Chapter 12: 君问归期未有期

Under the afterglow, the young boy's figure made Fire Crow's heart tremble.

If he hadn't been an experienced scavenger, a newcomer would likely have been intimidated, even if their cultivation level surpassed the opponent's. Even he felt a tremor in his heart, but it was quickly suppressed by his desperate ferocity and injured anger. A strong murderous intent flashed in his eyes.

"You little wolf cub," Fire Crow growled, "I'll pull out your teeth, one by one, and keep them as my trophies."

As Fire Crow spoke in a low voice, he tore off his clothes, revealing his gaunt upper body. He ignored his missing ear and the wound on his chest. As his face flushed red while he formed hand seals, a fire sphere even larger than before suddenly appeared.

Xu Qing's eyes narrowed, and his body swayed, moving instantly.

"Scatter!" Fire Crow roared. Instantly, the large fire sphere in his hand split into five, surging directly towards Xu Qing.

A roar echoed instantly as the ground was engulfed in flames. Xu Qing's figure rushed out again from the burning, still delivering two consecutive punches to shatter the barriers. Though he was inevitably forced back by the impact, sustaining more injuries and continuous burns from the high-temperature flames, his speed didn't diminish in the slightest, nor did his murderous intent.

Thus, with this battle tactic of disregarding his own injuries, he and Fire Crow were locked in a desperate, fierce battle within the jungle.

The fight grew more intense with each passing moment.

Xu Qing was indeed no match for Fire Crow. Both the spiritual energy barrier and the fire spheres were highly disadvantageous to him; the former made it difficult to engage in close combat, while the latter posed a significant threat.

But Xu Qing's astonishing recovery ability allowed him to quickly heal after being injured, without affecting his combat strength. His physical stamina was also abundant. Although the prolonged physical pain caused mental torment, having grown up in the slums, he had long developed extraordinary endurance.

Most importantly, the spiritual energy, which contained dense foreign matter, had no effect on Xu Qing, but it was a completely different story for Fire Crow. The injury to his ear was manageable, but the wound on his chest grew worse. Most crucially, his spiritual energy... Even with a cultivation level of five layers of Qi Condensation, he couldn't withstand such consumption and could only passively absorb spiritual energy to replenish himself.

The fierce battle and the pressure Xu Qing exerted left him no time to recover. As a result, the foreign matter within his body continuously increased and accumulated.

Soon, Fire Crow's initial anger turned into a hint of tension, until eventually, anxiety appeared in his expression. He had already noticed that something was wrong with him, and that there was something unusual about the young boy in front of him! Any cultivator at the third layer, or even at the fifth layer like him, would certainly not have been able to withstand such a barrage of fire spheres until now; they should have turned into a dried corpse long ago. He wondered if even he could do this. Yet the young boy in front of him, despite seemingly severe and increasing injuries, had not shown the slightest decrease in speed or strength from beginning to end. This made the unease in Fire Crow's heart grow even stronger. The continuous increase of foreign matter in his body, approaching the brink of mutation, made Fire Crow's breathing quicken even more.

"Fire Crow, you useless trash, finish him quickly!!"

In the distance, the Blood Shadow Captain, who was fighting Captain Lei, had to divert his attention to the scene. Seeing this now, he roared. He wanted to help, but Captain Lei suddenly erupted, preventing him from disengaging, leaving him only to watch anxiously.

Captain Lei had already understood that Xu Qing's tactic was to drag Fire Crow into mutation. Though he didn't know why Xu Qing was so confident, or why he performed as usual despite his injuries, Captain Lei understood that everyone had their own secrets—and he had his too. So, he had no intention of probing; all he could do was prevent the Blood Shadow Captain from assisting.

The battle was still ongoing.

After blasting out three more fire spheres, Fire Crow, still helpless against Xu Qing and cursed again by his captain, felt the anxiety in his heart completely erupt, turning into a frenzy. He suddenly raised his right hand and hammered it directly onto his chest, spitting out a large mouthful of blood. Before it could fall, his left hand swiftly waved, catching some of it. A chanting sound came from his mouth, and the blood in his hand rapidly turned black.

Xu Qing's eyes tightened, feeling an even stronger sense of crisis. His body swayed as he rushed forward, aiming to interrupt the opponent's spell. But this time, Fire Crow's spell unfolded extremely quickly. The moment Xu Qing's body moved, Fire Crow suddenly looked up, his expression distorted and eyes filled with ferocity, as he fiercely waved his right hand. Instantly, the black blood in his hand expanded into a blood sphere the size of a human head. Bubbles seemed to boil within it as it whistled towards Xu Qing with astonishing power.

