Chapter 71: The Fall

The Black Moon Centipede fled frantically through the high skies, while the great mage Bai Yuanzhi gazed tensely at the bizarre beast below. Suddenly, he froze.

Zong Ling, Tong San, Qing Shi, Kong Youyue, Ji Rong, Si Chen—they all stood frozen.

Because—

When Xiang Pangyun, transformed into a monstrous beast, had crashed Dongbo Xueying out of the Heifeng Cliff, Dongbo Xueying was involuntarily swept away by the gales, flying toward the vortex of the storm. Suddenly, Dongbo Xueying let out a roar that shook the heavens and earth. He arched his body backward, a short spear suddenly appearing in his right hand. Then, flames erupted violently from his entire body, radiant and dazzling, spreading outward in massive waves, as if blooming into a magnificent lotus of fire.

Dongbo Xueying was like a flame deity.

He hurled the spear—it became a meteor!

One, two, three.

Each spear pierced through the monstrous beast without resistance, striking its vital points and killing it instantly. Its once-powerful wings went limp, and its massive body no longer resisted the wind’s force, instead being drawn into the vortex of the Heifeng storm.

“It’s dead! The beast is dead!” cried Mage Bai Yuanzhi, overjoyed and awestruck.

“Hurry, hurry and save Xueying! Hurry and save him!” Zong Ling, who had faced death many times before, reacted the fastest, knowing there was no time to waste. Qing Shi quickly followed, shouting, “Save my brother quickly! Master, save my brother!”

“Oh!” Bai Yuanzhi immediately snapped to attention.

Whoosh!

He immediately steered the Black Moon Centipede in a sharp arc, then dove downward at half the speed of sound. Although the distance was over a kilometer, it was easy enough to close in.

But Dongbo Xueying had already been drawn into the center of the Heifeng vortex, being dragged downward by the swirling winds.

“It’s too late,” Bai Yuanzhi thought grimly. “Even if we were in time, the Black Moon Centipede wouldn’t dare approach too closely.” He didn’t voice it, but everyone knew—there was no saving Dongbo Xueying now. Still, they had to try their best.

“Is Dongbo Xueying going to die?” Kong Youyue’s heart was a tangle of emotions. She had never imagined Dongbo Xueying could be so powerful—so much so that even after Xiang Pangyun revealed his beast form, he was still slain!

Ji Rong’s eyes, however, gleamed with excitement, a touch of fanaticism in her gaze: “He’s going to die? Good! It’s better that he dies! The only one standing between me and Qing Shi is him. Now that he’s dead, Qing Shi will surely return to me soon! As for the treasures left behind by this peerless warrior… I will definitely get them, and offer them to the great god.”

…

Watching the Black Moon Centipede diving down.

“Little brother,” Dongbo Xueying saw the massive corpse of the four-legged, black-armored beast beside him and had an idea. Instantly, an iron hook and rope appeared in his hand. With a mighty swing—

Whoosh!

How great was his strength? Even within the Heifeng vortex, the hook flew out as a blur, quickly wrapping around the corpse of the four-legged, black-armored beast, looping twice around its neck. This rope had been left behind in the storage ring of that divine messenger, and was extremely durable. With a sudden pull, the massive corpse of the beast began to descend rapidly, while Dongbo Xueying ascended.

Swoosh—he landed instantly on the corpse of the beast.

Standing atop the corpse of the four-legged beast, feeling the raging winds around him, Dongbo Xueying suddenly exerted his legs with all his might! His entire body was bathed in flames!

Boom!

He shot upward like a rocket!

However, the power of the Heifeng vortex was too strong. Dongbo Xueying’s speed plummeted rapidly. Even with the aid of flame energy, he only managed to ascend about fifty meters before beginning to fall again.

…

The Black Moon Centipede dove rapidly, but only flew a few hundred meters toward the vortex before stopping, still far away and unwilling to get closer.

“Get closer!” Qing Shi cried anxiously.

“I can’t get any closer. The wind is too strong. If we go any further, even the Black Moon Centipede won’t be able to withstand it,” Bai Yuanzhi replied. The howling winds here were already straining the Black Moon Centipede. Getting any closer might mean the centipede couldn’t escape the vortex and would be swept away too.

On the centipede’s back, Qing Shi, Zong Ling, and the others watched the distant vortex anxiously.

Whoosh.

In the center of the vortex, the four-legged beast’s corpse suddenly sank, and a figure wreathed in flame shot upward, surrounded by a sea of red flames, desperately weakening the force of the wind.

“Brother!” Qing Shi cried, tears streaming down his face.

