I Will Save Everyone

Duan Lingchen, who had been silently watching all this time, began to see clearly that Ye Lin's mental state was slowly collapsing. The once determined and resolute gaze of the young man was now dim, clouded with despair, as if he were about to be swallowed whole by a sin he had never committed.

He was about to say something, but before a word could escape his lips, Ye Lin dropped to the ground again. The sound of his palm slamming against the stone floor cracked through the air, the sheer force of it splitting the surface in a jagged line. His power trembled through the entire prison, shattering the iron cages blocking his path without effort.

"I'm sorry..."

The faint words escaped alongside a trembling breath.

"I'm sorry... I'm weak. I'm sorry, Father... Grandfather... Grandmother... Uncle..."

Each word seemed dragged from the deepest part of a heart already shattered. Tears streamed uncontrollably down his face. He slowly crawled forward, wrapping his arms around the lifeless bodies of his loved ones one by one, pressing his face to their cold skin, as if hoping that one of them might still be alive.

But no sound answered him. No hand reached out to touch his shoulder. No smile appeared. No voice offered comfort. It was all over.

And that was when Duan Lingchen's voice rang out at just the right moment.

"Calm yourself, boy. There are still people alive. Use your spiritual sense and check. But be cautious... for someone to survive in this kind of situation is strange."

Ye Lin, still sobbing, paused for a moment before gritting his teeth and releasing his spiritual sense without delay.

At the same time, he flicked his hand to summon a blue cloth he had brought with him. The fabric drifted out from his spatial ring without the need for any incantation. With a mere thought from Ye Lin, it floated gently and began to wrap itself around the lifeless bodies of the Ye Clan one by one.

The blue cloth moved as if it were alive, embracing the bodies of the fallen like the hands of family welcoming them home. Though those bodies no longer housed souls, Ye Lin would not let them die in disgrace.

As the cloth continued its gentle path through the prison, Ye Lin himself carefully lifted each of the fallen from the heap of corpses. The weight of each body was more than just physical. It was the weight of memories, of bonds that could never be restored.

But just as he reached out to lift the thirteenth body, his eyes caught a flicker of movement in the pile of corpses.

Ye Lin froze immediately, then rushed toward it with every bit of clarity and strength his current state would allow.

As he carefully pushed aside the corpses with both hands, he found the trembling forms of three young boys and a girl lying in a pool of blood.

Their breathing was so faint it was barely detectable. Their skin was deathly pale, their bodies ice cold, but their eyes... could still open, just slightly.

Ye Lin said nothing. He immediately retrieved healing pills from his spatial ring and fed them to each child one by one. He gently supported their heads, crushed the pills, and placed them in their mouths, making sure they swallowed them completely.

His eyes trembled violently. His hands quivered slightly as he checked the pulses of the children. When he was finally certain they were still alive, he let out a quiet breath and immediately surveyed the surroundings.

But hope is always cruel.

When he extended his spiritual sense across every corner of the underground prison... he found no one else.

No breathing. No energy signature. Not even the faintest heartbeat remained. Only emptiness confirmed what he feared most. These four children were the final breath of the Ye Clan.

Ye Lin sat amidst the corpses, gazing at the four unconscious children and the thousands who would never wake again.

Fresh tears streamed down his cheeks, not only from sorrow... but from the knowledge that even if he killed every enemy in the world, even if he demanded justice until the skies ran red with blood, he would never get any of them back.

Time passed. Then, amid the silence, a faint breath stirred the air. One of the boys who had hidden in the pile of the dead began to move slightly, his eyes fluttering open with great effort. His lips, cracked and trembling, formed a whisper like a ghost calling from the void.

"Brother... Ye Lin... help me... my leg hurts... it hurts so much..."

Ye Lin turned immediately. His gaze shook. He dropped to his knees beside the child without a word, quickly pulling out a vial from his spatial ring and opening it.

"You don't need to say anything more... take this medicine first. We'll talk later."

But before he could finish his sentence, the wind around them froze in an instant. Without warning, Ye Lin tilted his head to the side.

A jet-black sword sliced past the top of his head so closely he could smell the metallic tang of its blade. Yet he didn't even glance at it. Instead, he raised his own sword with one hand without ever looking at the attacker. His eyes never left the children.

Clang!

The sound of a blade striking rang out, and the man in black was instantly cleaved in two. His body crashed to the ground, blood pouring from the clean cut.

Green flames silently ignited from Ye Lin's palm. They gave off no scent, no sound, but the moment they touched anything, it vanished completely.

In the blink of an eye, the attacker's corpse and the blood it had spilled were gone, leaving only emptiness where they had once been.

