Chapter 312: Adi, Long Time No See

Winter arrived at that moment.

It was a harsh winter; perhaps after this winter, countless ordinary people in Yinghuang Province would once again become frozen corpses.

The fragility of life, much like its cheapness, was insignificant.

Perhaps one day in the future, all beings in this world would gradually wither, be buried beneath the gods, and turn to dust.

This dust might only exist in the wind's memory, scattering bleakly as the wind carried it away.

Just like the cold wind blowing at this moment, it carried the breath of death, drifting to the edge of the forest, seven days' journey from the Eight Sect Alliance.

Tree leaves curled and fell in the wind; eventually, dry yet retaining residual moisture, they found their graves, buried with the silt, making the soil increasingly hard.

The cold intensified, especially at night.

The trees swayed in the wind, feeling the changing seasons.

The person beneath the trees trembled, for he saw the face of a severed head under the moonlight.

Grandmaster Liu's head no longer dripped fresh blood. Even the bloodstains on his beard were no longer bright red, but rather dark, a purplish-black hue.

But his eyes remained open, pupils dilated, devoid of life. Yet, the blankness within them, a blend of confusion and release before death, could not be dispersed by the wind, which only subtly swayed his beard.

Xu Qing remained silent.

He hadn't spent much time with Grandmaster Liu; their paths had only crossed during the Bai Li incident. However, after that event, Grandmaster Liu showed him considerable care.

Whether it was the protective treasures given during the Bai Li incident or the background protection provided during the purge of the Night Raven organization, these actions helped Xu Qing avoid many troubles and dangers.

The protective treasures were one of the crucial supports for his first battle against Sheng Yunzi in the Phoenix Prohibited Zone. It could be said that without the jade slip Grandmaster Liu provided for that initial battle, the fight would have been much more difficult.

Grandmaster Liu's full support not only made Xu Qing's actions smoother but also deterred those within the sect who had interests linked to the Night Raven organization, making Xu Qing safer.

Grandmaster Liu's protection was different from Grandmaster Qi's.

Grandmaster Qi was ostentatious, taking disciples publicly to establish his deterrence, like a long spear piercing the clouds.

Grandmaster Liu's character and past experiences made his protection more silent and subtle, like an unsharpened shield, giving Xu Qing room to retreat.

In this indifferent world, in this cruel era, Xu Qing highly valued this silent care.

He was loyal and righteous by nature. Towards enemies, he was decisive and often extremely ruthless. In the depths of his heart, he had built high walls, full of vigilance and caution towards the outside world.

He fully armed himself, sealing off everything, solely to protect himself from harm.

This was a personality change caused by Xu Qing's childhood experiences. Yet beneath it all, within these high walls, deep within this iceberg, lay a warmth few could perceive.

Towards enemies, Xu Qing was merciless and unrelenting, fighting to the death.

Towards benefactors, Xu Qing would never forget and would always remember—that was Xu Qing.

In the cold winter night, those who had given him care, warmth, and a hearth were few and far between in his life. He cherished each one.

But, Team Leader Lei was gone, Master Bai was gone, and now Grandmaster Liu was also gone.

So his heart now throbbed with intense pain. His body now trembled with cold. His eyes slowly became bloodshot.

Finally, he gathered the strength to look up, slowly raising his head.

This upward movement was very difficult.

Because the moment this group appeared, Xu Qing's body was as if solidified; he couldn't move.

That was caused by immense pressure, formed by the convergence of life-force at a higher level!

But he still struggled to raise his head, because even if it meant death, Xu Qing refused to face it with his head bowed.

He stared at the black-robed figure leading the group, observing the divine fragmented mask on their face, and the sugar-coated hawthorns in their hand, which were the same color as Grandmaster Liu's blood when he was alive.

The masked young man in black robes paused, a hint of reminiscence appearing in his eyes. He looked at Xu Qing with a gentle gaze, tinged with familial affection.

This gentle gaze made Xu Qing freeze in surprise, his heart immediately throbbed with intense shock.

That seemingly familial gaze instantly caused his memories to churn tumultuously.

As the young man paused, the three figures behind him also stopped.

The face beneath Night Raven's mask showed a strange expression. He recognized Xu Qing as the young fellow who had been involved in Bai Li's death and had previously escaped death under his own attack.

The scene before him made him feel that things were far from simple, so he remained silent.

As for Sheng Yunzi's father, his eyes gleamed with a strange light, deep in thought. Skilled at patience, he also remained silent.

But Sheng Yunzi, standing nearby, his expression turned ferocious. He stared intently at Xu Qing, a sinister grin on his lips. In his perception, Xu Qing was doomed this time.

"My lord, I..." Sheng Yunzi instinctively started to speak. But the next instant, his father's gaze became stern and he glared fiercely. Sheng Yunzi's voice caught, and he fell silent.

From his father's eyes, he saw tension and confusion.

