Heroes Return

“You know what? People may change over time, but the essence of humanity remains the same, Mr. Zero.” Smiling at Lin Jie, Xiao Qian leaned closer again: “So I know that even if I say that, you can’t possibly get hurt, hehe.”

As she said this, Xiaoqian stood up again, pointed to a huge monster that was destroying the city in the distance, and said to Lin Jie, "That thing is too noisy. I want to quietly look at the moonlight with you. Can you help me kill it?"

"Leave it to me." Lin Jie said, and the Immortal Slaughtering Sword reappeared in his hand, pointing at the monster in the distance: "Zero Style - Judgment."

With a streak of crimson sword light, the previously invincible monster was cleaved in two. Peace returned to the city in an instant.

"Soon," Xiaoxi said, snapping her fingers lightly. The ground beneath their feet began to float under the moonlight, slowly rising into the sky. The moonlight tonight was exceptionally beautiful, adding a hazy, ethereal quality to the girl's face. Even with his current strength, Lin Jie was momentarily stunned by the sight of the girl before him. Such a conversation hadn't happened in a long time. For a moment, he didn't even know what to say. He simply stared blankly at the beautiful girl with a mischievous smile on her face.

On the ground, the city lights were bright. Even though it was night, it still looked very bright.

"..." Noticing Lin Jie's gaze, Xiao Qian's face flushed slightly. However, she immediately turned her head away: "Where did you come from, you pervert? Are you finally turning into a weirdo, now that you're almost middle-aged and single for so long?"

"Can you call this being tsundere?" Faced with Xiaoqian's words, Lin Jie shook his head helplessly: "Although it's true that being single for a long time makes you feel smug. So, I hope you can help me say goodbye to being single."

"Um, what do you say..." Xiaoxi hesitated for a moment. But the next second, she was pulled into the arms of the man opposite her: "It's so good to see you again. It seems that all the effort I put in before was worth it."

"But what you're doing isn't a good thing!" Xiaoxi muttered, blushing, but this time she didn't push Lin Jie away: "Can I consider this a confession or a marriage proposal?"

"of course can."

"Aren't you ashamed at all saying these things? Have six years completely eroded your sense of shame?"

"If you're not decisive enough, won't you regret it later?" Lin Jie didn't seem to care about Xiao Qian's words. "Besides, didn't you already accept my proposal?" As he spoke, Lin Jie pointed to Xiao Qian's hand. On her hand, a ring was worn on her name tag.

However, this ring is different from ordinary rings because it is inlaid with a ball of light. That's right, this ring is inlaid with a ball of light that resembles stars. It's safe to say that there is probably no ring more valuable than this, because it is a ring that can grant any wish.

"Huh? When?" Looking at the ring in her hand, Xiaoxi couldn't help but look surprised. "I don't remember accepting this! This looks like something you forced on me, right?"

"I don't care. Now that you've taken it, you can't back out." Lin Jie said to Xiao Qian with a smile, "Now that it's in your hands, it means you've accepted me."

"Hehe! You've gone bad too. Is this what they call growing up?" Xiaoxi said, a rare smile appearing on her face. "Look, through this ring, I know everything that's happened to you in the past six years! Just like before, you're still so popular with girls."

"Are you jealous?"

"Hehe, I'm a demon! Do you think I care about something like this?" Xiao Qian nonchalantly got up from Lin Jie, standing on the floating ground. Looking at the bright moon in the sky, she turned to Lin Jie and asked, "Is this really okay? All this you've sacrificed to revive me. It seems you've even abandoned your principles to revive me."

"Now that I've made up my mind, I naturally won't regret it."

"Hehe, then why did you give them so many opportunities to defeat you? You could have just found a place where no one could find you and secretly used the bottle." Xiaoqian said, her gaze turning to Lin Jie again: "Feeling guilty, aren't you? Because of you, more than one person in this world will be unlucky. You know, as the beneficiary, I don't feel so good about it!"

"Huh? Are you really Xiaoqian? As a demon, haven't you always been indifferent to human life and death?" Lin Jie looked at Xiaoqian with some surprise.

"Hehe, I really do care! In fact, as a demon, I only care about what's rightfully my own!" Xiaoqian said to Lin Jie with a smile, "So, when I received the news that you gave up so much just to revive me, I was extremely happy! Lin Jie! I truly feel so blessed. So, to ensure this happiness continues..."

Let's break up! Lin Jie!

"what???"

