Chapter 49: Harvest, Return

In the pitch-black darkness, Yu Jingqiu was experiencing an indescribable sensation at this moment.

First, under the overwhelming pressure of the Divine Envoy, she had already given up and was ready to embrace death. Yet Dongbo Xueying, who had always seemed ordinary and unremarkable, stepped forward and displayed a power so shocking that he directly killed the Divine Envoy in a head-on strike! Just as that happened, Lu Huairu chose to die together with them in a desperate frenzy, and she was once again thrust forward as a shield by Si Borong, plunging her into another near-certain death.

And again, she was saved.

In the darkness, buried beneath countless rubble stones, Yu Jingqiu felt a whirlwind of emotions inside.

“Boom!” A deafening explosion rang out as Dongbo Xueying exerted force with one arm, lifting the massive pile of rubble atop the shield. The stones flew into the air.

“Let’s go.”

Dongbo Xueying immediately wrapped one arm around Yu Jingqiu’s waist, leaping upward instantly. At the same time, the shield struck rapidly like lightning, delivering dozens of blows in an instant, knocking away every falling stone.

Holding the waist of a beautiful female mage with one hand might seem romantic, but in reality, due to Yu Jingqiu’s protective icy armor, the sensation was far from pleasant—hard and icy, offering no comfort at all.

“Thud!” They landed on a nearby pile of rubble, and Dongbo Xueying gently set Yu Jingqiu down.

“Be careful. The entire hall may collapse at any moment, with falling stones or even a secondary collapse. Under no circumstances should you remove your icy armor,” Dongbo Xueying warned, his gaze scanning the surroundings. Many parts of the chamber had completely collapsed, with pillars and walls from the first and second floors of the inner fortress falling, supporting the stone slabs above.

The supporting pillars and walls were either tilted or already fallen, with occasional stones still tumbling down.

These falling stones posed no threat to powerful knights, but for physically fragile mages, they were deadly hazards. Therefore, protective spells needed to be maintained constantly.

“Mm,” Yu Jingqiu nodded.

“You…”

Before she could finish, Dongbo Xueying had already darted away with a “swoosh,” reaching a distant area. His spear quickly flung aside stones, sending them flying as he searched for the corpses.

But such an explosion had completely shattered even the Divine Envoy’s body. After all, the explosion’s power was enough to kill a Silver Moon Knight. Without protective auras, whether it was Tang Xiong, the Divine Envoy, or Lu Huairu, their bodies were completely disintegrated and unrecognizable. Similarly, Si Borong’s corpse was no longer intact.

“I’ve found their remains. Let’s go,” Dongbo Xueying returned to Yu Jingqiu’s side.

“Okay,” Yu Jingqiu nodded, walking side by side with Dongbo Xueying toward the exit. By now, the hall’s walls had exploded, even the upper levels had collapsed, making it easy to walk out.

Even if there were no paths, Dongbo Xueying, a champion-level warrior, could carve one through.

“Dongbo Xueying, thank you,” Yu Jingqiu’s voice was filled with gratitude. “Thank you for saving my life. Without you, I would have died.”

Under such circumstances, it would have been perfectly understandable if Dongbo Xueying had not saved her.

“It’s nothing. A small matter for me, but life-or-death for you,” Dongbo Xueying replied, his eyes flashing with a hint of coldness. “I just didn’t expect Si Borong to be so despicable.”

A knight grabbing a mage as a shield?

Dongbo Xueying had seen it all now.

“Neither did I expect him to do that,” Yu Jingqiu’s resentment toward Si Borong faded, as he was already dead. “Dongbo Xueying, don’t worry. I won’t speak of what happened with Si Borong. I won’t reveal anything that occurred inside.”

Yu Jingqiu felt that since Dongbo Xueying had kept his strength hidden until a crucial moment, there was no need for her to expose it.

Dongbo Xueying smiled slightly at her.

“Oh! Your leg is bleeding,” Yu Jingqiu suddenly noticed blood on Dongbo Xueying’s leg, from the earlier explosion.

“Haha, it stopped bleeding long ago. The blood has dried. Just a minor injury,” Dongbo Xueying said. As his body grew stronger, his recovery abilities became increasingly astounding. That slight flesh wound had completely healed, leaving no scar on his skin.

They walked side by side.

The man in black, the woman in green robes, fully encased in icy armor.

“It’s Liang Yong,” they saw Liang Yong’s corpse after walking for a while. The inner fortress, after all, covered an area of a mile or two. The explosion had only destroyed the underground palace, partially collapsing the first and second floors. The inner fortress as a whole still retained its general shape—at least this corridor where Liang Yong lay was relatively intact.

