All Realms and Worlds: The Lost Home

Yue Gui opened his mouth, his gaze shifting between Karen and the black-robed youth for a moment, then his tone turned serious as he slowly spoke.

"Calm down, Karen."

"I will answer all your questions, but before that, I want to introduce you to someone."

He turned to the side, gesturing for Karen to look at the black-robed youth opposite him, his voice carrying a complex mix of emotions and a barely perceptible respect.

"This is none other than the previous Demon King—Lancelot."

"boom!"

These words exploded in Karen's mind like a thunderbolt!

Karen froze, her eyes widening in disbelief, her mouth agape, and she caught her breath.

Lancelot?

The previous Demon King?

The legendary demon king who was personally slain by Yue Gui atop the Demon King's Castle, ending the centuries-long war between humans and demons?

How is this possible?!

Karen turned her head sharply, staring intently at the black-robed youth opposite her, scrutinizing him from head to toe, her eyes filled with shock that was almost overflowing.

The young man's handsome face remained expressionless, his deep eyes were calm and still, and the mysterious aura surrounding him did indeed carry the unique pressure of a demon king, only more composed and ancient than Yue Gui's demonic energy.

But he's so young, how could he possibly be the legendary old demon king who's lived for hundreds of years?

Moreover, everyone knows that the previous Demon King had already died by Yue Gui's sword. This is a fact recognized throughout the entire continent. How could he suddenly appear here?

"No...impossible!"

Karen finally came to her senses, her voice trembling, and she spoke in disbelief, "Legend has it that you were slain by Yuegui in the Demon King's Castle, how... how could you still be alive?"

Lancelot raised his eyes, glanced at Karen indifferently, and spoke slowly in a calm tone, carrying a hint of the vicissitudes of time. His voice was deep and magnetic.

"Legends are often just illusions that people are willing to believe."

"I didn't die. The whole thing about being 'killed' back then was a setup from beginning to end."

"A scheme proposed by me and personally executed by someone from Guangdong."

Karen's pupils contracted again, her shock deepening. She abruptly turned to Yue Gui and asked urgently, "Yue Gui, is what he said true? Was what happened back then really a setup?"

Yue Gui nodded slowly, his face devoid of any smile. His eyes became somber and complex, as if recalling the past, his tone filled with sighs.

"It's true."

"Back then, when I attacked the Demon King's castle, I made a series of unstoppable advances, which seemed unbelievably smooth. But only I knew that there were many suspicious things going on."

He paused, then slowly closed his eyes, as images from that year flooded his mind like a tide.

"At that time, although my strength was not weak, it was far from being able to kill the Demon King. However, I went through unimpeded, and even the most elite guards of the Demon King's city could not pose much of a hindrance to me."

"I had always been puzzled until I fought my way to the top of the Demon King's castle and met Lord Lancelot. Only then did I finally understand."

"All of this was arranged."

Lancelot took over Yue Gui's words, his tone still calm, but with an undisguised sense of helplessness and guilt. He slowly unraveled the mystery of the past for Karen, his eyes filled with resentment and a hint of powerlessness.

"Back then, I wasn't the one who suggested this fake death. The one who really instructed me to do all this was the one you just mentioned—Yukihime."

"What?!"

Karen was startled again, sitting bolt upright with astonishment in her eyes. "It's Yukihime? Why would she do this? Isn't she a fragment of the world's will? Why would she orchestrate such a fake death?"

Lancelot sighed softly, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the edge of the table. His tone was complex, and there was also a hint of suppressed coercion.

"Yukihime has never hidden her purpose from me—she did all this not for any selfish desire for control, but to allow the world's origin to evolve."

"The evolution of the world's origin?" Karen's brows furrowed even more, her face full of confusion. "What does that have to do with the fake death situation, and with us?"

"This has a great deal to do with you transmigrators." Lancelot raised his eyes, looking at Karen with a deep gaze, his tone solemn. "Snow Princess has discovered that the origin of this world has long been stagnant. Only by relying on the power of transmigrators and the aura of different worlds can we break the shackles and achieve evolution."

