Chapter 89 Departure and Return

  Wow!

  As soon as Chen Yao's right hand grasped that dazzling light, a strange power mixed with scorching heat and icy coldness, ignoring the thick true yuan wrapped in his palm, pierced into the flesh like a sharp cone, as if wanting to break open his palm and escape.

  "How dare you ignore my true yuan power!"

  Chen Yao's face twisted in pain, if he hadn't cultivated the "Zhou Tian Xing Lüe Body Tempering Technique", his body would have already reached the prenatal perfection realm, and with just this one strike, his palm would have been pierced through.

  At this moment, Chen Xiao finally saw clearly that the dazzling light in his palm was actually an irregular piece of tortoiseshell fragment.

  The size of a palm, the whole body is rough and black, with thick and rugged textures carved on top, densely intertwined in a disorderly yet harmonious manner, exuding an air of profound desolation.

  It seems like inside is a boundless ocean, a starry sky dotted with stars, vast as the heaven and earth at the beginning of chaos, straight up to the blue sky, down to the yellow spring, endless. At a glance, it seems to suck people's souls in!

  Is this the fragment of the He Map?

  Chen Xuan was shocked and bewildered, just now for an instant, his soul seemed to be about to escape, making him feel a great shock and terror.

  Buzz!

  At this moment, a surge of violent power like a flood burst out from the fragment of the River Chart in his palm, as if the molten core and extreme cold ice mixed together, scorching hot and icy cold to the bone. With a loud crash, Chen Tai's tightly clenched right hand suddenly burst forth with a bloom of blood, flying everywhere, revealing white bones.

  "Ah!"

  That heart-wrenching pain made Chen Tai unable to bear it and let out a loud, hoarse cry, but his hands still clutched the fragments of the River Chart tightly, even though they were already lacerated and bleeding, with white bones exposed.

  Chen Xuan didn't notice that after being stained with his own blood, the River Chart fragments struggled even more violently, becoming increasingly restless and uneasy, as if sensing a power that made it extremely terrified was quietly approaching...

  Hiss!

  Another wave of scorching heat and icy cold power surged out, just as Chen Tai was about to exhaust all his strength and grit his teeth to endure this wave of suffering. In the sea of consciousness, that ancient, rustic god statue sitting in a lotus position suddenly opened its eyes. In that instant, it was as if the universe had just begun, with thunderstorms swirling, stars moving, and countless phenomena accompanied by billions of divine lights bursting forth.

  "Seize!" Like the roar of an ancient divine spirit, like the eternal and unchanging statue of a god stirring, one arm stretched out from the void and lightly grasped, as if embracing the heavens, earth, and universe. Five fingers swept across the void, tearing open black fissures!

  Buzz!

  In Chen Xiao's hand, the Hetu fragment suddenly shook violently, as if unwilling, as if struggling, but ultimately in vain, and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

  In the seemingly endless ocean of knowledge space.

  A flash of brilliant light suddenly appeared, and then a turtle shell the size of a palm appeared, spinning around the image of Fuxi, flying and dancing without stopping.

  "It seems that the true meaning of the He Tu diagram in the Fu Xi deity image has been touched, and it was completely subdued. Chen Xiao's gaze returned from the sea of consciousness, and he finally let out a long sigh of turbid air."

  Hiss!

  As soon as he relaxed his mind, a sharp pain like a thousand swords converging on his heart surged through his entire body. Only then did he realize that his right hand had been reduced to mere white bones.

  "I'm only at the Refining Body Pre-Heavenly Round Completion Realm now, and I still can't achieve 'regrowing a severed arm' like those in the Zi Fu Realm. What am I supposed to do?" Chen Xiao's heart tightened as he thought of his younger brother who had also lost his right hand, and all sorts of emotions surged up in his chest.

  Whoa!

  A refreshing stream of air surged into the bony right palm, and flesh, skin, tendons, bones... grew rapidly, like a withered tree encountering spring, recovering to its original state at a visible speed.

  It was Ji Yu, he had already recovered his clear and lean appearance. With a wave of his sleeve, Chen Tai's right hand was healed, incredibly miraculous.

  However, when Chen Yu saw his face, he was shocked.

  His pale face was almost transparent, his eyes were dull like a candle flame about to go out, and even his tall figure seemed blurry, as if he would collapse and disappear at any moment.

  "Don't worry, it's just that my strength has been exhausted." Ji Yu's voice was hoarse and low, with a deep sense of fatigue.

  Chen Xuan felt a pang in his heart. If it weren't for the sake of obtaining the Xuanyin Mountain and getting the Hetu fragment, how could Senior Ji Yu be so ruthless?

  Ji Yu smiled, but his smile was like a withered yellow flower. "The Xuanji Mountain has already been taken into the cave mansion by me," he said. "When your strength becomes stronger, I will teach you the method of refining and transforming it. As for the Hetu fragment, I suppose you have also taken it into your sea of consciousness. Don't try to comprehend it for now. The things that are broken and incomplete can only produce inferior results."

  "I remember the complete River Map being as big as a palm fan, and I estimate that there are still eight or nine pieces of broken River Maps scattered elsewhere. You must collect them all, for it was with this map that our master understood the mysteries of heaven and earth, and ultimately reached the pinnacle of the Great Way. I hope you too can understand your own way."

  "Also, from now on, take good care of yourself. A man must always learn to face and endure things alone, only then can he be considered a true strong person. Hmm, these words are too tedious, wait until you've gone through the Tianfeng trial, we'll still have plenty of chances to meet again, no need to mention these nagging words..."

