175: Goodbye, my parents

Heaven and Earth are ruthless, treating the myriad things as straw dogs.

Even if your cultivation reaches the heavens and your magic power is boundless, there will always be regrets that cannot be undone.

Birth, aging, sickness, and death are the norm for humans.

But when these four words fall upon those closest to you, they feel so... heavy.

The steward's choked words were like an invisible heavy hammer, fiercely striking Mysterious Ink's heart!

Buzz!

Its mind instantly went blank!

The taste buds that were filled with the fragrance of delicious food moments ago were now left only with endless bitterness and sorrow.

That warm Jade Slip felt like a brand, scalding its gaze until it hurt slightly.

Heavy.

A feeling of heaviness, unprecedented, pressed down on it, making it almost unable to breathe.

Ding Xiaoxue, standing beside it, had long been stunned by this sudden bad news, and her bright eyes quickly filled with moisture.

Although she had never met The Two Elders, from the few words exchanged by Senior Mysterious Ink and Senior Sister Ye, she had already regarded those two kind old people as her closest Elders.

"Senior..."

Her voice trembling, she looked worriedly at the motionless Mysterious Ink.

Mysterious Ink did not respond.

Its eyes were fixed firmly on the Jade Slip; the usually lazy, small, green-bean eyes were now surging with tumultuous waves!

It suddenly raised its head, its gaze like lightning, shooting toward Ye Feiyan's secluded chamber!

Without any hesitation!

A Divine Thought, perceptible only to it and Ye Feiyan, mixed with endless anxiety and grief, instantly crossed the spatial barrier and fiercely struck the Restriction of the secluded chamber!

"Feiyan!"

"Hurry and exit seclusion!"

"Father and Mother... they are almost gone!"

...Inside the secluded chamber, Spiritual Qi was like a sea.

Ye Feiyan, sitting cross-legged, was surrounded by a faint cyan halo. Her aura was steadily rising, rapidly approaching the barrier of the Mid Nascent Soul Stage.

Right at this moment!

Mysterious Ink's Divine Thought, burning with anxiety, exploded like a clap of thunder in her heart.

"Father and Mother?!"

BOOM—!!!

An incomparably violent Spiritual Pressure instantly burst forth from within Ye Feiyan!

That aura, which had been steadily climbing, instantly spiraled out of control, exploding like a lit powder keg!

The indestructible stone door of the secluded chamber could not withstand the impact of this terrifying Spiritual Pressure for even a breath, and with a deafening crash, it was instantly blasted into dust that scattered across the sky!

A cyan figure stepped out, enveloped by the Spiritual Qi storm that had yet to subside!

It was none other than Ye Feiyan!

At this moment, her dark hair was slightly disheveled, her beautiful face utterly devoid of color, and her pair of cold phoenix eyes were filled with panic and disbelief!

"Xiao Mo!"

Her voice carried an uncontrollable tremor.

"What did you say?!"

Mysterious Ink wasted no words. With a sweep of its Dragon claw, the communication Jade Slip flew into its hand and was immediately tossed toward Ye Feiyan.

Ye Feiyan grabbed the Jade Slip, and her Divine Sense instantly probed into it.

The next moment, her delicate body trembled violently!

All color drained from her pale, paper-like face!

Inside the Jade Slip, there were few words, only two weak yet infinitely kind voices intermittently calling out her and Mysterious Ink's names... "Yaner..."

"Xiao Mo..."

"Come back... let Father and Mother... see you... one last time..."

Crack!

The Jade Slip was crushed to pieces in her hand!

Two streams of clear tears finally flowed uncontrollably down her smooth cheeks.

"Father!"

"Mother!"

She looked up and let out a cry suppressing endless grief, her heart twisting in agony!

"Go!"

Ye Feiyan suddenly turned, looked at Mysterious Ink, her voice hoarse but carrying undeniable resolve!

"We are going home!"

...A moment later.

Three streaks of light, following the Flying Boat piloted by the Ye Family Steward, shot into the sky, resolutely passing through the light screen of the Sect Grand Array, and sped toward the eastern horizon!

Ding Xiaoxue was also brought along; she could not bear to let the Senior and Senior Sister face such grief alone and insisted on going to help care for them.

The journey was silent.

The atmosphere was extremely oppressive.

Ye Feiyan stood at the prow of the Flying Boat, letting the strong wind mess up her long hair, her phoenix eyes fixed rigidly on the distance, motionless, like a cold statue.

Mysterious Ink quietly lay at her feet, retracting all its Qi. The usual laziness and cynicism had long vanished without a trace, replaced by an unyielding solemnity and sorrow.

Three days.

Without rest, consuming Spiritual Power to the extreme, finally, on the evening of the third day.

A continuous, undulating mountain range, suffused with Spiritual Qi, appeared at the edge of their vision.

The Duan Yun Mountain Range.

The Ye Family's current Clan Land.

Looking from afar, within the mountain range, palaces and towers stood side by side, Spiritual Fields crisscrossed, and the light of the Mountain Protecting Grand Array flickered faintly, presenting the vibrant scene of a flourishing Cultivation Family!

Compared to the small Family that was confined to a corner back then, the current Ye Family was hundreds of times stronger!

At the mountain gate, the patrolling Disciples had a minimum cultivation of Foundation Establishment Mid Stage!

Powerful auras lay dormant deep within the mountain range, and among them, several had already reached the Golden Core Realm!

The Ye Family had developed too quickly!

The Ye Family Patriarch, Ye Feiyan's cousin, who had been waiting for a long time, immediately led a group of Elders and respectfully came forward to greet them.

"Respectfully welcoming Old Ancestor Feiyan and Old Ancestor Mysterious Ink back to the Clan!"

"Feiyan, you..."

The Ye Family Patriarch looked at Ye Feiyan's pale complexion, just about to say something.

"Where are my Father and Mother?!"

Ye Feiyan cut him off directly, her voice cold and utterly devoid of emotion.

"They are... they are in the Convalescent Courtyard in the back mountain."

The Ye Family Patriarch's heart shuddered, and daring not to speak further, he quickly led the way.

Mysterious Ink and Ye Feiyan exchanged a look, having no mood to exchange pleasantries with these people, and immediately transformed into two streaks of light, rushing frantically toward the back mountain!

...It was a simple courtyard.

In the courtyard, some mundane flowers and plants were growing, filled with the breath of life.

A strong medicinal smell, mixed with a faint trace of Death Qi, drifted out from the room.

The hearts of Mysterious Ink and Ye Feiyan instantly sank to the bottom.

They pushed the door open and entered.

On the bed, the two old people were quietly nestled together.

Their hair was completely white, dry and lusterless; their faces were covered in deep wrinkles, and their skin sagged loosely, like the bark of an old tree; their eyes were already cloudy and dim, showing almost no vitality.

A dense Aura of Decline was wrapped around their bodies—a sign that the flame of life was about to be completely extinguished!

The lamp is dry and the oil is spent!

This was true exhaustion of life!

Even if a Grand Unity Golden Immortal descended, they would be powerless to reverse this fate!

Ye Feiyan's feet could no longer move an inch. She stared blankly at her parents on the bed, tears rolling down like broken strings of pearls.

Mysterious Ink also fell silent, its throat feeling dry and rough, as if stuffed with cotton, unable to utter a single word.