Chapter 2148: From Then and Now

The Black-Armored Army could only fret helplessly. The Emperor was battling that mysterious power, but they could do nothing!

The only good news was that the brass bracelet on Emperor Jiuyou's wrist was becoming more complete, and its details increasingly lifelike.

Lu Feiyan stared intently, unwilling to look away. Finally, she blurted out, "It's a snake!"

The bracelet had finally formed a head. It resembled a snake's head, but where the head met the neck, there was a circle of something that looked like whiskers or horns. It swayed gently in the breeze, much like a goldfish's elegant tail unfolding in water.

In a few moments, the snake's eyes also materialized, two points of crimson like agate.

As soon as these snake eyes formed, the snake ring became vibrant, as if alive, and even began to slowly rotate automatically on Emperor Jiuyou's hand.

At that very instant, a red light flashed from the snake eyes, and the golden light, originally suppressed by karma and vital energy, instantly surged, covering Emperor Jiuyou's entire body!

Everyone even saw the golden light penetrate the surface of the Qianglong Battle Armor, flowing with dazzling splendor, exquisitely beautiful.

But this very beauty concealed an immense horror.

Even Luo Xie trembled as he spoke, "E-Emperor!"

By now, everyone knew this golden light was not a good sign. If it invaded the whole body, how could anything good come of it?

Lu Zhensheng finally could not help but show a look of joy.

This Emperor Jiuyou was indeed extraordinary. The Immortal Ancestor's supreme treasure failed to kill him instantly, which had made Lu Zhensheng's heart leap to his throat.

Seeing the golden light successfully counterattack, he was certainly beyond saving.

It's done!

As soon as Emperor Jiuyou dies, Bailie's crisis would resolve itself.

Meanwhile, He Lingchuan, covered in the golden light, felt a wave of searing heat surge through his entire body. His palms were especially scorching. Then, his vision went dark.

He Lingchuan blinked once, and the scene before him abruptly changed!

The ancient manor, the giant cauldron, the Sago palm trees, and everyone standing inside and outside the Lu family ancestral temple—all were gone.

He found himself standing in a valley with sparse vegetation. The trees were only as thick as a bowl, and their canopies had few leaves, appearing half-bare.

Thin mist also drifted through the valley.

This place indeed felt familiar. He Lingchuan's first thought was that he had been pulled into the Misty Valley of the Coiled Dragon World again.

But wasn't he subduing the Lu family Immortal Ancestor's relic just a second ago?

But he immediately dismissed this idea, because a tall, blue tower surprisingly stood behind him!

The tower was over thirty zhang in diameter. It soared into the clouds, with a door but no windows. The strangest thing was that not a single brick was visible; instead, the tower's surface had the wrinkles of tree bark. He Lingchuan reached out to touch it, only then realizing it was a single tree forming the tower; the tower itself was the tree.

The cyan wooden door, ten zhang high, was tightly shut with no door knocker. No matter how he pushed, it wouldn't budge.

He had found himself in front of the tower the moment he opened his eyes.

He Lingchuan had a strange thought: Could he have emerged from the tower?

After a moment's thought, he leaped onto the tower.

The tower's surface was smooth, and the higher he climbed, the more exhausted his body became, as if burdened by thousands of pounds. He Lingchuan jumped down before climbing ten zhang, deciding to look around first.

Three zhang away, there was a small pond.

He Lingchuan approached the pond, looked down, and his pupils suddenly contracted. Then he took two steps back in quick succession.

The water was clear and its surface smooth as a mirror. Thus, he clearly saw his own reflection.

Whether looking in a mirror or at a water surface, it had been a very long time since he had seen this face.

This was the face from before he transmigrated to this world, the face that belonged to his "original self"!

The nine-to-five worker, dull-eyed and penniless, a corporate drone.

After He Lingchuan came to this world, especially after leaving the Yuan Kingdom, he rarely recalled things from before his transmigration. When he did remember, it felt as distant as a past life.

However, the reflection in the water reminded him that the past still existed, and had never truly left.

