Let time rewind just a bit.

Wu Xiaode didn't return to the moment he had just arrived at the Ancient Dragon King Ruins.

He had gone back even further in time.

——to the instant right after the Guardian was sent flying by a sword strike.

By doing so, he could perfectly avoid "entering the Ancient Dragon King Ruins" with his other self.

He skillfully traversed the corridors, landing in the courtyard, turning onto another path, passing the banquet hall, the lounge, the rear garden, until he reached the bell tower.

Wu Xiaode pushed open the door, took a few steps, then started shaking his head.

He was somewhat speechless.

——Anyone else exploring these ruins would almost certainly not discover its secrets like he did.

He looked up at the ceiling above the courtyard, adorned with all sorts of elaborate decorations.

"Element Detection" continued to work, allowing him to sense that deep within the ceiling there seemed to be elements discordant with the surroundings——

Wu Xiaode gently leaped up and punched the ceiling.

Thud.

The ceiling instantly crisscrossed with cracks.

Wu Xiaode switched hands and threw another punch, breaking open a large hole in the ceiling.

He flew into the hole, only to find a hidden chamber there, and at the end of it lay a pair of greaves glowing faintly.

"Dark Whisper Greaves."

"?????"

"——You must acquire the complete Ancient Dragon King Set to understand its purpose."

"Current number of set pieces obtained: 4."

"Remaining pieces: 2."

"Note:"

"You have acquired a 4-piece set;"

"You have earned the recognition of the Ruins Guardian;"

"You carry the blood of the Ancient Dragon King;"

"From now on, you may don the set and activate the power of the set."

Wu Xiaode glanced at it but disregarded it, leaping out of the chamber and walking up the stairs toward the upper levels of the bell tower.

"Little Wu, it seems that you can also wear this impressive suit of Battle Armor. Why don't you put it on?"

Chris asked curiously.

Wu Xiaode responded indifferently, "Gjestastav follows me. I came here just to save her, not to steal her Battle Armor."

"You little rascal, you've got quite the sense of loyalty —— I'll give you a piece of chocolate next time I have some!"

Chris praised.

The two arrived at the top floor of the bell tower.

A long corridor was visible, linking the bell tower with another building of the underground ruins.

In the middle of the corridor stood a woman in a black dress, as if she had been waiting there for a long time.

"Do not proceed any further."

The woman said in a cold voice.

Wu Xiaode looked at her in surprise and hesitated,

"Gjestastav?"

——The woman looked exactly like Gjestastav but with a demeanor that was more cold and distant.

"Even with the full set of Battle Armor, you can't truly free me from the seal."

The woman continued, "So don't go any further."

Wu Xiaode scrutinized her closely. Her figure would sometimes solidify, sometimes turn into an illusion.

"You are one of Gjestastav's soul fragments, am I right?"

Wu Xiaode spoke up.

"You're right, I once tried hard to break free from the seal, even gathered the six pieces of the Battle Armor set using my talents, but what then?"

The woman pointed at herself and said, "My soul was shattered, part of it trapped here, and the other part, having forgotten everything, wandered the All Worlds."

"If what you say is true, then that part of the soul has now returned," Wu Xiaode said.

"But the seal is unbreakable."

The woman's tone became increasingly cold and even carried a hint of despair:

"If it happens again, that part of the soul will be split in two again; one half will stay here, while the other can escape——"

"Even if that part of me escapes again, it will become insane, forever wandering and suffering through the All Worlds."

"So please leave."

Wu Xiaode pondered, "How can you run from a problem when you face it? Tell me, why was the soul split in two halves, maybe together we can think of a way to solve this issue."

That "Gjestastav" scoffed:

"Are you determined to try?"

"I came here for this very reason," Wu Xiaode said.

"So be it, I am still afflicted with that Curse, so I'll have you try it now. If you can escape from the Curse, I will let you pass; otherwise, with the Dragon Blood in my body, I can completely order this passage to close."

A curse?

Before Wu Xiaode could react, he saw "Gjestastav" reach out and point at him.

