"And you..." Tianmiao looked at the old State Preceptor, "you have made mistakes, but not as many as you burden yourself with. Stay in this desert for five hundred years, guiding the lost. When the time is up, you may reincarnate."
"Thank you, Divine." The old State Preceptor knelt on the ground and respectfully bowed.
Que Qiu watched the kneeling old State Preceptor, clearly understanding that the Divine’s arrangement was made with the old State Preceptor’s feelings in mind. The old State Preceptor couldn’t get past his own barriers. This decision, while seemingly a punishment, was actually a form of redemption for the old State Preceptor.
This Divine seemed cruel but was actually deeply compassionate.
At that moment, the whole tomb began to shake.
"Ah, is this tomb going to collapse? Oh no, what about the professor and the others!" Cheng Luo screamed.
Tianmiao smiled and gently made a lifting hand gesture.
The next moment, Cheng Luo’s vision blurred, and she found herself standing outside the tomb chamber, on the site of the ruins. Professor Wu and the other assistants were by her side.
Que Qiu was also standing on the other side, but his whole demeanor was blank and he stood despondently.
"Professor!" Cheng Luo happily approached Professor Wu.
"Where did you go? It’s good that you’re safe." Professor Wu was also pleased to see Cheng Luo.
Cheng Luo noticed her clothes had reverted to what she had worn before; the ancient and charming dress was gone.
"I’m fine, everyone’s fine, that’s great." Cheng Luo glanced at the crowd and then frowned, "Ah, where’s Senior Zhou Qiang?"
"Could it be, Zhou Qiang jumping down wasn’t a hallucination, it was real..." Professor Wu frowned, his face showing pain and regret.
"What is that?" Just then, Assistant Wang exclaimed.
Everyone followed his gaze and saw a shocking scene.
Countless white lights slowly rose from beneath the ruins.
Then, other white lights emerged from beneath their feet and gradually ascended.
"So beautiful, what are these? Fireflies? No, how could there be fireflies in the desert?" Assistant Wang stared blankly, muttering.
"Sister Tianmiao!" Cheng Luo suddenly exclaimed.
Everyone looked up with Cheng Luo and saw Tianmiao floating in mid-air. Those white lights rose, floated around her, and circled her.
"What is that?"
"Why is Miss Tianmiao flying in the air?"
"Look! Those white lights have turned into silhouettes!"
"They’re wearing the attire of the Irel Ancient Country!"
"Are they residents of the Irel Royal City?!"
"They’re saluting Miss Tianmiao."
Professor Wu pushed up his glasses and took a deep breath. The scene before him overturned all of his years of scientific theories.
"I think these white lights are the citizens of the Irel Royal City buried beneath the sands for so many years, unable to break free. Now, Sister Tianmiao has liberated them completely, allowing them to reincarnate. They... are thanking Sister Tianmiao." Cheng Luo watched the floating Tianmiao with glowing eyes and admiration, saying, "The tomb chamber is about to collapse, it was Sister Tianmiao who saved us."
White lights continuously emerged from the underground, then ascended slowly, ultimately transforming into silhouettes that deeply bowed to Tianmiao before all rising higher and disappearing into the desert night sky.
"So beautiful..." Professor Wu murmured.