122 Another Discovery

"Do not be afraid. Give the child to me. If I truly intended to harm him, I would not have waited until now."

Although reluctant, the spirit believed her. With trembling hands, he passed the child to Nv Luo, his eyes filled with lingering attachment.

Nv Luo studied the child carefully. She had not noticed it before, and it was a grave oversight; there was indeed an inexplicable connection between the child and the power within her own body. She attempted to sense this energy, but the child’s aura was so faint that there was almost no response.

Li Tian stepped toward the spirit and suddenly seized his hand, applying ever-increasing pressure, as if he intended to crush him into dust.

The spirit was startled. He felt a coldness he had never experienced before—a bone-chilling frost more intense than the moment of his own death. His entire body was frozen, unable to move a muscle. He screamed from the depths of his soul, desperate to break free from this restraint, but he was powerless. He felt himself on the verge of shattering, unable to escape his fate.

The spirit began to yield. If he were to vanish just like this, perhaps it would be a mercy. From the moment of his death, he had lost the necessity to continue existing, and the news of Luo Yun had left him utterly hopeless. Since he could no longer possess the happiness he once knew, perhaps he should just leave in peace.

He closed his eyes. But then he thought of his child. If he disappeared, what would become of the boy? The Goddess of the Earth had not granted his request; if the child could not be reborn, would he suffer the same fate as his father? He could not simply give up. Before he vanished, he had to secure a promise.

At this thought, the spirit opened his eyes. He felt a surge of power within his body—a familiar energy that had always been latent, waiting to be unleashed. He struggled against the powerful binding.

Li Tian finally sensed this mysterious power. It was similar to the energy within Nv Luo, though not as potent. He did not ease his grip; rather, as his own strength intensified, the power within the spirit grew stronger in response.

Nv Luo suddenly felt a sharp, tearing pain in her heart—the same agony she had experienced before she fell into a coma. She doubled over, trying to soothe the torment.

Li Tian panicked, released the spirit, and caught her, throwing the child back into the spirit’s arms.

"Nv Luo, are you alright?" Li Tian felt a pang of regret. He should not have used such a method; though it might have uncovered the truth, it had caused Nv Luo further harm.

Nv Luo could barely speak. She leaned against Li Tian, trying her best to recover, but failed after several attempts. She had already been struggling when the seasons returned, and now she had suffered another severe blow. Everything turned black before her eyes; she could no longer see Li Tian’s face. His once-profound eyes seemed to fade into a hollow, ethereal darkness.

Yet, Nv Luo persisted, fighting to keep from sinking into the abyss. She had a premonition, and she feared that if she fell into darkness, she might never wake up again.

Li Tian continuously channeled his energy into her. With this support, Nv Luo managed to open her eyes. The spirit held the child and stared at them, wary and confused.

"Nv Luo, hold on a little longer. I will find a way," Li Tian said, watching her with deep concern. He was terrified that if she fell into a deep sleep, she would never wake.

Nv Luo nodded. She believed him—a belief without reason, but after everything they had been through, what reason did she have not to? Ever since Li Tian had merged his blood with hers, their lives had been inextricably linked.

Nv Luo’s gaze swept over the spirit, and she shook her head slightly at Li Tian. She did not want him to hurt them again. She knew Li Tian’s nature well; if he discovered that these spirits possessed any power that could harm her, he would eliminate the danger entirely, including the spirit himself.

"Who exactly are you?" Li Tian asked. "If you are merely a spirit, why have you caused such severe harm to the Goddess of the Earth, whom you should be protecting above all else?" If not for the secrets still shrouding the spirit and Nv Luo’s protection of him, Li Tian would have long since crushed him out of existence.

"Me? I caused harm to the Goddess of the Earth? How is that possible?" The spirit laughed at himself. If he were truly that powerful, he would never have ended up in this state. At the very least, he would have discovered Luo Yun's whereabouts long ago and followed her.

"Where did the power that suddenly surged through your body come from?" Although Li Tian had sensed it, he could not judge its origin. Now, he noticed the spirit had returned to his previous state. What kind of power could be so clandestine?

The spirit also pondered the mysterious surge. He was just as bewildered; it felt as if the power had always been hidden deep within him.

"I... I don't know," the spirit admitted.

