Liu Lingying pressed her cheek against his chest, listening to his strong heartbeat. Two warm tears slowly streamed down her tightly closed eyes, wetting his clothes.
"Li Gan." Her voice was choked and hoarse, yet unusually gentle, as she whispered, "I love you..."
Li Gan rested his chin on her hair, gently inhaling its delicate fragrance—a scent he hadn't forgotten even after so many years. He closed his eyes, opening his mouth to respond to her tenderness, but a sudden, sharp pain shot through his back, stopping him from uttering the words he was about to say.
On his broad back, a silver flying sword deftly pierced through the Blood Shadow Cloak and plunged into his back, with only the small hilt showing.
Li Gan had no suspicion of Liu Lingying, so the Blood Shadow Cloak was also unprepared for the silver flying sword.
“Li Gan, I love you…” Liu Lingying was almost sobbing uncontrollably, tears streaming down her face, forming a continuous stream that flowed down her delicate chin and dripped down, soaking the front of her dress. She wept bitterly, her voice choked with sobs, and said haltingly, “Li Gan, I truly love you… But, for the sake of the Central Plains, the righteous path, and all living beings, I, Liu Lingying, must stab with this sword… I… I…”
The sword clearly pierced his body, but why was it that her heart was the one suffering the most unbearable pain?
Li Gan was severely injured, and his life force was slowly draining away. Until he was no longer able to act as a medium to maintain the world within the Chi You Banner and the portal to that world, a magical vortex suddenly appeared on the Chi You Banner again and began to spin violently. Black rays of light shot out from the banner and flew to various parts of the city, summoning back all eighty-one demon god souls and dragging them into the vortex, leaving only unwilling roars behind.
Soon, all eighty-one demon spirits flew into the vortex, which spun and shrank until it disappeared. The Chi You Banner also began to shrink, becoming about a foot long before gently falling down and landing diagonally in a pile of ruins, fluttering in the wind.
At that moment, Li Gan's imposing figure suddenly knelt down, and the blood flowing from his back became even more turbulent, making the color of his blood-shadow cloak even more vivid.
Liu Lingying tried to hold him so he wouldn't kneel, but in the end she could only kneel down with him helplessly. She stroked his cheeks with both hands, her tears blurring his face, but she could still see his weakness, which was completely different from his usual spiritedness.
Li Gan clearly felt his life force slowly draining away. He felt dizzy, making it difficult for him to see her face clearly, which terrified him. He opened his mouth to say something, but blood gushed out, staining his chin red.
"Li Gan, Li Gan..." Liu Lingying was heartbroken. She pressed her forehead against his and cried uncontrollably.
“Liu Lingying, do you know…” A gentle smile appeared on Li Gan’s blood-stained lips. His voice was extremely weak, yet he spoke each word clearly, saying, “The moment I first saw you, I thought… I thought that one day I would die at the hands of this woman… because…”
He was getting weak, and after a pause, he continued, "Because I, Li Gan, am just too fond of this woman..."
Liu Lingying burst into tears, her sobs choked and wailing.
“Look…” Li Gan said weakly, “I, Li Gan, have truly died at your hands…”
Liu Lingying's sobs subsided. She opened her eyes and looked at Li Gan. A pale smile slowly appeared on her tear-streaked face. She smiled and said softly, "It's alright, Li Gan, I will be with you... Regardless of the struggle between good and evil, regardless of the fate of the righteous, I, Liu Lingying, am willing to walk with you on the road to the underworld, to accompany you to the next life... In the next life, we will never be separated again..."
Li Gan paused, his weak face changing expression. He frowned, opening his mouth anxiously to say something, when suddenly a gasp from the side interrupted him. It was Li Molin's voice, exclaiming:
"Father!!"
The sorrowful and incredulous voice grew louder as it approached. Li Molin and Liuli flew over quickly and landed beside Li Gan and Liu Lingying.
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