He is the leader of the Tantric sect in Chagdu.

Chapter 123 [Golden Dawn]

Wilting had also pondered what made him so special that he was out of place in this world and unable to connect with most people—but sometimes, these “unusual traits” were like fragrances that only they could understand, intertwined by an invisible force of attraction for some equally lonely beings.

—I've been targeted by a weirdo.

Virtue's consciousness gradually became hazy.

Eileen, Grey—two completely unrelated names, yet at this moment, they dissolved into the same line of sight in an inconceivable way—

When that shadow that had terrified and unsettled her countless times, that mystery that loomed over her mind, now transformed into a completely different silhouette before her, a person she knew all too well—Vildin was overwhelmed by a certain emotion, an emotion so complex that it was difficult to comprehend, even impossible to fathom.

She tried to reach out, but through the thick curtain of rain, her blurry vision kept swaying. She saw her stiff fingers, through the soaked fabric, clinging to his shoulder.

Why?

Virtue wanted to ask that question—but the sound of the rain was too loud—and her trembling throat couldn't utter a single sound.

At this moment, there seemed to be an invisible and hazy barrier between herself and "her own heart." She tried to reach out, but could not touch the thing that was so close at hand.

Should I be angry?

Wilting pondered silently, a chill creeping from her tightening neck throughout her body. Her limp hands could find no support, and she looked down in bewilderment at the black gun that had just slipped from her grasp. In the pouring rain, the gun lost its focus and was slowly submerged by the rushing water.

In those lost amber pupils, there was nothing left to illuminate.

—What I feel is regret? Loss? Joy? Confusion? ————

Or is it something else?

Veldine tried to understand herself, but she quickly failed.

Those chaotic and disordered tides that rise from the depths of her heart—they surge aimlessly until they carry some great force and wash over the outer shell of the vessel, causing the girl's radiant, silver-plated soul to shatter silently with a dim crack.

-I do not understand.

There was no pleading, no compromise, nothing to be pitied. The girl, her life extinguished silently in the deathly stillness, simply stared at Eileen with utter silence, her increasingly dull, broken eyes, devoid of any luster—

"I do not understand."

Virtue didn't utter a sound, but she must have been asking the same question—the language conveyed in her eyes was a sorrow without expectation of an answer, a deathly silence as the ship of her soul was about to sink in the surging waves.

Her bloodless cheeks held no more pride to cherish, and her slender neck, as thin as a straw, seemed to have stopped breathing.

Her already frail figure swayed in the rain.

—I was deceived from the very beginning.

Veltin laughed self-deprecatingly, her head held high like a swan with a broken wing but still proud and vibrant, staring intently at the sky, letting the boundless downpour fill her eyes, so that no one could tell whether her eyes had been wet from the beginning.

Grey and Ellen, if they were the same person from the beginning, then perhaps everything makes sense: about her mysterious new subordinate, about the disastrous trip to the suburbs, about his special treatment of her, and much more, about everything that was entangled around her like a giant net.

—Wouldn't that be terrible?

Virtue felt a chill run through her body:

—What kind of precious prey was she to him, that the terrifying hunter would devote so much energy to her, even building a stage just for her?

She looked at Elaine, at those gray eyes that should have been familiar, but now seemed frighteningly strange, and waited for the answer that her heart no longer craved.

"Wei." In that incredibly distant and cold gaze, Eileen spoke slowly. His voice was muffled by the heavy rain, yet clearly audible, "Listen to me—"

The next moment—

"Vei Sir, my Minister Vie!" Ellen lunged forward, easily catching the girl, who was still dazed and exhausted from lack of oxygen, and pinning her against the invisible wall. Then she hugged her neck and started wailing, "You really have to listen to my explanation! That bastard who persecuted you before is dead. What he did to you—cough cough, I have no idea!"

And I was unaware of it—I told you, and you've seen it too, I've already reformed—”

He vigorously wiped the water from his face, so wet it was hard to tell if he was really crying. "Every day I've been diligently handling internal affairs and working hard to develop the business. I finally managed to gain a foothold in the nest, and then the Foundation slapped me in the face. It's not unreasonable for me to fight back, is it? But I never expected those bastards to play the emotional card and send you in here. I really had no choice—"

As Ai slid along the rails, she cautiously stole glances at Virtine's expression. The bewildered girl was completely lost in thought, her pale lips slightly parted, unsure of where to put her arms. Naturally, the fox's movements led her into an embracing posture.

It was a very reserved hug, of course. Ai rubbed pitifully against her shoulder, secretly blowing wind in Wei Sir's ear, mischievously watching the raindrops part in the airflow and slide down the girl's slender neck, occasionally letting out a soft sob.

