Chapter 550: Chapter 140 Xuan Yue Sealing Heart_1
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Xuan Yue was puzzled as she took the bark from Ah Dai’s hands. It was indeed his handwriting. Reading its content, Xuan Yue’s body shivered uncontrollably. It read: "Yue Yue, I’m leaving. Don’t look for me, we’ll never meet again. We’re not a good match. How could someone like me be worthy of you? I don’t want you to feel obligated to be with me out of gratitude, and I don’t want our presence to create conflict between you and your father. Yue Yue, I’m leaving, forever. Even though I love you so much, I don’t want to see you suffer or feel burdened. Take care of yourself. Ballon would make a better husband for you. Yue Yue, I have been naïve, believing you were in love with me. However, all it was turned out to be an illusion. Goodbye, Yue Yue, forever. Please, apologize to Brother Yan Shi and the others on my behalf. I can’t go to the Death Mountain Range with them. Please tell Yan Shi and Yan Li to go back to Pu Yan Tribe and inform the Prophet Pu Lin that if I survive the catastrophe, I promise to do my best to eradicate the Dark Forces. Also, I can’t bring brothers Olivia and Kino with me. They should return to the Magician’s Guild. As for Sister Yue Ji, it’s best for her to return to the Moon Scar Mercenary Corps. Yue Yue, do you know? My heart feels dead, maybe I won’t ever be able to feel emotions again. I might never see you again. But no matter where I end up, I will always silently bless you because, after all, you’re the only woman I’ve ever truly loved. I hope you’ll stay happy forever.—Ah Dai."
Xuan Yue, after reading Ah Dai’s letter, was uncontrollably shaking. She could feel the inner pain and struggle coming from Ah Dai’s letter. The party, including Yan Shi, was silent after reading the note.
Yan Shi solemnly asked, "Yue Yue, what is this all about? What is he talking about? Why does Ah Dai say that you’re with him out of obligation? We demand an explanation." He considered Ah Dai a brother and so he was equally worried.
Ballon stepped in front of Xuan Yue and glared at Yan Shi, "What is there to explain? Ah Dai and Yue Yue were mismatched. This was his only sensible decision."
Xuan Yue’s face turned pale. She wasn’t as naive as Ah Dai. An icy glare emitted from her eyes as she bit her lip, angrily saying, "Brother Ballon, did you say something upsetting to Ah Dai? When you came to question me yesterday, was Ah Dai also nearby?"
Ballon’s body stiffened; he hadn’t expected Xuan Yue to be so intuitive. Regrettably, he had given her the note. He looked uncomfortably at Xuan Yue and stuttered, "Yue Yue, how could that be? I never saw him!"
Xuan Yue was clutching the bark in her hand, she sternly replied, "Is that so? If you never saw him, then how would he know about the ’debt of gratitude’? I originally lied to you about it, who else would know except for you?"
Ballon flinched, and his shock turned into a cruel sneer, "So what if I chased him away? Yue Yue, don’t you realize how deep my love for you is? I am the most suitable person for you. In which ways am I inferior to him? Why do you treat him so well yet ignore me? What does it matter if he’s gone? Can you still find him? I told him that you don’t love him. That I am your rightful fiancé. Ah Dai’s a fool, and he will never come looking for you. You should let go of him."
Xuan Yue’s body gave a lurch. She had finally managed to coax her father into agreeing to let Ah Dai come to Church with her, but now everything was spiraling out of control. Ah Dai had left. Why were their feelings so fragile? Various thoughts assaulted her mind. While clutching the piece of bark in her hand, she became dazed.
Furious, Yan Shi grabbed Ballon by his collar, yelling, "You are the one who drove Ah Dai away. Why the hell would you do such a thing?"
Ballon scoffed, his sacred battle aura bursting through, pushing Yan Shi back a few steps, "Of course it was for Yue Yue’s own good. What’s so great about Ah Dai? Can someone as stupid as him match up to Yue Yue? Only I can. We are a made-for-each-other couple. You may not know it. But Ah Dai was so upset last night that he vomited several mouthfuls of blood. He won’t be returning. Yue Yue is mine; no one can take her away from me. Ha-ha, ha-ha-ha-ha-ha."