"And we, whether it's me, the 'Demon King,' or the Demon King's army, are just pawns she carefully selected to cooperate with her and deceive you transmigrators."

Karen was jolted, her mind reeling. Her astonishment deepened. "Deceive us? Why would she deceive a transmigrator? Couldn't she just state her purpose directly?"

"No." Lancelot shook his head, his tone full of helplessness. "Snow Princess said that transmigrators have pure minds. If they knew that they were just being used as tools to promote the evolution of the world's origin, they would most likely rebel or even flee this world. In that case, her plan would completely fail."

"Therefore, she meticulously wove lies, fabricated the illusion that the Goddess of Light was framed, and gradually led you transmigrators into the trap, making you believe that you are heroes who have come to save the world, willingly serving her and exhausting your power for the evolution of the origin of this world."

Yue Gui slowly spoke up, adding, "The reason I cooperated with this scheme back then, besides the pressure from Xue Ji, was more importantly because Lord Lancelot's weakness was exploited by her, and I had no choice but to help him."

Karen's gaze immediately fell on Lancelot, and she asked urgently, "Weakness? What weakness?"

When his weakness was mentioned, Lancelot's eyes softened instantly, only to be replaced by deep pain and helplessness. His voice also lowered, and he spoke clearly, word by word.

"Aleline Lawrence is my wife, the only love of my life."

"The Luo you heard about before was never my fiancée—Luo is a transmigrator. After she transmigrated to this world, she occupied Yalina's body."

"A hundred years ago, Yalina was seriously ill and on her deathbed. Just as she was about to pass away, Luo traveled through time and took over her body. From then on, people only knew Luo, the goddess of light, but no one remembered that the original owner of this body was my wife, Yalina."

Karen was completely stunned, her face filled with sudden realization. It turned out that there had never been a marriage agreement between Luo and Lancelot; it was all a lie fabricated by Xueji.

"Snow Princess knows that Yalinina is my Achilles' heel, my only weakness." Lancelot's voice was choked with emotion and a deep sense of helplessness. "She used Yalinina's remnant soul to blackmail me, forcing me to cooperate with her in planning this fake death scheme, to help her deceive all the transmigrators."

"I have never agreed with her actions, I have never wanted to deceive you innocent time travelers, and I don't want to see Yue Gui being used by her and falling into the abyss step by step."

"But I have no choice. I can't lose Yalina's last remaining soul. I can't let her not even have the chance to be reincarnated."

"Yukihime is the world's will, and her power far surpasses mine. I have no power to defy her. Even though I know what she is doing is wrong, and even though I am full of resentment, I can only cooperate with her and let her manipulate me. I let this lie escalate and even hurt Luo."

At this point, Lancelot's shoulders trembled slightly, and the helplessness and guilt in his eyes almost overflowed. He raised his hand to press his brow, his face full of exhaustion, as if he had been carrying a shackle for a hundred years and had never felt a moment of relief.

Looking at Lancelot's pained expression, Yue Gui gently patted his shoulder, her tone filled with understanding. "The reason I agreed to cooperate with the fake death scheme back then, besides Xue Ji's promise, was also because I knew about Lord Lancelot's predicament—he didn't do it willingly; he was simply driven to the brink by fate and Xue Ji."

"When Yukihime found me, she told me that as long as I personally 'killed' Lancelot, I could obtain supreme power, become a hero of the empire, and secretly protect Lord Lancelot and preserve the remnant soul of Lady Alinina."

"Back then, I was young and impetuous, and I craved power and wanted to prove myself. Coupled with the seduction of Yukihime and the subtle hints from Lord Lancelot, I agreed and personally directed that 'Demon King being slain' scene."

"I thought that as long as I cooperated with her, I could protect the people I wanted to protect and fulfill her demands. But I never expected that this was another lie she had carefully woven from beginning to end. She never intended to keep her promise. She just used me as a tool to drive the evolution of the world's origin."

Karen listened quietly, her initial shock gradually subsiding and replaced by a sudden realization.

It turns out that the war between humans and demons back then, and the death of the Demon King, were all part of a meticulously planned scheme from beginning to end.

