Chapter 74 of Book 10: Sacrificing One's Life to Save Another

  During the time I was imprisoned, due to being constantly tormented by the seal, I had forgotten about Mo Ming's existence. This sudden feeling of closeness reminded me of it - could it be that Mo Ming is calling out to me? For this most loyal companion, I have feelings like those for a friend. I searched through my memories and finally recalled that in the last moment of fighting with Yue Wuyue, Mo Ming had flown out of my hand and fallen into a nearby thicket. Why would Mo Ming suddenly call out to me? I tentatively used my mind to explore the sealed dark magic, but Mo Ming's response was only fleeting, and then it vanished without a trace.

  I stepped out of the room, taking a deep breath of the fresh air, and suddenly felt a sense of exhilaration. After being here for these days, I had already gotten to know the general layout of the village. On the southernmost side was the martial arts training ground, where most of the young people in the village would come to practice their martial skills. In the village, very few people only practiced magic, because compared to magic, martial skills progressed much faster. Magic was only an auxiliary function for them. The eastern side occupied about half of the valley's area and was where everyone farmed. Each family had a certain amount of land they had to cultivate, and here, except for Tianyun, Yuewu Cliff, Liefeng, children under 14 years old, and elderly people who couldn't move around, everyone had to farm to support themselves. It was not allowed to be idle and reap benefits without labor. Even the villagers' leaders had to plant their own grains and vegetables. The people here were all vegetarians, which made me very uncomfortable. I was a meat-lover, and it was simply too painful for me to go without meat. The western side was the residential area, where my stone house was located, while the northern side had large stone houses used for storing goods and several closed rooms used for seclusion. When the children here turned 16 years old, they already had a certain foundation in martial skills, and through seclusion, the village elders would determine which type of qigong was most suitable for them to practice, teaching according to their abilities.

  Anyway, there's nothing to do, I decided to go to the martial arts arena to take a look. It's been over ten days since I arrived, and apart from practicing my skills, I would always go out for a walk and observe the surroundings. If I want to escape from here, of course, I need to get familiar with the terrain first.

  "Lei Xiong brother, where are you going?" A tender voice sounded, no need to look, I also know that this is Song Ren's sixth grandson Song Song, he is the one who can make me feel happy here, just six years old this year. I turned around, bent down, and hugged the chubby little boy with a round face, and gently kissed his face, smiling: "What are you going to do again, Song Song?"

  Song Song covered her small face and said: "Lei Xiang brother, your beard is so prickly. Song Song is playing here."

  I really like this kid, his big eyes that are so pure and without any impurities make me appreciate him even more. His body's skeletal structure is very special, it's the kind that's most suitable for practicing martial arts. "Uncle will go shave later, now uncle wants to go to the martial arts arena, are you going or not?"

  Song Song clapped his hands and said: "Okay, okay, Song Song wants to go, wants to see brother and sister practice that flying kung fu."

  "Alright, then I'll take you there." I carried Song Song to the martial arts arena, and the people around me had already gotten used to my presence. They occasionally waved at me, and I responded one by one. The local customs here were simple and honest, with very little friction. Although I was being held captive, getting along with these villagers made me feel quite comfortable.Maybe Tianyun thought that the peace and tranquility here could dissolve the hatred in my heart. If he thought so, then he was wrong. Hatred had already taken deep root in my heart, and it would never disappear as long as I didn't die. One day, I would ascend to the divine realm and avenge Tioman Di's big brother.

  As I thought about it, I had already walked to the martial arts arena. The venue was not small and could accommodate dozens of people practicing at the same time. The venue was bustling with fists and feet flying everywhere, flashing different colors of aura, looking very magnificent. Song Song clapped his hands and said: "So beautiful, so beautiful."

  A gentle and fleeting voice came over, "Song Song, how did you get Brother Lei Xiang to hold you again, hurry up and come down."