Yan Shi, Yan Li, Olivia, Kino, and Yue Ji were furious at Ballon’s arrogance. The Yan brothers, without hesitation, drew their weapons and shouted, rushing towards Ballon.
Ballon was not afraid and drew his sword. The golden aura of his Battle Qi suddenly lit up, engaging the Yan Shi brothers. The clanging of the collision between the weapons echoed as the three engaged in battle. Ballon’s skill was indeed profound; neither Yan Shi nor Yan Li could match him one-on-one. But the Yan Shi brothers had grown up together, their every move in sync. Their relentless cultivation of Divine Battle Qi over the past year significantly elevated their skills. Working in tandem, they quickly threw Ballon onto the back foot.
Yue Ji’s armor-piercing arrow was mounted onto her silver bow, she spat out her resentment: "I cannot believe that the Holy Church has such despicable people. Die!" The armor-piercing arrow, imbued with the silver aura of Battle Qi, shot out like a bolt of lightning, straight to Ballon’s chest. Ballon had already been completely suppressed by the Yan Shi brothers, and with Yue Ji’s archery skills second only to those of the elves, how could he dodge? At the critical juncture of Ballon’s life and death, a dark shadow suddenly flashed by. Yue Ji’s armor-piercing arrow shattered inch by inch, and the Yan Shi brothers were also rebounded back. The person who had intervened was Ballon’s father, the Deputy Judge from the Holy church himself.
Ballon’s father held back his charging son, sighing, he said: "I’m sorry everyone, my son is to blame for this incident. I apologize to you on his behalf."
Olivia said coldly, "What use is an apology? The mistake is made. Let me tell you, our boss Ah Dai is an elder of our guild. If something happens to him, our Continental Mage Guild will not let this matter rest with the church easily." Kino shouted angrily: "That’s right, Elder Ah Dai is also an honorary elder of our Tian Jing Mage Guild. My teacher Larthas won’t let anyone who hurts him get away. The church is indeed powerful, but can it bully people like this? Can he, this despicable person, call himself a loyal devotee of the Sky God? The church should not produce such degenerates. We must fight for Elder Ah Dai till the end." Blue and red magical energy respectively burned up from Olivia and Kino’s bodies. The immense magical energy even surprised Xuan Ye.
Yue Ji mounted another long arrow, and said venomously: "And also our Moon Scar Mercenary Corps."The Yan Shi brothers raised their weapons in unison and shouted: "As well as our Pu Yan Clan."
Ballon’s father furrowed his eyebrows, disappointed with Ballon’s actions. Although he had encouraged his son to pursue true love, he had only encouraged him to pursue Xuan Yue through legitimate means, not by using such despicable ways to drive Ah Dai away. The church is currently facing threats from dark forces. Offending these four groups at once is indeed unfavorable for the church. He never imagined that Ah Dai would be an elder of the guilds of two mages, and Ah Dai’s friends would all have such strong powers.So, for the moment, he didn’t know what to do.
Xuan Ye floated to Ballon’s father’s side. Even though he did not agree with Ballon’s actions either, given his relationship with Ballon’s father, he naturally had to defend Ballon. He said seriously to Yan Shi and the others: "You should think this through. Although you represent the power of these four groups, opposing the church is definitely not a wise choice. Moreover, though your combined strength is considerable, it is not enough to resist us. I regret what happened to Ah Dai, but it has already happened. There is no meaning in you opposing us."
The Elf Queen floated towards them, landing before Yan Shi, her voice soft with a sigh, "And what if we elves join too?"
Surprised, Xuan Ye asked, "Your Majesty, what do you mean?"
