Chapter 1079: Good to See You Again, My Child...

Drip! A drop of water fell, spreading ripples in the desolate and hazy world.

"Mm." Yu Lingdi groaned, lifting his hazy eyes as if revived from death, but he couldn't discern the scene before him.

"Pat-pat-pat..." The rain intensified, growing from scattered drops to a torrential downpour, rushing down relentlessly.

The violent wind and rain seemed to touch his very soul. As he felt the distinct coolness gradually spreading over his body, Yu Lingdi finally sensed that his physical self had returned.

"Where is this?" He struggled to sit up, as scenes floated through his mind.

He recalled being nailed to the Holy Execution Pillar, his chance encounter with Gu Qingyi, and the countless waves of excruciating pain that followed. It was this pain that allowed the gate to the Void Island to open. Everyone used his body, Yu Lingdi's, to forcefully enter the Void Island. Meanwhile, he, almost drained dry, ultimately succumbed to weakness and fainted on the Holy Execution Pillar, powerless to stop any of it.

"I'm not fully back yet..." He spread his hands and examined them closely. They were tiny and tender, like a toddler's, with an overwhelming sense of unreality.

His consciousness hadn't fully returned to the real world; instead, an unknown force had drawn him into this illusory space.

"Someone's here!" Yu Lingdi realized an external force had intervened at the Holy Execution Ground. However, since there was no attempt to harm him, it was likely not an enemy.

He tried to make sense of this illusory world, but apart from the rushing heavy rain, the vast white mist in the distance, and the endless ocean beneath him, there was nothing else unusual.

He struggled to stand on the water, intending to move, but with a splash, Yu Lingdi fell.

He lowered his head. In the distorted reflection on the rippling water mirror beneath his feet, he saw only a toddler, barely out of the babbling stage.

"I've become small..." All of this felt like a dream. Yu Lingdi was lost in confusion, too powerless to look ahead.

The white mist in the distance suddenly churned, vaguely outlining a human silhouette.

The figure was imbued with water vapor, their form shifting within the surrounding mist. The world seemed to be born for them, everything operating according to their will. They left only a solitary back view as they walked into the distance, a desolate and lonely sight.

"Who!" Yu Lingdi cried out, trying to move forward, but with a splash, he fell onto the water again.

"Water..." Even though he was the master of Water Elemental Mastery, he couldn't harness any of his power in this watery world. This was impossible!

Yu Lingdi frantically tried to gather his power, wanting to unleash his Water Elemental Mastery formation and seize control of this world. But despite all his efforts, it was in vain.

"Oh?" At that moment, the ethereal figure in the distance seemed surprised, uttering a questioning "Oh" and half-turning their head.

Yu Lingdi desperately widened his eyes, but he couldn't make out even a hint of the figure's true face, which remained hidden by the mist.

"To think you could wake up so quickly, this is beyond my expectations! I had assumed you wouldn't see me on this side..."

A soft chuckle echoed from all directions. Yu Lingdi felt as if struck by lightning, his entire body trembling violently.

This voice... This voice! How could it be?

Like a mirage, that instant transported him back to his childhood.

The man who held the title of the strongest Spirit Refiner at the time was not only strict with others but also employed almost extreme training methods when it came to Yu Lingdi.

Countless times he nearly drowned in the water, countless times he was pulled back from the brink of death...

This memory was so distant that Yu Lingdi had almost forgotten that this very world before him was the nightmare he had most detested in his childhood.

Yet, he harbored no resentment. He understood the burden on his shoulders, the immense hopes that man had placed in him, and the brilliance and glory his lineage was destined to inherit!

Yu Lingdi's sole dream was to follow that man's path and then surpass him—to do so in even less time than he had!

But then, at a sudden point in time, news of tragedy arrived from the Holy Temple... He had died, lost in the line of duty during a routine operation. His last wish was for Yu Lingdi to take his place and shoulder the great responsibility.

He had been so strong!

So, Yu Lingdi trained desperately, solely to inherit this glory, and then, once he had grown strong enough... to seek revenge!

At White Cave, he encountered his enemy, but for the first time, he felt utter powerlessness, not daring to even reveal himself, and retreated after a mere glimpse.

At Void Island, he encountered his enemy once more. This time, he didn't flinch, choosing to confront them head-on. Even if it meant death, he needed to understand the true extent of the disparity between them.

Then he was hung on the Holy Execution Pillar...

Despair and pain had failed to extinguish his resolve. Yu Lingdi firmly believed that as long as he was alive, any gap created by time could eventually be bridged.

He would definitely be able to defeat Ba Zun'an at some point in the future!

And now, at his coldest, most bitter moment... that voice appeared!

