099 Hope of Life

Illusory time and space, the storm rises anew.

Nü Luo was halted at the edge of the City of Reincarnation. An invisible barrier stood before her, and in her undead state, she could not pass through smoothly. Had she truly been a spirit before, she might have already been torn to pieces and vanished with the wind.

Nü Luo gathered her strength once more; she had to clear this essential path to the Underworld, leaving no obstacles on the road of reincarnation.

Li Tian stood silently nearby, neither stopping her nor offering help. He knew that no words could change her decision now, nor did he understand exactly what she intended to do. All he could do was wait for the course of events to shift.

Yet the taut tension in his fingers betrayed his inner turmoil. There was no doubt that if anything untoward happened to Nü Luo, he would not stand idly by.

Nü Luo lifted her foot and stepped forward.

She touched again the juncture between two worlds, where an unseen pressure roared like a tidal wave, bearing the power to engulf her.

Her protective barrier was hammered fiercely, rumbling thunderously. Should the barrier crack even slightly, she would fall into an even more perilous plight.

She advanced with great difficulty, every tiny step costing her dearly. What method could break through this?

Since this was the very end of the road of reincarnation, stepping across would lead directly to the Underworld. If the repelling force came from the Underworld, she had thought of a way to break it.

Without hesitation, Nü Luo summoned the power of the fire spirit, and a flaming sword circled around her. This time, the sword’s tip shifted direction, pointing straight at her.

Li Tian was startled. What was she about to do?

Nü Luo stretched out her hands, fingers splayed wide, and the fiery sword instantly pierced through them, blood dripping down.

Her protective barrier vanished completely, leaving her standing unguarded at the heart of danger.

Yet her gaze was calm, as if she never considered the peril she faced.

Stripped of all protection, Nü Luo bore the immense pressure, blood droplets pooling and flowing slowly around her.

In an instant, the situation changed. Li Tian stared blankly at Nü Luo, this goddess who once again placed herself in harm’s way, recklessly ignoring all else!

A transformation was about to occur.

Where the blood flowed, the thickest vitality mingled, like undying seeds beginning to emit the hope of life.

Relying on the power of the blood, infused with the accumulated strength of the Earth God’s lineage over generations, and carrying the original source of life from the human realm, she sought to dissolve all obstruction here.

Her face grew paler and paler; she was shedding not only her most precious blood but also the wellspring of her power.

***

Fortunately, her sacrifice soon bore fruit; the invisible pressure gradually ebbed.

Only one final step remained to dispel all barriers, yet everything suddenly froze at this moment. It was as if a pair of unseen hands manipulated all, unwilling to be weakened and fiercely resisting Nü Luo’s power.

A backlash occurred instantly. If Nü Luo were struck now, the consequences would be dire. Without her protective barrier, she could not withstand such force.

She had no chance to retreat when two hands steadied her from behind, like a drowning person clutching a lifeline.

Nü Luo seemed to find support, leaning on the figure who lent her strength in her most critical moment. A reassurance she had never known before.

When Li Tian’s fingers touched Nü Luo’s, he was shocked—those once warm hands now held no warmth, as cold as the waters of the Sanzu River.

With Li Tian’s help, fusing the mightiest forces of heaven and earth, the invisible pressure finally dissipated. At that moment, the obstacle on the road of reincarnation was eliminated.

“Thank—” Before she could finish, a violent cough cut off her words.

“You’re crazy! How could you do such a thing?” Though angry, Li Tian still helped Nü Luo steady herself. If he let go now, she would surely fall.

The events unfolded too suddenly. Li Tian never imagined Nü Luo would resolve the pressure this way, nor was he certain if his power might have adverse effects.

What if his strength, instead of repelling the invisible force, fused with it? What then?

That was why he had not intervened lightly. Only when he could no longer tolerate seeing her harmed so grievously, and realized his power would not backfire, did he choose to act.

Nü Luo endured the discomfort, signaling for Li Tian to help her sit down. He wanted to refuse, but she insisted, so he had no choice.

Seated on the ground, her fingertips trembled slightly, revealing her weakness. Yet inside, she was joyful—there were no more obstacles ahead. Once all the earth beneath was replaced with soil from the human realm, the road of reincarnation would be complete.

