Chapter 035: Parting

"These people are really annoying, following me every day." Qing Yuan curled his lip, glanced out the window, then chuckled, turning to sit in a chair, his plump body jiggling.

"Heh, I never expected the person I saved to be the Second Prince of Qingyang Empire." Sitting upright in his chair, Yang Tian glanced at Qing Yuan and smiled.

"Second Prince?" Qing Yuan was momentarily stunned, then suddenly snorted: "Alas, Brother Yang, what use is power and status? I'd rather give up this power and be a carefree man, living happily."

"Heh, power that everyone envies is worthless in your eyes, Brother Qing? But if you're carefree yet can't protect what's yours, how can you call it carefree?" Looking at Qing Yuan's dejected expression, a trace of sorrow suddenly surged in Yang Tian's eyes.

Perhaps in Qing Yuan's eyes, Yang Tian seemed carefree, but he didn't know how much Yang Tian bore, how he had gotten through these years, with vengeance constantly driving him.

"Alas, you may not understand the internal situation of the empire. To be honest, the Qingyang Empire is mighty across the Eastern Continent, but what use is that to me?"

Taking a sip of tea, a hint of bitterness flickered in Qing Yuan's eyes. He said slowly: "I'm just an ordinary man now. If it weren't for you, Brother Yang, I'd have lost my life last time. I can't even protect a woman. What use is power? What use..."

"How strange, the Second Prince of Qingyang Empire is actually an ordinary man." Rubbing his nose, Yang Tian shook his head slightly, pondering. With the profound resources of Qingyang Empire, even a pig could cultivate to some level with such accumulation, right?

Qing Yuan seemed to read Yang Tian's doubt. Yang Tian had saved his life, enough for him to confide wholeheartedly.

Qing Yuan suddenly smiled: "Actually, I had pretty good talent for cultivation since childhood. I started at eight, reached Martial Dao at eleven, and Tongxuan at fifteen." He paused, looking at Yang Tian with a hint of pride.

"Tongxuan at fifteen, truly a prodigy." Yang Tian's throat moved, shock surging in his heart. The most talented person he had ever known was Yang Ba, who reached Tongxuan at seventeen, but that still fell short of Qing Yuan.

"Big brother, if you were still alive now, your cultivation should have broken through to the War King realm." Scratching his head, Yang Tian felt boundless anticipation for his upcoming journey across the continent. The vast, boundless cultivation world was indeed attractive to someone his age; only through the baptism of blood and fire could the path to supremacy be forged.

"What happened after that?" Seeing Qing Yuan's smug look, Yang Tian's mouth twitched, and he rolled his eyes, inwardly marveling at Qing Yuan's good mindset.

"After that." Qing Yuan slowly stood up, producing a flask of wine from somewhere. He took several gulps, his face instantly flushing red. He said bitterly: "I had high cultivation talent and considerable strength. At sixteen, my father allowed me to travel."

He paused, a hint of sweetness appearing in his eyes. Smiling slightly, he said: "During my travels, I met a woman. I fell deeply in love with her, and she loved me too. Her name was Xiaoqing, a very pleasant name."

As he spoke, Qing Yuan's plump face twisted, a surge of immense hatred flickering in his eyes.

"But she was the daughter of the Western Continent's Demon Lord!" His fists clenched with a crackling sound.

"A shapeshifting beast..." Moistening his dry lips, a sixth-rank spirit beast could transform into a seventh-rank demon beast. Such great demons were terrifyingly powerful and often waged war with humans.

"Tell me." He paced quickly in the room, gulping wine, and growled: "Tell me, what was wrong with us being together? What was wrong?"

Looking at Qing Yuan's frenzied state, his face flushed red, clearly having drunk a lot.

"Uh... it's not exactly wrong, but it's problematic." Demons and humans were at odds. Although no large-scale wars had occurred, small conflicts happened frequently. Those who intermarried between humans and demons were invariably great powers, but the Demon Lord's daughter was no ordinary person; even a peerless expert would have to think twice.

