Farewell

Qian Yufeng spoke calmly. He had long known the truth of the matter.

"Do you know? He was one of the few disciples I took in. I cared for him as if he were my own son."

"Unfortunately, fate had not been kind to him. Perhaps this was simply heaven's will."

Mu Yusheng had died during the operation to suppress Fallen Spirit Masters, but the injuries on his body could only have been inflicted by one person on the entire continent.

Qian Yufeng did not want to expose the truth, but the truth was often this cruel!

That operation had been planned by Xue Yao's elder brother, the Heaven Dou Emperor at the time, to weaken Spirit Hall.

That was right. The ruler of a nation had colluded with Fallen Spirit Masters, yet Xue Yao herself had carried out the plan!

"I..." Xue Yao hesitated, and the brightness in her eyes gradually dimmed.

"A-Feng, I only..."

Qian Yufeng did not want to hear any so-called explanation. Mu Cheng's father, Mu Yusheng, was already dead, and he no longer had the heart to argue over right and wrong.

"This is why I hate your brother. He was too hypocritical, too selfish, using his own younger sister as a shield."

"From the moment I learned the truth, the Qian Yufeng whose heart had been filled with love had already died."

Xue Yao did not dare meet his eyes. Behind all this had been a struggle between the Heaven Dou Empire and Spirit Hall.

More precisely, it had been a grudge between her eldest brother and Qian Yufeng.

One was her biological elder brother, while the other was the man she loved.

Yet she had chosen family and abandoned love. She had no right to judge Qian Yufeng's actions.

"A-Feng, stop. Many things are beyond our control," Xue Yao could only say, hoping to ease the pain in her heart.

"Yes. Once you are in this world, you cannot always act as you please." Though Qian Yufeng had much to say, it all became this single answer.

Their positions were different. Even when they did not wish to do certain things, there would always be people behind them, pushing or even forcing them to do so.

The entanglement of love, hatred, gratitude, and resentment had long become impossible to explain clearly.

"You walked on thin ice throughout your life. It is already rare that you were able to retire peacefully."

"But I do not understand. You are a Title Douluo. No matter what, you should have been able to live to two hundred. How did it come to this?"

Qian Yufeng looked at Xue Yao, his eyes carrying a trace of confusion.

"I know too much information the imperial family cannot afford to let see the light. No emperor would allow someone like that to remain alive."

"The ties of the imperial family have ultimately delayed my entire life. If there is a next life, I do not want to live like this again."

Xue Yao revealed a bitter smile. So what if she had become a Title Douluo?

The current Xue Ye no longer needed her. Her position had to be handed over to someone new.

"In the end, you still could not let go of all this. That also proves that we were never meant to be."

"A-Lan and A-Xue were able to give up everything they had and interfere with the fate they had been unwilling to accept. Even I completely gave up all honor and high status sixty years ago..."

Qian Yufeng stopped halfway through his words and shook his head.

"What right do I have to lecture you? I should be the least qualified person of all."

"People really do make themselves live too wearily sometimes. In the end, it all amounts to nothing."

In his youth, he had squandered his days in splendor, riding fine horses, trampling flowers, and spilling fragrant wine.

He had only experienced a trace of such a life after retiring, but he was already old, no longer a youth.

"The only thing A-Yao has ever considered herself fortunate for in this life was meeting you, A-Feng."

"After today, I suppose Mu Yulin will be the only person left from your generation."

"Help me pass a message to him. What happened to his son was not my intention."

After saying this, Xue Yao seemed to lose all her strength and collapsed onto the table.

She closed her eyes, a smile on her lips, and lost all signs of life.

She had managed to hold on until Qian Yufeng returned entirely through sheer willpower.

"A-Yao, I hope that in your next life, you can live for yourself just once." Qian Yufeng sighed, picked her up again, and laid her properly on the sofa.

He said to those outside the door, "Your leader is gone. Inform Xue Ye and have her buried with the honors due a princess!"

After speaking, Qian Yufeng walked into the courtyard, glanced at the main gate, then turned and left.

Ten minutes later, Xue Ye looked at the Shadow Guard before him and ultimately softened.

"She was my elder, and she devoted her entire life to the royal family."

"Convey my decree: Princess Yaojia is to be given a grand burial. All members of the imperial family must attend her memorial rites. Furthermore, record her deeds in writing so that they may be passed down forever. She was the greatest princess of the royal family!"

Xue Ye issued his final decree. He had to admit that Xue Yao was the most worthy of respect among the imperial family over the past thousand years.

During his father's reign, the imperial family had relied on this Imperial Grand Aunt to hold everything together.

Even throughout the years since he ascended the throne, he had depended on her support.

Unfortunately, she had been destined to never retire in peace. This was the fate of every successive leader of the royal family's Shadow Guards.

Only those who slept forever would never reveal the royal family's secrets.

He sighed inwardly. From this day on, the relationship between Spirit Hall and the Heaven Dou Empire will be utterly irreconcilable.

The current Pope, Qian Xunji, no longer concealed his dissatisfaction with the Heaven Dou Empire.

The only reason they still maintained amicable relations openly and in secret was because of those two elders.

This year, he had weakened three thousand of the other side's Deacons. Qian Xunji would certainly put that debt on the Heaven Dou Empire's account.

"It is not easy being the ruler of a nation!"

Xue Ye looked at the Shadow Guard and said, "Go handle this matter properly. You may withdraw."

After the hall returned to silence, Xue Ye put on a different face.

His gaze became sharp, carrying an ambition to devour all things.

Now that the Heaven Dou Empire had gained the support of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family, all it needed was the Clear Sky Sect's support before they could discuss occupying the Star Luo Empire!

Small clashes along the border between the two nations were constant, and wars would break out from time to time.

From his grandfather's generation to his own, such incidents had only become more frequent.

He also understood that if he truly wanted to occupy the Star Luo Empire, he had to obtain the support of as many Spirit Master factions as possible, launch a fierce war in one swift stroke, and end it just as quickly.

Yet even after personally visiting the Clear Sky Sect three times, he had still been turned away at the gate.

Elsewhere, after Qian Yufeng left the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace, a little more sorrow appeared in his eyes.

The old grudges of love and hatred had drifted away with the wind.

But this debt would certainly be placed upon the Heaven Dou Imperial Family.

"The conflicts of my era will never disappear. They will only be transferred!"

"After I return this time, I will give my Great Grandson some support, lest he say that his Second Granduncle does not dote on him."

Qian Yufeng quickly put away his sorrow. After giving the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace one final look, he turned and departed.

If he ever returned to this place devoid of human warmth, he could only enter riding a warhorse.

The decaying empire and nobility, the divided state of the continent—one day, he would personally bring an end to it all!

Qian Yufeng did not oppose Bibi Dong's methods in the original story, but she had acted too hastily.

Before uniting every force that could be united, rashly breaking the balance would ultimately still lead to failure.

Meanwhile, spies from the other factions relayed news of his appearance in Heaven Dou City to their respective leaders.

The most shocked was naturally Ning Fengzhi's father, who immediately burst into profanity.

"Why the hell is that old bastard still alive? Is he a turtle?!"