Fairy, you call this repaying a debt of gratitude?

Gu Lengyue's thoughts, like the swirling snow, drifted aimlessly.

Xie Lingran, looking at the stunned and dazed Gu Lengyue, gave her answer:

"Actually, these two things are not contradictory. What we need is a powerful and stable dragon species, not an unruly monster."

"All you need to do is stabilize his power when it goes completely out of control and is on the verge of spiraling out of control, keeping it in a state of strong but controllable power."

"I can't do it."

Gu Lengyue blurted it out almost without thinking, her voice hoarse and trembling.

Xie Lingran's eyes narrowed slightly, and she asked softly, "Why?"

"Because you have no idea what he means to me."

"Although I don't know what he means to you..."

Gu Lengyue lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes trembling, her eyes slightly reddening, interrupting Xie Lingran:

"I can acquiesce to your plan because I can still deceive myself and tell myself that I have no choice in the matter. But I really can't do it myself... to push him into the abyss and end his life."

She paused, then continued, "Since I inherit my bloodline from you, why shouldn't you do this?"

After listening to the girl's tearful account, Xie Lingran fell into a long silence.

The wind and snow swept across his frosty white beard and hair. After a long while, he finally sighed softly, his tone filled with regret:

"Because I no longer possess that power. Back then, I was greedy and had some wild ideas, and ultimately I brought this upon myself."

Gu Lengyue was about to ask something, but Xie Lingran's narration did not end there.

"I once ventured into an ancient forbidden land and found a forbidden method. Following the instructions of that forbidden method, I risked my life to merge with a demonic dragon species similar to the Evil Dragon. I had hoped to use my own bloodline to suppress the innate characteristics of the demonic dragon and make this violent but powerful force work for me."

"And the Dragon-Trapping Formation that I spent half my life improving was originally intended only to restrain my own out-of-control reason."

Gu Hanfeng and the old man standing to the side were also somewhat stunned, as this was the first time they had learned of this past.

Gu Hanfeng's expression changed, and he said with resentment:

"No wonder she wouldn't let me kill you..."

Xie Lingran ignored their shock and continued speaking to herself:

"But I overestimated myself and underestimated the power of the ancient ferocious beast. Although I did not completely degenerate into a mindless monster, every now and then I would lose my mind and become a monster driven by my killing instinct."

"This is the real reason why I insisted that your mother take you, who was still young, to live in seclusion in a remote mountain village, isolated from the world."

"I can't bear to see you get hurt."

At this point, a deep sense of guilt welled up in Xie Lingran's eyes:

"But the monster residing in my body is not only incredibly powerful, but also possesses considerable intelligence. When it devoured my reason and controlled my body, it was able to search through my memories and discover that—the only bloodline in this world capable of completely suppressing it is that of only one person."

He looked up at his daughter before him, his voice tinged with sorrow: "That is you, Leng Yue. My child."

"And that's why the tragedy that happened back then was ultimately unavoidable."

Upon hearing this, Gu Lengyue trembled slightly, never expecting the truth to be like this.

It turns out that everyone has their own unavoidable circumstances...

These unavoidable circumstances make the handwriting at this moment seem like a joke, filled with anger and hatred but with nowhere to vent it.

"I didn't want to tell you the truth."

"Because I don't want to make excuses for myself. Although it was my mind that was affected by it, which led to such a terrible result, ultimately it was my greed for that forbidden power that caused this tragedy."

"I have spent countless days and nights repenting on this desolate mountain peak, confessing my deeds. But no one knows that my initial desire to break the taboo and crave this power was never for personal gain!"

"Since the consequences have already been sown, I can only endure them. But I will not stop, because I have already lost so much. I cannot let everyone's sacrifices be in vain, nor can I let your mother and the countless people who died unjustly die in vain."

"So I've been lying low here, waiting for an opportunity."

"Do you remember when you were climbing the mountain, I sent you a telepathic message, urging you to leave, saying that this was not a place for you?"

Gu Lengyue stiffened slightly and nodded.

"Because I wasn't fully prepared back then!" Xie Lingran's voice echoed across the summit. "But now it seems your timing for coming to the summit is perfect."

He turned his head, raised his hand and pointed to the old man standing silently to the side, his tone certain: "They can help us succeed."

Upon hearing this, the old man nodded at the opportune moment, his aged voice steady and powerful:

"As long as you can perfectly remove the dragon seed using the Dragon Imprisoning Formation and succeed, I will grant you everything you asked for back then."

"Did you hear that, Leng Yue?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned his gaze back to Gui Lengyue, his tone earnest:

"Now, you are the most crucial link in this deadly game. All you have to do is agree..."

"Once it's done, not only will your beloved mother be resurrected..."

In order to persuade Gu Lengyue, Xie Lingran stopped looking down on the resurrection method.

He gazed at the stunned girl and played his final, crucial card: "You've never understood what your identity truly means. Do you still remember the token your mother left you?"

Gu Lengyue raised her eyes and replied softly, "I remember. But my mother once told me that if I ever left the Gu family, I should throw away that token completely and never use it again."

"That is a symbol of our bloodline and identity."

Xie Lingran spoke solemnly, slowly revealing Gu Lengyue's long-buried past:

"You and I are both descendants of the previous dynasty's royal family. Back then, your mother never imagined that we could actually succeed, which is why she made you give up the token, hoping that you would live a peaceful life."

Gu Lengyue was stunned. No wonder her mother always kept quiet whenever she asked why she had to carry the token with her at all times.

It turns out her background was...

"But now the situation is turbulent, and the human race is in grave danger. Foreign demons are eyeing us covetously, waiting for an opportunity to invade. All kinds of evil and strange creatures are quietly emerging and stirring up trouble. The entire human race is in deep danger of annihilation. And in such a dangerous situation, the court is controlled by those treacherous officials from the past. How can this not be a tragedy? What we need to do now is to overthrow the usurper's rule, regain control of the land, and restore the royal family to its rightful place."

"So... Leng Yue, you should understand now. Compared to the safety of millions of people in the world, which is more important, one's personal feelings and one's own life?"

As he finished speaking, his gaze fell on Gu Lengyue, and he uttered his final words:

"I think you should be able to make the right choice."