Chasing after her husband? Is it even possible to win him back?

Chapter Twenty-Three: Reaching the Top and Falling

An hour has passed since the Dragon Gate Ceremony began.

When we set off from the pier this morning, the sky was still bright with the rising sun, but it gradually became gloomy.

Dark clouds gathered over the sea, and the gentle sea breeze gradually turned into rough sandpaper. The waves also surged and churned. Fortunately, the dragon boat and the platform were guarded by aquatic creatures, not to mention that the dozen or so real dragons on the platform were not just for show.

If he wished, the Azure Dragon God could easily use his divine powers to dispel the gathering dark clouds and restore a bright sunny day to the Dragon Gate Gathering.

But the Azure Dragon God sat calmly in the head seat, his gaze mostly on the strange phenomenon at the Dragon Gate. Occasionally, he would look away, glance at Dang Kang, then back at the dragon boat, and finally take a long look at the capital.

She was also puzzled.

Why hasn't anything happened even after almost an hour?

Is Kang such a calm and composed person?

However, the Azure Dragon God had no idea that Dang Kang, who seemed as steady as an old dog, was actually as restless as a volcano about to erupt because of the occasional glances she cast his way.

An hour had passed, and nothing had happened, causing his insecurity to turn into irritability and anger.

If he hadn't still been rational, and if he hadn't been able to see the Yan Kingdom spies running around in the direction of the dragon boat, he wouldn't have wanted to wait any longer. He would have just wanted to launch an attack now, seize the initiative, and then consider other options.

After all, his accomplices on the platform were waiting for his move, and if they continued to wait in this rigid manner, things might change.

At that very moment, on Kang's dragon boat, Si You strode across the chained wooden bridge and onto the platform.

The true dragons and great demons, who had been waiting for Kang to make a move, immediately turned their attention to the middle-aged man with the scar on his face.

Si You was quite carefree. He bowed to the real dragon and the demons on the platform as a gesture of apology, and then walked towards Dang Kang. Dang Kang leaned down slightly and put his ear close to Si You's.

"Dr. Kang, Lu Ding went to the capital earlier and has made contact with my spies in Yan Kingdom. The plan will soon be back on track. I have handed Bixie over to your steward. You just need to give the word and he will bring Bixie over."

When Kang's agitated mood suddenly calmed down, he turned to look at Si You and said, "Okay, I understand."

Kang didn't lower his voice; it was just a normal response.

But Si You didn't finish speaking. "Duke Kang, I still have something to say."

Kang raised an eyebrow and bowed again.

"Lord Kang, quite a few of my men have been captured by the Demon Suppression Division, and there may be several more incidents of them being brought back to the city. If it's not absolutely necessary for me to be present, I plan to go back and lead a team to rescue them. What do you think?"

When Kang turned to look at Siyou, Siyou remained calm and composed, quietly waiting for Kang's response.

After Kang straightened up and pondered briefly, he looked intently at the calm-looking Si You, waved his hand, and said, "Alright, I understand. Go take care of your own business."

Si You's eyes flickered slightly as he bowed to Dang Kang, "Thank you, Lord Dang Kang."

As planned, when Kang's inexplicable confidence came without any basis yet was undeniably real, he might have considered that his group of Yan Kingdom spies might have to abandon him, but... who knows why he actually agreed to let him escape ahead of schedule.

However, this is a good thing.

Si You returned to the dragon boat, quietly exhaled, glanced at Lu Ding whose hair was damp, then at Luo Ze, and finally looked away, looking in the direction of the Dragon Gate phenomenon.

Now, all we're waiting for is that signal.

Meanwhile, beneath the South China Sea, Chu Xunfeng, completely unaware of what was happening outside, was hanging on an inclined cliff face, stretching out his right hand to explore the rough rock wall within reach of his right arm.

"Give up," the three words kept repeating in Chu Xunfeng's mind.

The swelling and soreness in the body, the depletion of blood and energy, the withered body that seems to be nothing but an empty shell, even the will and thoughts seem to be gradually worn away and dried up in the process of climbing the cliff.

All that remained in my mind were those three words: easy, pleasant, and effortless.

give up.

However, Chu Xunfeng never gave up. Even though his body could no longer hold on, and even though he raised his hands to explore his surroundings inch by inch but could not find a point to lean on, he stubbornly stood on the footing, his left hand gripping the point of leverage tightly, completely unaffected by the thought echoing in his mind.

That thought didn't actually come from any external force or test; it was simply Chu Xunfeng's inherent human flaws.

I'd rather lie down than stand, just like now, with my withered and exhausted body, I can't find a way to take another step forward, and I might as well give up. If I just let go and lean back gently, I can leave this dark abyss and never have to endure the terrible pain in my body again.

The thought lingered and could not be banished from his mind, but Chu Xunfeng refused to let go because, besides the idea of ​​giving up, there was another thought in his mind.

I will never let go unless I accidentally fall.

The predicament Chu Xunfeng is facing is that there is no stable point to climb and use for leverage. If he wants to go higher, he must take risks and try to jump or do other things to explore the unknown beyond his arm span.

Such a move means taking risks, including the risk of failing to find a suitable leverage point and thus falling into the abyss.

