The news of Dongbo Xueying and Xiang Pangyun chasing and fighting for a hundred miles, and ultimately perishing together at Black Wind Cliff, gradually spread.
Such sensational news spread extremely quickly.
Of course, the secret that Xiang Pangyun was a magical beast in disguise was kept absolutely confidential!
"It's been so many years since our Yishui City has produced such an outstanding powerhouse! He was only twenty-two years old, and he fought Xiang Pangyun to a standstill, battling for a hundred miles, and in the end, they both perished together." An old man in the tavern shook his head and sighed, "Such a talented individual, with a bright future to become a legendary extraordinary life, alas, alas, to fall so early, it pains me just to think about it."
"Old Song, who is Xiang Pangyun?" someone immediately shouted.
"Truly ignorant!" The old man sneered, unwilling to say more.
"Xiang Pangyun is the top expert in our entire Qinghe County, even more powerful than the old ancestor of the Si family who has lived for hundreds of years. It's said he is just one step away from becoming an extraordinary life! Dongbo Xueying, even if he started practicing from the womb, has only practiced for twenty-two years, and he can fight Xiang Pangyun to a standstill, and in the end, they both perished together. Tell me, isn't Dongbo Xueying incredibly powerful?"
"Our Yishui City, such a small place, hasn't produced such a remarkable figure in tens of thousands of years."
...
The news of this battle was a hot topic in Qinghe County.
Even in other parts of Anyang Province and other provinces, there were occasional discussions, though the news didn't mention that Dongbo Xueying had already mastered the Realm of All Things, and that he could fight Xiang Pangyun to a standstill at such a young age, making him quite a prodigy even in the entire Longshan Empire.
******
In the Eastern Province, at Leichao Cliff.
"Rumble~" The sea repeatedly crashed, creating countless white waves.
Leichao Cliff had many caves, each with a locked door, where some criminals of the Moyang family were imprisoned. Only those with special status were kept in long-term confinement.
"Clang." A heavy door opened, and a maid entered to bring food and drink. Leichao Cliff was a forbidden area, surrounded by magical arrays, so there was no worry about the prisoners escaping.
In the dark cave.
A woman in a purple robe stood before a smooth stone wall, holding a carving knife, easily engraving a magical model on the wall. She frowned slightly, deep in thought. Due to her confinement, she had no good experimental conditions, no paper, or pens, and the carving knife was only allowed by her brother's help.
The engraved magical model on the stone wall was merely for reference; most of the calculations were done in her mind.
Although Moyang Yu was in confinement, she could focus more on studying magic.
"Lady." The maid placed the food and whispered.
"Hmm?" Moyang Yu turned to look at the maid, "Why are you still here? Is there something wrong?" Normally, the maid would quietly leave after placing the food.
"An official asked me to deliver a message." The maid said.
"An official?" Moyang Yu frowned, "Who?"
"Lord Moyang Chenbai." The maid said.
"Hmph, what message does he have? I'll listen." Moyang Yu sneered.
The maid took a deep breath and said, "Lord Moyang Chenbai said... Moyang Yu, you have a remarkable son. At the young age of twenty-two, he could fight the top expert of Qinghe County, Xiang Pangyun, to a standstill. They fought for a hundred miles, and in the end, both perished at Black Wind Cliff! To have such a son, I must congratulate you."
The maid was a bit nervous, "Lady, I'll take my leave now."
She was just a small maid, and Moyang Chenbai had ordered her to deliver the message, so she dared not refuse.
Moyang Yu stood there, motionless, but tears streamed down her face.
"Wait." Moyang Yu suddenly called out.
The maid, who was about to leave, stopped.
"Tell me, is what he said true?" Moyang Yu couldn't help but ask.
The maid quickly replied, "Lady, it is indeed true! The battle between Dongbo Xueying and Xiang Pangyun is now a topic of discussion throughout the Moyang family. Many people say that if we had brought Dongbo Xueying back, our Moyang family would have become even stronger. This news is from three months ago."
Moyang Yu gently waved her hand, and the maid respectfully left.
Once the maid was gone, the heavy door closed again. Moyang Yu's body went limp, and she collapsed to the ground, her fingers turning white as she clutched the earth. Her voice trembled, "Xueying, I have wronged you, I have wronged you... my son..."
