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"Crash!"

The thin membrane burst open, and Lin Qing rolled out, covered in a pool of sticky liquid, and fell heavily to the ground.

"Cough... cough cough!" She opened her mouth and spat out a large mouthful of dark red filthy water. The water smelled foul and fishy, making her stomach churn, and she gagged a few more times, feeling the bitter bile surging into her mouth.

Am I... actually still alive?

Lin Qing looked at her abdomen in surprise, a place where there should have been a fatal wound, but now there wasn’t even a scar to be found.

Not just the scar, she even felt like her skin was much smoother, white and soft and elastic, just like a baby’s tender skin.

Ever since she regained her memory, she had been quite concerned about the state of her body... In the past, her cybernetic body had self-repair functions that were adjustable in hardness, never falling short compared to anyone else. But this body was not so, and her long searcher life exposed to the elements had early on deprived her of luster, leaving small scars all over, hands full of calluses, often giving her an illusion of being old at just over twenty.

But now, those wear marks brought by the years had disappeared without a trace.

Having checked her own condition, Lin Qing felt a slight joy in her heart.

As for where this was, she recognized it: the core area of the Lotus Cloud Sect, where she had been with everyone before.

"It seems you have fully recovered." Suddenly a voice came from a corner of the room.

Lin Qing raised her hand to cover her chest—she wasn’t wearing anything now, and the concealment was merely a reflex action, even though she had recognized who it was, "Wei?"

"It’s me." Wei drifted over from the blind spot in her vision, making no footstep sounds. There wasn’t even a door there; who knows where she had been hiding before.

"Do you have clothes?" Even though Lin Qing’s body was covered in mucus, she couldn’t care less about this little discomfort now.

Wei pointed casually, and a stack of folded clothes appeared at her feet, "Please use them."

Heh... truly worthy of being the controller of the Grotto Heaven.

Lin Qing picked up the clothes and found they were traditional garments, which inevitably made her a bit at a loss.

"Your original clothes were damaged and can’t be used any longer. If you don’t know how to wear them, I can help you." Wei didn’t wait for her to nod and floated behind to help her put on the clothes.

Lin Qing felt a bit embarrassed, after all, the main task of this person was to maintain the grand formation and protect the Lotus Cloud Sect from the Inner Demons; having such an important person dress her was indeed a bit too much.

"Why am I here?" To ease the awkwardness, she asked in a low voice, "What about the others?"

"Do you remember what happened before you lost consciousness?" Wei asked in return.

Lin Qing closed her eyes and took a deep breath, "I remember."

How could she forget the feeling when the blade pierced her body? The strange sac emerging from the belly of the giant worm actually hid an alien Demon, and when the new enemy flashed behind her, she realized she was no longer the Future Warrior she once was. Her reactions were sluggish, her limbs weak, even though she held a weapon, she couldn’t utilize a tenth of its effect.

She undoubtedly became a burden to the team.

When fighting alongside Chen Xuan, this issue wasn’t so obvious; he always had various abilities to cover her weak spots, but once he

"This Grotto Heaven formation has a soul-receiving effect, and your body wasn’t damaged, so the two could reunite." Wei replied softly, "Of course... it couldn’t possibly be exactly the same as before; the process itself represents change, but such subtle changes nearly have no impact on your life at all."

So that’s what happened.

Lin Qing gratefully said, "Thank you for saving my life."

"I wasn’t the one who saved you; it was the creator of the Lotus Cloud Sect’s formation, Ji Lian, while my mission is merely to maintain its operation," Wei said indifferently, "As for the others, currently I can only sense the presence of Ji Lian and Elorie. Do you need me to inform them for you?"

"What about Chen Xuan?"

"He has already left the Lotus Cloud Sect’s Grotto Heaven."

"I see, then please send me to Ji Lian." Lin Qing felt a slight sense of loss, it seemed Chen Xuan did not stay here waiting for her to wake up. But this small loss was quickly swept away, who knew how long she had been soaking in the mucus? Everyone was so busy, surely they couldn’t wait idly. Besides, going back was just a matter of crossing a door, she would see him soon enough.

Wei nodded, "I’ll contact her now."

Lin Qing’s gaze wandered around, then rested on another rectangular compartment not covered in the membrane, "Was I the only one sent here?"

"There was also a girl named Elorie," Wei answered, "but she woke up half a day earlier than you and has gone to rest in the Sect."

So the Little Angel also...

Lin Qing couldn’t help but feel a wave of relief.

Ah, no, how could she think that way? She scolded herself the next second; if Elorie fell, would that prove they were on the same level? That was clearly unfair to her. In terms of combat power alone, the other was obviously stronger than her.

In battling with these improper thoughts in her mind, Lin Qing suddenly got a shiver down her spine.

She noticed that there was another person’s figure lying where before stood the soulless bodies.

Was she mistaken?

She rubbed her eyes, confirming it wasn’t anyone else, but indeed Liu Shuyue.

She lay quietly on a long table made of earth and grass, arms crossed and gathered on her chest, seemingly asleep.

Lin Qing swallowed.

For some reason, a strong sense of unease surged in her mind. Why wasn’t Liu Shuyue wrapped in the mucus like her? Why did her expression look so serene, as if she had let go of all burdens...

To be honest, Lin Qing had known her for so long, yet had never seen her appear so at ease, even her brows that normally arched slightly were now a gentle curve.

"Miss Liu... why is she lying here?"

She bit her lip and asked.

Hoping everything was just overthinking.

However, Wei’s response confirmed her premonition, "I wasn’t able to rescue Miss Liu’s soul, she no longer exists in this world; what you see now is merely a soulless body."

How could this be?

"Wasn’t she a Mountain Disciple of the Lotus Cloud Sect?" Lin Qing asked in great shock, "After disciples die, their souls return to the Sect, don’t they?!"

"Indeed, but Miss Liu failed to leave her soul behind. She poured all her strength into the Demon-Slaying True Sword, and this strike secured victory for the Lotus Cloud Sect," Wei’s voice seemed a bit wistful, "Of all the disciples I’ve seen throughout generations, none could compare to her swing of the sword."

So what if none could compare?

She staked her life on it!

Was it really worth it?

Lin Qing wanted to say something, but the words choked in her chest—because she realized she used to be like that too. To fulfill the mission assigned, sacrificing oneself was just the smallest price. Every Future Warrior ascending to the Crystal Palace held this belief: they would use their lives to ensure the continuation of human civilization.

Maybe Liu Shuyue’s intentions weren’t that grand, but the essence was the same.

To defeat the enemy, to let others live, she chose to burn herself.

"Did Chen Xuan... know about this?"

"He did." Wei nodded.

"Is he... heartbroken?"

"I don’t know, he hasn’t come to the Lotus Cloud Sect these days. In fact, I only saw him once after the battle ended," Wei answered honestly.

Lin Qing blinked incredulously, how could that be? She found it hard to imagine Chen Xuan would act so indifferently.

How much had happened after she lost consciousness?

"Ji Lian has returned." As she was in a daze, Wei motioned with a nod, "I’ll send you up now."

Lin Qing only saw a blur in front of her.

The next second, she was already standing before the entrance hall of the Sect.

Wei, Ji Lian, and Elorie were all present as well.

She originally wanted to talk with Ji Lian, but now she had only one thought: return to the store at once.

"Where’s the spaceship? I want to go back first."

"You need to stay calm," Ji Lian, contrary to usual, said solemnly, "I must inform you of some bad news: the room connecting to my mentor’s world has disappeared."