Chapter 2287: Chapter 2334: Wish for the Next Life

A gentle breeze blew past, stirring her white hair and fluttering the pages of the book on the table.

With a FLUTTER, the pages turned, pausing briefly on one that had been frequently touched, covered in fingerprints and tear stains. A short line of ancient poetry flashed by.

"Black silk turns to white snow in but an instant; to whom can one lament the fading of youth? If the spring breeze harbors pity for the blossom, might it grant me my youth once more?"

After a long time, she wiped away the moisture from the corners of her eyes and silently took out an amber pendant from her bosom. Sealed inside was a teardrop-shaped Crystal. It was none other than the wish-granting Tear of Time.

Holding the Tear of Time, all traces of sorrow vanished from her face, replaced by a deep sense of anticipation.

"The epiphyllum has bloomed. I have waited until this moment," she murmured softly.

"The person... I have also waited for him.

"Now, it is time for me to go."

She gently crushed the amber, activating the Tear of Time. Pressing her palms together, she prayed to Cangming in the unseen heavens. "If heaven has any mercy, please take my remaining life to grant me a bond in the next life."

As the wish was made, the sky remained in complete silence, and the Tear of Time showed no reaction. A reunion in the next life—how could such an immense wish be exchanged for a mere fifty years of lifespan?

The light in the white-haired old woman’s eyes slowly dimmed as she muttered, "Am I being too greedy?

"Then, I no longer want a bond in the next life.

"Take my fifty years of lifespan and grant me just one encounter in the next life.

"Let him see me just once, when my flower blooms at its most beautiful."

She lowered her head, looking like a devout believer standing before the gods, begging for mercy. She had made her most humble plea to heaven and earth.

BUZZ—

The Tear of Time in her hands trembled.

Fifty years of lifespan was not even enough to make a grand worldly wish. Yet, it had moved the unseen entities in the dark, satisfying her wish for the next life.

The old woman suddenly raised her head, tears of excitement brimming in her eyes. "Thank you... thank you..."

She looked down at the Tear of Time slowly shattering in her hands, smiling through her tears. Simultaneously, her hands began to peel away bit by bit, turning into fine particles that scattered with the wind. The moment the Tear of Time completely shattered would be the exact moment she vanished from heaven and earth.

Over the Vast Sea.

Jiang Fan walked aimlessly on the waves. Suddenly, sensing something, he turned sharply to look in the direction he had come from. A First Layer of profoundly mysterious and massive fluctuation was spreading across the heavens.

He couldn’t be more familiar with this fluctuation.

He thought, "The Tear of Time?"

Yizhu Demon Emperor had once mentioned that centuries ago, three Tears of Time had fallen from the sky. One had landed in the East Sea, while the other two had fallen into the South Sea! And right now, the place where this Tear of Time had been activated was the very island he had just visited!

Was that white-haired old woman activating the Tear of Time? Who was she? Who exactly was she?

Suddenly, he remembered that when he first saw the old woman, he had absentmindedly mistaken her for the Old Dream Demon Emperor. His heart skipped a beat.

He wondered in shock, "That white-haired old woman... that granny... is she the Old Dream Demon Emperor?"

Jiang Fan’s body swayed as he stumbled back a few steps. His eyes went blank as he shook his head in denial. "No, how could she be Jiu Meng?

"It can’t be... it’s impossible..."

However, as the ripples from the Tear of Time swept over him, an unseen Cause and Effect from the wish descended upon him. The wish made by the old woman was deeply etched into his soul like a brand.

"Take my fifty years of lifespan and grant me just one encounter in the next life. Let him see me just once, when my flower blooms at its most beautiful."

Jiang Fan stood frozen on the spot, as if struck by a Thunder Strike.

In this world, there was only one woman who harbored a wish for the next life regarding him. That was... the Old Dream Demon Emperor!

Now trapped in an elderly, frail body, she had used the last of her life to make a wish for her next incarnation. All for the sake of Jiang Fan looking at her just once, before she was married, during the absolute best years of her youth!

Jiang Fan’s heart violently trembled. Was it worth it? They had only met twice. Was he really worthy of such devotion? She had already grown so old...

