He also desperately wished to encounter someone he knew, even if they couldn't help him, just to have someone to talk to.
It was like a person walking on a road at night, knowing nothing was there, yet involuntarily feeling fear, glancing around nervously, sensing something following him.
But if someone walked with him, all his fears would vanish without a trace.
The sea of purple flowers ahead was beautiful.
Wan Lei felt incredibly tired, pushed to his limit, his stamina severely depleted. He could collapse at any moment.
What supported him forward was the belief of returning alive with his beloved.
A trail of bloody footprints marked his path as Wan Lei's flesh and blood continuously withered and decayed.
His legs felt as if they were bound by hundreds of kilograms of sandbags, each step agonizingly heavy.
Time ticked by, and Wan Lei had no idea how long he had been walking or how far. The bridge seemed to stretch endlessly, no matter how much he walked.
Drip... drip...
A few drops of water suddenly fell onto the ground before Wan Lei.
He struggled to look up, and in the darkness above, a bloody rope hung down. At the end of the rope was a ghost woman in red, hanging upside down.
The ghost's face was pale, her teeth bared in a ghastly grin, her gaze towards Wan Lei filled with avarice.
"It's been a long time since anyone living has come here. A delicious soul is the best food. Young man, your soul belongs to me. Fall into the abyss forever."
Wan Lei lowered his head again. He bit his tongue hard, keeping his mind clear and forcing himself to stay awake.
The ghost was steadily descending, while Wan Lei continued to walk forward, step by step.
"Ignore it... ignore it... everything here is fake."
Wan Lei knew that this ghost was merely trying to scare him into turning back.
A trivial trick.
Finally, as he reached the spot where the water was dripping, the ghost's head descended to be just above his own.
The ghost roared and opened its mouth wide, its snake-like tongue lashing out towards Wan Lei.
Wan Lei didn't even look. As the tongue reached his head, it passed straight through.
Fake.
The ghost, left behind by Wan Lei, let out a cry of unwillingness.
Unknowingly, Wan Lei had been walking for over a day.
A five-mile walk, which would take an ordinary person only two hours, was barely half completed at Wan Lei's glacial pace.
"Child, drink this bowl of soup, forget your past, and reincarnate with your beloved. May your next life not be so arduous."
By the bridge ahead, a kind-faced old woman appeared, holding a bowl of soup and beckoning Wan Lei with a smile.
Wan Lei glanced at her and walked on without a word.
He didn't know who she was, nor did he need to. He only needed to know that everything was fake.
Anything that appeared after he crossed the bridge was fake.
"Alas, a living soul. Poor child. A living soul reaching this place must have great obsessions."
The old woman looked at Wan Lei, then, holding her bowl, she began to shuffle towards the entrance of the Naihe Bridge.
After brushing past Wan Lei, she sighed again and began to chant a song:
"The Naihe Bridge, a road of no return,
In the River of Forgetfulness, no true crossing.
Three lives, three worlds, the other shore flowers bloom,
In the next life, do not look back."
Walk... walk...
Her hunched back and shuffling steps, illuminated by the moonlight, cast long, strong yet lonely shadows.
After an unknown amount of time, Wan Lei, carrying Fang Xiaoyu, was finally nearing the end of the bridge.
Only a few steps remained.
"Mission complete. The Ghost Immortal Secret Realm ends. Return."
The system's voice reached Wan Lei's ears.
Wan Lei's hazy consciousness sharpened, his eyes regaining their luster. He truly stopped.
A moment later, Wan Lei's bloodied mouth let out a cold laugh.
"Heh, I haven't finished crossing the bridge yet. If you're real, place the token in my hand and teleport me out.
With me in this state, and you expecting me to walk back? Heh..."
Wan Lei no longer listened to anything else and took the final few steps with great effort.
He had crossed the bridge. Now, he could look back.
The bridge remained quiet, empty, standing over the river, as if eternal.
Crossing the bridge did not signify the end of the mission. The altar was still far away, at least several miles.
Crossing the bridge merely meant the absence of immediate danger, but he still had a long road ahead.
The endless other shore flowers rolled with the wind, rising and falling, a breathtaking sight.
While the environment here was devoid of immediate danger, the greatest threat still came from himself.
Wan Lei's injuries worsened. Many of his wounds had not healed, and they showed signs of accelerating decay. His body was being eroded by the death curse, withering and decaying.
The five miles on the bridge had nearly cost him his life, and there were still miles to go.
Fang Xiaoyu had completely lost consciousness.
Wan Lei knew that if he put her down, he might be able to walk a little further, but it was highly unlikely he would reach the altar.
He was utterly spent, on the brink of death.
Yet, the altar remained a distant goal.
In his current state, he would simply perish from exhaustion long before reaching it.
His strength was so depleted that he couldn't even open the Life Control Diagram.
He could certainly try to abandon Fang Xiaoyu and press on alone, gambling for the token.
But he knew even better that the moment he collapsed ahead, his greatest regret would be not dying alongside her.
"Don't leave me."
That was the last thing Fang Xiaoyu had said to him.
"I won't leave you."
Wan Lei, carrying her on his back, walked step by step, treading on the purple flowers.
Another day passed.
Wan Lei had walked two miles through the sea of flowers.
He was truly exhausted, with no strength left. His wounds had gone numb, his body had withered to the point of being unable to feel pain.
He collapsed.
He lay on the ground, Fang Xiaoyu still on his back, not having woken up.
Wan Lei managed a wry smile. This time, no one would be able to save him.
He could no longer move.
He took out some spirit stones and placed them around him, setting up a simple spirit gathering formation using the formation pearls directly.
This was all he could do. This spiritual energy might allow Fang Xiaoyu to live a little longer, but he was certain to die.
His eyelids grew heavier, his consciousness blurred, and he felt as if his soul were floating away.
He struggled to take out the transmission jade slip and send a message to the Lei Di Hall.
"Today, I... have fallen on the other side of the Naihe Bridge...
Demons are forbidden on the Naihe Bridge, but I was struck by a demon's death curse, my body irreversibly decaying and withering, leading to certain death. Xiaoyu is gravely injured and unconscious...
If possible, come and save her...
If the Demon Commander has not retreated, do not act rashly; retreat instead.
It is beautiful here. To be the tomb for my wife and I would not be a bad thing.
My only regret is not witnessing the complete annihilation of the demons, nor the restoration of the Lei Feng Realm's rivers and mountains.
You must carry on my will, unite as one, avoid internal strife. The Lei Di Alliance shall coexist with the Lei Feng Realm and fight the demons to the death, restoring our bright blue skies to the Lei Feng Realm.
When that day comes, you can tell me before my grave, and I shall die without regret..."
With his last words, Wan Lei's eyes closed completely.
A faint, serene smile lingered on his lips.
It was good to die by your side.