The Elf Queen’s eyes flashed with a cold light, her voice cool, "Bishop Xuan Ye, the Church must answer for this. Yes, the Church is powerful. However, for Ah Dai, I can, on behalf of the Elf Clan, declare our readiness to stand against the Church. I guess you’re still not clear about Ah Dai’s relationship with the Elf Clan. I’ll explain. Once, over a dozen of our elves were captured by the Assassin’s Guild and sold to the Dark Forces in the Empire of Sunset City. Because we elves are easily recognizable, we could not leave to rescue them. Among the captives was my daughter, Xing Er. The bloodline of the Elf King is passed down through a single line, and had we not saved Xing Er, our clan would have perished. At that critical time, Ah Dai and Yan Shi stepped up. They spent more than two years, enduring countless hardships, to finally rescue my daughter. They’re our benefactors. I do respect the Holy Church and you, but we will not sit by idly if something happens to Ah Dai."
Hearing the Elf Queen’s words, Xuan Ye fell silent. The Elves had saved their lives this time; how could he turn against them now? He sighed, glancing at a stunned Ballon. He didn’t know how to respond. Just then, Xuan Yue stepped between Ballon and Xuan Ye. Her face was composed as she said to the Elf Queen in a calm voice, "Auntie, I am the cause of this. If you need to blame someone, blame me. With the imminent threat of dark forces, I hope you all will prioritize the welfare of every species on the continent and avoid impulsive decisions."
Before the Elf Queen could respond, Yan Li appeared, angrily expressing, "Yue Yue, that bastard hurt Ah Dai. Don’t you feel angry?"
Deep in Xuan Yue’s eyes flickered a tinge of sadness as she responded, "None of you can fathom the extent of my pain. But you should remember Prophet Pu Lin’s words, Ah Dai and I are the saviors of the continent. We have many tasks to complete. We shouldn’t let our personal feelings make you confront the Church. Only if we all band together can we stand against the crisis the Dark Forces pose."
Yan Shi heaved a sigh, "We don’t wish to oppose the Church either. But Ah Dai is our brother! As long as he’s safe, we don’t care about anything else. Let’s hurry and locate him. He might have headed towards the Tian Gang Mountain Range. We must find him quickly and prevent him from doing anything rash."
Xuan Yue said, "Thank you, Brother Yan Shi. But I won’t look for him. Ah Dai left, and my heart went cold. His lack of faith in our relationship, believing the provocation of others over seeking clarification from me, pains me. Although I love him, I also hate his cowardice. I won’t look for him again. I’m a girl, and I’ve done everything I can. If he truly loves me, he’ll pursue me regardless of the circumstances. Brother Yan Shi, if you find him, please tell him that if he doesn’t come to the Church within a year, I will never forgive him, and I’ll marry someone else." Ah Dai’s departure had left her heart cold, thoroughly cold. Her pain was no less intense than Ah Dai’s. With the reduced energy of Phoenix’s Blood and Dragon’s Blood, she could not locate Ah Dai via the divine artifacts. Given the events at the Church, as the granddaughter of the Pope, she couldn’t ignore the Church for personal reasons, especially since her grandfather was dead and she didn’t know her mother’s condition. At the moment, she could only freeze her heart completely and focus on the Church’s battle against the Dark Forces.
Yan Shi and the others were all stunned; they had not expected that Xuan Yue would have such a fiery reaction. Looking at the slender and exceedingly beautiful young woman before them, they sank into silence. Xuan Yue turned around swiftly, scanning the sixty or so remaining members of the Holy Church. She sternly said, "Starting from now, I, Xuan Yue, will replace Na Yan as the new Red Robe Priest. I will lead the church’s forces in our fight against the Dark Forces. If anyone disagrees, feel free to challenge me." A golden light flared around Xuan Yue like a raging flame. The surge of Divine Power around her made her float slowly off the ground. The power of her Sacred Aura was so strong that even Bishop Xuan Ye couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed. The area around the Elf Lake fell into silence. Under the intense influence of her Divine Energy, the headband in Xuan Yue’s hair broke and her blue hair cascaded down. Cold light flashed in her eyes. At that moment, Xuan Yue seemed to have become a goddess. She commanded, "All members of the Church, head towards the Holy Church, move out." After speaking, she took the lead and flew towards the northwest without anyone accompanying her. Xuan Ye and Ballon exchanged a sigh, offered a slight bow to the Elf Queen, then followed with the remaining members of the Church.
