dorn noticed, his brow furrowing in thought. After a moment, he gestured toward the suspended elder. "Just speak with him now. He is the only one who can give you the right answers for every question going on in your head right now. Place your hand on the orb before him, but keep your eyes closed. Simply respond to his voice."
Yetao hesitated, eyeing the glowing orb that floated beneath the elder's suspended form. Finally, steeling himself, he stepped forward and placed his palm against the cool, smooth surface.
The moment his skin made contact, a voice resonated not through his ears, but directly within his mind.
"You finally arrived, my child."
Yetao flinched, but kept his hand pressed firmly against the orb. The time for answers had come.
Yetao's chest tightened and his voice trembled with emotion.
"Elder.... Just tell me one thing. Just where am I? I was forcefully sucked into a stupid game. Then got sucked into another world. The man who looks exactly like me is saying that these are my past lives and the one man I loved is responsible for killing all my beloved ones."
He clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white. "I don't know.....I don't know what to believe. I feel like my head would burst trying to understand all this. Just what is real?"
Tears cascaded down Yetao's face as the burden of confusion became too much to bear. Dorn, observing silently from the sidelines, closed his eyes tightly and lowered his head, powerless to offer comfort.
The Elder's voice was gentle, like a cool breeze on a scorching day. "Please don't cry, my child. It's true that these are your past lives. But you still have the power to revert everything. That's why Yuchen went through everything and brought you from the other world."
Yetao's sobs subsided, replaced by confusion that gradually transformed into a glimmer of hope. "I can? How?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
"By combining with your other soul," the Elder replied.
Confusion clouded Yetao's expression once more.
The Elder studied him closely. "Do you know how your soul got split?"
"No.... he just said it got split in my first life."
The Elder replied sagely. "In your first life, the energy of the curse was so strong since it couldn't take your father's life. That's why Bambam got tainted by its energy and went on killing everyone in his sight." The elder's eyes fixed on Yetao. "Do you know that the wolf clan members can have their dying wish be fulfilled?"
A memory flashed through Yetao's mind—how he had pulled Barcode from an illusion through his dying wish. "I know," he said softly.
"When the wolf lord died in the first life, his dying wish was for you to have a happy and fulfilling life by reversing time."
Yetao's hands trembled with an overwhelming sadness. "Lu?" he breathed.
"Yes, him. We came to know about it from his ashes." The Elder's voice grew heavier. "And the next moment, when Zihao sacrificed his life force, you committed suicide. The resentment in you was so strong that it gripped your soul tightly. The wolf lord's wish and Zihao's sacrifice split your soul into two. One is you and the other is the resentment which held the memories of it."
Yetao was overwhelmed with sadness but an understanding dawned on him, and questions still lingered. "But from my past memories, I believe a curse would eat the soul. Then how did my soul survive and get split?"
The Elder paused, as if gathering strength for what came next. "For that, you need to know one more thing, my child. When Zihao died, he did not just turn the world back. He appeased the curse in that moment."
A chill slithered down Yetao's spine. "You mean..." he stuttered, unable to voice the terrible possibility.
"Since he was also your bloodline, the curse took his soul instead of yours and.... died in your place."
The revelation struck Yetao like a bolt of lightning. His mind reeled, unable to process such a sacrifice. "But isn't the curse activated when we complete our 1000-year cultivation? Why did it affect my Zihao? He was only 500 years old at that time," he asked, heart racing.
"That was one of the tricks the curse played," the Elder explained. "The girl who placed the curse sealed her soul with it. Do you know why she cursed that on the 1000th year, your family should perish? Because for cultivators, that would be their only purpose in life. When she couldn't achieve her purpose in life, she cursed your father's whole generation."
The Elder's eyes softened with compassion. "And Zihao... he was your purpose in life, my child. No parent can remain truly alive in mind after losing their children. The curse lifted the moment Zihao died."
The Elder's words cut through Yetao's heart like a blade. Tears flowed freely as memories of Zihao flooded his mind. He wanted to hear no more, but the Elder's next words captured his attention.
"But you can bring him back."
Hope surged within Yetao, lifting his spirits instantly.
"That depends on your luck, my child. The 'Parallel Eye' can only give prophecies. You must be the one to decipher them," the Elder cautioned.
Yetao thought of the mysterious game screen. "The screen said I should acquire the demon's heart. Is that the way? But I've only acquired two hearts. I need to get the other three."
Silence fell between them before the Elder spoke again. "If that is the way, then you already have three hearts with you, my child."
"No," Yetao denied, "I only acquired the black and white dragon's hearts."
"You currently have the wolf lord's heart in you too," the Elder revealed.
Yetao recalled his past events. "Could it be that the glowing mark and the second life I've lived again is due to that?"
"Probably," the Elder nodded. "But you still need two more hearts."
"But how can I get them now?" Yetao asked, feeling lost.
The Elder's expression softened. "The phoenix lord has long been thinking of relieving himself of his burden. Since a phoenix's heart can only be obtained through death, just approach him and ask. He'll be more than happy to give you his."
Shock registered on Yetao's face. "Oscar? He's alive? But didn't Bambam cause everyone's death in my second life?"
The Elder appeared equally shocked by this statement. "My child, he tried his very best to save them and created a barrier around them before getting tainted."
"He protected them?" Yetao's voice was laced with disbelief. "Why did he go rampant if he wanted to protect them? Elder, are you deceiving me?"
"I have no reason to deceive you, my child. It's true that he went rampant. But his demon powers were so strong in that life. He could not control them when he lost you. That's why he created barriers around the others."
"Then... what he did was out of his control?" Sadness and confusion swirled within Yetao.
The Elder's voice grew solemn. "Not only the lords, he had already taken necessary measures before suppressing the curse. All the clans were protected by a barrier. Even your clan, your uncle and aunt were safe. But the demonic energy poisoned the entire land. The clan lords maintained the barriers by sacrificing their life energy, just as I did. But everyone has perished a few years ago since they were demons. Oscar is hanging with his last bit of soul for more than centuries since he's half immortal. Go with Dorn and let him be relieved"
Yetao fell silent, his feelings toward Bambam now a complex tangle of confusion.
The Elder's voice grew distant, fading away. "My child... everything started due to my neglect at first. Don't blame Bambam.... He was just trying his best even when you weren't looking. That pitiful demon carried all the burden on his shoulders and survived a very lonesome journey. I hope you'll understand."
The connection severed. Yetao returned to consciousness, swaying slightly before Dorn caught him.
"What did the Elder say?" Dorn asked anxiously.
Yetao's mind echoed with one haunting question: What should I feel about Bambam now?
Gathering his resolve, he looked up at Dorn who waited expectantly for an answer.
"We need to find the phoenix lord," Yetao declared.