MM Racing Page 116
Page 116
The vegetation was flattened, and the ground was covered with pits and cracks of varying depths, clearly indicating that a fierce battle had taken place.
When Zhang Yunyuan arrived with Feng Baobao, this was the scene that greeted them.
His expression hardened, and he quickened his pace.
Just then, from deep within the forest, a staggering figure, dragging heavy steps, struggled to walk out.
The man was covered in blood, his clothes were torn, and his exposed skin was covered with spiderweb-like black cracks, like a piece of porcelain about to shatter.
It was Zhang Huaiyi.
He saw Zhang Yunyuan, and he also saw the girl with empty eyes behind him.
Feng Baobao seemed to sense something as well, and for the first time, her usually indifferent eyes focused on Zhang Huaiyi.
The little head tilted slightly, as if wondering why such a strong aura of death clung to this person.
"Yun Yuan... Junior Brother..."
A final glimmer of light burst forth from Zhang Huaiyi's turbid eyes. He grinned, as if trying to laugh, but large gushes of dark blood gushed from the corner of his mouth.
“You… still came… cough cough… look… it’s quiet now… it’s all quiet now… the children… are safe…”
He could no longer hold on, and his tall body slumped forward.
Zhang Yunyuan rushed forward and steadily supported his swaying body.
Upon touching it, one is met with a mixture of scalding heat and icy cold.
Within Zhang Huaiyi's body, the deadly poison of Dan Shi clashed with the rampaging Qi.
Every inch of the meridians was being repeatedly torn and burned, and the pain had long exceeded the limits that ordinary people could endure.
Zhang Yunyuan immediately channeled a stream of pure Primordial Qi into his body, attempting to stabilize his collapsing meridians.
However, as soon as that Dao Qi entered, it was like a mud ox entering the sea, instantly swallowed and assimilated by that chaotic and domineering Dan Shi power.
Zhang Yunyuan's heart sank little by little.
He could only use his own more powerful Qi to barely keep his senior brother alive and slightly alleviate his inhuman pain.
"Brother, what are you..."
His voice was low and hoarse, and he ultimately couldn't bring himself to ask, "Why bother?"
Regret, admiration, helplessness... a myriad of emotions surged into my heart, ultimately turning into a heavy silence.
Zhang Huaiyi raised his hand with difficulty and pointed to the distance.
There, his son Zhang Yude lay beside a boulder, already unconscious from shock and the aftershocks.
Behind another rock, a little boy, about four or five years old, was tightly covering his mouth, his face pale.
Her big, dark eyes were filled with tears, but she stubbornly refused to cry out.
He just stared intently at them with a look that was a mixture of fear and reverence.
With the eyesight of a four or five-year-old child, he could only see two people talking to his grandfather, but he couldn't make out their faces.
"My old injury has flared up again, and there's no hope for me."
Zhang Huaiyi's voice was as weak as a candle flickering in the wind, each word dripping with blood.
"If the Qi Source Flow is passed on to Chu Lan after my death, the news will surely cause another bloodbath..."
"I might as well use my last breath to lure out all those remnants of the Jia Shen rebellion... and wipe them all out in one fell swoop."
He looked at his grandson, who was shivering behind a rock, and for the first time, his eyes revealed reluctance and guilt.
“The child… is innocent… The source of Qi… is the root of all evil… and also… hope…”
With his last ounce of strength, he reached one hand into his robe.
After fumbling around for a moment, he pulled out a tiny crystal, no bigger than a fingernail, completely black, as if it were formed from the purest dark matter.
As soon as the crystal appeared, it seemed to swallow up a bit of the surrounding light.
"...I can only feel at ease entrusting this to you..."
He forcefully shoved the crystal into Zhang Yunyuan's hand.
It feels icy cold to the touch, yet it's incredibly heavy.
This is the "end of the art," the true core inheritance of the Qi Body Source Flow.
After doing all this, Zhang Huaiyi felt as if his last bit of strength had been drained away.
His gaze shifted to his unconscious son, Zhang Yude, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.
“Yu De… has a fiery temper… will go with you… you can arrange… to temper him…”
Finally, his gaze fell on his small grandson, who was still looking at him with terrified eyes.