In Moyang Yu's mind, only the scene of their separation remained.
Her eldest son, Dongbo Xueying, holding the hand of his younger brother, Qing Shi, stood at the castle gate.
"Father, Mother, I, Dongbo Xueying, swear... I will save you! Our family will be reunited, we will be!"
"I swear!"
"I swear, I will save you! No one can stop me!"
The young voice of her son seemed to echo in her ears.
Moyang Yu was already in tears, her body trembling, "Xueying, my son, why, why..."
...
In the Dongxiang Lake Alchemy Workshop, inside the Mage Tower.
"Dongbo Lie, quickly, move these away." In an experimental room, a pile of charred waste lay on the ground, and a young male mage shouted loudly.
"Coming, coming."
Dongbo Lie, dressed in tattered clothes, skillfully began to clean up the debris.
"Dongbo Lie, Moyang Chenbai asked me to tell you some news," the young male mage said, "news about your son, Dongbo Xueying."
"Xueying?" Dongbo Lie's body trembled.
"Your son, Dongbo Xueying, is quite remarkable. He fought Xiang Pangyun to the death, from Snowstone Mountain all the way to Black Wind Cliff, battling for a hundred miles, and in the end, they both perished together." The young male mage said, turning to leave, "To be honest, I admire your son. He was truly remarkable, but it's a pity he died so early! By the way, remember to clean up here."
Dongbo Lie felt everything around him lose its color. Unconsciously, the debris he was holding fell to the ground.
He stood there, dazed, his body trembling slightly.
******
Changfeng Academy.
After more than a month of seclusion, Yu Jingqiu walked out of her mage tower, breathing the fresh air outside, her face beaming with joy. In the sea of mages, every breakthrough brought genuine joy and a sense of accomplishment.
"Truly embarrassing."
"It is embarrassing. The entire academy, with so many students and teachers, was scolded by Chancellor Changfeng." Two female mages walked side by side, and the slightly plump one muttered, "He said that our entire Changfeng Academy hasn't produced a genius like Dongbo Xueying. To be honest, we are indeed inferior. At the age of twenty-two, he could fight Xiang Pangyun to a standstill, and in the end, they both perished."
"I've been in the academy for so long, and this is the first time I've seen Chancellor Changfeng. I didn't expect it to be because of Dongbo Xueying."
"Chancellor Changfeng often practices for ten or eight years at a time. Many students never get to see the chancellor from the time they enter the academy until they graduate! To see him once is considered very lucky. I can tell that the chancellor was deeply pained by Dongbo Xueying's fate. He probably told us this to motivate us."
"That's true. Dongbo Xueying, without a great teacher, practiced alone and became so strong. It's truly embarrassing, and it's a pity that such a genius died so young."
The two female mages continued their conversation.
Yu Jingqiu, however, was stunned.
The appearance of Chancellor Changfeng was a big deal, but the other news in the conversation of the two female mages was even more shocking.
"Dongbo Xueying... he..." Yu Jingqiu was dazed, "He died?"
She remembered.
The black-clothed young man who appeared as a shadow and ran to her side amidst the explosion of countless debris when she was in despair.
The black-clothed young man who, in the darkness, used a shield to block all the collapsing stones, completely protecting her.
A seemingly ordinary man, yet like a mountain.
"It can't be, the news must be wrong, it must be." Yu Jingqiu immediately ran to ask others in the academy.
...
Dongbo Xueying was unaware of everything happening outside.
In the vast, ruined grand hall, Dongbo Xueying sat cross-legged, practicing. Surging cosmic energy continuously flowed into his body, being absorbed. He had fallen into the Black Wind Abyss for nearly five months, and during this time, he had been practicing, trying to enhance his strength as much as possible.
"Breath." Dongbo Xueying opened his eyes, which were very bright.
"Finally, my body has reached its limit and cannot be improved further." Dongbo Xueying felt his powerful strength. In terms of speed, strength, and other aspects, he had reached an extremely astonishing level.
"It's time to take a risk; there might be a chance to defeat these two extraordinary alchemical creatures." Dongbo Xueying looked at the golden ape and the golden great roc bird in the distance. After five months, these two extraordinary alchemical creatures had not taken a single step beyond their boundary.