  I turned my head to look, and it was Song Xue's sister - Song Xue. The first time I saw her, I thought she and Zi Yan were biological sisters, they had almost the same temperament, except that the sacred aura on her body wasn't as strong as Zi Yan's. Song Xue was already 17 years old, she was one of the few children in the village who practiced magic, learning the same light system magic as Tian Yun. No one would look down on her, although there were few people practicing magic, everyone knew that the strongest Tian Yun was a magician. As her name suggested, Song Xue wore white clothes every day, it seemed she had also come here to practice. Although she was young, Song Xue's extraordinary temperament and outstanding appearance had already made her an object of pursuit for the village boys, as long as they didn't belong to the Song family and were around the same age, there wasn't a single boy who didn't like Song Xue.

  I smiled and nodded at her, saying: "Hello, Song Xue."

  Song Xue smiled faintly and said: "Hello, Lei Xiang big brother, are you here to practice martial arts too?"

  I smiled wryly and shook my head, saying: "What martial arts can I practice? I'm a useless person, I don't know how to do anything."

  Song Xue smiled slightly and turned to Song Song, pretending to be angry: "Come down quickly, you little lazy ghost."

  Song Song suddenly turned her head, tightly hugging my neck, and said in a soft voice: "No, I won't come down. Leixiang's arm is strong and thick, it's so comfortable to be hugged by him. Don't believe me? You try it too."

  Song Song's innocent words suddenly made me and Song Xue's face turn bright red, Song Xue's beautiful eyes rolled around and looked away. I took a deep breath and said to Song Song: "Okay, brother will hold you, look, brother and sisters are practicing so well, what do you want to learn in the future?"

  Song Song made a small fist and said, "I want to learn martial arts in the future, I also want to fly around like my brothers and sisters, hehe." As he spoke, he began to mimic movements in my arms. At this moment, a young man was practicing his skills not far from our left front side. I noticed him because his aura was extremely strong, walking the same path as Lü Feng. He was competing with a large stone in front of him, his entire body's aura reached its limit, and misty air overflowed from the top of his head. Looking at his bulging veins, I knew he was about to use his full strength.

  Song Xue said in a low voice, "He is the seventh generation grandson of the Li family, named Li Yun. He is of the same age as us and is a famous cultivation madman. Although his talent is not the best among our generation, his power is absolutely the highest. My great-grandfather often praised him for being progressive and even asked the young masters of the Song family to learn from him... Ah, look quickly." Before Song Xue finished speaking, the aura around Li Yun's body had changed, and a strong cyan light gathered in his hand. He let out a loud shout and suddenly struck the massive stone weighing over 1,000 kilograms in front of him.

  "Boom." The boulder was shattered by his powerful force, and countless stones of various sizes scattered in all directions. One of the largest stones, weighing at least 100 kilograms, flew towards us. Before it even arrived, the strong gust of wind had already made my face sting.

  "Be careful."

  "Get out of the way."

  Innumerable worried voices came. If the boulder were to roll over, Matsuri and I would be the first to be crushed, and even Shōsetsu beside us wouldn't be spared. In the past, all I needed was a casual wave of my hand to shatter this boulder into dust. But where did I have that kind of strength now? If it were someone else, it would be fine, but Matsuri was so dear to me. The other villagers always had a hint of wariness towards me, but he never did. And Shōsetsu couldn't help at all in this situation; with her level of magic, she wouldn't be able to chant out an incantation in such a short amount of time. In the critical moment, I made my decision. With a surge of energy, I instantly transferred the little remaining Crazy God's aura within me to my back, and with a swift motion, I turned around and wrapped Shōsetsu tightly in my arms while lowering my head. In a low voice, I shouted: "Crazy God War Armor." Although I knew it was useless, I still unconsciously chanted out the lifesaving incantation in this crisis.

  All of this happened in the blink of an eye, and before I knew it, a massive boulder came crashing down on my back. The force was so strong that it sent me flying, with Rong Rong and Xue still clutched in my arms. The impact was intense, and I felt a wave of dizziness wash over me as I spat out a mouthful of blood, which landed squarely on Xue's pristine white clothes. I managed to regain control of my body just in time to roll with the fall, dissipating most of the force and protecting Rong Rong and Xue from harm. As I struggled to sit up, I gave Xue a weak smile and said, "Sorry about getting your clothes dirty." With that, my head spun and everything went black. The sounds around me grew fainter and fainter until I couldn't hear anything at all.