At the same time, the other three children began to stir. Two boys and a girl, previously motionless, slowly fluttered their eyelids. Ye Lin rushed over to tend to them, checking their breathing before carefully feeding them pills one by one.

By now, he had gathered all the bodies of the Ye Clan. The cage that had once been filled with corpses now held nothing but silence and emptiness.

Each body was wrapped in the blue cloth and stored carefully within his spatial ring. Every movement of that cloth seemed to carry a life of its own, as though it could feel the deep sorrow buried in its master's heart.

Suddenly, the girl who had just regained consciousness opened her eyes fully. The moment she saw Ye Lin's face, she threw herself into his arms. Her small body trembled uncontrollably, her tiny hands clutching his bloodstained robes tightly.

"Big Brother Ye Lin... everyone... everyone..."

Her voice barely came out, dry and shaking. Ye Lin held her close, his eyes still bloodshot, but he forced a small smile onto his tear-streaked, battered face.

"It's alright now... little one... I'll bring everyone back. You don't have to be afraid anymore."

He gently patted her head. But before he could finish speaking, a slow, deliberate clapping echoed from behind him.

The sound wasn't loud, yet it pierced straight into the hearts of everyone present. Ye Lin didn't even bother turning around. He simply continued smiling gently at the four children before him.

"Close your eyes for a moment... just a moment. It'll all be over soon."

In his eyes at that moment, there was no fear, no hesitation only the calm, resolute kindness of someone who had decided to shoulder everything alone.

Even if the entire world turned into a sea of blood, even if the whole world stood against him, as long as these children still breathed... he would never let pain touch them again. Not even for a second.

Suddenly, a man's voice rang out eerily familiar, the same one he'd heard earlier from the voice-transmitting stone.

"So... you're Ye Lin. Did you enjoy the little gift prepared by the Golden Crow Dynasty?"

The voice was not loud, but every word carried arrogance and a chilling, murderous intent.

Ye Lin slowly turned around, his expression cold and unchanging. In the dim light of the blood-scented underground prison, he saw three men dressed in black standing in a line. Each one radiated the oppressive aura of a Great Emperor.

The sheer pressure weighed heavily on his spirit, as if a mountain had crashed down on his shoulders. The man in the center stepped forward and pulled out a small, pitch-black jar from his sleeve.

"I have a proposition for you," he said, a faint smirk playing at the corner of his lips. "Surrender yourself, and I'll release all the remaining members of the Ye Clan. Well? Doesn't that sound tempting?"

"In this jar... are all of their souls."

His voice was soft, as if he were speaking about something worthless. Ye Lin narrowed his eyes at him. The chill in his gaze from moments ago began to tremble slightly.

He didn't respond right away, only stared intently at the soul jar. From within the soul ring, Duan Lingchen's voice emerged, solemn and grave.

"It's real... I can sense it. The souls of every body you just collected are all in there. But their spirits are tainted by a blood curse. It's a technique that allows one to control the life and death of spirits bound by the same bloodline."

Ye Lin clenched his teeth hard. A violent fury surged from within him like a volcano on the brink of eruption. The veins on his temples throbbed visibly, and heat surged in his eyes as if they were about to explode.

One of the black-robed men standing to the side chuckled softly.

"Enough wasting time. This brat is just an insect, not even close to reaching the Saint Realm."

The man holding the soul jar spoke again in a quiet tone.

"But the Crown Prince wants him alive. Killing him here isn't an option."

Another man asked impatiently, "Then why don't we just capture him outright?"

"Idiotic. Just as brainless as the Crown Prince," the first man replied flatly.

Ye Lin went quiet for a moment before letting out a slow sigh. His voice, low and steady, broke the silence.

"Fine… I agree."

The smile of the man holding the soul jar widened instantly.

"Then what are you waiting for…"

Suddenly, Ye Lin sensed a faint movement around his legs. Before he could react, four thin black needles shot into both of his thighs precise, swift, and utterly silent.

"Ugh…!!"

His eyes widened in shock as his body collapsed to the ground. His limbs lost all strength, as if every last drop of power had been stripped from him in an instant.

His entire body went numb. He couldn't move even a single finger. Mocking laughter echoed around him, but it wasn't from the enemies.

It came from behind him… from the four children he had just saved.

Ye Lin looked up at the small figures he had embraced with such innocence. Now, each of them stood staring down at him with cold, emotionless expressions, eyes glinting with cruel delight.

In their hands, they held long black needles still wet with Ye Lin's blood.

"Why…" he whispered, his voice barely audible.

There was no answer, no sound from the children only those eyes staring at him like he was their sworn enemy.

Ye Lin's gaze trembled again, but this time it wasn't from guilt or regret. It was pain. A deep, soul-crushing pain.

His world shattered once more… by those he had sworn with his heart to protect, even at the cost of his own life.