Overdraw the future and become a peerless martial god

Chapter 223 Dong'er and Qingli

He knelt on the ice, and a large, glaring pool of blood quickly spread beneath him.

Violent coughing tore at his chest, each cough bringing out more soul blood.

The source of spiritual energy was like a dry well that had been completely drained, sending waves of despairing emptiness and excruciating pain through it.

His will, the string stretched to its limit, finally... loosened, leaving only boundless exhaustion, like a cold tide, engulfing him.

However, on that blood-stained, pale face, the corners of his mouth slowly and laboriously tugged upwards, outlining a smile that was utterly exhausted yet as calm as a deep pool.

"...As long as it can be sent out...that's good..." The faint whisper dissipated in the deathly silence of the wind.

The brilliance of the Heavenly Mirror Platform was completely extinguished, leaving only the cold and emptiness after the calamity.

Lei Jingjing was the first to rush to his side. She didn't help him up, but just squatted down.

Those eyes, always burning with fighting spirit, were now fixed on the horrific scorch mark between Chu Ning's brows and the gaping wounds all over his body. His voice was extremely low, with a barely perceptible tremor:

"That last thrust...you almost burned yourself to ashes! Do you know that?!"

Her fingertips stopped a few inches from his wound, trembling slightly.

Chu Ning struggled to lift her head, her blood-stained eyelashes trembling a few times before she could barely focus her gaze on her.

There was no mockery or smugness in his eyes, only a bottomless weariness and... the relief of having completed his mission.

He tugged at the corners of his mouth, trying to laugh, but this only resulted in an even more violent cough.

“I know…” His voice was hoarse, like sandpaper scraping, “but… someone has to… pave the way…”

"Aren't you afraid that you'll end up with nothing but ashes after you've laid the foundation?!" Lei Jingjing's voice suddenly rose, filled with suppressed anger and lingering fear.

Chu Ning gasped for breath, his gaze seemingly piercing through her, looking towards the now empty sky, his voice as soft as a sigh:

"...If they...go far enough...it doesn't matter where I stay..."

Lei Jingjing shuddered, biting her lower lip tightly, staring at his tired yet still clear and determined eyes, all the questions stuck in her throat.

In the end, she simply turned her head away abruptly, let out a heavy sigh through clenched teeth, and remained silent.

Chu Yun stumbled over, his robes smeared with snow and mud, his eyes still filled with the shock and bewilderment of witnessing the ascension of the thirty-six people.

However, when she saw Ning's almost inhuman appearance, she suddenly froze.

Her pupils trembled slightly, as if her breathing had become disordered for a moment.

That was a Chu Ning she had never seen before.

The soul lock was shattered, bloodstains were scattered, and the light of the soul flickered like a candle in the wind, yet those eyes remained clear and piercing. It was as if they had given everything, just to send someone on their way.

"Ning-ge'er..." she whispered, her voice trembling uncontrollably.

That soft call seemed to pierce through time and shatter all her feigned composure.

Chu Ning raised her head, managed a weak smile, and a bloodstained hand trembled as it rested on her shoulder.

It wasn't very strong, but it carried a tenderness that brought tears to your eyes.

“Sister…” He looked at her, his eyes still holding the tranquility he had relied on in his youth, “Didn’t you… always want to know what the ‘sky beyond the Soul Map’ looks like?”

He paused, his Adam's apple bobbing, his voice hoarse: "They... went to check on it for us first."

Chu Yun's eyes suddenly reddened, and tears instantly broke through the dam she had been holding back.

But she didn't let the tears fall. She just lowered her head, wiped them away fiercely, and when she raised her head again, her eyes had changed from grief to coldness and determination.

"If you won't let me go to the battlefield, I'll stay behind you."

When you turn around, there are still loved ones watching you.

Chu Ning's eyes flickered slightly, and he gently squeezed her shoulder with his fingertips, saying nothing.

But that one moment was more profound than a thousand words.

These are the embers of war, and also the vows made to each other amidst the wind and snow—a vow that blood ties will never die and the path of the soul will never end.

Chu Ning's previously listless and tired eyes suddenly flashed with a terrifying brilliance the moment he heard the word "family".

The light even overwhelmed the decay of his body, like a final burst of energy before death.

The snowfield returned to silence, with only the traces of the ascension and faint aftershocks of the boundary force remaining on the ground, not yet completely dissipated.

Chu Ning stood on the high platform, his shoulders stained with blood, his soul robe tattered, his figure swaying slightly, yet his eyes were clear and his spirit was like a torch.

Lei Jingjing, Chi Yan, and Chu Yun had different expressions.

Lei Jingjing looked worried, Chi Yan frowned, and Chu Yun looked bewildered with lingering fear.

Before they could speak, Chu Ning calmly said:
"Don't say anything, I'll take care of it."

His voice wasn't loud, but it was like the striking of ice and snow, carrying an undeniable coolness and firmness.

He looked at Chi Yan: "You shall immediately lead your troops to escort the remnants of the Ascension Array equipment, the fragments of the Soul Map, and other core materials back to Yipin Pavilion via the same route. If you encounter any obstacles along the way, kill them without mercy."