  …………

  I vaguely heard someone next to me say, "He should be waking up soon. This kid's physique is really strong. Even with his abilities sealed by me, he can still withstand that level of attack." My consciousness gradually cleared, and this should be Tianyun.

  "This kid is still quite good, able to sacrifice himself for others in times of danger. Tian Shu, are you..."

  Tian Yun Ci He said: "Song Ren, I know your feelings. If it weren't for Lei Xiang's good qualities, I would have killed him long ago. I won't easily lift the seal for him. It must wait until he no longer has any desire to win or be violent. Only then can we consider it. If we let him out now, there may be chaos in the world."

  Song Ren said respectfully: "Yes, Uncle Tian, of course everything is up to you."

  Tianyun smiled slightly and said, "I'm telling you clearly, I don't want you to have any worries in your heart. Are your two great-grandchildren all right? Do you need me to take a look at them?"

  Song Rendao said, "Don't bother about it anymore. Xiao Song just got a little frightened, and Song Xue didn't even get scared, she's just worried about Lei Xiang's safety. After all, he saved him. Li Yun is too reckless, later I'll go find Li Han to settle the score."

  Tianyun nodded and said, "Lixun was too reckless this time. It seems that the safety measures on the martial arts field need to be strengthened. When you go back, remind Songxue that a girl of her age is prone to acting on emotions, and Leixiang is not a good choice. Do you understand what I mean?"

  "Understood, Uncle Tian."

  "Alright then, you go out first."

  Tianyun and Song Ren left, then Tianyun said to me: "Kid, I know you've come around already, stop pretending to be dead."

  I knew I couldn't deceive him, so I opened my eyes and said, "Did you save me?"

  Tianyun smiled and shook his head, "It was you who saved yourself, I didn't expect that after being sealed by me, your tendons and bones would still be so strong and healthy. You are indeed the descendant of the Meng Ju beast. Under the impact of that stone, only your internal organs were shaken, but your bones and skin were fine. You should know that although I sealed your dark magic, your body is still unable to withstand my baptism with light elements, so you can only rely on your own self-healing abilities. This time, you saved Song Xue's siblings, I'm very happy, it made me see the kind side of you. Song Xue said that at the time, you didn't hesitate at all and used your body to block the danger for them. It makes me very pleased."

  I snorted coldly and said, "What's there to be pleased about? I only saved them because I like Song Song. You can leave now, I want to rest."

  "Alright then, you rest well, I'll instruct them to not disturb you." After saying that, a flash of white light appeared and Tianyun disappeared.

  I drove away the heavenly clouds with a purpose, and this time saving Song Xue's siblings although I got hurt, but I was exceptionally delighted. Because at the last moment, due to my own crisis and the call of the Crazy God Armor, the heavenly clouds' seal on me seemed to be cracked open by the armor's power, creating an extremely small gap. Since he was here earlier, I didn't dare make any unusual movements, but the Dou Qi that came to cultivate here later all squeezed into the gap with great difficulty, and unexpectedly succeeded. That is to say, I can now connect with the Crazy God Dou Qi from before. This is simply too good for me.

  I carefully extended my consciousness to the cracked fissure, which was extremely small and almost invisible. I tried to extract the Kyoshin Douki from the fissure, but found that it couldn't be sucked out. What's going on? Earlier, I had clearly injected the Kyoshin Douki into it. Could it be that this fissure can only allow entry but not exit? My hopes were dashed, and the pain in my back made me feel annoyed. Just then, Moku's call echoed again, seemingly clearer than before. I felt a surge of joy, and my mind cleared up a lot. If only Moku could be by my side... Where are you, my partner?

  I suddenly thought, if I keep putting the cultivated Crazy God's aura into the seal, what would be the result? The seal is strong, but it's just a limited seal after all. If the energy sealed inside exceeds its maximum capacity, then the seal will naturally be broken. Thinking of this, my confidence came back instantly. I continued to concentrate on cultivating the Crazy God's aura. Although my meridians are blocked, the Crazy God's aura that I cultivated separately can quickly fill up the meridians where I am. For a whole day, I six times squeezed the overflowing Crazy God's aura from the cracks into the seal through the fissures. Although I didn't feel anything unusual, I believe that if I continue like this, I will definitely succeed.

