Step by Step Ascend to Immortality

Chapter 57: Chapter 47 Missing

The answer clearly caught Pang Tianshan off guard. He blurted out, "Who is it?"

"Yan Ruojian..." Du Yunlong's eyes softened, filled with an endless tenderness, yet the fury beneath was impossible to hide. His voice rose, filled with rage. "That woman who never knew how to cherish herself!"

It was then that Pang Tianshan finally realized the truth, almost leaping up in shock. "You... you're Xing Ruyu! The vicious wolf that is Xing Ruyu!"

Suddenly, long-buried memories surged back to life. Every detail fit perfectly with the man before him—the man who held both affection and a deadly resolve. Pang Tianshan began to understand. "So it was Yan Ruojian's death that brought you back to life! Hahaha... I'm as good as dead."

Before he could finish, Du Yunlong's hand moved, thrusting his sword towards Pang Tianshan's chest. Reacting swiftly, Pang spat out a jet of cyan flames, aiming it directly at Du Yunlong's sword hand.

This cyan fire was his last desperate gamble, his final trick. But Du Yunlong seemed to have expected it all along. With a quick flick of his wrist, the broken sword in his hand shimmered with a violet light. The cyan flames, like moths drawn to a flame, surged towards the violet glow, instantly merging with it.

Du Yunlong twirled his sword once more, and the fused flames were swallowed by the blade. A moment later, a faint flicker of cyan and violet appeared on his fingertip.

As the flames left Pang Tianshan's body, he rapidly aged. His black hair turned white, his face wrinkled and gaunt, as if the life had been drained from him. The once mighty warlord, a man in his prime, was now nothing but a frail, withered old man in his sixties.

The sight of Du Yunlong holding the sword filled him with dread. "That... that's the Heavenly Tear Starfall Sword! How... how do you have it? And... how do you know the Extreme Yuan Radiance Thunder Refinement Divine Record?"

The Heavenly Tear Starfall Sword was a symbol of the Pang family's legacy, a treasure that their patriarch had once wielded. Pang Tianshan had spent years searching for it after inheriting his position, but all his efforts had been in vain. And as for the Extreme Yuan Radiance Thunder Refinement Divine Record, it was the cultivation technique that Yunpeng Elder had spent decades mastering. The Pang family had long been associated with him, and they knew just how powerful this technique was.

Du Yunlong's eyes gleamed with dark satisfaction. "Thanks for the gift, Pang. That cyan fire of yours will do me good." His voice dripped with bitterness. "All this... everything I've become, is thanks to your family. And yes, I found that technique on your elder brother's corpse. Don't worry..."

In an instant, Pang Tianshan understood. His elder brother had somehow obtained the Extreme Yuan Radiance Thunder Refinement Divine Record, but had died before he could pass it on, and it had fallen into Du Yunlong's hands. Now, Du Yunlong drove the Heavenly Tear Starfall Sword straight into his chest. "Everything your family has done to me... I will repay a hundredfold."

Pang Tianshan, now nothing but a husk of his former self, barely clung to life. With his last breath, he laughed maniacally. "Hahaha... Xing Ruyu... I'll be waiting for you in the underworld! He won't let you go... neither you nor Wang Zihan!"

"You'll never escape him!"

Those were his final words. Du Yunlong withdrew the Heavenly Tear Starfall Sword, and Pang Tianshan's body crumbled to ash, scattering in the wind.

Such was the power of the Extreme Yuan Radiance Thunder Refinement Divine Record.

Du Yunlong stood in silence, his head lowered. The night was still, the moonlight casting a cold, lonely glow over Killing Tiger Ridge. Everything around him was deathly quiet. Gripping the sword tightly, he felt a sense of emptiness that he couldn't shake.

It wasn't until Wang Zihan's voice broke the silence that he snapped out of it. She had been leaning against the incense table, silently watching the deadly battle unfold. Her voice was calm. "Du Yunlong... should I call you Du Yunlong, or Xing Ruyu?"

Du Yunlong sheathed the Heavenly Tear Starfall Sword and turned toward the temple. "I'm Du Yunlong, the man who is hopelessly romantic, second-best at farming, third in Daoist arts, and fourth in martial prowess."

Wang Zihan, however, pressed on. "Let me ask you this—when you said you were doing all of this for a woman, was it for Yan Ruojian?"

Du Yunlong stopped. For some reason, he couldn't bring himself to meet her gaze. After a long pause, he finally muttered in the darkness, "Yes."

"You're just like Uncle Huo," she replied, her voice filled with understanding. "You both bury your strongest emotions deep within, never letting the world see them. You're a man consumed by passion."

Her words of praise only deepened Du Yunlong's guilt. All he could muster was a quiet, "I'm sorry... I'm truly sorry."

