Dongbo Xueying and Xiang Pangyun’s hundred-mile pursuit and fierce battle, culminating in mutual destruction at Heifeng Cliff, gradually spread far and wide.
Such a sensational piece of news traveled extremely fast.
Of course, the secret that Xiang Pangyun was actually a transformed Magical Beast remained absolutely confidential!
“How many years has it been for our Yishui City to finally produce such an extraordinary expert! He was only twenty-two years old, yet he fought Xiang Pangyun to a standstill, battling across a hundred miles before ultimately perishing together,” an old man in a tavern shook his head in lamentation. “Such a rare talent had the potential to become an Immortal Existence of legend! What a pity, what a pity indeed, that he perished so soon. Just thinking about it pains my heart.”
“Old Man Song, who is Xiang Pangyun anyway?” someone immediately shouted out.
“Truly ignorant!” the old man sneered, unwilling to elaborate further. “Xiang Pangyun is the strongest expert within the entire Qinghe Prefecture, even surpassing the Si Clan’s ancestor who has lived for hundreds of years. It is said that he was just one step away from becoming an Immortal Existence. Even if Dongbo Xueying had started cultivating from within his mother’s womb, he would have only trained for twenty-two years. Yet he managed to fight Xiang Pangyun to a draw, eventually perishing together. Tell me, isn’t Dongbo Xueying incredibly formidable?”
“In a small place like our Yishui City, it’s rare to see such a figure in tens of thousands of years.”
…
The news of this battle stirred the entire Qinghe Prefecture into a frenzy.
Even in other regions of the Anyang Province, and even in other provinces, people occasionally discussed it. Although the spreading news didn’t mention that Dongbo Xueying had already mastered the World Realm, the fact that he was able to fight Xiang Pangyun to mutual destruction at such a young age was considered remarkably prodigious across the Longshan Empire.
…
In the eastern province of Dongyu, at Leichao Cliff.
“Boom! Boom!!” The sea repeatedly crashed against the rocks, sending up countless white waves.
Leichao Cliff was dotted with caves, each sealed with heavy doors. These caves imprisoned certain criminals from the Mo Yang family, individuals whose special status warranted long-term confinement.
“Clang!” A thick, heavy door creaked open as a servant girl entered to deliver food and drink. Leichao Cliff was a forbidden area, surrounded by magical arrays that ensured no prisoner could possibly escape.
Inside the dark cave.
A woman in a purple robe stood before a smooth stone wall, holding a carving knife. She effortlessly etched a magical pattern onto the wall, frowning slightly in deep thought. Due to her confinement, she lacked proper experimental conditions and had limited access to paper and brushes. The carving knife she possessed was only allowed because her elder brother had intervened on her behalf.
The magical patterns carved into the stone wall were merely references; most of her calculations and analyses were conducted mentally.
Though imprisoned, Mo Yang Yu could devote herself more deeply to studying and comprehending magic.
“My Lady,” the servant girl whispered softly as she placed the food down.
“Hmm?” Mo Yang Yu turned to look at the girl. “Why are you still here? Do you have something to say?” Normally, the servant girl would place the food and leave silently.
“A noble has sent me with a message,” the servant girl replied.
“A noble?” Mo Yang Yu frowned. “Who?”
“Lord Mo Yang Chenbai,” the servant girl answered.
“Hmph, what does he want to say? I’d like to hear it,” Mo Yang Yu sneered.
The servant girl took a deep breath and relayed: “Lord Mo Yang Chenbai said… Mo Yang Yu, you’ve given birth to an extraordinary son. At such a young age—only twenty-two—he managed to fight Qinghe Prefecture’s top expert, ‘Xiang Pangyun,’ to a standstill. They battled fiercely across a hundred miles, finally perishing together at Heifeng Cliff! With a son like that, I must offer my congratulations.”
The servant girl said nervously: “My Lady, I shall take my leave now.”
As a mere servant girl, she had no choice but to obey Lord Mo Yang Chenbai’s command to deliver the message.
Mo Yang Yu remained motionless, but tears streamed down her face.
“Wait,” Mo Yang Yu suddenly called out.
The servant girl, who was about to leave, stopped.
“Tell me, is what he said true?” Mo Yang Yu couldn’t help but ask.
The servant girl quickly replied: “My Lady, it’s indeed true! The battle between Dongbo Xueying and Xiang Pangyun has caused a stir throughout the Mo Yang family. Many are saying that if Dongbo Xueying had been brought back earlier, our family could have become even stronger. This news is already three months old.”
Mo Yang Yu waved her hand gently, and the servant girl respectfully exited.
