"Are you sure you didn't see it wrong?"
I asked again, but Lan Yin still shook his head.
"I'm sure I didn't see it wrong. Things were chaotic at the time, so I had to lock you up first. That guy should be you—I'm certain."
I looked at Lan Yin in confusion, then quickly shook my head.
"That shouldn't be possible. The Earthly Soul guy should..."
I didn't finish my sentence. A familiar feeling appeared in my mind—when I saw Blake Winters just now, there was indeed a sense of déjà vu.
"That's right, Ethan. That guy is definitely the Earthly Soul. Otherwise, I would have taken him out in an instant."
Judging by Lan Yin's expression, he wasn't joking. But my mind was instantly filled with questions.
"What is the Earthly Soul doing here? Besides, I came through that spell—the formation recorded on the Dark Banquet's invitation. Even if the Earthly Soul has an invitation, he'd still need someone like Taomuzi to prepare the formation. But..."
I didn't finish my sentence. Thinking back carefully, ever since I set out for the Four Sacred Realm, the Earthly Soul had appeared. His presence at Universal Temple wasn't a coincidence. Then, he was so helpful in finding the marker for me—in Hades Village. And the day I went to Hades Village, he was there waiting for me.
"That bastard."
After Roxie's death, Lan Yin fell into deep self-blame.
"Don't worry about that now, Ethan. Whatever his purpose is, our only goal right now is to awaken the Azure Luan egg."
At this moment, Lan Yin sat down and leaned against a tree trunk, smiling at me.
"It was only after arriving in the Four Sacred Realm that I gradually overcame the instinct of despair. Before that, I was always caught between the instincts of hope and despair. After what happened with Mo Yu, I developed two instincts. I don't know what kind of joke fate is playing on me, making me possess two completely opposite instincts."
I could basically understand what Lan Yin meant. It's just like yin and yang—absolutely impossible to be the same, unless, like Yuna Ji, one's two instincts naturally complement each other. But Lan Yin was always trapped between despair and hope, unable to escape.
Looking into Lan Yin's eyes, I saw a hint of sadness. I crouched down beside him and patted his shoulder.
"Now that I'm here, Roxie is right in front of me, and I will save her from this place."
Lan Yin nodded, stood up easily, tilted his head back, and let out a long breath before looking at me.
"You must be curious about my power now, Ethan."
Soon we arrived in the Black Tortoise Domain. The Saints of Black Tortoise had all returned and were scattered across the islands in the lake. We flew straight to the largest island in the center.
I saw that Spirit Snake was still there, but Zhu Tang was gone. Black Tortoise seemed to have been talking with Spirit Snake for a long time.
"Is it your instinct that caused it?"
I immediately understood, looking at Lan Yin. He nodded.
"It was only after arriving in the Four Sacred Realm that I gradually overcame the instinct of despair. Before that, I was always caught between the instincts of hope and despair. After what happened with Miss Mo Yu, I developed two instincts. I don't know what kind of joke fate is playing on me, making me possess two completely opposite instincts."
I could basically understand what Lan Yin meant. It's just like yin and yang—absolutely impossible to be the same, unless, like Yuna Ji, one's two instincts naturally complement each other. But Lan Yin was always trapped between despair and hope, unable to escape.
Lan Yin nodded, and there was a look of concern in Black Tortoise's eyes.
I nodded, observing Lan Yin's transformation. I felt I should be happy, even if I couldn't actually feel joy.
"Let's go, Ethan. Let's pay a visit to Lord Black Tortoise."
I responded, knowing that the most important thing now was to awaken that egg.
Soon we arrived in the Umber Domain. The Saints of Black Tortoise had all returned and were scattered across the islands in the lake. We flew straight to the largest island in the center.
I saw that the Spirit Snake was still there, but Zhu Tang was gone. Black Tortoise seemed to have been talking with Spirit Snake for a long time.
"Lan Yin, have things outside been resolved?"
Lan Yin nodded and bowed respectfully.
At that moment, Spirit Snake slithered over and coiled around my neck, resting its head on my shoulder and closing its eyes. It seemed very tired.
"It's been a long time since I've seen such a powerful Forsaken. The ones we've killed before probably weren't even a tenth as strong as the one who appeared before us."
Aunt Lan nodded, and there was a look of concern in Black Tortoise's eyes.
"The three numbered ones ahead should be even stronger."
I muttered to myself. That Entity 004 could even lift an entire snow-covered continent from the ground. I still didn't understand why he wanted to save the Earthly Soul, or why the Earthly Soul chose not to reveal his identity and instead infiltrated the Four Sacred Realm.
Lan Yin and Black Tortoise discussed the matter of the Earthly Soul. After a while, Black Tortoise nodded.