Chapter 181
Chapter 181
Light Domain.
Beneath the city gates.
“What is it?”
Qianying could vaguely sense something strange in her father Qianxuan’s attitude toward Zhouyou Shijie. She could not help asking, “Is there something wrong with him?”
Zhou Ming was just as baffled.
Heaven was his witness, he certainly did not think he had done anything inappropriate.
“Nothing!”
Qianxuan gave Zhou Ming a long, searching look, then shook his head. “I was merely thinking that heroes truly do emerge young. Such strength at the War Soul grade is exceedingly rare!”
Inspect was not a general-purpose skill exclusive to the Destiny Continent.
It existed in the Light Domain as well.
Without showing a thing, Qianxuan examined everyone in the group. Each of the god-tier powerhouses possessed their own formidable strengths. Only Zhouyou Shijie’s status screen seemed strange no matter how he looked at it, and the sheer number of skills he had was downright absurd.
Besides…
The young man was acting a little too warmly toward him. Something about it simply felt odd.
“I’ve encountered a few fortuitous opportunities and benefited greatly from them,” Zhou Ming said modestly. “It is this junior’s honor to receive Senior Qianxuan’s recognition!”
“All right, you two!”
Just then, a middle-aged woman emerged from the City of Light. Her features bore some resemblance to Qianying’s. Dressed in a dark purple robe, she possessed an elegant bearing and a mature beauty that time had done little to diminish.
The woman approached with a broad smile. “Enemies from the Dark Domain could arrive at any moment. Whatever there is to discuss, let’s go inside the city first.”
[Far-Reaching Thunder ยท Zihong] (Demigod-Tier Boss)
“Mother!”
Complex emotions intertwined within Qianying at the sight of her.
“All that matters is that you’re home!”
Qianying’s mother, Zihong, stepped forward and clasped her hands. “You must have suffered so much!”
“Your mother is right. Whatever there is to say, we can discuss it inside!” Qianxuan moved aside and welcomed everyone into the city.
As they made their way through the streets, Zhou Ming and the other outsiders drew many curious looks from the local residents.
Though their appearances were otherwise much the same, the inhabitants of the Light Domain had pointed ears like elves. Most of the men were handsome and the women beautiful, while their hair came in every color imaginable.
Standing in the street, Zhou Ming looked toward the heart of the City of Light. There stood a unique structure: rings of various sizes revolved ceaselessly around a white orb at the center, as if drawing elemental power from it.
“Uncle, what is that?” Zhou Ming asked curiously.
Ning Wushen had warned him that a Saint-tier object existed within the Light Domain. How could Zhou Ming possibly have no designs on it?
No matter what, he had to clear the Sin of Greed!
Qianxuan gave Zhou Ming a strange look before explaining, “The Core of Light. It is the foundation that keeps the City of Light running.”
“Did you create that as well?”
“Of course not!”
Qianxuan shook his head. “I have nowhere near the ability to create the Core of Light. It is a unique item within the Light Domain and contains a limitless supply of light elemental energy. Without it, there would be no City of Light. Even the Light Domain itself might cease to exist.”
“I see!”
Zhou Ming fell into thought.
No wonder Ning Wushen had said there was no cause for concern as long as the sky over the Light Domain remained pure white.
If the City of Light fell and the core was taken, the entire environment of the Light Domain would undoubtedly undergo a drastic transformation.
As they talked, the group arrived in the main hall of the City Lord’s residence.
Once inside, everyone took their seats in order.
Qianxuan occupied the chair on the right at the head of the hall, while Zhou Ming sat opposite him on the left. The seating below was less formal. Zihong and Qianying sat close together, followed by Cangxuan, Ye Zhibei, and the experts of the City of Light.
“…”
One glance at the seating arrangement told Qianxuan that Zhouyou Shijie, the weakest of the guests, was in fact their leader. His heart tightened.
Anyone capable of commanding five god-tier powerhouses was no ordinary young man!
