Lan's body was curled into a ball on a stone table in the front yard of their new house.
His eyes were closed as he was slowly undoing the seal that had been cast on his cultivation base.
This seal was made by himself prior to entering the Ghost Realm. In general, no expert would place such a seal on themselves, as it was irreversible on a short-term basis.
Even after leaving the Ghost Realm it would be in effect, and the time he would need to unravel the seal could easily be hundreds of years.
Currently, Lan was not stronger than a high-ranked ghost, and the situation had caused his mentality to shift. While growing up, he had been in a soft and supportive environment, and when he finally learned of the bitterness that accompanied life, he was already so strong that no one could harm him.
Now that he was weak again, he felt depressed, but upon knowing that he would meet Lin Zhiqing again, he thought it was worth it. Even if she was no longer the woman from before, and even if she would not accept him again, he just wanted to see what kind of life she was living now.
Lan had already lived for tens of thousands of years. While he had not experienced as much as many other cultivators, he felt fulfilled. Even if he were to die, he would have no regrets.
Xue Wei was different. He had an urgency to cultivate for the sake of reaching the goals he had made for himself. He wanted to get to the bottom of the mysteries about his uncle, and end the whole war in the Chang'an continent. He wanted to reach a realm where no one could threaten him, and he wished to slowly travel the multiple realms alongside Wang Xiaoyun to see how others lived.
Although the two of them had become friends, their lives were completely different from one another. One had grown up being shrouded by care and consideration, while the other had grown up facing hardship and loss.
At the same time, one was very old and had lived for many thousands of years, while the other was young, having not even reached fifty years of age.
Lan was aware that he was a mingshe. Although he could take on a human shape, and seem human, he was, after all, a beast.
He knew that it might be hard for Lin Zhiqing, or Mo Lian as she was called now, to accept him since they were of different origin, and even different species, but he was not willing to try and hide who he was.
Naturally, he wished for the two of them to end up together again, but he also accepted that it was not likely to be easy. Even if they could no longer be a couple, his biggest wish was for her to live a life of freedom, no longer dragged down by her own body.
This was the greatest difference between Lan and most others. Even though he had been at the very top of the world for a long time, he still wished to help those he cared about.
Although he was not a person who would care about the innocent, he was willing to go the extra mile for the special people in his life.
After knowing that Hui Yue had arrived in this world, he knew that his obsession with Lin Zhiqing had to be resolved. He had found the Rulebreaker, and had a chance to meet her again. He would help her regain life, and return to the world of the living, but after that, it was up to her to decide if she wished to spend her life alongside him.
He would have to let go and get on with his own life as well. It was not that he did not love her enough; it was that he loved her too much, and he was willing to let her go free.
If she remained with him purely out of gratitude for returning her to the living world, then they would likely end up hurting one another, so now he wished for life to move on.
These thoughts were getting clearer and clearer in his mind as the meeting drew nearer. He had long been blinded by his obsession and grief, but now he knew that while he did not regret the many years looking for a way to resurrect her, he was not willing to spend his whole life solely for her.
Lan felt his body grow light. While his previous cultivation had always been smooth and without problems, he had never before experienced an epiphany like now.
He did not cause a great change in the surrounding energy, but it was as if countless small explosions went off within his body, causing energy to fill his meridians to the brim.
Previously, he had been beneath the Deity Realm, but due to the sudden rupture of a significant part of his seal, he shot straight to the realm of the Immortals once more.
The breath that hung all over Lan's body went through earth shattering changes, but only those who were strong enough could sense it. While his body changed, the surroundings remained the same, and others would never guess how much difference this sudden epiphany made to Lan.
Xue Wei had been cultivating by Lan's side, and while he did not sense what rank the mingshe reached, he could sense that his aura became much more profound and intimidating.
He left the meditative state and glanced at the snake that still did not move. While he was still stuck in his beastly shape, his scales had begun shining with a beautiful pearl-like luster.