Long Jinhan sat on a chair beside her, placing the teacup in his hand gently on the table. "You're back."
"Mmm," Bai Ran stepped forward, pacing slowly towards the ice coffin.
She reached out a hand and gently caressed the surface. "Mother..."
Her exquisite face remained untouched by the ravages of time within the ice coffin. She was as beautiful as she was in her youth.
Only her eyes, which had always held so much love, were now tightly shut.
Mother loved to smile, loved to pretend to be angry to scare her, loved flowers dearly, and loved Mo Huai'an even more.
She also loved her and Bai Ze dearly...
"Mother, Ranran is late..." Bai Ran gazed at the ice coffin, her shoulders trembling slightly.
Long Jinhan rose and gently pulled Bai Ran into his embrace, his large palm stroking her head.
Large teardrops rolled down Bai Ran's face. Her mother's lifeless form was completely laid bare before her.
The suffering her mother endured, the pain and trials she experienced, the betrayal she faced.
It all raged in Bai Ran's heart, fueling her desire for revenge, a craving to personally kill those responsible!
Hatred swirled in her mind, causing Bai Ran's body to tremble uncontrollably.
"Long Jinhan..."
"My mother... can she truly still live..."
A wisp of a soul, a corpse, the blood of gods and demons – could they truly revive a person? And if revived, would they be the same as they were?
All of this was an unknown. There was a high probability that, like Luo Qianqian, her body could be occupied by another wandering spirit.
If that were the case, if her mother became her enemy, how would Bai Ran face her...
"Girl, let me tell you about your mother, from my memories."
Long Jinhan reached out, gently wiping away the tears from Bai Ran's eyes, and pulled her to sit by the bed.
"Your mother, Huan Yan, was the first female general of the Demon Realm."
His steady voice gradually stabilized Bai Ran's emotions, and she listened quietly to Long Jinhan's words.
"She was also the hero I admired since I was a child..."
"In the Demon Realm, she wasn't some demoness causing chaos. We called her Protector Huan Yan."
...
"How can a woman be a general! This is utter nonsense!"
The various demon generals gathered together, roaring at the frail woman before them.
Huan Yan's lips curved into a slight smile, and she scoffed, "Your strength isn't great, yet you're quite picky."
"Who are you calling not strong! Why is a girl like you joining the army!"
"Exactly! Don't be so scared that you'll run home crying to your mother when you see a corpse on the battlefield one day!"
Huan Yan's laughter grew even more unrestrained. "Who says women cannot join the army? Who says women are naturally timid?"
"Seeing that they couldn't convince her, the demon generals gave her an opportunity to join the army on an expedition."
Long Jinhan smiled, reminiscing about the past.
He had thought this woman was merely playing games, that a scare would send her back. Who knew that the battlefield would be the beginning of her display of brilliance.
Huan Yan, showing her skills for the first time, was clad in a fitted outfit, her ponytail tied high, looking heroic and spirited.
Her strength surpassed that of men, her agility was greater, and she was thoroughly familiar with military strategy.
Blood flowed like a river. Huan Yan advanced, stepping over broken limbs and dismembered bodies, without even blinking.
"Girl, you are exactly like her."
Bai Ran lowered her head, her palms gradually clenching into fists.
On that particular campaign, the demon race achieved a great victory, and Huan Yan became famous throughout the land.
The army had no further reason to reject her and allowed her to join their ranks.
She voluntarily started from the lowest rank of a soldier, cultivating every morning when dawn was just breaking, and only sleeping after the moon was bright.
From the lowest soldier in the Demon Realm to a commander of a small unit.
Huan Yan's outstanding talent and extraordinary effort moved Long Jinhan's father.
She was promoted to one of the Five Great Demon Generals of the Demon Realm, becoming the foremost figure beneath the Demon Lord.
Whenever she led troops, that unit would be the strongest among all, and any soldier chosen from them would be exceptionally outstanding.
Once, there was a traitor in the Demon Realm, and the Divine Race almost captured their main city. In that critical moment, Huan Yan took action.
She led thirty thousand demon soldiers and routed the ten thousand strong army of the Divine Race, forcing them to retreat in utter defeat.
She planted a flag bearing the Demon Realm's emblem in front of the Divine Emperor's palace.