  I was able to condense the Crazy God's fighting spirit under seal, and this has a lot to do with the inheritance of the Crazy God Tioman Di and the Lingkong Shilu. The power of the gods combined with the genius treasure made every meridian in my body the best place to store energy. Having received the inheritance of the Crazy God, my cultivation speed of the Crazy God's Decision increased a lot. As time passed, the more I absorbed from the inheritance and Lingkong Shilu, the more obvious their effects became. After all, the Crazy God is a first-class god, and its power is not something that the Light Guardian God Tianyun can imagine.

  …………

  Mo Yue flung her hand, throwing Mo Ming out, and said angrily: "Are you fooling me? One moment you tell me to go north, the next moment you tell me to go south. I'm running back and forth without a definite destination."

  The inkstone was thrown aside with a faint sound.

  Mo Yue sat aside with a sullen face, it had been five days already. Under Mo Ming's command, she was circling around in loops again and again, now they were back near White Smoke Mountain once more. No wonder she was angry.

  After a long time, the anger in Mo Yue's heart subsided slightly. She picked up Mo Ming from the ground. She had no choice. Except for Mo Ming, Lei Xiang didn't leave any clues behind. So, she could only rely on this mysterious-looking long sword.

  "Sword, oh sword, tell me where your master is. I promise you, I won't harm him, okay? Just give me an accurate direction."

  The subtle tremors of the ink, and the feeling in that direction reappeared in Mo Yue's mind, still pointing north. Mo Yue let out a sigh: "Seriously? Why is it still north? I walked so far north that day, then asked you, and you told me to go south. This back-and-forth nonsense is exhausting me."

  Ding, Mo Ming's voice shook again, and the idea of going north still appeared in Mo Yue's mind. Mo Yue's heart moved, thinking that it might be because she had walked past before, if so, Mo Ming would naturally let her go back. Thinking of this, Mo Yue suddenly felt a sense of enlightenment, her wings unfolded behind her, and she floated into the high sky.

  Her judgment was correct, as Mo Ming and Lei Xiang had an unusual sense of connection, so they would guide her to search for the route that Lei Xiang left. However, after all, Mo Ming was just a sword, although it had spirituality, but no thoughts, Mo Yue indeed walked through, so Mo Ming told her to go back.

  Mo Yue was much more careful this time, and every 10 miles she would re-consult Mo Ming's opinion. Finally, after three days of effort, she finally got Mo Ming's indication to head west in a forest, proving her own guess. After that, Mo Yue was overjoyed, although the method was slow, at least there were clues to follow.

  …………

  I still continue to compress the crazy god's fighting spirit obtained from cultivation into the cracks every day. Although the amount of fighting spirit that fills up my meridians each time is not much, under my repeated input, I feel that the sealed crazy god's fighting spirit seems to be gradually growing stronger. This continuous growth of my crazy god's fighting spirit may not be able to break through the current level, but if I were to unseal it, perhaps I can rapidly increase the power of my crazy god's fighting spirit in the shortest time possible.

  I can now fill my meridians with nine compressions and expansions every day, at this speed, I have already surpassed the amount of Crazy God's aura that I gathered during my normal cultivation. With renewed hope, I immediately swept away my despair. Once I break through the seal and upgrade the Crazy God's Decision to a new level, I will leave here immediately. I won't fight with those perverts from Tianyun again. Tianyun probably already has abilities close to that of a second-level god, unless I obtain all of Tioman Di's abilities, otherwise, I won't clash with him head-on. Moreover, although he sealed my powers, he never hurt me, and apart from losing my abilities, my life here has been very pleasant. The hatred I had when I first arrived has dissipated a lot.

  I exhaled and stopped my cultivation. It's been nine days since I was hit by the stone that day. During these nine days, my meridians have been overworked, and except for the person who brought me food, no one has disturbed me. I feel like I need to rest a bit; if I continue like this, my meridians will burst from the surge of Qi. With my current situation, I don't know how long it'll take before I can resume my cultivation. Haste makes waste; taking a proper rest should be beneficial for continuing my cultivation.

