FRGNM -Chapter 141 Hatred and Pain

Reaching out, a purple aura of Dou Qi carried a blue gemstone slowly into the sea. Compared to other oceans, this one was extraordinarily beautiful. The azure water lapped gently, and even the fish swimming beneath could be seen clearly. If it weren’t for the sight limit of a hundred meters, Ling Ruoxi might have been able to see the sea beasts swimming below.

“Here it goes…” The gem fell into the water, and the sea ahead churned violently, as if boiling. Water on both sides dispersed, as if someone had cleaved it in half, revealing the sand below.

The sea rose, carrying away the settled sand. A staircase gradually emerged from beneath the water, looking as pristine as if it had just been built—even after hundreds of years, it seemed untouched by time.

“The Watersplitting Stone can separate the sea, so don’t worry about being swallowed by the water. Only when I retrieve the stone will the sea converge again. Follow me.” Smiling faintly, the Dongdu King descended the staircase.

The long staircase led to an unknown place. Along the way, lanterns embedded in the blue stone lit automatically. Their cerulean glow shimmered like waves under the sea, mesmerizing and arresting the heart.

The deeper they went, the colder the temperature became.

Soon, a bronze stone door appeared. Carved upon it was a strange nine-headed serpent, coiled and guarding the entrance.

With a flick of his hand, the purple Dou Qi entered the serpent heads from different angles. Each eye on the nine heads opened suddenly, and the serpent seemed alive, its cold eyes sweeping over everyone present.

The silver wolf shivered, hating this icy aura, rubbing his arms.

“Crack…” The central serpent head split, and the door opened inward. The dark corridor beyond instantly lit up, the white light piercing and dazzling.

Ling Ruoxi half-closed her eyes, stunned. The massive chamber was filled with countless jade stones. Each stone bore the carving of a woman—and to her astonishment, the features of these women bore a striking resemblance to her, about fifty percent alike!

“That’s right—this is your mother.” The Dongdu King smiled lightly, gently touching one jade stone. “She looks like you, but her character is miles apart from yours.”

“Your mother, before your father, was gentle yet strong-willed, always compliant, never arguing over small matters. You, on the other hand, quarrel with Xie Wang every day—so much that even I, an outsider, can’t endure it!” Covering his head, the Dongdu King caught the looks the two sent his way and returned to the matter at hand.

“But your mother’s character was unyielding, with gentleness reserved solely for your father—no one else could have it.”

“Because of this, your father married only your mother. This place… is where they were wed and where you were born.” He gestured to a jade bed ahead, slowly approaching, picking up a wooden comb, inhaling its lingering fragrance. “Even after twenty years, their presence remains here. They hid themselves in this place to avoid worldly interference, but out of necessity, they still sent you away. Lord Xie, you should be able to discern some of their cultivated methods from here.”

Pushing open the heavy stone door, the lights inside responded, illuminating wall carvings.

Ling Ruoxi gasped. Countless patterns unfolded before her eyes. Every move, every posture contained an unstoppable aura. On the right, simple words recorded the essence of their cultivation methods.

Luo Mingyu’s face changed drastically. He staggered back. “This… this is impossible!”

“As you see, nothing is impossible. This is the truth.” The Dongdu King touched the wall, smiling helplessly.

Ling Ruoxi could see nothing, only watching Luo Mingyu in shock, wanting to rush to him, asking what was happening—but she restrained herself.

The silver wolf, however, couldn’t remain calm. He grabbed Luo Mingyu’s clothing, pointing at the carvings. “Luo Mingyu! Explain it! What’s happening? How is this possible? There’s nothing impossible in this world!”

“Let go!” Luo Mingyu growled, shoving the silver wolf away.

The Dongdu King shook his head, smiling faintly, and continued, “I’ll explain. These carvings are a combination of the cultivation methods from your Xie Wang Island and Qiongyu Immortal Island. That means Ruoxi’s parents came from Xie Wang Island and Qiongyu Island, respectively. Your so-called self-developed methods are not even half as strong as theirs. They perfected theirs long ago.”

