Chapter 79 - 78: Can you come out already?

Chapter 79: Chapter 78: Can you come out already?

The three remained suspended in the air, staring at Chen Feng with stunned expressions.

For a moment, none of them spoke.

"Ancestor...?"

Yuexin was the first to break the silence, her voice barely audible.

Minghao’s gaze shifted between Chen Feng and the rapidly closing entrance below them, his mind struggling to catch up with what had just happened. Even Yichen, who was still holding Xiaoyu tightly against his chest, could only stare blankly at their ancestor.

Then something began beating rapidly against Yuexin’s robe.

She froze and reached inside, pulling out the mission slip.

The paper trembled violently in her hand, its spiritual fluctuations far stronger than before.

Minghao’s expression changed slightly.

Yuexin stared at it for a moment, seemingly understanding what had happened.

But before any of them could say anything, Chen Feng’s furious voice rang across the sky.

"If it weren’t for that mission slip, you three could have lost your lives!"

The three immediately lowered their heads.

"Why did you go beyond the mission’s scope?!"

His voice carried such pressure that none of them dared answer.

Chen Feng’s gaze swept across them before eventually falling upon the figure in Yichen’s arms.

His expression darkened.

"Look."

His voice was no longer loud, but somehow it carried even more weight.

"Because of your decision, look at what happened."

Minghao clenched his fists.

"Ancestor, we—"

Chen Feng gave him a cold look.

Minghao immediately stopped.

"Minghao."

"Yes, Ancestor."

"You are the most mature among them, and yet why did you decide to stay longer than you needed to?"

Minghao lowered his head.

"Because we believed we could handle it, Ancestor."

Chen Feng’s expression remained cold.

"And now?"

Minghao had no answer.

Beside him, Yuexin remained silent, tears falling freely down her cheeks as she stared at the ground.

Yichen finally spoke.

"Ancestor..."

Chen Feng’s gaze shifted toward him.

"It was my fault."

His voice was hoarse.

"I was the one who suggested we continue. I was the one who brought her here."

His arms tightened around Xiaoyu’s lifeless body.

"If Ancestor wants to punish someone, punish me."

Yichen lowered his head.

"I’ll accept anything."

His voice trembled.

"I deserve it."

For a moment, Chen Feng simply stared at him.

The anger in his eyes softened for the briefest instant.

Then he sighed.

"Enough."

He turned away.

"Let’s leave first."

After taking a few steps, Chen Feng suddenly stopped and glanced toward the empty space beside them.

"Take care of this place."

The air beside him rippled.

A figure slowly emerged from the emptiness, having concealed his presence so completely that even the three younger cultivators had failed to notice him.

Chen Yan stepped out and looked toward the vast field of flowers below.

"Trouble is coming."

Chen Feng looked at him.

"The movement is too big. This place will naturally attract unwanted attention from now on."

"Should I?" Chen Yan asked, the question carrying an unspoken meaning.

Chen Feng understood his thoughts immediately.

"I know. Just deter those small forces. None of them would be bold enough to anger our Chen Family."

He then turned back toward the three.

With a wave of his hand, the world around them blurred.

The next instant, their figures were carried rapidly across the sky by Chen Feng’s overwhelming spiritual energy.

Throughout the journey, Chen Feng remained silent.

The wind rushed past them as his spiritual energy carried them across the sky, but none of the three spoke.

Yuexin’s tears never stopped. She lowered her head, wiping them away whenever they blurred her vision, only for more to fall moments later.

Chen Yichen remained listless, his eyes fixed on Xiaoyu’s face.

He held her tightly against his chest, careful even now, as though she might still feel pain if he held her too roughly.

"I’m sorry..."

The words escaped him quietly.

After a moment, his voice came again.

"I shouldn’t have brought you."

His eyes reddened.

"If I had stopped... if I had just listened..."

He couldn’t finish.

His chin lowered until it rested lightly against her silver hair.

"I’m sorry."

Beside him, Yuexin’s lips trembled as she heard him, and another tear slipped down her cheek.

Chen Minghao flew silently between them, his head lowered so deeply that he never once looked toward Chen Feng.

He could still hear Yichen’s quiet apologies behind him.

