All Realms and Worlds: The Lost Home

In a corner of the Qingfeng Tavern, the atmosphere was so heavy it was suffocating.

After listening to Lancelot and Yuegui's account, Karen was speechless for a long time, her heart filled with complex emotions—anger at Xueji for using everyone, empathy for Lancelot's plight, and even more so, sorrow for Yalinina and Luo.

It turns out that behind this century-old lie lies so much helplessness and tragedy.

Lancelot hung his head, his fingertips clenched so tightly they turned white, the pain in his eyes still lingering. A century of obsession and guilt, like shackles, bound him tightly, never loosening even a little.

Yue Gui patted his shoulder without saying anything more. Some wounds can only be slowly digested by oneself. No matter how much comfort others offer, it's just a drop in the ocean.

Just then, the tavern door was gently pushed open, and a series of light footsteps broke the heavy atmosphere.

Everyone looked up and saw a young man carrying a lute and wearing coarse clothes walk in. The young man's face showed signs of travel fatigue, but he still had a hearty smile on his face.

He was a wandering poet who traveled between various towns and cities year-round, singing stories from different places and bringing news from those places.

"Boss, a glass of ale and a loaf of bread, please!" The wandering poet walked up to the counter with a smile, his tone light and cheerful, completely unaware of the heavy atmosphere in the tavern.

Grant smiled and nodded, then turned to prepare food for him, casually asking as he worked, "Where have you come from this time? Anything interesting to tell you?"

The wandering poet found a table near Karen and her companions, put down his lute, wiped the dust from his face, and said with a touch of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a complex emotion encompassing both admiration and reflection): "I just came from the east, passing through a new city called Sunrise City. That place is truly a miracle!"

"City of the Rising Sun!"

Karen and Yuegui's eyes lit up simultaneously. They sat bolt upright, their voices filled with urgency, "You mean Rising Sun City? Is it the city built on the ruins of the former capital?"

The wandering poet paused for a moment, then nodded: "Yes, yes, that's it! I didn't expect you to know about it too!"

"That city is so special! Humans and demons are actually living together peacefully, farming, working, and protecting the city together, without any of the hostility they used to have. I was completely amazed!"

He paused, then continued, "I heard that the city was started by a girl named Leah, along with two powerful individuals, one named Doron and the other Allen, who respectively established the Adventurers' Alliance and the Mage's Guild, managing the city very well and making it incredibly lively!"

Upon hearing the names of Leah, Doron, and Allen, Karen and Yue Gui finally felt a weight lifted from their hearts.

Thankfully, they were all safe and sound, and they even built Rising Sun City, preserving that glimmer of hope.

"Have you heard of a girl named Sabella, or any news about Yukihime?" Karen pressed, his eyes filled with urgency. Sabella was still being held captive by Yukihime, and he had to find her and rescue her as soon as possible.

The wandering poet frowned, pondered for a moment, and slowly said, "I haven't heard of Sabella, but I have heard some rumors about Yuki."

"I heard there's been a lot of commotion in the Divine Realm lately. It seems that Xue Ji has been in seclusion and has sent people to search for something. I don't know exactly what they're searching for, but I do know that many demons and cultivators have been captured by her people."

Karen and Yue Gui exchanged a glance, both seeing seriousness in each other's eyes.

Yukihime is in seclusion and searching everywhere, most likely preparing for something. Perhaps she is looking for them, or searching for a way to break through and continue to drive the evolution of the world's origin.

"We must get to Sunrise City as soon as possible," Yue Gui said first, his tone firm. "Lia and the others are there. Only after we reunite can we work together to find a way to rescue Sabella and fight against Yuki."

Karen nodded vigorously, her eyes filled with determination: "That's right, Sunrise City is our foothold, and the foundation for our fight against Snow Princess. We'll set off now!"

The two turned to look at Lancelot, their eyes questioning.

Lancelot slowly raised his head, the pain in his eyes gradually subsiding, replaced by determination: "I'll go with you."

"The remnant soul of Yalina might provide clues in Sunrise City. Moreover, I have a responsibility to stop Yukihime's plan. I cannot allow more people to become her pawns like Yalina and I."

