"You spread the news that, as long as someone could save your wife, you’d be willing to pay the price, correct?" the majestic yet cold voice clarified.
"Yes." Xue Ying nodded.
"Alright."
The undulation then proceeded to envelop Jing Qiu for a moment before the voice resounded once again. "Your wife’s soul has almost dissipated, yet you’re asking me to save her?"
"I’ve heard that that there are miraculous treasures capable of reconstructing the soul; if you used one of those, you should be able to save my wife. The Temporal Temple probes through billions of worlds, the Deity World, and the Dark Abyss. I believe that it has definitely been able to procure some of these treasures, and quite a few at that." Xue Ying continued, "Of course, I still ask the Temporal Temple for help in saving my wife. I promise that I’ll definitely follow your orders."
Xue Ying felt truly anxious. His heart rapidly palpitated, for this would determine the fate of his wife.
"You brat, aren’t you overvaluing yourself?" The vast yet cold voice said, "A miraculous treasure that can reconstruct the soul? Such a thing is meant for reconstructing the True Deity Hearts of World Deities, and only stage three and stage four World Deities are able to get one! And yet you, a little brat, want me to use such a miraculous treasure to save a Transcendent?"
I’ve already grasped hold of three different grade two Deity Hearts and have created a full set of secret skills." Xue Ying said, "My Mirage Deity Heart is also extremely helpful toward refining the World Heart. I believe that, with just a little more progression in my cultivation, I’ll be able to refine the entire mortal world. When that happens, I’ll be the territory Lord of a material world! My true body would then be able to stay at home, while my avatar could venture out! Considering all of this, I believe that I’ll be of much more worth than a miraculous treasure!l
"Little brat, you’re truly overvaluing yourself! Even most stage four World Deities aren’t able to take this sort of miraculous treasure out. Do you even realize what sort of level a stage four World Deity has achieved? They’re overlords; existences that can build huge empires in the Deity World, and who are just a single step away from become powerful existences! Yet, you think you’re worth such a miraculous treasure? They aren’t something you can get just by living a long time," the vast yet cold voice proclaimed.
Once it had finished speaking, the undulation disappeared.
Xue Ying was startled. He simply stood there, stunned, for a moment.
His mind churned as countless thoughts clashed inside of it.
I’ve failed.
The Temporal Temple has rejected me.
That’s right. To the Temporal Temple, which rakes in a countless number of Transcendents, it doesn’t matter much if they include or exclude me. Even if I manage to become a material world territory lord, I’ll still only be considered an ant in the eyes of one of the three superpowers of the Deity World, the Temporal Island.
I’m not worth enough for them to invite a powerful existence to act on my behalf, nor am I worth enough for them to take out a miraculous treasure capable of reconstructing one’s soul...
The distant Palace Head Chen, Mountain Lord He, City Lady Bu, and the others who were accompanying him all felt the vast undulation descend and then felt its presence become even more pronounced when Xue Ying began to speak. They clearly recognized that the Temporal Temple had descended.
Yet, in the end?
Xue Ying remained standing there, unmoving. The look on his face caused Palace Head Chen and the others to all truly feel heartache for him.
"It seems like that he failed," Mountain Lord He surmised.
"The injuries on Mage Jing Qiu’s soul truly are too heavy; her soul is already extremely close to completely dissipating." Si Kong Yang shook his head. "Ai, saving her truly is no easy feat. Who would’ve thought that even the Temporal Temple wouldn’t be willing to do so."
City Lady Bu nodded. "Although Xue Ying is an apex Transcendent, the likes of which are rarely seen even within the Deity World…this is the Temporal Temple, which belongs to one of the three superpowers of the Deity World. Transcendents with a huge amount of potential aren’t ones that the Temporal Temple will highly regard. Only when a Transcendent has grasped hold of a grade one True Meaning will the Temporal Temple, alongside other powerful existences, take the initiative to rush over."
"What’s the use in saying so much?" Chao Qing wasn’t in a good mood as he replied.
Suddenly—
"I’m too arrogant. Indeed, I’m too arrogant and have regarded myself too highly." Xue Ying turned toward his wife, who was lying on the recliner. Jing Qiu still appeared as beautiful as ever; she simply appeared to be in a deep sleep. Xue Ying slowly squatted down next to her and then gently caressed his wife’s face. "Jing Qiu, I’m sorry. I truly have no other ways to help you…and I can’t think of anything else to do."
Xue Ying felt his heart be torn to shreds.
Guilt, self-blame, pain, unreconciliation…
As he gazed at his wife’s face, many memories of their time together began to play through his mind.
The first time that he went to receive a mission from the Dragon Mountain Manor.
When the courtyard door had opened, a green robed female mage had appeared; that was the first time they’d met.
That time when the explosion had gone off, when he had protected Jing Qiu from the countless falling rocks and debris, and when the two of them were together in that dark environment...he could still hear Jing Qiu’s nervous breathing from back then.
