"Don't say that," the crane maiden said, taking Jian Lin's hand, as soft as a feather. "Thank you for telling me all this. Come with me, I'll send you out."
Jian Lin said blankly, "Out? Where to?"
She had followed the faceless figures for too long, becoming somewhat assimilated, forgetting who she was, why she came, or where she was going.
"This is the ghost formation; you shouldn't be here," the crane maiden said gently. "Jian Lin, let's go. Someone is waiting for you outside. Because he can't find you, he's enduring hell, like being pierced by ten thousand arrows."
"Who?" Jian Lin seemed to recall something. She quickened her pace to follow the crane maiden. "Who should I remember?"
"Someone very important to you," the crane maiden encouraged her. "Think hard, and you'll surely remember."
Wings materialized behind the crane maiden, and she pulled Jian Lin upward. Gazing at the blazing red sky, Jian Lin vaguely saw a handsome man looking at her with gentle eyes.
Who was he? She should remember him, but why couldn't she?
Her head hurt so much!
Jian Lin closed her eyes and covered them, pinching her forehead with her other hand. The pain was like a drill, piercing her sea of consciousness, stirring up waves.
In a daze, she seemed to see another scene: against the backdrop of a bloody sunset, a man stood on a broken bridge, speaking to her with his mouth opening and closing.
He said, "If you leave now, he will never return, never. Please take care of yourself, forget him, and live well."
And in her heart, a voice was screaming, "Kill him! Kill him, and you will be freed from suffering. Look, he abandoned you first. Why haven't you acted? A heartless scoundrel, he doesn't deserve to live in this world."
Anger burned within her. She trembled, hating him and loving him at the same time. In the end, she did not strike.
She returned to the small wooden cabin where they had lived, tidied it meticulously, and left the door ajar, as if waiting for the man's return. Then, she lay on the bed where they had shared tender moments and plunged her sword into her own heart.
Blood spread, staining the neatly washed linen bedsheet. Her vision blurred, and a familiar figure appeared at the door. The man had returned; he had truly returned.
She strained her eyes, wanting to see him one last time, but ultimately failed to get a clear look. All she saw was a bloody red expanse, just like the sky at that moment.
Jian Lin suddenly snapped back to reality, gasping for breath, covered in sweat, as if she had endured great pain.
She realized she had not only remembered a jumble of chaotic events but also the Demon Lord.
"Yes, I must leave. I need to find someone!" Jian Lin exclaimed excitedly. "I remember now. Thank you, Crane Maiden."
The crane maiden led her through the bloody sky to the entrance of a dark cave. After they landed, she said to Jian Lin, "In that cave lies your greatest fear. If you can conquer it, you will meet the person you most wish to see. I'm sorry, I can't accompany you further. You must walk the rest of the path alone."
Seeing the crane maiden about to leave, Jian Lin grabbed her arm and asked with concern, "Wait, tell me, in what form do you exist? If you are a ghost, will you enter reincarnation? I want to save you, or find you, what should I do? I want you to meet Zhu Qingyu."
"You will know," the crane maiden said with certainty. "Once you return to your rightful place, you will understand everything."
Her words were enigmatic, and Jian Lin didn't understand them at all. Unfortunately, the crane maiden refused to elaborate. She floated up like a feather and gradually disappeared into the distance.
Jian Lin had no choice but to withdraw her gaze and face the cave containing her fear. She mustered her courage and slowly walked in.
What was she afraid of? In an instant, she remembered many things.
Snakes, centipedes, spiders, swarms of insects, and of course, most importantly, ghosts.
She had to take out her Combined Unity Sword and hold it tightly against her chest, letting the powerful divine sword give her some courage. Otherwise, her legs would have turned to jelly, and she would have collapsed on the ground.
As she walked, she heard hissing sounds ahead. She instinctively knew something was wrong. When she walked closer, she almost fainted.
Before her lay a huge circular pit, filled with snakes, centipedes, spiders, and countless other crawling creatures – everything she had just thought of had appeared here.
Jian Lin blinked rapidly, trying to hold back tears, murmuring to herself to stay calm, that there must be a way to overcome this.
"Fear stems from your thoughts. You only need to think of things you like, and they will naturally replace these, allowing you to pass," a sudden voice said.
Jian Lin turned her head and saw a giant black bear standing beside her. The continuous shocks had numbed her. This time, she didn't scream. She slumped to the side with a thud and asked tremblingly, "Who are you?"
The black bear had a pair of golden eyes that clearly expressed emotions. Without opening its mouth, the bear conveyed a single thought with its gaze: "Foolish human."
Jian Lin disagreed. She sat up slightly and said seriously, "You shouldn't mock me. I've never seen them before, so it's understandable that you're here. You shouldn't scold me."
"We have met. I saw you all once before I died. Your memory is poor; you've forgotten," the black bear said slowly.
