Homeward Journey

When Yun Jingheng walked out of the Sea God Pavilion, the sunlight was shining down from above, very bright.

He looked down at the four Soul Ring at his feet—the first ring was purple, the second ring was purple, the third ring was black, and the Four Rings was black.

Yun Ming stood beside him, looking at the distant Sea God Lake.

"Let's go," Yun Ming said.

Yun Jingheng nodded, "Mm."

The two walked westward along the stone path of Sea God Island.

The road is narrow, with low shrubs planted on both sides, and occasionally a few old locust trees with dense foliage that block out the sunlight overhead.

There was a person's distance between the father and son, and neither of them spoke.

The wind blew, and the leaves rustled.

Yun Ming spoke first, "That leopard is called the Nether Ice Fang Leopard."

His voice was calm.

Yun Jingheng glanced at him sideways, said nothing, and continued walking.

Yun Ming continued, "It appeared in Shrek's archives a thousand years ago. At that time, it was already Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, with high cultivation, high intelligence, and great strength."

"It could have stayed quietly in the Star Dou Great Forest, but it didn't."

He paused, then continued, "It actively ventures out of the forest to hunt human Soul Master. It specifically targets lone Soul Master, and after killing them, it drags the corpses to conspicuous places, as if showing off."

Yun Jingheng did not stop walking, but his fingers twitched slightly.

Yun Ming continued.

"Its actions sparked conflict between humans and Soul Beast. Humans, believing the Soul Beast Clan were provoking them, organized several raids on the Star Dou Great Forest."

"The Soul Beast Clan believed that humans were expanding their territory, and they organized several counterattacks, resulting in the deaths of many people and many Soul Beast."

He paused, then continued, "Later, it was caught."

Yun Jingheng frowned slightly. "You've survived until now?"

Yun Ming nodded. "Yes, it revealed information about the Star Dou Great Forest, directly causing the area of Star Dou Great Forest to shrink once again."

He paused, then continued, "Later, it ran away, killing the 27 Soul Saint who guarded it. No one has seen it since. Over the past thousand years, no one knows how many people it has killed."

"Shrek's files only record documented cases, and there are still several hundred deaths."

Yun Jingheng paused for a moment, then said, "So, what about now...?"

Yun Ming glanced at him. "He's about to die."

He withdrew his gaze and continued walking forward. "I found it in the Star Luo Empire. It agreed to become Soul Spirit, but it went back on its word when we were almost at the academy. I chased after it for a while and gave it a beating."

"He wasn't killed, but he's badly injured and near death."

Yun Jingheng paused for a moment, then followed. "Why did it change its mind?"

Yun Ming paused for a moment, then said, "Because it knows it can't."

His voice was very soft, as if afraid it would be blown away by the wind.

"Its killing intent was too strong, so strong that it would instinctively attack humans. It didn't want to hurt anyone anymore, so it ran away."

Yun Jingheng remained silent.

He lowered his head, looking at the stone path beneath his feet.

The two walked through a grove of trees and came to a small gray building.

The building wasn't tall, only three stories, with vines climbing the walls, the windows closed, and the curtains drawn tightly.

Two people stood at the entrance, both disciples of the Inner Court, dressed in uniforms, their backs ramrod straight.

Upon seeing Yun Ming, the two bowed simultaneously, "Pavilion Master."

Yun Ming nodded. "Open the door."

The two men exchanged a glance, and one of them turned around and pushed open the heavy iron door behind him.

The door was heavy, making a dull thud when pushed, like something groaning.

The door opened, revealing a long corridor. At the end of the corridor was another door, silver-white in color, engraved with intricate soul-guiding circuits that gleamed faintly in the darkness.

Yun Ming stepped inside, and Yun Jingheng followed.

The two walked down the corridor, their footsteps echoing in the empty space, light and steady.

Every few steps along the walls on both sides of the corridor, there was a Soul Guidance Lamp emitting Youyou blue light, casting long shadows of the two people.

At the end of the corridor, in front of that silver-white door, Yun Ming stopped.

He reached out and placed his hand on the door.

As Soul Power was injected, the soul guidance circuit on the door lit up, spreading out in concentric circles like ripples on the surface of water.

The door opened.

The room was dark, with only the faint light from the Soul Guidance Lamp on the wall.

In the center of the room, a silver-white leopard lay on the ground, its limbs chained with thick iron chains. The other end of the chains was embedded in the wall, which was covered with sealing circuits.

Its fur had lost its luster, resembling withered grass, and its fangs protruded from the corners of its mouth, gleaming with a cold, eerie blue light, but that light was so faint that it was almost invisible.

Its eyes were closed, its breathing was weak, and its heartbeat was weak.

It's dying.

Yun Jingheng entered the room and squatted down in front of the leopard.

He reached out and placed his hand on the leopard's head.

Its fur is very stiff, like needles that prick your hand, but its body temperature is very low, almost nonexistent.

Its eyes opened, and Yun Jingheng's face was reflected in its pupils, then it slightly contracted.

It looked at him, and he looked at him.

It didn't move, and neither did he.

A man and a leopard stared at each other.

There was no fear or anger in the leopard's eyes, only something indescribable, like weariness, relief, or that it had finally waited for something.

Yun Ming stood at the doorway, watching this scene without saying a word.

He took a deep breath, went into the room, and squatted down next to Yun Jingheng.

He stared at the leopard in silence for a long time.

Then he spoke, his voice very soft.

"For a thousand years, it has been on the run; it has been on the run for a full thousand years."

He paused, then said, "It's tired."

Yun Jingheng's hand paused on the leopard's head for a moment.

The leopard blinked, looking at Yun Ming, Yun Ming also looked at it calmly.

Yun Jingheng looked at the leopard.

The leopard's eyes closed, its breathing became weaker, and its heartbeat slowed.

It's dying.

"Kill it, absorb its Soul Ring, absorb its Soul Bone, and then... my son and I will send it back to Star Dou."

Yun Jingheng nodded slightly.

He stood up, summoned the Moonlight Sword, and hovered it above its head.

The leopard opened its eyes again, its pupils reflecting Yun Jingheng's face.

Its mouth moved slightly, making a very soft sound, like the wind blowing through withered leaves.

"Are you... really sure you want my Soul Ring and Soul Bone?" The voice was hoarse and aged, as if it came from a very distant place.

Yun Jingheng looked down at it; the Moonlight Sword hovered three inches above its head, its tip gleaming with a faint silver-white light.

He looked at it for a long time, then nodded, "Okay, I'll take you home."

The leopard blinked.

"A thousand years..."

It said, "I've been running for a thousand years... I'm tired."

"I hope you won't regret this decision..."

Boom--!

A silvery-white light burst forth from its chest, like a sun being born on the ground.

The light was blinding, so bright that Yun Jingheng had to squint; so bright that the walls of the entire gray building began to crack; so bright that the sky outside the window changed color.

A silvery-white beam of light shot into the sky from the roof of the gray building, piercing through the clouds and illuminating the entire Shrek City.