NOVEL WEB Chapter 85:
Chapter 85:
“What’s going on…”
Qin Fei was on the verge of losing his mind, roaring in frustration. His agitation caused him to sway dangerously, nearly falling off his flying sword. He quickly steadied himself, but the scene he had anticipated—the destruction of heaven and earth—had not materialized.
“Didn’t you say this plan was foolproof?” Qin Fei grabbed Ming He by the collar, shouting angrily.
Ming He, covered in Qin Fei’s spit, trembled in terror. “I-I-I… I don’t know what went wrong!” he stammered.
Ming He had meticulously arranged everything. His men had infiltrated the spiritual vein, setting the stage for their plan.
At Qin Fei’s command, the experts of the Demonic Sect would collapse the barrier between the Fire Spirit Vein and the Ice Spirit Vein, causing a catastrophic collision between the two opposing forces. The result would be an explosive chain reaction that would obliterate the entire vein.
This spiritual vein was a supreme treasure of nature, a convergence of fire and ice, yin and yang, with an endless supply of spiritual energy. Destroying it was a heinous act, but Qin Fei’s ambition for the Demonic Sect’s rise left him unbothered by the consequences.
The explosion of the vein would decimate the surrounding region for thousands of miles, annihilating all life in an instant.
Now, however, the energy from the spiritual vein was rapidly diminishing. The trembling mountains were gradually calming, as though an invisible hand had forced the explosive energy back into the earth.
In Yuanlong City, chaos had erupted. The earlier violent tremors had sent people tumbling, collapsing buildings and filling the air with choking smoke. Panic-stricken citizens screamed, fought, and scrambled for safety amidst the rubble and confusion.
In the ancestral home of the Xiao family, fear gripped the clan members. Yet Xiao Zhenshan, the patriarch, remained calm, directing his family to protect their residence while maintaining order in the city.
Back in the northern mountains of Yuanlong City, an eerie silence settled over the once-turbulent peaks. The birds and beasts had vanished entirely.
High in the sky, Qin Fei pushed Ming He aside and gazed down at the terrain below. The undulating ridges of the mountains twisted like serpentine dragons, marking the paths of the underground spiritual veins.
“What magnificent terrain…” Qin Fei couldn’t help but marvel.
The mountain range ahead resembled two dragons vying for a pearl. The two “dragons” represented the Fire Spirit Vein and the Ice Spirit Vein, and at the center of their struggle stood a verdant hill—the symbolic “pearl.”
But now, the spiritual energy had dissipated, and the vein was ruined. Even if it hadn’t been destroyed, it would no longer hold its former potency.
“Who dared to ruin my plans…” Qin Fei’s eyes fixed on the massive entrance to the vein, his gaze sharp and menacing.
As he watched, streaks of sword light emerged from the vein’s entrance. Qin Fei quickly ducked into the clouds to avoid being seen, while Ming He quietly slipped away.
A figure holding Jiang Ting soared toward Yuanlong City. The man’s tattered clothes, scruffy beard, and unkempt hair made him look like a beggar. Following closely behind was Jiang Qitian.
To Qin Fei’s shock, Jiang Qitian appeared utterly humiliated. His face was swollen like a pig’s head, and his bloodstained clothes added to his pitiful appearance. The once-dignified sect master of the Azure Sun Sword Sect now looked like a defeated man.
“What happened in that spiritual vein?” Qin Fei muttered, his curiosity piqued.
The beggar-like man carrying Jiang Ting vanished into the distance, heading toward Yuanlong City. Jiang Qitian pursued him relentlessly, determined to recover his daughter.
Behind them, the law enforcement elder, the inheritance elder, and disciples like Lei Renjie, Li Yunhu, Yun Qianxue, and Ye Qingyao emerged from the spiritual vein, their expressions grim.
Qin Fei’s frustration mounted. His meticulously crafted plan had failed yet again.
“Why is the Azure Sun Sword in the inheritance elder’s hands?” Qin Fei muttered, noticing the sword through the clouds.
Before he could process this new shock, a deafening explosion shook the mountains. At the vein’s core, the “pearl” burst apart, sending rocks and dust flying.
