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"Wait a minute, you said opening that so-called 'Crystal Wall' would cause the collapse of all planes?" Chen Xuanfeng suddenly interrupted Demon Dragon King Barto's lengthy speech, frowning as he asked, "And yet you still want to try it again? Never mind whether the gods would directly eliminate you—do you really think I would help you destroy the world?"

Barto countered, "If the world would collapse because of it, then how did you reincarnate here in the first place?"

"Uh..." Chen Xuanfeng was momentarily stunned, realizing that if all the planes of this world truly would collapse due to a breach in the "Crystal Wall," then how had he managed to enter?

"This is precisely why I must make this deal with you. Although the goblin warlocks failed, in their final research, they also discovered the path to success," Barto continued. "In truth, the 'Crystal Wall,' as a barrier capable of restraining the 'Stellar Void Sea,' is far more resilient than imagined. At the very least, the combined assault of all the false gods back then didn’t even come close to testing its limits. Thus, forcing one's way through the Crystal Wall is entirely unfeasible. However, they proposed another hypothesis: due to repeated alterations of the world's rules, the laws of this prime material plane are no longer flawless. Though it remains unbreakable from within, perhaps the 'Crystal Wall' cannot entirely block certain external matter or energy from entering. In fact, the goblin warlocks first discovered—or rather, deduced—the existence of a universe beyond this world by studying starlight. Their research concluded that the starlight we observe does not originate from the Astral Plane but from somewhere far more distant. If starlight can penetrate the 'Crystal Wall,' then why couldn’t other things traverse time and space as well?"

"Of course, for the goblin warlocks of that era, this was merely conjecture. But now, things are different—because I’ve met you," Demon Dragon King Barto said with a tone of relief. "When I first broke free from my seal and saw you, I didn’t notice anything unusual. But when you used that sword to absorb my 'Soul-Devouring Blade,' it drew my attention. By the rules of this world’s combat energy and magic, there should have been no way to accomplish such a feat. So when I focused on you, I finally discovered your uniqueness."

Chen Xuanfeng sneered. "So what? Getting in doesn’t mean getting out. That changes nothing."

"No, no, you must understand one thing: solving all problems isn’t something that can be done in a single step, especially for an issue that even the gods have failed to resolve for millennia. Every step forward we take is a historic breakthrough," Demon Dragon King Barto shook his head. "And this problem isn’t as insurmountable as you think. Your very existence proves that there is a flaw in this space through which a soul can pass. That alone is enough. The remaining issues are merely how to locate this flaw, how to traverse it in reverse, how to ensure you don’t lose yourself in the vastness beyond, and how to find a safe means of survival in a new world. Of course, for you, there’s also the matter of locating the temporal and spatial coordinates of your homeland. After all, temporal flow in an isolated dimension isn't synchronized with the outside world. In other words, if you truly master the laws of time and space, you could set your return to the moment after your death—or a thousand years later. But these are technicalities. Compared to the complete uncertainty of having no starting point, the path ahead is already bathed in sunlight."

"You’re saying only souls can pass through the Crystal Wall?" Chen Xuanfeng noted the unemphasized detail.

Demon Dragon King Barto nodded. "Of course. However you came in, I can only leave the same way. In fact, I suspect that if the flaw weren’t limited to souls, the breach in the Crystal Wall would have already destroyed this entire world. But don’t worry too much. I imagine that while you wish to return home, you might not be willing to abandon everything in this world, either. The goblins’ archives contain many secret techniques to address such issues—like allowing a fragment of your soul to carry consciousness, akin to a deity’s avatar manifesting in a distant place, or summoning a specific soul to your side. In short, once the critical step is resolved, the rest is merely a matter of time. And you, having already reached Sainthood and brushed against the edges of divine laws, have plenty of time to spare. There’s no need to fret over the details."

Chen Xuanfeng nodded, acknowledging the truth in Barto’s words. No matter how great the obstacles ahead, they could be overcome as long as progress continued. The real trouble was when there was no goal or direction to strive for. Still, this didn’t mean he had agreed to the deal. He pressed on, "Then what exactly do you want from me? Don’t tell me you plan to take my soul for study."

"If simply taking your soul would suffice, I wouldn’t have bothered negotiating with you. I am, after all, a Demon Dragon King," Barto replied with a wry smile. "The key isn’t your soul—it’s your memories."

"Memories?" Chen Xuanfeng was taken aback.

"Correct. But not your current memories—the _soul memories_ of traversing the 'Crystal Wall.'"

"You mean the memories from the time between my 'death' and my 'rebirth,' when I was purely a soul?"

"Exactly. Though you have no recollection now, based on my research into souls, I can confirm that 'soul memories' do exist. Under certain conditions, you can examine your own soul and retrieve those memories," Barto affirmed. "But only you can uncover them. If I forcibly took your soul, or if you died again, the old soul memories would be overwritten by new ones, and we’d lose our chance forever."

"So that’s why you helped me avoid being obliterated by Saint-level power earlier?"

"Precisely. Fortunately, I was already free and sensed the dimensional rift when you sent the son of the Demon Dragon King back to the demon realm, or you truly would have perished. In fact, when Leinster achieved Sainthood mid-battle, he only survived because of my aid. Though it seems he kept my involvement a secret, leaving no warning about the lethal risks."