Hogg's eyes glistened with tears. Trembling with excitement, he stared carefully at the young man before him — so familiar, so dear.
Those eyebrows, those eyes, that nose...
He compared them, feature by feature, with the image of Lin Lei as a boy stored in his memory.
"Lin Lei, is... is it really you?" Hogg's voice choked up, his eyes turning red.
"It's me, Father, it's really me!" Lin Lei spoke urgently, desperate to prove himself. "Father, do you remember back at the ancestral shrine in the old house, when you had me pay respects to the ancestors of the Baruch Family? Do you remember testing me for the Dragon Blood Warrior bloodline? And... I told you I had three good brothers at the academy. Two of them are here too!"
Lin Lei pointed toward Yeru in the distance. "Look — that's Yeru, from the old Dawson Trading Company. And over there — that's George, from the Yulan Empire!"
"And me!" Bei Bei came darting over as well, staring at Hogg. "Uncle Hogg, do you remember me? I was that little Shadow Mouse." With that, Bei Bei's form shifted, transforming into a black Shadow Mouse that perched on Lin Lei's shoulder, speaking in a human voice. "Back then, it was Big Brother who took me in!"
Hogg nodded repeatedly.
"Father — and the Coiling Dragon Ring! You know about that, right?" Lin Lei held up his finger.
Listening, Hogg wept with joy. "Yes, yes!" Without hesitation he pulled Lin Lei into his arms, patting his back several times. "Ha ha, it really is you. Lin Lei, that's wonderful — ha ha, truly wonderful!" Hogg was so excited that his words tumbled out in a jumble.
He had died and become an undead. Over two thousand years of life as a spirit, and then suddenly his memories returned. He was brought here.
And now his son had appeared before him.
How could he not be moved? How could he not be ecstatic?
"Father, come — let's not stand out here. Let's go to the courtyard and talk at our leisure." The tears on Lin Lei's face had already evaporated. He took his father's hand and flew toward the courtyard behind the Underworld Hotel.
Being able to see his father again — the joy of this reunion even surpassed the excitement Lin Lei had felt when his soul had undergone its metamorphosis. In a daze, he felt as though he had returned to childhood, being lectured by his father on his studies, getting his palm smacked when he didn't do well. It had hurt back then. But looking back now, it all felt so warm.
His father's death had once plunged Lin Lei into a state of madness and darkness, driving him to seek vengeance at the cost of his own life.
But now...
Everything was fine.
In the courtyard.
Everyone gathered and took their seats around two tables. Hogg was still thoroughly bewildered, and he kept looking at Lin Lei, asking, "Lin Lei, what exactly is going on? Just a moment ago I was a Saint-level Black Knight. How did I suddenly recover my memories? And someone brought me here. And I've found you?"
Hogg had never heard of an undead regaining its memories.
"It was Big Brother who asked a High God to do it," Bei Bei said with a cheerful laugh.
"Ha ha," said Dikexi from the side, full of admiration. "Uncle Hogg, over these past two thousand years, Lin Lei hasn't simply remained the genius student he was back at the academy. He has stood at the absolute pinnacle among the strongest in the highest planes — the Underworld, the Inferno, and others. It was he who requested a High God to restore everyone's memories, and who had the High God arrange for people to bring each of you here and gather you all together. Yeru, George, and I — we were each escorted here by seven-star demon-level powerhouses."
"A High God did it? And arranged separate escorts for everyone?"
Hogg stared at his own son before him. Back on the Yulan Continent, Hogg had known his son had a bright future. But even then, he had only imagined that one day Lin Lei might become a formidable mage, perhaps managing to reclaim the family's ancestral treasure. Yet... asking a High God for a favor? Just thinking about it made Hogg's head spin.
"Lin Lei, how...?" Hogg didn't even know what to ask.
Ask about his son's strength? Ask about what his son had accomplished all these years?
"Big Brother is a Grand Perfection High God," Bei Bei declared proudly. Yeru and the others had learned this news years ago as well.
"What does 'Grand Perfection' mean?" Hogg asked.
Bei Bei faltered.
Back when Yeru and Bei Bei's own parents had first heard the term, they hadn't understood its meaning either. It had taken an explanation before the significance sank in. At this point, Bei Bei's mother — the woman in the purple robe — smiled and said, "Hogg, being a Grand Perfection High God means that... among the gods, your son is an invincible existence! Even the High Gods have been eager to invite him to serve as their Emissary."
"Among the gods... an invincible existence?" Hogg blinked, staring blankly at Lin Lei.
He felt that everything he had seen and heard since laying eyes on Lin Lei was like a dream.
Hogg's reaction was exactly what everyone had expected. Back when Yeru and George had first learned of Lin Lei's abilities, they too had been stunned into silence for a long while. They all knew how many gods existed in the Underworld and the Inferno — countless beyond counting, measured in the trillions.
Among the myriad planes, among the infinite number of gods, to stand at the very apex of the pyramid — how terrifying a prospect was that?
Having spent over two thousand years in the realm of the undead, Hogg had developed a greater psychological resilience, and he at last collected himself. His eyes lit up, and he asked urgently, "Lin Lei — what about your mother's vengeance? The Duke Pardeson of the Fenlei Kingdom from back then... did you have time to get your revenge?"
"I killed him with my own hands," Lin Lei said solemnly.
"And the person behind him — did you find out who it was?" Hogg pressed anxiously.