Sheng Yunzi might have shone brightly, but ultimately, his temperament was not as good as his father's.

At this moment, Sheng Yunzi's father was no longer merely tense and confused as his son perceived. His true feeling deep down was one of shock, because he felt that something was amiss.

All along this journey, the mysterious and terrifying lord ahead, whose power could unleash a divine gaze, could clearly have teleported away, yet they proceeded unhurriedly.

The moment Sheng Yunzi's father saw Xu Qing, a strong suspicion suddenly arose in his heart: the Lord Zhuzhao had taken this path precisely to meet Xu Qing!

This suspicion sent shivers down his spine.

Then, as the cold wind whistled, the black-robed young man wearing the divine mask, noticing Xu Qing's gaze fixed on the head in Night Raven's hand behind him, spoke softly.

"I know his relation to you, but he killed Bai Li, and I took his head. This is justified and will not change because of you."

As he spoke, the black-robed young man walked step by step towards Xu Qing. His steps were unhurried, and his eyes remained gentle, without any pretense, emanating from his very heart.

Although Xu Qing's body was solidified, it now trembled even more violently.

He stared disbelievingly at the eyes beneath the mask of the approaching black-robed figure. The voice echoing in his ears sank into the deepest parts of his memory, constantly stirring up a sense of familiarity there.

This feeling made his breathing quicken, his pupils contract, and he instinctively made a whimpering sound in his throat.

This was not fear, but disbelief and an unwillingness to believe. Moreover, after this realization, it was the last shred of strength in his conviction that this was impossible!

Finally, the black-robed young man reached Xu Qing, observing Xu Qing, who was almost as tall as himself. He gazed for a long time.

Finally, as Xu Qing trembled and the bones in his body produced faint cracking sounds, the young man raised his hand and placed it on his mask.

He gently took it off.

Revealing a face strikingly seven parts similar to Xu Qing's! In the faint, mist-like starlight, though the face was pale, its eyes, blessed by the spirits of heaven and earth, contained no impurities; they were clear yet unfathomably deep.

Above his eyes, sharply angled, handsome sword-like brows; thin, lightly pressed lips; and distinct, angular features—all these made the black-robed young man resemble an eagle in the dark night, aloof and solitary.

Compared to Xu Qing, he seemed colder, perhaps even more sinister.

And at this moment, within the solitude of those eagle-like eyes, there was a rare tenderness as he spoke softly.

"Little brother, long time no see."

Xu Qing felt as if struck by divine lightning. Ten thousand bolts of thunder seemed to explode in his mind, turning into a sound that split heaven and earth. His soul trembled violently, and his body shook uncontrollably.

Everything before his eyes seemed to vanish, leaving only the face so incredibly familiar from his dreams, and the voice that had echoed in the deepest parts of his memory, behind those high walls, within that iceberg, in the most vulnerable and precious place within his heart.

Just like the disbelief he felt when he first sensed familiarity, only moments ago, he still held a sliver of emotion that deemed it impossible.

But now, with the mask removed, and with that single phrase, "little brother," Xu Qing's last shred of resolve within his mind was mercilessly shattered.

The place that was destroyed was the deepest part of his heart, a place inaccessible to outsiders, and the area he most wanted to protect. But at this moment...

It collapsed.

His belief was to survive in this chaotic world. If he could live a little better, that would be even better. If he could finally see his family again, he would be completely satisfied.

He had thought countless times as a child about the scene of meeting his family one day in the future. All those scenes were filled with beauty and warmth.

This was his trembling resolve in the bitter cold, preventing him from freezing to death.

A whimpering sound escaped Xu Qing's lips. Veins bulged on his forehead. His eyes were filled with bitterness, confusion, and pain, and a slowly fading dependence.

An indescribable pain tore through the softest part of his heart.

He felt so cold, so very cold. Even his soul shivered at that moment, from inside out, from spirit to body.

"Little brother, what I miss most are the moments from our childhood," Xu Qing's brother murmured softly, raising his head to look at the cold moon in the night sky.

Xu Qing's chest heaved. He forcefully shifted his gaze, looking at the severed head held by another black-robed figure not far away. His sorrow transformed into tears in his eyes, slowly streaming down.

These tears—he didn't know if they were for Grandmaster Liu, for his brother, or for himself.

At this moment, the cold wind returned. It could not dry his tears, but it could stir the minds of Sheng Yunzi, his father, and Night Raven.

After witnessing this scene with their own eyes, an unprecedented tidal wave had already surged within their hearts!

Sheng Yunzi's eyes widened, filled with extreme shock. His father's breathing quickened, and his mind reeled with overwhelming thoughts.

As for Night Raven, he lowered his head to look at the severed head in his hand, then looked at the struggle and madness emanating from Xu Qing's tear-filled eyes. Finally, his gaze fell upon his master, becoming increasingly fervent.