Watching the figures of the Church members gradually disappear, the Elf Queen sighed, "Yue Yue has suffered too great a blow this time. Ah Dai is really foolish; can’t he see whether Yue Yue genuinely likes him? Oh heavens! Why must you torment these two children in this manner?"
Yan Shi asked, "What should we do now, Queen Auntie? I fear that Yue Yue truly meant what she said before she left."
The Elf Queen replied, "Now we have no choice but to find Ah Dai as soon as possible and persuade him to go to the Holy Church to find Yue Yue. We can’t let them drift apart like this!"
Yue Ji scoffed, "I think Ah Dai deserves it. He doesn’t cherish Yue Yue, such a wonderful girl. Yue Yue is right, he is too weak. How could he give up so easily on something so important?"
Olivia smiled bitterly, "Yue Ji, don’t stir up trouble. The Queen is right. Let’s do this: I will return to the Mage Guild of the continent immediately and rally the power of the guild for the search. Kino, you go back to the Mage Guild of the Tian Jing Empire. With the influence of the Prophet Larthas in the Empire of Tian Jing, it shouldn’t be a problem to find someone. Miss Yue Ji, please, your Moon Scar Mercenary Corps can manage the Federation of Sorghum. Yan Shi, I think, given that Ah Dai belongs to the Tian Gang Sword Sect, you can go there and inform his Master. With the strength of the Tian Gang Sword Sect in the Huasheng Empire, handling the south shouldn’t be a problem. As for the western Empire of Sunset City, we can only try our best. Hopefully, he hasn’t gone there."
Yan Shi nodded in approval at Olivia and said, "It’s a good plan, brother, let’s do that. If my guess is correct, there are only three places Ah Dai could go to. One is back to the Tian Gang Sword Sect, although the chances are relatively slim. The second is the Illusive Forest, where he might have returned to pay his respects to his teacher, Goris, even though the chances of that occurring are not very high." He stopped as he said that.
Yue Ji, being impatient, asked Yan Shi, "And the third place?"
Yan Shi sighed, "The third place is where Vila least hopes Ah Dai would go - the Empire of Sunset City. His uncle was killed by the Assassin’s Guild and their headquarters is in the Empire of Sunset City. I’m afraid he might have gone there for revenge. The Empire of Sunset City is vast, and there are Dark Forces everywhere. It will be difficult to find him."
Olivia frowned, "What should we do then? The mages of the Sunset Empire are already beyond our guild’s control."
A cold glint flashed in Yan Shi’s eyes as he said, "Let’s proceed as you said earlier. Brother Kino, Miss Yue Ji, you take care of the Empire of Tian Jing and the Federation of Sorghum. Even though the chances of Ah Dai being there are slim, you need to do your best. I’ll take care of the Huasheng Empire by going to the Tian Gang Sword Sect first. Brother Vila, you can help in search with the help of the Mage Guild and the people from the Tian Gang Sword sect. After going to the Tian Gang Sword Sect, I will head to the Empire of Sunset City with Ah Li. We have been there before and are relatively familiar with it. A year from now, whether we have found Ah Dai or not, let’s gather at the Holy Church in the central part of the continent. Even if we don’t find Ah Dai, for his lifelong happiness, we must prevent Yue Yue from marrying someone else."
Everyone nodded, and the Elf Queen said, "I’m sorry we can’t help much. If there is something you need, please let us know as soon as possible."
Yan Shi nodded, "Thank you, Your Majesty. Time is of the essence, we should leave now."
"Wait a moment." Zhuo Yun stopped Yan Shi and walked up to him, determined, "I will go with you, I’ve been to the Empire of Sunset City before, so I’ll be able to help."
Yan Shi was taken aback, "No, the Empire of Sunset City is too dangerous. How could I let you take the risk?"