"If you dare to set foot in the Demon Realm again, I will reclaim this place!"
"Don't look for Huan Yan unless it's a major affair," became a common saying throughout the Demon Realm.
She was domineering and decisive, instantly becoming a hero throughout the entire Demon Realm, and was bestowed the unique position of Protector of the Demon Realm.
Long Jinhan was still young at the time, but after learning of her deeds, his small body burned with passion.
Back then, he considered Huan Yan his idol.
Long Jinhan chuckled deeply, his every word filled with pride. "With such a Protector, what more could the Demon Realm ask for?"
However, what no one expected was that during a certain battle with the Divine Realm, the Divine Emperor's son led the troops.
He fell in love with Huan Yan at first sight. That was Mo Huai'an at the time.
The woman before him was vibrant and full of life, unlike the usual pampered flowers of the inner chambers.
She was flamboyant, confident, and every move she made captivated Mo Huai'an. He fell in love with her.
From that moment on, Mo Huai'an, the Divine Emperor's son, began a fervent pursuit of the beautiful Protector of the Demon Realm, Huan Yan.
The Divine Emperor mistakenly believed this was a ploy by Mo Hu'an and allowed him to proceed. But who knew Mo Huai'an was sincere?
He spent a full ten years to win the heart of the woman he loved.
Mo Huai'an defied his father's command and left both the Divine Realm and the Demon Realm with Huan Yan, settling in a secluded place.
"After that, you were born, and your brother too."
A female general, a protector... Bai Ran gazed at the ice coffin not far away, her expression filled with grief.
Her mother, so radiant in her youth, was murdered by the one she loved, and her children were taken by the one she loathed.
"Girl, you just asked me if your mother could be revived."
"Don't you already have an answer in your heart?"
Long Jinhan's words were gentle, giving Bai Ran immense strength and comfort.
She looked at the person in the ice coffin and chuckled softly, "Yes, I already have the answer. Why worry?"
Even if Long Jinhan told her there was a high chance of failure, Bai Ran would never give up that one-in-a-million hope.
"I will revive Mother. Even if it takes a hundred years, a thousand years, I will never give up."
Looking at the determined young girl, Long Jinhan's eyes curved upwards, a beautiful arc forming on his lips.
Bai Ran turned her head and looked at the body in another ice coffin.
That was her own body before reincarnation, very similar in appearance to her current one, but even more captivating.
Her face was peerlessly beautiful, her figure slender, and her beauty was breathtaking.
She lay there with closed eyes, her presence exuding a touch of icy coolness.
She had already retrieved her original body. Switching bodies could be done at any time, but...
There was still a huge problem residing within her current body.
Bai Ran's brow furrowed. If her soul were transferred to her original body, the inner demon could easily occupy her current shell.
The King of the Demonized would reawaken, causing war and strife.
"Shi Tian, does the Shi Tian Realm's contract bind the flesh or the soul?"
Shi Tian replied without hesitation, "Master, it binds the soul."
Whether it was the Shi Tian Realm, the Feng Yin Sword, or any artifact or divine beast related to contracts, they all formed a soul contract.
After changing bodies, they would also transfer with the master's soul.
Sensing Bai Ran's thoughts, Long Jinhan also noticed her unease. "Girl, are you worried about your inner demon?"
Bai Ran nodded slightly, her expression hesitant. "If I change bodies, this one will be completely taken over."
In other words, the inner demon would gain a body of its own.
Long Jinhan chuckled deeply. "It's just a more powerful enemy. Nothing particularly special."
Whether it was Zhong Zi, Dong Ling, or himself, all under the girl's command possessed cultivation far surpassing this inner demon.
Long Jinhan's words did indeed remind Bai Ran. Before the reversal of time, the inner demon had utilized her power as the Ghost King to continuously revive the dead.
This was what led to the devastation and the four realms being plunged into hell.
But if she changed bodies, the inner demon would not be able to utilize the Ghost King's abilities.
In other words, even if the inner demon gained a physical form, it wouldn't be a significant issue.
Bai Ran chuckled, her worries slowly dissipating and resolving. "I was being too apprehensive."
"Girl, when do you plan to switch bodies back?"