Each one seemed heavier than the last.

The wind continued to carry them forward.

Chen Feng said nothing.

Neither did Minghao.

Only Yichen’s broken voice occasionally drifted through the silence.

"I’m sorry..."

Chen Feng’s spiritual energy carried them across the sky at an astonishing speed, the mountains and forests below becoming little more than blurred shadows.

After hours of traveling across the sky, the familiar mountain range surrounding the Chen Family finally appeared in the distance.

Chen Feng’s speed did not slow.

As they approached the main peak, several cultivators noticed the figure flying above them.

At first, there was only curiosity, but when they recognized who was leading the group, surprise quickly spread through the family.

"The Ancestor has returned!"

More heads turned toward the sky.

Then they noticed the younger cultivators following behind him. The expressions of those watching changed one after another.

Yuexin’s tear-stained face.

Minghao’s pale expression.

And finally, Yichen.

He was still carrying Xiaoyu.

Her silver hair fluttered in the wind, her body completely motionless in his arms, her legs and lower body badly injured.

The cheerful atmosphere that had existed around the family grounds moments earlier disappeared. By the time Chen Feng reached the Ancestral Peak, the news had already spread.

Something bad had happened.

Chen Haoran and Qingxue hurried from the main family grounds toward the Ancestral Hall.

"Ancestor!"

Chen Haoran bowed as Chen Feng descended. Qingxue followed closely behind him, but the moment her eyes landed on the younger cultivators, her steps slowed.

Then she saw Xiaoyu.

Her face immediately went pale.

"Someone’s injured?"

Chen Haoran’s expression changed as well.

He looked toward Yichen, then Minghao and Yuexin, as though trying to understand what had happened.

"Ancestor, what—"

"Prepare a burial."

Chen Feng’s voice cut through the question.

Chen Haoran froze.

For a moment, he could only stare at Chen Feng. Then his gaze slowly moved toward the unfamiliar face that wore the Chen Family’s crest. He swallowed the rest of his words.

"...Yes, Ancestor."

Qingxue’s eyes reddened. She took a small step forward, but Chen Haoran immediately caught her arm.

"Qingxue."

"Wait..."

Her voice trembled.

"I just want to—"

"Come."

Chen Haoran gently pulled her back.

Qingxue resisted for a moment, her eyes remaining on the girl’s body, but when she saw Yichen’s hollow expression, she finally lowered her gaze.

The two slowly retreated from the Ancestral grounds. Once they were gone, the vast grounds fell silent again. Chen Feng stood several steps ahead of the three, his back facing them.

He did not speak.

For a long while, none of them did either.

The only sound was the faint wind moving through the trees surrounding the ancestral grounds.

Chen Feng stood with his back toward them, his white robe barely moving in the breeze.

Yichen continued holding Xiaoyu.

Not long afterward, footsteps approached from the outer grounds.

A group of Chen Family cultivators entered the Ancestral Peak, carrying everything required for the burial. Chen Haoran walked among them, his expression solemn, while several older cultivators followed behind him after hearing what had happened.

No one asked questions. The sight of Chen Feng standing there was enough to tell them that something serious had happened.

The cultivators carefully approached Yichen and stopped a short distance away.

Chen Feng finally spoke.

"Take her."

Yichen’s arms tightened instinctively, and for a moment, he did not move. Then his fingers slowly loosened.

Two cultivators stepped forward and carefully received Xiaoyu’s body from him, supporting her as gently as possible.

Yichen’s arms remained suspended in the same position for a moment after she was taken away, as though his body had yet to understand that there was no longer anyone there.

His hands slowly fell.

The cultivators carried Xiaoyu toward the rear of the Ancestral grounds, where the Chen Family maintained a quiet burial ground reserved for its members.

As they passed through the trees, more members of the family began arriving, and what had initially been only a few cultivators soon grew into a crowd of dozens gathered around the burial ground.

Most of them did not recognize the young woman being carried.

They had never seen her before.

Yet the fact that Chen Feng himself had returned with her was enough for everyone to understand that she belonged to the family.

No one questioned it. They simply stood in silence.

Several elders eventually arrived as well, their expressions solemn as they looked toward the burial site.