A century of forbearance and guilt finally made him determined to stop running away and instead step forward to make up for the regrets of the past and stop Yuki's conspiracy.

The three reached a consensus and, without further hesitation, got up to pack their simple belongings—they didn't have much, only their respective weapons, as well as the clothes and dry rations that Grant had prepared for them.

Grant walked over with a beer and bread. Seeing the three of them packing their luggage, the smile on his face gradually faded. He walked up to Lancelot, his tone filled with concern and hesitation.

"Lancelot, are you sure?"

He had followed Lancelot for many years and knew the weight that Yalina held in his heart. He also knew that Lancelot had been persistently searching for Yalina's remnant soul all these years and had never given up.

Heading to Sunrise City was fraught with uncertainty and danger. Moreover, he feared that he might not actually find Yalina's remnant soul there, and that Lancelot might be disappointed again and fall into despair once more.

Lancelot stopped what he was doing, turned to look at Grant, a faint, bitter smile on his face, his tone calm but tinged with helplessness.

"Yes, I'm sure."

"For so many years, I always thought that as long as I cultivated desperately, simultaneously practicing necromancy and holy magic, I would eventually be able to find a trace of Yalina's soul."

"I have tried countless methods and visited countless places, even remote lands of the dead and sacred altars, but no matter how hard I try, I have never been able to find even the slightest trace."

At this point, he sighed softly, his eyes filled with even more bitterness, as if all hope had been worn away little by little during this century-long search.

Looking at his dejected appearance, Grant felt a pang of regret and couldn't help but sigh, his voice tinged with remorse: "Ah, if only... if only we hadn't forced you to have a wedding back then, perhaps that tragedy wouldn't have happened."

"Never mind, Grant." Lancelot shook his head, interrupting him. His tone was calm, without any blame, only deep self-reproach. "What happened back then was my fault, not yours. The fault has always been mine alone."

Karen and Yuegui stopped and stood aside without speaking, but they both pricked up their ears. They could sense that there were more secrets hidden here, secrets about Lancelot and Yalinina.

Grant looked at Lancelot, his eyes filled with heartache: "How can I blame you? Back then, you and Yalina had no choice in the situation."

Lancelot remained silent for a moment, then looked at Karen and the other person and slowly began to speak. His tone was low and filled with wistful recollection as he slowly recounted the family secret that had been sealed for a hundred years.

"I come from the Lancelot family, a family of geniuses who cultivate necromancy, while Alynnina comes from the Lawrence family, a family of geniuses who cultivate light magic."

"Our two families have been intermarried for generations, not because of profit, but because of a fatal secret—when members of our two families advance to the rank of Grand Magister, they must achieve yin-yang harmony with members of the other family, otherwise they will rapidly decline and eventually die a violent death."

"The dead belong to Yin, and light belongs to Yang. The two complement each other. Only by harmonizing them can one suppress the backlash during advancement, stabilize one's cultivation, and survive."

Karen and Yuegui were shocked, their faces full of astonishment. They had never heard of such a setting before. Two families with completely opposite attributes actually had to rely on the balance of Yin and Yang to continue their existence.

"Aylina and I grew up together since childhood, childhood sweethearts, and we had long harbored feelings for each other. Originally, we planned to hold our wedding when we were both close to becoming Grand Magisters, to achieve harmony between Yin and Yang."

"Unexpectedly, when we were twenty years old, both of us felt the signs of advancement ahead of time. Moreover, the backlash was stronger than that of any previous member of our clan, and the speed of our decline was also faster."

"Our people are panicking, and my friends are also very anxious. They know that if we wait any longer, neither Yalina nor I will survive."

"That's why they forced us to have a wedding without consulting us. They just wanted us to achieve yin-yang harmony as soon as possible and save our lives."

At this point, Lancelot's voice choked slightly, "I know they all meant well and had no ill intentions, so I've never blamed them."

