Not only the ordinary believers, but also the elders were no exception. They, who were once arrogant, now wished their parents had given them more legs. Where was their former might?
In less than an hour, only Ning Beichen and Li Jing'er remained at the vast main altar of the Moon Worship Cult.
Li Jing'er looked at the annihilation of the colossal Moon Worship Cult with disbelief, her gaze filled with immense admiration for Ning Beichen.
This was a man who could defeat a Heavenly Venerate.
Before coming, Li Jing'er had never dreamed of such an outcome. She had even considered that she and Ning Beichen might die at the main altar of the Moon Worship Cult, and she had prepared herself for it.
But the result...
"Young Master Ning, has the Moon Worship Cult been destroyed just like that?" Li Jing'er asked, her voice full of disbelief.
"Destroyed. They brought it upon themselves," Ning Beichen nodded and said. He himself was quite excited, as it proved he now had the ability to slay a Heavenly Venerate.
"By the way, I wonder if my master is my opponent now?" Ning Beichen suddenly thought, looking eager to test his skills. However, considering he had to spare his master's dignity, Ning Beichen dismissed the thought of challenging him to a spar. "No, no." It was normal for him to lose, as he was the disciple. But if he won, his master would lose face. He couldn't commit such a sacrilegious act.
Ning Beichen returned to reality and began to ponder another matter: Li Jing'er. He had already annihilated the Moon Worship Cult. By all rights, he should have changed Li Jing'er's fate, shouldn't he? Then why hadn't Shen Ling brought him back yet? He didn't want to live his entire life here. The women back home were waiting for him.
"I shouldn't have agreed to Shen Ling's request to do this." Ning Beichen felt a pang of regret. However, realizing he had eagerly volunteered for this task, and it had nothing to do with Shen Ling, Ning Beichen felt dejected. He couldn't go back, and he didn't know what had gone wrong.
Jin Yuehe, who had also vanished, was nowhere to be found.
What was going on? Ning Beichen couldn't figure it out, and he had no one to ask.
"Young Master Ning, you are too powerful! I never imagined you were a Heavenly Venerate," Li Jing'er said, her admiration boundless.
"It was the leader of the Moon Worship Cult who was too weak," Ning Beichen replied humbly. If anyone else had heard him say that, they would have been speechless. The statement that the leader of the Moon Worship Cult was too weak was likely something only Ning Beichen would dare to utter. Even other Heavenly Venerates would not have dared to claim they had any certainty of victory against the cult leader.
However, Ning Beichen's mind was elsewhere. Defeating the cult leader meant little to him. What he wanted now was to return to his original timeline. After much thought, Ning Beichen felt that to resolve the issue, he ultimately had to start with Li Jing'er.
"Miss Li, I have something I want to tell you." Although hesitant, Ning Beichen decided to be upfront with Li Jing'er. He couldn't continue like this indefinitely.
However, Li Jing'er misunderstood. She thought Ning Beichen was about to confess his love or utter sweet nothings, which made her blush and nod shyly. Ning Beichen, seeing her nod, didn't think much of it. He then told her about Chang Qing of Shen Ling, explained why he had appeared here, and why he had helped her.
"So, Miss Li, you understand why I appeared here now, right? It's because I'm not from this timeline." Ning Beichen confessed frankly.
Li Jing'er, however, had no idea that what Ning Beichen wanted to tell her was completely different from what she had imagined. She was stunned for a long time, unable to snap out of it.
"Miss Li, are you alright?" Ning Beichen asked, worried by her unusual state.
"I... I'm fine. Young Master Li, you... you are truly from a future timeline?" Li Jing'er asked, not mentioning Chang Qing, but instead questioning Ning Beichen.
Ning Beichen nodded. He then took out some items from his spatial artifact – clothes, snacks, and other things that did not exist in this era.
"I'm sorry, Miss Li. I didn't intentionally hide it from you. I just didn't know how to tell you," Ning Beichen said apologetically.
"It... It's alright. Young Master Ning hasn't done anything wrong," Li Jing'er replied, her heart feeling a sense of emptiness.
For a moment, neither of them spoke, creating an awkward atmosphere.
"Miss Li, you... you and Chang Qing..." Ning Beichen finally asked, as he knew he could never return if this issue wasn't resolved.
"I think he misunderstood. I've always treated him as a senior brother and never liked him. Do you know who I actually like... is you."
Li Jing'er's words almost made Ning Beichen jump out of his skin. He had known that Li Jing'er had some affection for him; he had sensed it before. But he hadn't expected her to confess it so directly to his face.
"Miss Li, you... are you mistaken? You should be together with Chang Qing," Ning Beichen quickly said.
"No, I'm not mistaken. I know Senior Brother Chang Qing is very good to me, but I don't like him," Li Jing'er said firmly.
Now it was Ning Beichen's turn to have a headache. He realized his guess might be true, meaning Chang Qing was likely in love with Li Jing'er, while she was not interested.
"But Chang Qing said that the cultivation technique you practice is a reincarnation technique, intended to help you remember him forever," Ning Beichen recalled some of Chang Qing's words and immediately said to Li Jing'er.
"If I practice a reincarnation technique, it's not for him. It's only for one person, and that person is... you, Young Master Ning," Li Jing'er said to Ning Beichen.
"Miss Li... what virtue or merit do I, Ning Beichen, possess to earn your affection? I am simply not of this era, and I will have to leave sooner or later." Ning Beichen tried to subtly decline.
"Then I will reincarnate for life after life until I meet you, Young Master Ning," Li Jing'er said with conviction, looking at Ning Beichen.
"You... you are reincarnating for me? Not for Chang Qing?" Ning Beichen's mouth gaped open, his expression as if he had witnessed the arrival of God or Buddha.
"Yes. If I am to reincarnate, it will be for you, Young Master Ning," Li Jing'er stated with absolute certainty.
The moment she finished speaking, Ning Beichen saw his body begin to fade, like a discolored painting, the ink gradually disappearing from the white paper. Ning Beichen looked down at his body transforming into tiny specks of starlight, fluttering like countless fireflies.
Ning Beichen was happy to be able to leave, yet an indescribable sadness suddenly welled up within him. It seemed his time in this era had ended, and he was now to return. However, in his heart, a new person had unexpectedly become a concern.