"I have absolutely nothing to do with that bastard Grey!" he declared.

—Damn it, how could I, the Lord of the Wings of the World and the future Father of Light, possibly allow such a somber atmosphere to occur!

This kind of pretentious reconciliation process should be nipped in the bud.

The fox had thought of everything. Break through the defenses first, then repair them—this was the strategy Anda taught him. To leave an impression on someone, you must leave the deepest mark on their heart.

He had rehearsed this scene of his future honesty with Virtin a hundred times, just waiting to use his lightning speed to mend her crumbling heart the moment she was about to be ruined.

After all, Gray was a heavy psychological shadow for her, and to break through this shadow, she could only abandon the pointless pretentiousness. Once the reconciliation was completed, pretentiousness was unimportant. In any case, if Wei Sir became one of her own in the future, the shattering of this filter was only a matter of time.

—The fox has different ways of dealing with different people: for someone like Mia who seeks reliance, providing her with a sense of security is the best approach. As for Ronan, a pure deer-man who enjoys fighting, he can befriend Gala and become like brothers.

But when dealing with an independent and clever little kitten like Ms. Wei, before she retracts her claws, perhaps we should first—make the kitten happy?

At least I can't let her get angry the moment she sees me.

—Veltin isn't some hothead like the Deer Man; she knows far too many secrets. In some ways, the girl understands the Greys better than the entire Foundation does.

Therefore, cutting ash at the speed of light becomes essential.

In the girl's blind spot, Ai Yi's face broke into a wicked grin.

—How about it?—My targeted strategy?

Wilting was clearly bewildered by this absurd turn of events. Her unfocused pupils were filled with a dull color, but at least they didn't have the fragmented quality they had before—the girl seemed to have regained a bit of vitality, and her gaze toward Ai was somewhat hazy as she tilted her head slightly as if she were thinking.

—That's right, it's good to calm down. —Once you calm down, you can think carefully about what I just said.

Ai gently leaned against the girl, patting her thin back softly: "Visser, I have no expectations of anyone under this dome except you, Visser. You are the only one I have ever thought of who could take my place at the end—I believe that once you have seen the light, your eyes will always be turned toward it, and then you will hold it high—the only monarch who can sit on that throne can be us."

Of course, besides her heartfelt appreciation for the girl, Ai also had some other expectations.

Please, this is Ms. Wei! The invincible Miss Wei, Ai is waiting for the day she can rise to the top of the foundation and turn the enemy company into her own backyard—just like a graduate student who longs for their mentor to become an academician.

"Mr. Wei—I want you to be my boss for life!"

The instant after he uttered this declaration, a cold voice rang in his ears: "Change back."

—?

Ai was stunned for a moment, then a sharp pain shot through his waist—it turned out that the first-stage mystic scholars, regardless of whether they were combat-oriented or not, were all very strong—Vis, who had recovered, twisted the soft flesh of his waist all the way around, and the fox's face was contorted with pain.

"No, no, no, I'll transform—" The next second, as mechanical wings regrown behind him, Ai's size shrank at lightning speed, and then he transformed back into that small fox—he was originally a little taller than Virtin, but now he was half a head shorter.

The silver-haired girl hesitated for a moment, then slowly pushed the gray fox out of her arms. First, she carefully patted his head, and then—the movements gradually became heavier, until she vented her frustration by ruffling his wet hair into a mess.

Still not satisfied, Virtue fiercely pulled the fox into his arms again, rubbing its tail, which was already shriveled from the rain. Ai looked like she was about to cry, enduring the pain while symbolically flicking her tail, pretending to accidentally splash water on Virtue's face.

"Lelellu————" Looking at the terrifying shadow in my memory, now it has become like this.

Veltin forcibly suppressed the smile on her lips and tried to revert to her indifferent demeanor—until the fox nestled even closer into her arms, she realized that she was now almost completely soaked and pressed against him. She quietly bit her lower lip and subtly pushed him away a little.

Ai grinned mischievously, making no attempt to hide the pleasure in her eyes. She squinted at the girl's blurred expression behind the rain, "Wei, you'll never meet another madman like me who can accept everything about you."

He said softly, "Whichever of us sits on the throne, I will bless you—Vi, you are never alone, at least you still have me."

"Shut up, you pervert." Virtin pressed down one of the fox's ears, then watched it bounce up with interest. Although he was scolding it, his tone was like melting ice, gradually softening and then filled with an indescribable firmness.

"I will always be watching you, trying to understand the path you are walking, the so-called path of light."