"He couldn't possibly appear!" "He's already dead!" "Am I dreaming? Is this an illusion?"

Yu Lingdi's eyes widened with fury, and for the first time, he doubted the reality of this watery world.

But then he considered: who else in this world, besides that person, could possibly suppress him in a world composed entirely of water? Even if it was just a dream!

"Who exactly are you?" Yu Lingdi roared, lifting his eyes, utterly unable to believe that person had returned.

"I think you already have the answer, don't you?" The water mist in the distance billowed, gathering into a sphere of water that trapped both Yu Lingdi and the mysterious figure inside.

"Ugh!" In just an instant, Yu Lingdi struggled to clutch his throat. It was like drowning as a child: his eyeballs bulged, his vision blurred, and everything in the world began to fade away from him.

The figure, also trapped in a separate water sphere, remained utterly serene and unmoving. He finally turned completely around, yet his form remained indistinct, his face utterly unreadable.

Yu Lingdi desperately wanted to break out of the water! He was no longer the defenseless child he once was; now, he was the master of Water Elemental Mastery!

"Bang!" Finally, as his strength waned and death loomed, the Mastery formation unfolded beneath his feet. This time, without any external aid, Yu Lingdi shattered the despair that had trapped him. The water sphere burst open!

Without a word, Yu Lingdi lunged forward. He wanted to tear open the water sphere opposite him; he wanted the truth, all the answers!

"Boom!" However, the watery world surged, and towering waves struck, suppressing Yu Lingdi once again, holding him motionless beneath the deep sea.

"You've grown..." A pleased chuckle drifted down from the heavens. Suppressed by the deep sea, Yu Lingdi desperately tried to lift his head.

Perhaps because he had lunged forward for a moment, he felt he could finally make something out. Although the face remained blurry, the indistinct figure hidden within the water sphere had a color on its face that starkly contrasted with the dim blue of this world.

A golden glow... Yu Lingdi reached out, wanting to tear through the illusions.

But the figure seemed to notice something too, suddenly turning and gradually moving away. With their every step, this watery world began to collapse.

"Rumble..." Everything returned to its original chaos.

Yu Lingdi refused to leave, shouting frantically before his soul passed through the chaos. "Tell me! Who are you?!"

With a bang, the world finally collapsed, everything turning to nothingness. Just as Yu Lingdi thought he wouldn't get an answer, a long sigh echoed in his mind. The voice wasn't loud, but it was deeply etched into his soul.

"Long time no see, my child."

"Father!"

Yu Lingdi, eyes red, lunged forward, but grasped at nothingness.

"Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh..." Rain poured down all around, each heavy impact resonating in his soul, making his heart pound.

Heavenly light pierced through before his eyes. Yu Lingdi was startled, spreading his hands to find they had returned to their normal size, and the suffocating sensation was gone. This reality...

He was back! He looked around at the vast Holy Execution Square, the towering Holy Execution Pillar beside it, and directly ahead, a very tall, shadowy black figure.

"Was I saved?" Yu Lingdi stared at the Holy Execution Pillar, a little dazed.

In his memory, just before the dream, he had been hanging on the Holy Execution Pillar, powerless. Now, having just woken from a long dream, he was directly released from his sealed state and had recovered his freedom of movement?

"Night Owl?" There was no one else around, only this one figure. Yu Lingdi looked at the person ahead, his expression somewhat surreal. "You, how are you here?"

"Gah—" The three-legged black owl on his shoulder let out a long, clear cry that ceased the rain in the sky. Night Owl remained as calm as ever, and lightly uttered two words: "We."

"We? You all?" Yu Lingdi's pupils contracted as he realized something. "Rao Jianxian and the others, they all came in?"

"Gah—" The three-legged black owl flapped its wings, pacing on the black feathers of Night Owl's shoulder. No denial meant it was true... Yu Lingdi realized the dream might have been false, but the pain he endured before it was all too real!

The gate to Void Island had been opened because of his Water Elemental Mastery. Undoubtedly, this was Ba Zun'an's sole purpose in hanging him on the Holy Execution Pillar—he used Yu Lingdi to communicate with the outside world and bring everyone into Void Island.

"No!" "Something's wrong!" "If Ba Zun'an wanted to use me as a link, that means he didn't send people into Void Island through normal channels, but through the 'Void Gate'..."

Yu Lingdi's heart trembled violently as he realized something. "The 'Void Gate' requires a sacrifice to open, but to connect two worlds, it also needs a specific 'key'!"

"If I am the 'key' inside Void Island, then there must also be someone of an equivalent level and corresponding power outside, serving as the 'key' to open this world passage." "...Who could it be?"