Chu Xunfeng looked down at himself, his head tilted back. He didn't know how far he had climbed or how high he had gone, but he knew it must have been a very long distance and had taken a very long time.

What if... the finish line is just 100 meters overhead?

Or maybe a little longer, two hundred meters, or three hundred meters?

If I fail in my leap...

No, it's just starting over.

A smile appeared on the young man's face, a smile that was both ferocious and insane, on the face of a young man who was almost at the end of his life.

Chu Xunfeng really did leap upwards with all his might. He forcefully extended his right arm, sticking it to the rough rock wall. Just as he felt he was about to lose the upward force, he tried to wedge his right hand into the rock wall.

But... the unexpected event came too suddenly.

Chu Xunfeng was certain that he hadn't reached the point of exhaustion after leaping into the air, and he was certain there was nothing above his outstretched right hand, but...

His outstretched right hand seemed to be blocked by something, as if it had touched the top.

My exhausted mind and body were unable to make the most perfect response in that instant.

By the time they came to their senses, it was already too late.

He looked up at the seemingly endless cliffs...

It began to fall.

Chapter Twenty-Four: The Coup

In the pitch-black abyss, the passage of time seemed meaningless. Chu Xunfeng had no idea how long he had climbed the cliff to allow himself to fall for such a long period of time.

The fleeting thought passed in an instant, and as the question surfaced in my mind, the answer I had left for myself also emerged.

This issue is completely unimportant.

The rules of Qianlongyuan are to climb the cliffs and cross the precipice.

The falling youth raised his right arm, which had regained its strength, and clenched his fist. The sensation he had felt just moments before was definitely real.

I jumped up, then suddenly hit some kind of barrier, and finally... was pushed off the cliff by the force of the recoil.

So, I should be nearing my peak.

This is the only explanation in Chu Xunfeng's heart, and it is also his own understanding of the Hidden Dragon Abyss. After all, given Chu Xunfeng's situation, this is the only explanation he can give, and it also fits the situation he is currently facing.

Since I am still falling into the Hidden Dragon Abyss, it proves that the test is not over yet.

The way out is inevitably the 'barrier' you face.

but......

The truth was not as he believed. He had simply touched the extreme of this test of the heart, steadily climbing in the darkness for a full fourteen hours, reaching a height of 1,800 meters, and touching the true 'top' of the Hidden Dragon Abyss.

After all, all paths, laws, and scriptures in the world have their limits, and so does the Hidden Dragon Abyss.

However, at this moment, the system functions on Chu Xunfeng's body have been shut down, and no one can give him any useful hints. If he wants to break the deadlock, he can only rely on himself.

The feeling of weightlessness suddenly disappeared, and a solid, cool sensation came from my back.

Chu Xunfeng lowered his raised right arm and slowly supported himself to stand up again.

Chu Xunfeng felt that since he had already reached the top, the next step was simply to try again.

So he went back to the cliff, rubbed it, put his hands on the points of leverage, and continued, step by step, feeling his way up the rough cliff of Qianlong Abyss.

Meanwhile, in the South China Sea, a resilient bubble, containing a failed challenger, rises from the water.

Bubbles rising to the surface burst with a soft popping sound, and a giant clam shell fell into the surging sea, drifting gently. The shell opened, and a woman with long, light blue hair knelt inside, staring blankly at her flawless white hands, tears streaming down her face without warning.

Looking up at the towering Dragon Gate again, the nine dragons coiled on the gateposts all closed their eyes, as if unwilling to look at the woman inside the clam shell.

Wiping away her tears, the clam demon understood that she had lost her chance. She could only open her mouth, hum a tune with a sob in her voice, and use her water elemental energy to drive the clam shell toward the dragon boat.

Countless thoughts raced through my mind: Why be so radical? Why be so impulsive? I could have explored more before trying to move forward. Didn't I know that my stamina would gradually diminish as I climbed higher in the Hidden Dragon Abyss? A broken hand is nothing to worry about; it'll hurt for a while...

A flood of frustrated thoughts rushed through her mind, but she couldn't change what had already happened. The clam demon could only lower her eyes and sigh softly. Was she really going to have to wait another three years...?

Just as the clam demon was thinking this, she put aside her worries and remembered that her relatives and friends were waiting on the dragon boat. She also mustered her spirits and looked in the direction of the dragon boat formation.

But when the clam demon looked up, it was stunned.

From the direction of the capital, a thick plume of smoke pierced the sky. Although the sky was somewhat dark, the leaden-gray smoke that shot straight into the sky was extremely conspicuous.

What...happened?

She was somewhat bewildered, but she still increased her strength by thirty percent, urging the water elemental energy to propel the clam shell beneath her towards the direction of the dragon boat formation.

At this moment, many guests on the dragon boat noticed the anomaly in the direction of the capital, but apart from a few people who knew what was going on and the beautiful aquatic maidens serving on the dragon boat, most guests were actually clueless.

Of course, these people were not really in a state of agitation; they were mostly filled with doubt and curiosity. After all, the true dragons on the platform were still sitting firmly, and the dukes of the demon race were still seated. These important figures had not yet started to get anxious.

But actually?

The atmosphere on the platform was extremely tense, but no one had yet stepped forward to break the deadlock.