Cultivation Begins from Infancy - Chapter 315

Volume 3 - Chapter 52: The Kill - Part 1

On Prison Sky Island...

After toppling the second Abyssal Sky Monument, the group swiftly rushed toward the final one.

"If we still can’t hold them off, then we’ll have no choice but to topple this last monument as well!"

Someone spoke in despair.

They would rather be reduced to ashes by the scorching flames of the Sunfire, or plunge into the River of Death, than be utterly obliterated by the Abyssal Saint.

Ji Qingqing trembled when she heard these words. She immediately stood up and bolted toward the last Abyssal Sky Monument.

She would protect this final monument, even if it cost her life!

As she ran, her gaze swept over the abyss beyond the island. She caught sight of the massive Abyssal Sky Monument falling straight down, obscuring a figure beneath it.

Tears streamed down her cheeks. When her eyes caught a glimpse of the small red flower drifting in the air, her heart felt as if it had been torn apart, the pain stabbing deep into her soul.

Covering her mouth to stifle her sorrow, she pressed on toward the last Abyssal Sky Monument.

The divine soul guarding the monument merged with her, and she stood before it, sword in hand, ready to block anyone who approached.

The others glared at her angrily, but no arguments broke out for the moment. Beneath them, Prison Sky Island suddenly shot upward, as if it had cast off a heavy burden. It soared like a bird, rocking violently enough to almost fling everyone off the island.

Without the other two Abyssal Sky Locks to stabilize it, the island was now dragged into a vertical position by the remaining lock. The people on the island were thrown into a panic, scrambling to grab nearby rocks or ridges to avoid sliding off.

The rocks on the island itself, loosened by the sudden tilt, began to tumble downward.

Huge boulders rolled off, striking the chains and plummeting into the abyss below.

Li Tiangang and Ji Yunqing, who were climbing desperately, saw the falling boulders above and quickly hid in the gaps of the chains to avoid being knocked down.

Once most of the rocks had fallen, the group looked up and saw that the Abyssal Saint's tendrils had fully retracted, now curling toward the previously severed Abyssal Sky Lock.

"That’s fantastic!"

"So the Abyssal Saint’s target is him. It seems the old lunatic was right. That fallen Ji Wenren instinctively tracks saintly auras. If she said that man is a Dao Seed, he must have a Heavenly Saint Bone!"

"A Saint Bone, huh? Even in the Ji family, those are rare. What a pity."

"Pity? Weren’t you the one pushing the hardest just now? And now you’re pretending to care?"

"You pushed too! I only lent a little help, that’s all."

"Enough! We’re not out of danger yet, and you’re already passing blame? What, afraid the family will hold you accountable?"

"Either way, it’s Ji Wenren’s fault."

"Speaking of which, is that Dao Seed also a criminal? Why else would he have been sent here?"

"Don’t be ridiculous. Even if a Dao Seed committed a crime, someone would take the fall for him. I think he didn’t commit a crime at all but came here on a mission—probably to rescue someone."

The group clung to the rocks and continued arguing, their gazes inevitably turning to Ji Qingqing.

It was now undeniable. The person that Dao Seed had come to rescue was her.

Back when Ji Qingqing was banished here, the reason given was her marriage to an outsider. Looking at things now, could that Dao Seed be her son?

The prisoners were all sharp and worldly, quickly piecing together the general situation. Yet they couldn’t help but marvel inwardly—was the Dao Seed a mixed blood? Could a mixed blood even become a Dao Seed? Since when had the Ji family fallen so low? It seemed they were truly irreplaceable...

"Enough chatter! Quick, hold that Abyssal Sky Monument steady! Don’t let it fall!"

Suddenly, someone shouted in alarm.

The Abyssal Sky Monument trembled slightly. Originally stabilized by three Abyssal Sky Locks, the lone remaining lock now left it precariously loose.

The others paled at the sight and rushed toward the monument, scrambling to press it firmly into the island.

