It was Duan Qinghuai's voice.
This made Ning Yitao give up struggling and obediently let Duan Qinghuai hold her in his arms.
"Duan Qinghuai, why are you here too?"
As soon as Ning Yitao asked this question, a soft chuckle rang in her ear. Then she heard the man say:
"Who told you I'm Duan Qinghuai?"
The smiling voice also sounded by Ning Yitao's ear. Instantly, goosebumps rose all over her back. At this moment, she noticed that the man opposite was wearing gorgeous brocade robes.
Ning Yitao suddenly pushed the man away.
Only then did she finally see the man's true face.
However, that face was exactly like Duan Qinghuai's.
The man in front of her was wearing a long, straight white robe that hung extremely well. His waist was tied with a wide moon - white belt embroidered with auspicious cloud patterns, on which only a piece of top - quality black jade was hung. The jade looked rough in shape but simple and solemn. His black hair was casually tied with a silver ribbon.
He wore no cap and no hairpin. A few strands of hair in front of his forehead were blown loose, interweaving and dancing with the silver ribbon, looking quite airy.
Ning Yitao looked at the smiling man in front of her, and quickly matched a face in her mind.
The man who gave her the jade bracelet last time was him!
He had the same face as Duan Qinghuai, but his temperament and way of handling things were completely different from Duan Qinghuai's.
Ning Yitao had an answer in her heart. The time - space rift she was in now was not the black - cloaked man's, but this man's in front of her.
According to the black - cloaked man's strength, it was impossible for him to have two time - space rifts.
The difficulty of creating a time - space rift was almost as hard as the method of rebirth.
Ning Yitao kept her distance from him, her eyes vigilant. She coldly asked:
"Who on earth are you? Why did you give me the spiritual vein? I could have gotten out just now. Why did you pull me into another time - space rift?"
His gaze never shifted. He just silently stared at Ning Yitao, his eyes extremely focused.
Ning Yitao met his gaze. She always felt that although he was looking at her, it seemed that he was looking through her at someone else.
Seeing him lost in thought, Ning Yitao broke the silence and asked the question she wanted to know. She said:
"Who are you looking at?"
"Duan Qinghuai" blinked and came back to his senses. He answered Ning Yitao's question, but it was off - topic:
"I am Duan Qinghuai, but I'm also not Duan Qinghuai. He is a part of me. Sure enough, no matter what, our fates will always be intertwined. We can't break free, can't break free."
When he said the last sentence, his voice was very soft, like a sigh.
Ning Yitao just felt annoyed. She impatiently asked:
"Can you speak clearly? I don't believe you don't know I'm eager to get out."
"Duan Qinghuai" stepped closer to Ning Yitao. Under Ning Yitao's puzzled gaze, he lifted the hand on which Ning Yitao wore the bracelet and said:
"I know. Don't worry. I've held off the person behind you."
"However, I'm about to dissipate soon and completely merge with Duan Qinghuai. But before that, I have to tell you something and give you one last helping hand. You have no chance of winning against that person now."
His pitch - black pupils were like thick ink that could never dissolve. A faint look flashed across the bottom of his eyes. "Duan Qinghuai" said:
"As smart as you are, you must have guessed that I'm a supreme god."
Before Ning Yitao could digest this sentence, she was shocked by "Duan Qinghuai"'s next words.
He said:
"Actually, so are you."
Ning Yitao was full of question marks. No matter how she thought about it, she felt it was impossible. She asked in surprise:
"Is there a mistake? I died under the heavenly thunder during my ascension back then."
"Duan Qinghuai" shook his head. "I'm not wrong."
"You were just one step away from ascending to become a supreme god."
"????"
Ning Yitao didn't understand a single word of what "Duan Qinghuai" said.
But "Duan Qinghuai" was extremely patient. He didn't look anywhere else, just stared straight at Ning Yitao as if he wanted to engrave her in his mind.
"The illusion you saw last time was actually not an illusion. It was something that really happened, although you don't remember it anymore."
"Duan Qinghuai"'s voice was gentle as he told the past experiences.
It turned out that on the day Ning Yitao ascended, she did die under the heavenly thunder.
But ascending to become a supreme god was no easy task.
Every supreme god had to go through tribulations and experience all kinds of feelings in the mortal world to be able to pity all sentient beings.
At that time, Ning Yitao was too indifferent to everything in the mortal world, so she had to experience Ye Qianmo's life.
And at that time, Duan Qinghuai, for the same reason, was reincarnated as Gu Jiangli.
But because Ning Yitao couldn't withstand the heavenly thunder, she had a second life.
Duan Qinghuai withstood the heavenly thunder and ascended to become a supreme god.
However, after becoming a supreme god, Duan Qinghuai was not happy. He had an obsession in his heart and couldn't forget Ning Yitao, so he was sent into reincarnation.
Duan Qinghuai sent his primordial spirit to be born in Ning Yitao's world.
He sacrificed everything and started anew with the identity of Duan Qinghuai. All his cultivation was gone, and he only had one spiritual vein left.
But he gave Ning Yitao protection.
Once he pursued the peak of power and strength. Now all he wanted was to keep Ning Yitao safe.
If Ning Yitao wanted to become a god, then he would help her become one.
The "Duan Qinghuai" in front of Ning Yitao now was just a strand of divine consciousness differentiated from the Duan Qinghuai who had become a god back then.
Now "Duan Qinghuai"'s life was coming to an end.
His mission was almost completed.
As "Duan Qinghuai"'s gaze flickered, the bottom of his eyes, deep like a cold pool, seemed to stir up countless intricate feelings, complex and subtle, making it impossible to discern.
Ning Yitao had to become a god.
Otherwise, in today's battle, Ning Yitao's life would be in danger.
But even "Duan Qinghuai" himself hadn't figured out what the way of the gods was.
He could only give Ning Yitao as much protection as possible.
"Duan Qinghuai" held Ning Yitao's bracelet and injected the last remaining divine power into it, hoping to help Ning Yitao block all the harm.
There was reluctance in "Duan Qinghuai"'s eyes. His time was running out. He said to Ning Yitao:
"Taotao, all you need to become a god is an opportunity. Today is your chance."
"Taotao, you're so smart. You must be able to find a way to break through."
After saying that, "Duan Qinghuai" pushed Ning Yitao away. This time, there was nothing behind her to catch her.
There was only emptiness and an infinite fall.
Ning Yitao watched as the "Duan Qinghuai" standing above gradually dissipated.
Ning Yitao didn't know why, but she felt her eyes sting and her chest was stuffy, as if Duan Qinghuai had really disappeared.
Ning Yitao just let her body keep falling. After an unknown amount of time, she finally landed on the ground.
Ning Yitao stared blankly at the scene that suddenly appeared in front of her.
Suddenly, Zhaocai appeared beside her.
This time, Zhaocai finally used his talent after transforming into a dragon.
The water curtain appeared again.
This time, the water curtain didn't stutter at the crucial moment like it did during Yin Huan's time.
Zhaocai's talent ability was used smoothly this time.