“Lord Qianxuan!”
As the conversation was turning formal, Zhou Ming changed how he addressed him. “Your daughter hurried home after receiving the signal you sent, so I imagine an urgent matter has arisen. If you require my assistance, please don’t hesitate to say so. If the matter is not something an outsider should interfere in, I will take my leave.”
He had always preferred to speak frankly.
There was no point exchanging roundabout pleasantries. It only made the entire process needlessly complicated.
“Well…”
Qianxuan glanced at Qianying without betraying any emotion. When he saw her nod, he stopped concealing the truth and explained honestly, “The Dark Domain grows stronger by the day, and the Light Domain is finding it increasingly difficult to hold them back. We have been forced to retreat into the City of Light. Our own strength is no longer enough.”
“So you need your daughter to come home and reinforce you?”
“Yes.”
Qianxuan nodded, speaking with complete candor.
“Then why did you leave her to wander alone in the first place?” Zhou Ming pressed.
“Two reasons forced our hand.”
“What were they?” Zhou Ming asked directly, without the slightest courtesy.
“First, Qianying was born with the ability to enhance equipment. It is a peerless gift, but one that inevitably invites covetous eyes.” Qianxuan sighed. “At the time, powerful figures from other worlds nearly wore down the threshold of the City Lord’s residence with all their marriage proposals!”
“To keep Qianying safe, we had no choice but to send her to another, unknown world to live under a concealed identity,” Zihong added. “But she was only in her teens then and lacked the strength to protect herself. Her father and I were caught in an impossible position. Making that decision was our only option.”
Zhou Ming understood.
Sending Qianying to another world truly had been the only solution.
Otherwise, under pressure from every side, the Light Domain might have become the target of them all.
“The second reason concerns Qianying’s talent!” Qianxuan continued. “Her talent only intensified the attention others paid her, but I cannot tell you precisely why.”
Zhou Ming’s heart stirred.
Qianxuan’s words reminded him of something.
He had been able to copy everyone else’s talents with Sovereign’s Descent. Qianying’s alone was exclusive to women, causing Sovereign’s Descent to fail when he tried to copy it.
“Over a hundred thousand years have passed in the blink of an eye!” Shame filled Qianxuan’s face. “I let my teenage daughter drift through the outside world for countless years, never knowing whether she was alive or dead. I have truly failed her. But if any means of contacting one another had existed, those people would never have let the matter rest.”
He patiently explained himself despite the bluntness of Zhouyou Shijie’s questions because, deep down, he knew his actions had left him owing his daughter far too much.
Put plainly, Zhouyou Shijie’s questions were meant to determine whether the couple truly cared about their daughter.
“Now that everything has been said openly, no one needs to harbor any resentment,” Zhou Ming said, his expression softening.
Qianying spoke solemnly. “I have always known that Mother and Father acted out of concern for my safety. I have never resented either of you.”
After more than a hundred thousand years of tempering, it would have been far too childish to expect her to burst into tears simply because of a few words from her parents.
“Beep!”
An alarm sounded outside while they were still talking.
A guard rushed into the hall in a panic to report, “My lord, that fellow is here again!”
“Bang!”
Qianxuan flew into a rage and slammed the table as he shot to his feet. “Do they truly think the Light Domain is easy prey?”
Everyone immediately left the City Lord’s residence. The entire City of Light was enclosed within a translucent white barrier, while swarms of flying insects and vicious beasts hurled themselves against it from outside.
“Shatter!!”
Suddenly, a colossal black spear tore through the clouds and plummeted from the sky, crashing heavily into the top of the barrier and unleashing wave after wave of turbulent air.
At the same time, the apparatus at the center of the City of Light began spinning violently, seemingly accelerating its energy output to keep the barrier from breaking.
Though Zhou Ming knew little about the present situation, there was no time to investigate it in depth. He quickly asked the most important question: “Does the Dark Domain have anyone above god tier?”
…