Chapter 444 Deep Affection

A flicker of light appeared in Mingyuan’s eyes. “This all starts with what happened in Mutuo.”

He began to recount the events in a calm but heavy tone. On that day, in Mutuo, Mingyuan had been hunted by the Cult of the Ancestral Bone, but he managed to escape—barely—reaching the mouth of a volcano. The reason he’d gone there wasn’t accidental. It was because of a secret he knew—a secret that led him to seal himself away in the Tianshu Institute.

“When I had just joined the Sacred Land of Tianqing,” Mingyuan said, glancing at his monk robes with a touch of bitterness, “there was a junior sister who entered with me—Ling Yue. She was lively and cheerful. Before long, we fell in love.”

Chen Fei glanced at him with a complicated expression.

Despite Mingyuan’s current ascetic appearance, it wasn’t hard to imagine him as a dashing, spirited youth. Add a cute junior sister to the mix, and their love was almost inevitable.

Strangely, as Mingyuan described Ling Yue’s personality, Chen Fei couldn’t help but think of Ji Wugou. But while Ling Yue had been described as cute and bubbly, Ji Wugou was definitely more… willful and spoiled.

“I thought I was the luckiest man alive,” Mingyuan said, a bitter smile tugging at his lips. “I had a powerful sect, a peaceful place to cultivate, and a woman who loved me deeply.”

“But the peace didn’t last.”

“We were sent to Qilin Cave on a mission led by Tuo Mingzi, heading northwest of Mutuo to explore a hidden realm. That was where we were ambushed—by a group of black-clothed attackers. We barely managed to kill them and discovered they were all high-ranking members of the demon race.”

Chen Fei’s brow furrowed.

While it wasn’t unheard of for the demon race to appear across Xuanhuang Continent, to organize a targeted assault on disciples of the Sacred Land of Tianqing? That hinted at deeper forces moving behind the scenes.

Mingyuan nodded, confirming his suspicions. “Yes. And these weren’t just any demons—they were from Beihuang, the Northern Wastes.”

“We actually had a chance to escape and report back to the sect. But in the most critical moment… Tuo Mingzi betrayed us. He grabbed Ling Yue and handed her over to the demons!”

The pain on Mingyuan’s face made it clear—retreating to the Tianshu Institute hadn’t healed that wound.

“And these Northern Wastes demons were clearly targeting Ling Yue. So she must have had some connection to the Zhenbei Army?” Chen Fei asked.

“You’re sharp, Junior Brother Chen. Yes—Ling Yue was the only daughter of Zhenbei King Ling Tianxiao,” Mingyuan confirmed.

“She was prepared to sacrifice herself, but I… I couldn’t abandon her.” He clenched his fists. “The cultivation method I practice allows me to destroy my own dantian to gain explosive power. I used that strength to rescue her… but still, I couldn’t save her life in the end.”

“Before she died, Ling Yue made me promise to go to the volcano in Mutuo. She said that the Northern Wastes demons were hiding a secret there.”

“But I was blinded by grief and rage. The backlash from my technique nearly killed me. I had no choice but to return to the Sacred Land. My master saw that my heart and mind were unstable, so he sent me to the Tianshu Institute for closed-door training. I only emerged once I’d regained clarity.”

Mingyuan then returned to the main point. “On my trip to Mutuo, I was the first to notice the Cult of the Ancestral Bone acting strangely. I left behind clues and then headed straight to the volcano. And there, I found the truth about the Northern Wastes demons.”

A trace of fear crept into Mingyuan’s expression. “Inside a lava cave, I found a hidden realm. Within it stood a strange, ancient statue. Several demons were sacrificing themselves in an attempt to awaken its power. I managed to stop them… but this wound was the cost of that battle.”

“I was going to return to the sect immediately. But then I thought—who better to stop the demons than the Zhenbei Army? Even if it was only for Ling Yue’s memory, I had to stay.”

Chen Fei let out a silent sigh. Mingyuan was truly a man of deep emotion and unwavering conviction.

“After I brought the statue back, Zhenbei King took it very seriously. After some analysis, they confirmed it to be an ancient relic of the Northern Wastes demon clan. If awakened successfully, it could become a terrifying weapon against the Zhenbei Army.”

Mingyuan turned to Chen Fei and asked directly, “Junior Brother Chen, you’re probably wondering why I waited for you to arrive?”

Chen Fei nodded.

Mingyuan looked down at his body. “The statue’s power is extremely strange. I’ve tried many times to purge it but failed. I can’t trust anyone else with this, so… Chen Fei, will you help me destroy the Northern Wastes demon clan’s plan once and for all?”

Chen Fei understood everything in that moment.

No wonder Zhenbei King had allowed him to enter the city so easily. Part of it was Mingyuan, but another part was clearly because they wanted his help with this statue.

After a moment of thought, Chen Fei nodded. “Since Senior Brother has asked, I won’t stand by idly. What do we need to do?”

Mingyuan’s tone became grave. “You’ve seen the strange snowstorm during the Muhan Festival. That was no natural phenomenon—it was caused by the statue’s influence!”

“Thanks to the efforts of the Zhenbei Army, we’ve discovered that in just three more hours, the statue will activate and open a gateway to a hidden realm. The demons will try to awaken it from within.”

“I need you to come with me into the secret realm. If things go wrong, don’t worry about me—just escape. But if we succeed, we might be able to put an end to their plans.”

Mingyuan looked at Chen Fei with genuine plea in his eyes.

Chen Fei thought for a moment, then nodded. “Alright!”

Mingyuan visibly relaxed and smiled.

Although the Zhenbei Army had its share of powerful cultivators, they couldn’t afford to move too many of them from their posts—it would leave them vulnerable to attack from the Northern Wastes demons.

Chen Fei then asked a question that had been bothering him. “Senior Brother Mingyuan, when I came to Beihuang, I didn’t inform anyone. You weren’t even in Zhenbei City at the time. How did you know I would come?”

“Ah, I forgot to explain that part!” Mingyuan chuckled. “It’s thanks to Strategist Ma. He may not be much in battle, but he’s a rare Destiny Seer.”

“Destiny Seer?” Chen Fei looked puzzled.

Mingyuan explained, “They’re descended from ancient diviners. Their spiritual sense is incredibly powerful. Most Destiny Seers gained their abilities through some miraculous encounter—though their soul strength is immense, their bodies and cultivation are weak, so they seem like ordinary people.”

Chen Fei nodded. That matched the impression he’d gotten from Ma Shuo.

“Using his powerful spiritual sense, he caught a glimpse of the heavenly patterns and sensed you were coming. That’s how I knew to wait for you.”

Mingyuan smiled. “You must’ve been confused, right? All that fanfare and reception when you arrived in Zhenbei City?”

Chen Fei shrugged. “You’re absolutely right. I was still puzzled even after entering the city. Now I finally understand.”