The Legend of the Princess' Counterattack

Chapter 975: Shrine Restart

The blood-red setting sun shone like a weeping cloud, stained the ruins of the Tiandao Temple a dark crimson. Yun Yao held Chu Mochen's hand as they stepped over the shattered glazed tiles. The air still lingered with the scorched aroma of the battle ten years prior. The once majestic twelve inverted golden pagodas were now only ruins. But when they reached the altar at the center of the temple, they stopped abruptly.

A massive bronze compass now hovered in the center of the previously empty altar, engraved with obscure runes and emitting an eerie purple glow. Above it, a young man in white lazily reclined on a throne constructed from countless scrolls, fiddling with a golden tome in his hands. It was the "Yunlan Realm Chronicle," the book that chronicled the entire history of the Yunlan Realm.

"You're finally here." The young man's lips curled up into a smile. He raised his eyes to look at Yun Yao and Chu Mochen. His eyes were as deep as the abyss, surging with endless chaos, as if he could see through the two people's souls. "I have been waiting for this day for a long time."

Yun Yao stood vigilantly in front of Chu Mochen, a chaotic energy surging around her. She could sense that although the young man before her seemed nonchalant, every subtle movement seemed to contain the power to change the world. "Who are you? Why are you here? And why is the Yunlan Realm Chronicle in your hands in your hands?"

The young man gently closed the tome and stood up. As he moved, the air around him began to distort, and countless tiny characters emerged from the void, slowly swirling around him. "Who I am is not important. What is important is that the world you created has attracted the attention of higher dimensions." The young man's voice was calm, yet it carried unquestionable authority. "Now, you have two choices—either become a puppet of the Observer and continue to follow the pre-determined script; or..." He paused, a sharp glint in his eyes, "destroy all Observers and let your story become the sole truth."

Chu Mochen clenched the Hongmeng Pen in his hand, the tip trembling slightly, as if responding to its owner's fighting spirit. "You want us to become puppets? Dream on!" he said coldly. "Even the Heavenly Dao Divine Palace couldn't trap us back then, so what are you, the so-called observers?"

The young man chuckled when he heard this, "Chu Mochen, you are worthy of being the godslayer back then, you are still so arrogant. But don't forget, although you have become Chaos Realm cultivators now, in the eyes of observers in higher dimensions, you are just slightly stronger ants." He waved his hand casually, and the runes on the bronze compass suddenly burst out with strong light, and a huge light curtain unfolded in front of the three of them.

Within the light curtain, countless worlds floated like bubbles, each unfolding a different story. Yun Yao was surprised to discover that in one world, Liu Yan'er, clad in a modern white lab coat, was operating a machine called a "story generator." In another, her younger self crouched in a corner of the palace, carefully bandaging the wounds of a wounded little fox. And above all these worlds, a group of black-robed, obscured figures watched coldly, their faces wielding enormous pens, writing something in the air.

"See?" the young man pointed at the light curtain. "These are the Observers. Do you think that defeating the Lord of Order means you control your destiny? How naive! Every battle you've experienced, every moment of growth, even the love between you, is nothing more than a script written by the Observers."

Yun Yao felt her blood freeze. She had thought that after defeating the Lord of Order, she and Chu Mochen had escaped the clutches of fate. But she hadn't expected that they had merely moved from one cage into another, even larger one. "Impossible..." she muttered. "We've clearly rewritten our own destiny, so why..."

"Why?" the young man interrupted her with a half-smile. "Because you still don't understand one thing—in the face of absolute power, so-called resistance is nothing but a farce." His smile suddenly faded, and his eyes turned cold and cruel. "However, I admire your courage. So, I'll give you a chance. As long as you can pass my test, I will help you fight the Observer."

Before he finished speaking, the Yunlan Realm Chronicle in the young man's hand suddenly erupted with a thousand-foot-long light, enveloping Yun Yao and Chu Mochen. When the light dissipated, the two were surprised to find themselves back in the original secular world palace. The familiar courtyard, the mottled walls, and the distant sounds of the maids' playful laughter—everything was exactly as it had been when they first arrived.

"This is..." Chu Mochen looked around vigilantly, "Illusion?"

Yun Yao shook her head and reached out to touch the stone pillar beside her. The feeling of reality came from her fingertips. "No, this is the real world. It seems that he wants us to relive the past." Her eyes were stern. "But since we are starting over, this time, let's completely rewrite the script!"

Just then, a familiar sound of footsteps could be heard. Yun Yao and Chu Mochen exchanged a glance, then turned simultaneously to see a familiar figure appear at the courtyard gate—it was Liu Yan'er. At this moment, she was still just a scheming concubine in the palace, her eyes filled with jealousy and resentment towards Yun Yao.

"Hey, isn't this our princess?" Liu Yan'er said sarcastically, "Why, being ignored by the prince, you can only sit in this courtyard in a daze?"

Yun Yao looked at Liu Yan'er and suddenly smiled. In the past, she might have been enraged by Liu Yan'er's provocation, but now, she simply found it ridiculous. "Liu Yan'er, what do you think would happen to the world if I killed you right now?" she said calmly, a chaotic aura surging around her.

Liu Yan'er's face suddenly changed, and she took a few steps back in fear: "You...what do you want to do? Don't forget, this is the palace. If you dare to touch me..."

"What would happen if I dared to touch you?" Yun Yao approached step by step, a cold light flashing in her eyes. "When you joined forces with the Heavenly Dao Palace to bloodbath the world of cultivation, when you wanted to take away my godhead, you should have expected this day to come."