At the forefront, Chen Feng remained motionless, and behind him stood the three younger cultivators.

Their heads remained lowered as the burial began.

The cultivators prepared the grave with careful movements, clearing the earth and laying down the burial cloth before gently placing Xiaoyu’s body inside.

A quiet cleansing ritual followed.

Warm water infused with faint spiritual energy was used to cleanse away the dust and blood that remained upon her body from the journey, while the damaged clothing was carefully arranged so that she would not be buried in a state of disarray.

No elaborate ceremony was performed. There were no grand words, only the quiet rituals traditionally given to a member of the Chen Family.

Once everything had been prepared, the cultivators slowly covered the body with clean cloth before lowering her into the grave.

Yichen’s fingers trembled. He stared at the ground without lifting his head.

Yuexin quietly cried beside him.

Minghao remained silent.

The first layer of earth fell.

Then another.

Soon, Xiaoyu disappeared beneath the soil. The surrounding Chen Family members remained completely silent. Even those who had never known her watched until the burial was finished.

When the final layer of earth had been placed over the grave, Chen Feng finally spoke.

"That’s enough."

His voice carried across the burial ground.

"All of you, leave."

No one questioned the command. The gathered cultivators bowed and slowly departed, followed by the elders who had come to witness the burial.

The crowd gradually thinned until only a handful remained.

Chen Haoran stayed behind.

He looked toward Chen Feng, hesitating.

"Ancestor, what happened?"

Chen Feng turned his head slightly.

"I will explain later. Leave for now."

Chen Haoran stopped. His eyes moved toward the three younger cultivators before returning to Chen Feng. There was clearly something he wanted to ask, but after seeing Chen Feng’s expression, he swallowed the words.

"Yes, Ancestor."

He bowed and slowly withdrew.

Soon, the last footsteps faded from the Ancestral grounds. The wind passed quietly through the trees.

Chen Feng remained silent for a while after the last shovelful of earth had been placed over the grave.

The burial ground had gradually emptied. The elders and younger members who had gathered earlier had already left, leaving only the fresh grave and the three young cultivators nearby.

The wooden marker had been placed before the mound, but there had been no elaborate ceremony.

Everything had happened too quickly for that.

Chen Feng finally turned toward them.

"Before anything else, tell me exactly what happened."

His voice was calm now, without the anger he had shown earlier.

Minghao was the first to speak.

He explained how they had entered the area to investigate the strange fluctuations surrounding the ancient tomb, how they had discovered the hidden entrance, and how they had eventually found themselves inside the underground maze.

Yuexin added what Minghao left out, describing the strange creature they had encountered, the suppression of spiritual energy, and how the maze seemed to change the deeper they went.

When they reached the point where the ground collapsed and separated them, Yichen took over.

His voice was quiet as he described what happened to Xiaoyu.

He told Chen Feng about her injuries, how he had carried her through the maze while continuously channeling his spiritual energy into her wounds, and how they had eventually reached the flower field beneath the enormous tree.

He even mentioned the lie he had told her about seeing her tending the medicinal garden, simply because he had needed something to talk about.

Then he described how she had asked him to keep talking while he carried her away from the flower field.

So he had.

He had talked about ordinary things, about the future, about things they could do after returning to the family. He had continued speaking even when his voice became unsteady and tears began falling.

Until eventually, he realized that she had stopped breathing.

Yichen’s voice faded.

Chen Feng listened without interrupting. When the story finally ended, he let out a quiet breath and looked toward the grave.

"You three are lucky."

Yichen raised his head.

"Very lucky," Chen Feng repeated. "I sensed the mission’s distress alarm and made it there in time. If I had arrived any later, I don’t know whether I would have found three survivors."

The three lowered their heads.

Chen Feng’s expression hardened slightly.

"That mission was assigned by me. I knew the area was dangerous, which was why I needed people there. But the scope of the mission was only to investigate."

He paused.

"The moment you discovered the entrance, you should have left."

No one answered.

"There was no instruction for you to enter the tomb, explore the underground maze, or fight whatever was hiding inside. You had already accomplished what I asked of you when you discovered the entrance. Everything after that was beyond the mission."

Yichen’s hands slowly tightened.