“Xueying!” Zong Ling and Tong San shouted urgently too, but they could do nothing to help.

Dongbo Xueying, bathed in flames, raised his head, gazing at Qing Shi, Zong Ling, Tong San, and the others on the Black Moon Centipede high above.

His body was already beginning to fall uncontrollably.

“Qing Shi! Live well, don’t disappoint me!” Dongbo Xueying’s voice was deep and powerful, echoing through the heavens and earth. His greatest concern was still his younger brother, fearing that if he died, Qing Shi might collapse emotionally and fall into despair—a fate he refused to see.

“Hahaha, don’t worry, I, Dongbo Xueying, won’t die so easily.”

“Even if I fall into the Heifeng Abyss, I will survive and return!”

Dongbo Xueying’s voice brimmed with fighting spirit and confidence.

His gaze swept over the others on the centipede’s back, and suddenly he saw Ji Rong. His heart jolted—Ji Rong had been suspected by the Longshan Pavilion of being a follower of a dark god. Now she was on the centipede, trying to get close to his brother?

“Qing Shi, remember this—stay away from Ji Rong! Mage Bai Yuanzhi, tell her to leave Xueshi Mountain tomorrow, and never allow her to step foot here again,” Dongbo Xueying commanded firmly.

Ji Rong on the centipede’s back was stunned.

The elder brother of Qing Shi would give her not even the slightest chance.

“Of course, my lord,” Mage Bai Yuanzhi immediately promised. Faced with such a heroic and remarkable figure, he felt nothing but respect and admiration.

“Haha, thanks,” Dongbo Xueying still sounded triumphant. “When I return from the Heifeng Abyss, we must share a drink together.”

“I shall await your return with honor!” Bai Yuanzhi called out loudly.

As he spoke,

Dongbo Xueying’s body continued to fall, and within the vortex, the flaming figure grew increasingly indistinct, fading into obscurity. As he fell, he looked at his younger brother Qing Shi with a smile.

The wind howled on.

There were no other sounds in the heavens and earth.

The black-robed youth in flames had completely vanished into the depths of the Heifeng vortex, no longer visible.

Qing Shi’s body trembled. He stretched out his hand, as if trying to grasp something… the image of his brother in flames still seemed faintly before his eyes.

“Why… why…?” Qing Shi’s emotions completely shattered.

This pain, he had never experienced before.

It felt as if his very soul had been torn apart!

“Brother!!!” Qing Shi cried out in anguish, “Come back! Come back to me! I’ll listen to you, I promise! I won’t curse you or be angry with you again. Come back, come back!!”

Zong Ling and Tong San embraced Qing Shi on either side, both of them shedding tears as well.

They had spent over twenty years together.

To them, Dongbo Xueying was like their own child—how could they not grieve? Yet they had experienced more deaths and partings, and had not yet collapsed.

“Xueying, rest assured, Tong San and I will take good care of Qing Shi,” Zong Ling silently vowed.

Beside him, Tong San held Qing Shi tightly: “Qing Shi, your brother’s talent is beyond imagination, his strength far beyond what you and I can comprehend. Even if he falls into the Heifeng Abyss, he will surely return alive. He must.”

Mage Bai Yuanzhi and Mage Si Chen beside them both sighed.

They both knew that Dongbo Xueying’s final words—his promise to return—were only meant to give his younger brother hope, to prevent him from doing anything rash.

“What a remarkable man,” Bai Yuanzhi sighed. “At just twenty-two, even after Xiang Pangyun revealed his beast form and unleashed greater power, Dongbo Xueying still managed to slay him! In the end, he even summoned the flames of the heavens and earth… he must have already reached the Realm of All Things!”

“Legend speaks of the Realm of All Things. Across the vast Longshan Empire, including those over a hundred years old, fewer than fifty have ever reached it,” Mage Si Chen also sighed. “Once one reaches the Realm of All Things, they are guaranteed a place among the top fifty. Even my clan’s venerable elders would stand no chance against Dongbo Xueying as he was then. Just like Xiang Pangyun, who, despite a surge in power after revealing his true form, was still slain instantly by a spear.”

“Such strength is enough to slay a pseudo-transcendent!” Mage Bai Yuanzhi exclaimed.

“Such a prodigy, one like him only appears once in a hundred years across the entire Longshan Empire,” Mage Si Chen added, no longer harboring any thoughts of comparison with Dongbo Xueying—only admiration and sorrow.

At twenty-two, mastering the unity of heaven and man—though rare in the Longshan Empire, there were still a dozen or so.

But at twenty-two, reaching the Realm of All Things?

