Undying Life

Chapter 563: The Descendant of an Old Acquaintance

The powerful Crow Dao Lord exuded such an overwhelming aura that it seemed to freeze the space around him, rendering everyone immobile. He appeared to pay no heed to the people around him, instead scanning the surroundings with a slight frown.

"Shen Qitian, you sure run fast!" The Crow Dao Lord sneered.

Shen Qitian had fled. A Heavenly Extreme Realm cultivator escaping was not something just anyone could track down. At least for now, the Crow Dao Lord had no idea where Shen Qitian had gone.

Turning his head, the Crow Dao Lord finally looked at Zhong Shan.

"It's you!" The Crow Dao Lord's eyes narrowed slightly, showing a hint of surprise.

"Zhong Shan of Great Zheng, at your service, Crow Dao Lord," Zhong Shan greeted with a slight bow.

"Zhong Shan? Why did Emperor Xuan Sha choose you?" The Crow Dao Lord's gaze bore into Zhong Shan, a mix of doubt and coldness in his eyes.

"I saved someone dear to Emperor Xuan Sha," Zhong Shan replied succinctly.

The Crow Dao Lord was momentarily taken aback, then scrutinized Zhong Shan intensely. In his eyes, the notion of 'dear ones' was likely a facade. To Emperor Xuan Sha, apart from himself, the most important thing was the prosperity of the wolf clan. If the clan's future was entrusted to this man, he must have some extraordinary qualities.

Under the Crow Dao Lord's piercing gaze, Zhong Shan felt uncomfortable, but he stood his ground, meeting the stare honestly. After a tense moment, the Crow Dao Lord said nothing more.

In the vast land of Shenzhou, few were deemed strong enough to earn the Crow Dao Lord's respect, and Emperor Xuan Sha was one of them.

The Crow Dao Lord then glanced at the people behind Zhong Shan, a look of disdain flickering in his eyes, before disappearing from sight in a blur.

With the Crow Dao Lord gone, Zhong Shan exhaled deeply. The Crow Dao Lord was terrifying, far stronger than Shen Qitian. Yet, his companions showed no signs of defeat in their eyes. Zhao Suoxiang, Tian Ling'er, Gan Baobao, and Gu Qianyou were filled with fighting spirit, an unyielding resolve.

"Zhao Suoxiang of the Blue Flame Empire, greetings to the Red Smoke Emperor!" Zhao Suoxiang addressed Jian Hong's son.

Emperor? Jian Hong's son was an emperor?

Zhong Shan looked curiously at the white-clad man and the tragic, unrecognizable corpse of Jian Hong. The white-clad man, tears streaming down his face, cradled Jian Hong's body, crying incessantly.

Thanks to Zhong Shan's soul-condensing elixir, Jian Hong's spirit began to materialize after death.

With a wave of his hand, Zhong Shan summoned a palace that enveloped everyone. After all, it was broad daylight, and Jian Hong's spirit couldn't be exposed to the scorching sun.

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"Mother!" the white-clad man wept bitterly.

Gradually, Jian Hong's spirit emerged, looking at Zhong Shan, recognizing that she owed her existence as a spirit to him.

"Thank you," Jian Hong's spirit said respectfully, bowing to Zhong Shan.

"I had a deep spiritual connection with Xiao Wang, though we never met on the battlefield. He met with misfortune before that could happen," Zhong Shan shook his head.

"I can see the gates of the underworld. A force is pulling me in. Regardless, thank you for your kindness," Jian Hong said.

"Mother, you can't die!" the white-clad man continued to wail.

"Die? I died the moment your father did. If not for revenge, I would have followed him long ago. Now, I can finally see him again," Jian Hong said sadly.

"Xiao Wang was an extraordinary man. I believe that even in death, he would be among the rare few who could transform into a spirit and enter the underworld," Zhong Shan said thoughtfully.

"Really?" Jian Hong's spirit showed a trace of joy on her face.

"Absolutely!" Zhong Shan affirmed.

"Thank you, my benefactor. May I know your name? I may not be able to repay your kindness in this life, but in the next, I, Jian Hong, will surely repay your great favor," Jian Hong said sincerely.

"Perhaps we will meet again soon. I am Zhong Shan of the Great Zheng Dynasty," Zhong Shan replied with a smile.

"The Great Zheng Dynasty, Zhong Shan!" Jian Hong nodded deeply and bowed respectfully to Zhong Shan once more.

"Mother, if you leave, what will happen to me?" the white-clad man wept.

"Xiao Zhongxing, remember, you are the son of Xiao Wang. You must not cry and whine. You disgrace your father by doing so," Jian Hong said sternly, glaring at the white-clad man.

"Yes, yes, I won't cry!" Xiao Zhongxing quickly wiped his tears, but his eyes couldn't stop shedding tears.

"My benefactor, before I depart, I have one more request," Jian Hong said, bowing to Zhong Shan again.

"Speak," Zhong Shan said immediately.

"This is my son with Xiao Wang. His aptitude is dull. I fear that after I leave, he may encounter great danger. I do not ask for your protection, but if circumstances permit, please assist him when possible. The Xuan Iron Cold Sword beside my corpse is a ninth-grade treasure and I am willing to offer it to you," Jian Hong's spirit pointed to the black sword beside her body.

"I promise you. As for this sword, it belongs to your Jian Shen Palace. Let Xiao Zhongxing keep it," Zhong Shan agreed.

Jian Hong looked at Zhong Shan in surprise, then bowed deeply once more, her heart filled with gratitude.

Turning to Xiao Zhongxing, a cold expression appeared on Jian Hong's face.

