Then—he saw a body running forward wearing his clothes, but without a head.
'Shit… I'm dead.'
The thought appeared instantly, almost instinctively.
Yet… he felt that something was wrong as seconds passed as his consciousness wasn't fading and he wasn't feeling any loss of awareness.
'Wait…'
His thoughts trembled.
'I'm… still alive somehow?'
Tap… Tap…
Footsteps echoed softly against the ground, as they felt coming closer to him.
Yu Ming's field of vision was limited, disoriented, yet he could clearly hear the sound drawing closer.
'Someone is here…The one who attacked me…?'
Suddenly—a sharp force gripped his hair and pain shot through him as his head was yanked upward.
His vision stabilized and then—he saw that the Order Douluo Julia, face to face
Her expression was calm, almost indifferent, as if what she had just done was nothing out of the ordinary.
Yu Ming's pupils shrank violently, but he did not admire her beautiful face like he does usually after meeting beautiful woman but shouted in shock.
"How… how could it be you?!"
He had seen her before—from a distance. At that time, Eros God had already judged her as someone most likely the orthodox inheritor tied to the Angel lineage worshipped by Spirit Hall.
Because of that…he had deliberately avoided her. He had not targeted her like other woman till now because this may only bring out that old fossil Qian Daoliu to fight him. He did not want fight the one who had the Title Peerless before reaching level 99 himself.
In his plans, Julia was never meant to be an obstacle.She should have been occupied—entangled with Chen Dao, kept away from his path entirely.
'That was the plan…'
Julia's lips curved into a faint smirk as she looked at him.
"It seems… you are very surprised."
Her tone carried a trace of amusement, as she held the severed head of a man.
Julia slowly released her Martial Soul—Radiant Sword. Without haste, she began to walk forward, her steps steady and unhurried, while Yu Ming's head dangled in her grasp.
As she moved, she spoke again, her voice calm.
"Let's begin with your first doubt… why you are still alive."
She tilted her head slightly, as if considering how best to explain something so simple.
"For someone who holds authority over dreams and memories… preserving a fragment of consciousness within a severed head is not difficult."
Her words were light, but the implication behind them was suffocating. Then, her gaze shifted slightly—
"HER gaze has been on you for a long time."
"Did you really think you would be granted an easy death?"
Yu Ming's mind trembled in confusion and fear. Before he could even process her words, Julia continued, her tone turning colder.
"She is merciful… to all...Even to you… Reincarnators."
The word landed heavily, shocking Yu Ming
"Otherwise," she added indifferently, "you would have all died years ago."
Her eyes flickered with a faint, dangerous light.
"But one of you… has been jumping around far too much."
Yu Ming's heart pounded wildly. Despite the fear clawing at his mind, he forced himself to speak, clinging to the only protection he believed he had.
"I—I am the inheritor of the Eros God!"
His voice rose, laced with desperation.
"You cannot kill me like this! He serves under the Asura God—the Divine Realm will not let you off—!"
Before he could finish—Julia had a burst of unrestrained laughter.
"Ha… ha… ha…!"
Then, abruptly, the laughter stopped.
She raised his head, bringing it directly in front of her face.
Her purple eyes seemed deeper now— "Gods… Mortals…"
Her voice softened, but it carried an indescribable weight.
"All of them… are merely dancing in the palm of HER hands. Do you know anything about HER "
A chill ran through Yu Ming's entire being, Something—buried instinct—screamed at him as a realization surfaced slowly.
His lips trembled as he forced out a name, each syllable dragging like a weight.
"Q… i… a… n… R… e… n… x… u… e…"
The moment the name left his mouth—something changed as the air froze.
Julia's purple pupils started to divide into many more… to Yu Ming it was far more terrifying.
She lifted a finger and placed it gently before her lips.
"Shhh…"
The sound was soft.
Then she spoke, this time, her voice no longer felt like her own.
Instead it was as if multiple existences were speaking at once.
"Do not utter that name so carelessly."
Yu Ming's pupils shrank to pinpoints.
His mind began to collapse under an invisible pressure.
"It seems…"
A faint smile appeared on her lips.
"…you do not understand that names carry power."
Her eyes locked onto his.
And in that moment—he felt as if something vast… something incomprehensible… was staring directly at him through her.
"Especially...My name."
Yu Ming's vision went white. Foam gathered at the corner of his lips as his eyes rolled back—and he fainted.
-------
Julia walked steadily through the forest until she reached a secluded clearing hidden deep between ancient trees. The place was unnaturally quiet, as if even the wind avoided disturbing it.
At the center of the clearing stood an altar, that she had prepared earlier
Julia stepped forward without hesitation.
She placed three candles upon the altar and lit them one by one. The small flames flickered gently, casting soft, wavering shadows across her face. Then, she set Yu Ming's severed head at the center.
At the base of the altar,Campanula, Yellow roses and Jasmine flowers had already been arranged
Their colors intertwined in quiet harmony, and their fragrance rose slowly into the air, forming a faint, drifting mist that seemed almost alive.
Julia stood still for a moment, then she closed her eyes.