Academic gathering with Lich colleagues

Everything seemed perfect.

There is one exception.

Medusa.

As a work of Helena, Lyle's staff must have exhibited some anomalies. Medusa's personality likely also originated from fragments of Helena, yet she developed her own identity and feared returning to Helena.

Lyle didn't believe all stories were perfect; he instinctively felt something was missing. What was Ariana hiding? No, perhaps she herself didn't know.

Helena, the Soul Reaper, having merged with so many memories and personalities, who could possibly know what Naslan's eldest daughter has become now?

“Helena loves us, me and Benny.” Ariana’s voice always rang out at the right time, her peaceful eyes seemingly able to see into Lyle’s heart. “It comes not only from the bond of oaths, but also from the connection of blood.”

"We love each other deeply, and even if our bodies perish, our youth fades, and our blood dries up, our feelings for each other will never change."

Even humans change over time; once familiar friends become strangers, and suspicion and doubt sever ties. For the Naslan sisters, who have weathered the test of time, this may have become their only creed: their love for each other.

Lyle realized that Ariana was trying to soothe her hidden fear of Helena; she possessed the lich's obtuseness and the girl's sensitivity. Lyle yielded to her, at least keeping the matter of Medusa hidden even deeper.

Lyle, who had been silent, smiled and put his arm around Ariana's waist, feeling her weight and warmth pressed against him.

"I'm ready to take Helena's test again."

Lyle's spirits lifted, and Ariana took his hand.

“Flattery won’t make my sister go easy on you. Even if you’re just trying to comfort me, it won’t change the fact that you’re going to have a hard time later. Just prepare calmly, my dear Lyle.”

"He'll look even worse later." Helena's sweet voice carried a sinister undertone, and her off-key, strange tone made the two dancers exchange a knowing smile.

This crazy woman.

Lyle cursed inwardly. He could already sense that this test was different from the past. The turning point hadn't arrived yet; in reality, the Helena sculptures surrounding them were already floating in the air.

In Lyle's view, the stone sculptures seemed to come alive. Their eyes were closed, but their bodies were turning toward Lyle. The pale plaster statues were damnably sweet, especially with that crescent-shaped smile.

Five steps to go.

The alluring magic had already created a sense of oppression in Lyle's perception, like towering walls. Lyle knew that when the time came, these walls would collapse, turning into a raging torrent that would wash his reason into the garbage heap.

Lyle seemed to sense that the smug eldest daughter of Naslan was waiting for him to embarrass himself.

Time is up.

The moment Lyle's toes touched the ground, a pink wave flooded his mind. Before his consciousness could be overwhelmed by the fragrance and sweetness, Lyle plunged into the tide that sensed Helena's individuality.

A colorless, transparent world.

That is a clean world that does not exist in reality.

The Land of Souls—that was the name that had squeezed into his consciousness. When Lyle arrived at the Land of Souls, he automatically acquired this knowledge from the surrounding emptiness.

The Land of Souls is the birthplace and death place of spirits, shrouded in layers of desires. Only the most resolute souls and those who have renounced everything can reach this place.

Here, the souls of the dead are dismantled, the souls of the newborn are arranged arbitrarily, and memories and personalities are discarded, becoming new raw materials as they deteriorate over time.

Lyle felt a stirring within him as new memories began to surface in his mind.

Those are the marks left by the soul masters who once roamed this place, like a beginner's guide or strategy manual.

First, we welcome the novice soul apprentices to their holy land. Then, we have some things to note here: advanced knowledge should be kept in advanced areas, and if you don't want your self to be erased, you can explore those areas later.

There's also the reason Troy underwent the test of desire; this is a common practice in the study of souls. Soul apprentices, guided by their mentors, undergo tests to resist temptation. In reality, beneath desire lies a gate to the soul, which is why Lyle arrived here.

Only by tearing through the layers of dazzling desires can we see the flawless essence of the soul.

So that's how it is. I passed through Helena's trap of desire, through the gates of her soul, and arrived here.

Lyle's spirit floated alone in the air, so is the Land of Souls a space shared by all souls, or is it just Helena's private domain?

New knowledge instantly filled his mind, as if someone had been listening to his doubts.

The places of the soul are both shared and independent; they influence each other, and the key lies in the power of the administrators themselves.

[If that's the case, Helena's power should already be able to influence the Soul Land, after all, she's a Soul Reaper.]

Helena, the Soul Reaper, occupies a high-risk area within the Land of Souls, undetectable to lower-level spirits. However, your presence carries the aura of the Soul Reaper; your application is now accepted, and access is permitted.

The Land of Soul Stealers has begun to erode the soul space.

A sense of crisis! A deadly sense of crisis began to emerge. Lyle knew he had been foolish enough to overthink things, so now he had no choice but to confront the high-risk area head-on.

The Soul Reaper himself.

White. In Lyle's vision, the colorless world was filled with white.

Snowflake-like fragments appeared in the air; those fragments were plaster, a thin layer, slowly drifting down.

Lyle was unable to think straight. He stood suspended in mid-air, staring dumbfounded at the scene that appeared before him.

A stone sculpture.

A colossal stone statue, dozens of stories high. Its craftsmanship is exquisite, with every edge and corner meticulously finished, making it incredibly lifelike.

That's a sculpture of Helena, a huge Helena with her hands clasped together as if in prayer, completely naked, with a body in the golden ratio.

The fragments fell from the statue's cheeks and hands, scattering like snowflakes.

Those were fragments of the Soul Reaper, spinning in the air and transforming into active spirits that entered the gates of souls and went to reality.

The Soul Reaper statue has no legs; instead, it has a long tail pieced together from countless plaster fragments. Those shattered pieces that returned to the spirit world from behind the door have returned to their owners.

She shaped vibrant souls, and they ultimately returned to her. The enormous serpent tail that floated in the air was Helena's greatest symbol as the leader of her people, representing continuity and growth.

The boundless shock impacted Lyle's soul, but he did not shatter. His spirit gradually turned white, and the surface of his body became like plaster.

His spirit is mutating; he is about to be absorbed into the cycle of the Soul Reaper.

Blackness seeped into the eyes of the Lyle statue, and a brute force threw him away.

Chapter 371 The Soul Reaper's Gem

Lyle returned to the blank space. The giant stone sculpture was nowhere to be seen. The Land of Souls remained exactly as it had been when he first saw it. The fragments of memory floating in the air were still recording the past. The mundane knowledge seemed to be answering that none of the strange phenomena from before existed.

There was a discrepancy between his own perception and the memories of the Soul Land; in fact, Lyle's memories of the Soul Reaper statue were being forgotten.

[The Land of Souls is cleansing your consciousness, making you forget those strange things.] Anger and worry, along with emotional fluctuations, filled Lyle's soul space.

That was Helena. Her presence was barely perceptible despite her deliberate attempt to conceal it, but her anger and worry were plainly displayed, and those emotions pressed down on Lyle like an invisible wall.

[You're a human! Your blatant veneration of Andrei's glorious traditions is infuriating! This is the Land of Souls, a place even liches dare not provoke! You little rascal!]

If I hadn't thrown you out, you would have become a part of "me"!

The cold arms climbed up her shoulders again, but unlike the eerie caress before, this time, the two arms tightly gripped Lyle's neck, expressing Helena's displeasure.

[I might as well strangle you, you brat!]

Lyle's soul did not suffocate, and Helena's two arms, in her perception, were white, like plaster.

I was wrong! Big sister, I was wrong!

Lyle could clearly sense that Helena wasn't particularly angry; those emotions lingered in the air, and after he backed down, the anger quickly dissipated.

Lies do not exist in the Land of Souls; it is a place for communication between souls. Or perhaps, deception requires other means.

Lyle could clearly feel Helena's presence, and hear her voice, which sounded like telepathic communication, resonating in his mind.

[You learn faster than I expected. You reached the Land of Souls the first time you resisted the trap of desire.] Helena's resentment resurfaced slightly. [Then, taking advantage of my inattention, you stared directly at my avatar, almost petrifying your own spirit. You really are quite unexpected, little Lyle.]

Does that Soul Reaper statue exist? Is it Helena's incarnation? And so, so enormous?

What is an incarnation?

[Another self, possessed only by those who break the mold, symbolizes their inherently abnormal nature. This is why those who break the mold are often mistaken for gods. Powerful individuals who break the mold can bring their bizarre avatars into reality, creating miraculous and bizarre phenomena.]

Your incarnation... is a stone sculpture.

[My transformation into a Soul Reaper, a disruptor of the norm, involved an abnormal fundamental change; the essence of my soul became a unique and anomalous existence.]

【Cool.】 So straightforward, this was the only thing Lyle could think of.

[If I had a choice, I wouldn't have become like this, rejected by the world, an outcast.] Helena's presence shifted to another level. [Like now, I have to hide myself. Because a single moment of carelessness could destroy what I cherish.]

I cannot be exposed to the light, for every gaze that looks upon me will be petrified, my soul stolen.

This is the strange phenomenon caused by the Soul Reaper.

This is also why Naslan's eldest daughter, despite her unparalleled beauty, had to imprison herself in Naslan Castle, inside a stone statue.

"Helena, your essence is beautiful." Lyle thought so; what Naslan's eldest daughter wanted was pure, straightforward praise.

"Thank you, but I know you only glanced at it briefly, and that glance only caught a glimpse of me, and the price almost cost you your life." Helena seemed to be talking more. "Do you think the mistress of Naslan is a shallow woman who's happy with a simple compliment? Little Lyle, you're still too naive. Now get back to reality, don't keep my sister waiting."

Anna must think there's something wrong with her method of waking her up and keeps trying. Yes, let's give her a surprise.

Lyle felt like an insect caught in a wave, thrown out by the churning tide of his soul.

The land of souls fell silent again. A few seconds later, Helena reappeared, along with the enormous Soul Reaper statue.

My essence, my embodiment, you have once again nearly destroyed what is mine.

[I shouldn't have impulsively interfered in his studies of soul science; it was too dangerous.]

Helena gazed at the enormous sculpture, and the surrounding space suddenly rippled, turning a blushing pink.

I know it's beautiful, but why is it a nude sculpture?! And a realistic one at that!

Different statuses and identities lead to different perspectives. While Lyle was overwhelmed by the imposing figure of the Soul Reaper and unable to think, Helena was focused on something far more profound.

However, Lyle couldn't hear any of this; his consciousness had returned to reality.

His body stood frozen in place, as if petrified. Ariana stared at his still-stunned, empty eyes, and patted his cheek with a hint of anxiety.

"Have you fallen for her charms again? This time you're even more deeply involved. You've gone a bit too far, sister."

Lyle was already able to control his body, but he didn't move. How did Ariana awaken him? The wicked boy chose to play dead.

Perhaps it was because Lyle's ability to control his expressions had increased considerably after arriving at the Land of Souls that the anxious Ariana did not notice his disguise.

“It’s time to wake up, Sleeping Beauty.” Ariana surprisingly cracked a little joke, her lips glistening with moisture as she pressed her lips against Lyle’s cheek.

Ariana kisses Lyle, just like in a fairy tale, to awaken her partner with a kiss of true love.

That was what Lyle originally thought.