Above the South Sea, Belut, Qing Huo, and Bei Bei stood to one side, while a vague figure in the sky gradually solidified into focus.
She wore a green robe, with emerald-green hair and emerald-green eyes. With each gentle smile, the very heavens and earth seemed to tremble.
"This is the Life Sovereign?" Lin Lei stared at the woman who had appeared—the woman wearing the 'Crown of Life'! His heart couldn't help but tremble. In terms of beauty, Lin Lei had never seen anyone more perfect than the Life Sovereign. As for her aura, her noble bearing was so transcendent.
The Life Sovereign's gaze fell upon Lin Lei.
"Since the birth of heaven and earth, this is the seventh Sovereign-level task, and the second time I have issued such a task. Congratulations, Lin Lei Baruch, you have completed it." The Life Sovereign's voice was gentle, not only heard by the ears but also resonating within the mind. "According to the task's conditions, you may now make a single request of me. Anything within my power, I will fulfill for you."
Her voice echoed, and Lin Lei was momentarily lost in a trance.
"What is your request?" the Life Sovereign asked.
"Request?"
Lin Lei snapped back to awareness.
Belut and Qing Huo also recovered, both shocked. "Qing Huo, the Life Sovereign just casually made us lose our wits with a word. It's terrifying," Belut transmitted. "A Sovereign is an existence of the highest order. The power of a Sovereign-grade artifact must far exceed that of a Highgod artifact."
"Indeed, a pity that Lin Lei isn't choosing a Sovereign-grade artifact," Qing Huo sighed internally.
"Great Life Sovereign, my request is to revive my grandfather, Derinkoort!" Lin Lei looked up at the Life Sovereign and said quickly.
"Revive..." The Life Sovereign paused for a moment.
Lin Lei's heart grew anxious. "It must succeed! Grandpa Derinko must be revived!" As far as Lin Lei knew, Highgods could not save someone whose soul had been utterly destroyed. Only a Sovereign might be able to, especially this Life Sovereign, who inherently embodied the 'Law of Life', governing the life cycles of countless planes.
"I'm sorry, but your request cannot be fulfilled," the Life Sovereign said, her tone as calm as ever.
"Cannot be fulfilled?" Bei Bei's eyes widened instantly.
"Cannot be fulfilled?" Belut and Qing Huo were also taken aback.
Lin Lei's mind went blank, the Life Sovereign's words echoing ceaselessly: 'I'm sorry, but your request cannot be fulfilled.'
"Cannot be fulfilled? Cannot be fulfilled?" Lin Lei's gaze sharpened abruptly as he stared up at the Life Sovereign. He asked urgently, "Life Sovereign, the birth and death of every living being across all planes are under your control. If a soul is utterly destroyed, how can you not revive them?"
He had deceived Highgods and risked everything to obtain the Sovereign-level token, all for this single hope of reviving Grandpa Derinko.
But the Life Sovereign couldn't do it?
"I'm sorry. I cannot," the Life Sovereign said, shaking her head.
"But you are a Sovereign!" Lin Lei shouted in desperation, his heart filled with unwillingness.
The Life Sovereign spoke indifferently, "Lin Lei Baruch, according to the task conditions, I will fulfill one of your requests. But that request must be within my power. The utter destruction of a soul signifies true death. This is an ironclad rule of the laws. As the embodiment of the Law of Life, I naturally cannot violate the rules."
"My very existence is to ensure that countless planes operate within the constraints of the rules. Reviving someone whose soul is utterly destroyed would break the rules. To break the rules would be to strip countless planes of their constraints, and without those constraints and protections, countless planes would collapse," the Life Sovereign stated calmly.
Lin Lei's face drained of color instantly, his eyes filled with despair.
"Boss..." Bei Bei looked at Lin Lei, his gaze filled with anxiety.
"So that's how it is," Belut and Qing Huo exchanged a glance, both sighing inwardly.
A Sovereign sounded powerful. But they were ultimately personifications of the laws.
The utter destruction of a soul signified true death, and that was part of the laws.
How could the laws themselves act to violate the rules? After all, the duty of the four Sovereigns was to ensure the normal operation of the laws.
"I spent so much effort, fought so hard for this Sovereign-level token, all for this sliver of hope. But who would have thought... it was all in vain in the end!" Lin Lei looked up, and two silent tears traced paths down his face. "Grandpa Derinko..." The Life Sovereign's answer sealed it: Derinkoort would never be revived.
At best, he would only exist in memory.
"Boss, don't be sad," Bei Bei said quickly.
"Heaven gave me a glimmer of hope, made me strive and fight for it, and in the end, I did everything, yet heaven shattered that glimmer of hope," Lin Lei said with a bitter smile.
Belut and Qing Huo walked over.
"Lin Lei, don't be too sorrowful. Life, aging, sickness, and death are too numerous in this world. It's not always possible to achieve perfection just because you wish for it," Belut comforted.
"Where there is life, there is death! Life and death are the laws of heaven and earth," Qing Huo added. "You and I may transcend life and death to exist eternally, but once we die, our souls will also be utterly destroyed, irrecoverable. There are countless who have lost loved ones in this world. Try to see it clearly."
"I understand this reason," Lin Lei took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.
If he had known there was no hope from the start, perhaps it would have been bearable. That pain could have been buried deep in his heart.
But to be given hope, to strive for it, and then to have that hope shattered—it was like rubbing salt into a wound. It was truly agonizing.
"To survive in the world of heaven and earth, one must follow the constraints of the rules," the Life Sovereign said calmly. "Even for this Sovereign-level task, the request you make must comply with the rules. The request you just made cannot be fulfilled. Now, Lin Lei Baruch, please make a different request."