Chapter 192
The Demon Prison Lord sat down on the ground and explained everything that had happened over the past few days to Jian Yunlan.
“Taotie was brought here by Lord Heavenly Dao himself, and from the very beginning, he was directly imprisoned in the Heavenly Jail.”
“Originally, he was supposed to be executed three days ago, but he somehow endured it with his life force, saying he was waiting for someone, and that he wouldn’t leave until he met the person he was waiting for…”
“Until last night.”
Jian Yunlan: “Last night? What happened last night?”
“Last night, Heavenly Dao told him the truth,” the Demon Prison Lord looked deeply at him, “the truth about him and you.”
At this point, the Demon Prison Lord didn’t continue speaking but instead asked Jian Yunlan: “You had another life before this one, right?”
Was this referring to his past life? Jian Yunlan recalled his brief twenty-something years as a corporate worker before being chosen by the Multiverse Live Stream and nodded.
“In your previous life, did you also have distant relationships with your family, dying young? And did your deepest wish never come true?”
Jian Yunlan: “…Yes.”
In his previous life, he had been an orphan, without a father or mother. He died young in a car accident without having any close friends or loved ones. He had always wanted to start a stall, but for various reasons, it was always postponed. Eventually, after his death, his soul was chosen by the Multiverse Live Stream, and he finally got the chance to live out his dream of opening a food stall.
Could it be that all of this wasn’t just a coincidence?
Seemingly reading Jian Yunlan’s thoughts, the Demon Prison Lord nodded. “It’s not a coincidence. You’ve experienced thousands of reincarnations, and each time, your relationships were shallow, dying before you reached thirty, always dying young due to various accidents, and always passing away with regrets.”
Jian Yunlan: “…..”
“But this time is different,” the Demon Prison Lord glanced at the fluffy white dog doll in Jian Yunlan’s hand and said, “In this life, you can live to be a hundred, passing away peacefully, with no regrets. Every reincarnation after this will be the same.”
“Because…”
“The ancient ferocious beast Taotie and you, Jian Yunlan, are fated to be connected. One’s rise and fall are tied to the other. As long as he is alive, you will always die young and never have a peaceful end.”
Upon hearing this, Jian Yunlan’s heart started to race, and it felt as though the sound of a raging flood was roaring in his ears. He was filled with a sense of helpless panic.
And the next moment, the flood overwhelmed him.
The Demon Prison Lord continued, “On the other hand, as long as he dies, you will be free from illness and disaster in every lifetime, your wishes fulfilled, living happily ever after.”
“Heavenly Dao has already sent him to the extinction platform, but even Heavenly Dao doesn’t have the power to execute Taotie directly.”
“Taotie is going to die willingly.”
“……”
The Demon Prison Lord sighed deeply, “I’m telling you all this against Taotie’s intentions. He wanted to keep you in the dark until the end.”
Jian Yunlan remained silent.
He lowered his head, not looking at the Demon Prison Lord, and asked quietly, “How long ago was he taken away? Has the execution already happened?”
The Demon Prison Lord showed a look of reluctance, knowing Jian Yunlan wanted to stop it, but he shook his head helplessly. “He left three hours ago. The Extinction Platform is at the edge of the Upper Realm. They should not have arrived yet… But.”
“Human, listen to my advice. Don’t think about saving him. This is Taotie’s decision.”
“Heavenly Dao has already decided to execute him. Are you really going to defy Heavenly Dao?!”
The Demon Prison Lord urged him with a dry mouth, took a big gulp from his water pouch, and looked at Jian Yunlan’s expression.
—He had already said so much; Jian Yunlan should be giving up by now, right?
After all, continuing with this obsession wouldn’t make any sense.
Moreover, Jian Yunlan was, after all, just a mortal.
What mortal would be willing to go through countless fruitless reincarnations, each time with no family, no friends, and dying young?
In Jian Yunlan’s life, Taotie was just a brief companion. Once Taotie was gone, Jian Yunlan might be sad for a while, but he would quickly recover, find new employees, friends, or even a lover, and continue running his food stall happily, living his life to the fullest.
And in the next life, and the life after that, it would be the same.
After a few more reincarnations, the traces of Taotie would vanish completely from Jian Yunlan’s life, as though he had never appeared.
The Demon Prison Lord felt a deep sympathy. He thought about how Taotie had waited and searched for so many years. Even after all this time, Taotie himself had forgotten the meaning of his search, but he still kept looking for that one person, waiting for that one word…
But, this was what Taotie had always hoped for.
Taotie might have acted lawlessly, arrogantly, but this time, he planned everything thoroughly, leaving behind his remnant soul and preparing an escape route for Jian Yunlan.
“This plush toy is imprisoning the last fragment of Taotie’s soul,” the Demon Prison Lord pointed at the small ‘Mao Mao’ plush toy that Jian Yunlan was holding.
“After you burn the toy, you will completely forget everything about Taotie. You won’t feel any sadness, and you’ll be sent back to your original world, to continue your beloved career.”
“See, he even prepared the fire starter for you.”
Jian Yunlan still kept his head lowered in silence, not speaking.
He quietly searched inside the plush toy and, sure enough, easily found a flint stone inside the dog’s pocket.
The Demon Prison Lord glanced over and immediately saw that the flint stone had been infused with Taotie’s spiritual energy. It was pitch-black, heavy like lead, with cracks all over its surface, from which golden light flowed, as if magma were ready to burst out at any moment.
