The Dongbo Imperial Manor was vast and sprawling. Dongbo Lie, Mo Yangyu, Dongbo Qingshi, Zong Ling, and Tong San now all resided here, as they had surpassed the ten-thousand-year limit for deities to remain in the Xia Clan’s world. A small section of the manor had been allocated to them, with their dwellings placed close together.
*Whoosh, whoosh.* Dongbo Xueying and Yu Jingqiu descended from the void, arriving at his parents’ residence.
“Brother, sister-in-law, we’ve been waiting for you,” Dongbo Qingshi called out brightly from the doorway, his eyes lighting up at their arrival.
“Qingshi,” Dongbo Xueying smiled.
Both he and his brother had lived for so long, yet the memories of their childhood remained vivid—the little brat who drooled on his chest while napping, the days they relied on each other as youths. Those moments were unforgettable.
“Come on,” Xueying said, throwing an arm around his brother’s shoulders. “Today, you’re drinking with me.”
“Of course,” Qingshi grinned, radiant.
The brothers walked shoulder-to-shoulder into the house, Jingqiu following behind with a soft smile. She knew exactly what this day meant to her husband.
There were no servants around.
If any had witnessed the mighty Dominator acting so casually, they would have been stunned.
—
Inside the house.
The burly lion-headed ‘lion-man’ Uncle Tong San, the six-armed ‘serpent-man’ Zong Ling with his snake tail, the elegant and still-beautiful Mo Yangyu in her violet robes, and the boisterously laughing Dongbo Lie were deep in conversation. Sensing movement, they turned toward the door and saw Xueying and Qingshi enter together.
“Ah, Xueying’s here!” Uncle Tong boomed in his loud voice.
“We’ve been waiting for you,” Zong Ling added with a smile.
“Come, come, everyone take your seats,” Dongbo Lie urged, while Mo Yangyu moved to arrange the chairs.
Xueying glanced around—the room’s layout closely resembled their ancestral home, Snowrock Castle. The long dining table was surrounded by chairs, a setup he hadn’t experienced in ages, given his ever-growing power.
“Sit, sit!” Dongbo Lie called.
“Xueying, Jingqiu, you two here,” Mo Yangyu directed, ushering them.
Soon, everyone was seated.
Xueying and Jingqiu sat side by side, with Uncle Zong and Uncle Tong to his left, while Dongbo Lie and Mo Yangyu sat across from them.
Opposite Xueying was his brother, Qingshi.
No one took the head seat.
Traditionally, Dongbo Lie would have occupied it, but this time, he chose to sit beside his wife instead.
“Today’s feast was prepared by me and A-Yu. Let’s raise our cups first,” Dongbo Lie announced, lifting his wine.
“It’s been too long since I’ve tasted your cooking,” Xueying said, raising his own cup.
They all drank together.
Zong Ling set his cup down with a sigh. “Drinking here reminds me of Snowrock Castle. Back then, Tong San and I watched over Xueying and Qingshi. Qingshi was still a troublemaker, while Xueying trained with his spear every day—so hard he needed medicinal baths afterward.”
“Troublemaker? Me?” Qingshi muttered.
“Wasn’t it true?” Tong San snorted. “Your brother was exhausted, yet you still demanded he tuck you in at night. Lucky for you, Xueying was patient. In my lion clan, we’d have tossed you aside.”
Qingshi chuckled.
“Honestly, I never imagined this,” Zong Ling mused. “Back then, I thought Xueying becoming a Transcendent would be impressive enough. But he surpassed all expectations—defeating the Witch God and the Great Demon God, who once threatened our world. Now, he stands among the very pinnacle of the Divine Realm and the Abyss, a Dominator.”
The others nodded.
Facing death, they couldn’t help but reflect. What once seemed dazzling now paled in comparison. The Great Demon God had been dealt with long ago, and even the Witch God, who became a Second Heaven World God, was effortlessly slain through karma after Xueying ascended to Dominator.
“Cultivation is as hard as it is unpredictable,” Dongbo Lie said. “When Xueying brought me to the Red Rock Mountain World, I received the best guidance just to reach Transcendent. After countless rebirths and treasures spent, I barely became a deity. Beyond that? No hope of World God. Truly difficult.”
“Without Xueying, you wouldn’t even be a Transcendent,” Mo Yangyu teased. “In the Red Rock Mountain World, you kept calling for his help in dire straits. Honestly, embarrassing.”
“What’s wrong with that? Should I not ask my son for aid?” Dongbo Lie retorted.
“Come, Xueying, drink with me,” Uncle Tong interjected, lifting a wine jar. Shaking his great lion’s mane, he grinned. “You brought me back to life, gave me over a hundred million years. And thanks to me, the lion-folk have flourished!”
Xueying laughed. “That’s all your doing, Uncle. Your descendants are countless.”
The lion-folk were prolific breeders, and Tong San’s lineage had expanded into a vast clan, colonizing multiple planets in the Divine Realm.
—
The table buzzed with conversation, though Xueying and Jingqiu mostly listened, speaking only occasionally.
The feast lasted for hours, with Xueying drinking heavily—empty wine jars littered the floor.
“It’s been ages since I drank like this, surrounded by good brothers, sisters, Xueying, Qingshi, Jingqiu,” Zong Ling said, his face flushed. “My life… it was worth it. Truly worth it. Old friends… I can’t hold on any longer. I’ll go first.”
With a final laugh, his body began dissolving, every wisp of divine power dispersing into the void.
“Wait for me,” Tong San called.
“It’s time,” Mo Yangyu set down her cup.
“A-Yu,” Dongbo Lie gazed at his wife. “I was lucky to have you.”
“And I, you,” she replied softly, love shining in her eyes.
Qingshi smiled. “Father, Mother, Uncle Tong, let’s go together. It’ll be lively. Brother… don’t grieve. We’re happy.”
*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.*
Tong San’s drunken form dissipated. Dongbo Lie and Mo Yangyu held hands, their eyes locked. Qingshi grinned at Xueying one last time.
They released their hold on their crumbling souls, letting their divine bodies unravel into the void.
Xueying sat silently, cup in hand, watching.
Little Stone…
Father… Mother…
Uncle Zong… Uncle Tong…
All gone.
Tears glistened in his eyes as he remained motionless, wordless.
The once-bustling room fell silent. The long table, once crowded, now held only Xueying and Jingqiu. The other seats stood empty.
Jingqiu wanted to speak but found no words. She simply stayed by his side.
Silence.
Xueying sat in stillness for an immeasurable time, his mind blank, numb.
Then—
Pain surged through his body, his soul, an unbearable ache.
A hand grasped his, squeezing tightly.
He turned. Jingqiu looked at him with concern.
“You still have us,” she whispered.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage