Chapter 417: Grief Flows Backward Into a River

"Send word. Prepare for a meeting."

"Yes, Commander!" A man in a combat uniform immediately turned and jogged out.

Fifteen minutes later, the upper echelons of the Revolutionary Army gathered together.

Almost all of them were battered and wrapped in thick bandages. Their eyes were dim; Pride's recent actions had clearly dealt them a heavy blow.

The higher ranks had suffered heavy casualties. To fill the vacancies, several capable mid-level members had been promoted, and Yang Dongqing was among them.

Yang Dongqing sat silently in the corner, staring blankly at his palm. In it lay a photograph.

The photo showed a bright and lovely girl nestled like a little bird against a tall man. The sunlight that day had been beautiful, and the garden scenery stunning.

Facing the sun, the girl was flashing a peace sign at the camera, her youthful vitality practically leaping off the paper.

Looking at the girl's sweet smile in the picture, the icy expression on Yang Dongqing's face seemed to melt. The corners of his mouth twitched awkwardly; he wanted to smile, but seemed to have forgotten how.

"Jasmine... I miss you so much."

He murmured softly, feeling a piercing agony spread through his heart.

The meeting continued, with Specter deploying assignments.

"Before long, the Blood Moon Empire will provide another batch of supplies to the Revolutionary Army. Zhu Xuan, take a team to receive them.

"Yan Moxie, investigate the whereabouts of the Blood Clan Progenitor. At present, the Blood Clan Progenitor might be in the Chiyan Empire."

Yan Moxie paused slightly. "The Blood Clan Progenitor is in the Chiyan Empire? And the Blood Moon Empire is still giving us supplies? Is the Undead King planning to make a move against the Chiyan Empire?

"But I heard that under the pressure of the Nightmare Invasion, the Seven Kings had already formed an alliance..."

Specter shook his head. "The Blood Clan Progenitor left the Blood Moon Empire for an unknown reason, and these supplies are simply payment for helping to find her. I actually wish the Undead King were planning to attack the Chiyan Empire. Right now, with Supreme Heaven in Pride's hands, the Chiyan Empire is at its weakest. Unfortunately..."

"What did you say?!" A voice, thick with shock and fury, interrupted Specter.

Specter frowned slightly and looked toward the sound, only to see Yang Dongqing standing up with clenched fists, looking like a savage beast.

Specter sighed. He naturally knew why Yang Dongqing had such a reaction.

"Master, did you just say that Supreme Heaven is in Pride's hands? Is this true?" Yang Dongqing gritted his teeth, his voice trembling slightly.

"Yes, I just received the information from the Undead King. Supreme Heaven is in Pride's hands. Actually, I had already guessed it was lost. Otherwise, during the Seven Kings' recent joint battles, King Chi couldn't possibly have refrained from using it. I just never expected it to end up with Pride..."

Yang Dongqing looked as if he had been struck by lightning. His face turned visibly pale in an instant. He could barely stand as despair and devastation drowned him like a tsunami.

If Supreme Heaven were in King Chi's hands, there might still have been a sliver of hope of obtaining it. But in Pride's hands...

Who didn't know that Pride was an evil god intent on destroying the world? Snatching Supreme Heaven from the hands of a God? It was absolutely impossible.

Buzz...

Yang Dongqing's ears began to ring. The world gradually blurred before his eyes. The surrounding clamor seemed blocked by an invisible barrier, becoming distant and surreal.

Buzz...

The ringing in his ears grew more violent, feeling as though it would split his head open. His heart ached like it was being pierced by needles. He opened his mouth to shout, only to find that he couldn't make a sound. His throat felt choked.

Endless grief submerged him, an agony that pierced straight to his soul.

"Yang Dongqing! Are you all right?"

"Yang Dongqing! Doctor! Hurry and get a doctor!"

Chaotic, distorted voices continually echoed in Yang Dongqing's ears, but he couldn't make them out anymore. His consciousness completely faded.

