Thank you to our new Patrons: Luke Matthews, allen pellissery, mark74497, Charlie Puente-Duany, Anime fan123456, DeathClan1980, Leroy, Drake Blazer, Mridk and Jose! Your support means the world to me <3 We are up to Chapter 30: The Heart of the People, Beneficial for Thousands of Generations—Journey to the Tian Dou Empire on Patreon!
There's something for free patrons too! Free Patrons receive 1 chapter in advance :)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
"Though the body may die, the spirit remains eternal; the resolute soul becomes a hero among ghosts… My comrades, rest well on your journey. This blood debt, I, Dai Chengfeng, will never forget!"
The army of the Tian Dou Empire had already retreated, and the area outside Wu'an City returned to silence.
Yet amidst the flames of war, the howling winds, the fluttering red banners, and the streams of blood flowing eastward—this departure would never return .
Dai Chengfeng stood in the center of the battlefield, where just half an hour earlier, he and those thousand fearless warriors had fought to their deaths.
He tilted his head slightly upward, eyes tightly closed.
"Your Highness, are you… crying?"
Zhu Fan, who had been standing by his side, spoke softly.
"Hmph, why would I cry…"
Dai Chengfeng didn't admit it, but when he lowered his head again, there was no longer any trace of confusion in his eyes.
"Uncle, there's no need to comfort me."
"In war, people die—it's unavoidable. I understand that mercy has no place in battle."
"I'm just…unwilling to accept it!"
"Who were they? Someone's father, someone's son, someone's husband… Was there someone waiting for them to return home safely?"
"Sigh!"
Dai Chengfeng took a deep breath, staring at his blood-soaked hands. "And I've been thinking—if I were stronger, strong enough to single-handedly annihilate the entire army of the Tian Dou Empire…"
"Maybe… the outcome would have been different."
Zhu Fan looked at his nephew, pursing his lips as if wanting to say something comforting. In the end, he simply sighed deeply and patted his shoulder.
"Chengfeng!"
"I understand how you feel, but even titled Douluo can reach their limits…"
"You've already done more than enough!"
Dai Chengfeng forced a smile. "Perhaps…"
"But if even titled Douluo have their limits…"
"What about gods?"
He raised his head again, gazing at the blood-red setting sun in the sky. His golden eyes seemed to pierce through the barrier separating this world from the next. "Second-tier gods, first-tier gods, God Kings, and even those above God Kings!"
"One day, I will ascend to the pinnacle of all gods under the name of White Emperor!"
"And on that day… No one! No god!"
"Will ever be able to take away what is mine again—I swear it!!!"
After a long moment, Dai Chengfeng turned around. "Uncle!"
"Go tell Zhu Yan to hand over the list of those thousand vanguard soldiers to me—whether they survived or fell in battle. Not a single name can be omitted!"
"Remember! Not a single name can be missing!"
"This is an order!"
With that, he staggered past the corpses littering the battlefield, turning toward Wu'an City.
"Yes, Your Highness!"
Zhu Fan nodded, watching Dai Chengfeng's solitary figure disappear into the evening wind. He sighed, "The crimson sunset dyes the iron armor red, and the fluttering battle robes transform into banners summoning souls. It seems the youth's galloping horse never truly shattered mountains and rivers—but the thin veil between life and death. Sigh!"
The next second.
He saw Dai Chengfeng's proud and upright figure collapse abruptly in the distance.
"Chengfeng, Chengfeng…"
---
---
---
Three days later
"Doctor, didn't you say that Chengfeng merely fainted due to excessive blood loss and complete exhaustion?"
"How is it that after three full days, he still hasn't woken up?"
In a room within the residence of the Lord of Wu'an City—
Zhu Fan stared at Dai Chengfeng, whose face was flushed with color, lying peacefully on the bed as though in a deep sleep. He anxiously questioned the elderly doctor beside him, whose hair and beard were completely white.
"This matter is indeed strange."
The old man frowned slightly, pressing his fingers against Dai Chengfeng's pulse. A green glow of his soul skill shimmered as he spoke: "From the pulse, the Fourth Prince's condition is completely normal—even healthier than most people his age."
"But how can someone with such a healthy pulse remain unconscious?"
However, as they were speaking—
Bang!
The doctor examining Dai Chengfeng's pulse was suddenly repelled by an invisible force, stumbling backward several steps before barely regaining his balance.
"What is this?"
At this moment—
Chaotic streams of red energy suddenly surged around Dai Chengfeng's unconscious body, crackling like lightning and swirling around him.
Soon, these streams intertwined with his own Innate Origin Metal Qi, resembling two mighty dragons locked in both conflict and harmony—an incredibly peculiar sight.
The old man's eyes widened in astonishment, filled with deep confusion.
Having practiced medicine for decades and seen countless patients, what he witnessed today far exceeded his understanding.
Zhu Fan stood nearby, his brows furrowed, eyes fixed intently on Dai Chengfeng as he sensed the sudden surge of energy emanating from him.
In an instant,
A bone-chilling, murderous aura flooded his senses.
Zhu Fan couldn't help but blurt out in surprise, "This is… killing intent?!"
"How could such a strong killing intent suddenly appear on Chengfeng? Is it good or bad?"
For a moment, Zhu Fan's eyes were filled with worry, yet he dared not approach and disturb him.
After all, nothing seemed to be worsening. If he interfered recklessly and caused things to spiral out of control…
Thus, Zhu Fan simply watched silently, ready to intervene only if the killing intent went out of control.
However, not long after, Zhu Fan noticed something astonishing—
The previously chaotic and uncontrollable killing intent had suddenly transformed into gentle, trickling streams, slowly merging into the vast ocean of Dai Chengfeng's soul power.
Not only that!
Under the influence of this killing intent, Dai Chengfeng's soul power began to steadily and continuously grow.
"How strange… I've heard that the White Tiger martial soul of the Dai family has always been aligned with light attributes. I've never heard of anyone being able to refine killing intent and make it their own…"
"What exactly has happened to Chengfeng's body?"
Countless thoughts raced through Zhu Fan's mind, but he couldn't find a reasonable explanation.
About half an hour later, all the killing intent, Innate Origin Metal Qi, and soul power within Dai Chengfeng's body merged in a strange proportion, returning to calm.
Everything settled.
After three days of deep slumber, Dai Chengfeng's eyelids finally twitched slightly, then slowly opened.
A flash of red light shot through his eyes, carrying an endless icy killing intent that vanished in the blink of an eye, leaving one to wonder if it had been a mere illusion.
"Chengfeng, how do you feel? Is there anything wrong?"
Seeing Dai Chengfeng finally awake, Zhu Fan rushed forward in a single stride, gripping his shoulders tightly with both hands as he anxiously asked.
Hearing this, Dai Chengfeng gently clenched his fists.
Feeling the overwhelming surge of power within him, a faint smile appeared on his lips.
Looking at Zhu Fan, he said lightly, "Uncle, I'm fine—better than ever!"
"You little rascal… Somehow your soul power has broken through to level 15, so of course you're better than before!"
Zhu Fan gazed at Dai Chengfeng, his eyes filled with both relief and a hint of curiosity he couldn't suppress.
"But Chengfeng, you really scared me and that old doctor earlier."
"Tell me, what exactly happened? Where did that killing intent come from?"
"For these three days, were you truly unconscious, or…"
------------------------------------------------------
Support my writing journey: patreon.com/EphemeralShadow