Douluo Continent: Copying Ya Li, the Carefree King of the Sun and Moon

He wore a moon-white robe, which was not made of ordinary brocade, but of pure divine essence. The hem of the robe fluttered gently in the morning breeze, yet made no sound.

The jade fan was still clipped to his waist, and the two characters "逍遥" (Xiaoyao, meaning carefree and unfettered) on the fan surface flickered in and out of focus in the hazy, murky light.

This is no ordinary fan; it was formed from the soul bone of his holy sword. Now that it is a divine artifact, it can change its form at will.

He stood on the clouds, his gaze piercing through layers of mist, sweeping across every corner of the city.

In quite a few places, faint light shone through.

It wasn't a lantern, nor a soul-guiding lamp, but rather wisps of extremely faint, almost imperceptible white light that slowly drifted up from those inconspicuous courtyards. It looked like cooking smoke, but it was lighter and thinner than cooking smoke. It would disperse with a gust of wind, but it would immediately gather again, over and over, never completely dissipating.

That is faith.

It's not that people believe in him, but rather that the faith in his mother, Xu Wangshu, remains in this city.

More than 20 years have passed in the blink of an eye. Back then, Xu Wangshu ran schools and set up soup kitchens in Xingluo City, stood up for the people, and argued with the nobles. Some of those who had benefited from her kindness were too old to walk, and some had even passed away, but their descendants were still alive.

Later generations have always remembered it.

I remember the spirited princess of yesteryear, the image of her squatting in front of the soup kitchen serving porridge to the refugees, the way she silenced the old nobles in the court, and the figure of her carrying wounded soldiers back from the battlefield.

They remembered it their whole lives and passed it down to the next generation exactly as it was.

The younger generation never saw the princess in person, but by listening to their ancestors and fathers tell her stories again and again, a seed had long been planted in their hearts.

The seed didn't sprout, but it didn't wither either. It just lay there in the soil, quietly waiting for someone to come and water it.

Xu Yanli remained silent for a moment, then slowly raised his right hand.

A tiny, chaotic light slowly appeared on the fingertip, no bigger than a grain of rice. But the moment it lit up, the entire sky darkened for a moment.

It wasn't that the light went out, but rather that all the light in the world was swallowed up by this tiny glimmer, merged, and rewoven into a completely new power.

That was neither soul power nor ordinary divine power, but a more ancient and primordial power.

The power of creation.

He flicked his fingertip lightly.

A grain-sized burst of chaotic light flew from the fingertip, exploded in the air, and turned into countless tiny specks of light, falling down like a silent drizzle, sprinkling the entire Star City.

The faint, almost invisible white halos emanating from the courtyard burst into intense light the moment they touched the chaotic light spots.

It didn't just become brighter; it was completely ignited.

It's like a pile of charcoal that's about to go out, suddenly doused with a ladle of hot oil, and bursting into flames with a whoosh.

The white halo transformed into golden flames, which then condensed into milky-white pillars of light that shot into the sky from every corner of the city. One, two, ten, a hundred... countless pillars of light rose from the ground, illuminating the entire Star Luo City as if it were daytime, making it crystal clear.

The people, still asleep, were all awakened by the beam of light. They pushed open their windows and doors, went out into the courtyard, and looked up at the chaotic rain of light falling from the sky, watching the light spots land on the eaves, treetops, their own shoulders, and children's faces.

Some people were stunned on the spot, some couldn't help but cry, and some even knelt on the ground.

"It's the eldest princess... the eldest princess has returned..."

An elderly woman with white hair knelt in the courtyard, her hands clasped together, tears streaming down her face.

She had received kindness from Xu Wangshu when she was young, and since the passing of the eldest princess, she thought she would never see such light again in her life, but now, the light has returned.

Chapter 194 A Personal Visit to Xingluo

“It’s not the eldest princess.” Her granddaughter stood behind her, looking up at the blurry white figure in the clouds, her voice so soft as if afraid of disturbing the other party, “It’s the eldest princess’s son.”

The old woman slowly raised her head, her cloudy eyes following her granddaughter's gaze.

Above the clouds, a white figure appeared and disappeared, his face and clothes indistinct. Only a chaotic halo of light enveloped him, like the rising sun, gentle yet unbearable to look directly at.

"So much like...so much like..." the old woman murmured to herself, tears streaming down her wrinkled face, each drop landing on the bluestone slab and shattering into splashes.

High in the sky, Xu Yanli withdrew his hand.

He stared at the towering, milky-white beams of light, and at the aged, young, and bewildered faces within them, remaining silent for a long time.

He himself couldn't explain why he did it.

When he came to Xingluo City, he could have flown directly into the palace, walked up to Xu Jiawei, said what he needed to say, and done what he needed to do.

But he didn't. Instead, he stopped above the city, directed his power towards these ordinary people, and rekindled the dying embers of their faith.

Why is it?

He didn't understand.

Perhaps it was because of his mother. The woman he had never met, yet whose image he pieced together from countless people's accounts and countless details.

She lived in this city for over twenty years, planting seeds of kindness here, only to be betrayed by her own younger brother, suffer divine punishment that shattered her martial spirit, and ultimately be exiled to a foreign land.

He couldn't let the seeds his mother left behind rot in the soil.

Perhaps it was because of that letter. It was a letter Xiao Dingtian had shown him, written by his mother to her old subordinates. The handwriting was elegant yet spirited, and the strokes were free and decisive.

Perhaps it's a case of kindred spirits among time travelers.

This is his mother.