"Xiaoqing and I defied the Demon Lord's obstruction, ran away secretly, and consummated our marriage." Lifting his head, Qing Yuan suddenly laughed heartily, like a madman.

"Quite daring, to elope with the Demon Lord's daughter and even marry her." Watching Qing Yuan's wild laughter, Yang Tian couldn't help but roll his eyes.

Then Qing Yuan suddenly sat down and said: "Later, the Demon Lord found us. He destroyed my Qi Sea, and I became a cripple."

Qing Yuan slammed the table, his face reddening, anger swirling in his eyes. He roared: "But that old bastard imprisoned Xiaoqing! I haven't seen her for years! He imprisoned his own daughter! Brother Yang, tell me, is he even human? No, he's a beast!"

Hatred grew stronger in Qing Yuan's eyes. A prodigy suddenly reduced to a cripple—such punishment was indeed severe. Although the Qingyang Empire was mighty, it was nothing before the Demon Lord.

Qing Yuan was like a madman, roaring with boundless hatred in his eyes.

"Brother Qing, the Qingyang Empire has profound resources. Couldn't you find a treasure to repair your Qi Sea?" Yang Tian looked puzzled, then suddenly recalled the bounty for rare treasures to repair Qi Sea on the Qingyang Continent.

"Brother Yang, you're joking, right? Rare treasures to repair the Qi Sea are too hard to find. Most are extinct. Now even with money, you can't get them. Besides, my father has been searching, but alas." Collapsing into the chair, Qing Yuan's face was flushed, gulping wine, his legs trembling slightly, his eyes full of bitterness.

"I used to be the top talent in the empire, but now..." He clenched his fist and sneered: "The other princes used to look up to me, but now they humiliate me one by one, calling me a waste behind my back. Only my eldest brother truly treated me well."

Tears streamed down his face, his eyes filled with anger and rage, but a faint trace of stubbornness, deeply hidden.

"A waste? I was a waste for seven years too. That suffering is hard to bear—facing mockery and insults every day." Yang Tian suddenly stood up, feeling a sense of regret for not meeting Qing Yuan sooner.

Yang Tian turned back, watching Qing Yuan snoring loudly on the floor, and couldn't help but laugh. He hadn't expected Qing Yuan to get drunk and fall asleep so quickly. It seemed he had bottled up a lot of bitterness over the years, and Yang Tian was his confidant.

"You're lucky. This Fire Dragon Divine Fruit is repayment for yesterday's favor. From now on, we owe each other nothing. Whether it can heal your Qi Sea depends on your fate."

Yang Tian placed a jade box, suppressing his reluctance. Although the Fire Dragon Divine Fruit was precious, it was better to secure a favor. He had offended the Huanggu Li family, and his foster father needed some care.

"Qing Yuan is drunk, sleeping inside." Yang Tian winked at the approaching guard and said with a faint smile.

"Sleeping? At this hour?" Scratching his head, the black-clad leader's gaze fell on Yang Tian's retreating figure. He couldn't help but sigh, then looked back at the closed door, a trace of regret in his eyes.

"The Second Prince who once dominated the Eastern Continent, fearless, now..."

In the main hall.

Lin Yuan dismissed the coming and going crowd. Seeing Yang Tian lost in thought, he patted his shoulder and said with a faint smile: "Xiao Tian, whatever you do, your foster father supports you. I'm old and not afraid of death."

Yang Tian's body stiffened abruptly. He looked up at the smiling old man before him and suddenly knelt down.

Thump, thump, thump!

He kowtowed three times!

Seeing this, Lin Yuan did not stop him, because he deserved it!

Yang Tian suppressed the sting in his nose, looked up at Lin Yuan, and smiled: "Foster father, Xiao Tian will come back. Wait for me!"

Silently watching Yang Tian's departing figure, a surge of pride suddenly welled up in Lin Yuan's face, because he firmly believed that Kuangyun City was too small for such a figure.

He suddenly had a premonition that Yang Tian's journey would stir the winds and clouds of the Eastern Continent.

Only through the baptism of blood and fire can a young eagle grow strong wings to soar in the sky and fly high above the nine heavens!