And afterward, when he’d grabbed onto Jing Qiu’s waist and rushed out of the pile of debris. ...
Scarlet Cloud Mountain world, flying through the clouds.
Jing Qiu was practicing her spells off to the side, while he was training his spear techniques. Occasionally, they would cultivate throughout the night. The two of them would only speak a sentence or two to each other occasionally, yet when they exchanged glances, they were able to understand each other’s thoughts.
That period of cultivation had truly been both peaceful and carefree..
Later on, after he’d been inflicted with the hex poison.
"Don’t you know that I only have one to two hundred years of life left? That I might not even be able to live to one hundred?
"Then you’ll have to accompany me in the future. We’ll always be together. Let’s walk every path beneath the heavens; walk to the edge of the sea and to the corner of the sky. Let’s tour every single part of the Xia Clan mortal world."
"Haha, then this sick person will have to depend on you to take care of him."
"Alright, then you must listen to me."
"Definitely."
When they got married.
After marrying each other, they walked to the other end of the world together.
Behind that back of confidence, he was tortured by the hex poison time and time again. Yet, Jing Qiu was there to wipe off his sweat and accompany him by his side. Sometimes, he’d even hide himself in his room, preventing anyone from entering as he tumbled about on his bed in agony. Whenever this happened, Jing Qiu would feel anxious as she stood outside their house..
They went together to the desert, to the prairie, and then to cross the sea.
They started a tavern together, a congee shop, and then a martial school.
They taught children together, learned to draw together, and then learned how to sculpt.
Then the war arrived.
She had kept holding on the entire time within the Star Pagoda and would rather die than compromise.
At that time, her soul had been constantly sapped at, which had worsened her injuries. None of the others had realized, but she herself knew just how serious her injuries were. "这次战争我挺怕的,就怕我撑不住,救不出你."这是妻子在战争赢了后说的话.
"I was really afraid that I wouldn’t be able to hold on any longer, and that I couldn’t save you…" These were the words that his wife had said after they won the war.
Xue Ying’s eyes were filled with tears. "However, it’s me who cannot save you."
Xue Ying remained squatting next to her and continued to lightly caress her face. He continued to sit there in a daze as he gazed at her.
Weng.
Suddenly, a vast figure had appeared at some point off to the side. He appeared to be a bald-headed male with a height of roughly twenty meters and an axe on his back. As he stood there, his cold eyes swept over the surroundings.
"A Deity Avatar?" The expressions on Palace Head Chen, Chao Qing, Mountain Lord He, and the others’ faces all changed.
"Dong Bo Xue Ying!" The time and space around that towering and muscular bald male were disrupted by his shout. His figure was also blurry and vague. His mighty voice resounded, "Did you think that after taking care of the war that the Sorcerer God and the others started, you’d have the qualifications to challenge me? I’ll give your Xia Clan a chance: Reconstruct all of my temples in as little time as possible, and forbid any malign rumors regarding my Temple of the Earth God from being spread. If you promise to do these things, I’ll let you off. Otherwise…"
The bald-headed male extended his hand, his axe now grasped within it.
"Do you have a miraculous treasure that can reconstruct one’s soul?" Xue Ying suddenly turned toward him and asked.
"A miraculous treasure that can reconstruct one’s soul?" The bald and muscular World Deity Wo Hai frowned and then roared, "Where did you hear that from? Do you think that such a miraculous treasure is something that you, a mere Transcendent, can freely ask about? Not just me, but even our Qi Lan Monarchs doesn’t have such a treasure."
"You don’t?" Xue Ying lightly nodded.
"What’re you babbling about a miraculous treasure for? Did you hear what I just said? Quickly rebuild all of my temples and forbid—" Wo Hai began to repeat his words.
"Scram!"
Xue Ying suddenly shouted.
Hong!
His furious roar caused the sky to immediately dim. A gale of endless might proceeded to envelop the World Deity Wo Hai’s Deity avatar, who immediately revealed a look of shock as he held onto his axe. Amidst the surrounding primal chaos, both time and space were transforming and twisting, yet he couldn’t move at all. At the same time, a terrifying power shot through his body and caused it to begin to disintegrate.
"World, World Energy?" World Deity Wo Hai’s eyes widened. When he’d descended into this Deity Avatar, he hadn’t known that Xue Ying had already reached this stage. After all, the Sorcerer God and Great Demonic God hadn’t told him any matters regarding the war.
The World Energy left no place untouched; he couldn’t dodge the attack no matter what he did.
Considering he only had the power of a peak Demigod, he wasn’t able to withstand a single strike from the World Energy that Xue Ying had operated. His fleshy body immediately began to collapse, and before long, he turned into nothingness. All that was left was his axe, which rolled about uselessly.
The World Energy dissipated quite quickly.
The world soon regained its peace yet again. As for Xue Ying, he remained squatting next to his wife, holding her. After a long while, he finally stood up to leave the place.