The Moon Eclipse Sword's First Soul Ring was at the ten-thousand-year level.
Luo Yun closed his eyes and sensed the information about his First Soul Skill.
Eternal Night Wither.
He opened his eyes. The tip of the Moon Eclipse Sword touched the ground, and purple-black destructive power surged from it, spreading in every direction.
The ground within several meters of his feet began to freeze.
The sunlight in the sky dimmed slightly at that moment. The temperature around him plummeted, and tiny black ice crystals floated through the air.
Luo Yun put away the Moon Eclipse Sword, and all the strange phenomena vanished with it.
He rose to his feet, spread his Destruction Wings, and flew toward Frost Ridge City.
Half a month later.
Frost Ridge City.
Luo Yun sensed that something was wrong from far away.
The air smelled scorched—not like cooking smoke, but like the aftermath of a great fire, tainted with the stench of blood.
He sped up, his Destruction Wings trailing two long purple streaks behind him.
The moment he saw Frost Ridge City, his pupils contracted sharply.
The city walls had collapsed.
The familiar arrow towers, watchtowers, and gatehouse atop the walls were all gone, leaving only heaps of blackened rubble and shattered tiles.
The buildings behind the walls had not been spared either.
Homes, shops, barracks, and government offices—all were reduced to broken walls and ruins. Burnt timber and collapsed walls lay everywhere.
The streets were riddled with pits, and bloodstains and corpses were everywhere. Some wore the armor of the Frost Ridge Army, others the plain clothes of commoners. Some were so disfigured they could no longer be identified.
Luo Yun descended from the sky and stood at the city gate.
He stood there, motionless.
The wind swept past, carrying the stench of blood and burning. It stirred up the ashes on the ground, scattering them over his robes, his hair, and his face.
He did not wipe them away. He simply stood there, staring at everything before him without blinking.
"Father!" he suddenly shouted, his voice hoarse and raw.
No one answered.
"Mother!" he shouted again. His voice echoed through the ruins, but only the echo replied.
Luo Yun's hands began to tremble.
It wasn't fear. It was rage.
The Moon Eclipse Sword appeared in his palm of its own accord, purple-black lightning crackling wildly along its blade.
He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
Father is a Titled Douluo, a level ninety-five Super Douluo. He won't fall so easily.
Mother... Father is protecting her. She should be all right.
Luo Yun gripped the Moon Eclipse Sword tightly and headed toward the city center.
In the ruins lining the streets, he occasionally spotted survivors.
Some huddled in corners, silently weeping over their dead loved ones. Others dragged their injured legs, struggling to crawl out of the city. Still others sat atop the rubble, their eyes vacant and their bodies still, like stone statues.
Some recognized Luo Yun and tried to call out, "Young Master," but their mouths only moved soundlessly. Others didn't recognize him. They gave him a numb glance, then went back to staring blankly.
Luo Yun walked through one street after another, seeing more and more corpses, more and more ruins, more and more bloodstains.
Frost Ridge City was not large. He had grown up here, and he knew every street and every building by heart.
But now, all the familiar sights were gone, replaced by scorched earth and rubble.
He stopped in front of the mansion.
The gates were gone, and the plaque had shattered into several pieces, lying crookedly on the ground.
Of the four characters in "Frost Extreme King Mansion," only "Frost" remained intact. Half of "Extreme" was missing, "King" was reduced to a single horizontal and vertical stroke, and "Mansion" had been shattered beyond recognition.
Most of the courtyard walls had collapsed. The rockery, flower beds, stone tables, and stools had all been smashed to pieces. Bloodstains and the remnants of weapons littered the ground.
Luo Yun pushed open the broken door, which was hanging halfway off its frame, and went inside.
The main hall had collapsed, the side hall had burned down, the study was a heap of ashes, and the dining room's roof had a gaping hole through which the sky was visible.
The hot spring in the back courtyard had been filled in, and the flower beds beside it had been trampled to pieces. The old locust trees had been uprooted and lay scattered across the ground.
Not a single place in all of Frost Ridge City remained intact.
Luo Yun stood in the center of the back courtyard, staring at everything before him.
"Father! Mother!" His voice was so hoarse it was almost inaudible, but he kept calling, "Where are you?"
No one answered.
Just as he was about to call out again, a faint voice came from behind him.
"Young... Master..."
Luo Yun spun around.
A bloodied soldier was leaning against the corner of the back courtyard wall. Most of his armor was shattered, and his body was covered in knife wounds and burns. His face was smeared with blood, making his features almost impossible to recognize.
His leg was missing from below the knee. Dirty strips of cloth were wrapped around the stump, soaked through with blood that was still seeping out.
Luo Yun hurried over, crouched down, and looked at the soldier.
The soldier's eyes were half-open, his pupils already beginning to cloud. He struggled to focus and recognized the child before him.
The young master of King Frost Extreme—the boy they had watched grow up.
"His Highness King Frost Extreme... and the Princess... have disappeared..." The soldier's voice came in broken gasps. Each word took an age to force out.
"Who did this?" Luo Yun's voice trembled.
The soldier's lips quivered twice before he managed to utter a few words. "The Spirit Hall... Pope Bibi Dong."
Luo Yun fell silent.
His face showed no expression.
The soldier's breathing grew more labored, his voice weaker and weaker. "Young Master... leave quickly... They... might still... come back..."
Luo Yun reached out and placed his hand on the soldier's shoulder.
The emerald-green Law of Life surged from his palm, flowing into the soldier like a gentle stream.
The wounds began to heal, and a trace of color returned to the soldier's pale face. Even the stump of his leg showed signs of healing.
But it was already too late.
He had lost too much blood and was too badly injured. Even the Law of Life could not save him.
The soldier's gaze suddenly brightened, like a lamp flaring up before it went out.
He looked at Luo Yun and tried to curve his lips into a smile—one more painful to see than tears.
"Half a month ago, the Spirit Hall's Pope, Bibi Dong, sent someone to contact His Highness King Frost Extreme. She told him to send the young master to the Spirit Hall, but His Highness refused."
"After that, the Spirit Hall attacked, claiming King Frost Extreme had colluded with Soul Beasts in the Far North. Several Titled Douluo joined forces, and in the end, they drove His Highness King Frost Extreme and the Princess into the Far North."
"But I believe His Highness King Frost Extreme can't have died. One day, he'll make those people from the Spirit Hall pay!"
"Young Master... has grown up..."
After saying those words, he closed his eyes. The smile still lingered at the corners of his mouth, but his body had already grown cold.
Luo Yun's hand remained on the soldier's shoulder. He did not draw it back.
He crouched there, motionless. The emerald-green Law of Life still surged in his palm, but it was useless now.
After a long time, he finally withdrew his hand and stood, looking down at the soldier's face.
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