It turns out that Yue Gui's slaying of the demon king back then was not a real victory, but a coordinated performance.

He looked at Yue Gui, his tone carrying a hint of understanding, but also a hint of doubt: "If that's the case, what happened afterward? After faking your death, did everything go smoothly?"

Upon hearing this question, Yue Gui's eyes instantly turned icy cold, his face filled with murderous intent and hatred, and the demonic energy around him surged involuntarily, making the surrounding air icy and bone-chilling.

Lancelot also sighed softly, his tone tinged with guilt.

"Smoothly? Never has it been smooth."

Yue Gui slowly opened his eyes, the killing intent in them almost tangible. His voice was low and hoarse as he spoke, word by word.

"Back then, following Lord Lancelot's instructions, I personally 'killed' him and returned to the Holy Empire with the glory of 'victory'."

"I thought that Yukihime would keep her promise, give me power and status, and give me the opportunity to secretly help Lord Lancelot find the fragments of Lancelot's soul."

"But I never imagined that what awaited me was not glory and trust, but a cruel and inhumane betrayal!"

Recalling the betrayal of that year, Yue Gui's body trembled slightly, and the hatred in his voice was almost overflowing.

"That bitch Yuki-hime never trusted me!"

"She used me to kill Lord Lancelot, consolidated her rule, and then discarded me immediately after she had used me."

"She falsely accused me of colluding with the demons and betraying the empire, ordered me to be hunted down, and killed all my relatives and my teammates who were truly loyal to me."

"If it weren't for my loyal teammates who risked their lives to cover me, I would have died at her hands long ago, without even a chance for revenge!"

Looking at Yue Gui's ferocious expression and listening to his hateful words, Karen felt a pang of sorrow and anger.

He finally understood why Yue Gui hated Xue Ji so much, why he became the Demon King, and why he attacked the Holy Empire.

That's because he endured betrayal and pain that ordinary people couldn't bear; his hatred had long since seeped into his very bones.

"After I escaped, I had nowhere to go, and the first thing that came to mind was to return to the Demon King's castle."

Yue Gui's tone gradually softened, but it still carried a hint of coldness. "I know that Lord Lancelot is not dead. Only by finding him can I have hope of revenge and continue to complete the mission from back then."

Lancelot looked at Yue Gui with a look of guilt in his eyes and gently patted his shoulder.

"I'm sorry."

"Back then, in order to make my fake death more realistic, and also to give you enough power to stand firm in front of Yukihime and protect yourself, before you 'killed' me, I secretly gave you all the magic power I had cultivated throughout my life, which I had condensed into a magic core."

"I thought this magic core could help you, but I never imagined that it would be this very core that harmed you."

Karen frowned and quickly asked, "What do you mean? How could the magic core have harmed him?"

Yue Gui raised his hand, and a faint black-red ball of light appeared in his palm. The ball of light emitted a strong demonic aura, and there was also a faint trace of holy light. The two forces clashed with each other, causing his palm to tremble slightly.

"It's this core."

Yue Gui's tone carried a hint of helplessness and pain. "Back then, I was betrayed by Xue Ji and severely injured by her holy light. My magic power was in chaos and on the verge of collapse."

"Just when I was about to give up, this magic core actively unleashed its power, trying to stabilize the magic within me and save my life."

"But Yukihime's holy light is too insidious. Her power has already seeped into my body, clashing and corrupting with my own magic and the magic of this core."

"Lord Lancelot's core magic power was originally pure demonic energy, but under the influence of Snow Princess's holy light, it gradually became turbid and filled with violent energy."

"And because of this corrupted core, my body was gradually devoured by demonic energy, and my personality became colder and more violent. In the end, I completely became the 'Demon King' that Yukihime spoke of."

At this point, Yue Gui's eyes dimmed, and his tone was full of guilt and self-blame.

"I have failed Lord Lancelot's expectations and Goddess Luo's entrustment. Not only did I fail to help them, but I was also used by Yuki and became the 'heretic' she called me, and the target of the entire empire's pursuit."

"If it weren't for the fact that the demonic energy in my body gradually stabilized and I regained my sanity, I would probably have become a complete puppet of the demonic energy and committed even more heinous acts."

