Dongbo Xueying looked deeply into his wife’s eyes. “The war has ended, and all is finally at peace. Now we can truly rest. Take care of yourself—I’ll never leave your side. My mastery over the Divine Heart of the Void Realm will prove invaluable in refining the ‘World Core.’ Soon, I shall fully assimilate the Xia Clan’s realm and ascend as its sovereign. Then, no force in this mortal world shall ever threaten our clan again.” He chuckled warmly. “At last, I can devote myself wholly to you. We’ll have eternity to raise the child you’ve always longed for.”
(Note: “安心陪” was contextually expanded to “devote myself wholly to you” for natural flow, while preserving the original sentiment of undivided attention and care.)
“A child?” Yu Jingqiu’s eyes glimmered with a hint of anticipation.
“Xueying,” her gaze softened, looking at Dongbo Xueying, “During the war, I was so afraid—afraid I wouldn’t be strong enough to save you.”
“But you were strong—you saved me. You are the great hero of the Xia Clan, and my savior,” Dongbo Xueying smiled.
“Even if I hadn’t made it, eventually you would ascend to godhood. Even if the war seemed hopeless, you could still transcend to the Divine Realm through the natural repulsion of the Material World,” Yu Jingqiu said. “I can’t really be called your savior. It’s just that if you had gone to the Divine Realm, we would never see each other again. The thought of being separated forever kept me going.”
“Well then, we’ve won,” Dongbo Xueying said gently, his heart aching for his wife.
“It’s strange though,” Yu Jingqiu shook her head. “My soul was damaged, and though the pain was intense, my mind became increasingly clear. My ability to comprehend formations improved more and more, allowing me to conserve more and more divine crystals. Was it because I longed so deeply that I transcended the pain?”
“Maybe,” Dongbo Xueying replied quickly. “You should rest. Your soul needs time to heal.”
“Yes… Before, I was so immersed in controlling the formation that I didn’t realize how tired I was. Now that I’ve stopped, I feel utterly exhausted,” Yu Jingqiu looked at Dongbo Xueying. “I’ll rest a bit first. When I wake up, I’ll join you at the victory banquet.”
“Alright,” Dongbo Xueying nodded.
Yu Jingqiu smiled, but almost immediately, an overwhelming fatigue overtook her. Her eyelids drooped, and her consciousness plunged into infinite darkness.
“She fell asleep the moment she said she would,” Dongbo Xueying murmured, embracing his wife. A bed materialized out of thin air beside them, and Dongbo Xueying carefully laid her down.
“Rest well.”
He knew that sleep was the best way to recover. Jingqiu’s soul injuries were likely severe. Fortunately, as a demigod, she could endure it. Still, she would probably need to sleep often from now on.
“I should go take care of some matters first,” Dongbo Xueying turned to leave, but suddenly his expression changed.
His eyes could perceive countless rays of light and shifts in temperature, and his ears were extremely sensitive.
At this moment, he clearly sensed that Yu Jingqiu’s breath on the bed was rapidly fading—this was not normal.
“What’s going on?” Dongbo Xueying rushed to her side and immediately sent a thread of his soul energy into her body, entering her consciousness.
Her consciousness offered no resistance.
There—
A hazy soul projection appeared, resembling Jingqiu, but with her eyes closed. Her soul form was already becoming insubstantial, and fragments of her soul energy were continuously dissipating at an alarming rate.
“How could this happen?” Dongbo Xueying was stunned.
Normally, after resting, a soul should gradually recover. But his wife’s soul was not only failing to heal—it was disintegrating? Her soul was so weak it seemed like it could vanish at any moment. How could a demigod mage’s soul be so fragile?
“This is bad.”
Without hesitation, Dongbo Xueying scooped up his wife and immediately flew out of the Star Tower.
“Palace Master Chen, Jingqiu is gravely injured. I’m taking her to Redstone Mountain. Please handle the rest,” Dongbo Xueying transmitted mentally.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
After mastering the Penetration to the Extreme Divine Heart, Dongbo Xueying’s ability to traverse distances had greatly increased. With each spatial leap, he could cover ten thousand miles. In just a few leaps, Dongbo Xueying had arrived at Redstone Mountain, deep beneath the earth, ten thousand miles down. Though it appeared small at first glance, upon closer inspection, it seemed infinitely vast.
Surrounding it was a void of darkness, seemingly only a meter in diameter at first glance.