Chapter 37

"Um, could you say that again? I didn't quite hear you," Lin Jie asked Xiao Qian cautiously.

"Let's break up, Lin Jie." Xiao Qian still had a mischievous smile on her face. After hearing Lin Jie's request, she repeated what she had just said without hesitation.

"Aaaaaah!!! Stop repeating it!" Hearing Xiaoqian's words, Lin Jie finally couldn't take it anymore: "I know! You're lying to me again this time, right! Although we often make these kinds of jokes, this one isn't funny at all."

"I'm not kidding you! I'm serious." Xiaoqian said to Lin Jie with a smile, "I've thought about this very seriously. That's why I've decided to break up with you! As for this ring, I'm sorry, I can't accept it."

As she spoke, Xiaoxi took the ring off and placed it back in her hand: "Although I was very happy to receive such a precious gift from you, I'm sorry. I guess I still can't continue dating you."

"Why?" Standing opposite Xiaoqian, Lin Jie stared at her. "Why? Do you think my actions to revive you were wrong?"

“I don’t care about human life or death.” Xiaoxi shook her head: “So, who you kill or harm is completely irrelevant to me.”

"If that's the case, why did you break up with me?"

“Because I need to do that. Hehe, I’m a selfish devil! You haven’t forgotten that, have you?” Xiaoxi said, while looking Lin Jie up and down. “For me, my interests come first.”

"Because you're selfish? That's why you want to break up with me? But..."

"Hello, do you remember our deal?" Xiaoqian said to Lin Jie with a smile, "Your soul belongs to me! And it's long past the time for me to pay. So now, you are, inside and out, my private property! And I absolutely will not allow my private property to depreciate or become corrupt!"

Will it depreciate?

“Your true value lies in being yourself,” Xiaoxi said with a smile. “That is what makes you most valuable, and I don’t need a depreciating commodity.”

"Hey, hey, I'm not a thing... Something doesn't seem right to say that."

“I want the most perfect you, Lin Jie. I want you at your best, not a devalued version of yourself. As my personal possession, I cannot allow this to happen. So I'm breaking up with you.” Xiao Qian said, the starlight of dawn already resting in her palm.

At that moment, Lin Jie instantly understood his intention, and a look of panic appeared on his face: "Wait!! What are you trying to do!! Do you know what you're doing?"

“Of course I know, I’m trying to salvage my cargo,” Xiaoqian said, and the light shone brightly once more. Almost instantly, the entire world turned pure white, and within this pure white world, only Lin Jie and Xiaoqian remained.

"Why...why did you do this! We could have lived happily ever after!" Looking at the scene around him, Lin Jie couldn't help but grab Xiao Qian's shoulders. But she held onto Lin Jie.

"That would only mean I'd live a happy life, but you wouldn't be happy, would you?" Xiaoxi's face turned serious. "Although I don't know which bastard instigated you to do this, you must have been mentally prepared, right? You're willing to go against your past principles, hurt innocent people, and even disappoint everyone!"

"But this is the only way."

"No, there are other ways. You just need to break up with me, right?" Holding Lin Jie, Xiao Qian still had a serious expression on her face: "Do you know why I fell in love with you? Because you're so cool when you're a hero, so cool when you never hurt innocent people, so cool when you bring hope to humanity. But right now, you're not cool at all."

"..."

"Don't be so willful! You've tried before; forcibly bringing the dead back to life isn't a good thing, and the consequences of doing so will only bring more trouble. If you didn't feel guilty, I wouldn't have needed to do this. But unfortunately, you're a good person at heart. So I can't let you be with me." Xiaoqian looked at Lin Jie, her words serious, as if she were criticizing him.

"Didn't you tell me before that you hoped I would live for myself, that you hoped I would be a little selfish? This time I'm doing this for myself..." Lin Jie retorted, "Stop what you're doing! You've made all my efforts go to waste."

"No! Because what you did makes me unhappy!" Xiaoxi said stubbornly. "I'm not happy. This isn't about living for yourself at all. It's all for me. And this time, you even gave up so many things you would never have given up before! At this rate, your soul will be worthless. So I don't want it!"

"But! Don't you want to see me? I only did this because I wanted to see you..."

"Well, haven't we already met? If you really love me, then stop living in the past! You bastard!" Xiaoqian said, punching Lin Jie in the chest. "Look ahead! Aren't there many people around you? Try to accept them! Find happiness again! That's the selfish thing I want you to do!"

