He looked at the Snow Queen, meeting her sapphire-blue eyes, and asked tentatively, "Do you remember who won the final battle between you and the Underworld King?"
"It was a draw. We are always at a stalemate," the Snow Queen answered without a second thought.
"Oh~"
Perhaps feeling a bit uncomfortable under Ren's scrutiny, she frowned. "Is your memory different from mine? In your memory, which of us emerged victorious?"
Hearing her response, Ren was now certain: the Snow Queen had no memory of what happened after Gui Gu made his move.
"I see... no wonder you two beat each other to a pulp every single time," Ren muttered under his breath.
Sharply catching his whisper, the Snow Queen was perplexed. "Why do you say that? Is there something wrong with my memory?"
However, Ren had no intention of explaining. He knew that even if he did, her stubborn personality would prevent her from believing him. He waved a hand dismissively. "Your memory is fine. You and Ming Wang did indeed fight to a draw. As for the rest, it's nothing important—it doesn't concern us anymore."
With that, Ren prepared to leave. But just as he turned, the Snow Queen erupted with Energy, pinning him to the spot.
Currently, their Energy levels differed by more than half. If she truly intended to restrain him, he had no way to resist.
Smack!
Pressed to the ground by a terrifying force, Ren struggled to lift his head to argue. But as he looked up, he was met with a magnificent view. Don't misunderstand—it was just a pair of impossibly white, long legs.
Ren immediately lowered his head again. "Let me go! Or I'm defecting to the Underworld!"
Sensing where his gaze had been, a flash of embarrassment crossed the Snow Queen's sapphire eyes. She hadn't expected him to be able to lift his head under that pressure.
I remember at the end of the last cycle, his Energy was only 4.0 Black Holes. By logic, he shouldn't have the strength to resist—unless he grew even stronger in that short interval between cycles.
Thinking of this possibility, the Snow Queen was even less willing to let Ren return to Ming Wang's side.
"I can release you, but you must promise not to join Ming Wang's Wolf Tribe," she said.
"Fine, fine! I wasn't planning on joining their fight anyway!"
The moment he said it, the pressure vanished. When Ren stood up, he realized he was no longer on the mountain peak but inside a magnificent palace.
"Where is this?"
"My palace."
"Wait, why? This is illegal detention!"
"No," the Snow Queen smiled. "I simply do not wish to see you stray into a 'wrong path.'"
Ren scoffed at her logic, muttering, "Always talking about love, but it's still the law of the jungle. If I were the stronger one today, could you still keep me here? Hmph!"
The Snow Queen's body stiffened. After a long silence, she sighed. "Fine, you may go. But please, do not join the Underworld. We are both from the Seventh Parallel Universe; we should love one another, not kill one another."
Ren curled his lip, gave a mock bow, and vanished in a streak of light.
Looking at the empty space behind her, the Snow Queen sighed. "Something definitely happened after our battle ended. But since our power wasn't enough, we lost those final memories. How does Ren remember them so clearly?"
She couldn't understand. She was far stronger than Ren, yet her memory was incomplete while his was vivid. For some reason, he just wouldn't tell her the truth.
After leaving the Snow Queen, Ren wandered through the Seventh Parallel Universe. Last time, he had been pulled back by Lion King before he could explore much.
He arrived at a village in the west. Unlike the Snow Queen's palace, the people here wore simple hemp clothes and toiled in the fields with hoes. Young children ran around with small windmills, their laughter echoing in the air.
The villagers mostly ignored him, focused on their work. A few children tried to approach, but their parents quickly pulled them back, casting wary glances at Ren before hurrying inside. Ren felt a bit helpless. After circling the village once, he left and caught some wild game. Soon, the scent of roasting meat wafted through the forest.
Just as he finished his meal and was preparing to leave, he ran into an unexpected person.
"Hu Linfei? What are you doing here?"
Ren looked at the red-armored teen with a face full of question marks.
"Ren! We meet again!" Hu Linfei waved with a grin. "I smelled the roasting meat and figured it was you out here camping!"
Ren decided not to rush off. He looked at Hu Linfei and asked, "Do you still have your memories from the last cycle?"
Hu Linfei nodded. "Yeah, I remember everything. But Long Jian and the others seem to have forgotten. Oh, and Lion King kept his memories too! This time, he managed to save Tian Yu's mother, so his heart is at peace."
"That's great news!" Ren smiled. Lion King had spent his whole life haunted by that regret. Knowing that he had changed history in this new cycle warmed Ren's heart.
Determined to see his old friend, Ren decided to head to the Fifth Parallel Universe with Hu Linfei. After all, when he was at his lowest, Lion King was the one who fed him and taught him how to cultivate.
With a flash of light, they crossed over. In the Underworld, Long Jian had just left the palace to investigate the history of the Dragon Tribe in the Second Universe. Surprisingly, Ren encountered the wise elder Xuan Yizi here. The giant green turtle smiled and nodded to them before heading off to speak with the Snow Queen. Ren was confused—this was the first time they had met, yet the elder acted as if they were old acquaintances.
"Ren! You're finally here!" Lion King approached with a warm smile, clapping Ren on the shoulder. "I knew you'd retain your memories!"
Ren rubbed his shoulder, grinning. "Easy there, Lion King! I'm not even armored right now!"
Ren eventually went to see Ming Wang. The King's attitude was still distant, but the usual coldness in his eyes was gone. With both his wife and daughter by his side, his state of mind had shifted.
"Ming Wang, what are your plans now?"
Ming Wang opened his eyes and allowed a rare, faint smile to appear. "I will not enter the Xuanming Coffin. And I believe the Snow Queen will not seek a final battle with me at this time."