She spoke solemnly at first, then sighed helplessly, "As you wish—your so-called justice, your righteousness, I will try to see it all—"

Veltin's gaze was hazy and flickering, then he looked away slightly. "What do you expect me to do for you? Let's talk about that after the trial period is over—"

"A trial period?"

Ai tilted her head and grinned mischievously, "I like that way of putting it."

"But before that, let me leave you with a radiance that you will never forget in this lifetime."

He snapped his fingers.

The next instant, the surrounding environment suddenly collapsed, and as the two consciousnesses separated from the vessel-like realm, the familiar earth appeared before them—

The outskirts of the city.

The flame that nearly destroyed everything has been extinguished silently, and the projection of the Grand Judge has also removed its medium of existence. Now, only Ai stands in the grayness, and a consciousness lingers beside him.

"Wei, witness my journey, starting now."

Ai chuckled softly, her body slowly sinking towards the ground until she stood firmly in the boundless darkness.

"Look carefully at the beauty as I understand it."

The next second, a pure white booklet emerged from nothingness, slowly solidifying beside him as a page flipped open with a rustling sound. On the booklet recording achievements, a new line of paisley marks appeared.

"The authority that spreads from the depths of evil and darkness, karma is the measure defined by light, the equivalent of love and blood. Life drawn to the light has waited countless years for this moment. What rises from that boundless darkness—radiance—we praise the radiance, together composing the pure white of new life—from that color, what will hatch?"

"It is greater mercy, a brighter light—"

Pure White Tantra, Volume One—The Rebirth of Light

—"The Pure White Tantra is complete once again, the promise made from above fills your emptiness, and the radiance flowing down from above plays a joyful hymn for you."

"You have completed the tilt: Heavenly Light: Cold Candle"

"The time for joyous celebration has come."

He looked up and sighed deeply, like a blazing sun bursting forth from the darkness, like a trumpet blaring a triumphant song: "Radiant melody, radiant mercy, I have stood firm, I will ascend—"

Facing countless bowed lives, he sang:

—My authority is nourishment, a foundation, something more boundless than the earth and soil, the sky and the air—One day, you will understand that my light is like true knowledge, proclaim my light as revelation, sing my light as the gospel, and depend on my light as water, as air, as food, as the foundation of life.

"The first act of mercy I bestow upon you—the love and blood I owe you—I give you a chance for new life, a miracle, a blessing, and it is today!"

He placed his palm into the pure white, icy embrace, and the already conceived form of his soul, the vessel he had sculpted, floated from Ai's palm:

The invisible red liquid solidified into a physical form, flowing like a thick paste and blood: when it emerged from pure white, it became a long, white staff, as clear as marrow—two coiled snakes, head to tail, intertwined in a posture that resembled the sacred born from savagery, vulgar yet holy—as they spiraled upwards, touching the plump red fruit at the head of the staff—a certain closed loop and unified structure was revealed within it.

【EGO·Paradise Restored】

"I offer redemption with my blood." Ai Yi smiled serenely.

The next moment—

Inside the red fruit, a liquid flowing like the blood marrow of red stone transformed into a smooth, round bead like agate, rolling off the snake's sharp fangs. As it disappeared into the depths of the dark earth, it erupted with a wave of light.

Then, the earth churned, darkness boiled, and deathly silence dissolved.

Just like the great feat of sages who opened up the Red Sea:

Like the spread and diffusion of a great tide, like the arrival and rebirth of life, all decay and corruption vanish before him. From the lifeless mud and rotten soil, grass and trees emerge. The grass is sweet, and the trees seem to flow with milk and honey if you cut open their bark. The abundant fruits are like soft bread made of white jade. When pure white covers everything, the green spreads to the ends of the world.

Until, the light of day surged forth, illuminating the dark night.

Irrigated by this drop of redemptive blood, this decaying land shed its former desolation, and vibrant life, like a tenacious seedling, emerged from the depths of every inch of soil and every dark corner.

"That's how it should be," declared the messenger of light.

—This is the mercy I have promised.

"Witness this moment."

Ai sang, "The Coming of the Promised Land, Part 1"

Countless people greeted this "abrupt" dawn under the dark dome, opening their eyes in the dead of night to witness that sublime radiance.

The messenger of light, facing the light emerging from the end of the dome, imprints the newborn dawn on the back of its pupils—and the radiance pulsates like a shadow, brilliant and dazzling.

"I—the newly born Wings of the World:"

Ai Yi spread her arms, raised the wings on her back, and her divine presence was unapproachable.

Golden Dawn

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