From the debris, a massive dragon-shaped energy emerged, and atop its head stood a man. He seemed to be ascending to the heavens, holding a radiant pearl in his hands.
Everyone who saw this scene was stunned. The dragon beneath the man’s feet wasn’t real but a manifestation of the spiritual energy from the vein.
As the dragon dissolved into the pearl, Qin Fei’s pupils shrank. “That’s… the Lunar Dragon Pearl?”
His voice trembled as recognition struck him.
“This can’t be…” Qin Fei whispered, unable to believe what he was seeing. Hadn’t Xiao Yang taken the Lunar Dragon Pearl? How could it now be in the hands of this masked figure who exuded the aura of a Holy Martial Realm expert?
“Did Xiao Yang give the Lunar Dragon Pearl to this supreme expert?” Qin Fei speculated, his mind racing. It all began to make sense. Only a Holy Martial Realm expert could suppress the spiritual vein and prevent its destruction.
“That damn Xiao Yang…” Qin Fei’s frustration boiled over, his teeth grinding in anger. He couldn’t fathom that the figure in the golden dragon-patterned mask, wielding the Lunar Dragon Pearl, was none other than Xiao Yang himself.
At that moment, Xiao Yang raised the Lunar Dragon Pearl high.
Buzz!
The pearl hummed, and a dragon’s roar echoed across the sky. The Lunar Dragon Pearl shone brightly, absorbing the spiritual energy of the heavens and earth.
Another explosion followed as streams of spiritual energy surged from the mountains, forming dragon-shaped apparitions. Each dragon rushed toward Xiao Yang, merging into the Lunar Dragon Pearl.
The scene was breathtaking. Dragon shadows filled the sky, all converging on the pearl in Xiao Yang’s hands.
“Ten thousand dragons vying for the pearl…” The onlookers were left speechless, awestruck by the heavenly spectacle.
In Yuanlong City, countless people knelt in awe, their eyes fixed on the northern mountains.
“The Sword Saint is using an entire supreme vein to refine a treasure?” Li Chenyu murmured, her voice trembling.
The sheer magnitude of Xiao Yang’s actions left everyone in disbelief.
…
In a small forest outside Yuanlong City, Jiang Ting bowed respectfully to the disheveled man who had saved her.
“Thank you, senior, for saving my life,” she said sincerely.
The scruffy man, however, was fixated on the heart-shaped jade pendant hanging from her neck.
“Where did you get that pendant?” he asked, his voice trembling.
“This… It was my mother’s. She gave it to me before she passed away,” Jiang Ting replied hesitantly.
“Your mother’s keepsake…” The man’s expression turned sorrowful.
He reached into his clothes and pulled out a similar jade pendant, though his had a heart-shaped hollow in its center. Jiang Ting removed her pendant and placed it against his. The two pieces fit perfectly, forming a single pendant.
“What is this… Who are you?” Jiang Ting asked, shocked.
“Who am I? Haha… Who am I?” The man laughed and cried, his emotions spilling over.
“Senior, are you alright?” Jiang Ting asked, startled by his reaction.
“This is the Pendant of Affinity,” he muttered, gazing at the reunited jade. Memories flooded back as he clutched the pendant.
Just then, a figure approached from the distance. The man snapped out of his trance and turned to leave.
“Wait! My pendant…” Jiang Ting called after him, but he was already gone.
The approaching figure turned out to be Elder Qinglian.
“Who was that?” Qinglian asked, watching the man’s retreating figure.
“He took my mother’s pendant!” Jiang Ting exclaimed anxiously.
Qinglian’s expression shifted, as if recognizing something. “Could it be him? But he’s supposed to be dead…” she murmured before leading Jiang Ting back to safety.
From a distant hill, the scruffy man watched them leave.
“Could she be my daughter? I, Long Chen, have a daughter?” he whispered, his voice filled with disbelief.
“Jiang Qitian, you scheming fool. You raised my daughter for over twenty years, and you didn’t even know it. Hahaha…” Long Chen laughed, clutching the reunited pendant.
As his laughter turned to sobs, memories of the past surfaced. He recalled the day he left the mountain, seeing his junior sister hesitate to speak, her sorrowful expression etched into his mind. His heart ached as he stared at the pendant, lost in his grief.