“At least he kept his body intact,” Dongbo Xueying remarked.

…

The two quickly exited the inner fortress. The entire Lu family fortress was completely frozen, and the servants and soldiers had long since fled.

Dongbo Xueying and Yu Jingqiu looked up at the sky. Though it was pitch-black, Dongbo Xueying’s terrifying vision clearly spotted the flying vessel hundreds of meters above.

“Come down,” Dongbo Xueying shouted loudly, his voice echoing through the silent night.

Whoosh—

The silver flying vessel, which had been monitoring from high above, quickly descended, landing on the open ground in front of Dongbo Xueying and Yu Jingqiu.

“Just the two of you?” Two members of Longshan Pavilion stepped out. “Where are the others? Where is Si Borong?”

“They’re all dead,” Dongbo Xueying said, taking out three storage artifacts. “This armlet belongs to Liang Yong, this bracer to Si Borong, and this ring to Tang Xiong. Please deliver these to their families.”

“All dead? What happened? They’re all dead?” The two from Longshan Pavilion were astonished. One of the knights accepted the three storage artifacts. It was common for those who perished in Longshan Pavilion missions to have their remains returned to their families, a tradition that had formed over many years. Of course, whether the artifacts remained intact or were taken by comrades along the way was another matter entirely.

The knight glanced at Dongbo Xueying but said nothing.

Without evidence, even if some treasures like gold notes were taken, there was nothing he could do.

In reality—

Dongbo Xueying had taken nothing from the three. In fact, he had found Liang Yong’s armlet inside Si Borong’s storage artifact! Without Dongbo Xueying, Liang Yong’s treasures might have been pocketed by Si Borong.

“I thought Si Borong would have a lot of treasures, but he was pretty poor,” Dongbo Xueying mused inwardly. He had examined all the storage artifacts, so he knew well. Si Borong’s wealth didn’t even match Tang Xiong’s! Obviously, the wealthy Si Clan had strict control over finances, and such a risk-averse, spoiled young master had limited resources.

Though he dressed extravagantly, his pockets were empty—far inferior to someone like Tang Xiong, who rose through his own strength and repeatedly faced life-and-death situations.

Of course, the combined treasures of the three didn’t even amount to a fraction of the Divine Envoy’s!

“That Divine Envoy was truly wealthy,” Dongbo Xueying thought with amazement.

He had no idea about the Divine Envoy’s rise to power, including how he had even killed a rival champion-level warrior through underhanded means, which earned him two large storage rings with vast space.

“I used to be so tight on gold coins, but now I must be among the top ten richest in Qinghe County,” Dongbo Xueying mused inwardly. “Perhaps only other champions could rival me. Yeah, when I return, I’ll buy my younger brother some life-saving mage artifacts and some powerful spell scrolls.”

Spell scrolls could instantly channel the power of the heavens to unleash powerful spells, but they required a mage’s guidance. Thus, knights couldn’t use spell scrolls.

Of course… before champions, who were in harmony with the heavens and could wield its power, spell scrolls couldn’t even summon a trace of heavenly force, making them useless.

“I should also reinforce my Xueshi Castle and get a good staff for that girl Youyue,” Dongbo Xueying thought. He had never been so wealthy in all his years. Now, with all the treasures accumulated by a long-living Divine Envoy, he was richer than many ordinary champion families.

“Lu Huairu caused the entire underground hall to explode, trying to take us all with him. You can go check if you don’t believe me,” Yu Jingqiu didn’t elaborate further.

“Qu Tai City’s Longshan Pavilion will take over here soon. We’ll send you two back to the county city now.”

“Okay.”

Dongbo Xueying and Yu Jingqiu nodded, stepping onto the flying vessel.

On the vessel, Yu Jingqiu finally released her icy armor. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at Dongbo Xueying, who was sitting cross-legged beside her.

“Dongbo Xueying, when we reach the county city, you’ll head back?”

“Yes,” Dongbo Xueying nodded.

“Where do you live in Qinghe County?” Yu Jingqiu asked curiously.

“Xueying Domain in Yishui City. I’d be delighted to welcome Mage Jingqiu to my small domain,” Dongbo Xueying smiled.

“Yishui City?”

Yu Jingqiu nodded slightly.

Outside the vessel, the night sky was pitch-black, with not a trace of moonlight. The vessel flew at high speed, and the wind’s faint whistle could be heard. Yu Jingqiu’s heart was in turmoil. Gradually, she closed her eyes, calming herself. The events of this day would remain etched in her memory forever.