This was undeniably an arrow capable of striking down a Venerable-tier expert; not just for him, but even if Fang Guyou had been present, he would have found it impossible to resist such a strike.

Without a second thought about how to defend, Fang Jiuyou’s body dissolved into a streak of light, fleeing backward.

With a sharp whoosh, almost as soon as Fang Jiuyou had darted thousands of zhang away, Luo Ling’er’s bowstring loosened, and the black light-arrow shot forth. It reached Fang Guyou’s back almost instantaneously. Facing that despair-inducing arrow of light, Fang Guyou desperately summoned the white pagoda.

With a deafening rumble, the black light-arrow slammed into the white pagoda. The pagoda continuously erupted with white radiance, resisting the power of the black arrow. However, the black light-arrow acted like a nuclear device, detonating repeatedly upon the white pagoda. Black and white light flashed incessantly, while Xuan Yuan Ruoxing spewed great torrents of blood from his mouth. Worse still, the soul power within him was being absorbed by the white pagoda as if it were flowing water.

The immense explosion shook the entire world until it trembled. The surrounding mountain peaks disintegrated into dust under the interwoven clash of black and white light. In the blink of an eye, wherever the two colors of light swept, only powder remained.

The explosion continued. Even the ground was blasted into a massive crater—not tens of zhang deep, nor hundreds, but an astonishing thousands of zhang. Magma from the depths surged out, yet before it could erupt, it was pulverized by the sheer force of the black and white light.

Completely dissipated.

The sound of the explosion echoed ceaselessly. Although Ye Jingyu and the others were quite distant from the blast site, they were still flung backward by the savage energy. Blood seeped from their ears, nostrils, and eyes. Zhuge Siyu was knocked unconscious outright; had Hei Ming Shixuan not been dragging her, she might have been utterly erased by the residual shockwave.

The explosion lasted a full quarter of an hour. By then, Xuan Yuan Ruoxing’s figure was long gone from the sky. All that remained around them was a chasm thousands of zhang deep; nothing else. Everything—the flora, the trees, the rocks—had been reduced to ash by that blast, without exception.

Witnessing that terrifying strike, whether it was Ye Jingyu, Hei Ming Shixuan, or Zhuge Siyu, they were all left dumbstruck. Was this Luo Ling’er’s power? Was this the strength she had drawn in from the other dimension?

With a swoosh, Luo Ling’er’s figure plummeted from the sky.

“Ling’er!” Ye Jingyu cried out in alarm, launching himself forward and catching her body.

Seeing her entire body riddled with wounds, seeing her utterly unbroken nowhere, seeing her soaked in blood, two streams of bloody tears burst from the corners of Ye Jingyu’s eyes. He felt as if his heart had been struck and shattered by something at that moment—the pain was exquisite.

“Little Yezi…” Luo Ling’er’s face held no pain, no sorrow, no despair, only a faint smile—a smile of happiness.

“En…” Ye Jingyu nodded numbly, the tears in his eyes flowing uncontrollably. He held her tightly in his arms, not knowing what to say.

“You are a man… don’t cry. Seeing you cry makes me feel awful. Promise Ling’er, you won’t cry, okay?” Luo Ling’er reached out her small, delicate, and smooth hands, gently caressing Ye Jingyu’s face and wiping away the bloody tears at the corners of his eyes.

“En…” Ye Jingyu bit down hard on his lip, forcing himself not to weep, struggling to hold back the tears in his eyes.

“I knew you were the best to me, Little Yezi, do you know? I don’t want to leave you. I truly, truly want to stay by your side, to cook for you, sew clothes for you, massage your back, and then bear you a child, and just live a simple life together as a family—no conflict, no martial duels, no soul arts. Even if it were only for a few decades, I would be willing!” Luo Ling’er murmured softly, every word landing in Ye Jingyu’s heart with immense bitterness.

“I know…” Ye Jingyu nodded forcefully. This was his greatest wish as well.