"Why……"

"No reason why! I've already said, you're my cargo, and I don't want my cargo to be in bad condition!" Faced with Lin Jie's question, Xiao Qian gave the same answer: "You can give up being a hero, but you can't give up your life. While you're putting down the burden on your shoulders, also put down the shackles of the past! Ultimately, the reason I did what I did in the first place was because I saw your value, which is why I made the biggest investment ever! And now you're ruining my investment, you bastard!"

"Is this why we broke up?" Lin Jie asked, his voice trembling with sadness.

“That’s just one reason.” Xiaoxi nodded. “There’s another reason: I just wanted to see what it’s like to be heartbroken.”

As she spoke, Xiaoqian pushed Lin Jie aside and stood in front of him again.

"Hey, what's with this twisted sense of humor?!"

"Young man, heartbreak isn't so scary! Even though you've experienced heartbreak, I believe you can get back on your feet and find a brand new love!" Xiaoqian said, hugging Lin Jie again. "It's so good to see you."

"...You really are a devil through and through, even at the very end you still tried to destroy my hope." Lin Jie said helplessly as Xiao Qian hugged him again.

"Demons do this kind of thing! You're just being foolish, monster! You've been played by a demon for ten years." As Xiaoqian spoke, her body gradually disappeared. "I really wanted to spend more time with you, to talk to you more, to live with you a little longer. But I can't do that. If I do, I'm afraid I'll be unable to bear the thought of us being apart. Lin Jie, I'm sorry, I can't accept your love. I can't accept the kind of love where you hurt yourself to give to the other person. As a demon, I'm destined not to be a romantic creature."

"..." Holding Xiaoqian tightly, Lin Jie said nothing more. He knew perfectly well what Xiaoqian had done in that instant. This demon had ruined everything he had prepared. The power of miracles, which had been withdrawn from the entire world, had completely returned to its original place. As for the bottle of miracles, it had also shattered and disappeared completely in that instant.

Lin Jie was willing to change the world to revive Xiao Qian, but Xiao Qian chose to fall into slumber once more to prevent the world from being altered. Because of the broken bottle, there was nothing left in this world capable of containing the power of miracles. In other words, this time Xiao Qian's slumber would be forever.

She single-handedly destroyed his last hope.

"Isn't that what life is like? Laughter, sadness, pain. Heartbreak is one of them! But I believe that with your mindset, you'll definitely get over it." The constantly disappearing laughter still spoke up, "Don't always dwell on the past. This isn't the kind of life I want for myself. Also, look at the people around you. Tian Xiaoshu has waited for you for six years! Although I don't like her, if I had to decide who takes care of you, I would choose her without hesitation! This time, she seems to be going all out! Hehe."

"You really are a nasty woman. You just dumped me, and now you're saying all this." Lin Jie muttered these words, and everything before his eyes changed once again.

The location remained the same desert. The only difference was that the bottle of Dawn Starlight had vanished. All the miraculous power had returned to its original place. However, the people before him seemed oblivious to this development.

Looking at Tian Xiaoshu, who was hugging him with all her might, Lin Jie couldn't help but recall Xiao Qian's words.

"How awful! You gave me hope, and then you destroyed it all." As he spoke, his hand finally relaxed. "This time, I'm truly defeated by you."

As Lin Jie relaxed his grip, the immense black power was completely pulled off his body. Without any hesitation, Lan directly channeled this violent and terrifying power into a massive, pre-prepared mechanical heat exchanger.

In an instant, everyone collapsed onto the sand, exhausted. Lin Jie was no exception.

Looking at Lin Jie before her, Zero's cloak was nowhere to be seen. All the magical marks on Tian Xiaoshu's body had also vanished. Seeing this, the girl hurriedly stood up from Lin Jie's body.

"Um..." What just happened? Tian Xiaoshu had no idea. In fact, not only Tian Xiaoshu, but many people hadn't noticed what had just happened. Most of the weaker people present had collapsed and fainted from exhaustion. Now, apart from Tian Xiaoshu, who hadn't participated in the tug-of-war, only a few strong individuals were still standing.

Faced with all the technology, Leng Yan struggled to close the massive container gate, which was brimming with the power of Zero Separation, and then staggered towards Lin Jie.

Chapter 38

As the cold flames drew ever closer, Lin Jie remained remarkably calm. Even with his power being unleashed, he showed no fear.

