Chapter 196: Patience is Possible

Night descended upon Yishui City.

On the second floor of a tranquil and elegant tavern, Dongbo Xueying and Yu Jingqiu sat together, sharing a quiet dinner. This upper floor was not illuminated by fire-crystal lamps, but instead adorned with numerous lanterns. Their soft, diffused glow—some red, some purple, some blue—cast a dreamlike atmosphere across the entire floor.

Many couples, men and women, were seated in pairs all around.

The appearances of Dongbo Xueying and Yu Jingqiu had undergone slight alterations. With just a subtle adjustment to the contours of their faces, they were unrecognizable to strangers.

Back in their usual life at Xueshi Castle, they occasionally visited Yishui City to enjoy some private time together.

“How lively it is,” Yu Jingqiu murmured, resting her chin on her hand as she gazed down at the bustling street below. The streets teemed with pedestrians, and the air was filled with merchants calling out to customers, chatter, and laughter. Lavish carriages rolled by, escorted by armored cavalry guards—clearly belonging to wealthy merchants or noble families. Although many aristocrats and affluent traders had moved toward the provincial capital, land there was scarce and expensive. Even great noble families could only afford small courtyards, housing only their core family members. The rest of their clans still resided in their ancestral domains, while many retainers remained behind to manage their businesses and affairs.

Thus, even the smaller cities remained quite lively.

Demons, though numerous from the perspective of the Transcendents, were still rare in the broader context of the Xia Clan’s world. Under relentless pursuit by the Xia Clan’s Transcendents, demons were forced into hiding, with only the fifth-stage demons repeatedly manifesting their magical avatars to launch attacks.

The lives of mortals remained relatively peaceful.

“Of course it’s lively. Although Yishui is a small city, it still holds a population of a million,” Dongbo Xueying smiled.

“Look over there, at the flower boats on the river bridge. There are quite a few people aboard,” Yu Jingqiu remarked. “There seem to be many wealthy merchants and nobles in Yishui.”

“Being able to indulge in pleasures is also a kind of blessing.”

Dongbo Xueying gazed at the scene with a faint smile.

Mortal life was peaceful. The nobles and wealthy merchants indulged themselves in luxury, while commoners toiled to earn a living. Many diligently cultivated their powers, while others ventured out as adventurers.

This was the life of the Xia Clan’s mortals—the very existence Dongbo Xueying and other Transcendents were sworn to protect.

If they fell…

Countless mortals would be captured and bred by demons, their souls devoured en masse, turning their lives into a nightmare of walking death.

Suddenly—

At the same time, both Dongbo Xueying and Yu Jingqiu received a message through their communication rings from the Xinhuo Palace.

“It actually failed?” Yu Jingqiu’s expression abruptly changed.

“It failed again. No miracle appeared after all,” Dongbo Xueying shook his head. “Now we have a real problem.”

The Xinhuo Palace had just sent out an urgent notice—elite demons had infiltrated a small Transcendent world, and despite the Xia Clan’s attempt to counterattack, they had failed once more. All Transcendents must now remain vigilant.

When the deaths of Transcendents began occurring one after another, everyone had already suspected that this worst-case scenario had come to pass. Historical records had long warned of such invasions—when demons seized control of small Transcendent worlds, it had always been a persistent and unsolvable threat to the Xia Clan.

“The small world can only be entered by Transcendents at the Saint level or higher,” Yu Jingqiu shook her head. “Historically, demons always send in elites, and they always set up magical arrays. The chances of breaking through them are extremely low.”

“Yes,” Dongbo Xueying nodded. “Elites. Below the Half-God level, demons have far too great an advantage.”

According to intelligence reports on demons:

Fifth-stage demons had already been confirmed to number twenty-nine! The weakest among them were at least comparable to the top ten of the Saint Ranks, and at least three of them were confirmed to be stronger than even the number one ranked Saint. However, due to the lack of precise intelligence, only rough estimates could be made. These details were mainly obtained through interrogations and soul-searching of captured demons.

The strongest among them, known as “Gier Luo,” was a fifth-stage demon who had been confirmed to have mastered two third-tier true meanings, one of which had already reached the “Second Layer.”

Even with complete true meanings, their power continued to grow gradually.

As their cultivation advanced to the peak, they could refine their “Original Divine Heart.”