“Hehe, but I know that such an ordinary life could never belong to you. From the moment you appeared, I knew you weren’t an ordinary person; your life was destined to be extraordinary. For that, I could only choose not to be ordinary myself. So, I secretly asked Little Tao Tao to teach me soul arts. I wanted to become strong; I wanted to do something for you. I tried so hard, so hard, but I’m truly useless. Not only have I never helped you, but I’ve only ever caused you trouble. I am truly an unqualified wife!” Luo Ling’er spoke with a smile. Her smile at that moment was exquisitely tragic, a heartbreaking beauty—the most beautiful thing in the world.

“No, you are a good…” Ye Jingyu tried to argue, but Luo Ling’er’s small hand covered his mouth.

“You don’t need to say anything; I understand everything. In truth, I am just a burden. Miss Jiufeng would disregard everything for you; Sister Siyu once saved you; Yaoyao provided you with a great deal of intelligence; even Miss Xiyang made a huge contribution by condensing the Flame Pill for you. But me? Your wife, the woman you love the most, hasn’t done a single thing for you! Little Yezi, do you know? My heart aches so much…”

“Don’t blame Big Brother either; I forced him to tell me all of this. He is a good big brother, truly. Even though he is lustful, despicable, shameless, and vulgar, he is truly a good person—no, I should say, a good zombie…” Luo Ling’er continued, her voice growing fainter.

“Little Yezi, don’t be sad, do you hear? This time, I am truly happy. I finally did something for you; I’m finally not just a pretty face anymore. This has always been my wish, so don’t be sad, okay? It will hurt my heart…”

The tears Ye Jingyu had been suppressing finally burst forth, dripping down his face, soaking his clothes.

“I’m not sad. As long as you get better, I’m not sad at all…” He held her tighter, speaking while his tears poured down ceaselessly.

“Little Yezi, you’re crying again…”

“I’m not crying, I’m not crying, I truly won’t cry…” Ye Jingyu tried to stop his tears, but they were utterly disobedient, continuing to stream down, flowing faster and faster.

“Silly boy, take good care of yourself. Treat Sister Jiufeng, Miss Xiyang, and Sister Siyu well, and Yaoyao too. They are all good girls…” Luo Ling’er continuously wiped away Ye Jingyu’s tears with her own hands, while glistening tears also fell from her eyes. In that endless void, they shone with a brilliance that was dazzling.

But Ye Jingyu seemed not to hear a word she was saying, just continuing to cry relentlessly…

“I am about to leave. My biggest regret before going is not being able to bear you a child. Little Yezi, will you blame me?” As she finished speaking, Luo Ling’er’s gaze drifted toward her lower abdomen, which had already deflated from its previous swelling.

“No, don’t go, Ling’er, please don’t go. We can have a child later, but don’t leave me. I beg you, don’t leave me…” Ye Jingyu held her tightly, resting his head on her shoulder, looking like a child, so heartbroken and grieved.

“I don’t want to either, I don’t want to leave you, I really don’t… want… to… leave…” Luo Ling’er’s eyes filled with tears, her lips moved softly, and then slowly closed…

And in that moment, her heartbeat ceased. A phantom figure shot out from her body and plunged directly into the black rift, which then vanished without a trace…

“Ling’er…” Sensing the cessation of Luo Ling’er’s heartbeat, feeling the dissipation of her aura, Ye Jingyu felt the shattered pieces of his heart turn completely numb. The bloody tears in his eyes erupted like a fountain, and a tremendous roar shook the heavens and the earth…

Devotion, no regrets! Tears, no trace! The heavens crumble, the earth splits, the heart shatters!

(Sigh, I started crying while writing this. Six chapters coming tomorrow. The previous group chat filled up, so I’ll open a new one today, accepting only brothers who haven’t joined yet. Please don't join repeatedly to give everyone some space! Thank you, brothers. Don't forget the golden bricks, recommendation votes, and collections! P.S. Ling’er has not perished; so don't curse me! Group: 67214138. When you join, just say ‘brother,’ and I hope everyone can unite!)

[Ti: Dear 3Z Readers, the current chapter marks the final page of this book.]