Immortal God of War
At the same time.
Second Granduncle, Luk Zheng, and the Emperor all raised their heads at the same instant, looking at the State Preceptor, each with a different expression.
A trace of shock and doubt climbed into the Emperor’s eyes.
But the corners of Second Granduncle and Luk Zheng’s mouths lifted with a faint smile.
Just then.
Second Granduncle pressed the chess piece in his hand onto a certain spot on the board and chuckled, "Lord State Preceptor, this game, I have won."
The State Preceptor lowered his head to look at the board and discovered that the game which had originally been a sure win for him had actually turned into a dead game in an instant!
"I don’t know if Lord State Preceptor has ever heard a saying: ’to find life at the point of death.’"
"Although from beginning to end, you held the absolute advantage, in the end, victory still belongs to me."
"Do you know why?"
Second Granduncle asked with a smile, his smile dazzling.
The State Preceptor raised his head and glared at him gloomily.
Second Granduncle picked up that decisive chess piece just now and said with a smile, "The reason is that Lord State Preceptor is too confident and didn’t take this tiny piece into your eyes. But sometimes, just such a tiny piece is enough to stir heaven and earth and reverse the situation."
"Stir heaven and earth, reverse the situation..."
The State Preceptor’s face was as dark as water as he said, "You won this game, but don’t be happy too early, because the time for the real victory or defeat has not yet come!"
"I very much look forward to it."
Second Granduncle said with a smile.
The State Preceptor waved his hand forcefully; the chessboard and pieces on the table instantly shattered into powder. He rose, looked at the Emperor, and cupped his hands, saying, "Your Majesty, this old minister still has matters to deal with, so I will take my leave first."
The Emperor nodded.
The State Preceptor glanced at Second Granduncle, then turned and left with a sweep of his sleeve.
Luk Zheng snickered and said, "Second Granduncle, did you see that? That Old Bastard’s nose was almost crooked with anger. If the Emperor weren’t here, he’d probably have blown up on the spot."
Second Granduncle smiled faintly and said, "If it were you encountering such a thing, would you not be angry?"
"Me?"
"If it really were me, I’m afraid I’d flip this entire Imperial Palace over for him."
Luk Zheng said with a chuckle.
Second Granduncle let out a light laugh, stood up, looked at the Emperor, and cupped his hands, saying, "Your Majesty, the winner has been decided. I shall not disturb you further."
The Emperor said with a smile, "Granduncle, take care, I won’t see you out."
"Zheng’er, let’s go!"
Second Granduncle opened a portal, called out to Luk Zheng, and then turned and walked in.
Luk Zheng gave the Emperor a glance, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes, and also walked into the portal without looking back.
When the portal dispersed, the smile on the Emperor’s face gradually faded, replaced by a chill.
At this moment!
The Commander of the Kylin Army standing behind the Emperor withdrew his gaze, looked at the Emperor with a frown, and said, "Your Majesty, Second Granduncle came here just to play this game of chess with the State Preceptor?"
"I don’t know."
The Emperor shook his head.
The Kylin Army Commander said, "Then why did Your Majesty not ask? This minister feels it can’t be that simple."
The Emperor said, "Do you think that if I asked, they would tell? Even if they did, can you be sure what they said would be the truth?"
The Kylin Army Commander fell silent.
The Emperor waved his hand and said, "Enough, you may go. I wish to be alone for a while."
"Yes!"
The Kylin Army Commander bowed and then turned and strode away.
The Sea of Reincarnation, above an island.
An old man with white hair appeared out of thin air.
It was the State Preceptor!
After leaving the Imperial Palace, he immediately came here.
Looking at the mountains of corpses stretching as far as the eye could see, his hands involuntarily clenched tightly, his heart bleeding!
Swish!
He stepped out and landed above the gorge, only to see that in the vast gorge, not a single stalk of medicinal herb remained!
He flew up to that giant peak and, upon seeing the divine statue cut into pieces, his eyes instantly turned blood-red.