Lancelot gently shook his head, his tone devoid of any blame, only filled with guilt and heartache.

No, it's not your fault.

"It's all my fault. I didn't think things through. I didn't expect Yuki to be so ruthless. I didn't expect her holy light to corrupt my magic core and make you like this."

"Moreover, it's already quite remarkable that you were able to regain your sanity despite the backlash from the demonic energy and not become a complete puppet."

In a quiet corner of the tavern.

Karen listened quietly to their stories, her heart churning with emotion, unable to calm down for a long time.

He finally understood the whole truth.

Having understood the truth behind the Demon King's faked death, the truth behind Yue Gui's betrayal of the empire, the truth behind Yue Gui becoming the Demon King, and the truth behind Lancelot's anonymity.

It turns out that for the past hundred years, everyone has been deceived by Yukihime.

Not only did Yukihime imprison Ra and shatter her soul, but she also manipulated the entire world and used everyone, whether they were heroes or demon kings, humans or demons, they were all just pawns in her hands.

Meanwhile, Lancelot and Yuegui have been secretly resisting, searching for fragments of Lancelot's soul, and waiting for an opportunity to defeat Xueji and reveal the truth.

Karen looked up at Lancelot and Yue Gui, her shock replaced by determination.

He finally realized that he was not fighting alone.

Yuegui is his compatriot, Lancelot is his ally, and there are also Lia, Doron, Allen, the imprisoned Sabella, and everyone in Sunrise City. They are all striving to fight against Yuki, to uncover the truth, and to protect this world.

"Lord Lancelot, you have returned from Guangdong."

Karen took a deep breath, her tone firm, her eyes showing no hesitation, "I understand, I understand everything."

"Yukihime deceived me, deceived everyone. She is the enemy of this world, our common enemy!"

"From this day forward, I will fight alongside you, searching for the fragments of the Goddess Luo's soul, rescuing Sabella, defeating Yuki, exposing her conspiracy, and restoring the truth and peace to this world!"

Looking at Karen's determined gaze, Lancelot finally smiled faintly, his eyes full of approval.

"Good, well done!"

"I'm relieved to hear that."

"With the three of us joining forces, along with the power of Rising Sun City and those oppressed by Snow Princess, we will definitely defeat Snow Princess, rescue Luo, and restore peace to this world!"

Yue Gui also looked at Karen, the coldness on his face gradually fading, a faint smile appearing on his lips, his eyes full of relief and determination.

"That's right, Karen."

"We are compatriots, we are allies. From now on, we will fight side by side, and we will never fight alone again!"

The three people's eyes met in mid-air, their eyes filled with determination and expectation.

A century of planning, a century of forbearance, a century of betrayal and suffering will all usher in a new turning point at this moment.

Snow Princess, your end is near.

What they didn't know was that while the three of them were telling the truth and making a pact in the tavern, a faint holy light was quietly enveloping the Qingfeng Tavern, transmitting their conversation word for word to the Divine Realm.

Outside the Divine Realm Dungeon, Yukihime stood there, listening to the conversation. The killing intent in her eyes almost burned the entire dungeon to ashes, and a cruel and insane smile curled at the corner of her mouth.

"Lancelot? Cantonese returnee? Karen?"

"You think that by joining forces you can defeat me? That you can expose my conspiracy?"

"What wishful thinking!"

"Since you're so eager to die, then I'll grant your wish!"

"I will make you watch as everything you cherish turns to ashes; I will make you experience firsthand what despair truly means; I will make you understand that rebelling against me was the biggest mistake of your lives!"

A violent purple-white holy light erupted from Xue Ji's body once more, and the sky above the divine realm was instantly shrouded in dark clouds. An even greater crisis was quietly brewing.

Meanwhile, in the Qingfeng Tavern, Lancelot, Yuegui, and Karen were still discussing their next steps, unaware that danger was drawing ever closer.

All they knew was that a battle concerning the survival of the world was about to begin again, and this time, they would never back down, never give up, and would fight with all their might to defeat Yuki and bring true peace to the world.