He Lingchuan casually picked up a branch and stirred the water's surface a few times. Ripples spread, and nothing seemed particularly unusual.

But this place was becoming increasingly strange.

Once the water surface settled, he looked at his reflection again, still seeing his former self.

This pond seemed eerie, so He Lingchuan stopped looking at the water's surface and casually conjured a water mirror spell in the air.

It was that face again!

A water mirror he conjured himself still showed his former face. Did that mean—

He was indeed wearing this appearance right now?

This valley was definitely not reality, nor was it the Coiled Dragon World.

Could it be a small world created by the Lu family Immortal Ancestor's relic?

He Lingchuan took a step, passing a few dejected-looking small trees whose leaves were neither fully green nor fully yellow. But on the top of one of these small trees, something was hanging.

He Lingchuan's gaze swept over it, then his eyes froze again.

He had practiced the art of emperorship for a long time, capable of concealing his emotions. But today, he had failed twice.

This was a necklace, with a small wooden carving as its pendant.

The carving was simple, but it clearly depicted a ring, or more specifically, a snake devouring its own tail!

This snake had whiskers around its head.

He Lingchuan recognized this necklace, because—

Among the items Madam Ying had asked He Yue to bring as a gift to He Lingchuan, this very necklace was included!

This was one of He Lingchuan's childhood toys. Later, Madam Ying put it away as an old keepsake. He Yue's diplomatic mission to Cangyan was special, so He Chunhua had instructed Madam Ying to take out old items, hoping He Lingchuan would see them and think of his family, thus agreeing to Shen's request.

When the brothers first met, He Yue had also asked about the origin of this toy.

The former owner of this body had a very deep memory of the ring-snake necklace, because it was given to "He Lingchuan" personally by the Great Shaman Zhaomandu.

He Lingchuan, having accessed the original owner's memories, had seen that scene:

When the original owner celebrated his fifth birthday, He Chunhua and his wife were still living in a simple small house, and the Great Shaman Zhaomandu arrived uninvited.

This Great Shaman was known for his mysterious nature; outsiders found it difficult to meet him even for a thousand gold pieces. Yet he proactively sought out He Chunhua and presented the ring-snake necklace to He Xiao as a birthday gift.

He Chunhua humbly inquired, "What is the true meaning of this necklace?"

He knew Zhaomandu would never do anything without purpose.

"In another world, it represents 'destiny'," the Great Shaman Zhaomandu said, pointing to the pendant. "What is destiny, fundamentally? It is the current self devouring the former self, and the future replacing the present."

He was an ordinary-looking middle-aged man, dressed in a white robe at the time. His face and voice were both gentle.

At that time, He Lingchuan's original self was still very young and naive, asking, "Is destiny useful to me?"

"Of course," the Great Shaman Zhaomandu smiled. "Destiny governs everything."

It was on that very day that He Chunhua, following the Great Shaman Zhaomandu's advice, changed He Xiao's name to He Lingchuan.

Now, He Lingchuan unexpectedly saw the ring-snake necklace in this unknown valley. It went without saying how surprised he was.

Seeing the necklace spin rapidly in the wind, he subconsciously walked over, intending to reach out and take it.

From behind a low slope, a shadow suddenly burst out and snatched the ring-snake necklace!

He Lingchuan saw the person's face clearly, and for a moment, he was speechless.

The person turned and saw him, also letting out a loud "Ah!" and stumbling back three steps.

"You, you..."

The person who snatched the ring-snake necklace was actually "He Lingchuan"!

Yes, it was the original owner of this body, the original self who had completely dissipated after He Lingchuan entered Coiled Dragon Ancient City a second time and confronted He Chunhua.

He Lingchuan, with his former face, looked at the original self who should have dissipated, feeling that nothing could be more absurd than this.

In that instant, he even felt a flicker of doubt, "Who exactly am I?"

But he immediately regained his composure.

The original self's gaze upon him also shifted from shock and confusion, gradually turning into anger and hatred!

"It's you, it's you, you imposter!" he roared, pointing at He Lingchuan, the necklace on his finger trembling with his hand. "You actually got in!"