Wait! Jiang Fan’s pupils suddenly contracted violently.

Why had the Old Dream Demon Emperor grown old? Could it be that she had used the majority of her lifespan to activate the other Tear of Time? And that time...

He recalled a question that had troubled him for a long time. Back when he was engaged in a fierce battle with the Young Emperor, the Chaotic Ancient Blood Marquis had aggressively charged at him. At the exact moment the Marquis was about to pierce him with a spear, an unseen force had blocked the fatal strike.

Because of that, he had successfully escaped. Even the Great Wine Sacrifice was deeply afraid of that force, guarding it as a taboo secret.

BOOM—

Jiang Fan’s mind roared, as if tens of thousands of Thunderbolts had exploded inside his head!

It had been the Old Dream Demon Emperor! She had hidden in a secluded corner and silently used her own life to activate the Tear of Time to protect him! That was why, after that incident, an island had appeared above the South Sea Palace. And on that island lived a white-haired old woman.

Yet, Jiang Fan hadn’t recognized her. He had even called her "granny"!

Trembling all over, an immense wave of guilt drowned Jiang Fan like a flood.

"Jiu Meng... Jiu Meng!" he growled, his eyes quivering incessantly. His solid figure turned ethereal as he used Instantaneous Movement to rush toward the island.

In the blink of an eye, he was back in the island’s courtyard. He stood before the white-haired, aged Old Dream Demon Emperor.

At this moment, the Old Dream Demon Emperor was lying peacefully in a bamboo chair. Her body was continuously dissipating, turning into floating particles. Yet, she wore a contented smile, quietly awaiting her own demise.

Jiang Fan staggered forward and reached out a trembling hand, lightly touching the back of her hand. Upon contact, the dissipation accelerated.

He hastily pulled his hand back, his lips quivering. "Jiu... Meng..."

The Old Dream Demon Emperor’s dissipating body trembled, and she opened her closed eyes. Reflected in her pupils was the chaotic, distraught figure of Jiang Fan, who had returned. She was startled at first, but then a sense of relief washed over her.

Standing up, she approached him. Gazing at his still-youthful face, she absentmindedly brushed back her disheveled white hair. However, with that simple motion, large clumps of white hair fell out, fully exposing the deep, aged wrinkles on her forehead.

She had grown old. She was utterly and thoroughly old. Like a withered flower, she had lost all her vibrant colors.

Sorrow swelled within her, and the glistening moisture in her eyes formed two streams of tears, slowly sliding down the wrinkles on her face. Wiping her tears, she choked back a sob.

"I’m sorry, Jiang Fan.

"I grew old first."

Jiang Fan’s chest felt as though it had been struck by a heavy hammer. Those simple, quiet words hit him like an explosive thunderclap, causing his heart to tremble more violently than ever before. His pupils shrank incessantly, and his body turned completely stiff. He opened his mouth but couldn’t utter a single word.

She had always been waiting for him. But what she waited for was only her fading youth and an unspeakable regret.

Feeling as though his feet were filled with lead, Jiang Fan trudged forward with great difficulty, opened his arms, and tightly embraced her.

The Old Dream Demon Emperor shuddered, her eyes widening in astonishment. She had fantasized about this embrace countless times. Finally, right before she vanished, it had come.

She cried, and she smiled. Reaching out her dissipating arms, she wrapped them around Jiang Fan’s waist, letting her tears fall freely. She had waited for this embrace for far, far too long. To receive it before she completely faded away... she had no more regrets in this life.

Jiang Fan asked with difficulty, "Why did you make a wish for the next life?

"Why?"

If she hadn’t made this wish, he could still have searched for the Vitality Spirit Liquid to change her fate. But now, she was irreversibly fading away!

The Old Dream Demon Emperor took a shriveled fruit from her bosom. Cupping it carefully in her hands, she presented it to him. Looking up at his face, she replied, "Because... you promised that you would marry me in the next life."

Jiang Fan recognized it immediately; it was a Demon Infant Fruit. It was the gift he had given her before he left the Continent to head to Taicang State.

Back then, the Old Dream Demon Emperor had accepted it, saying she would consider it his betrothal gift for marrying her in the next life.

And Jiang Fan... had silently agreed!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.