After Transmigrating, I Died of Depression Without My Phone - Chapter 92.2

It had to be Jiutian Xuannu.

Long Xiang squinted at Hua Lanye. Her vision was doubling due to the changes in her body, and as she looked at him now, his face seemed to merge with the image of his deceitful facade from when he had pretended to be righteous in the celestial realm.

“Come to think of it, he was your disciple, wasn’t he?” Long Xiang said aloud, speaking to the voice in her mind.

The voice responded instantly, “In name only.”

Long Xiang paused, surprised. “There are ‘in-name-only’ disciples?”

“Ask again, and he’ll be yours,” the Goddess snapped.

Long Xiang quickly shut her mouth.

Jiutian Xuannu was the one urging her to kill Hua Lanye.

The goddess had been blinded by kindness, and it had led to centuries of suffering for her and the mortal realm. She had been imprisoned in the Demon Cave, tormented for hundreds of years.

Now, she sought vengeance.

Now, Jiutian Xuannu had given the last of her remaining power, hoping that Long Xiang would kill this monstrous being, Hua Lanye, who had committed countless unforgivable sins and should have died long ago.

Long Xiang intended to kill him, but before she struck, she asked the fading goddess one final question in her mind.

“If he dies, will it affect my chances of finding A’Xue?”

A soft laugh echoed in her ears. Jiutian Xuannu’s voice resounded around the divine pillar, causing Hua Lanye’s pupils to contract.

“The Soul Sacrifice technique he learned was all from me. I know everything he knows, and even more than what he has yet to master. Why keep him alive to cause more trouble?” Jiutian Xuannu answered.

Long Xiang spoke candidly, “But you’re about to disappear.”

Jiutian Xuannu sighed, “I will show you the way.”

Without further hesitation, Long Xiang raised her hand. In the moment Hua Lanye shouted her name, she ripped his soul apart, leaving it in shreds.

When he died by her hand, Long Xiang stood there, stunned for a long time.

Though she had been part of this world for quite some time and understood that this was the right thing to do, killing someone—even for justice—left her feeling uneasy.

No matter how necessary it was, the act of spilling blood didn’t sit well with her. And she hoped that she would never grow used to it.

As she stood there, a white light flashed, nearly severing her hands. Snapped from her daze, she glanced down at her fingers, seeing deep wounds where the bone was exposed. She turned to the source of the attack.

It was the Monster Lord.

He needed Hua Lanye to bring back the Monster Queen and his son, so naturally, he couldn’t allow Long Xiang to destroy Hua Lanye’s soul. But he had acted too late—there was nothing left to save.

Well, almost nothing. Some of Hua Lanye’s clothes lay crumpled on the ground.

Long Xiang hesitated, then said, “How about you hold onto his clothes to remember him? It’s something, at least.”

The Monster Lord had barely escaped from the golden barrier that had held him, his body covered in scales and injuries he hadn’t even had time to heal. His one focus had been stopping Long Xiang, and now that he had failed, a deep sense of despair washed over him. Stumbling forward toward the divine pillar, he cast a hateful glare at Long Xiang.

“This is all your fault!!” he roared. “Beiting Xue treated you so well! And yet, to claim power for yourself, you’ve cut off his only chance at salvation!”

The Monster Lord had clearly lost control, lunging at Long Xiang even though he knew he was no match for her.

With a casual wave of her hand, Long Xiang sent him flying aside, her voice indifferent. “Who said that was his only chance?”

The Monster Lord’s eyes widened in shock.

Long Xiang spoke slowly, “Relying on others only puts you at their mercy. You’ll never be satisfied with the results. That’s why I rely on myself.”

She lowered her gaze and calmly pulled out her phone, standing beside the divine pillar as she began searching for information on the original book.

Nothing.

She remembered reading that novel, knew every plot point clearly, but now there was no trace of it anywhere.

Long Xiang tried multiple search engines, but still found nothing.

The book never existed.

From the moment 4897 had appeared, it had all been a lie.

She had been implanted with memories of a book for a reason. And now, seeing the situation unfold, it was obvious what that reason was.

The Celestial Ladder.

Once the ladder was repaired, 4897 had vanished. All that talk about the heroine, the male lead, and fixing the plot? Just a smokescreen.

Whatever had sent 4897 had only one goal: to ensure the ladder was rebuilt.

Beiting Xue and Bai Qingyin had both disappeared when the divine pillar of the Celestial Ladder emerged. The Monster Lord had no way of bringing Bai Qingyin back without Hua Lanye’s help. Now, with Hua Lanye dead, Long Xiang was determined to rely on no one else and attempt the climb herself.

Yes, she would try it herself.

Since she hadn’t broken out in rashes or had her energy drained when she touched the Celestial Ladder, she would give it a try.

Jiutian Xuannu had disappeared too quickly, her obsession with destroying Hua Lanye consuming her before she could reveal whether the divine pillar had any dangers.

If she hadn’t seen a problem with the pillar, she wouldn’t have stayed silent.

But if even a god couldn’t see an issue, could there still be one?

Long Xiang steeled herself. She cast a barrier around the divine pillar, trapping the Monster Lord beneath it to supply power.

This way, even if she became trapped inside, the barrier would remain strong, preventing anyone from getting close and interfering.

Now that all the powerful figures were either dead or wounded, the Monster Lord was the strongest remaining. Doing this would also keep him in check.

With everything in place, Long Xiang leapt into the air, ready to enter the divine pillar.

Since climbing from the outside hadn’t worked, she would try entering from within.

Just as she prepared to act, her phone rang. The sudden sound was sharp, and the name on the screen sent a shiver down her spine.

It was her mom.

Her mother was calling.

Had she sensed something? Was she worried that Long Xiang wouldn’t make it back?

Long Xiang herself was starting to worry about not returning.

Even with Beiting Xue’s prophecy still fresh in her mind, who’s to say it couldn’t be changed?

With so many unexpected events, any one of them could alter her fate.

Fear gripped her. Doubts and hesitation clouded her thoughts, especially with her mother’s call looming over her.

Long Xiang thought about the last look Beiting Xue had given her before he disappeared.

If she let go of everything now, she could become the ruler of the world.

When the eternal night passed, she could sit on the throne as the most powerful person in the land, quietly cultivating until she found her way home. It would be the perfect life.

Was that final look from him a goodbye?

She didn’t like goodbyes like that.

If there was to be a goodbye, it should be spoken aloud.

For the first time, Long Xiang chose Beiting Xue over going home.

She trusted she wouldn’t die inside the divine pillar.

She would return and bring Beiting Xue back with her.

Long Xiang took a deep breath, then charged into the pillar without looking back.

In an instant, a blinding white light engulfed her, stripping away her senses. She could no longer hear, see, or smell anything. Her body felt light, as if she were a leaf drifting aimlessly on the wind.

Suddenly, a hand reached out and caught the falling leaf. Dazed and disoriented, Long Xiang blinked and looked up, recognizing the familiar silhouette before her.

“…A’Xue?” she murmured, her voice trembling.

The figure grew clearer as she spoke.

“Yes,” his voice was calm and soothing, instantly putting her at ease. “It’s me. Don’t worry. I’m here.”