Zhuo Yun gave a slight smile and said, "No, I must go. Ah Dai is my brother. How can I ignore him when he’s in trouble?" She turned to the Elf Queen and respectfully said, "Your Majesty, please allow me to represent the Elf Clan and go with Yan Shi and the others to find Ah Dai." She left unsaid her most important reason — how could she be willing to part ways with Yan Shi, with whom she had just started to form feelings? Once a maiden of the Elf Clan firmly recognizes the person she loves, she will unconditionally follow him.
The Elf Queen smiled and said, "Alright then, you all go together and take care on your way. Yan Shi, you must protect her carefully."
Yan Shi looked helplessly at Zhuo Yun, and with a wry smile, said, "Yun Er, you, ah—— alright then. However, you must always stay close to me on our journey."
Zhuo Yun softly said, "I know, let’s set off now."
Yan Shi, Yan Li, Zhuo Yun, and Olivia traveled together. They all needed to cross the Tian Gang Mountain Range. Olivia’s destination was the headquarters of the Mage Guild in the Province of Light. As for Kino and Yue Ji, they took another route. They needed to pass through the Pu Yan Clan, separating when they reached the borders of the Red Charming Clan. Together, the group split into two, and under the escort of Elves, they left the Elf Forest of the Tian Yuan Clan.
After leaving the Elf Forest, Ah Dai remained in a state of near madness. He pushed his True Qi to its limits and, fast like lightning, he headed west. His mind was blank, unaware of how long he had been running. His intense pain caused his body to convulse continuously. At this point, he had no longing for life and could only let his speed evaporate the endless sorrow in his heart. From night to day, and then back to night again, after running non-stop for two days and two nights, the True Qi circulating within his body could no longer support his overdrawn demand. His Dantian’s Golden Body had dimmed completely. Ah Dai’s body was gradually becoming heavy, and he was unable to maintain his initial speed in mid-air. Accidentally, the tired Ah Dai stumbled on a piece of stone on the ground. Because of his high speed, the sudden obstruction made him lose his balance. His body was flung into the air, and he fell heavily to the ground, blood spurting wildly. After such a prolonged exhaustion, his physical strength was utterly drained. Dust rose from the ground, and Ah Dai’s half-crazy state snapped awake from the fall. Although his body was exceedingly weak, his spirit was surprisingly clear. Looking up at the sky and watching the clouds drift by, he felt an unexpected calm. His body’s weakness made him feel as if he were on the brink of death. Ah Dai felt then that he had nothing to live for and wanted only to die quietly right there, his heart devoid of any will to live.
As time passed and several days and nights rolled by, Ah Dai’s consciousness began to blur. He could no longer discern the view in the sky. In his daze, he seemed to feel his soul about to diverge from his body. With his consciousness gradually fading, Ah Dai was filled with a sense of liberation and quietly awaited the arrival of death.
Suddenly, a burst of thunder echoed through the sky, the colossal rumble pulled Ah Dai back from the brink of unconsciousness. His body was completely immobile, while the dull roar of thunder continued, and a cold droplet of water dripped onto Ah Dai’s face. The chilliness revived some of his lucidity. Drops of water continuously landed all over his body. The cold sensation stimulated every part of his dry skin. The power of life, which was about to disappear from Ah Dai under the showering and moisturizing of the rain, gradually recovered a bit. His desolate heart couldn’t help but think, can’t I even die? Even the heavens are tormenting me.
The rain grew heavier, and before long, Ah Dai’s body was thoroughly soaked, lying flat on the ground, as if he had turned into a clay figure.