That was a rarity once in two centuries, a true child of destiny.

“Such a peerless figure, just beginning to shine, has already fallen…” Mage Bai Yuanzhi sighed. “What a pity, what a pity.”

“Yes,” Mage Si Chen nodded. “If he had survived, he would almost certainly have become a transcendent being. They fought and chased each other for over a hundred miles, causing such a commotion. The Longshan Pavilion will surely come looking for us soon. Once the news of this battle spreads… Dongbo Xueying would have become truly famous, but alas, it’s already too late.”

“Indeed,” Bai Yuanzhi agreed. Once the news spread, the impact would be unimaginable. Dongbo Xueying, who should have basked in endless glory and possibly risen to the highest echelons of the Longshan Empire, would never get to enjoy that honor.

…

The Heifeng Abyss.

The winds howled, and the deeper one went, the stronger the winds became.

All around Dongbo Xueying were flames. He channeled the power of the heavens and earth into fire, desperately trying to slow his descent. Yet he continued to accelerate.

“Too fast! My speed has already surpassed the speed of sound. If I keep accelerating like this… if I really crash into the bottom of the Heifeng Abyss, I might actually be killed on impact!” Dongbo Xueying thought anxiously. Suddenly, he saw the corpse of the four-legged, black-armored beast below. Larger in size, with two massive wings, its descent was slower than Dongbo Xueying’s because the wings created more resistance. Dongbo Xueying was catching up.

“Hmm?” Dongbo Xueying had an idea. Instantly, flames spread through the heavens and earth, enveloping the corpse of the four-legged beast, desperately trying to slow its fall.

But he himself did not use the flames to resist or slow down—instead, he accelerated!

Whoosh.

Soon, Dongbo Xueying landed on the corpse of the four-legged beast. He quickly sensed a storage bangle hidden within the overlapping scales on the beast’s chest and quickly seized and attuned to it.

Inside the bangle were many treasures, even food, and a thick stack of gold notes, jewels, and coins…

“Nothing useful,” Dongbo Xueying thought, hoping to find something that could help him now. But of course, under normal circumstances, a named warrior would never fall to their death. Whether it was Xiang Pangyun or the divine messenger, none had prepared any tools to help absorb the impact of a fall.

Dongbo Xueying’s gaze fell on the corpse of the four-legged beast.

“This beast’s scales are extremely hard, its body tougher than stone or earth, but it offers little help in reducing impact,” Dongbo Xueying muttered. He flipped his hand, revealing the Feixue Divine Spear. The spearhead was flat and sharp. In a flash, he began cutting off one of the beast’s wings! Without the crimson glow, the wing’s defenses had weakened.

That crimson glow had actually been an anomaly caused by the ancient bloodline of the four-legged beast.

Soon, one entire wing of scales was cut off. It was over ten meters long, wide too, yet surprisingly light, indicating a hollow internal structure.

“Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!”

Dongbo Xueying pierced some of the scales on the wing, allowing his hands to grip the supporting bones.

“Life or death depends on this one move,” Dongbo Xueying thought. He sheathed the Feixue Divine Spear, gripping the pierced holes with both hands, each holding a sturdy bone.

He raised the massive wing.

Whoosh!

Over ten meters long, over five meters wide—the massive wing, once raised, created immense air resistance. Although the surrounding winds continued to pull him downward, at speeds exceeding the speed of sound, the sudden resistance caused Dongbo Xueying’s speed to plummet sharply, and he quickly separated from the corpse of the four-legged beast below.

With both hands holding the massive wing above, surrounded by the flames of the heavens and earth, his speed slowed, but the deeper he fell, the stronger the winds became. His descent speed remained supersonic, and the winds began to swirl, sometimes flipping him over and forcing him to struggle to reposition the wing. He fought desperately, seeking any chance of survival.

“How deep is this Heifeng Abyss? It feels like I’ve already fallen seven or eight thousand meters!” Dongbo Xueying spun and flipped, plummeting rapidly.

“Hmm?” Through the black winds beside him, Dongbo Xueying caught sight of a massive black creature perched on a cliff about two miles away. The vague, shadowy creature looked somewhat like a dragon, but its length exceeded a thousand meters—far surpassing the size of ordinary dragons. The massive black creature’s golden eyes swept over.

Dongbo Xueying felt his soul tremble. The gap was so immense that the creature could kill him with a single breath. In that moment, Dongbo Xueying understood why no one below the transcendent level had ever survived entering the Heifeng Abyss since ancient times.

Whoosh.

His speed was too fast. In an instant, the massive black creature was out of sight, and he continued his fall into the deeper, darker abyss.