Grant sighed and added, "Back then, a few of us friends watched them grow weaker and weaker, their complexions worsening day by day. We were so anxious we were like ants on a hot pan, so we had no choice but to resort to this desperate measure and force them to go through with the wedding."

"We thought that as long as they held the wedding, they would be able to harmonize their yin and yang and everything would be fine. But we never expected that it would still end in tragedy."

Lancelot closed his eyes, and the image of his wedding from years ago resurfaced in his mind. His tone was filled with pain and regret.

"On the wedding day, everyone was very happy and was giving us their blessings. My friends kept pouring us malt liquor."

"Everyone thought we were drunk, but only I knew that Yalina wanted to drink too much."

"She has been bound by her family's secrets since childhood, knowing her fate and that she can only survive by balancing yin and yang. Over the years, she has been oppressed by the shadow of death, never truly happy, and never unrestrained."

"On the wedding day, seeing everyone's enthusiasm and seeing everyone blessing us, she finally couldn't help herself. Taking advantage of the festivities, she released the emotions that had been suppressed by death, drinking one glass after another, and even when I tried to stop her, she wouldn't listen."

"I know she was tired and scared. She wanted to temporarily forget the fear of death and let loose for a moment."

"I felt sorry for her, so in the end, I didn't try to stop her anymore and drank with her, even though I knew that drinking too much might affect the subsequent balance of yin and yang."

Karen and Yue Gui listened quietly, their hearts filled with empathy. Yalina's helplessness and pain, Lancelot's heartache and indulgence, all made them sigh deeply.

They never imagined that behind that seemingly joyous wedding lay so much heartache and despair.

"After the wedding, we were all completely drunk and were taken back to our new home by our friends." Lancelot's voice grew lower and lower, and the pain in his eyes was almost overflowing. "We originally planned to complete the yin-yang reconciliation after we sobered up, so as to save each other's lives."

"But who could have imagined that as we completed the yin-yang balance, Yalina had already lost her breath in a daze."

"When I woke up, I saw her lying quietly beside me, her face as pale as paper, without a breath. No matter how I called her or shook her, she never responded to me again."

At this point, Lancelot's shoulders trembled slightly, and tears streamed down his face—tears that had been suppressed for a century, tears of endless pain and regret.

Grant looked at him, his eyes also filled with tears, and gently patted his shoulder, but didn't know what to say. No matter how much comfort he offered, it all seemed so pale and powerless.

Karen and Yue Gui also fell silent, their hearts heavy. They could feel Lancelot's pain—the pain of losing his beloved, a pain that could never be made up for.

"Yallina's physique is very special." Lancelot slowly wiped away his tears and continued, his tone becoming more solemn. "She is not only a genius in light magic, but also contains a rich aura of the world's origin within her. It is precisely because of this special physique that Yuki noticed her."

"Xue Ji is the world's will. Seeing that a 'creation' like Yalinina was about to die, she didn't want her to just disappear like that, nor did she want to waste the world's original energy within her. Therefore, she had already made preparations and found Luo, who had traveled from another world."

"And the moment Luo transmigrated happened to be the crucial moment when Yalina and I were preparing to begin the balance of Yin and Yang."

"Luo, who had just transmigrated, couldn't speak the language of this world. She was weak and powerless, and had no idea what was happening. She didn't know that the body she had taken over was on the verge of death, nor did she know how important the balance of Yin and Yang was to me and Yalinlina."

"When she woke up, she saw the unfamiliar surroundings and me, who was covered in alcohol. She was so frightened that she trembled all over and didn't dare to get close to me, let alone cooperate with me to achieve yin and yang harmony."

"At that time, I wasn't fully sober either. When I saw Yalina 'wake up' and become unfamiliar and frightened, I thought she had drunk too much or was angry. I didn't think much of it and just wanted her to rest well and explain slowly after she sobered up."

"But I never expected that at that time, Arlina's soul had already dissipated, and what remained in that body was Lancelot's soul." (In fact, there was also Lancelot and Arlina's child.)

"Thus, having missed the crucial moment of yin and yang harmony, Yalina's body completely lost its vitality, and Luo, unable to control the power of this body, became extremely weak, which led to this tragedy."