Suddenly, a thought flashed in Ah Dai’s heart. Could it be that the heavens intentionally don’t want me to die? Am I truly some destined savior? No, I can’t even take care of myself right now, let alone others. Yue Yue does not love me, teacher Goris is dead, Uncle Owen is also dead. What else do I have to cling to? Let me die like this then, let me search for the trace of my master in another world. Yes! Uncle Owen, right! I cannot die yet, Uncle Owen’s revenge has not been avenged! Moreover, the task that the master bestowed upon me has not been done yet. How can I face him? Even if I really have to die, I cannot die here. If I must die, I must die at teacher Goris’s side. Thinking of the three important people in his life, Ah Dai’s longing for death disappeared. He rekindled the desire to survive. Under the stimulation of the rain, he used his remaining consciousness to connect with the faint True Qi in his dantian’s golden body. The faint glow in his dantian returned under Ah Dai’s mental command. The life force returned. His body’s meridians began to gradually circulate again. As the rain became heavier, Ah Dai gradually entered a cultivation state. In the midst of his extreme weakness, the vigorous vitality brought by the Fruits of Past Life, the essence of the Elf, and the True Qi gradually began to play their roles after Ah Dai regained his will to survive. They pulled Ah Dai back from the death line. The True Qi gradually began to condense from threads and drops, slowly circulating and growing within the golden body.
Unbeknownst how much time had passed, Ah Dai found that the golden body in his dantian finally glowed, reconnecting with the second golden body left to him by the Tian Gong Sword Saint in his chest. The golden glow became more and more intense, Ah Dai found that many meridians in his body were blocked, especially the heart meridian, and several of the main meridians were blocked by more than half. Alarmed, Ah Dai didn’t dare to rashly force through the blocked meridians, but chose to accumulate the energy of the golden body in his dantian first.
Three days later, under Ah Dai’s constant gathering, the energy of the golden body had been mostly restored, but several meridians were still blocked and couldn’t form a continuous circulation state. These few days, Ah Dai unceasingly maintained the original posture of his fall, allowing the True Qi to naturally repair the minor injuries. At present, his power had mostly recovered, and the golden body continued to absorb energy. If he doesn’t open the blocked meridians to form a cycle, his dantian might explode due to the accumulated energy, ending in death. Firming his resolve, Ah Dai decided to start repairing the most blocked and damaged meridians now. At this thought, he cautiously tried to move his body. As soon as he moved, a sharp pain surged from his heart, causing constant convulsions in Ah Dai’s body. Thinking of Xuan Yue, the heartache seemed deeper.
Struggling to erase the image of Xuan Yue from his mind, Ah Dai began to focus, patiently using the liquid energy that flowed at his command, spreading gradually from his dantian to all parts of his body. Under the powerful recovery power of the True Qi itself, Ah Dai’s body began to recover bit by bit. After a full day’s time, Ah Dai finally cleared all blocked veins except the heart meridian. However, the heart meridian was key to the human body. If this most critical meridian cannot be cleared, Ah Dai’s ability would be impossible to recover. Without thinking much, Ah Dai immediately launched his attack. The liquid golden energy, controlled by his mental command, divided into two strands and was injected from both ends of the heart meridian. Controlling the True Qi with great care, he gradually infiltrated into the heart meridian. The golden glow slowly lit up, revealing the details of the heart’s meridians. Everything was going smoothly, and after two hours of hard work, Ah Dai successfully cleared two of the three blocked heart meridians. Clearly feeling the comfort in his body due to the recovery of the two meridians, he directed the True Qi excitedly towards the third meridian. But, the moment the liquid energy entered the most crucial third meridian, Ah Dai was stunned. The energy barely moved a bit and his heart began to ache severely. The unbearable pain forced him to disperse his gathered Qi. He endured the excruciating pain which didn’t stop until an hour later, his already weak body drenched in sweat. He naturally wasn’t willing to fail just like that and launched a second attempt, but the result was the same. He could only disperse his gathered Qi due to the unbearable intense pain. On that note, Ah Dai tried more than a dozen times, but each attempt ended the same. Unable to clear this meridian meant he couldn’t convert True Qi into battle energy or even recover from his paralyzed state. It had been more than ten days, and without any food and water intake, Ah Dai’s body had become highly weak. Having undergone constant internal struggle, he gritted his teeth and decided that he would rather take a desperate gamble than wait here to die.
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