  The sunset outside the window tells me that it's already evening, I push open the door and stretch my muscles, these days of training on my meridians have made my blood circulation run continuously throughout my body, seemingly even better than before I was injured.

  I stretched and let out a comfortable sigh, just thinking of going out for a walk, when a timid voice sounded, "Lei Xiang big brother, are you okay?"

  I turned around to see that it was Song Xue, and next to her was the adorable Song Song. I smiled and nodded at Song Xue, then squatted down and said to Song Song: "Song Song, come let Brother Lei Xiang give you a hug."

  With a loud cheer, he broke free from his sister's hand and ran towards me quickly, throwing himself into my arms. I picked him up and spun around in mid-air twice, and Song Song let out a crisp laugh. Just as I was about to kiss his chubby little face, Song Song covered my mouth and said, "No, Lei Xiang Gege, you haven't shaved yet."

  I laughed and said: "Ah, sorry, I forgot, brother."

  Song Xue walked over and said in a low voice: "Big brother, your injury has just healed, don't work too hard, relax a bit."

  I smiled slightly and said, "It's okay, my injuries have all healed. None of you were hurt that day, right?"

  Song Xue shook her head and said, "Thanks to Big Brother, at that time, Song Song was scared silly. Lei Yun Big Brother was too careless. If it wasn't for Lei Big Brother, we would have... Thank you, Big Brother, for saving our lives." As she spoke, she slightly squatted down, lowered her head, and paid respects to me.

  I hurriedly freed up a hand to help her up, saying: "Don't be so polite, since I've come here, I should do my best to protect the village. That day, Lian Yun wasn't being intentional either, he was just too focused on his training and didn't notice us over here. Don't blame him."

  Song Xue's sweet smile, said: "Big brother, your heart is really good." Her smile was as beautiful as a hundred flowers blooming, and I stared at her for a moment. No one has ever told me that my heart is good before, but there are many who say I'm ruthless or cunning.

  I shook my head and said, "Don't say that, I'm not a kind person. Maybe you don't know yet, but I was caught by those few old ancestors of yours."

  "Song Xue asked in surprise: 'Why did the ancestors want to catch you? What have you done wrong?'"

  I smiled wryly: "Some things are not right or wrong, from their perspective, I did it wrong, but from my perspective, I did the right thing. It's better you don't know about these things, to avoid trouble. From now on, you and Song Song should try to come find me less often. To be honest, I'm not a good person."

  Song Xue firmly shook his head and said, "No, no matter what others say, in my heart you are a good person."

  Looking at this young girl who is still inexperienced in the ways of the world, a warm feeling arose in my heart. "I won't argue with you," I said. "Although I'm not a good person, I absolutely won't harm any of you."

  Gently grasping my clothes, swaying back and forth, playing with my ears and hair, for a moment, it became much quieter.

  Song Xue's eyes suddenly had a dazed look, and he said: "Big brother, what is the outside world like?"

  I asked in surprise: "Haven't you guys ever been out?"

  Song Xue nodded solemnly and said, "From birth to now, we have never left this place and do not know what the outside world is like. We can only imagine it from the stories told by our ancestors. You don't know, many people here hope to see the outside world. But our ancestors do not allow it, they require that only those who have cultivated to the strength of a Dragon Knight or above can go out. Look at Li Yun, he is not eager to improve his strength, but because of his longing for the outside world, he is desperately practicing. Big brother, if there is an opportunity, can you take us out?"

  I was shocked in my heart, how could I agree to her request? I said firmly: "No way. Your ancestors didn't let you go out completely for your own good, the outside world is not as good as you think, it's full of deceit and trickery, if you're not careful, you might fall into a desperate situation that can't be redeemed. Listen to me, give up the idea of going out, this small valley is beautiful, the environment is quiet and peaceful, living a lifetime here is great!"

  Song Xue looked at me and said: "Big brother, since you were caught in here, do you want to get out? If you do, then it proves that the outside world is still beautiful."

  I smiled wryly, "Silly girl, it's not what you think. Indeed, I do hope to go out, but that's because there are many things I must attend to. The outside world is only novel to you, not necessarily beautiful."