The century-old mystery has finally been completely solved.

This tragedy is no one's fault, not the fault of their friends, not the fault of Lancelot, nor the fault of Lancelot. It is a cruel twist of fate. It was not Yuki's deliberate arrangement, but the inescapable destiny of the two families for generations.

Luo Gang, having just transmigrated, was naive and powerless to resist; Lancelot, still drunk, missed his chance; his friends, with good intentions, caused a tragedy; and Yalinina, whose life was filled with the oppression of death, ultimately could not escape her fate.

"Xue Ji arranged for Luo's soul to reside in Yalinina's body. On one hand, she didn't want to waste the world's primordial energy within Yalinina. On the other hand, it was also to cultivate a 'Goddess of Light,' laying the groundwork for her to deceive transmigrators and drive the evolution of the world's primordial energy later on," Yue Gui said slowly, his tone solemn.

Karen nodded, her eyes filled with anger: "That's right, Xueji planned everything from the very beginning. Yalina's death and Luo's time travel were all part of her plan. We were all manipulated by her."

"Koro is innocent too." Lancelot spoke slowly, his tone calm and without any resentment. "She just transmigrated here and knows nothing. If it weren't for Yuki, she wouldn't have been involved in this conflict, nor would she have been adored by the world under the identity of Yalinina, only to be used by Yuki."

He never blamed Luo, because he knew that Luo, like him, was a pawn of Xue Ji and a victim of this tragedy.

Grant sighed, his tone tinged with emotion: "Yes, everyone is innocent. The most despicable one is Yuki. She sacrificed so many people and fabricated so many lies in order to evolve the origin of the world. She is too cruel."

"Therefore, we must stop her." Lancelot raised his head, the pain in his eyes completely replaced by determination. "I must find the remnant soul of Yalinina, help Lancelot break free from Yuki's control, and stop Yuki's conspiracy. We cannot allow more innocent people to become her pawns, and we cannot allow more tragedies to repeat themselves."

Karen and Yue Gui nodded simultaneously, their eyes filled with determination.

"We will definitely help you." Karen looked at Lancelot with a firm tone. "Together, we will find the remnant soul of Yalina, rescue Sabella and Luo, fight against Yuki, break the fate of the two families, and bring peace to this world."

"That's right, we will definitely defeat Yuki if we fight side by side." Yue Gui also said, his tone firm. "Sunrise City is our starting point. Once we reunite with Lia and the others and gather all our strength, we will head to the Divine Realm together, confront Yuki, and expose all her conspiracies."

The three exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with determination. The century-old grudges, the shackles of fate, and Xue Ji's conspiracy would all come to an end in their hands.

Grant looked at the three men's determined expressions and smiled with satisfaction. He turned and went to the counter, took out a bulging money bag and some healing potions, and handed them to Lancelot.

"Take this money; you'll need it on the road. And these healing potions will be useful in case you encounter any danger." Grant's tone was full of concern. "Be careful on the road. Yuki's people are searching everywhere, so try to avoid them. Safety first."

Lancelot accepted the money pouch and potion, his heart filled with warmth. He bowed deeply to Grant, saying, "Thank you, Grant. You've worked so hard all these years."

"Don't be so polite with me." Grant smiled and patted his shoulder. "You must come back safely. After you defeat Yuki and find the remnant soul of Yalinina, we'll have a good drink together, just like back then."

Lancelot nodded, his eyes full of expectation: "Okay, we will definitely come back safely, and we will definitely have another good drink together."

The wandering poet sat to one side, listening to everyone's stories. Filled with emotion, he picked up his lute, gently plucked the strings, and played a deep and resolute melody to bid farewell to the three.

The music contains regret and pain, but even more so, it contains hope, courage, and the unwavering determination to fight side by side.

Karen, Yue Gui, and Lancelot packed their bags, gripped their weapons tightly, and walked resolutely toward the tavern entrance.

"Grant, we're leaving." Lancelot stopped and turned to look at Grant, his tone filled with reluctance, but even more so with determination.