All the ruthlessness and decisiveness in his eyes transformed into tenderness at this moment.
He wanted to raise his hand and, as usual, pat that little head.
But that hand only rose an inch before falling limply down.
"Chu Lan..."
A soft, almost inaudible call was the last sound he left for this world.
After he finished speaking, his head slowly lowered.
Those weathered eyes had lost their last sparkle.
Zhang Huaiyi passed away suddenly.
The mountains and forests were deathly silent.
Only the wind whistled past.
Zhang Yunyuan silently held his senior brother's still-warm body, remaining motionless, like a stone statue.
A long time, a long time.
He then slowly and very gently laid his senior brother's body flat on the ground.
He reached out and gently stroked the face that had long been stained black by the pills, closing the eyes that were not fully closed and were filled with endless worries.
A red sun bursts forth from the horizon.
The morning light pierced through the gaps in the branches and leaves, transforming into thousands of golden beams that bathed the forest that had just been baptized by blood and fire.
It also illuminated Zhang Huaihuaiyi's calm, peaceful, yet tragic and desolate face.
Chapter 135 The dust has settled, and the road ahead begins.
The mountains and forests were silent, save for the mournful sound of the wind as it swept across the blood-stained grass and trees.
Zhang Yunyuan stood silently beside Zhang Huaiyi's body. After a long while, he slowly raised his hand, and a wisp of pure white flame quietly rose in his palm.
The flame had no heat, yet it exuded a sacred aura that purified all things.
He did not choose burial, as that would leave too many traces and attract unnecessary prying.
He wanted his senior brother, who had struggled his whole life for his family and the tradition, to leave this world cleanly, free from all worldly troubles.
The moment the real fire touched the body, it did not make any scorching sound, but instead transformed into a soft light that slowly enveloped it.
The body, riddled with holes from the erosion by the elixir, was gradually dissolved and purified in the pure flames, returning to the most primordial particles of heaven and earth.
Zhang Yunyuan watched quietly, his expression solemn.
The firelight illuminated his face, and a subtle, indescribable ripple finally appeared in his eyes, which were usually as calm as an ancient well.
Finally, the flames died down, leaving only a handful of grayish-white bones.
He took out a simple earthenware jar that he had prepared beforehand, and gently, bit by bit, placed the ashes into it.
The gesture was as if the person were handling a rare treasure.
When he received Zhang Huaiyi's proclamation, he already anticipated what he would see.
After doing all this, he returned to the battlefield.
He was like the most skillful and patient cleaner, carefully erasing all traces of the battle that had taken place here.
He used his Primordial Qi to smooth the cracked earth, scatter the fallen grass and trees, and devour and assimilate every trace of Qi belonging to the supernatural being that remained in the air.
He dealt with the cold and eerie poisonous qi belonging to the Dan Shi particularly cleanly, leaving not a trace.
He knew that if these things were discovered by someone with ulterior motives, and they followed the clues, it would only bring endless trouble to his senior brother's two innocent descendants.
When the first true rays of dawn pierced through the forest mist, this battlefield had already returned to its original appearance, as if the earth-shattering bloody battle of the previous night was just a dream unknown to anyone.
Zhang Yunyuan walked to the side of the unconscious Zhang Yude, placed a finger on his forehead, and channeled a gentle stream of Qi into him.
Zhang Yude groaned and slowly woke up.
He looked around blankly, and when his gaze finally landed on the blood-soaked, empty land, an ominous premonition gripped his heart.
"My dad...where's my dad?!"
He struggled to his feet, his voice hoarse and choked with sobs.
Zhang Yunyuan neither hid anything nor offered any comfort.
He simply placed the earthenware jar containing the ashes gently in front of Zhang Yude, his voice somber yet calm.
"Your father has bravely faced death for your future."
Zhang Yude felt as if a thousand thunderbolts were exploding in his mind at the same time, and his mind went completely blank for a moment.
After a brief silence came overwhelming grief and indignation.
"Do not--!"
He let out a mournful roar that sounded inhuman, his eyes instantly turning bloodshot, as if he had gone mad.
"Who?! Who killed my father! I will avenge my father! I will kill them all!"
He was like a wounded wild beast, ready to rush out at any cost.
One hand, however, pressed down on his shoulder like an iron clamp.