Almost immediately, Yu Lingdi's mind went to the dream world he had just experienced: the corresponding water abilities, the power that crushed him, a person who had returned from the dead...

Yu Lingdi suddenly stopped thinking. His next guess had to be wrong.

That person had died by Ba Zun'an's hand. How could he possibly be used by Ba Zun'an? He'd have to be insane to switch sides! Besides, whether he was even alive was debatable...

Yu Lingdi decided that his recent experience was merely a second world conjured by Illusory Sword Art. Just Ba Zun'an's usual trick!

"You saved me." Yu Lingdi looked up, staring earnestly at Night Owl. "Although we haven't had much interaction in the past, words cannot express my gratitude for this great kindness. I will remember today. If the Dark Department ever needs any help with its operations in the future, just tell me."

"Gah—" Night Owl shook his head.

Yu Lingdi paid no heed, turning his head to look at the Holy Execution Pillar behind him.

"Thank you for rescuing me from here," he continued. "I met Gu Qingyi earlier, but he's of my generation, his abilities aren't sufficient, and he couldn't save me. Only you, the Head of the Dark Department, possess strange abilities unknown even to me, and could have saved me."

Under the shadow, Night Owl's indistinct face seemed to move slightly, then remained silent for a long time. "Misunderstanding," she said softly. "I... passed by... you... woke up... merely that."

Yu Lingdi's body suddenly trembled. He sharply turned his gaze, veins bulging on his flushed face, and roared, "Impossible! You're the one who saved me!"

"..." Night Owl remained silent.

"My apologies, I lost my composure." Yu Lingdi regained his calm, though his pupils still trembled slightly. He tried hard not to dwell on what had just happened, nor how he had fallen from the Holy Execution Pillar. Instead, he simply changed the subject, asking, "How did you all get in?"

As soon as the question was asked, the shadow before him seemed to fade considerably. Yu Lingdi could clearly see that the Head of the Dark Department, who was constantly shrouded in shadow, suddenly lifted her face, revealing the delicate, jade-white lower half of her face. Then her red lips parted, uttering a single word with perfect clarity: "Father."

Yu Lingdi's heart stopped. He asked in disbelief, "What... what did you hear?"

Night Owl shook her head. Just as she had said before: she had passed by and heard the word "Father." That was all.

Yu Lingdi slightly lowered his gaze and whispered, "That was just a nightmare; let's not discuss it..." He then changed the subject. "Since everyone has entered, we can only proceed directly to the next step—stopping the Void Island. All that is happening now is being orchestrated by Ba Zun'an! I already know everything. We just need to go directly to Sin One Hall and banish Void Island back into the temporal shattered flow; everything will be forced to stop." Having said this firmly, Yu Lingdi turned to leave.

Night Owl didn't move. She only spoke a few extra words when something piqued her interest. Without a doubt, what interested her most at the moment was Yu Lingdi himself, and the two words he had uttered upon waking.

"I am answering your question." Her calm voice came from behind. Yu Lingdi's footsteps abruptly halted.

What did she mean? Just answering his question? Yu Lingdi immediately recalled what he had asked: "How did you all get in?" The answer was... "Father."

In that instant of mental blankness, just as when he'd heard that person's voice in the dream, Yu Lingdi completely lost the ability to think.

"What are you talking about?!" After a moment of stunned silence, he turned to face her, seething with rage. If Night Owl didn't explain herself clearly today, he wouldn't hesitate to make her understand the price of desecrating the dead.

Night Owl still said nothing. She simply waved her hand, and blackness surged from her body, forming dim light and shadow scenes before her.

Scenes of Wave-Riding Cloud Scrolls, the Sea-Controlling Divine Halberd, Water Elemental Mastery, the Halberd of Evil-Slaying Bow's Arrow, the Deep Sea World, and the Void Gate flashed before him. The final image froze: a blurry man's face in the mist, standing on a wave's crest, wearing half a golden beast mask!

"Golden Glow..." Yu Lingdi was stunned. Almost instantly, he matched this figure with the one who had appeared in his dream world.

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Yu Lingdi showed no outward emotion before Night Owl, but inwardly, his thoughts were in frantic denial. He refused to believe the reality of any of it.

Under the shadow, Night Owl's red lips curved, as if in a rare smile, and she spoke more than usual: "I had suspected his identity, but wasn't certain, until I passed by this place and you called me 'Father'."

Yu Lingdi's mind went blank with a crash. With vacant eyes, he raised his face, looking at the person before him who seemed to be both smiling and not smiling.

She always hid in the shadows, yet she was clearer-minded than anyone else.

At this moment, the long sigh from the dream world, which he had forcefully erased and forgotten, involuntarily reappeared, resonating endlessly in the depths of his soul.

"Long time no see, my child..."