Fate Reignites: My Rampage in a World Where Time Stops-Chapter 280 - 271: The Truth Behind Deep Sleep (Combined - )_2

Salma's eyelids within the coffin trembled slightly, and then she slowly opened her eyes.

She met those colorful irises permanently etched in the deepest memories, and Beckland's aged body couldn't help but tremble. Trembling, he stood up and walked step by step to the front of the coffin.

Salma looked at him steadily, the aged face before her rapidly overlapped with a memory of a young and persistent face from a bygone age. Her lips curved into a hint of a smile as she spoke softly.

"It's been a long time, Beckland."

Tears slid ceaselessly down Beckland's deeply furrowed face.

"Salma, you shouldn't have awakened. I would have been content to watch over your slumber forever."

"At least then..." his lips trembled, "at least then..."

"Hold me tight, Beckland," Salma spoke softly, her body becoming much more ethereal than when she had just awoken, "My time is running out."

Beckland carefully embraced Salma, as if holding a fragile treasure, and gently helped her up.

"The Ancestor of the Moon Spirit... quite a formidable figure." Leaning against Beckland's chest, Salma murmured softly, "I never thought that after our failure, the Heavenly Dome Rank would turn out this way."

Beckland's face turned instantly pale, his eyes showing guilt, "I'm sorry, I..."

"There's no need for apologies, Beckland," Salma gently shook her head, "He did nothing wrong, no one did."

"We all just... wanted to survive."

Both fell silent, and Salma, lying in Beckland's arms, fell quiet for a while before suddenly speaking.

"Beckland."

"Do you think anyone will remember the Illusory Clan?"

"They will!" Beckland asserted firmly, "They definitely will!"

"Is that so?" Salma's body became more ethereal, a relieved smile appearing as she murmured softly.

"That's good."

She slowly closed her eyes, humming a soft melody.

Beckland too closed his eyes, listening to the notes resonating from the deepest recesses of his memory.

In this moment, he seemed to see a young girl from the Illusory Clan kneeling on the soft grass under the dense forest's canopy, with a young him lying on her laps, his eyes closed, listening to her hum.

He walked step by step toward that image buried deep in his memory, but the scene drifted further away as the notes scatter.

The humming gradually lowered until it was barely audible.

He slowly opened his eyes, finding no trace of Salma in his arms.

"Salma..." Beckland's voice carried endless desolation.

He plucked the most beautiful flower among the many in the crystal coffin and gently pinned it over his heart, then stood up, picked up the long sword planted in the ground, and walked towards the boundary of the plain.

"Wait for me, my dear Salma."

"Wait for me to kill the one who disturbed your beautiful dream, then we shall reunite."

-----------------

Qin Chuan's expression grew solemn.

On the Map locked by the Third Talent of the Sun Needle, he saw the point representing Lost People·Salma disappear, while the point for Dreamland Guardian·Beckland rapidly approached their location.

The Moon Spirit, carrying a long sword and seething with rage, was in an extremely furious state.

Yet at this moment, they still couldn't escape from this dreamland.

Because Salma, who was supposed to have been killed, had not died.

Her form now fully restored, she quietly watched the three before her and after a moment, spoke softly.

[Beckland is quite an obstinate fool.]

"How do we leave this place?" Qin Chuan asked in a deep tone.

[Leaving... huh...]

Salma smiled.

[Human Race, promise me one thing, and I will tell you the answer.]

"What is it?" Qin Chuan sensed Beckland had already closed a third of the distance, his brow slightly furrowed.

[Please promise me, with the same strength you used to kill me, end him.]

Salma's eyes carried warmth.

[Grant him relief, but please ensure he does not suffer.]

"I promise you," Qin Chuan answered without hesitation.

[Crush the Dream Crystal.]

"Crack—"

Qin Chuan decisively crushed the Dream Crystal. The massive amount of colorful light points previously absorbed instantly flew out, forming armored figures behind Salma.

They were the Illusory Guards and Illusory Generals he had previously slain.

