But now Lin Yibai and the system had already been taken care of. The remaining systems were just fakes created by the lingering souls of the Dragon Clan under Han Ze's orders.
They were no longer a threat.
Hearing Bai Li's soft chuckle, Shen Qing pouted. "Mother, are you making fun of me?"
Hearing this, Bai Li felt a whirlwind of emotions. "How could I? In my imagination, my daughter should act like this, acting coquettishly in my arms."
Shen Qing was taken aback for a moment and then felt a shy blush creep up her face.
It was the first time the mother - daughter pair had met, yet Shen Qing had involuntarily shown such a side in front of Bai Li.
Although they were the closest of kin, after years of separation, it was inevitable that they would feel awkward around each other, like strangers. But Shen Qing didn't think too much about it.
In her mind, the relationship between a mother and daughter should be intimate.
Acting coquettishly was just normal behavior.
After the tender moment, Bai Li couldn't help but let out a sigh and said something neither of them wanted to hear. "It's almost time. The spiritual soul I left behind is about to dissipate. There are some things I must say."
Holding back the tears that threatened to fall again, Shen Qing nodded and listened attentively.
"Shen Qing, you must stop your elder brother. Don't let Han Ze revive the Dragon Clan."
Bai Li's eyes were firm as she solemnly entrusted this matter to Shen Qing.
Shen Qing's heart tightened again. "Why?"
"I know elder brother's methods are a bit extreme, but his original intention was good. I heard from him that a part of the Dragon Clan's lingering souls still remain in the Demon Abyss and haven't dissipated. If the Dragon Clan can be revived, our people can be freed."
"I can talk to him and ask him to find another way to revive the Dragon Clan. He doesn't have to go on like this!"
"Mother... trust me... I can do it!"
A look of panic flashed across Shen Qing's face as she quickly spoke.
If the Dragon Clan couldn't be revived, Bai Li couldn't be revived either. Once her spiritual soul dissipated, Bai Li would completely disappear from the world, and there would be no more chance for the mother - daughter reunion.
Although Han Ze's methods were extreme, they could be changed.
She didn't want to never see her mother again.
Bai Li shook her head and quickly held Shen Qing down. "Shen Qing, calm down and listen to what mother has to say."
Shen Qing fell silent, her head slightly lowered, but her eyes were fixed on Bai Li longingly. She looked as pitiful as could be.
Biting the bullet, Bai Li still admonished Shen Qing. "The Dragon Clan was supposed to disappear. Its extinction was just in line with the heavenly time and the heavenly way."
"If the Dragon Clan is revived, there will surely be a bloodbath in the world, and countless lives will be lost. It won't be just the Nine Wastelands Continent. Even the innocent people in the mortal world will be affected."
"That silly boy Han Ze has been blinded by hatred. In fact, he should have known long ago that the Dragon Clan shouldn't exist..."
Shen Qing couldn't understand. Her voice choked as she asked, "But mother, why..."
"The Dragon Clan is also a living being in this world. Why should the Dragon Clan follow the heavenly way and perish? There's no such logic!"
Bai Li shifted her gaze from Shen Qing and looked into the distance, lost in memories.
"You should know that the Dragon Clan was the favorite of the heavenly way... But the heavenly way's favoritism came with conditions."
"The more powerful the abilities the Dragon Clan obtained, the greater the responsibilities on their shoulders. As the leaders of all beasts, for years, they balanced the various forces, brought rain and clouds, maintained the natural order, and intervened in the good and evil of the mortal world."
"But because of this, the ambition of the Dragon Clan grew bigger and bigger."
"We were no longer content to be just spiritual beasts. We wanted to rule all beasts and become the masters of this world, just like the human emperors in the mortal world."
"We started to expand our territory and tried to make the spiritual beasts submit. Moreover, we found excuses to have conflicts with the human race in order to snatch their resources."
If any kind of beast refused to submit, the Dragon Clan would send troops to attack until they bowed their heads.
If they still refused to submit in the end, the Dragon Clan would simply wipe them out.
The existence of the Dragon Clan was favored by the heavenly way. The more dragons there were, the fewer resources the human race and other beast races could get.
For thousands of years, the Dragon Clan had never overstepped the line, so a delicate balance had been maintained among the various parties.
But when the Dragon Clan showed their ambition, they were feared by all beasts and the human race.
Once suspicion arose between the two sides, the conflicts would grow bigger and bigger until they became mortal enemies.
But the combat ability of the Dragon Clan was far beyond what the human race could resist. As a result, the human race suffered heavy casualties and lost a lot of territory. The Dragon Clan even started to call themselves the Dragon Emperor, just like the human emperors.
The heavenly way began to be dissatisfied.
The stone statues enshrined in the Dragon Clan's temples began to lose their luster. Without the protection of the heavenly way, the abilities of the Dragon Clan began to fade away.
By chance, the human race found that the dragon tendons and dragon bones of the dead dragons could be refined into magic tools, which were extremely strong and indestructible.
So, the Dragon Clan, whose ambition had swelled, finally perished because of their own ambition.
But in Han Ze's eyes, the Dragon Clan perished because of the human race and the demon race. He witnessed with his own eyes his fellow clan members being disemboweled and their tendons and bones being taken out. So, he buried the seeds of hatred deep in his heart.
In order to revive the Dragon Clan, he stirred up trouble in the Nine Wastelands Continent and didn't hesitate to sacrifice the Mermaid Clan and the Nether White Wolf Clan.
But such grievances would ultimately be attributed to the Dragon Clan.
Even if the Dragon Clan was revived, it would only lead to chaos in the Nine Wastelands Continent.
Bai Li didn't want to see such a scene, so she asked Shen Qing to stop Han Ze.
Even if her fellow clan members would disappear from this world forever and she would also lose the qualification to exist in this world.
Shen Qing's heart was extremely heavy. Influenced by Han Ze, she always thought that the extinction of the Dragon Clan was entirely the fault of the human race and the demon race. But in fact, the ambition of the Dragon Clan had also led to the extinction of some spiritual beasts.
This was the cause the Dragon Clan had sown and the consequence they had reaped.
Bai Li also felt extremely uncomfortable as she recounted these past events.
She had tried to stop her husband, the clan leader, but her husband had been blinded by ambition. How could her words change his mind?
The arrogance and conceit of the Dragon Clan had led them to their own destruction.
"Shen Qing, I know it's hard for you to accept these things all at once. But as my daughter, selfishly speaking, since you're a member of the Dragon Clan, you have to bear the fate of the Dragon Clan."
"Now, you're the only one who can stop Han Ze."
"Shen Qing, my daughter, I'm sorry for you."
"You've never enjoyed a single day of family affection, yet there are endless heavy burdens on your shoulders. Mother feels extremely guilty towards you. Now, I can only make up for it a little..."
"The last bit of spiritual power I left behind has transformed into two red fish. Now, it has merged with your dragon bones. My ability is foresight. I hope this ability can help you."
After saying that, Bai Li's figure became transparent. The smell and warmth that belonged to Bai Li also became illusory.
Shen Qing tightly grasped Bai Li, as if this could stop her from leaving.
"Mother... please, don't go!"