Once the servant girl had left and the heavy door was shut again, Mo Yang Yu’s body slumped weakly to the ground. Her hands gripped the dirt and stones on the floor so tightly that her fingers turned white. Her voice trembled: “Xueying, I’m sorry for failing you, I’m sorry… my son…”
In Mo Yang Yu’s mind, only the scene of their separation from years ago remained vivid.
Her eldest son, Dongbo Xueying, holding the hand of her younger son, Qing Shi, stood at the castle gates.
“Father, mother, I, Dongbo Xueying, swear… I will definitely rescue you and bring our family back together! We will reunite, we will!”
“I swear it!”
“I swear I will rescue you! No one can stop me!”
The innocent voice of her son seemed to echo in her ears even now.
Mo Yang Yu was already in tears, her body trembling: “Xueying, my son, why did it have to end this way, why…”
…
Inside a laboratory at the Dongxianghu Alchemy Workshop.
“Dongbo Lie, hurry, move all of this out,” a young male mage shouted in a room filled with charred debris.
“Coming, coming!”
Dongbo Lie, dressed in worn-out clothes, skillfully began clearing away the clutter.
“Dongbo Lie, Mo Yang Chenbai asked me to tell you something,” the young male mage said. “It’s about your son, Dongbo Xueying.”
“Xueying?” Dongbo Lie’s body trembled.
“Your son, Dongbo Xueying, is quite remarkable. He engaged in a life-and-death battle with Xiang Pangyun. The two fought from Xueshi Mountain all the way to Heifeng Cliff, battling fiercely across over a hundred miles before ultimately perishing together,” the young mage said, turning to leave. “To be honest, I really admire your son. What a pity he died too soon! Oh, and remember to clean this place thoroughly.”
Dongbo Lie felt the world around him fade to colorless, and the clutter in his arms fell to the ground without conscious thought.
He stood frozen, his body trembling slightly.
…
At Changfeng Academy.
After more than a month of isolation, Yu Jingqiu stepped out of her mage tower, breathing in the fresh air with a radiant smile. In the vast ocean of magic, breaking through each barrier always brought genuine joy and a sense of accomplishment.
“Truly shameful.”
“Yes, it was embarrassing. The entire academy, both students and teachers, was scolded by Dean Changfeng,” two female mages walked side by side, one of them, a slightly plump woman, muttered. “He said that none of us at Changfeng Academy have produced a genius like Dongbo Xueying. And indeed, we are inferior to them. At only twenty-two, he managed to fight Xiang Pangyun to a draw, ultimately perishing together.”
“It’s been so long since I joined the academy, and this is the first time I’ve seen Dean Changfeng. I never expected it to be because of Dongbo Xueying.”
“Dean Changfeng often meditates for ten or even eight years at a time. Many students never get the chance to see him from the day they enter the academy until graduation! We were lucky to see him once! I could tell from his tone that he was deeply saddened by Dongbo Xueying’s fate. He spoke to us, I think, to inspire us.”
“That’s true. Dongbo Xueying didn’t have any powerful teachers guiding him, yet he trained alone and became so strong. It’s truly regrettable that such a genius perished so soon.”
The two female mages continued their conversation.
Yu Jingqiu, however, stood frozen.
The Dean’s appearance was a major event, but the other piece of news in their conversation shocked her even more.
“Dongbo Xueying… he’s…” Yu Jingqiu felt dazed. “He’s dead?”
She still remembered.
The image of that young man in black robes rushing to her side amidst the explosion of countless shattered stones when she was in despair.
The young man in black robes who shielded her completely from the collapsing rocks with a single shield in the darkness.
Seemingly ordinary, yet standing like an unshakable mountain.
“It’s impossible. The news must be wrong, it must be!” Yu Jingqiu immediately rushed to ask others at the academy.
…
Unaware of all this happening in the outside world, Dongbo Xueying sat cross-legged in a vast, ruined hall, cultivating. The surging power of heaven and earth continuously flowed into his body, being absorbed by it. He had fallen into the Heifeng Abyss nearly five months ago, and during this time, he had been cultivating relentlessly, striving to enhance his strength.
“Hu.” Dongbo Xueying opened his eyes, their brightness intense.
“Finally, my body has reached its limit and can no longer be improved,” Dongbo Xueying felt the mighty power within him. Now, in terms of speed, strength, and many other aspects, he had reached an astonishing level.
“It’s time to take a risk. There should be a slight chance of defeating these two immortal alchemical beings,” Dongbo Xueying gazed toward the golden ape and the golden roc in the distance. In the five months that had passed, these two immortal alchemical beings had not crossed their boundary even by a single step.
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