Now, these figures, almost simultaneously, removed their helmets, revealing diverse faces and the vertical pupils on their foreheads.

They belonged to the same clan as Salma before them.

[Farewell.]

Salma spoke softly, then walked toward an open portal.

The portal, entirely black, emanated an air of death and desolation, filling Qin Chuan and his companions with an indescribable sadness and loneliness.

As Salma and her clan entered the portal, the dreamland shattered thunderously.

[Congratulations, player for meeting the advanced clearance requirement: bidding farewell to the last survivor of the lost phantom clan in Dreamland, dungeon clearance rating increased to: S]

The Phantom Clan, huh…

As the scenery around rapidly shifted to the real instance scene, Qin Chuan finally learned the name of Salma's clan.

But… it seemed irrelevant now.

As they stepped into the heart-throbbing portal, he had a clear feeling.

He would never see a Phantom again.

Taking a deep breath, Qin Chuan watched Beckland, carrying a long sword, approach step by step.

There was no need for the opponent at the Legend Rank to waste "Time Stop"; Spirit Descent would have sufficed.

But…

Qin Chuan stopped Lin Yue, who was preparing to make a move, and stood up to walk towards Beckland.

"I promised Salma."

The shape of an ice cream vanished in a flash, and an icicle rose up beside him, Qin Chuan lifted his hand to insert it into the icicle and drew out Frost Blade amidst the brittle cold ice, holding it high above his head.

"To relieve you from pain."

[00:00:06]

Time Stop, 1 second.

Beckland's body fell with a boom, one hand gently covering the still-intact flower on his chest, dissipating into light particles that vanished into the air, leaving behind only a lingering sigh.

[Salma, I am coming.]

[Congratulations, player for meeting the advanced clearance requirement: killing the Dreamland Guardian·Beckland, dungeon clearance rating increased to: SS]

"Over there," Qin Chuan silently paused for a moment, then looked up towards where Beckland and Salma had initially been, which was also the central area of the instance map.

If he wasn't mistaken, the last advanced clearance requirement was there.

After walking for a while, text appeared before Qin Chuan's eyes.

[Instance clue found]

He quickened his steps, soon spotting the previously glimpsed Crystal Coffin where Salma lay in a deep sleep.

The flowers inside the coffin, fresh as if just picked before, were now all withered and desolate not far from the coffin; Qin Chuan saw the giant stone where Beckland was seated.

Beside the giant stone, there was a stone tablet.

[Congratulations, player for obtaining the instance clue: Beckland's Manuscript]

He raised his hand to gently touch the densely packed text on the stone tablet, and lines of text then transformed into a language he could understand.

[The Ancestor said, we have not won, but we are not losers either.]

[While all my people are cheering for the rebirth of our clan, I am alone, guarding the sleeping Salma, plunged into endless regret.]

[Every clan on the Heavenly Dome Rank knows not to trust any other clan, but I fell in love with a Phantom.]

[But I regret nothing, I only hate that the lifespan of the First Realm in the Mythical Rank is barely a thousand years, which stops me from staying by her side forever.]

[…]

[I succeeded! Using the life secret technique of the Moon Spirit Clan, I created another me, a young body without consciousness, which will be my next destination after my life ends.]

[This is a forbidden secret technique of the clan, but I care no more, it makes me happy to continue protecting my beloved Salma.]

[…]

[This is my fourth use of the secret technique, with each use, my aging accelerates, I feel my thoughts getting heavier and duller, I seem to forget a lot of things.]

[Fortunately, I haven't forgotten every second I have spent with Salma.]

[…]

[This is the eleventh use of the secret technique, I forget more and more, luckily the stone tablet is here, reminding me of my mission and sense of existence.]

[…]

[22nd time.]

[…]

[35]

The records became shorter until only a number remained at the end.

Qin Chuan's fingers slid from the first section of the stone tablet's text, centuries flickered by in an instant.

[Congratulations, player for meeting the advanced clearance requirement: witnessing Beckland's past, dungeon clearance rating increased to: SSS]