Before dying, a bear? Jian Lin searched for keywords and suddenly slapped her forehead. She actually remembered. "You're the patriarch of the bear tribe!"
"Mm," the black bear nodded faintly, then propped its chin with its paw, looking indifferently into the deep pit.
Jian Lin stood up and realized that the crouching bear was still two heads taller than her. She looked into its eyes and asked doubtfully, "Why did you suddenly appear? We've only met once; by rights, our connection should be very weak."
It was not as good as the crane maiden. At least she had grieved for her death and felt sorry for her. Her desire to fulfill her and Zhu Qingyu's happiness had never vanished.
"Because you took my demon core," the black bear said slowly. "That was the most important thing to me. When you came to the ghost formation, you naturally summoned me. You deepened our connection. You should ask yourself why you picked up my golden core back then."
Jian Lin frowned, thinking hard, and suddenly realized, "After using the key to open the Spiritual Vein Abyss, your golden core was no longer useful and was carelessly discarded on the ground by those people. I felt it was a pity, so I picked it up. Thinking further, it's probably because I deeply respected you, believing you to be a good patriarch. If the demon realm were under your guidance and principles, it would surely be better than it is now. You were a great bear with unfulfilled ambitions; you deserved a better outcome than this..."
Out of recognition, respect, and pity, Jian Lin had picked up the bear tribe patriarch's demon core.
The black bear's golden eyes stared at her, revealing a hint of happiness and satisfaction. "Thank you for your affirmation. Hearing your words can dissipate some of my lingering resentment after death."
Jian Lin asked curiously, "By the way, are you still a ghost now? Haven't you entered reincarnation yet?"
"Yes, a resentful ghost. I don't want to enter reincarnation until my resentment is gone," the black bear said listlessly. "That's why I was summoned by you."
"So that's how it is," Jian Lin smiled and said sincerely, "Thank you. You seem to understand the ghost formation very well."
"Mm, because I am a ghost," the black bear finished, then gestured with its eyes. "I've already told you how to break through it. Why haven't you tried yet?"
Jian Lin chuckled sheepishly. "Well, I'm trying. Speaking of which, with you here, I'm not as scared."
Jian Lin closed her eyes and tried hard, thinking of things she liked in this situation, such as money, the Demon Lord, the Demon Lord, money.
As a result, because they were too ethereal, the creatures in the giant pit did not change much. Instead, they became even more distorted due to the fluctuations in Jian Lin's thoughts.
"Stop," the black bear interrupted her thoughts and said patiently, "You should think of something more concrete. Don't just randomly think."
Jian Lin opened her eyes, suddenly enlightened, and said apologetically, "Oh, right, right. I'm too panicked right now. Thank you for taking the trouble to remind me."
The black bear narrowed its eyes and said faintly, "You're not as smart as my son."
Jian Lin instantly remembered who that was and praised, "By the way, your son looks very promising. I think he can survive. Next time I go to the demon realm, I'll make sure to visit him and give him your demon core."
The black bear's eyes showed a happy smile. "Really? Thank you in advance. You must work hard to get out."
Jian Lin nodded heavily. "Of course. And as you said, I absolutely refuse to die in this ghost formation."
Saying this, she closed her eyes and meditated again. This time, she compromised and chose pretty jewelry, plush toys, and flowers, among other things.
When she felt it was about time, she opened her eyes and was almost blinded. The terrifying giant pit had now transformed into a lovely treasure trove.
"Firm your thoughts and don't waver," the black bear stood up and took a step forward. "Let's go, we'll walk through it."
Jian Lin swallowed nervously, chanted Amitabha three times, hugged the Combined Unity Sword, and carefully stepped into the bottom of the valley, following the black bear's figure.
Upon closer inspection, Jian Lin found the jewelry to be exquisite, exactly as she had imagined. Her mood immediately relaxed, and her fear subsided considerably.
As they walked, she suddenly felt playful. She conjured a black bear doll and pointed at it with a smile, showing it to the black bear. "Look at that, doesn't it resemble you?"
"Hey!" the black bear suddenly roared. "Don't get distracted. Look at what you've conjured!"
Jian Lin looked over and saw that the black bear doll had grown spider legs.
Her heart sank. Joy turned to sorrow. The flowers began to wither, the jewelry shattered into pieces, and everything began to collapse, yet she was helpless.
The black bear snatched her up and held her above its head, running wildly. They narrowly escaped death and crawled out of the deep pit just before it was completely filled with all sorts of terrifying creatures.
Jian Lin breathed a sigh of relief, so grateful she was about to cry. She patted her chest and promised, "When your resentment dissipates and you reincarnate, if you still remember me, you must come find me. I will repay your kindness."
The black bear let out a cold snort, its meaning unclear. It stood up and walked ahead, urging Jian Lin along. "We'll see. I'll send you out first."