"Die!" Fire Crow snarled.

Perhaps because this spell was too draining, coupled with the continuous surge of foreign matter in his body, his legs trembled weakly at that moment. A strong murderous intent suddenly flared in Xu Qing's eyes. Just as Captain Lei had judged, he was indeed preparing to drag the opponent until mutation, but there was also a difference. That was, Xu Qing had never given up the idea of killing him beforehand during this process. Although his dagger and iron skewer were no longer in his hands, he had been searching for an opportunity for a decisive kill. This opportunity now presented itself, with Fire Crow's weakening state.

Almost at the instant the black blood sphere whistled towards him, Xu Qing's forward-moving body suddenly accelerated. Instead of rushing straight towards Fire Crow, he slightly shifted direction, heading towards where the barbarian demon's corpse lay. The corpse bore numerous burn marks from Fire Crow's previous fire sphere barrage, but besides the corpse, there was also... the barbarian demon's weapon! A wolf-toothed club and a finely crafted iron shield, broken into two pieces—one large, one small.

Xu Qing's target was precisely the larger piece of the shield. His figure instantly approached. He fiercely grabbed the heavy finely crafted iron shield, and as his thin body was covered by it, he instantly rushed forward, heading straight for Fire Crow, who was behind the black blood sphere.

A roar echoed as Fire Crow's blood sphere collided with Xu Qing, smashing into the shield and erupting into countless splattering black blood droplets. The finely crafted iron shield couldn't withstand the impact and instantly shattered into pieces, but it still absorbed most of the force. As a result, Xu Qing, who was behind the shield, was covered in some black blood, but it wasn't fatal. At that moment, he gritted his teeth, his speed undiminished, without the slightest pause. He became a blur, approaching Fire Crow like an arrow.

Fire Crow's eyes showed mockery; he didn't dodge. As his hands formed seals, the black blood that had scattered behind Xu Qing began rapidly rising from the ground, drop by drop. It seemed it wouldn't be long before it would all rise and turn into shooting blood arrows. All of this left Xu Qing with no room to retreat, but he hadn't intended to retreat anyway.

As he got closer, his left hand clenched into a fist, but it was his right hand that struck, delivering a punch.

Boom!

Cracks appeared on the spiritual energy barrier around Fire Crow's body, and at the same time, blood splattered from Xu Qing's right fist, mixed with some scaly flesh. Before Fire Crow could see clearly, Xu Qing's eyes turned crimson, and he delivered a second punch. With a bang, the barrier shattered into pieces, and a huge impact spread from within, pushing Xu Qing's body. Just as before, he was unable to get any closer and was about to be forced back by the impact.

The mockery in Fire Crow's eyes deepened, but at that very moment! Xu Qing's body seemed to have an inexplicable surge of residual strength. Amidst the impact of the shattered barrier, he was not forced back as he had been before. Instead, he surged forward, bearing the impact, and extended his right hand to fiercely grab the gory spot on Fire Crow's chest where the iron skewer had pierced through. It seemed the extra strength only allowed Xu Qing to make that one grab; although he tore open Fire Crow's wound, he couldn't deliver a fatal blow and could only retreat rapidly.

Fire Crow's expression also changed, and his body staggered backward. Realizing Xu Qing's grab hadn't posed a major threat, he sneered and was about to cast a spell to make the black blood shoot. But the next instant, his expression changed again, and he suddenly lowered his head. At the gory spot on his chest, there were... fragments of broken teeth and scaly, pulpy flesh. At the same time, at the wound site, flesh was corroding, and waves of poisonous blood seeped out from within, rapidly decaying the skin wherever it touched.

Unbearable agony surged intensely at that moment, making Fire Crow let out a shrill scream, his expression showing unprecedented terror. As he continuously retreated, he saw Xu Qing squatting in the distance. From his outstretched right palm, Xu Qing shook off a lot of similar pulpy flesh and broken teeth. If these pulpy flesh and broken teeth could be pieced together, they would form the shape of a snake head. It was precisely the highly venomous snake head Xu Qing used to process corpses. Meanwhile, his left hand trembled slightly as he slowly opened it. After pieces of amber fell off, it revealed the ghost-faced scorpion tail deeply embedded in his palm! The former imbued his palm with potent venom, while the latter allowed him to retain enough strength to strike despite the barrier's impact!

"You..." Fire Crow trembled, unable to speak amidst his wailing, let alone cast a spell. His eyes showed intense fear of death. He struggled to wipe away the poisonous blood from his body, but the copious overflow of poisonous blood caused his physical strength and life force to rapidly drain away.