"Go on, have a safe trip." Grant waved, his eyes full of expectation. "I'll be waiting for you at the tavern."

Without further hesitation, the three pushed open the tavern door and went outside.

Outside, the sun shone brightly, a gentle breeze blew, and golden sunlight bathed the three of them, casting a golden halo around them, as if the heavens were blessing and supporting them.

They walked step by step toward Sunrise City, their steps firm and their gazes unwavering.

The road ahead is unknown and fraught with danger. Yukihime's conspiracy and the shackles of fate still await them.

But they were no longer afraid, no longer retreating, because they knew they were not fighting alone. They had each other, Lydia, Doron, Allen, Grant, and all those who longed for peace, supporting them from behind.

The remnant soul of Yalina will eventually be found; Sabella and Luo will eventually be rescued; Yuki's conspiracy will eventually be exposed; this world will eventually be restored to peace; the destiny of the two families will eventually be broken, and these lost souls will eventually return home.

Their journey has only just begun.

The direction of Rising Sun City shone brightly—the light of hope, the light of the future—guiding them forward, never retreating.

In the Breeze Tavern, Grant stood at the door, watching the three figures disappear into the distance, his eyes filled with anticipation. He picked up the ale on the table, took a small sip, and silently prayed in his heart: "You must come back safely, you must defeat Yuki, you must find the remnant soul of Yalinina."

The wandering poet still sat at the table, plucking the strings of his lute. The resolute melody still echoed in the air, spreading throughout the town, bidding farewell to the three and conveying hope and courage to the world.

The pedestrians in the town stopped in their tracks upon hearing this melody, their faces showing confusion and curiosity, unaware of the story, the determination, and the hope hidden behind it.

Meanwhile, in the Divine Realm, Xue Ji was still in seclusion, surrounded by a rich aura of the world's origin. A faint smile appeared on her lips, as if she had already anticipated Karen and the others' actions, and her eyes were full of disdain and indifference.

"A bunch of ants, trying to stop me? Trying to ruin my plans? They're delusional."

She had already made preparations in her heart, waiting for Karen and the others to walk into her trap, waiting to completely annihilate them, waiting for the origin of the world to completely evolve, and waiting for her to become the true ruler of this world, unmatched and unstoppable.

A contest that will determine the fate of the world is about to begin.

Karen, Yue Gui, and Lancelot journeyed towards Sunrise City, drawing ever closer to hope. In their hearts, there was only one belief—to defeat Snow Princess, safeguard peace, make up for regrets, and break free from destiny.

The scenery along the way kept changing, from dense forests to vast plains, from remote towns to bustling villages. They traveled all the way without pausing, just so they could reach Sunrise City as soon as possible and reunite with Lia and the others.

Occasionally, they would encounter Xue Ji's subordinates, those searching cultivators and demons. Whenever they encountered them, they would try to avoid them. If they couldn't avoid them, they would join forces to quickly end the battle without leaving any trace, so as not to attract more trouble.

Lancelot's necromancy and holy magic, combined with Yue Gui's magic spear and Karen's hero's sword, made the three of them extremely powerful. The searching monks and monsters were no match for them, and they could easily win every time.

Along the way, they also encountered many innocent people who were oppressed and persecuted by Xue Ji's people. They would help them out of their predicament, leave them some dry food and money, and guide them to a safe place.

The people were deeply grateful to them, offering their blessings and guidance, which strengthened their resolve to fight against Yuki and protect peace.

They knew that everything they did was worthwhile. As long as it could bring less pain and tragedy and more peace and hope to the world, they were willing to endure any hardship or danger.

As the sun set, the golden afterglow cast long shadows of the three figures as they continued their journey toward Sunrise City, their steps firm and unwavering.

Sunrise City is getting closer and closer.

Lia, Doron, and Allen are also waiting for them; Sabella and Lo are still waiting for them to save them; and Yuki's conspiracy is still waiting for them to expose it.

This battle is destined to be difficult, but they are already prepared to fight side by side, to the death, all for the sake of restoring true peace to this world and a safe home for all innocent people.