āOlāBai is strong.ā Jing Mingfeng stated. āHe used a technique to reach the power of a Peak Late-stage Soul King when I left, and he was even managing to beat back patriarch Qinā¦the patriarch was already tired enough after fighting you, great-grandfather, I believe OlāBai will definitely beat him.ā
āA Peak Late-stage Soul Kingā¦he had a technique like that?ā Jing Wuying sighed in amazement. āItās a rarity to find a man who would so boldly step forward into danger in this cruel world. Mingfengā¦it was fortunate that you made a friend like him.ā
āYesā¦ā Jing Mingfeng agreed. He too felt fortunate about his fate with Bai Yunfei.
āIt wasnāt within my predictions that Bai Yunfei would help us. Our plan to slowly kill off the Qin is unnecessary it seems. The Qin is finished, and we only need to wait until their crimes are made known to the world. The Qin will truly be extinct then, and a part of our debt will finally be paidā¦ā
The misfortune of the Qin was pleasing for Jing Wuying, but the fires of hatred had yet to die out from Jing Wuyingās eyes.
āThe Qin was not our biggest enemy, however. It isā¦the Soul Refining School! They saw fit to join with the Qin to target us for our techniques! The Soul Refining Schoolā¦will die a painful death!!ā
Every word he spoke boomed with more emotion than the last. He never thought that the true perpetrator behind the extinction of the Jing would be the Soul Refining School.
āGreat-grandfather, please calm yourself! Youāre injured!ā Jing Mingfeng cried. āThe Soul Refining School are enemies to everyone! We can wait until youāre healed, great-grandfather, we can find them then!ā
āThe Heavens must be blind,ā Jing Wuying sighed, āto have allowed such calamity to befall my Jing. It is fortunate they saw fit to leave behind you as our final hopeā¦as long as you live, Mingfeng, our Jing will never die! Hakā¦hakā¦ā
This time, the passionate emotions Jing Wuying felt about the subject matter caused the man to start coughing violently.Ā
Leaping to his feet, Jing Mingfeng rushed to his great-grandfatherās side at once. āGreat-grandfather, please calm yourself! Heal your wounds first!ā
For some reason, his great-grandfather wouldnāt stop talking. He kept speaking in a way that gave Jing Mingfeng a very uneasy feelingā¦Ā
Jing Wuying shook his hand. āItāsā¦fine, Mingfeng. The Qin is dead, but the Soul Refining School lives on. The Soul Refining School will not be as easy to fight. You are far too weak as you are now. Now is not the time. Grow strong and hone your strength. Wait until you are at least a Late-stage Soul King before you take action. If possibleā¦become a Soul Emperor. With your talent, all you need is time. It is possible for you to become one where I did not.ā
Something definitely felt off now. A premonition of fear began to well up within Jing Mingfeng as he listened. āI will do as you say, great-grandfather. We can find a place to hide and train when you get better. Iāll follow your orders and become as strong as I can. Wait until I am strong enough, and then we can take our revenge!ā
Jing Wuying forced a smile. He placed a hand first onto himself. He could feel a bit of strength had returned to him. āCome here, Mingfeng.ā He beckoned for Jing Mingfeng to come closer.
Confused, Jing Mingfeng drew closer and kneeled down in front of Jing Wuying. āWhat is it, great-grandfather?ā
He watched as his great-grandfather smiled at him with a doting eye. Jing Wuyingās right hand dropped onto his head to pet him fondly. āI am ashamed, Mingfeng. I failed the Jing in their times of trouble. I failed to share in their fate as my duty. And now I will fail to see you grow upā¦This is my final gift to you, from great-grandfather to great-grandson. You will need to rely on yourself from now onā¦Live on, Mingfeng. Carry our name and live onā¦ā
Jing Mingfeng was so nervous now that he was shaking. āGreatā¦great-grandfather, what do you mean by thāah!! Great-grandfather, what are you doing?!ā
The hand on his head clenched tightly before Jing Mingfeng could even finish his sentence, eliciting a yelp of pain when it did. There was a second source of pain when he felt an endless amount of power flow like water from his great-grandfatherās arm into his head!
āAh!! Ahhhh!!!ā
Jing Mingfeng screamed. It was the only thing he could do! The pain was so painful, so unbearable! It felt like every part of his body was being pulled in a different direction!
The energy going into his body was cutting away at his person like the edge of a sharp sword. It was slicing open his soul itself to be poured into it!
āRumbleā¦rumbleā¦ā
Jing Mingfeng felt like his body had been turned into a ship in stormy waters. The waves of energy had already poured into the interior of his ship and battering from the inside with such vigor that he was afraid heād be blown apart!
The wails of pain erupting from Jing Mingfeng felt like they were stabbing into Jing Wuyingās heart as well. A flicker of hesitation crossed his eyes for a moment, but it was quickly overshadowed by grim determination. Power was filling his enfeebled body, but Jing Wuying could see that there was something even more drastic happening to his person!
His face, which was already thin and harrow, was rapidly withering up to become as weak as a mummy. His hair, which was already gray due to age, was starting to whiten and even falling out from his scalp by the roots!
It wasnāt just power that was leaking from his person, the scent of death was starting to emanate from him as well!
Ā Ā ā¦ā¦
An eternity went by before Jing Mingfengās scream came to a stop, ushering the cave he was in into an eerie silence. The black and green light that had previously illuminated the cave was nowhere to be seen either.
āUghā¦ā
A groan escaped Jing Mingfengās lips as he stirred, his eyes blinking rapidly.
He struggled to his feet. Staggering two steps back, Jing Mingfeng held his aching head with his hands as he tried to make sense of what had just happened to him.
His head snapped up a second later to look at his great-grandfather. But the sight of the man immediately caused Jing Mingfeng to turn deathly white in fright!
āGreat-grandfather!!ā
Jing Mingfeng buckled at the knees to fall to the ground. His trembling hands touched at the face-down Jing Wuying and sent a pulse of soulforce through them.Ā
Butā¦Ā
Jing Wuying remained still from where he lied on the ground. His body was withered and his head was as bald as the day he was born. His eyes were closed shut, and his bodyā¦had no signs of life!
Jing Wuying was dead!!
āN-noā¦no! No no no no! This canāt be happening, this canāt be real!! Great-grandfatherā¦great-grandfather!!ā
Jing Mingfeng howled in despair. His hands gripped at his great-grandfather as if to jostle him awake.
āAhhh!!!! Ahhhhhhh!!!!!ā
Tears were streaming down from his face now. His screams of utter anguish echoed in the caves while the black light from his body exploded forth!
āBoomm!!!ā
The silent world exploded into a cacophony of noise as the earth shook. The cave and mountain Jing Mingfeng had been in erupted with black light and dust beforeā¦it collapsed!