Xu Qing took a deep breath. The recovery from the purple crystal during the Fat Mountain battle had shown him that he could neutralize poison. The fact that his right hand, contaminated with snake venom, hadn't corroded explained everything. This was the killing blow he had prepared for Fire Crow.

At this moment, he stood up and headed straight for Fire Crow. Seeing Xu Qing approach, the terror in Fire Crow's eyes turned into despair. He struggled to retreat, letting out a painful wail.

"Captain, save me!!"

This tragic scene made the Blood Shadow Captain, who was fighting Captain Lei, widen his eyes. He wanted to save him, but Captain Lei's intervention created an obstruction, making it impossible for him to get through. He could only watch helplessly as Xu Qing's figure rapidly approached Fire Crow. As Xu Qing approached, Fire Crow's physical injuries and mental breakdown made the dense foreign matter accumulated within him impossible to suppress any longer. Before Xu Qing could fully get close, Fire Crow suddenly stiffened in despair. The foreign matter spread throughout his body, and with a bang... he turned into a cloud of blood mist.

Some people mutate and leave behind a bluish-black corpse, while others explode into a blood mist.

Xu Qing's steps halted. Gazing at the spot where Fire Crow had turned into blood mist, he turned his head and coldly looked at the Blood Shadow Captain who was fighting Captain Lei. At this moment, the setting sun descended, but the twilight in the sky was different from usual; it didn't usher in night. The entire sky was tinged with an eerie red. Under this red glow, Xu Qing's figure was also illuminated. He stood there, covered in wounds, his sharp gaze seemingly emitting an indescribable pressure. This pressure caused a strong tremor in the heart of the Blood Shadow Captain, whose cultivation surpassed his.

Fire Crow's death was truly too tragic, leaving a massive impact on the Blood Shadow Captain's mind. The prolonged stalemate with Captain Lei, coupled with Xu Qing's unsettling aura, made the Blood Shadow Captain uneasy. At that moment, his gaze flickered, and the instant Xu Qing looked at him, he punched Captain Lei away and swiftly retreated without hesitation. He didn't want to fight anymore.

Captain Lei originally wanted to pursue, but looking up and seeing the eerie red in the sky, his expression suddenly changed. His emotions seemed to fluctuate, blood spurted out, and his body became increasingly bluish-black, swaying precariously. Xu Qing quickly walked over and supported Captain Lei. Amidst Captain Lei's gasping breaths, Xu Qing placed him under a nearby large tree. He looked up at the Blood Shadow Captain speeding away in the distant jungle, a murderous intent flashing in his eyes.

"Don't go after him alone," Captain Lei said. "With the Blood Shadow team's demise, he's no longer a threat. Especially this red in the sky... I think I've seen it before..." Captain Lei grabbed Xu Qing's arm and stared intently at the sky.

"He's a hidden danger," Xu Qing slowly said. He didn't like any hidden dangers, and in this forbidden jungle, Xu Qing felt confident that he could drag the Blood Shadow Captain to death, just as he had Fire Crow. However, Captain Lei's words made him instinctively look up at the sky.

Just then...

A song, rising faintly as if a sigh, drifted from within the jungle. All roars of strange beasts in the forbidden jungle vanished at that instant. In the silent jungle, the song became increasingly clear. It was as if a woman was lamenting her distant husband. As the song echoed, faint reddish mist appeared from the direction where the Blood Shadow Captain had sped away. Engulfing everything around it, the mist spread out.

Xu Qing's body trembled violently. Captain Lei, sitting against the large tree nearby, also trembled instantly. Both instantly looked towards the source of the song. Only Xu Qing was extremely vigilant, while Captain Lei... had a hint of trance in his eyes. The song continuously drifted, entering Xu Qing's ears, making his entire body feel an indescribable chill, as if he were in the icy, bloody rain of the ruined city of the past. Even though he was now at the third layer of body refinement, he couldn't withstand it; his teeth began to chatter, and his body lost the ability to move.

Xu Qing's mind buzzed, and the forbidden taboos of the restricted area, spoken of by the Cross when they entered, involuntarily appeared in his mind. And where they were watching, the Blood Shadow Captain's body also stopped, visibly trembling. As if something invisible was approaching him, making him lose the strength to escape. Under Xu Qing's direct observation, wisps of white mist flew out from the seven orifices of the trembling Blood Shadow Captain and merged into the spreading blood mist. During this process, the Blood Shadow Captain's body rapidly decayed and withered, until it became a dried corpse, then crumbled into dust, leaving nothing behind.