"You shall temporarily assume command of the Guardian Pavilion. All defensive formations within the pavilion shall be upgraded, and the alert level shall be adjusted to wartime configuration."

Chi Yan shuddered, then bowed his head in response, his voice hoarse yet powerful: "As you command."

Chu Ning then turned to Chu Yun, her expression softening slightly, but without any emotion: "Sister, after returning to the Pavilion, you will take over the Inner Pavilion Records Hall, starting with the simple and gradually moving to the complex, and memorize the Pavilion Master's instructions within three days."

Chu Yun was taken aback: "I...I haven't reached the rank yet..."

“But you are my older sister.” Chu Ning interrupted him, her voice calm. “What you need to do is not wait to be protected, but to become someone that others cannot underestimate as soon as possible.”

He turned to Lei Jingjing, his gaze steady: "I have left the key to unlock all the cultivation techniques, military manuals, and spells of the First-Class Pavilion in the left treasury of the main hall. You, Chu Yun, and Chi Yan are free to enter and study them."

"The resources in the pavilion, the Earth Fire Chamber, and the Soul Forging Well are all open to you."

"You have only one goal—"

"Within thirty years, one will reach the first rank."

Lei Jingjing gritted her teeth and said angrily, "You entrusted Yipin Pavilion to us to guard, but what about you?"

Chu Ning's expression remained unchanged, and he uttered only one sentence:

"I'm going to pick someone up."

"Dong'er, Qingli."

The wind blowing across the snowfield comes from the north, carrying a chilling and distant feel.

Lei Jingjing was stunned.

The crimson flames were moved.

Chu Yun's eyes narrowed sharply: "Them?"

Chu Ning nodded slowly, his tone as firm as cast iron: "Dong'er has been guarding the well of the coffin, drawing on Qing Li's remnant soul, and has held on for two years. If we don't take action soon, both of her souls will perish."

Lei Jingjing stepped forward, her voice low: "That place... is not a place that ordinary people can go in."

"I know."

"Are you going alone?" Chi Yan asked in a low voice.

Chu Ning glanced at him and said calmly, "Not every path in this world is suitable for traveling together. I have entrusted you with the skills you should practice, the people you should protect, and the doors you should hold up."

"And for them, only I can pick them up."

He slowly took out a token engraved with the "Soul Pavilion Master's Seal" from his robes and handed it to Chu Yun. "This token is with you; you will temporarily assume the position of Pavilion Master."

Chu Yun's face turned deathly pale. His lips moved slightly, but he did not utter a single word of refusal. He accepted the token with both hands, his fingertips trembling.

Chu Ning turned around and looked towards the vast snow-capped mountains to the north, which was the direction of the Fox Ancestor's sealed territory. Fragments of soul light could be faintly seen in the sky and earth, as if remnants of a sealing array were floating in the distance.

"Everything is settled, everyone please proceed quickly."

I will not turn back, you... do not see me off.

Having said that, he didn't linger any longer, and steadily stepped into the depths of the snowfield, his figure gradually blurring with the wind and snow.

Lei Jingjing stood there for a long time, clenching her fists, but ultimately did not chase after him.

Chi Yan bowed his head, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said, "May the Lord... welcome them back."

Chu Yun gazed at Chu Ning's retreating figure, slowly lowered his head, and tightly gripped the Soul Pavilion Token in his palm.

In the wind and snow, Chu Ning's back remained straight as he walked alone through the snow towards the unknown dead land beyond the sealed boundary.

No one knew whether he would be able to return, but he never hesitated for a moment.

He will bring them back—and he definitely will.

There were no neighing spirit riders, no flying boats cutting through the air.

That blood-soaked, battered figure stepped into the even more violent blizzard that swept in once more.

The figure blurred and shrank rapidly amidst the swirling snow, as if the vastness of heaven and earth no longer contained it.

The wind grew stronger.

Snow, bigger.

Between heaven and earth, only a blinding white remained, along with a solitary figure gradually receding into the distance, as if heading alone towards the end of the world...

The Heavenly Mirror Platform lay silent behind them, its boundary light long since vanished.

Deep within the snow-covered mountains of the North, at the edge of a primeval forest shrouded in twilight and eerie energy.

A colossal "wall of light," stretching from the sky to the earth and composed of countless twisted runes and flowing light curtains, stood silently.

Behind the wall of light, the outlines of the trees twisted and writhed in the eerie purple-green light, and shadowy fox shadows darted about within them, moving with ghostly speed, trailing several or even nine flickering energy fox tails.

An ancient and savage bloodline aura, mixed with the acrid smell of sulfur unique to the Burning World Demon Flame, and a deep, resentful chant of a soul-sacrificing incantation, like a lament from the depths of the Netherworld, pierced through the light wall and echoed eerily in the wind and snow, freezing one's soul.

—The territory of the Fox Ancestor.

Chu Ning's figure finally reached the wall of light amidst the swirling snow. The raging snow mysteriously subsided and vanished a few feet around him.

