Jun Yu walked up to Ruan Xiyan and saw that her once bright eyes had lost their luster. He felt a pang of heartache and pulled her into his arms, gently stroking her head. "Ayan, I'm late."
Feeling the warm and spacious embrace, and the reassuring aura emanating from Jun Yu, Ruan Xiyan's strength completely crumbled at this moment, and she could no longer control her emotions.
Her shoulders trembled slightly from crying. Looking at the sobbing Ruan Xiyan, Jun Yu held her tightly, his heart also aching.
“Ah Yu”.
"I'm here," Junyu replied patiently.
“My father is dead, I have no father anymore.” Ruan Xiyan’s voice choked with sobs.
Jun Yu's heart broke when he heard her voice. He gently wiped away Ruan Xiyan's tears, lowered his head to kiss her hair, and comforted her, "Ayan, it's not your fault. No one blames you."
He glanced at the scene and roughly guessed what had happened. He looked at Ling Yunchen lying there and his expression hardened.
Jun Yu patted Ruan Xiyan on the back, "Ayan, don't be sad yet, things seem to be turning around."
Ruan Xiyan suddenly looked at Jun Yu, "Ah Yu, are you saying that my father can still be saved?"
But she had investigated and found that her father had no chance of survival and there was nothing she could do to save him.
Jun Yu channeled the power in his hand into Ling Yunchen's body, further confirming what he had just said.
Jun Yu looked at the green bead on Ruan Xiyan's wrist, which was hidden by her robe, and said, "It must be because of this green bead."
"This bead seems to contain special power, capable of nurturing the soul. Before Uncle Ling gave the bead to Ayan, I guessed that Uncle Ling often wore this bead."
Upon hearing Jun Yu's words, Ling Haoyang and the others immediately surrounded him. "These are the Empress Dowager's belongings. Father always carried them with him, remembering her whenever he saw them."
"You suddenly brought this up? Could it be that you're saying Father Emperor still has a glimmer of hope because of this bead?" Ling Jingyan asked anxiously.
“That’s it,” Jun Yu replied. “Although I don’t know the origin of this bead, since it has the function of nurturing the soul, it must be no ordinary item.”
"Under the subtle nurturing of this bead, Uncle Ling's soul strength has long surpassed that of ordinary people. Although his body is dead, his soul has not completely dissipated."
“The soul has not completely dissipated.” Ruan Xiyan looked at Jun Yu with hopeful eyes. “Ayu, do you have a way to save my father?”
"I can temporarily protect Uncle Ling's undying soul with demonic energy, but his soul is damaged and needs to be repaired before he can wake up. To retrieve the lost soul, we need to go to the underworld."
“The underworld?” Ruan Xiyan murmured, “It’s the underworld that transcends the three realms.”
The underworld is a place that shelters many souls of the dead; it is said to be the final resting place for the souls of the deceased.
Of course, if the soul is completely annihilated, it will completely dissipate into the world and leave no trace.
Jun Yu nodded, "We need to go to the underworld to retrieve Uncle Ling's part of his soul, and then give Uncle Ling the Azure Soul Pill. Only then will he have a chance to wake up."
"Azure Soul Pill? A Grade Emperor pill!" Ruan Xiyan exclaimed.
She had seen the Azure Soul Pill among the many pill formulas left to her by Senior Xingyao; it was an imperial-grade pill.
It only requires six medicinal herbs to refine. Although the number of herbs needed is small, each of the six herbs is a rare and precious spiritual medicine in the world.
"Imperial-grade pills! Aren't those just legendary pills? And what about the Underworld you mentioned? Where is that?" Ling Jingyan asked, puzzled.
“Brother, whether it’s finding Father’s fragmented soul or obtaining imperial-grade elixirs, give them to me. No matter how difficult it is, one day I will awaken Father.” Ruan Xiyan’s gaze was firm.
Having hope is better than having no hope, and even if the hope is slim, she will not give up.
"Yan'er, is there anything your brothers can do to help you?" Ling Haoyang asked.
He knew that it would be difficult for them to keep up with Yan'er's pace now, but they wanted to do something and not put such a heavy burden on Yan'er alone.
They had never heard of the underworld, but dealing with the souls of the dead was beyond the three realms, so it must be fraught with danger.
Ruan Xiyan shook her head. "Brother, as long as you are all well and the family is still together, that is the best help you can give me."
Ling Haoyang replied forcefully, "Okay, brother promises you, we will all be fine and won't let Yan'er's family fall apart. The Yunli Empire will always be Yan'er's home where she can rest whenever she is tired outside."
"Ayu and I will go and settle Father Emperor in first," Ruan Xiyan said.
Inside the palace.
After Jun Yu placed Ling Yunchen on the bed, Ruan Xiyan took off the bead from her wrist and put it on Ling Yunchen's hand. "Father, this is the peace bead you gave me. It always helps me turn danger into safety when I'm out adventuring."
“It must be this peace bead given to me by my father that is protecting me. Now I will return the peace bead to my father, and he will surely be safe and sound.”
Jun Yu held Ruan Xiyan's hand. "Ayan, don't worry too much. Since there's still a chance to salvage the situation, things haven't reached a dead end. Tomorrow, Ayan and I will go to the Underworld together. You should rest well today."
Ruan Xiyan nodded.
Back at her residence, everything in the palace remained unchanged, exactly as it had been when she left.
After Ruan Xiyan went through such a big ordeal, Jun Yu was worried about her and stayed by her side every step of the way.
That night, the two slept in each other's arms, with Ruan Xiyan curled up in Jun Yu's embrace, feeling somewhat uneasy.
She was still not strong enough; against the gods, they could easily destroy everything she cherished.
She must become stronger! Until one day she is able to eliminate all threats.
Looking at Ruan Xiyan, whose brows were furrowed even in her sleep, Jun Yu gently patted Ruan Xiyan's back.
He placed a kiss between her brows and said softly, "Ayan, I'm here. I've always been here."
As if sensing something in her sleep, Ruan Xiyan's tightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed.
The next day, Ruan Xiyan went to check on Ling Yunchen, who was lying unconscious on the bed.
She set up a barrier around them, and no one could get close except for Ling Haoyang and his group.
"Eldest brother, second brother, third brother, I'm entrusting Father to your care while I'm away," Ruan Xiyan said, taking out two glass beads from her spatial storage.
"These are the mother and daughter beads I crafted. If you encounter danger, you can crush them by injecting power into the daughter bead. Once the daughter bead is crushed, my mother bead will sense it and I will rush back."
She worried that Fu Yashan wouldn't give up and would try again.
“Ayan, don’t worry too much. I have already strengthened the city’s protective shield with demonic energy. In addition, I have sent a message back to the demon race. I know that Ayan can’t worry about the culprit right now.”
"But before we seek revenge on her, we can't let her live too comfortably. We need to collect some interest first. I'll send the demons to cause trouble in Fu Ya Shan's fiefdom. She shouldn't have time to pay attention to the secular world after that."
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