"It was my fault."

His voice was barely above a whisper.

"If I had listened and left when we found the entrance, Xiaoyu wouldn’t have..."

He stopped, unable to finish.

Yuexin immediately shook her head.

"It wasn’t only Yichen. I agreed to continue too."

Minghao nodded as well.

"We all made that decision together, Ancestor."

Chen Feng looked at the three of them for a moment.

"I know."

His voice had softened.

"I know none of you intended for this to happen. But intentions do not change consequences."

The three remained silent.

"When you become stronger, you will eventually reach a point where you begin believing that most dangers can be overcome as long as you are careful enough. Confidence is necessary for a cultivator, but there is a difference between courage and refusing to recognize danger."

His gaze settled on Minghao.

"You were the most mature among the three. You should have recognized that difference."

Minghao lowered his head.

Chen Feng then looked at Yuexin.

"And you knew the mission’s purpose as well."

"Yet you followed them."

Yuexin lowered her gaze.

"I did..."

Finally, his eyes settled on Yichen.

"And you..."

Chen Feng paused.

"You were willing to throw your own life away just to keep carrying her."

Yichen’s eyes trembled.

"I couldn’t leave her."

"I know."

There was no accusation in Chen Feng’s voice.

"That is why I am angry."

Yichen looked up.

"I am angry because you ignored the mission. I am angry because all three of you entered somewhere you were never supposed to go. But more than that..."

Chen Feng looked toward the grave.

"I am angry because you came back carrying this guilt with you."

He paused.

"All three of you came back alive."

"And she did not."

Silence settled over the burial ground.

Chen Feng looked at Yichen again.

"You will probably blame yourself for a long time."

Yichen said nothing.

"You may think that if you had been stronger, faster, or more decisive, things would have ended differently. But you cannot spend the rest of your life punishing yourself for something that has already happened."

Yichen’s eyes lowered.

"If you truly feel guilty, then remember what happened. Learn from it. Become stronger because of it. The next time you receive a mission, understand exactly where that mission ends."

He glanced toward the grave.

"And when you come here again, don’t remember only how she died."

"Remember how she lived."

"Remember the things she liked. Remember the way she spoke. Remember the time you spent with her before this happened. Don’t let the final moments of her life become the only thing you remember about her."

Yichen stared at the grave for a long moment before slowly nodding, his voice broken.

"I... I understand, Ancestor."

Chen Feng didn’t say anything else. There was nothing more that needed to be said.

Yet the three clearly had no intention of leaving.

Yichen’s gaze remained fixed on the fresh grave, his expression still hollow. Yuexin stood beside him with her eyes red from crying, while Minghao remained silent, his head lowered as though he were still going over everything that had happened.

None of them moved.

Chen Feng watched them for a moment before speaking.

"You three need to rest and recuperate."

Yichen’s fingers tightened slightly.

"Ancestor..."

"I know."

Chen Feng’s voice was firm.

"You want to stay here."

Yichen lowered his head.

"Yes."

"So do it tomorrow."

Yichen looked up slightly.

"Tonight, you will return and rest."

"That is an order."

Minghao was the first to bow.

"Yes, Ancestor."

Yuexin wiped the tears from her face and followed.

"Yes."

Yichen remained still for another few breaths before finally lowering his head.

"...Yes, Ancestor."

The three turned toward the path leading away from the burial ground. They walked slowly, none of them saying a word.

Yichen looked back once before leaving, his gaze lingering on the grave for several seconds until Chen Feng’s stern voice came from behind him.

"Yichen."

He stopped.

"Go."

Yichen lowered his head and continued walking.

Soon, their footsteps disappeared beyond the trees.

Chen Feng remained alone beside the grave. He waited until the three had completely left before his expression finally changed.

He sighed.

"Can you come out already? Aren’t you suffocated down there?"

For several moments, nothing happened.

Then the earth shifted.

A faint ripple of spiritual energy passed through the grave, and a figure slowly emerged from beneath the soil. Chen Yuan climbed out, brushing dirt from his sleeves and hair before straightening his back.

He rolled his shoulders, his neck, and then his waist.

"Ugh..."

He twisted his body once more.

"That was uncomfortable."