Just as Yun Yao's chaotic energy was about to reach Liu Yan'er, a crack suddenly appeared in the void, and the young man stepped out. With a wave of his hand, Liu Yan'er vanished. "It seems you haven't understood what my test is," the young man sighed. "This isn't about revenge, but about finding your true self."

He pointed, and Yun Yao and Chu Mochen felt their world spin. When they opened their eyes again, they had arrived in a strange world. Here, technology and cultivation coexisted. Attics shrouded in ethereal auras floated atop tall buildings, and flying vehicles and cultivators on flying swords shuttled through the sky.

"This is one of the worlds created by the Observer," the young man explained. "Here, you possess no godhood, no power of chaos, and are merely two ordinary people. If you can find the meaning of your existence in this world, I will teach you how to fight the Observer."

Yun Yao held Chu Mochen's hand tightly, her eyes firm: "Okay, we accept the challenge."

However, just as they were about to step into this strange world, the young man suddenly spoke again: "Oh, I forgot to tell you, in this world, your memories will be sealed, and everything will have to start from scratch. I wish you good luck."

Before Yun Yao and Chu Mochen could react, a bright light flashed by, and they felt a sharp pain in their heads before losing consciousness. When they woke up again, they found themselves lying on an unfamiliar street, surrounded by the hustle and bustle of traffic and pedestrians, but no one noticed them.

"Where... is this?" Chu Mochen held his head and sat up with difficulty.

Yun Yao looked around at the unfamiliar scene, feeling lost. She couldn't remember who she was, or why she was there. Suddenly, her attention was drawn to a news item on a roadside electronic screen: "Famous author Su Yao's new book launch is taking place today. Her work, 'The Time Traveler's Princess's Counterattack,' has sparked a nationwide craze..."

The moment she saw the name "Su Yao", some images suddenly flashed through Yun Yao's mind: a girl sitting in front of a computer, writing furiously; a woman in ancient costume being bullied in the palace; a man holding the Hongmeng Pen, blocking thousands of attacks for her... These images flashed by, but left a deep impression in her heart.

"I... I seem to remember something..." Yun Yao murmured.

Chu Mochen looked at her, a hint of doubt and confusion flashing in his eyes: "Me too, I always feel like I have forgotten something important."

Just then, a familiar voice came from behind them: "You two, it looks like you're in trouble?"

Yun Yao and Chu Mochen turned around at the same time and saw a woman in a white coat looking at them with a smile. The woman's appearance was exactly the same as the scheming Liu Yan'er they remembered, but at this moment, her eyes were filled with gentleness and kindness.

"Liu...Liu Yan'er?" Yun Yao said in surprise.

The woman was slightly taken aback when she heard this. "Liu Yan'er? Who's that? My name is Liu Yue, and I'm a scientist specializing in virtual reality and consciousness transmission." She looked at the two men's bewildered expressions, a flicker of sympathy in her eyes. "It looks like you might be having memory problems. If you don't mind, come back to the lab with me. I might be able to help you."

Yun Yao and Chu Mochen exchanged a glance. Although they were wary, they didn't seem to have a better choice in this unfamiliar world. So, they followed Liu Yue into a towering technology building.

In the lab, Liu Yue ran a series of tests on the two. When she saw the results, she was shocked. "This is incredible! Your brains actually store two completely different consciousnesses, and both are incredibly powerful, as if they came from different worlds."

Yun Yao's heart moved: "A different world? Dr. Liu, can you tell us what is going on?"

Liu Yue pondered for a moment and said, "In my research, I've discovered that there may be countless parallel universes outside of our world. And in these universes, there may be different versions of us. The consciousness in your brain may very well be you from other universes."

She walked over to the huge display screen and after some manipulation, a lot of complex data and images appeared on it. "Look, we've recently detected an unusually powerful energy fluctuation. This fluctuation is very similar to the consciousness transmission energy I'm studying. I suspect someone is trying to interfere with our world from a higher dimension."

Yun Yao and Chu Mochen exchanged a glance. Although they had lost their memories, they couldn't help but feel a thrill in their hearts when they heard the term "higher dimension." Just then, the lab's alarm rang out, and the image on the large screen switched to a surveillance camera—a group of people in black robes, their faces blurred, rushing towards the lab.

"Oh no! They're coming!" Liu Yue's face changed drastically. "These people have been trying to stop my research. They don't want people to know about the existence of parallel universes!" She turned and looked at Yun Yao and Chu Mochen, a glint of determination in her eyes. "You guys should leave quickly. I'll hold them off here. Remember, you must find the truth and unlock the seal on your memories!"

Yun Yao wanted to say something, but Chu Mochen grabbed her hand. "Let's go!" Chu Mochen said, "Dr. Liu, take care!"

The two rushed out of the lab and ran through the complex building. Behind them, the footsteps of the black-robed men grew closer and closer. The aura they exuded filled Yun Yao and Chu Mochen with an inexplicable fear. Just when they were at their wit's end, Yun Yao's mind suddenly flashed with another image: a young man in white sitting on a throne piled with books, playing with the "Yunlan Realm Chronicle" in his hands, his eyes full of playfulness and amusement.

"Follow me!" Yun Yao suddenly said. Relying on the vague memories in her mind, she led Chu Mochen into a secluded passage. At the end of the passage was a door emitting a strange light.

"This is..." Chu Mochen looked at the door, his heart full of doubts.

"I don't know, but I feel that the answer is inside." Yun Yao took a deep breath and reached out to push open the door.

After the blinding light faded, Yun Yao and Chu Mochen found themselves back at the ruins of the Heavenly Dao Palace. The young man in white was still sitting on the throne, the Yunlan Realm Chronicle in his hand glowing softly.

"Congratulations, you've passed the test." The young man said with a smile, "Now, it's time to tell you the truth..."