"Zhongxing," Jian Hong called.

"Mother!" Xiao Zhongxing cried, holding back his sorrow.

"Do not touch my corpse, nor clean its wounds. Place it in a coffin just as it is and send it to him. See if he will care!" Jian Hong said coldly.

"Mother, you mean!" Xiao Zhongxing's eyes flashed with complexity.

"He can reincarnate and ignore me? Send it to him just like this. The body is of no use to me now. You don't need to think about burial. Just throw it at him. If he doesn't care, leave it with him!" Jian Hong said firmly.

"Yes!" Xiao Zhongxing's nose tingled, but he could only nod in agreement.

At that moment, as if a force was pulling her, Jian Hong's spirit wavered and disappeared.

"Mother～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～" Xiao Zhongxing cried out in agony, forgetting Jian Hong's words, and wept for nearly half an hour.

"Xiao Zhongxing, the dead cannot be brought back to life. You must restrain your grief," Zhong Shan said to Xiao Zhongxing.

Xiao Zhongxing wiped his tears, looked at Zhong Shan, and bowed deeply. "Thank you, benefactor. I, Xiao Zhongxing, will remember your great kindness forever!"

"Enough, you should gather your mother's body. Although she doesn't care about it, as her son, you should ensure she has a proper afterlife," Zhong Shan said.

"No!" Xiao Zhongxing stubbornly shook his head.

"Huh?"

"Shen Qitian killed my parents. This hatred is irreconcilable. He must die," Xiao Zhongxing said coldly.

"But you..." Zhong Shan began to express his concern.

"Benefactor, don't worry. My mother had already thought of a way. I certainly cannot kill Shen Qitian, but there is someone who can. My mother wanted me to send her corpse to him. I believe that when he sees my mother's body, he will not remain indifferent," Xiao Zhongxing said coldly.

"Oh?" Zhong Shan was surprised.

Who? Did Jian Hong have some powerful backer?

"Since you ask, benefactor, I won't keep it from you. It's my grandfather, my mother's father. However, my grandfather has been reincarnated and does not wish to acknowledge past relationships or karmic ties. But now that my mother has died so tragically, his daughter has died so miserably, he surely won't remain indifferent," Xiao Zhongxing said solemnly.

"Reincarnated to cultivate again? Living two lives, Jian Hong's father?" Zhong Shan had a sudden, strange thought.

"My grandfather is the master of Youming Heaven, Jian Ao!" Xiao Zhongxing revealed.

Jian Ao? Zhong Shan's eyes widened. Although he had already guessed as much, hearing Xiao Zhongxing confirm it still left him shocked. Jian Hong was Jian Ao's daughter?

Indeed, both of them bore the surname Jian and were powerful sword cultivators. Jian Ao's daughter, as long as she wasn't lacking in talent, would inevitably inherit Jian Ao's wild and rampant swordsmanship.

So Jian Hong was the descendant of an old acquaintance.

Meanwhile, Xiao Zhongxing took out a large piece of jade, using Jian Hong's sword to carve out a giant coffin. He placed the horribly mutilated corpse of Jian Hong into the coffin, wiping the tears from his eyes.

"Benefactor, I will now head to Youming Heaven!" Xiao Zhongxing bowed to Zhong Shan again.

"Hmm, be careful on your journey," Zhong Shan said.

"Yes!" Xiao Zhongxing nodded, and with a step, he flew towards Youming Heaven with the giant coffin.

Everyone could imagine the fury Jian Ao would feel upon seeing his daughter's mutilated corpse in that coffin. At the very least, it was certain that Shen Qitian's troubles were far from over.

A moment of silent sympathy for Shen Qitian, this man of great luck and tragedy!

"I didn't expect the emperor of the Red Smoke Dynasty to be Jian Hong's son," Zhao Suoxiang remarked.

"You just mentioned the Red Smoke Dynasty. Is Xiao Zhongxing the emperor of the Red Smoke Dynasty?" Zhong Shan asked with a frown.

"Yes, it's just west of the Blue Flame Empire, closer to the Taishou Heavenly Dynasty," Zhao Suoxiang explained.

"Red Smoke... like Jian Hong? This isn't a dynasty founded by Xiao Zhongxing, but by Xiao Wang. Xiao Wang was very much like you, establishing his own dynasty while also serving in a powerful dynasty to learn. However, he didn't have your courage to study in a heavenly dynasty, nor your luck. When he entered the heavenly dynasty, he was immediately made a fifth-grade official!" Gu Qianyou suddenly spoke up.

"Indeed, no wonder we could trace his grandson but not his son. I didn't expect him to be hiding here all along, waiting for Xiao Wang's orders, governing the dynasty in his stead. It's true, entrusting the dynasty to his own son is the safest option. Xiao Wang, truly a talent. I wonder if we will meet him again," Zhong Shan said with deep admiration.

"Xiao Wang? Is he really as amazing as you say?" Zhao Suoxiang asked Zhong Shan.

"You've spent years in the west of Shenzhou and don't know much about the east. But I can tell you, Xiao Wang is at least a talent worthy of being an emperor of a dynasty," Zhong Shan said with certainty.

"A talent worthy of being an emperor of a dynasty!" Zhao Suoxiang exclaimed, eyes filled with astonishment. He knew what kind of person could be described as such. The term "great talent" would be an understatement.

"Yes, now that matters here are settled, we should get going. Shen Qitian has fled, the Monkey King and Ape King have been slain. This should satisfy the Blue Flame Emperor," Zhong Shan smiled.

"Of course, come, let me lead the way to the capital!" Zhao Suoxiang said cheerfully.