Help! The Villainess Trapped in the Beast World's Drama!-Chapter 579 - 538: Pandora’s Magic Box
The day Shen Tang was kidnapped.
Jia Lan ventured to the Forgotten Sea alone, with the sole intent of rescuing her.
After countless battles, the wounds on his body multiplied, his clothes became tattered and soaked in blood.
The surrounding sea area was stained a murky dark red, with severed limbs and clots of blood floating in the water, and the air was thick with the scent of blood.
Yet, this once fastidious Mermaid Prince seemed entirely oblivious.
His azure eyes were dim and frenzied, as if he’d lost all hope, leaving only endless slaughter. He delved deeper, slaughtering the mutant species blocking his way with numb, mechanical indifference, as if it were ingrained in his very being.
In his heart, there was but a single thought—to find Tangtang and bring her safely home.
Jia Lan battled on, dazed and disoriented, for who knows how long, his body riddled with scars, seemingly indifferent to the pain, sustained only by the conviction in his heart.
Until several dangerous auras suddenly emerged—it was those cloaked Deputies in black.
These Deputies who ambushed him all possessed the formidable power of the Tenth Rank, leaving Jia Lan, a mere Ninth Rank Beastman, no match for them. Despite fighting with all his might, he ultimately fell in a pool of blood, barely clinging to life.
There was hardly a place on his body that was intact, blood streaming down, with deep, bone-revealing wounds covering his tail.
Yet the physical agony was far outweighed by the torment within.
It was all his fault, for being too weak.
Why was he so weak? If only he could be stronger.
I’m sorry, Tangtang, it’s all my fault.
He failed to protect her, failed to bring her back...
Shen Tang, through her spiritual power, witnessed the scene before Jia Lan’s death and could even feel his pain at that moment.
Even though what she felt was less than one percent of the actual pain, it still left her breathless with agony, her heart pricked like a thousand needles, tears brimming in her eyes, making it hard to breathe.
Just before his death, Jia Lan slipped into unconsciousness.
His spirit body descended into his Spiritual Consciousness Sea.
At that time, his Spiritual Consciousness Sea was also on the verge of collapse, the entire space plunged into chaos, splitting into two distinct poles of light and dark.
Half light, half darkness.
The light was being devoured by the darkness.
Jia Lan stood on that shrinking domain of light, his back no longer straight, kneeling as the darkness bit by bit consumed him.
In the darkness stood another identical figure.
He gazed arrogantly at the defeated Jia Lan, a sneer tugging at his lips, "If you don’t want to die, open that damned box and hand your body over to me."
"Don’t even think about it!" Jia Lan glared at the young man a short distance away, his beautiful eyes flushed with anger, uttering a low growl of rage.
This voice always lingered at his ear, disrupting his mind. Lately, he’d been tormented almost to the verge of collapse!
But he had promised Shen Tang that he would never open that box and release the other persona!
Jia Lan, summoning the last of his strength, hurled a blade of spiritual power towards his adversary.
Yet, before the spiritual power could even reach the young man, Liu Ye merely lifted a hand, effortlessly dispersing the blade like the wind.
"You’re no match for me," the young man said arrogantly. "A mere secondary persona attempting to defy me; how laughable."
Upon hearing this, Jia Lan’s body went rigid, his beautiful, fair face growing even paler, as if he’d come to a dreadful realization.
"No... it’s impossible..."
He couldn’t believe it!
The young man watched his pained expression with amusement, as if observing something entertaining.
Liu Ye, surrounded by a swirling miasma, sauntered over to Jia Lan, placing his slender, cold fingertips on the blood-soaked wound on his chest, listening as Jia Lan groaned in suppressed pain, "Look at you, so heavily injured, how pitiful."
"You’ve wrecked my body like this, I’m heartbroken too."
Jia Lan, veins bulging on his arms, cold sweat pouring down, "Ugh! Stop..."
Liu Ye seemed oblivious to Jia Lan’s trembling, repressed body, each word enhancing the pressure on the wound, meticulously grinding it into ever more blood-soaked agony, speaking with calculated leisure, "If you know pain, you’d best wise up. Your strength is pitiful—worthless trash... But as the pollution spreads, my strength will only grow."
"You should have vanished long ago."
"It’s your time to return this body to me."
Jia Lan attempted to resist, yet his power was insignificant before the young man.
Liu Ye’s gaze grew icy, and he immediately grabbed Jia Lan by the hair, slamming him down with force, pinning him there, immobile.
His crimson-purple demonic eyes, cold as ice, "You’re too weak. Give me the body, and I’ll avenge you and rescue that female!"
His words were not a negotiation but a hard demand, a merciless statement of fact!
Recalling Shen Tang’s abduction, Jia Lan’s body seemed to suddenly lose strength, the will to fight gone.
He choked, tears spilling as he whispered, pained, "Tangtang, I’m sorry..."
Seeing him so despairingly pathetic, the young man felt an inexplicable irritation.
At the same time, noting the rapid decay of the spiritual space, he knew this body could no longer hold out.
His deep voice carried a hint of urgency and prodded, "Face reality and give me the body now, or you will certainly die, and so will that female! You surely don’t want her to perish because of your weakness and incompetence?"
Jia Lan wiped the tears from his face, closing and opening his eyes again. His once stunning azure eyes now dull, seemingly with a resolution, he spoke softly, "Fine, I agree to give you this body. I want you to save her! And there’s one more thing I must ask."
"Escort her safely back to land, and you can never harm her!"
The young man, frowning impatiently, replied offhandedly, "Fine."
Jia Lan, however, did not trust mere words, "Our transaction must be witnessed by a Soul Contract—you must never violate it! Otherwise, even if I turn to dust, I will drag you down with me!"
Though his breath was faint and his complexion pale, lips drained of color, his demeanor brooked no argument, uncompromising!
The young man across from him turned ashen, fear creeping in.
Though they were two personas, belonging to the same body, once the Soul Contract was made, this ’waste’ could truly drag him to ruin!
Liu Ye could not afford to let anyone hold such leverage over him, but with no other choice now, he had to agree, "Fine, I agree to the Soul Contract. Now, give me the body!"
To escort a female, no big deal. He could agree.
Relief blossomed on Jia Lan’s pale face, a serene smile.
At last, he could leave without worry.
After the Soul Contract was signed, Jia Lan’s form started to fade. Darkness devoured the remaining light, his figure nearly vanishing into the void.
He knew well, handing over the body meant permanent disappearance.
Regrets?
Of course, there were.
Many, many.
But what he couldn’t let go of the most was her.
The promises made in the midnight dreams, the future they envisioned, would never come to fruition.
"One last request," Jia Lan, near invisible now, whispered, voice like a breeze dispelling morning mist.
Liu Ye heard it clearly, looking mercifully and patronizingly at him, awaiting his words.
"Don’t let her know that I’m gone."
"..."
"Tangtang is my dear partner, the best Female Master in the world... Sometimes she’s incredibly brave, sometimes timid, a person of deep emotions and loyalty... If she knew I’d vanished forever, she’d be heartbroken." Jia Lan whispered, "I never want to see her cry..."
Here, his voice faltered, as if he let out a self-mocking laugh.
Though he also would never see it, he hoped she’d always be happy.
Liu Ye furrowed his brows, unable to comprehend the young man’s words, though a ripple of emotion flickered in his eyes, he nodded lightly, "Alright, I promise you." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎
"I will masquerade as you. Hopefully, she isn’t too perceptive."
The story ends here.
In the end, just before losing consciousness, Jia Lan willingly opened the Infinite Box—his Pandora’s Box.
