"In short, the contents of a Soul Crystal aren't nearly as convenient as you imagine," Alreis told Wude, sharing all she knew.

Simply put: while a Soul Crystal theoretically holds resurrection potential, the required conditions are brutally demanding.

First, the sheer volume of life force needed is terrifying. In ancient times, Necromancy practitioners gathered it by slaughtering countless living beings—ultimately fulfilling the requirement. That cruelty became one key reason necromancers vanished.

But the deeper issue? Whether the resurrected person is truly *the same* person. There were records… or rather, things Alreis had glimpsed within the River of Time. She chose to withhold them. She didn’t tell Wude.

Alreis herself didn’t know why she concealed it. To her, it was trivial. Telling him might spare him false hope—and save her from trailing him on wild goose chases later. Yet somehow… the words just wouldn’t come.

In stark contrast, Wude seemed genuinely cheerful. Ever since returning to the shop, he’d been beaming. Even after hearing how harsh the conditions were, his spirits remained unshaken.

Hope alone was enough. And now—technically—he had an Ascendant Sovereign under his control. True, he only dared let her use Seventh Rank power… but that was still plenty.

Wude began calculating how to pull off a brilliant move to reach Lingyue’s resurrection. Honestly? He felt a little inflated. He *was* a transmigrator, after all—and now he’d even tamed a loli Ascendant Sovereign. Wasn’t this exactly how a protagonist’s story should unfold? He never doubted he could bring Lingyue back.

Still, Wude knew his own truth: after all this time, he’d only reached Third Rank. Among fellow transmigrators? Pretty shameful. Others leveled up multiple ranks in a day, defied the heavens within a year. His path felt rough. He wasn’t like tragic heroes whose strength stayed stagnant (that was usually setup for a cheat ability later). His *did* grow—just painfully slow.

Honestly? Third Rank was average here. Many villagers lived their whole lives at this level. Nothing to mourn.

But for resurrecting Lingyue? It wasn’t enough. If he reached Fifth or Sixth Rank, the Slave Contract might force Alreis to wield Ninth Rank power without breaking free. Then, aside from Ascendant Sovereigns, he’d walk unchallenged.

"Alreis," Wude asked, "if you're limited to Sixth Rank power, what’s the highest rank you could handle?"

"At most… Seventh Rank," she replied. "And even then, victory isn’t guaranteed. You know—Seventh Rank is the boundary between human and… beyond."

"Earlier you mentioned resurrecting Lingyue requires massive life force. How much *exactly*?" Wude’s excitement had cooled; he was thinking clearly now.

"Past necromancers used slaughter. Required life force varies by rank. Resurrecting an Ascendant Sovereign? I’ve never even heard of it…" Her tone carried quiet warning.

"No matter what, I’ll give it my all," Wude declared, resolve firm.

"One necromancer slaughtered ten thousand souls just to revive a Ninth Rank being…" Alreis stated the number flatly. "Think carefully what resurrecting an Ascendant Sovereign would demand."

"…" Wude fell silent. The number crushed his spirit. He realized—even killing *one* innocent for Lingyue’s sake was unthinkable. Why should innocent lives die for his selfish desire? He could never accept that.

"Can’t accept it?" Alreis tilted her head, gazing calmly at him—undeniably cute.

"If resurrecting Lingyue means killing… I can’t accept it. And Lingyue… she wouldn’t either," Wude said, bitterness in his voice.

"Oh?" Her eyes narrowed slightly. "So you refuse to harm living beings?"

"At the very least… I cannot," Wude met her gaze firmly.

"The Ascendant Sovereigns invaded this continent to grow stronger. Even I harmed its people… And you’re not even from this world. Why show compassion here?" A faint Hexagram glowed deep in Alreis’s eyes, as if piercing straight to his soul.

"Being an outsider doesn’t give me the right to hurt others wantonly. Lingyue once said—she could’ve boosted my power through blood sacrifice. But I couldn’t do it. Every life has its own meaning to exist." Wude held her profound gaze without flinching.

"How naive…" Alreis chuckled softly. "But… not bad. I don’t dislike naive people like you."

"Then the difficulty of resurrecting Lingyue just jumped more than one level…" she added, voice tinged with weariness.

Wude’s sorrow flipped to joy. He grabbed her shoulders. "You mean… there’s *another* way?!"

"Ugh~ Stop shaking me! I’m getting dizzy!" Alreis whined, eyes swirling from the jostling. "The only option left… is probably finding that reckless Blessing of Life…"

"Blessing of Life?" Wude’s expression twisted. "Didn’t you say you killed her?"

"Logically, yes. Anyone else hit by that attack would’ve been finished. But *she’s* different—her Life Magic grants insane vitality. Likely still alive. Otherwise, why hasn’t your nation’s faith collapsed? A mere Ninth Rank ‘Saint’ couldn’t sustain it."

"Finding her… means hope for Lingyue?" Wude asked skeptically. Resurrecting a Ninth Rank needed ten thousand lives—how many for an Ascendant Sovereign? Unthinkable.

"Do you grasp how terrifying an Ascendant Sovereign wielding Life Magic truly is? In all my endless years, I’ve seen only *one*. Her life force? Equivalent to *millions* of ordinary humans…"

"What?!" The number hit Wude like ice water. He’d known Ascendant Sovereigns were strong—but Lingyue never showed her full power. This… this was monstrous.

"So… if the Blessing of Life helps… there’s still hope?" A flicker of joy crossed his face. After today’s shocks, he was growing numb to surprises.

"Don’t get ahead of yourself," Alreis cut in. "Even if she’s alive… why would she help *you* resurrect Lingyue?"

"??” Wude frowned. "Weren’t they all united against you back then?"

"They fought me together—but if they’d truly been united, Lingyue wouldn’t have died. During the final strike, the other Ascendant Sovereigns enveloped *both* of us. I never expected… Lingyue would teleport me here at the last second."

"…So that’s how it happened." Wude finally understood. He’d avoided facing her death before. Now he recalled her parting words, smiling brightly:

"With so many of us ganging up on one person—how could we fail? Maybe I’ll bring back an Ascendant Sovereign as your slave!"

He got the slave. But lost Lingyue.

Wude glanced at the stoic Alreis beside him… and unconsciously reached out to pat her head.

"Wh-What are you *doing*?!!!" Alreis flared up instantly.