  Song Xue stared at my eyes, his voice was very low, "What if I let you out, can you take me away?"

  I was taken aback, not expecting this little girl's conviction to be so resolute. Shaking my head, I spoke in a bitter tone: "No way, first of all, even if you let me go, I won't leave because it's not the right time for me to leave yet. Moreover, if you release me and Tianyun and the others catch us again, do you think they'll treat you kindly? This risk is not worth taking. I'm currently powerless, and you're just a mediocre magician - do you think we can escape? Even if we somehow manage to escape successfully, do you know how important I am to your Holy Dragon Knights? If I leave, your Holy Dragon Knights might be destroyed. Are you willing to become a sinner for eternity?"

  After hearing what I said, Song Xue stopped in her tracks. In fact, she was just yearning for the outside world and had never thought so much about it.

  I lay down on the ground and said to Song Xue: "You all go back, don't come here to find me again in the future. It's not good for a lonely man and woman to be in contact often."

  Sparkling tears suddenly flowed from Song Xue's eyes, she stared at me fixedly and shook her sister's hand gently, saying: "Sister, sister, why are you crying? I didn't make you unhappy, did I? Sister, don't cry, I'm being very good."

  Song Xue stroked Song Song's head, softly saying to me: "Lei Xiang big brother, I...I like you." After finishing speaking, she didn't wait for my response and was like a whirlwind, suddenly hugging Song Song and running away.

  I was stunned for a moment, does Xue like me? I've only met her three or four times, I shook my head, this must be just a girl's impulse. As long as I ignore her, she'll forget about me soon. In this godforsaken place, I don't even know if I can get out alive, where do I have the mood to think about these emotional entanglements? Since the Mo Yue incident, I've already cut off all connections with all women except for those three.

  Three months later.

  I sat on the bed, inputting the last burst of Crazy God's aura into the seal for today. From a month ago, the original crack in the seal has been gradually expanding, and other places have also started to show fine cracks, which greatly boosted my confidence. However, I still don't have the grasp to break through this seal at once, so I dare not act rashly. Because I'm very clear that this seal and Tianyun have a spiritual connection, if I recklessly attack it, it will definitely attract Tianyun's attention. If he gives me an even stronger seal again, I won't know when I can leave this place. So, I've been very cautious, waiting for the opportunity. Now, I can input twelve bursts of Crazy God's aura every day, which is also my limit.

  I didn't know that these three months would be so crucial for me, with daily cultivation causing the Mad God's aura to grow rapidly under pressure, and the sealed Mad God's aura has gradually formed a solid state.

  At night, I habitually walked out of the stone house and strolled outside. Ever since that time when Song Xue confessed to me, she would often come find me despite my attempts to dissuade her. I had hinted to her more than once that this was impossible, but she seemed not to have noticed, still pursuing me.

  Tianyun and Liefeng often appear here, Tianyun also found that I am constantly cultivating, strangely, he did not stop me, nor did he check the seal within my body. Does he have so much confidence in the seal he placed on himself? This is for the best, it saves me from intentionally hiding it.

  That familiar feeling from Mo Ming often comes, sometimes far and sometimes near, sometimes clear and sometimes blurry. At least three or four times a day, I feel it calling me, and it seems to be getting closer and closer. If it weren't for the unbreakable seal of dark magic, I would have tried to summon it long ago.

  The village in the night was so quiet, the villagers who had been working hard all day had already entered their dreams. The peaceful feeling made me very comfortable, and I strolled outside with a carefree heart. I found that I had become accustomed to life here, every day meeting the simple people here made me not have to worry too much. Since I saved Songxue's siblings last time, everyone's impression of me has improved a lot compared to when I first came, and they gradually regarded me as one of them.

  "Lei Xiong Gege." A tender voice called me back from my thoughts. It was Song Song's voice, and I couldn't help but secretly smile wryly. Song Song had arrived, which meant that Song Xue would also be coming. It seemed that I really needed to have a clear talk with her, otherwise, if she continued to get deeper into this, it would make things difficult for me just like what happened with Kelan before.

  As expected, Song Xue appeared before me with his younger brother. I smiled and said, "It's so late, haven't you gone to sleep yet?"