Immortal God of War-Chapter 681 - 648: Shen Long and Jiang Wei’s Fall_1
As they all were raised in State City, they naturally knew Ren Duxing and his exploits.
But wasn’t Ren Duxing already dead? How could he possibly be in the Netherworld?
"Xingchen, Uncle Ren’s boat is sinking! Quick, help Uncle Ren!"
"Zhengyang, Uncle Ren’s boat is sinking! Quick, help Uncle Ren!"
Suddenly, a voice came from behind them, reaching the ears of Lu Xingchen and Dong Zhengyang.
They were momentarily stunned, then overjoyed; Ren Duxing was indeed behind them.
But then, their expressions changed abruptly. The boat is sinking? This can’t be happening! We must help Ren Duxing!
They immediately turned their heads to look behind, the warning on the Stele completely forgotten.
As for Qin Feiyang, upon hearing Ren Wushuang’s words, he lowered his head, lost in thought.
Lu Xingchen and the others didn’t know, but he was certain that Ren Duxing could not leave the ruins, making it impossible for him to appear here. But why had Ren Wushuang heard Ren Duxing’s voice? More importantly, if Ren Duxing truly was speaking from behind them, he should have heard it too. Yet, he hadn’t heard Ren Duxing’s voice at all just now. Besides, Ren Wushuang’s voice, when he first heard it, had also sounded unsettlingly strange.
What on earth is happening? Could it be...
Suddenly, as if a thought struck him, Qin Feiyang’s gaze flickered. He looked up at the others, just in time to see Dong Zhengyang and Lu Xingchen turning their heads.
Qin Feiyang’s expression changed instantly, and he shouted, "It’s an illusion! Don’t turn around!"
BOOM!
His words struck Lu Xingchen and Dong Zhengyang like a bolt from the blue. They shuddered, body and soul, and quickly turned their heads back forward. Cold sweat drenched them. If not for Qin Feiyang’s timely warning, they would have likely turned completely around by now.
"Earlier, I also heard Ren Wushuang calling me from behind. But when I asked her, she told me she hadn’t," Qin Feiyang explained. "After that, Ren Wushuang immediately heard her father calling her. But as far as I know, Ren Duxing isn’t here at all. Therefore, I’m certain that the voices we both heard were illusions."
Lu Xingchen frowned and nodded, "That sounds right. Just now, I also heard Uncle Ren’s voice. He said the boat was about to sink and asked me to help him."
Dong Zhengyang said, "I heard it too, and he said the exact same thing."
"Then there’s no mistake," Qin Feiyang declared. "The Bitter Sea can create hallucinations. Its purpose is to tempt us to turn around, causing us to explode and die. Remember, no matter what voices you hear next, do not turn around. If you can’t control the urge, slap yourself." He instructed sternly, adding, "Pain can help keep you lucid."
"Understood." Dong Zhengyang, Lu Xingchen, Shen Long, and Jiang Wei nodded.
Just an illusion... Hearing this, Ren Wushuang muttered to herself, her face etched with disappointment.
Qin Feiyang glanced at her. He wanted to comfort her but didn’t know how.
Suddenly, Ren Wushuang looked at Qin Feiyang and asked, "How can you be so sure my father isn’t here?"
"Hm?" Qin Feiyang paused, inwardly cursing his carelessness for letting it slip.
Ren Wushuang said, "Don’t try to deceive me. Tell me honestly, do you know something?"
Hearing this, Lu Xingchen and the other three men also looked at Qin Feiyang with surprise and suspicion.
Qin Feiyang pondered for a moment, then nodded. "I do indeed know your father’s whereabouts."
Ren Wushuang is a very smart woman, Qin Feiyang thought. Since she’s already sensed something, nothing I say now will dispel her suspicions. It’s better to just admit it.
Ren Wushuang trembled, her breath catching in her throat. "Where is he?" she asked, her voice tight with urgency. "Tell me, quickly!"
"He’s really not dead?" At the same time, Lu Xingchen and the other three exchanged bewildered glances.
Ren Duxing had been missing for so many years that everyone had long assumed he was dead. They never imagined he could still be alive! If he was alive, then, as Ren Wushuang asked, where was Ren Duxing now?
Looking at Ren Wushuang’s expectant face, Qin Feiyang sighed inwardly and shook his head. "I can’t tell you right now."
If Ren Wushuang learned of Ren Duxing’s current situation, Qin Feiyang mused, she would be even more heartbroken. When heartbroken, one naturally gets distracted. The Bitter Sea is fraught with peril; if she were distracted, the consequences would be unimaginable. Therefore, these matters must wait until we leave the Netherworld.
But Ren Wushuang didn’t know Qin Feiyang’s true intentions. Assuming he was deliberately hiding it from her, she said angrily, "Why can’t you tell me? I’m his own daughter! Don’t I even have the right to know his whereabouts?"
"I’m doing this for your own good," Qin Feiyang said. "If you don’t believe me, I can swear to the heavens that Uncle Ren is in no mortal danger right now."
"Wushuang, we all know you miss Uncle Ren dearly," Lu Xingchen advised, "but Qin Feiyang must have his reasons for not telling you. Please don’t press him further."
Ren Wushuang’s brows knitted. She glared at Lu Xingchen and snapped, "What right do you have to speak here? Shut up!"
Lu Xingchen shrugged and shot a helpless glance at Qin Feiyang. He then turned to look at the Sea of Blood ahead, an enigmatic glint flickering deep in his eyes.