The mist covered the spot where he was and spread towards Xu Qing and Captain Lei. As the mist approached, Xu Qing's body trembled, and he finally saw the source of the Blood Shadow Captain's death: a pair of bright red, very tattered women's boots.

"This is..." Xu Qing gasped, his eyes wide. He saw the boots appear in front of the mist in the distance, moving by themselves on the ground, step by step, walking towards them. The boots were empty... only the mournful song grew closer. It was as if an invisible woman, wearing these red boots, was walking and singing. The song became increasingly clear as the blood-red boots stepped on the ground, heading directly towards Xu Qing.

This eerie scene made Xu Qing's eyes strongly contract. His body wanted to move, but he was unable to. As if the cold had frozen everything in him, his teeth began to chatter, and he watched helplessly as the blood-red boots stepped, one by one, to half a zhang away from him... The threat of death instantly engulfed all thoughts in Xu Qing's mind. He wanted to retreat but was powerless; only the numerous bloodshot veins in his eyes revealed his fierce struggle at that moment.

And the blood-red shoes were about to take another step towards him, but just then... a trembling voice came from beside Xu Qing. It was Captain Lei.

"Taohong... is that you...?" Captain Lei's voice was hoarse, trembling, and carried a hint of uncertainty.

The moment these words appeared, the eerie song abruptly stopped. The boot that had been raised paused slightly and surprisingly slowly changed direction, as if the woman standing there had turned to look at Captain Lei. Seeing this scene, Captain Lei's body visibly trembled, and his breathing became unprecedentedly rapid. His weary body now burst with residual strength, and his eyes revealed an unprecedented gleam as he stared intently at the emptiness above the boots. As if in his eyes, he could see a woman, as important to him as his own life, standing there. Separated from him by void, by worlds, by yin and yang, their eyes met.

As strong as Captain Lei was, tears streamed uncontrollably from his eyes at that moment. "Have you... returned...?" He tremblingly raised his hand, as if to grasp something. And the red boots slowly lifted, walked to Captain Lei's front, and slightly bent. It was as if the invisible woman gently crouched in front of Captain Lei, allowing his trembling hand to touch her face. But Captain Lei's hand swept through emptiness, touching nothing. It fell empty, and his tears... increased. Only the desolate murmurs from his mouth filled the sorrowful silence.

After a long while, a woman's soft sigh seemed to come from the void. The red boots slowly straightened and gradually moved backward. Only after retreating three zhang did they change direction, bypassing Xu Qing and carrying the red mist behind them as they walked into the distance.

You ask when I'll return; there is no set date. Emotions linger in the mist, the song fades in the smoke.

The song continued to emanate, seemingly with more bitterness and melancholy amidst the lament, getting further and further away. And the blood-red mist also bypassed them, spreading like a flowing current into the distance. Until the song grew weaker and weaker, until... the mist completely vanished, and the song slowly faded away.

Xu Qing's body finally regained movement at this moment. His breathing was rapid, and his eyes held horror. His first instinct was to suddenly turn and look at Captain Lei, who was sitting there. Captain Lei at this moment was staring blankly into the distance, tears flowing silently from his vacant eyes.

Xu Qing remained silent. The words he had wanted to ask now remained unspoken.

After a long while, Captain Lei murmured softly. "Are you wondering?"

Xu Qing silently nodded.

"The Cross told you before that I am one of the few people who have heard the song," Captain Lei whispered slowly, looking into the distance. "Do you know," he continued, "the song of this forbidden area is very eerie. Most who hear it die, and those who can survive it are extremely rare. But once they survive," he explained, "that person will receive a 'gift' from this forbidden area. It will allow them, the next time they hear the song... to see the person they most wanted to see in their entire life.

"I thought this was just a legend. For this legend, I silently waited for decades in the camp outside, waited until my hair turned white... Until today, I saw her."

As Captain Lei spoke these words, he seemed to age significantly all at once, wrinkles piling on his face, and a sense of weakness permeated his body. "Do you also have someone separated by life and death, someone you wish to see...? If so, don't be like me; don't wait here... To see her, in the end, was... an empty dream..." Captain Lei murmured bitterly, closing his eyes. Tears streamed uncontrollably down the wrinkles on his face, dropping onto his collar.

Xu Qing remained silent. He looked up at where the song had disappeared, and a hint of recollection slowly emerged in the depths of his eyes. He also had someone he wanted to see. Someone he longed to see, dearly, deeply.