The Fire Origin Stone, the Sea of Fire, and the Flame Phoenix had all vanished, and the barrier that had been present earlier shattered with a roar.
Huang Yi, carrying Zi Linling, soared into the sky, quickly returning to the forest where she had fallen into the deep chasm.
The nine great elders of the Demon Race were nowhere to be seen. Zi Linling oriented herself and headed towards the entrance of the Underworld channel.
Soon, she found herself back at the tavern where she had gathered information when she first arrived in the Heavenly Demon Realm.
After some inquiries, she learned that three months had passed since she wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Demon Valley.
It was said that the nine great elders of the Demon Race had waited for a full month above the deep chasm in the forest, but upon not seeing Zi Linling emerge, they reluctantly returned to the Heavenly Demon Valley.
Upon their return to the Heavenly Demon Valley, the elders discovered that the treasure vault had been completely plundered. Only Zi Linling's parting message remained, enraging Mo Da to the point where he nearly killed all the guards left in the Heavenly Demon Valley.
When Mo Qi learned that Zi Linling had impersonated him to enter the treasure vault, he was so furious that he nearly went mad and almost killed Mo Fang.
With the Demon Saintess rescued and the Heavenly Demon Valley ransacked, the entire Heavenly Demon Realm became a laughingstock, a topic of gossip.
At this moment, Zi Linling sat in her previous seat, listening to everyone excitedly recount her valiant deeds, a smile curving her lips.
Because the Underworld channel could only accommodate one person, Zi Linling did not allow Yue Wu Mei to leave the Divine Maiden's Palace.
After purchasing some daily necessities, she used the Underworld channel to rush to the Divine Remnant Domain.
Upon arriving at the Divine Remnant Domain, Zi Linling immediately received news of Ye Zhan's whereabouts.
Speaking of which, after Ye Zhan left the Ghost Domain, he entrusted the affairs of the Ye family to the elders and then, without delay, rushed to the Divine Remnant Domain.
Although the Divine Remnant Domain was not Ye family territory, given that the Ye family was one of the three major families in the Battle Heaven Domain, their intelligence network was naturally not to be underestimated.
A few hours later, Ye Zhan, who had arrived at the Divine Remnant Domain, obtained news of Jing Yulan's whereabouts.
Twenty years ago, after Jing Yulan was sent to the Divine Remnant Domain by the Gate of Ghosts, she lost her memory and was rescued by someone.
The person who saved Jing Yulan was named Feng Ning, the young master of Feng City in the Divine Remnant Domain.
After rescuing Jing Yulan, Feng Ning, unable to ascertain her identity, brought her back to the Feng family.
Over time, Feng Ning gradually developed feelings for Jing Yulan and, disregarding everyone's objections, married her.
Shortly after their marriage, Jing Yulan gave birth to a son.
The Feng family would not allow an illegitimate child to become the young master of the Feng family. Thus, while Feng Ning was away, they attempted to eliminate any future trouble.
Jing Yulan unintentionally overheard the Feng family's conspiracy and, under the cover of night, fled the Feng family with her child.
The Feng family intended to eliminate all traces, and they pursued relentlessly.
Perhaps it was fate.
As Jing Yulan fled, she inexplicably returned to the place where Feng Ning had rescued her.
It was at this very spot that she was surrounded by people sent by the Feng family to kill her, finding herself in a desperate situation.
A fierce battle ensued, with the Feng family members showing no mercy.
Jing Yulan, with her cultivation at the Great God realm and facing overwhelming odds, was quickly gravely wounded.
A woman is inherently weak, but as a mother, she is strong.
To protect her child, Jing Yulan used her remaining cultivation to activate a large seal on her person to shield the child.
She herself was heavily wounded by the pursuers, spitting a mouthful of blood onto the large seal.
The seal instantly emitted a glow, and carrying the child, it vanished from the spot.
Although Jing Yulan was deeply worried about her child's safety, she, now critically injured, could no longer protect herself. Her vision darkened, and she collapsed onto the ground, near death.
Seeing that Jing Yulan was unlikely to survive, the assassins quickly departed.
When Feng Ning received the news and rushed over, Jing Yulan was barely clinging to life.
Feng Ning desperately channeled his spiritual energy into Jing Yulan, but he could only sustain her last breath.
Helpless, he could only use his spiritual energy to prolong Jing Yulan's life while taking her elsewhere to seek medical help.
By chance, Feng Ning encountered an alchemist. Upon hearing Feng Ning's story, the alchemist was moved by his true love and gave him a pill, instructing him to have Jing Yulan take it.
After taking the pill, Jing Yulan's faint breaths gradually grew stronger.
A few days later, Jing Yulan could get out of bed and walk, but her cultivation had vanished.
The alchemist told Feng Ning that he was only a Grandmaster-level alchemist and the pill he gave was merely a Sixth-Grade Great Return Pill, which could only barely save Jing Yulan's life.
However, to restore Jing Yulan's cultivation, a Seventh-Grade Great Return Pill refined by an Emperor-level alchemist was required.
Feng Ning thanked the alchemist and took his leave.
He first returned to the Feng family while Jing Yulan was asleep, had a furious argument with his father, and severed ties with the family. He then took Jing Yulan to seek medical treatment everywhere.
But how easy was it to meet an Emperor-level alchemist?
Even when he was the young master of the Feng family, he had no such opportunity. Now, without the prestige of being the young master of the Feng family, his chances were even slimmer.
Thus, year after year passed.
Jing Yulan's body could no longer endure. She could only lie in bed, her life sustained by medicinal soup.
Furthermore, she missed her child day and night, her tears flowing incessantly, and her health deteriorated. Eventually, she died of grief.
After Jing Yulan's death, Feng Ning went mad, losing his reason.
Filled with hatred, he returned to the Feng family, killing many of their members. In the end, his cultivation was crippled by the Feng family, and he was imprisoned on the Cliff of Repentance.
Ten years later, news suddenly spread from the Feng family that Feng Ning had escaped.
Thereafter, no further news of Feng Ning was heard. Sudancity.com
Later, a mercenary group on a mission in the Sunset Forest saw a tomb on Sunset Peak, inscribed with "Tomb of Feng Ning's Wife."
Sunset Peak was precisely the place where Feng Ning had once rescued Jing Yulan.
Upon hearing that Jing Yulan was dead, Ye Zhan wailed uncontrollably.
Without a moment's delay, he rushed to Sunset Peak.
Ye Zhan sent people to excavate the tomb, only to find it empty, with no corpse inside.
He ordered his men to dig three feet deep across the entire Sunset Peak and finally discovered a cave on the mountainside. On the stone bed within the cave lay a corpse.
Ye Zhan, gazing at the familiar face, couldn't help but let tears fall.
He never imagined that their parting twenty years ago would be a final farewell.
As Ye Zhan was about to take Jing Yulan's body away, he sensed danger.
A ghost figure, appearing and disappearing without a trace, wielding a saber wreathed in demonic energy, lunged towards Ye Zhan.