Chapter 267: Let’s Get Married

As Dongbo Xueying stood before him, clad in black, Jing Qiu couldn’t help but reminisce about the moment they first met. Back then, they were both young, meeting for the first time at the Longshan Pavilion in Qinghe City. They had merely exchanged polite nods and smiles before returning to their respective quarters.

Decades had passed in the blink of an eye.

That once reserved young man was then merely a powerful warrior in Qinghe City. Now, he stood at the pinnacle of the Xia Clan, hailed as the most gifted transcendent being in the clan’s history. He had single-handedly destroyed the headquarters of the Demon God Cult and obliterated the avatar of the Great Demon God. Yet, the retaliation from the Demon God and the Great Demon God had left his future path in ruins.

“Senior Brother Xueying,” Jing Qiu approached and took Dongbo Xueying’s hand.

“Let’s take a walk,” Dongbo Xueying smiled.

“Okay,” Jing Qiu nodded gently.

They strolled side by side within the Xihuo Palace.

“You already know everything?” Dongbo Xueying asked with a smile.

“I do. I was present when Emperor Jun of Zi Lei questioned all the Xia Clan’s demigods,” Jing Qiu replied. “Moreover, Palace Master Chen did not keep this a secret. Not only the demigods, but other transcendent members of the Xia Clan probably know as well.”

Dongbo Xueying gazed at the grand palaces and said, “Palm Master Chen was right to do so. The Demon God Cult has only discovered one High Priest so far; the identities of the Second and Third Priests remain a mystery. There may even be one or two traitors among our Xia Clan’s demigods. Therefore, there’s no need to keep this information secret. Besides, I was poisoned by the Demon God’s sword. The Demon God himself must be the most aware of the poison’s potency. He must have already figured it out.”

Jing Qiu felt a pang in her heart.

Her senior brother was enduring such a great calamity, suffering the torment of the Demon God’s poison day and night, and his cultivation path was forever blocked. Such a devastating blow, yet Dongbo Xueying remained so calm, still concerned about the Demon God Cult and the Demon God himself.

“Oh, the Xia Clan must have paid a heavy price to cure the poison from the Demon God’s sword,” Dongbo Xueying suddenly said.

“Yes,” Jing Qiu nodded. “It’s no longer a secret. All the demigods know. The price was enormous—equivalent to offering a divine artifact. However, it was the ancestors of Emperor Jun who bore the cost. This time, it’s not that they didn’t want to save you, Senior Brother. It’s because the poison you were afflicted with, ‘Ghost Six Grievances,’ is an extremely terrifying Demon God poison. To completely remove it, even if all fifty-two of our clan’s ancestral spirits poured out all their treasures, it wouldn’t be enough.”

“They’ve already done more than enough,” Dongbo Xueying nodded.

A divine artifact…

How many divine artifacts had the Xia Clan accumulated over countless ages?

“Ahead is the Chiyun Mountain World. Let’s go in and have a look,” Dongbo Xueying smiled, and with that, he and Jing Qiu flew toward the waterfall ahead. Although his physical strength and combat energy could no longer be cultivated, and his combat energy diminished with each use, Dongbo Xueying’s actual power had not lessened. His strength primarily relied on his true intent, which enabled him to accomplish miraculous feats.

Whoosh.

Their bodies touched the waterfall, and space twisted.

Dongbo Xueying felt his vision brighten, and the scene changed. Before him stretched a vast expanse of space, with endless mountains and drifting white clouds.

“Do you remember the days we cultivated together in the Chiyun Mountain World?” Jing Qiu looked around. “But the event of the demon invasion has made this place rarely visited anymore.”

“Let’s just take a stroll,” Dongbo Xueying led Jing Qiu, and soon they descended.

Walking along the edge of a vast lake as clear as a mirror, they strolled side by side, admiring the scenery of the surrounding mountains.

As they walked, they chatted about the events that had transpired during their cultivation days in the Chiyun Mountain World.

“The scenery of the Chiyun Mountain World is truly beautiful,” Dongbo Xueying suddenly exclaimed, then sat cross-legged on the soft grass beside the lake and smiled. “They say that after being poisoned by the Demon God’s sword, cultivation would be difficult. I might as well give it a try.”

With that, he closed his eyes.

Beside him, Jing Qiu sat nervously watching. She had heard that the ‘Ghost Six Grievances’ Demon poison was excruciatingly painful, capable of even making someone as strong-willed as Dongbo Xueying lose consciousness from the agony. Only with the aid of antidotes could the pain be suppressed.

“Ultimate Penetration.”

Dongbo Xueying closed his eyes, sensing the fluctuations of the surrounding cosmic forces.

The Ultimate Penetration true intent began to manifest in the heavens. Around them, the air faintly showed signs of space being pierced. At the same time, Dongbo Xueying continued to strive to refine and perfect the Ultimate Penetration true intent, drawing upon more mysteries to enhance it.

The pain from the ‘Ghost Six Grievances’ Demon poison, previously suppressed by his will, immediately began to take effect. It was as if someone were lashing him with a whip while he tried to cultivate, making it impossible to concentrate and remain undisturbed. Even with the antidote’s suppression, the pain from the ‘Ghost Six Grievances’ Demon poison had already surpassed the torment of ordinary whipping.