Ji Qingqing had been worried they might try to topple this monument too. Yet seeing them panicked and protecting it instead of attacking her or the monument itself, she couldn’t help but find it ironic.

Still, the situation allowed her to breathe a sigh of relief. Glancing back toward the chain, she spotted Li Tiangang thousands of meters away.

The couple locked eyes. Overwhelmed, Li Tiangang shouted, "Qingqing!"

Sadness welled up in Ji Qingqing’s heart. Crawling toward the end of the chain, she called back, "Tiangang..."

As the chain lifted out of the abyss, the suction force from the Abyssal Saint's maw weakened. Li Tiangang, his face filled with joy and urgency, sped up his climb, reaching the chain's top. Without hesitation, he pulled Ji Qingqing into his arms.

After holding her tightly for a moment, he quickly looked around and asked urgently, "Where is Hao’er?"

"Hao’er... Hao’er fell into the abyss," Ji Qingqing replied, her voice breaking as tears streamed down her face.

"What?"

Li Tiangang thought he had misheard due to the wind.

But Ji Qingqing was too overcome with grief to repeat herself.

Realizing what she meant, Li Tiangang froze, his entire body shaking. His blood felt like it was boiling and freezing simultaneously, coursing through him like fire and ice.

His mind buzzed, blank and deafened. He couldn’t even hear his wife’s sobbing anymore.

Fell into the abyss?

Li Tiangang’s neck stiffened as he slowly turned toward the other end of the chain. His gaze fixed on the writhing, blood-red lotus body of the Abyssal Saint and the bottomless abyss below it.

How... could this happen?

Li Tiangang’s mind stalled, unable to process the thought. The child—was he dead?

Dead?!

His thoughts buzzed endlessly, filled with disbelief and rejection.

He had come prepared to face any resentment the child might harbor toward him. He had vowed to endure it all—apologizing, bowing his head, even going to extreme lengths. Whatever it took, he was ready to atone and bring the child back.

He had resolved to make amends for his failings as a father.

He didn’t want his father to pass away without closure.

Though he had countless disagreements with the child before—disapproval of his attitude, his actions—he had always treated him as his own flesh and blood, correcting him sternly but hoping he would grow into someone better.

But now, he was dead?

Li Tiangang’s mind struggled to accept this. His vision blurred, and at last, hot tears began to roll down his face.

Scenes from their courtyard filled his mind.

The child smiling brightly as he sketched in the yard.

The child chatting animatedly with his uncle, lively and cheerful.

The child reclining lazily in a rocking chair, utterly carefree.

Again and again, Li Tiangang had frowned at such sights, disapproving of the child’s lack of discipline.

But now, he could no longer see any of it.

Even the mischievous figure of the child at play was gone forever!

"This isn’t true. It can’t be true, right, Qingqing?"

Li Tiangang’s voice was hoarse, trembling with anguish. Despite witnessing the deaths of tens of thousands of soldiers in Yanbei and the brutal loss of Li Fu and Yu Xuan, he had never shed a tear. His father had taught him: on the battlefield, a man bleeds but never cries.

But now, tears streamed uncontrollably from his eyes.

Ji Qingqing, sobbing, could not answer him.

"Are you talking about Hao’er..."

Beside them, Ji Yunqing had finally reacted. His pupils dilated as if he had been struck by an earthquake, and he stammered, "Could it be... Leping?!"

Hearing the name, Ji Qingqing’s sorrow deepened, and she choked out:

"Leping was the name I gave him... Tiangang, did you tell him? It’s my fault. I’m the one who killed him..."

Ji Yunqing stood frozen, bewildered.

The child... fell into the abyss?

He could not believe what he was hearing. The child had become renowned during the Heavenly Battle of Saints, his name resounding throughout the Ji family. He had defeated all the other prodigies, using his mortal flesh to challenge a Heavenly Saint Bone, shattering Dao Domains, and forging an invincible legend.

Yet now, this rising star, still far from reaching his brightest moment, had plummeted so suddenly?

...

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