He was not lying, and Li Tian knew he could extract nothing more from him. But what of Nv Luo? She was growing weaker, and if she lapsed into a coma again, Li Tian was not sure he could rouse her.

"Do not omit anything you know. You cannot afford the price of silence!" The spirit knew Li Tian was not bluffing. Any falsehood would be detected, followed by endless torment rather than the cold, non-lethal interrogation he was currently enduring. Li Tian’s previous actions had been merely a test.

The spirit was deeply puzzled by this outcome. He held his child tightly—his only living kin. Even though they were both spirits, death had not severed their final bond.

Nv Luo’s aura gradually recovered, though only she knew it was due to Li Tian’s continuous sacrifice of his own strength.

Li Tian released Nv Luo’s hand and walked back toward the spirit, who instinctively retreated a step, watching him vigilantly. Li Tian grasped the spirit's hand again, but strangely, he felt nothing—none of the power he had sensed before. The spirit was truly just an ordinary spirit.

Could it be that the power only manifested when he was in danger? Li Tian dared not test it further. If Nv Luo were harmed again, he would regret it forever. Since he had found a lead, there was no need to rush. With a flick of his hand, he made the spirit vanish.

"It is truly bizarre. When I held his hand again, I felt nothing. The power I sensed earlier has mysteriously vanished. How many secrets does the Xiuyi tribe hide?"

Nv Luo smiled helplessly. "Is it strange? I know nothing of these secrets either. I have only just realized that humans are not as weak as one might imagine."

"You are mistaken. It is that spirits are not as weak as one might imagine. Thinking back, I am truly shocked. I have encountered countless spirits, but this one is the most powerful I have ever seen—powerful in his heart."

"He gave up the chance for rebirth so easily. You must be shocked by that, too!"

Nv Luo shook her head. "A little, but when I think about it, I can understand." She felt deep admiration for the spirit and Luo Yun, but even more, she felt a profound sense of pity.

She thought of her own parents, who had been willing to sacrifice everything for each other. If not for her, and for the preservation of the Earth God lineage, her mother would not have lingered in the mortal realm for so many years, having long since followed her father. Such devotion did not belong to gods alone; humans possessed it, too.

"Li Tian, can spirits in the River of Forgetfulness truly never be reincarnated? If it is possible, I still wish to help him fulfill his wish!"

"Nv Luo, abandon that thought." Li Tian refused without hesitation. He did not want to stand against her again, but he would not allow the laws of the River of Forgetfulness to be changed—not even for her.

"Then what about the child? I am sorry to put you in a difficult position, but I simply cannot remain indifferent!"

"The child’s aura is too weak. He cannot survive the path of reincarnation. Do not attempt it. However, there is a way, though it would require a vast span of time."

Nv Luo was overjoyed; she was willing to try.

"Let him grow up slowly in the mortal realm as a spirit. When he has the strength, he may tread the path of reincarnation once more. But I advise you not to try. The price is too high, and the dangers he would face are beyond your imagination. As a spirit, he must endure all the pressures of the mortal world—pressures many times greater than those felt by normal humans. Furthermore, he must endure endless loneliness and a long, drawn-out wait. Do you think he can persevere?"

Nv Luo looked at Li Tian with gratitude. He had changed for her once again; his lack of opposition was the greatest support he could offer. If the spirit remained in the world, he would have no such path.

She was no longer worried about their current situation. Although she did not know where Li Tian had confined them, she was certain they were safe. Perhaps the spirit would even welcome this outcome; to be with his kin was, in its own way, another kind of fulfillment.

Nv Luo wondered about the spirit: how could such power exist within him, capable of influencing her so invisibly? What had the ancestors of the Earth God lineage done to leave behind a race as miraculous as the Xiuyi?

If they could influence her and use a spirit to restrain her, it proved that humans were not merely weak. If the power resided in their souls, what could it be?

Li Tian was also silent. That a mere spirit could pose such a dilemma was truly incredible. If it wasn't just the spirit, had he missed something? The shopkeeper had been collecting spirits; if he were assisted by the power of the Divine Realm, it would not be impossible.

Nv Luo and Li Tian looked at each other simultaneously. The Divine Realm—how could they have forgotten the Divine Realm?