Snowstone Castle was bustling with activity, for the Marquis and his wife, along with their two young masters, had returned. Especially the eldest son, the legendary Dongbo Xueying, a transcendent being of legend!
“Hu.”
Dongbo Xueying strolled atop the mountain summit, inhaling deeply. The cold air carried the scent of earth, filling his lungs and bringing a spontaneous smile to his face.
The scent of home! The place where he had grown up!
It was early spring now. Yishui City lay in the northern reaches of the continent, near the Great Northern Snow Plains, so the mountaintops were still blanketed in thick snow. His footsteps crunched through the snow with each step, though this was intentional—he could have walked the main paths, already cleared by the servants and guards of the Dongbo Clan.
“Greetings, Master Xueying,” an elderly man in white robes approached with a smile, bowing respectfully.
“Master Bai Yuanzhi,” Dongbo Xueying smiled in return. “You haven’t changed much since those days.”
“On the contrary, Master Xueying, you are unchanged, still as youthful as ever,” Bai Yuanzhi replied. He had personally witnessed Dongbo Xueying’s growth from a remarkable youth into the formidable figure he was now. These days, he could no longer even fathom the current realm of Dongbo Xueying. Over the years, Bai had aligned himself with the Dongbo Clan, using their resources to ascend to the Silver Moon rank.
The Dongbo Clan was the foremost family in Qinghe Prefecture, ranking among the top three in the entire Anyang Province.
“Master Xueying,” a voice called out. Yu Jingqiu approached, her figure flickering twice before she stood beside Dongbo Xueying.
“Greetings, Master Yu,” Bai Yuanzhi quickly bowed respectfully, well aware of the other transcendent female mage from Qinghe.
“Jingqiu, this is Master Bai Yuanzhi,” Dongbo Xueying introduced. “In the future, you may occasionally offer him some guidance in his cultivation.”
“Of course,” Yu Jingqiu smiled at Bai Yuanzhi. “Once my mage tower is built, you are welcome to visit.”
“Thank you, Master Xueying, thank you, Master Yu,” Bai Yuanzhi replied, visibly excited.
Within the Dongbo Clan, there were three Combatants of the Title Rank and over a dozen Silver Moon experts. Bai Yuanzhi was not particularly prominent among them. However, having known Dongbo Xueying since his youth and having once served as Qing Shi’s mentor, he held a special status.
After a brief exchange, Dongbo Xueying and Yu Jingqiu walked side by side.
“This is where you grew up?” Yu Jingqiu asked curiously.
“Yes,” Dongbo Xueying replied, familiarly striding forward. “Breathing the air here feels different. There’s truly no place like home. Oh, by the way, have you finished setting up?”
“It was simple,” Yu Jingqiu nodded. “The entire summit of Snowstone Mountain is within the array’s range. With these three arrays in place, no demon would dare approach.”
Yu Jingqiu observed with curiosity as well.
She could sense Dongbo Xueying’s deep feelings for this place. She was watching the place where the one she cherished had grown into the person he was today.
…
That evening’s banquet was grand and solemn.
For the next day, Dongbo Xueying and Yu Jingqiu would depart to travel across the land in pursuit of demons.
“I have something serious to say,” Dongbo Xueying finally spoke, prompting the Dongbo and Yu families present to fall silent. After all, the speaker was a Saint-ranked transcendent!
“You’ve all returned from the Ember World, which is a good thing. While it is safer there, it’s also stifling. Staying cooped up with nothing to do is like imprisonment for transcendent beings,” Dongbo Xueying chuckled. “Returning to the mortal world is when you can truly spread your wings.”
A ripple of laughter followed.
Indeed.
Both the Dongbo and Yu families were families of transcendent beings. In the mortal world, they wielded immense power and influence. Yet in Xiadu City, they were confined, surrounded by countless Title-ranked warriors and the majority of Xia Clan’s transcendent population. They lived like idle parasites, with little entertainment—such a life was dull and a waste of time.