Gier Luo was the strongest fifth-stage demon known so far—at least in the minds of captured demons. His power even surpassed that of Chi Qiubai during his Saint-level days!

Besides Gier Luo, others like “Biya” and “Wulang” were confirmed to have mastered third-tier true meanings.

Wulang, who mastered the Spatial Shattering True Meaning, was under the command of General Yanze. Hence, Dongbo Xueying, Chi Qiubai, and others strongly suspected that it was likely Wulang who had killed Cheng Lingshu in the past.

“Demons are different from us,” Yu Jingqiu said. “It’s said that their numbers are countless, and from birth, they fight for survival. They grow stronger through battle, and the weak are either killed or trampled at the very bottom.”

Third-stage, fourth-stage, and fifth-stage demons generally possessed magical power equivalent to that of a Saint Peak-level Transcendent.

Like human Transcendents, their Mana (battle qi) might reach the Saint Peak level, but their actual strength varied.

Demons were classified into three stages—third, fourth, and fifth. Those who reached the fifth stage were already among the elite, standing above countless others.

…

The failed assault, combined with the demons’ overwhelming strength, filled Dongbo Xueying with a sense of urgency. Before he mastered a complete second-tier true meaning, he could only watch helplessly. His heart ached, but he had to endure.

“Xueying,” suddenly came a message through his communication ring.

“Master Chen,” Dongbo Xueying responded.

“You’ve already received the news, but you must understand… the more dire the situation, the more you must restrain yourself,” Master Chen transmitted. “Their invasion of the small Transcendent world is our greatest challenge, nearly impossible to break. But our era is different because of you. You have grasped the Prototype (nascent form) of a second-tier true meaning—one with immense offensive power!”

“Once you fully master this true meaning, its offensive might may not yet rival the top ten Half-Gods, but it will be comparable to Palace Yu and others,” Master Chen continued. “At that point, you will be able to launch a direct frontal assault, without even entering the array’s range. Your power is boundless and endless. You can overwhelm the array with sheer force, depleting its energy and shattering it head-on!”

“I understand,” Dongbo Xueying replied.

Second-tier true meanings were indeed powerful.

However, his Mana (battle qi) cultivation was still too weak. Take Chi Qiubai, for example—after ascending to the Half-God level, his power surged with Half-God Mana, and now wielding a divine artifact, his strength had increased even further. Thus, Mana and weaponry remained crucial factors.

Relying solely on a second-tier true meaning, he would only be slightly stronger than Palace Yu and others—enough to rival some experienced Half-Gods.

“The news of your mastery of the Prototype of a second-tier true meaning is still being kept secret. You are our greatest hidden asset! Originally, I had hoped to keep it concealed even after you fully mastered the second-tier true meaning, but we have no choice now… They have already occupied five small Transcendent worlds. It’s like five knives plunged into our Xia Clan’s heart, and only you can pull them out!”

“Hmm,” Dongbo Xueying simply replied.

Yes.

Once his strength was sufficient, he would naturally eliminate them!

“I contacted you this time to remind you—remain patient! I fear you might do something reckless at a critical moment,” Master Chen urged, his concern evident.

“Don’t worry. I know what’s at stake,” Dongbo Xueying replied.

“You grasped the Prototype of the true meaning back in Chiyun Mountain. I estimate that within about ten years, you will fully master the complete true meaning. Ten years is nothing compared to a thousand-year war against demons—we can wait! We can endure the losses of our Transcendents over the next decade.”

…

Days turned into months, and months into years.

The war between the Xia Clan’s Transcendents and the demons continued relentlessly!

The Xia Clan maintained an extensive intelligence network across the land, monitoring all developments. As time passed, the demons found it increasingly difficult to restrain themselves. With countless humans right before their eyes, they could barely contain their hunger. Thus, the lower-tier first and second-stage demons began secretly striking.

With the aid of their intelligence network and the patrols of Transcendents, the Xia Clan began discovering and capturing demons one by one. The Half-Gods also launched operations across the land, capturing demons alive.

Yet, human Transcendents were occasionally discovered by demons, and immediately, fifth-stage demon avatars would descend upon them, leading to the deaths of many human Transcendents.

Although, in terms of the ratio of losses, more demons were killed or captured! The Xia Clan’s Transcendents were simply too few in number. Each loss was a heavy blow to their forces, causing great sorrow.