A woman who could share drinks with soldiers, kneel down to serve porridge to refugees, and carry wounded soldiers back from the battlefield.

She should not be forgotten by the world.

Xu Yanli withdrew his gaze, no longer looking at the pillars of light, nor at the kneeling, weeping people.

He looked up towards the north of the city, towards the majestic palace, and towards the person sitting on the dragon throne.

Then, he moved.

There was no high-speed sprint, no instant teleportation; he simply walked down from the clouds step by step, as if stepping on an invisible staircase. His pace was neither hurried nor slow, his clothes fluttered in the wind, and the jade fan at his waist swayed slightly.

As he landed on the roof of the main hall of the palace, the first rays of dawn pierced through the clouds and fell upon him.

His moon-white robes were gilded with a pale gold, and the chaotic halo of light receded in the sunlight, leaving only a very faint, soft glow that enveloped his entire body. He neither deliberately concealed his divine power nor released it recklessly; he simply stood there quietly, like a deity descending from the clouds, holy, majestic, and with an inexplicable trace of compassion.

The palace was instantly thrown into chaos.

The palace guards were the first to spot him. They looked up and saw someone standing on the roof. They were about to reprimand him, but the words wouldn't come out. It wasn't that they were afraid; it was as if their throats were blocked, and all their voices were suppressed.

When the imperial eunuch stumbled into the bedchamber, Xu Jiawei had just woken up and was sitting by the dragon bed, being dressed by a palace maid.

He has aged. The emperor who was full of energy four years ago has been exhausted by Xu Yanli in the past four years. His temples have turned mostly white, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes are as deep as if they were carved by a knife.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" The eunuch knelt on the ground, his voice trembling uncontrollably, "He...he's here!"

Xu Jiawei's hand, which was fastening his belt, suddenly stopped, and he frowned: "Who's here?"

"The Carefree Prince! The Carefree Prince has arrived, standing on the roof ridge of the main hall!"

Xu Jiawei's fingers instantly tightened around his belt, his face turned deathly pale, and his veins bulged.

He remained silent for a few seconds, pushed aside the palace maid who was adjusting his clothes, stood up, and strode out.

As he reached the entrance of the palace, he suddenly stopped.

"He was alone?"

"Just him."

Xu Jiawei closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and stepped out.

From the sleeping quarters to the main hall, one has to pass through two corridors and a palace path, which usually takes a quarter of an hour. But today, Xu Jiawei walked extremely fast, and the eunuchs and maids behind him couldn't keep up even when they were running. Several times he almost tripped over the hem of his robe, but he didn't slow down at all.

He was scared.

It wasn't that he was afraid Xu Yanli would kill him; if Xu Yanli wanted to make a move, he could have done so four years ago in Xingluo City, and there was no need to wait until now.

What he feared was that Xu Yanli would stand before him, with a face almost identical to Xu Wangshu's, and with those calm, unwavering eyes, and say things he didn't want to hear, but had no choice but to.

The square in front of the main hall was already filled with kneeling people.

Guards, eunuchs, palace maids, and officials who had risen early to prepare for court all prostrated themselves on the ground, their foreheads pressed against the cold bluestone slabs, their bodies trembling uncontrollably, and no one dared to raise their heads.

Xu Yanli didn't release any pressure at all; he just stood on the roof ridge, looking down at the entire palace.

But everyone trembled from the bottom of their hearts.

That is an instinctive fear of a higher level of existence, unrelated to willpower or courage; it is the trepidation etched into the soul of an ant looking up at the heavens.

Xu Jiawei walked through the kneeling crowd, stood in the center of the square, and looked up at the white figure on the roof.

The morning light was blinding, and he couldn't help but squint.

Four years ago, he could still look this boy in the eye. At that time, Xu Yanli, although already a seven-ring Soul Saint, was just a talented, resourceful, and lucky junior in his eyes.

He feared Xu Yanli and even wanted to kill him, but he was never afraid.

But today, he found it incredibly difficult even to look up at the other person.

It wasn't the sunlight that was blinding, but the radiance of the person before me that transcended the mundane world.

"You've come," Xu Jiawei said, his voice hoarse, carrying the exhaustion of a sleepless night.

On the rooftop, Xu Yanli looked down at him, remained silent for a moment, then lightly leaped and landed in front of him.

There was no dust flying, no air bursting, it just landed lightly, like a fallen leaf, a drifting cloud, without even making a sound on the bluestone slab.

He stood in front of Xu Jiawei, a full head taller than he had been four years ago, but Xu Jiawei no longer needed to look up at his face, because he simply didn't dare to.

That face looks so much like Xu Wangshu's.

The resemblance made him feel uneasy.

"Uncle," Xu Yanli said, his tone calm, without hostility or sarcasm, even with a hint of gentleness, as if greeting an elder he hadn't seen in a long time, "Long time no see."

Xu Jiawei's Adam's apple bobbed, but he didn't say a word.

Xu Yanli didn't mind. He turned to look at the plaque above the main hall. The four golden characters "Xingluo Hall" shone brightly in the morning light. He looked at it for a few seconds, then looked away. His tone was casual, as if he were chatting about everyday things: "How have you been these past years?"

Chapter 195 The Star Luo of the Highest Rank!

Xu Jiawei opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but swallowed the words back.

He is not doing well at all.

Since Xu Yanli removed his mask in Xingluo City five years ago, he hasn't had a single good night's sleep.

Every night when he closes his eyes, he sees Xu Wangshu covered in blood, standing in front of him with a blank expression.