“Returning to the mortal world is a bit dangerous, but not too bad! Last year was the most intense period of our war with the demons. But now, the demons have learned their lessons and have gone into hiding. Even our Xia Clan’s Demigods have struggled to find a single demon in recent times. That’s why we’ve been sent back to hunt them,” Dongbo Xueying laughed. “They’ve become too good at hiding! This proves that our war with the demons is shifting from open conflict to a hidden one. They’re hiding deeper, posing far less of a threat to mortals. That’s why now is the right time for you all to return.”
“There are several safe places.”
“One is Snowstone Castle! To put it simply, no abyssal demon can break through here! Perhaps only the most powerful demons could breach the arrays, but even then, it would take time. In that time, all you need to do is report through the communication rings. Within a breath, a Demigod will arrive!” Dongbo Xueying grinned. “You can rest assured. I’ve reviewed countless records in our Xia Clan’s history, and I can confidently say—demons are cunning, cautious, and selfish. They won’t risk their lives recklessly! The chance of a Demigod-level demon attacking here is… lower than the chance of gold falling from the sky.”
“The second safe place is the Windrider Academy, a stronghold of the Windrider Knights. Qing Shi, you are a part of the Windrider Academy—you can enter there.”
“The most important safe place is the Provincial Capital!”
“Not even during the initial invasion of the demons did any dare to attack the Provincial Capital,” Dongbo Xueying continued. “Our Xia Clan has nineteen Provincial Capitals, each fortified over generations with numerous arrays! They are far stronger than my Snowstone Castle. If a Demigod-level demon were to become trapped within one, the arrays would activate, leaving it no chance of escape! Weaker demons, once detected, would be easily destroyed by the arrays’ might.”
“These three places are all safe.”
“Next, the Prefecture Cities are also relatively secure. Their arrays are quite formidable, and only the most powerful of demons would dare to ignore them,” Dongbo Xueying explained. “Alright, I’ve shared the safe places. As for how the Dongbo and Yu families will operate and arrange yourselves moving forward, that’s up to your own decisions.”
“Understood.”
“Thank you, Master Dongbo!”
Representatives of the Yu family quickly expressed their gratitude. They were delighted to see Yu Jingqiu growing close to Dongbo Xueying.
In their eyes, Yu Jingqiu was merely a beautiful transcendent female mage, while Dongbo Xueying had become a Saint-ranked transcendent in an incredibly short time, with the potential to ascend to Demigod status in the future. Hence, they wholeheartedly supported their relationship.
“Brother, staying at home is too boring. I and Ya will return to the Windrider Academy in a few days,” Qing Shi, his younger brother, said.
“Alright,” Dongbo Xueying did not object. Though Qing Shi appeared young, he was already nearly fifty years old. Compared to the two-century lifespan of mortals, he was still very young. With a thousand years or more ahead, and the ongoing covert war against demons, could he really spend his entire life as an idle parasite? That was simply impossible.
…
With the return of the highest echelons of the Dongbo and Yu families, they naturally resumed their positions of power.
The Xia Clan’s world had returned to normal.
Of course, this was only possible because human transcendent beings were hunting the demons relentlessly, while Demigods stood guard across the land, ready to traverse space and provide support at any moment! It was precisely this overwhelming pressure that forced the remaining tens of thousands of abyssal demons to hide, the more covert and inconspicuous the better. Any who dared to rise and act recklessly would be swiftly eliminated by humanity!
“We’ll part ways here.”
The next morning.
Above Snowstone Mountain, Dongbo Xueying and Yu Jingqiu smiled at each other midair. Chasing down demons’ traces was not something two transcendent beings could do together—it would be too inefficient! The Ember Palace also forbade such actions.
“Master Xueying, take care,” Yu Jingqiu said.
“You too, take care,” Dongbo Xueying replied.
Soon, they parted ways.
Yu Jingqiu transformed into a streak of light, flying southward until she vanished into the horizon.
Dongbo Xueying flew westward toward Yishui City.
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