Dong Zhengyang, Shen Long, and Jian Wei also tactfully averted their gazes.
Ren Wushuang looked at Qin Feiyang again and asked, "When did you find out?"
Qin Feiyang replied, "A long time ago."
Ren Wushuang said, "So, you’ve been deceiving me for a long time?"
Qin Feiyang nodded.
Ren Wushuang stared at him coldly. After a long, long pause, she finally spat out, through clenched teeth, "You’re ruthless!"
Then she turned away, a self-mocking smile playing on her lips.
All this time, she had regarded Qin Feiyang as a dear younger brother, the person she trusted most. She never expected him to deceive her. She was so disappointed.
Looking at Ren Wushuang’s profile, a soft sigh escaped Qin Feiyang.
Even though I deceived her, Qin Feiyang thought, it was because I didn’t want her to worry. Even if she’s angry now, I don’t regret it. Of course, I can understand how she feels. Parents are the people their children love and cherish most. If our roles were reversed, I’d be angry too.
Speak of the devil.
"Tian Er, Mother has finally found you! Wait for Mother!" a familiar voice called from behind. A shiver ran down Qin Feiyang’s spine.
"Tian Er, don’t you want Mother anymore? Don’t you miss me? Quickly, turn around and look at Mother!"
The voice, carrying an irresolvable sorrow, drifted continuously into Qin Feiyang’s ears.
"Mother..." Qin Feiyang’s hands clenched tightly, his eyes reddening.
Even though he knew it was just an illusion, he still felt an overwhelming urge to look back. His mother was his only weakness.
"Tian Er, save me! Someone is trying to kill me!" Suddenly, the voice shifted, erupting into a terrified scream.
"Damn it!" Qin Feiyang cursed inwardly and slapped himself hard across the face. A crimson handprint immediately welled up on his cheek.
At the same time, faces etched with pain and struggle, Ren Wushuang and the others were clearly also enduring immense torment.
For the six of them, the current situation was an endless agony. Even knowing they were illusions, the familiar voices relentlessly tempted them. This was not just mental torment; it was a devastation of their very souls, almost more unbearable than death itself.
"I can’t stand it anymore! I’ll see who’s behind this!" Suddenly, Jian Wei roared and whipped his head around.
"Don’t!" Qin Feiyang and the others cried out urgently.
But it was too late.
Jian Wei had already completely turned his head. However, in his line of sight, there was no one, only an endless Sea of Blood.
"Jian Wei, are you mad? Turn back, quickly!" Shen Long yelled.
"I’m not mad," Jian Wei sneered. "See? I’m perfectly fine. I think the words on the Stele are nothing but fear-mongering."
"Huh?" Qin Feiyang and the others were startled. Looking closely, Jian Wei indeed showed no signs of his body exploding. Could it be that the warning on the Stele about not looking back was just to scare them?
"AAARGH—!"
But the very next moment, Jian Wei’s physical body violently exploded! Flesh and blood splattered everywhere.
In an instant, Jian Wei perished, his dying scream echoing over the Sea of Blood, lingering long in the air.
He really had exploded and died! The remaining five—Qin Feiyang, Ren Wushuang, Lu Xingchen, Dong Zhengyang, and Shen Long—watched, horrified to the core.
"Don’t look! Face forward, quickly!" Qin Feiyang roared.
Lu Xingchen, Ren Wushuang, Dong Zhengyang, and Shen Long trembled and hastily turned to face forward again.
"Damn it all!" Shen Long roared. "If I had the power, I’d make this entire Sea of Blood disappear forever!"
"Is that so?" a deeply seductive voice whispered into Shen Long’s ear. "Turn around now, and I shall grant you Ultimate power to avenge your comrade."
"Really?" Shen Long asked instinctively, and, also instinctively, turned his head to look.
Qin Feiyang, Ren Wushuang, Lu Xingchen, and Dong Zhengyang were still reeling from Jian Wei’s death. When they saw Shen Long also turning to look back, their expressions changed drastically.
"Shen Long, what are you doing?" Ren Wushuang shouted angrily.
Shen Long was jolted and quickly turned his head back.
But it was too late!
"AAARGH—!"
With another horrific scream, Shen Long’s body also exploded, killing him instantly.
"Why did you turn back?" Ren Wushuang scolded angrily, tears streaming uncontrollably from her eyes. "Are you all idiots?"
Grief welled up in the hearts of Qin Feiyang, Lu Xingchen, and Dong Zhengyang.
Throughout their journey, everyone had witnessed the character of Shen Long and Jian Wei. Especially when they first entered the Death Marsh and were ambushed by Mo Wushen and his group, the two had risked their lives to help the others. If Qin Feiyang hadn’t saved them, they would have perished back then. It could be said that they were the last people who deserved to die, but now they had met an end where not even their bones remained.
Why did good people have to die so young, while selfish, self-serving individuals like Yan Tianfeng continued to live? Heaven was truly unjust!
「Meanwhile.」
Inside the old castle, Shen Mei was sobbing uncontrollably, with Lu Hong and Lin Yiyi comforting her. The Wolf King, Fatty, and the others also stood by, a similar, irresolvable sorrow in their eyes.
Yet, two individuals were sneering inwardly: Dongfang Wuheng and Murong Xiong.
They had no sympathy at all for the deaths of Shen Long and Jian Wei. In their eyes, the two had brought this upon themselves.
Thinking about it now, we were the smart ones, they mused. Although we lost our dignity, at least we saved our lives. As long as we’re alive, we can reclaim our lost dignity sooner or later.
