Chapter 1032: Chapter 70: Old Friends, the Sea of Reincarnation

Yi Wushuang was both shocked and delighted: “Brother Sui Feng! You really… you really became immortal?! This look, this celestial light, it’s absolutely incredible!”

And those “Cannon Fodder Group” members who were retrieved were even more joyfully surprised. They had died quite unjustly back then, caught in a disaster beyond their control, and thought they would be completely annihilated. Unexpectedly, Xiao Jie remembered them and pulled them out of the sea of suffering, which was a complete surprise.

“Vice President! Did you come specifically to get us?”

“Oh my! Feng! That’s so considerate! Incredible!”

The hall was instantly filled with cheers and excitement from having survived a disaster.

But some looked bewildered, like Ba Tian Kuanglong, Listen to Dragon Roar, and other players who had died earlier in the battle. They were completely clueless about the current situation.

“What’s going on? Brother Sui Feng? Where… where exactly is this? Weren’t we already…” Ba Tian Kuanglong looked around confusedly, staring at his own phantom-like hands.

Xiao Jie had no time to explain to everyone individually. He urgently searched through the crowd and finally focused on one figure—Han Luo! Though they were all friends, Han Luo was his old friend of many years and deep affection. Back then, when they first entered the game, Han Luo died protecting him, leaving Xiao Jie with deep guilt.

If Han Luo hadn’t died back then, it might have been him instead.

“Han Luo!” Xiao Jie approached quickly, “Do you remember me?”

The soul raised its head, a look of confusion and unfamiliarity on its face: “You are…?”

“I’m Xiao Jie!”

“Xiao Jie… Xiao Jie…” Han Luo murmured, trying hard to remember, his brows furrowed. Suddenly, a flash of spiritual light appeared, “President?! Are you the president?!”

“That’s right! It’s me!” Xiao Jie felt slightly relieved. Luckily, Han Luo hadn’t completely forgotten him.

“President… we… weren’t we raiding a team instance? How… are we here? It’s so cold here…” Han Luo’s memory was evidently significantly lacking, with no recollection of his post-death experiences.

“As long as you remember me, that’s good! Don’t worry, I’ll explain everything to you later,” Xiao Jie assured him.

“Hahaha! Little brother! You’ve really made something of yourself!” At this moment, a delicate-looking youth of about fifteen or sixteen floated forward, greeted Xiao Jie with a smile, though his tone was affectedly mature.

Xiao Jie was initially puzzled, but when he saw the name faintly visible above the youth’s head, he suddenly understood: “Big brother? How come you’re…” This soul was Yuan Bai! Only now, he was no longer in the form of an old monkey, but a human boy.

“I don’t know why,” Yuan Bai scratched his head, also somewhat confused, “After dying and waking up, I became like this. It feels… much more relaxed and carefree.”

Xiao Jie pondered, having some guesses. Yuan Bai’s previous appearance was due to his self-perception affecting his external form, and it seemed this change even impacted his soul.

His real age wasn’t that old; the old form was due to his prolonged stay in the Wangliu River. Now, having shed his obsessions and external influences, his soul body naturally returned to its original youthful form. So were these ghosts’ appearances determined by their self-consciousness?

Meanwhile, I Want to Be Immortal also found his brother Feng Tian’s soul, patiently gesturing and explaining the situation. Ye Luo was similarly pulling her good friend Ting Yu’s soul body, talking excitedly. However, like Han Luo, these two experienced significant memory loss, requiring patient guidance.

Looking at the scene before him, with one after another of his deceased old friends reappearing, Xiao Jie couldn’t help but feel a long sigh in his heart—it’s not easy.

After much uproar and greetings, the crowd finally roughly understood their current situation and Xiao Jie’s intentions.

Xiao Jie walked to the front of the hall and said loudly, “Friends and comrades, I believe most of you understand the situation by now, but some may still have doubts, so I’ll explain it collectively.”

“Some of you died unfortunately in that great battle against the Red Dust Taoist, and others due to different reasons in the game. Because you died in this special world, your souls did not dissipate but drifted to this Netherworld’s Nether River to suffer.

Today, I have become immortal and reached an agreement with Yama, who governs this realm, to specifically retrieve you all, intending to help you reincarnate and regain a new life!”

He paused, his tone becoming more solemn: “Although I have attained an immortal position, what I can do is limited to resurrecting you in this realm. As for the real world… I’m afraid you can’t return.”

The hall was filled with slight commotion and sighs, but it quickly subsided. Being able to regain life was already a blessing; no one dared wish for more.

Xiao Jie continued, “Now, I hand the choice to you. If anyone doesn’t wish to reincarnate, you can also choose to stay in this Netherworld or seek a position, becoming a Ghost Soldier or Ghost Official. I respect each of your wishes. If there are no objections, I will later arrange for everyone’s reincarnation.”

“Wait a minute, Feng!” Jiu Jianxian hurriedly asked, “If we reincarnate, can we keep our current memories? Will we forget everything, and everyone?”

“You can certainly retain them,” Xiao Jie confirmed, “Since your time submerged in the Nether River was short, your souls remain intact. As long as you don’t drink the Mengpo Soup, you can retain your memories through reincarnation. It’s akin to… let’s say ‘deleting the account and retraining,’ but this time, you will exist as real beings, integrated into the reincarnation cycle of this realm, in a way… well, you could say it’s like crossing over into this game world, becoming a part of it.”