When he woke up, he found himself lying in a pristine white hospital bed. This was the medical station at the Revolutionary Army base.

"You're finally awake? You've been unconscious for two days," a young woman in a nurse's uniform said with a bright smile.

Yang Dongqing's eyes were hollow. He didn't react at all.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, he frantically began searching his body.

"Are you looking for this?" The young nurse handed over a yellowed photograph.

Yang Dongqing snatched the photo with lightning speed. It wasn't until he clearly saw Jasmine in the picture that a hint of life returned to his eyes.

"Jasmine..."

"She must be very important to you, right?" Seeing Yang Dongqing's devastated state, the young nurse felt an inexplicable pang of sympathy.

"She's a singer, right? I really love that song of hers, 'I Look Forward To'."

As if afraid Yang Dongqing wouldn't believe her, she specifically pulled a Walkman out of her pocket. "Whenever I have free time, I just..."

"Get out." The words, cold as a blade, made the smile freeze on the young nurse's face.

She stood there stunned for a long time. Her smile gradually dissolved, and she bit her lip, feeling a bit wronged. "I just wanted to help you cheer up."

With that, she placed the Walkman on the bed, turned, and left.

Yang Dongqing's gaze didn't waver in the slightest. He stared blankly at the photo in his hand. Drip, drop...

The photograph blurred beneath his tears. He hurriedly reached out to wipe them away, his movements as gentle as if he were polishing a peerless treasure.

After wiping it dry, he caught sight of the Walkman on the bed out of the corner of his eye. He stared at it for a long time before, as if possessed, picking it up.

"A gentle breeze brushes the sea of flowers, sunlight spills across the hem of a skirt. A blooming dream is like a colorful painting, covered in expectations for the future..."

A clean, ethereal female voice slowly flowed through the hospital room. It sounded like a girl in love, softly confessing her beautiful hopes for the future right by his ear.

Hearing the familiar voice, Yang Dongqing smiled, but as he smiled, he began to cry.

He wept with agonizing heartbreak. The tears seemed to draw all the air from his lungs, leaving him barely able to breathe.

All the world knows the bitterness of mortal life, yet fails to grasp the bone-deep ache of yearning.

The beauty of the past dwells long in dreams, while today, a lonely shadow accompanies a grieving heart.

From dawn to dusk, this love will not fade; through passing years, the longing never ceases.

Though thousands of tender threads may bind us still, how can they bridge the gulf of life and death?

Yang Dongqing was like a musician wandering an isolated island at the edge of the world. Even if his heartbreaking performance was deafening, his grief... had no audience.

Or rather, it wasn't that he had absolutely no audience. His only audience was not in this world, but in... the Abyss!

In the endless darkness of the Abyss, a pair of dark red eyes watched him. Eerie crimson light surged within those eyes, burning like hellfire boiled in infinite agony.

...

...

"You're here," Nangong Mengli said with a smile.

Su Mu nodded. "Did you catch them?"

"They're in the dungeon."

"Let's go."

The two walked into the dungeon of the Seven Deadly Sins Base in Star City District 13.

The dungeon was heavily guarded. At every intersection stood a man in a black suit wearing a Silver-White Mask, armed with live ammunition.

Their masks were the same style as those of the Seven Deadly Sins, except they had no expressions or serial numbers, indicating they were outer-ring members of the Seven Deadly Sins.

Nangong Mengli hadn't been idle during this time. Aside from working hard to improve her own strength, she had been secretly expanding the Seven Deadly Sins, recruiting quite a few outer-ring members.

These outer members were also extremely reliable. They had all been meticulously hypnotized by Su Mu. Some were trained soldiers, and others were transcendents.

It could be said that all of Star City was under the control of the Seven Deadly Sins. Strictly speaking, the Chiyan Empire had fundamentally been thoroughly infiltrated as well.

"Leader!" A soldier guarding the iron door gave a fanatical salute.

Su Mu nodded calmly. "Open the door."

"Yes, Leader!"