In truth, he no longer cared what would happen next. After all, during his time with Xiaoqian, he had already understood what Xiaoqian truly desired. Now that Lin Jie had figured it out, perhaps it was time for him to truly let go of the past. Whether it was the story between him and Xiaoqian, his absolute power, his wisdom that was revered by thousands as Zero, the sense of loss and guilt he felt for having slaughtered so many people in the past, or that unparalleled loneliness.

From now on, he won't forget any of this, but he won't dwell on it anymore. No matter how much one reminisces about the past, one still has to face the future, doesn't one?

"Letting go" was Lin Jie's final feeling at this moment. Thinking about it carefully, Xiao Qian could have simply not seen him and let this resurrection fail, but in the end, Xiao Qian still saw him, thus putting an end to Lin Jie's worries over the years.

"So, are you going to arrest me next?" Lin Jie looked calmly at Leng Yan and simply smiled. However, Lin Jie's usually placid expression completely crumbled after Leng Yan spoke next.

"Why are you being arrested? Lin Jie, aren't you here to help?" Looking at Lin Jie, Leng Yan suddenly spoke up, "Although I don't know how you met that guy, the fact that you finally saw reality and came to help is enough to make up for the mistakes you made before. Besides, it seems you exhausted all your strength for this matter."

Just as Leng Yan was speaking, Lin Jie noticed that several dark figures, taking advantage of the fact that most of them were unconscious, secretly carried away the huge container that contained his power.

"Huh?" Upon hearing Leng Yan's words, Lin Jie once again showed a puzzled expression.

"Leng Yan. What are you saying?" Upon hearing Leng Yan's words, several powerful generals of the sea tribe couldn't help but show puzzled expressions.

"Don't you understand? We haven't been fighting Zero all along! According to my intelligence, that person is actually one of the powerful gods who survived the descent of the gods! The reason he is so powerful is precisely because he is a powerful god." Leng Yan's gaze turned coldly to the sea general in the distance.

"Um..." Lin Jie wanted to say something after seeing this.

"Don't speak. You need to rest now, don't you? After all, you've used up all your strength." Bai Yu's figure smiled and came to Lin Jie's side, silencing Lin Jie's next words.

"Uh..." In an instant, Lin Jie was completely confused! Could this have been done by Xiao Qian? But that shouldn't be the case! She should have just restored the Dawn Starlight to its original position! Judging from the Sea Clan's reaction earlier, what Leng Yan said was clearly not the case! If that's the case, why would Leng Yan suddenly say that? Did he lose his memory after being beaten?

“Actually, if you think about it carefully, you’ll understand. Zero is humanity’s strongest hero. Much of that power comes from the ancient cultivation system. And you should know about his battle with the gods. Could such injuries really heal so quickly? For powerful beings like Shenhua, such injuries would take at least a hundred years to recover. So the person appearing now can’t possibly be Zero.” Bai Yu stood up and smiled at the sea creatures, saying, “Furthermore, although you were enemies in the past, Zero never harmed ordinary people. So, the Zero from before was just a god who was unwilling to accept defeat after the war of the gods. After all, after the death of that pillar god, Zero spared the other war gods. And in order to undermine Zero’s status among humans, that god began to impersonate Zero.”

"If that's the case, is that kid a god? He appeared after the Black Death God disappeared," the sea clan general asked coldly.

"Because he was that god's friend, you could say he helped that god in the early stages. But in the end, he still came out to help us in the final moments. Do you remember the white light from before? That god was destroyed at that time. Because his power was scattered, he turned into white light and perished." Leng Yan's icy voice rang out once again.

"I don't think that's the case."

"What? You doubt my intelligence?" Leng Yan's gaze fell once more on the sea tribe general: "The Hero Association has always been righteous! As a hero, I have no reason to lie about this matter."

"We don't think so." Upon hearing this, the powerful members of the sea race all looked at Leng Yan with some hostility: "If you can't provide corresponding evidence, we can't believe your statement."

"That evidence involves the Hero Association's internal secrets, I can't show it to you," Leng Yan said aggressively. Almost simultaneously, nearly all the powerful heroes in the Hero Association converged on this place. The strongmen from the floating island also gathered around.

Almost every hero showed a surprised expression when they heard Leng Yan talking to the sea creatures.

After all, even they found Leng Yan's words hard to believe. But judging from Leng Yan's expression, he wasn't joking at all. The people on the floating island looked at Lin Jie, then at Leng Yan, and were all somewhat stunned for a moment.