In the High Heavens, Xiang Yu stood in front of the gate of the palace where Tian usually resided and tilted his head. Was he not in? Usually, whenever somebody approached, Tian would step out so the person inside wouldn’t be disturbed. But this time, he had stood here for a few moments already but nothing happened. That was so odd!

Before Xiang Yu could ponder any longer, a familiar voice sounded from behind. “Xiang Yu.”

He turned around and blinked his eyes in surprise. “What are you doing there?”

Tian didn’t respond and simply stepped closer, stopping in front of Xiang Yu. “What did you come here for?” He could imagine what it was but he wanted to hear it from Xiang Yu first.

“Oh.” Xiang Yu felt a bit puzzled. Tian usually didn’t leave Xing’s side but now, he had appeared from the other direction. This wasn’t quite the usual. Still, he had important questions to ask so he didn’t think about it further. “Well, some things happened and I didn’t know what to do about them so I was hoping you could help.”

Tian nodded. “Go ahead then. I’ll try to help.”

Xiang Yu nodded and then pondered which question to ask first. He wasn’t really sure what Jin Ling’s matter was about. If it was something difficult to solve, maybe it wouldn’t be good to lead with that but then, it might also just be a small issue so it would be good to get it out of the way.

Tian didn’t say anything and simply waited for Xiang Yu to make up his mind. Anyway, he wasn’t in a hurry. It was alright to let him take his time.

Finally, Xiang Yu sighed. He couldn’t decide what was better but Jin Ling was already dead so even if that couldn’t be solved after he asked, it wouldn’t matter much. He could shelve it again and deal with the rest first. “Well, you should know that the demon king died, right?”

Tian inclined his head. “In a battle on the dragon realm while trying to protect his father.”

Xiang Yu nodded happily. Talking to Tian was so simple. Usually, as long as you said a little, he would be able to understand everything. “Well, I checked how his soul was because Jinde was really sad about his passing. It was odd though. It looked like a completely new soul and not like one waiting to go through reincarnation. What is going on with that?” He looked at Tian puzzled.

The supreme ruler didn’t seem to care much. “That is a side effect of the weapon he was killed with. Don’t worry about it. He’ll be reincarnated just like anyone else. He simply won’t have a connection to his previous life left.”

Xiang Yu blinked his eyes. That … was that good? He thought of Jinde who was clearly deeply saddened by Jin Ling’s loss. If he could have found him again in a future life, he probably would have been happy. But now, it seemed like that would be impossible? “So, he … he won’t be able to remember? Unlike Leng Jin Yu?” The fact that Chun Yin had been reincarnated and then managed to regain his memories was clearly something he and Jinde were happy about. Wouldn’t it have been nice if the same was possible with Jin Ling?

Tian gave a hum. “No, he won’t. He’ll start with a clean slate. He might also be reborn in one of the other immortal races or maybe he’ll even be human. Just as you said, his soul can be considered a newly formed one now.”

Xiang Yu stared at Tian blankly. He had hoped that there wouldn’t be too much to it but … he also hadn’t thought it would be like this. In fact, he wasn’t sure what he had expected but he definitely would have wanted everyone to be happy in the end. Now … he wasn’t sure if that would happen. Not being a demon would be good for Jin Ling but not being able to remember … if he knew, he would be sad and so would Jinde. That didn’t seem right.

He lowered his head, pondering this issue for a while. Finally, he looked back up with some hope in his eyes. “That … Is there nothing that can be done about that?”

Unfortunately, Tian immediately shook his head. “The link to his past life was erased the moment he died and his soul left his body to enter the cycle of reincarnation. Not even I can change that.”

“Oh.” Xiang Yu hung his head again and pursed his lips. This probably wasn’t something he could tell Jinde to make him cheer up. If he heard, he would likely be even sadder.

Tian kept quiet for a moment but finally sighed. “Sometimes, forgetting is for the best. He lived that life and he should have been happy at the end because he managed to fulfill one of his deepest wishes. To be reborn but saddled with the memories of his past life might not have been good. After all, they were not all good and some things will be easier if you aren’t weighed down by the past. Don’t you think so?”

Xiang Yu tilted his head. Thinking of his own past, he might actually have to agree. If he could forget all about Yan Xia, he would definitely jump at the chance. It was just … “He forgot all the good things as well though.”

“That is the law of balance: Some price needs to be paid for what you gain. You can’t have all the benefits without any drawbacks. It simply doesn’t work like that.”

Xiang Yu finally nodded. He wasn’t sure yet what he thought of this or what he should do with this knowledge but at the very least, he knew what had happened and what would come of Jin Ling’s soul. That was a step in the right direction. As for how to proceed, he could ask Xin Lan when he went back. Now though … “Well, there is one more thing I have to ask. It’s also really important.”