Mo Lan was startled upon seeing Tang Wulin. Tang Wulin who was standing before her had changed drastically as compared to a few days ago.

If Tang Wulin was described as handsome and graceful on the day of his marriage proposal, he now looked battered out of his senses.

She met Tang Wulin in his residence.

His beard was untrimmed and he had a blank stare.

She had never seen him in such a state before. Even when Shrek Academy was destroyed in the past, Tang Wulin’s eyes were still filled with determination. He had always been strong and resolute. His courage mounted as the battle progressed. He was always capable of turning the tide regardless of his opponents and bravely led his comrades to victory.

When he was confronted by a powerful opponent such as the abyssal Sage King, despite being the underdog, he would exhaust all his abilities without any intention of cowering. He persisted until the end where he destroyed and devoured the abyssal plane following Tang San’s ten thousand year plan.

Tang Wulin was a hero who possessed all the outstanding qualities of a human in Mo Lan’s perception. He stood at the pinnacle of mankind’s world. It would not be an exaggeration to describe Tang Wulin as god.

However, the person standing before her now was not the Tang Wulin who had embraced hardships in the past but a demoralized man who appeared to have lost his soul. What happened to his power?

Mo Lan could not help feeling grievous upon seeing him in his current state and thought about her past. Her family members had died in succession caused by the acts of the Holy Spirit Cult. During that period, she recalled being in a worse state than Tang Wulin now. She felt empathy for him.

She did not make any comments as she walked forward and wrapped her arms around Tang Wulin’s head. She did not console nor blame him, but hugged his head silently allowing him to lean on her as if she was trying to warm his heart with her body heat.

Tang Wulin had a bitter expression on his face. He muttered, “Sister Mo Lan, do you know that in our discussion we agreed that the only way to neutralize the threat this time is to remove the powerhouses from being controlled? In order to do this, there’s only one way…”

At this point, his body began to tremble ever so slightly. He was losing control of his emotions. “We must kill Gu Yue. This is the only way to awaken those people. It’s also the only way to fight against the soul beasts.”

Mo Lan’s body shook once. She just realized why Tang Wulin was in such devastated form.

Tang Wulin said with a forced smile, “Is this how the god of destiny makes fools of the people? Actually, I would rather be a commoner given the choice. This is the first time in my life that I’ve ever had this thought of not wanting to be a soul master. If I’m just an ordinary person, I can marry a wife who bears me children and lead a happy life. I can be with the person I love. I just want to live a simple life every day. Even if there’s a disaster, I’m willing to die with her. At least, I don’t have to be in this situation where I’m so tormented.”

The Dragon Emperor Douluo seemed lifeless in the meantime.

Mo Lan did not speak but listened to his rant quietly.

“I’m the son of the God King. I’ve the Golden Dragon King’s bloodline and I’m even a part of the Dragon God. I’m the Sea God’s Pavilion Master of Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect’s Sect Master. My statuses make me unique and special. I’ve gradually worked my way to the peak of this world. Just when I thought there was nothing that could stop us from being together, the god of destiny presented this to me.”

“Actually, I’ve figured out Gu Yue’s identity long ago although I’ve been silent about it. I can feel that her love for me is genuine. When we were fighting against the abyssal Sage King together, albeit the abyssal Sage King was so powerful, do you know that my heart was filled with joy at the time? Moreover, I felt that we would surely win since our hearts were connected. Together, we were fighting against a formidable enemy.”

“As expected, we won in the end. Everything was going smoothly and appeared perfect. However, there’s no such thing in this world. Why do I feel the lack of this most important link in me? I just want to be with her! Yet, I can’t take her and elope even if I wanted to. Just like how I’m bearing heavy responsibilities, so is she. We love each other deeply, yet we’re helpless.”

Mo Lan tightened her hug on Tang Wulin. Her eyes were reddening gradually. Yes! This brother of hers suffered no less pain than she did.

After much ranting, Tang Wulin seemed more comfortable now. He struggled to free himself from Mo Lan’s arms. He sat upright and looked to the Douluo Continent’s top administrator sitting before him.

“Sister, can you please tell me what I should do?” asked Tang Wulin in bitterness.

Mo Lan looked at him with tears glistening in her eyes.

“Wulin, it doesn’t mean that being ordinary is great for sure. Have you been to the hospital before? There are countless people suffering from various illnesses. A large number are dead, separated from their loved ones. Everyone has their own painful experience in this world. Someone once said that humans are not born to enjoy but to suffer. We suffer at different times and in different situations. On the other hand, the biggest joy in life is to be safe and live peacefully. It is to live a dull, monotonous life.”

“It’s apparent that that’s not for us. We’ve extraordinary talents, and we’ve lived through happier times in the past. Besides, we’ve something different from the others. It’s a responsibility. The responsibility causes us pain. However, can we escape it?”

At this point, Mo Lan’s gaze was glistening. “We can’t run away from it. Everyone is attempting to run away from it, and some have succeeded. Nevertheless, even if we manage to avoid it, thousands and millions of people can’t. They’ll have to endure the agony. Back in those years when all my family members were killed, I wanted to end my life to join them. That way, I didn’t need to endure the piercing pain every night when it was quiet, and everybody else was asleep.”

“I’ve always thought that courage is the rarest virtue of mankind. It’s also the hardest to attain. The courage of confronting an enemy is only one part of it, while the courage to confront oneself is the true courage. Actually, you’re already doing very well. Even if you choose to run now, no one can blame you. It’s because you’ve already done too much for this world.”

“Today, I’m not here to persuade you to confront the situation with courage, but I’m here to take over your place. I’ll always support your choice regardless. You’ve already done way too much. I’ll face whatever comes next, be it a success or a failure, no matter what the future holds.”

Upon saying that, Mo Lan stood up abruptly and raised her hand to caress Tang Wulin’s hair. The glistening tears in her eyes were gone and in its place was a loving gaze. “If my son were still alive, perhaps he might have grown to about your height now.”

Her gaze turned unusually determined upon saying that. There was no pain nor sorrow. She turned around and walked to the outside.

She did not possess any powerful abilities. In fact, she did not even have the slightest ounce of soul power. She was but an ordinary person. However, she appeared resolute and strong in Tang Wulin’s attentive gaze. It felt as if every step she took could shake the world.

Mo Lan had lived despite the extreme agony in the past not because of how strong she was, but because there was a strong belief in herself.