"No need for apologies." Wang Zihan's tone was unexpectedly gentle. "You're a good man, Du Yunlong. But we should go our separate ways now. Let's end this here and move on."

Her words stung. Once, beneath the setting sun, Wang Zihan had invited Du Yunlong to share his most intimate thoughts with her. Their hearts had been so close then. Now, though she knew much of his secrets, it felt as though the distance between them had grown insurmountable.

"Zihan..."

"Call me Miss Wang," she said firmly, raising her hand to stop him. "It's time for us to part."

That word—"part"—was so cruel, even as she said it quickly, as if to lessen the pain. Du Yunlong's eyes, now adjusted to the faint starlight, could make out Wang Zihan's figure.

She stood by the incense table, her face pale but resolute. Blood and tears stained her cheeks, making her look heartbreakingly fragile. Her red dress, once bright, was now soaked in dried blood, making the color even more vivid. With her head held high, she displayed the pride of the noble lady she was, coldly rejecting Du Yunlong.

Thinking of how Wang Zihan had fought fiercely against Pang Tianshan, how she had risked her life just to protect him, Du Yunlong's heart ached. Guilt weighed heavily on him, and he knew that a simple "I'm sorry" would never be enough. He had to do more.

"I'm sorry," Du Yunlong repeated, his voice heavy with regret. "But I can't leave you here alone. If I did, that would be the greatest regret of my life."

"Don't worry about me," Wang Zihan said, her fingertips glowing with a soft white light that illuminated her delicate features. The gentle glow of her spirit power contrasted beautifully with her pale, moonlit face.

Though it wasn't quite the romantic scene of admiring a beauty under a lantern, to Du Yunlong, this was the most breathtaking Wang Zihan had ever looked. "I've regained control over my spiritual energy," she continued. "I can manage on my own. I'm at least at the late stage of Qi Refining now. I'm more than capable of making the journey to Yuanzhou by myself."

Du Yunlong, however, refused to give up. "No. I promised you. I promised Uncle Huo. I swore I'd escort you safely to Yuanzhou. Please..." His voice cracked with emotion, his eyes betraying the tears he struggled to hold back. "At least let us travel together. After that, we can... part ways for now."

He deliberately used the phrase "part ways for now," softening the harsh finality of "break up" that Wang Zihan had spoken earlier. Wang Zihan felt a fleeting sense of satisfaction, yet a deep sadness still lingered. "There's no need for that," she said quietly. "I can do this alone. Besides, I already know what you're going to say."

Wang Zihan's voice remained calm as she continued, "You're going to say that Du Yunlong never leaves a debt unpaid, whether it's money, emotions, or favors. You won't leave any loose ends behind, even if it costs you your life. You'd sacrifice anything to make sure I'm safe. I understand that." She smiled faintly. "So, it's better if we end this now."

Du Yunlong looked down, unable to meet her eyes. He didn't dare reach for her hand, but after a moment, he lifted his head and, for the first time, spoke with a tenderness Wang Zihan had never heard from him before.

"No," he said softly. "That's not what I wanted to say. What I wanted to say is..."

His voice was full of emotion as he continued, "Du Yunlong owes Wang Zihan a lifetime."

"A lifetime..."

"A lifetime..."

"A lifetime..." His words echoed, filling the space between them, lingering in the cool night air.

For a moment, Wang Zihan was lost in those words. The silver glow at her fingertips flickered and died, and they were once again enveloped in darkness.

After what felt like an eternity, Wang Zihan's spirit light reignited. She stood proud, as always, her face set in determination. "I understand now," she said firmly. "But this is my final and most sincere request: let's part ways here. I'll go to Yuanzhou, and you... you can go wherever you need to."

"Part ways..." The words cut deep. Du Yunlong finally mustered the courage to take her hand. "Du Yunlong owes Wang Zihan a lifetime. So at least let me escort you to Yuanzhou."

Wang Zihan remained steadfast, her hand slipping from his grasp. "You're a good man, Du Yunlong," she said, her voice soft but unwavering. "But we're breaking up. Leave. Now."

Du Yunlong hesitated, pain written across his face. He didn't know how to respond. Finally, he whispered, "I'm sorry... but I'm not leaving. Not yet. At least not until I get my pay. One thousand coins a day, and you can't skip out on my wages."

Wang Zihan's eyes gleamed with resolve. She reached for her belt and pulled out several gold leaves. "Take this," she said, holding them out. "Take it and go. At least give me the memory of a handsome man walking away."

"I don't want your gold. I just want what I'm owed. I'll take you to Yuanzhou, and then..." Du Yunlong clenched his fists, summoning the courage to speak his mind. "Then I'll continue on my way."

"That's ridiculous," Wang Zihan snapped, her expression fierce. "Gold isn't money now? Take it and leave!"

Tears finally began to well up in her eyes, though her voice only grew more insistent. "I don't want to see you anymore! Just go!"