He immediately found himself unable to move.

"Gjestastav" proclaimed loudly, "Go, as a heavy criminal, to that despairing world. Endure the mortal cycle of birth, aging, illness, and death. Feel the anguish of being utterly powerless. Toil away your life for mere sustenance, then you will realize just how terrifying it is!"

Wu Xiaode was slightly startled.

This statement...

Why does it feel so familiar?

Before he could ponder further, an odd transmission wave descended upon him.

With a "swoosh", he broke through the Void and vanished on the spot.

"Gjestastav" looked at the empty bell tower, a faint sadness appearing on her face.

"There's... no hope..." she said softly.

Elsewhere.

The Virtual World.

The Coffin of Slumber Awakening from the Dragon Clan burst open, and Wu Xiaode rose from inside, his expression full of bewilderment.

"Eh? You woke up?" Satan, who was sitting outside and smoking a cigar, asked.

"I don't know—wait a minute!"

Wu Xiaode turned his attention to an Angel beside Satan.

The Angel suddenly radiated tremendous power, completely transforming her demeanor and presence as she floated in midair.

—An incarnation has arrived!

"The World Will is here," Satan hastily stood up.

The two of them watched the Angel until the incarnation on her was fully complete.

"Wu Xiaode, you have been sent to me," said the Angel with an authoritative tone.

Wu Xiaode exclaimed in surprise, "I was just hit by a Curse—wait a second, is this curse what sent me here?"

With a casual wave of the Angel's hand,

Layers of light and shadow appeared in the Void, showing Wu Xiaode forgetting everything, leaving the place, and suddenly acquiring parents in this city, becoming a student at a school.

He studied hard, went to college, fell in love, got married, had children, and then worked overtime every day to earn a living, dying suddenly among the living.

"..." Satan.

"..." Wu Xiaode.

"You were formally sent here to serve your sentence by the other side," the Angel said.

"Respected one," Satan bowed slightly to the Angel and argued, "He was clearly in a dream just now and committed no crime worthy of imprisonment, and I can testify to that. You should also have been monitoring the matter and know the full story."

"If that weren't the case, I would have imprisoned him long ago," said the Angel.

"Wait a second—" Wu Xiaode pondered. "This imprisonment seems to be different from what happened to Jiang Shanglan and the others. My experience is even worse, and I don't remember anything from my past."

"That is the fate of heavy criminals," the Angel said.

The Angel displayed a contemplative look and continued,

"In the endless stretches of time, only the evil beings that other worlds cannot handle come here to be punished."

"Since the Great Destruction, more and more heavy criminals have been coming, not all of them truly wicked."

"So I must accelerate evolution."

"Little Wu, after you resolve the matters on your end, come quickly to the struggle for supremacy and assist me."

"Of course, I will," Wu Xiaode immediately responded.

—By saying this, the Angel was essentially overruling the curse.

He didn't have to live in this haze as a violent criminal anymore!

He was greatly relieved that he had already established a network of relations in the Virtual World and had left a good impression before the World Will.

Otherwise, who knows what would have happened this time!

The Angel nodded at him and then suddenly, a gust of roaring wind surged around her, and she ascended into the sky.

—The incarnation was over!

Satan relaxed slightly, his expression grave, "Brother Wu, only extremely ancient beings have the authority to send criminals directly to the Virtual World. You must be careful."

"I know," Wu Xiaode said with a wry smile.

—He was no match for that monster.

So he had to pick up the pace and release Gjestastav as soon as possible!

Wu Xiaode returned to the coffin, lay back down on the bed, and whispered,

"I'm leaving."

He closed his eyes and quickly re-entered the dreamscape.

The bell tower.

Wu Xiaode reappeared.

He slapped his head in frustration and said,

"I forgot to take a look just now, after waking up whether those Soul Crystals were still there."

Across the corridor, the woman in the black dress reappeared, looking at him in disbelief.

"You..."

Wu Xiaode came back to his senses and waved at her,

"Hey, I'm back."

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