This pain penetrated to the particle level.

If he didn’t cultivate, it was fine. But when he tried to comprehend the natural laws of the cosmos, he was immediately disturbed.

“Stay calm, stay calm, stay calm!” Dongbo Xueying struggled to remain unaffected, but he still had to divert his attention to suppress the pain, which immediately slowed his progress in comprehending the true intent.

As time passed,

the antidote within his body was continuously consumed, and the pain intensified. This required even more mental effort to suppress the pain, which in turn had a greater impact on his comprehension.

…

Jing Qiu watched beside him for two hours as Dongbo Xueying continued to sit cross-legged in cultivation.

“Senior Patriarch Zi Lei said that under the influence of the Demon poison’s excruciating pain, it’s extremely difficult to concentrate on comprehending the cosmic laws. But he only said it was difficult… not impossible! If one’s spiritual cultivation is strong enough, perhaps one could ignore all the pain and continue cultivating?” Jing Qiu secretly hoped.

She watched as Dongbo Xueying, sitting cross-legged, suddenly began to sweat from his forehead, his body trembling slightly.

“It’s indeed very difficult,” Dongbo Xueying opened his eyes.

“How is it?” Jing Qiu immediately helped Dongbo Xueying up.

“When I first took the antidote, the pain was minimal, and I could barely manage to cultivate—though my efficiency was much lower than before. But after half an hour… the agony worsened, making it nearly impossible to focus,” Dongbo Xueying shook his head. “I endured until now, but the torment of the Demon’s poison… my body can hardly suppress it any longer.”

At this moment, no longer cultivating, he focused entirely on suppressing the pain. Dongbo Xueying’s body stopped trembling, but his face was pale, and the occasional sweat was instantly dissipated into nothingness by his manipulation of the Star True Intent.

“Only half an hour a day,” Dongbo Xueying smiled. “That’s not bad.”

“Senior Brother Xueying, your mind has been trained even stronger. Perhaps you can cultivate for longer,” Jing Qiu quickly said.

“That’s right. The stronger the mind, the less the pain may interfere,” Dongbo Xueying agreed.

But he didn’t tell Jing Qiu.

Although he could cultivate for half an hour a day, the efficiency during that half-hour was actually much lower than before. The interference from the Demon poison’s pain was even greater than anticipated.

The two continued to walk side by side.

After walking for another hour, even though Dongbo Xueying was fully focused on suppressing the pain, his body couldn’t help but tremble involuntarily. He could no longer control it. It was just too… too painful!

“I’ll sit for a while!” Dongbo Xueying sat on a large rock nearby, lowered his head, and struggled to endure, trying to adapt.

Because in the days to come, he would need to endure this torment day and night.

Jing Qiu watched as Dongbo Xueying’s body trembled, his face growing paler, and even the sweat on his brow could no longer be manipulated into nothingness by his Star True Intent.

“Senior Brother Xueying,” Jing Qiu gazed at him with tension and heartache.

Was this still the Senior Brother Xueying she remembered?

The young Xueying, brimming with boundless brilliance, had slain Xiang Pangyun! He had fallen into the Heifeng Abyss and survived, becoming the youngest transcendent in the Xia Clan’s thousand-year history! He had shone brilliantly in transcendent life-and-death battles, and in the years that followed, he had only grown brighter, even becoming a legend that illuminated an entire era! He had destroyed demon nests, killing four of the five demon generals, leaving only one barely alive! He had shattered the headquarters of the Demon God Cult, a first in Xia Clan history, and destroyed the avatar of the Great Demon God…

The legendary transcendent being who had awed the likes of Mountain Master He, Elder Orland, and Sikong Yang, the most elite demigods!

But now…

Looking at Dongbo Xueying, writhing in pain, Jing Qiu felt a deep ache in her heart.

“Let’s go back,” Dongbo Xueying’s lips were pale, his face drenched in sweat. He knew he couldn’t hold on any longer and wanted to return to his quarters as soon as possible.

“Okay,” Jing Qiu wanted to take Dongbo Xueying’s hand, but he moved away, smiling, “I’m all sweaty.” As he spoke, Dongbo Xueying’s face grew even paler.

Jing Qiu’s eyes reddened.

“Senior Brother Xueying, let’s get married,” Jing Qiu suddenly said.

Dongbo Xueying was taken aback. In that moment, his mind buzzed, and even the pain seemed to recede momentarily.

“Don’t you know I only have one or two hundred years left to live? Perhaps I won’t even live a hundred years,” Dongbo Xueying looked at Jing Qiu.

“Then in the future, you must always be by my side. We’ll travel the world together, see every corner of the Xia Clan’s realm,” Jing Qiu looked at him.

“Haha, then I’ll be a sickly man, and you’ll have to take care of me from now on,” Dongbo Xueying smiled.

Tears welled up in Jing Qiu’s eyes, but she smiled: “Okay! Then you must listen to me.”

“I’ll listen to you,” Dongbo Xueying nodded.

They took each other’s hands and flew side by side toward the exit of the Chiyun Mountain World.

Faint voices could still be heard.

“When should we get married?” Dongbo Xueying’s voice.

“The day after tomorrow.”

“Okay, I’ll listen to you.”

…