As soon as Jian Yunlan’s thoughts wavered, any flicker of “wanting to forget Taotie completely,” the flint would ignite on its own, burning the plush toy containing Taotie’s remnant soul into ashes.
From that moment on, Taotie would cease to exist in the world.
At that moment, the flint stone, which Jian Yunlan held in his hand, quickly became scorching hot. Its black surface began to glow as if it had been heated red, radiating intense heat.
—As expected.
The Demon Prison Lord thought, not surprised.
For Jian Yunlan, Taotie was just an employee at his food stall. Losing an employee meant he could just find another. Moreover, once Taotie was gone, Jian Yunlan’s fate would be complete, his life would go smoothly, with only benefits and no harm.
Rather than living in pain holding on to memories, it was better to forget everything here and start over…
The flint stone was already burning fiercely in Jian Yunlan’s hand.
The flames reflected in Jian Yunlan’s pupils, calm, like a clear lake, flickering with fiery colors.
Because it was Taotie’s spiritual fire, even though it was held in his palm, it didn’t harm Jian Yunlan in the slightest. It only felt like holding a warm handwarmer, cozy and comforting.
The fire burned brighter, inching toward the plush toy. The Demon Prison Lord covered his face with reluctance, not wanting to watch.
“Even a fragment of Taotie’s soul would feel pain when burned,” the Demon Prison Lord muttered to himself, “Taotie is such a fool. This human didn’t hesitate even a bit when lighting the flint. Taotie really misjudged him…”
Soon, the fire was almost consumed.
The Demon Prison Lord sighed deeply, lifted his gaze, and saw the white plush toy, perfectly intact, in Jian Yunlan’s hand.
Demon Prison Lord: “?”
Wasn’t it supposed to be burned? How is it still here?!
Wait.
He widened his eyes and looked closely, and indeed, the small white dog plush toy was unharmed.
But the flint stone had truly burned out!
He didn’t forget about Taotie, so this flint was unnecessary.
Jian Yunlan loosened his fingers, and the firestone, now reduced to ashes, slipped from his hand, scattered by the wind into the air, becoming nothing more than insignificant dust.
Under the brilliant starry sky, the remaining glimmer of fire reflected in Jian Yunlan’s pupils.
In his eyes, all hesitation and sorrow had been silenced.
It was the look of someone who had made a firm decision.
In just a brief moment of eye contact with Jian Yunlan, the Demon Prison Lord was horrified. He didn’t want Jian Yunlan to easily give in and let go of Taotie’s true feelings. But seeing how resolute Jian Yunlan was, the Demon Prison Lord knew he was heading toward his own death. Unable to stop himself, he urged once more:
“The road to the Extinction Platform is dangerous. Even the divine beasts at the highest levels of the Mountain and Sea Realm would take a day and a night to travel. Each small calamity along the way could cost your life, a mere mortal like you. Even if you’re lucky and survive unharmed, it will still take at least a hundred years to get there. By the time you arrive, Taotie will have already been destroyed, both body and soul!”
“And what use is it for you to arrive there? It’s better—”
“It’s useful,” Jian Yunlan interrupted him. “Even if that’s the case, I still want to see him.”
The Demon Prison Lord opened his mouth, somewhat speechless.
Jian Yunlan seemed to remember something, his expression softened, and he smiled apologetically, his eyes curving.
“I know it’s difficult, but I made a promise to him, so there’s no other way.”
“Taotie isn’t just an employee to me. No matter how many times, I will find him, and tell him…”
At this point, Jian Yunlan paused and took a slight breath.
His voice lowered, the air thinning, but even so, he still managed to speak the words with difficulty:
“…I like him.”
Throughout history, in various films, TV shows, novels, and comics, countless entertainment works often describe such moments—when the protagonist finally realizes their feelings, the entire world undergoes a tremendous change, and everything in the world is colored anew.
In such stories, it would describe how a torrential rain suddenly stops, the sky clears, white doves take flight, distant church bells ring, stirring music plays, and the whole world urges, encourages, and helps the protagonist rush toward the one they love.
But in reality, that’s not the case.
In reality, Jian Yunlan simply stood there in the silence.
His voice echoed between the cliffs under the night sky. The words “I like him” spun a few times in the air before being swallowed by eternal darkness.
There was no stirring music, no bright sky, no gods, no miracles.
No echo.
Jian Yunlan lowered his head, pursing his lips.
…Until the familiar dinging sound echoed.
—”Ding! The Chef System’s full permissions have been unlocked!”
—”Ding! The Multiverse Mall is now open!”
—”Ding! The Multiverse Live Stream malfunction has been fixed!”
It was as if something extraordinary was about to happen, the mechanical voice of the Chef System carrying a hint of excitement:
“From this moment on, all viewers who send gifts will immediately be able to redeem them in the Mall system. You can redeem treasures like ‘Thousand-Mile Shrinking Technique,’ ‘Fortune Charms,’ ‘Safety Locks,’ and many more gifts waiting for you to claim!”
“Host [Jian Yunlan] has obtained permission to log into the Multiverse Live Stream.”
“Let’s welcome his arrival!!!”
…As soon as the voice finished, a translucent light screen slowly unfolded before Jian Yunlan’s eyes.
In that moment, Jian Yunlan’s pupils widened in surprise.
All the planes, all the past and present diners, all the new and old viewers, cheering, concerned, sending gifts—countless massive bullet comments surged out like a tsunami, refreshing before his eyes!
