The Dust King took a few more steps deeper into the forest, and as Chen Hao looked at his lonely and forlorn figure, he could feel the struggle and difficulty in his heart at that moment.

Yingji was a woman who had betrayed him, yet he was supposed to entrust her with the highest honor of his tribe and the future of his people, which sounded utterly absurd.

"Didn't you say you wanted to find closure?" Chen Hao said again, "How can you call it closure if you can't let go of the hatred in your heart? Since Yingji feels guilty towards you, let her atone for her sins. There's no one more suitable than her. Think of it as for the sake of the people you love, and let go of your hatred for Yingji."

"Let go of my hatred for Yingji for the sake of my people!" The Dust King repeated the words Chen Hao had said in his mind.

Soon after, suddenly, his spirit began to shine with a faint light, and then from his feet to his head, his body slowly turned into dust part by part.

"So this is what true closure is?" The Dust King said, a realization dawning on him, with a compassionate smile on his face.

He looked at Chen Hao, his eyes full of gratitude: "Thank you, truly, for allowing me to find complete closure."

Chen Hao's lips curled up slightly, revealing his signature confident smile, and he said with a laugh, "I should thank you, as well, for that life-and-death trial you gave me, which made me understand my heart even better."

"I need to leave," the Dust King said with eyes closed, "I hope you and the girl you like will have a fulfilling end. Tell the Sword of Dust about your intention to leave the Dust Realm, and it will take you out of here; and in the Huiyin Mountains, there are tens of thousands of soldiers' spirits from our Dust tribe. Just raise the Sword of Dust and give the command, and they will appear, hoping they can be of help to you."

At that moment, a series of hurried footsteps approached from a distance, and then a figure emerged from the shrubs to Chen Hao's left.

"Chen Ji!"

Chen Hao was surprised; he didn't expect Yingji to show up at this time.

"I'm leaving; the Dust Realm and our people will be in your and this youngster Chen Hao's hands from now on," The Dust King opened his eyes and said to Yingji. There seemed to be a faint smile on his face, and the look he gave Yingji was devoid of hatred.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" Yingji immediately burst into tears and knelt on the ground.

"Although I cannot forgive you, I will wish you well," The Dust King said with a smile.

That was the last thing he said in this world.

After saying that, he turned into countless dust particles, which then scattered with the wind to every corner of the Dust Realm.

"Chen Hao, to think you managed to guide his spirit to transcendence without using a spell, and you did it so thoroughly!" Ye Yuqiao's voice suddenly echoed in Chen Hao's mind.

"Ah! Sometimes, convincing a person's heart is more satisfying than defeating a person's strength," Chen Hao said smugly.

"Although he was annoying, making me think you were dead and unnecessarily upsetting me, I still have to thank him. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have realized," Ye Yuqiao's voice began to fade, trailing off before she finished.

"Realized what?"

"I realized just how much I want to marry you, hmph, satisfied now?"

"Don't rush," Chen Hao said calmly, "that day will come eventually."

"Who's rushing!" Chen Hao's response and tone greatly irritated Ye Yuqiao, "Jerk! I hate you! I don't want to marry you at all."

Chen Hao laughed heartily and then said, "What a petty girl! But honestly, I really look forward to the day you become my bride."

"Hmm, we have to believe in miracles."

"Miracles?"

At that moment, Yingji stood up, wiping her tears as she asked, "Did he really forgive me before he left?"

"It can't be considered that yet," Chen Hao propped his chin with his left hand and guessed, "His forgiveness is conditional. Only if you achieve it in the future can he truly have forgiven you."

"What condition?" Yingji looked at Chen Hao with a question.

Chen Hao took off the Dust King Ring from his right hand and presented it in front of Yingji.

"What this ring represents, I believe you know even better than I do. The Dust King had me give this ring to you, for you to duly fulfill your responsibilities."

"Did he really say to give me the Dust King Ring?" Yingji felt incredulous.

Chen Hao smiled and nodded, then handed the Dust King Ring to Yingji.

After a moment of shock, Yingji carefully put the Dust King Ring on her left hand.

"Chen Hao, you'd better be careful with this woman. Don't forget, you just killed her husband. Perhaps her heart is filled with hatred for you," Ye Yuqiao reminded Chen Hao through the Nether King's Heart.

"Right, how could I forget about that!"

"Ah!" Yingji suddenly let out a painful scream.

Startled, Chen Hao quickly supported Yingji and asked anxiously, "What's wrong with you?"

"There's a curse on this ring!" Yingji explained with a distorted face.

"A curse!" Chen Hao couldn't believe his ears, "I never cast a spell on this, could it be the Dust King's doing, and he actually never planned to forgive you? But seeing how his soul was dispersing just now, he didn't seem to be faking it at all!"

Yingji glared angrily at Chen Hao and then released another even more painful howl. Her right hand tightly grasped her left index finger, trying to remove the Dust King Ring from it.

However, the harder she tried, the more intense the pain became.

"What should I do?" Chen Hao panicked, worried that Yingji would be killed by the curse on the Dust King Ring.

However, at that moment, Yingji suddenly stopped screaming and her entire demeanor returned to calm.

Chen Hao looked at Yingji and asked softly, "Are you okay?"

Yingji blinked and said with a somewhat cold tone, "I'm fine. Do you know why I was cursed just now?"

Chen Hao shook his head.

"Because in my heart, I hated you. First for killing my current husband, and next for deceiving me into wearing this Dust King Ring. The more I hated you, the more the Dust King Ring punished me. Then, when I stopped thinking about hating you, the pain stopped. Chen Ji was very clever; he feared I might seek vengeance on you, so he cast this curse."

"This Dust King is really thoughtful!" Ye Yuqiao suddenly laughed and conveyed her feeling to Chen Hao, "Whether it's the test of life and death he set for you or the curse he placed on Yingji, both seem very wise."

"Indeed!" Chen Hao agreed completely.

"Let's see if she dares to hate my Chen Hao in the future."

Chen Hao chuckled: "That's right, he's yours, all yours!"

"Chen Ji chose to forgive me before he left, so he could turn to dust and achieve a fulfilling end. Perhaps what he did wasn't for me, but for me. He wanted me to become like him, to let go of any hatred and ultimately achieve a fulfilling demise," Yingji murmured to herself.

After speaking, she looked towards the fading dust in the distant sky and shouted, "Chen Ji, I understand your intentions now, thank you!"

The next morning, Chen Hao and his group set off for Dustfall City.

Aside from helping Yingji ascend as the Dust King, he also had to find a way to deal with King Nanlin—Yao—who had fallen into the Dust Realm with him.

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