Beneath the tattered black robe, the dim phantom of the five-patterned soul lock reappeared with difficulty, coiling around his body and emitting a faint but unyielding clang.

He raised his bloodstained hand and gently pressed it against the cold, smooth light screen that contained a terrifying repulsive force.

A whisper, carrying a determination to brave the wind and snow, to transcend life and death, vanished into the howling wind:

"Dong'er...Qingli..."

"Don't be afraid..."

"I've come... to take you... home."

The Northern Territory, the fiefdom of the Fox Ancestor.

This forgotten land, marked by the ancient scroll as the "Forbidden Source," is nestled behind the rugged ridge of Broken Snow Ridge, deeply embraced by the icy cliffs of the Heavenly Gully.

The four seasons freeze here into an eternal winter, where even the most fervent flames of the soul cannot burn for long, leaving only a desolate, pale silence.

Chu Ning walked through the snow, his footsteps the only sound in the vast desolation.

The further north you go, the more ancient and desolate the atmosphere becomes.

As far as the eye could see, the mountains were bare, with gnarled, bone-like branches, devoid of any greenery.
Beneath the snowfield, the outline of a broken altar can be vaguely seen, along with the white bones half-hidden in the ashes.

In the distance, weathered stones, weathered for thousands of years, crouch like ferocious beasts, silently recounting the earth-shattering and brutal battles that once took place here.

Finally, he stopped in front of a snow-covered, isolated hill.

The soul consciousness spread out like an invisible ripple, touching beneath the ice layer—a barrier firmly sealed by a dark blood seal.

He brought his left fingers together, gathering a tiny point of light at the fingertips, and gently touched the snow.

hum-

The seal shattered, and the accumulated snow slid off, revealing a dark stone staircase leading downwards into the depths of the earth.

A chilling wind, carrying the pure scent of death and the decay of time, swept in from the abyss, completely different from the coldness of soul power.

Chu Ning descended the steps, the Soul Lock on his wrist humming silently, emitting a cold light that barely illuminated the massive well that spiraled downwards and reached a depth of tens of feet.

The well walls are made of ancient, white soul bones, and the soul lamps embedded in them have long since gone out, like frozen eyes.

Only at the deepest part of the well, a single eerie blue light burns alone in absolute silence, becoming the sole source of light for this well of coffins—the final soul bridge of the Fox Ancestor lineage.

The bottom of the well was empty and desolate.

Amidst the pervasive cold mist, an ice well floats silently.

The wellhead is inscribed with mysterious ancient fox script, and the intricate inscriptions surrounding the well walls form a massive guiding array.

Before the formation, a solitary figure, draped in a plain blue fox fur robe, knelt on the ground.

Before Dong'er floated an irregular, dark blue crystal, neither ice nor jade, within which slumbered a phantom spirit.

Although her face was blurry, the outline clearly showed the unforgettable appearance of Qing Li that Chu Ning would never forget.

She didn't turn around, but her ethereal yet weary voice rang out, as if these words had been waiting in solitude for a thousand years: "You've come."

Chu Ning stood silently behind her for a long time before slowly approaching.

His gaze swept over Dong'er's long hair, which was tied up and had lost its former luster, and over her pale, almost transparent profile without any makeup.

"...Have you been guarding this place ever since I left?" His voice was low.

“From the moment her soul shattered, and the first wisp of her consciousness merged into this icy soul.” Dong’er still didn’t turn around, her voice as calm as the air frozen at the bottom of a well, as if she had already merged into this eternal darkness.

“Three hundred and sixty kinds of soul-guiding arrays, blood pact tracing, soul bone reforging... I’ve tried them all.” Her shoulders slumped almost imperceptibly. “Her soul power is as depleted as a dried-up rut, but she... still refuses to wake up.”

Chu Ning's gaze fell on the dark blue crystal in front of Dong'er—the Shuoyue Ice Soul.

Amidst the radiant beauty of the moonlight, the lingering image of Qing Li's soul was heartbreakingly quiet.

"The Ice Soul of the New Moon?" he asked softly.

"At her last moment, she forcefully activated the bloodline of the Fox Ancestor, sealing her soul and splitting her spirit, before finally casting her last bit of consciousness into this place."

Dong'er's voice finally showed a slight fluctuation, bitter and distant, "Only this thing can bear the broken soul, temporarily avoid the expulsion of the boundary force, and win her a sliver of... faint hope of survival."

She slowly and with great difficulty turned her head. Her once cunning and lively eyes were now filled with a resolute determination on the verge of despair, as well as a suppressed anger and sorrow that had almost materialized, piercing Chu Ning's heart. "But you—you're two whole years too late!"

Chu Ning was struck as if by a heavy blow, and remained silent as a mountain.

Only now did he truly see Dong'er clearly.

Her arrogance had vanished, her makeup was gone, and her once abundant soul power had disappeared. She was like a candle flickering in the wind, with only her eyes burning with an inextinguishable obsession.

(End of this chapter)