This path, forged through countless efforts, would soon unleash immense power, formally connecting the human realm with the Underworld. The spirits lingering in the human world could now find the chance for rebirth through this road. They would no longer drift aimlessly in the darkest corners, awaiting their final disappearance.

“Thank you!” Though one word could never express all her gratitude, Li Tian had helped her once more.

Li Tian remained silent, expressionless as he looked at her, a flicker of anger passing through his eyes.

Everything he did was not just for that thank you. Did she realize how dangerous her actions were? To withdraw the protective barrier and stand defenseless at the boundary—what if something went wrong?

What if his power, instead of pushing back the invisible force, merged with it?

Perhaps she would avoid fatal harm, but she would still be injured, possibly beyond healing. Who would bear the consequences?

Nü Luo sensed Li Tian’s anger, clearly directed at her again. The chill radiating from him grew stronger, an oppressive aura pressing outward.

“Earth Goddess, why do you always choose the most self-destructive way to achieve your goals? Have you never considered that there might be another way to reach the same outcome?”

Li Tian longed to peer into her mind to understand her thoughts. For the sake of some so-called goal, could she truly sacrifice herself?

“But only this way can solve the problem once and for all! How much precious time would be wasted by other methods? I have no time to spare, and neither do those spirits.” Despite everything, Nü Luo felt a measure of comfort—she had succeeded in overcoming one more hurdle.

If not for the urgency, she could have eased the pressure bit by bit; after all, she possessed an almost eternal life. But the spirits were not so lucky. Not a second could be wasted, or their fate might be utterly different.

Just like during that catastrophe—how many lives could have been saved if the Earth’s Sacred Fire had ignited even a moment sooner?

She believed her blood was a worthy price for the present outcome.

“Earth Goddess, please try to forget your identity sometimes and think more about yourself. Have you never considered what consequences would follow if something happened to you?” Li Tian could not imagine such a scenario. He could not fathom another goddess who so recklessly disregarded her own safety.

“I am unharmed, aren’t I? But even if I were gone, the human realm would surely remain safe. After all, I have never interfered too much in human affairs.”

Sometimes Nü Luo wondered if the human realm would indeed be peaceful without her. Now that the Earth’s Sacred Fire had successfully ignited, there was no longer any worry over the survival of humanity. Even if humans faced various problems, they would no longer face life-or-death disasters as before.

She was the last of the Earth God’s lineage. If anything happened to her now, the line would end. But if the human realm truly remained safe for eternity, what difference would her having descendants make?

“Do you truly believe that? That even without you, the human realm will endure forever?” Li Tian sneered coldly. Some things, even if they had not yet occurred, could be guessed from current circumstances.

Because of Nü Luo, he agreed to rekindle the Earth’s Sacred Fire, transforming what should have been the City of Death into the City of Reincarnation. More so, countless times he had helped her overcome one trial after another. All this happened because she earned his respect—and because her presence easily stirred change within him.

But if she truly vanished, what would he do? At the very least, the City of Reincarnation would cease to exist. The remaining spirits in the human realm would face the harshest punishment, rather than peacefully waiting for reincarnation as they do now.

As for the Divine Realm, one can only imagine their actions—standing by during the disaster, then imposing harsh demands after Nü Luo succeeded in bringing back the Earth’s Sacred Fire. The Divine Realm’s ambitions could be seen in the Divine Tribunal, from Fu Li’s very presence.

Li Tian found it strange that after the Earth’s Sacred Fire was rekindled, the Divine Realm vanished without further moves—it was truly baffling.

“At least now the human realm is safe. If, out of fear of sacrifice, one does nothing, watching all disasters unfold without stirring, then what use is such an Earth Goddess? What right does such a deity have to govern all of humanity?”

Though knowing she would be harmed, Nü Luo could not change her mind. If she were to stand idly by in the face of these calamities, she might as well vanish now. Otherwise, how could she face the sacrifices made by her Earth God ancestors for the human realm?

The Earth God’s lineage existed solely to protect humanity. If, for some illusory honor, they forgot their duty, then the lineage would lose all meaning.