Chapter 412 - 251: The End (2)

Chapter 412: Chapter 251: The End (2)

"It’s nothing. This is just a minor injury. I only need to rest a bit, and I’ll be fine."

For Su Xing, this truly was just a minor injury. In his past few months of constant fighting, he’d lost count of the number of times he’d suffered wounds far more severe than this. This really was no big deal.

Just then, Ao Lin and the others finally arrived in a hurry. They had been running the whole way and had only just discovered that spatial abilities had been restored, allowing them all to quickly return to Dragon Gate.

The moment they landed, they saw Dragon Gate in ruins. They also saw Su Xing, half-kneeling on the ground with his chest deeply caved in, and two Dragon Gate Elders who, despite being clearly injured themselves, were still trying to help him up.

Ao Lin, who was already grieving the loss of his brother, felt his sorrow turn to rage at the sight. He walked right up to Su Xing, and suppressing the fury in his heart, tried his best to speak in a relatively calm tone.

"Where is he?!"

"Where is the one who did all this!"

"Sect Leader..."

"Elder Su already drove that person away."

an Elder said.

"..."

Hearing this, Ao Lin felt he had no outlet for his rage; it was as if it had been suddenly stifled in his heart. In truth, he had returned to Dragon Gate ready to die. He was not a reckless man and knew full well how powerful an enemy who could so easily kill his brother must be.

He and his group were likely no match for the enemy, but he also understood that in life, some things simply have to be done. That was why he had returned to Dragon Gate without a second thought, only to receive this news the moment he arrived.

That person had already been driven off by Su Xing.

’Su Xing... Just how strong is he now?’

Ao Lin should have been relieved to hear that Dragon Gate was safe, but he only felt an indescribable emotion coiling in his heart. He suddenly remembered his brother’s gruesome death, and the fact that he himself had never even managed to see what the enemy looked like.

’Weak. I’m too weak. I’m already eighth-rank, so why am I still so weak, so powerless?’

"Sect Leader, I have something to tell you,"

one of the Elders said quietly, walking to Ao Lin’s side. Ao Lin’s reverie was shattered. He frowned, but quickly collected himself and said,

"There are no outsiders here. You can speak freely."

"..."

"Are you sure?"

the man said, hesitating.

Seeing the man’s demeanor, Ao Lin realized this matter must be extremely important. He then showed a trace of apology and said,

"Then please excuse me for a moment."

"Of course."

The others were all members of the organization and had little interest in Dragon Gate’s secrets. Besides, Ao Lin didn’t seem like the type to do anything malicious, so they were all very understanding.

...

After the two had walked a distance, Ao Lin took out a Jade Pendant. This pendant, also crafted by Qin Mo, had the ability to isolate energy and block information. Once the Jade Pendant’s effect took hold, Ao Lin said,

"What is so important?"

The man told Ao Lin everything Chi Yu had done at Dragon Gate and also shared his own theory: Chi Yu had come to Dragon Gate and gone on a killing spree for the sole purpose of luring out a specific person.

He had actually guessed the person was Qin Mo, but in order not to influence Ao Lin’s train of thought, he did not say the name aloud.

"..."

Hearing this, Ao Lin fell silent. The Elder’s words made sense. If Chi Yu had truly been after some object, he wouldn’t have just stayed at the gate. Since they came to Dragon Gate and only killed, there was only one possibility: killing was their purpose.

’But what could killing achieve? It would weaken Dragon Gate, kill its disciples, and also... force someone from Dragon Gate to act.’

’Perhaps...’

’Chi Yu was waiting for a specific person to make a move.’

’But who could that person be?’

’Qin Mo?’

Ao Lin’s brow furrowed as the image of Elder Qin surfaced in his mind. Qin Mo was a true elder of Dragon Gate, not even from the same generation as them.

’But Elder Qin Mo rarely leaves the sect. The only time he ever left was more than a hundred years ago. What was he doing on that occasion?’

Thinking of this, Ao Lin was shocked to find that he, the Dragon Gate Master, had no memory of it whatsoever. This could only mean one thing: Qin Mo had never mentioned it to anyone.

’After all, given his status, if he chose not to speak, no one in Dragon Gate was qualified to make him. Even he, the Dragon Gate Master, was a junior in Qin Mo’s presence, inferior not only in strength but also in seniority.’

"..."

For some reason, Ao Lin had a sinking feeling that this was a massive affair, one large enough to drag the steadily developing Dragon Gate completely into the eye of a storm.

"Go to the Treasure Pavilion and ask Elder Qin. You must be extremely polite. If he’s willing to tell us, it means this matter isn’t too serious. If Elder Qin refuses to speak, then we must make our final preparations."

’Final preparations...’ To be honest, the Elder hadn’t heard that phrase in a very long time.

The last time he had heard that phrase dated back to the era of Spiritual Qi depletion. That was when Ao Lin decided to turn Dragon Gate into a Secret Realm and remain dormant until the Spiritual Qi revived. Only a matter of such gravity would compel Ao Lin to use such a solemn phrase.

But now... he suddenly realized the sheer gravity of the situation. ’Has Dragon Gate only just stabilized, only to face another cataclysmic event on par with the Spiritual Qi depletion?’

"Understood."

He suppressed the unease in his heart and simply gave his assent. Anxious speculation was the most useless thing right now; it was better to get the task done first and then consider what to do next.

"Mm..."

Ao Lin nodded. He then looked up at the sun within the Secret Realm, and after a long moment, he slowly sighed and said,

"Send some men. Bring my brother’s body back and give him a proper burial. If possible, hold a small memorial service for him."

"..."

Everyone knew an eighth-rank master had died, but they never imagined it would be Ao Shi. The powerful generally have greater survival capabilities, so they had naturally assumed Ao Shi would survive.

Unfortunately...

He encountered someone stronger than himself.

In truth, as Ao Lin’s own brother, Ao Shi’s death could be considered a heroic sacrifice for Dragon Gate, worthy of being mourned by the entire sect.

However, Ao Lin did not want other factions to learn of Ao Shi’s tragic death, so they could only hold a small memorial service for him. As for Lin Tianhan and Yao Yixiao, they belonged to a special organization and naturally wouldn’t spread gossip about Dragon Gate.

...

"Where’s Elder Li?"

Su Xing looked at the familiar faces but couldn’t spot Li Longxuan, and he couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. To Su Xing, Li Longxuan was like a respected elder from home; seeing him always brought a sense of reassurance.

"He went back."

"It’s incredible that his clone was able to persist for so long. When the space was sealed off, he didn’t have enough energy left to return to Dragon Gate, so he just went back."

Lin Tianhan and Yao Yixiao explained.

"I see."

Su Xing nodded. He had previously wondered if Li Longxuan had encountered Chi Yu and had his clone destroyed, but it appeared that wasn’t the case.

In reality, Su Xing was underestimating Elder Li. The two times Su Xing had seen Li Longxuan fight, it had only been a clone. That was not his full power.

If Chi Yu had truly run into Li Longxuan, whether he could have won was a genuine unknown, because Li Longxuan also had one foot in the realm of Origin.

"So, are we still going to fight?"

Su Xing asked, looking at the group and especially at Yao Yixiao, who was supposed to be his next opponent in the tournament. However, Yao Yixiao just shook his head and said,

"Fight? Are you kidding me? There’s no way I’m fighting a monster like you. And who knows where that Li Ye guy is. If you ask me, we should just call you the winner."

"I agree."