  Chen Xiao silently listened, past scenes, happy, exciting, joyful, disappointed... flowed through his mind like water, so clear, yet so distant. Tears could no longer be controlled, silently sliding down his face.

  Even if he knew he could see Ji Yu again, Chen Tai couldn't control his emotions. He wasn't good at expressing himself and had been suppressing them for too long. He had never said a word of thanks to Ji Yu... All the gratitude and emotion in his heart erupted like volcanic lava at this moment.

  Cry, cry silently, cry without restraint.

  At this moment, Chen Xiao was like a sixteen-year-old boy, unscrupulously expressing his gratitude and pain.

  ……

  Ji Yu disappeared without knowing when.

  Chen Yu still stood there, dazed, like a wooden stake.

  After a long time, he murmured: "I will definitely do it, definitely." It was as if he was taking an oath, and the calm and peaceful tone of his voice carried a resolute and unyielding determination.

  "What just happened?"

  "Heavens! The Mysterious Magnetic Mountain has vanished!"

  "Look, Chen Xiao's friend is over there."

  In the distance, a faint conversation was heard, and immediately two flashes of light broke through the air, and it turned out to be Xuán Jīng Lǎo Guì Wáng and Qīng Qiū Hú Wáng.

  Chen Xiao turned his head, the tears on his face had evaporated, and he regained his usual calm demeanor, saying: "Fortunately, I did not disappoint you."

  Only four words, but when heard by Xuan Jing Lao Wang and Qing Qiu Hu Wang, it was a huge surprise. In fact, the two had already sensed some changes, but only after Chen Xiao's confirmation did they dare to believe that all of this was real.

  "So that's it, the ban that has shrouded the deep mountains of Nanman for millions of years has disappeared?" The voice of Xuanjing Old Turtle King had a hint of trembling.

  "Hahaha... I never thought that at the moment of my impending doom, I would regain hope for a breakthrough. Heaven hasn't abandoned me after all!" The Qingqiu Fox King laughed loudly towards the sky, as if venting his inner excitement and joy.

  Chen Xiao silently watched, but in her heart she was thinking of Ji Yu.

  His unusual behavior was noticed by Xuan Jing Lao Wang, who was moved in his heart. He immediately became serious and slowly said: "I, the old man, make a heavenly oath here. If I reveal the matter of the River Chart fragments in this life, please let the heavens punish me, my soul will fly away, and I will never be reincarnated!"

  It's no wonder that Xuan Jing Lao Wang would do such a thing, after all, the Hetu fragments are rare treasures that can stir up turmoil in the three realms and cause gods and demons to go to war. Now that Chen Yu has obtained some of the fragments, if this matter were to be leaked out, not only would Chen Yu invite disaster upon himself, but he might also suffer from the repercussions, which would be unbearable to contemplate.

  Make a heavenly vow, and it will naturally bring a hundred benefits without a single harm.

  Qingqiu Fox King was taken aback for a moment, and then reacted immediately. Facing the vast Heavenly Dao, he also made a similar Heavenly Dao oath.

  Chen Xiao never thought that his silence would resolve a hidden, intangible trouble, and his mood became much more pleasant. He cupped his hands in gratitude: "Thank you two brothers for trusting me so much, Chen Xiao is deeply grateful."

  Older brother?

  The two demon kings looked at each other and smiled.

  Whoosh!

  The treasure ship burst into the air and quickly flew towards the direction of Mount Bao Yue.

  "Are you really determined to set out today and no longer delay for two days?"

  Xuan Jing Lao Wang once again tried to persuade him to stay, but since Chen Chui had boarded the ship, he had already made up his mind. He would return to Bao Yue Mountain and then leave Nan Man's deep mountains, returning to Song Yan City. Xuan Jing Lao Wang was reluctant to let him go, as he still wanted to treat Chen Chui well one more time.

  "Yes, what's the hurry? I was thinking of taking you to my Cold Star Mountain and helping you choose one of the most beautiful fox maidens from my Qingqiu tribe." The Fox King of Qingqiu also tried to persuade him to stay.

  "I still have a lot of things to do, I really don't have time to linger, so please let me off the hook, both of you." Chen Yu leaned on the railing and gazed into the distance, saying slowly, his attitude extremely resolute. At this moment, he thought of the many past events in Songyan City, thought of his home, thought of Zhang Da-shu from Zhang's general store, thought of Ma Lao-tou, Pei Yan, and Qiao Nan...

  Xuan Jing Lao Ding Wang regretfully smacked his lips: "Alright, I won't retain you either. When I advance to the Huang Ting realm, I will also leave this southern barbarian deep mountain and meet with you again at that time."

  "Haha, of course I wouldn't miss it, I've been yearning for the splendor of human world for a long time." The Qingqiu Fox King smiled with narrowed peach blossom eyes, exuding an air of evil charm.

  "When the time comes, if I can reunite with the two older brothers, I must get drunk to my heart's content." Chen Tai said seriously, and a rare smile also appeared on his lips.

  ……

  Evening

  Embracing the moon, under the gaze of countless demons, a treasure ship carrying Chen Tai, Du Qingxi, Duanmu Ze, Song Lin and others set off towards a distant place, breaking through the bloody sunset.

  "Master, this time you're not taking me with you, I won't resent you. When my powers grow stronger, if you still don't keep me by your side, then I'll have to slit my throat in front of you..."

  On the waist of Mount Bao Yue, a solitary wooden tortoise stands in front of the cave mansion, gazing at the treasure ship disappearing into the broken clouds, muttering to itself with a trembling voice that carries a hint of unyielding determination.

  But on his face, tears had already left streaks, and his clothes were soaked through.

  ——

  The end of this volume, next volume: Road of Revenge.