Dongbo Xueying quickly entered this dark void with his wife in his arms, their bodies rapidly shrinking.
“Senior Redstone, let us in,” Dongbo Xueying called out. This dark void was already within the domain of Redstone Mountain’s laws.
Buzz!
In an instant, Dongbo Xueying and his wife vanished, transported into the depths of Redstone Mountain.
…
Back at the Star Tower, Palace Master Chen, Mountain Master He, and others were filled with joy, already sending messages to begin handling the battlefield. Though the fortresses left by the War God and the Great Demon God, as well as the remnants of the Gandharva Holy Flower, were all in ruins, some still held value as treasures. The Xia Clan’s transcendents in the Xia Capital were also celebrating the victory.
Many transcendents were already on their way.
Suddenly, Palace Master Chen received a transmission: “Palace Master Chen, Jingqiu is gravely injured. I’m taking her to Redstone Mountain. Please handle the rest.”
This shocked Palace Master Chen.
“Jingqiu the Mage is gravely injured?” he gasped.
“What happened?” Mountain Master He, Sikong Yang, and Chao Qing looked at him in alarm.
“She must have suffered severe soul damage while controlling the formation. Xueying has already taken her to Redstone Mountain,” Palace Master Chen said anxiously. “Xueying saved the Xia Clan. We must find a way to heal Jingqiu’s injuries. I—I will go find Emperor Zi Lei immediately. He is the best at healing, and he is within the Blood Blade Divine Court. There must be a way.”
“Yes, we must do everything we can to save Mage Jingqiu,” Sikong Yang nodded.
This was a great victory for the Xia Clan, a cause for celebration. Dongbo Xueying had essentially saved the entire clan, so of course they had to do everything in their power.
Besides, the news of victory should have been reported to the Xia Clan’s ancestral deities anyway. This was the perfect opportunity to ask Emperor Zi Lei for help.
…
At Redstone Mountain, on Hongchen Island,
Dongbo Xueying arrived with his wife in his arms. Beside them stood Senior Redstone and Senior Xiwei. In a flash, two figures descended from the sky—his second senior brother, Ge Bai, and his seventh senior brother, He Feiyun.
“Senior Redstone, Senior Xiwei, senior brothers, my wife’s soul has suffered grave damage,” Dongbo Xueying began, but Senior Redstone, the artifact spirit, frowned and immediately slowed the flow of time around Yu Jingqiu’s body to an extreme degree.
“Put her down first,” Redstone urged, waving his hand to summon a reclining chair.
Dongbo Xueying quickly laid his wife down.
Senior Redstone, Senior Xiwei, the robed youth Ge Bai, and the crimson-cloaked youth He Feiyun all stood around, frowning deeply.
“How could this happen?” Senior Xiwei, the green-haired woman, furrowed her brow. “Little Dongbo, how did your wife’s soul become so severely damaged? The last time I saw her, her soul was perfectly normal, even strong for a demigod mage. Now, it’s less than a tenth of what it was before. Her entire soul is on the verge of collapse.”
“What?” Dongbo Xueying was shocked. “Less than a tenth? I thought she was weakened from controlling the Star Tower for nearly six years. I assumed she would fall unconscious when her injuries became too severe, but how could it have gotten this bad?”
The crimson-cloaked youth nodded. “A demigod mage usually falls unconscious once their soul damage reaches half its strength. For your wife to remain conscious until her injuries became this severe is extraordinary.”
“She said she was tired and wanted to sleep, so she did,” Dongbo Xueying added.
“This is the soul we’re talking about—the very essence of life,” the robed youth Ge Bai said. “Once the damage becomes too severe, one can’t even remain conscious and will naturally fall into unconsciousness as a form of self-protection. Your wife must have an incredibly strong will to have resisted this self-protective instinct until the very end… Her willpower is beyond my expectations.”
“She did it to save me. I was trapped,” Dongbo Xueying clenched his teeth.
“Sometimes, emotional strength can create miracles,” Ge Bai shook his head. “But now, her soul is so weak that it can no longer heal on its own. It’s so fragile that it’s continuously dissipating.”
Dongbo Xueying understood how dangerous this was. Soul dissipation was something no transcendental being could solve, which was why he had immediately brought his wife to Redstone Mountain, seeking help from his seniors and brothers.
“Senior Ge Bai, Senior He Feiyun, Senior Xiwei, Senior Redstone, please, think of a way to save her,” Dongbo Xueying pleaded desperately.
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