As someone who has died once before, Pei Yan is now in an extremely subtle state, oblivious to everything happening outside. He feels as if he's floating in a vast golden stream, the warm water gently lapping at his body, making him feel incredibly at ease. His eyes are half-closed as wave after wave of drowsiness washes over his mind with the flow of the stream.

Pa!

Hmm? Something seems to be slapping Pei Yan's cheek. Feeling lazy, he doesn't want to move at all, so he turns his face away to continue napping.

Pa!

Hmm?

Pa pa pa pa pa!

"What the hell!" Finally woken up from his stupor after being slapped repeatedly more than a dozen times, Pei Yan curses aloud when he manages to struggle open his eyes and sees what was hitting him.

A huge fish!

Fish? Pei Yan suddenly wakes up—wasn't this the kind of fish that the little girl forced him to eat that day? Where is this place? The world after death? Is this fish here to take revenge on me?

Seeing that it had woken Pei Yan, the fish stopped attacking, fell back into the water, and swam back and forth around Pei Yan's feet with affectionate gestures. Pei Yan sat cross-legged and reached out to catch the fish, but instead of being scared, it approached and gently nudged Pei Yan's finger with its mouth.

"Fish, oh fish! I had no choice but to eat you back then, and besides, you were already dead when you got to my hands. The one you should blame is that guy called Li Songtao. I just made good use of you, and besides, your flesh wasn't even that tasty."

Sitting cross-legged in the water, Pei Yan let the stream wash over his waist, idly teasing the fish while muttering to himself. It's not that he's unconcerned about the situation outside but rather helpless because ever since he regained consciousness, he had tried many times to communicate with the Origin or connect to the outside world, but all attempts ended in failure. Now, he can't leave this place or feel any Power of Origin within himself.

"It seems that even if I'm not dead, I've become a worthless person." Pei Yan spread his hands, feeling desolate as he muttered to himself.

"That's your own doing!"

A familiar voice that filled Pei Yan with immense fear came from behind him, scaring him to roll forward and scramble away. Turning around, he saw the woman who brought him both hatred and fear.

"You, you, how are you here? Are you dead too?" Pei Yan stammered as he stared at Lin Junzhao, whose face was cold as ice.

Lin Junzhao didn't answer his question but instead looked up to observe the surroundings. In the outside world, she was first ambushed by seeds left behind by the Origin of other worlds and then besieged by Cen Xiaoran and others. Forced to prevent her energy body from being divided again, she had to abandon her previous plan and forcibly merge herself into Pei Yan's backup body.

"Although the day of your awakening hasn't been as long as your sister, after all these years, it's not bad how much the Origin had unknowingly nourished your body." Lin Junzhao remarked in a deep voice as she squatted, gently stirring the water with her feet.

"Is this within me? Am I not dead yet?" Pei Yan looked at Lin Junzhao, who was slowly standing up and walking towards him, and asked.

"What did you think? Did you think I would go to the underworld with you? I'm curious about what tricks that woman did to you and how she predicted that there would be conflict between us? Or did she also leave some hidden cards with your sister? Can you solve this mystery for me?" Lin Junzhao stood before Pei Yan, peacefully asking without her previous arrogance.

"I ate a fish she gave me."

"Fish?" Lin Junzhao was taken aback.

"If the person I encountered and the one you're talking about is the same, yes, my only interaction with her was eating a fish she forced me to eat. As for my sister, I'm not sure." After Pei Yan finished speaking, he recounted his encounter with the little girl from start to finish to Lin Junzhao.

After hearing Pei Yan's account, Lin Junzhao first let out a cold laugh, then shook her head helplessly, finally looked up into Pei Yan's eyes, spread her hands, and said, "Haven't you always wanted to prevent me from merging with your sister completely, and even prepared to sacrifice yourself for it? Now your wish has been granted, this body of yours will replace your sister for my use!"

"If possible, I still want to keep my self and live on!"

Seeing Pei Yan assume a combat stance, retreating sharply backwards, Lin Junzhao chuckled lightly, "What a contradictory little devil; so you think you can defeat me within your own body?"

"I don't know what's happening outside, but hearing you were forced to abandon my sister and what you just said, you must be driven to a corner! For my survival, I think it's better to take a chance. Maybe if I delay long enough, I might survive!" Pei Yan said, lifting his arms into an attack stance. As long as there was a slither of possibility, he wouldn't relinquish his body and become someone else's puppet.

"Everyone's like this, can't ever understand the situation and insists on testing my patience!" Lin Junzhao clenched her fists, her inner agitation ignited once more, and facing Pei Yan's defiance, she decided not to hold back anymore. With a wave of her hand, the golden stream underfoot surged into a massive wave, enveloping Pei Yan and hurling him high into the air, before smashing him hard into the ground. Before he could react, a torrent rushed up to flood Pei Yan's nostrils, blocking his airway.

Watching Pei Yan desperately trying to fight against the fluid assault suffocating him, thrashing painfully yet feebly, Lin Junzhao coldly stomped on his stomach, saying, "Originally, you didn't need to endure this pain. If you had obeyed, I would have allowed you to drift into another world without feeling anything, like a beautiful dream. Now, accept the penalty for your foolishness."

With that, Lin Junzhao pressed down with her foot, and the already struggling Pei Yan couldn't hold his breath any longer, spurting out a string of air bubbles as the water gushed into his mouth.

In this critical moment, the large carp leaped out of the water, flipping its tail fiercely against Lin Junzhao's cheek. Lin Junzhao snorted, "I've been watching out for you!"

Raising her hand to block, there was a muffled thud, and the carp fell into the water while Lin Junzhao was thrown straight backward. Stabilizing herself, she looked down at the bruised area struck by the fish tail on her wrist, her expression turning stormy.

On the other side, now freed from Lin Junzhao's clutches, Pei Yan, on his knees, coughed violently, spitting out gulps of bitter water as he gasped desperately for fresh air. He couldn't understand why, even as a consciousness within his own body, he would experience suffocation and drowning?

But the footsteps behind allowed no time for thought. As he tried to leap away, a bizarre force immobilized him, forcing his head back into the water under immense pressure.

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