Suppressing the fury in his heart, he opened a portal and, clinging to a sliver of hope, appeared above another island.
But when he saw the shattered land and the battle fluctuations that remained, the fury in his heart could no longer be contained and exploded with a boom.
Whoosh!
Carrying boundless rage, he turned into a streak of light and flashed into the secret passage, heading straight for the prison.
When he reached the end of the passage and saw the empty prison and the empty ice cellar, he almost went mad!
"Ah..."
He suddenly let out a roar, and the power of the Pseudo God surged out in waves.
The entire island, accompanied by a deafening boom, instantly shattered into pieces and sank into the sea!
He shot into the sky, stood at the summit of the clouds, and roared, "Qin Feiyang, if I don’t kill you, I, Zhuge Shenyun, swear I am no man!"
Everything here had consumed most of his life’s effort, yet in just a single day and night, it was utterly destroyed.
He could not endure it!
At this very moment, his heart held only rage and killing intent, and hatred for Qin Feiyang...
At the same time!
Inside the ancient pagoda!
After the battle ended, Wang Yangfeng and the others returned to the village and helped the villagers continue rebuilding their homes.
Fatty and Lu Hong were also looking for a place to establish medicinal fields.
The Ghost Snake Emperor went to the ancient castle.
The Thunder Leopard, meanwhile, led the seahorses and seals wandering all around inside the ancient pagoda.
Qin Feiyang and the Heart Demon stayed with their mother, showing her around this wondrous space, laughter ringing all along the way.
Time flew by.
Evening!
The woman stopped in midair above the cemetery, looked at Ren Duxing’s solitary grave, and asked, "Tian Er, this Ren Duxing is Ren Wushuang’s father, right?"
"Yes."
Qin Feiyang nodded.
The woman asked suspiciously, "How did he end up buried here?"
"It’s a long story..."
Qin Feiyang recounted in detail the events of these past years.
That telling took several hours.
Night was deep.
The ancient pagoda had also quieted down.
The woman sighed and said, "I didn’t expect Mu Tianyang would actually seize a body to be reborn. And that Lu Xingchen, how do you plan to deal with him?"
Qin Feiyang said, "Sooner or later, he and I will have a battle."
"Mu Tianyang is someone on the same level as the late emperor. Even though his strength is not what it used to be, you still can’t let your guard down."
The woman cautioned.
"Your child understands."
Qin Feiyang nodded.
"As long as you understand."
The woman nodded slightly, smiled, and said, "Come on, accompany your mother to go see the people from that village."
Tap...
But right at this moment.
Footsteps echoed in the cemetery, coming from far to near, entering the ears of the three.
The three of them looked over quickly and saw an old man with white hair, tottering out from a patch of trees, shuffling toward Ren Duxing’s grave.
The woman said doubtfully, "Isn’t that Master Ren? Why is he here too?"
"I brought him here specially."
"After this crisis, I was worried the State Preceptor might also turn against them, so I brought him over."
"Not just the old master, but also Ren Wushuang, Yan Nanshan, Lo Qianxue, Liu Zhi and the others."
Qin Feiyang said with a smile.
The woman said, "These people have helped you a lot, haven’t they!"
Qin Feiyang nodded and said, "Extremely. Without them, there would be no me as I am now, so I won’t allow anyone to hurt them!"
"To remember kindness and repay it—your mother is very gratified."
The woman smiled. Looking at the old master, she pondered for a moment, then said, "Why don’t you two go take care of your affairs. I’ll chat with Master Ren for a while."
Qin Feiyang and the Heart Demon exchanged a glance and tactfully walked away.
"As your father, I’ve come to see you again."
The old master walked up to Ren Duxing’s tomb, muttering to himself. Although several days had already passed, his grief was still impossible to hide.
Swish!
The woman stepped forward, landing before the old master. She gave a slight bow to Ren Duxing’s grave, then looked at the old master and said, "Master Ren, the dead cannot be brought back. Please accept my condolences."
