Did Yu Chu really love Chen Jin? Undoubtedly, she did. However, her hatred for Chen Mingyue and the guilt of regarding the enemy as her father tortured her day and night, making her dare not love anymore...
She dared not and was unwilling to love Chen Jin anymore, but she also didn't lay a hand on him. Chen Jin's later state was entirely his own doing.
He discovered what Yu Chu was up to. Chen Jin himself knew it was his father's fault, so he turned a blind eye to Yu Chu's actions and pretended not to know.
But he never expected that for the souls of Yu Chu's parents, how could Chen Mingyue alone suffice? Yu Chu was reluctant to harm the innocent and couldn't bring Chen Jin into this living sacrifice. So, for the other sacrifice, she chose herself.
In this sacrificial revenge, by some strange twist of fate, no one was spared.
"The story is over. It's time to get down to business." Yu Chu put away her angry and sorrowful look, and her calm gaze shifted to Zhao Zhao.
Hearing this, Zhao Zhao's heart raced. She struggled constantly. Just a little more time, just a little more.
But Yu Chu clearly didn't intend to say more. She gently raised her hand, her eyes showing neither sorrow nor joy, completely calm. "Goddess, bless your most loyal subjects. Raise the divine fire in your hands and welcome the ceremony. The goddess will free you from pain and lead you to the ultimate bliss."
Upon hearing Yu Chu's instruction, those strangely - dressed people bowed respectfully three times on the ground. They raised the torches in their hands and threw them at Zhao Zhao, muttering a bunch of strange words.
A moment later, they made a strange gesture towards Zhao Zhao again and shouted in unison, "May the goddess be in peace. Bless us to reach bliss soon and purge our sins."
Goddess? Were they referring to her? The rattan around Zhao Zhao's wrists left red marks. Looking at the crowd below and the rising flames, she kept thinking of countermeasures in her mind. Her situation was extremely unfavorable.
The night breeze was slightly cool. The shadows of the trees in the distance swayed, but the few trees closest to Zhao Zhao remained motionless.
Looking at those motionless trees, Zhao Zhao suddenly realized that Yu Chu had set up a barrier here.
She wondered how powerful Yu Chu's barrier was. If the barrier was complex, it might take others a long time to find her.
She had to save herself.
Thinking of this, Zhao Zhao bit her tongue. A trace of fresh blood welled up, and she swallowed it.
The fire was still burning, and the strange ceremony continued. Yu Chu shook the bell in her hand constantly. The clear sound of the bell was especially creepy in this night.
She repeated the same words that Song Changming had mumbled insanely in the eighteenth level of hell.
The sound of the bell stimulated Zhao Zhao's eardrums one by one. The spiritual power that had almost fused became disordered at this moment.
Rattan grew out from her back. The branches symbolizing her identity grew out of her hair again. But this time, the small white flowers on the twining rattan turned blood - red.
It hurt so much... Her head hurt, and her whole body ached!
The heat from below spread upwards. As a young tree, fire was what Zhao Zhao feared most.
The firelight illuminated Yu Chu's expressionless face. She walked towards Zhao Zhao step by step, then suddenly leaped forward and cut Zhao Zhao's wrist.
"I'm sorry. I don't want to do this either, but this matter can only be done by you."
The blood dripped. The strange people below became excited. They formed a circle and clapped their hands and danced non - stop.
The small flowers growing on Zhao Zhao's rattan were withering one by one.
Those strange people took off their coats and sniffed the floating aroma in the air intoxicatedly. Their bodies trembled spasmodically.
Without the hoods on their heads, Zhao Zhao finally saw their faces clearly.
They didn't have faces at all! There was just a mass of ghostly air where their facial features should have been. There were also runic spell fetters around their necks and arms.
They... were simply ghosts who had been punished and were not tolerated by the six realms.
Originally, they should have suffered the punishment, repaid their sins in their previous lives, and then vanished into thin air. But now they were cheering and celebrating in the human world.
"You... you want to use me as a sacrifice to help them onto the path of reincarnation?" Zhao Zhao finally understood the meaning of that sacrificial chant. The so - called goddess was just a pathetic sacrifice.
"No. I don't care what happens to them at all. It's just a deal. I just want to use you and the Reincarnation Bell to resurrect him." Yu Chu lowered her eyes, avoiding Zhao Zhao's gaze.
"You want to resurrect Chen Jin?" Zhao Zhao caught the "him" in Yu Chu's words. She was still a bit surprised in this critical moment.
Yu Chu didn't answer her. She returned to Chen Jin's body. The Reincarnation Bell was still shaking constantly. She was waiting for Chen Jin's soul to return.
Behind her, her parents gently stroked her head lovingly. They couldn't speak, but seemed to be comforting and loving their daughter with their actions.
Yu Chu smiled and unconsciously leaned back. Looking at the stars in the sky, she acted coquettishly like a child to her parents. "Mom and Dad, I'll come to accompany you after A Jin wakes up. I won't let you worry on the Naihe Bridge every day."
Zhao Zhao looked at Yu Chu and thought she was really strange.
She shouted at Yu Chu, "There's no such thing as a resurrection technique in this world. Even if his soul still exists, the laws of heaven and earth will never allow such a thing to happen. Yu Chu, stop. This is simply impossible."
Yu Chu seemed not to hear. She accelerated the rhythm of the Reincarnation Bell on her own.
The previously gentle sound suddenly became harsh. Unable to bear the torture, Zhao Zhao closed her eyes and bit her lips tightly.
Strange and unfamiliar memories flooded into her mind. Her head swelled, and she struggled painfully.
A gentle force gradually emerged from her chest. It resisted the painful sound of the bell on one hand and constantly comforted her on the other.
On the other side, Su Yuan, who was sitting cross - legged, spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. A moment later, he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and started to use his skills again.
Gu Qing guarded beside him. When he heard Nan Jia's voice asking, he only replied, "Hurry up and find someone. If it's any later, the boss might kill himself first."
Under such double stimulation, Zhao Zhao suddenly opened her eyes. Her pupils had changed.
One was dark green, and the other was blood - red.
At first glance, the blood - red eye was exactly the same as Su Yuan's when his karmic sins flared up!
"Sigh..." The rattan binding Zhao Zhao suddenly broke, and she landed gently, touching the ground with her toes.
Her dress fluttered. In the moonlight, she seemed like a noble goddess. Her calm eyes watched everything, as if overlooking all sentient beings, sighing softly.
"It's a pity. You're destined to be disappointed."
Yu Chu looked at Zhao Zhao in disbelief, her eyes wide open. "You... How could you..."
Zhao Zhao ignored her surprise. She raised her hand to cover the blood - red eye. A green light flashed in her dark - green pupil. The ghosts that were still celebrating just now instantly turned into ashes and dissipated between heaven and earth.
The rattan pointed directly at Yu Chu, and the bell landed in Zhao Zhao's hand. She looked at Yu Chu with interest. Just as she was about to take action, a voice suddenly came from behind her. "Zhao Zhao..."
Song Yao stood behind her, looking at her stiffly.