The old master turned his head toward the woman. His expression changed at once, and he knelt on the ground, saying, "Greetings, Empress!"
"I am no longer the Empress, Master Ren, there is no need for such a great礼."
The woman smiled faintly, helped the old master up, then glanced at the grave and comforted him, "Master Ren, the pain of losing a son—I understand it."
"Back then, when Tian Er’s cultivation was abolished, he was expelled from the Imperial Capital, his life and death unknown, I was in pain just like you."
"But life... always has to go on."
"I believe that down in the Nine Springs, Ren Duxing would not want you to be grieving for him day in and day out."
The woman said.
"Of course I understand these principles, Your Ladyship, but this old man really can’t control it. In my heart, I blame myself endlessly!"
The old master cried out in sorrow.
"Ren Duxing’s death has nothing to do with you, Master Ren, why would you blame yourself?"
The woman was puzzled.
"Your Ladyship also knows that I used to be the state office’s Lord in the Spirit State."
"As the lord of a whole state, I had countless matters to deal with every day, to the point that I neglected this child."
"Because of that, he grew up very rebellious, doing things his own way. No matter where he went, he wouldn’t tell me."
"And back then, I didn’t pay it any mind."
"Because in my eyes, he had already grown up, he had his own freedom, and I didn’t need to meddle so much."
"But it was precisely because of my negligence, my indulging him, that it cost him his life."
"Your Ladyship, tell me—if back then I’d managed to spare a bit of time to discipline him more, or if that one time I hadn’t let him leave the state office, wouldn’t all of this never have happened?"
The old master squatted on the ground, his face full of pain and self-reproach.
"Ai!"
The woman let out a deep sigh and asked, "Then do you know how he died?"
"I don’t."
The old master shook his head.
"Do you want to know?"
The woman asked.
The old master fell silent for a moment, then stood up, wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, and shook his head, saying, "I wouldn’t dare deceive Your Ladyship. At first, this old man really wanted to know, but I can tell that Feiyang and Shuang’er both don’t want to tell me. I also know they don’t want me to worry."
"That’s indeed the case."
The woman nodded.
"So these past few days, this old man has thought it through. Since they mean well, why should I disappoint their good intentions?"
"Your Ladyship, this old man is old."
"Even if I learned the truth, what could I do?"
"I wouldn’t be able to do anything."
"So it’s better for me to stay here and enjoy my remaining years in peace, and let the younger generation handle things themselves."
"This can be considered easing their burden a little too!"
The old master shook his head with a smile, though a trace of self-mockery flickered in his eyes.
The woman smiled and said, "What Master Ren just said is not wrong at all. Parents with no worries—that is the blessing of their children and grandchildren. Only when we are safe and sound can they venture out without concern."
"Yes!"
"So this old man has figured it out. I won’t make trouble for them anymore."
The old master said.
"Such a way of thinking is very good."
The woman nodded.
"And what about Your Ladyship?"
"After all that has happened, Your Ladyship should know how much Feiyang longs for you to stay by his side."
The old master said.
The woman let out a long sigh and said, "I’m not like you. There are some things I have no choice but to do."
"I understand."
The old master nodded.
He was someone very worldly-wise; he would not pry into matters that should not be asked about.
"I’ve heard Tian Er talk about your relationship. You’re not his blood grandfather, yet you’re more than a grandfather to him. If you have the time, tell me about how he behaved in the Spirit State."
The woman smiled.
"Your Ladyship flatters me."
The old master shook his head with a smile and said, "That boy Feiyang, in the Spirit State he was something else altogether!"
After that.
The old master slowly recounted all sorts of stories about Qin Feiyang in the Spirit State. The woman turned and walked to the cliff edge, quietly listening, her features now and then softening into a gentle, motherly smile.
From time to time, a faint sigh would also escape her lips.
In that sigh was a deep ache for Qin Feiyang, mingled with guilt and self-reproach.

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