“What do you mean?” Ling Ruoxi’s face darkened. Could it be her parents were all over a thousand years old?

The Dongdu King sighed, pressing against the carvings. “Ruoxi, calm down. Lord Xie, I’ll ask you: you infiltrated Qiongyu Island for a hundred years. Why? You learned about the island, so you should know—over the past twenty years, who on Qiongyu Island broke the rules?”

“The Grand Protector?” Luo Mingyu’s face stiffened, cold sweat dripping. How could it be… the Grand Protector?

Her heart skipped, and Ling Ruoxi felt parched. She remembered Fang Xu saying that on the entire continent, only one person possessed a ring capable of storing living beings—a ring personally created by the Grand Protector from Qiongyu Island.

The Dongdu King nodded with a faint smile. “Your mother is the Grand Protector of Qiongyu Island. She should have been the future head of the island, but because she fell in love with your father, she met this fate—exiled to a barren realm, suffering every day for over twenty years.”

“Impossible… my mother from Qiongyu Island? My father…”

“Your father… is his master.” A smirk. The Dongdu King placed a hand on Luo Mingyu’s shoulder. “I believe that’s correct, Lord Xie. As for the details, let him explain to her. I won’t say more.”

He sighed, tugging the silver wolf’s ear, raising an eyebrow. “What, little wolf? Planning to interfere with their emotions? Come with me.”

“Hey! I don’t care if you’re the Dongdu King or whatever—you can’t pull my ear! Let go, or I’ll bite it off!” The wolf’s protests ended with him being dragged out.

What exactly was happening?

It all came too fast. Ling Ruoxi could hardly process it, staring in shock. She nearly fell, trying to calm her breath, only to see a large hand in front of her. She raised her head.

The cold man stood over her, looking down, but a flicker of tenderness crossed his eyes—gone the moment she looked up.

“Thank you.” Holding that warm hand, Ling Ruoxi leaned against the wall. She didn’t know if it was her own cold body or his sudden warmth.

Seeing the place her parents had once lived stirred a pang of sorrow. Even with intelligence from Earth, she had grown up without parents. After Yizhui and Yimeng were born, she had tried to provide maternal love, to give them happiness—anything to prevent them from walking the same path she did.

Yet, she could not give them paternal love. She could not help them. So often, when the little ones were too young to understand, they would grab her hand, cry, and ask where their father was.

Her nose tingled; Ling Ruoxi blinked back tears, staring at the carvings, unsure what to ask.

“Sit.” Luo Mingyu’s voice was low. He took a cloak from the storage ring and draped it over her shoulders. Her hands were icy. She could not accept the truth, and even he could not.

Sitting beside her, Luo Mingyu smiled bitterly. “Though I’ve been on Qiongyu Island for so many years, I didn’t know about the Grand Protector—a cruel irony. She was a formidable woman. They said she broke through to Orange Dou Qi stage at age five, reached Green at ten, and Blue before eighteen, advancing to Purple Rank. She was the future heir of Qiongyu Island. Yet she represented the Dark Clan—the darkness incarnate.”

“But she had none of that aura. Instead, she was purer than the women representing light. I first met her when I entered the island. She said only one sentence to me.” Luo Mingyu paused, a helpless bitter smile. “I was only five then—how could I understand it?”

“What did my mother say?” Ling Ruoxi whispered, suppressing her inner grief.

Brushing hair from his forehead, Luo Mingyu replied coldly: “She said, ‘How can one cultivate with hatred in one’s heart?’”

“Hatred?” Ling Ruoxi asked, astonished.

He nodded, standing and punching the wall hard. His dark eyes reddened slightly. “At five, I was taken forcibly by the island. But I was my father’s only son—how could he allow it? My mother begged, and I knelt, begging them not to take me. Ridiculous, right? Who would think the Xie King would kneel and plead?”

“Even then, they took me. My father grabbed the butcher’s knife to save me—but without Dou Qi, how could he compete with those who had it? My father and mother… they died. I watched them die before my eyes, their heads falling at my feet!” The silver-white figure trembled, cold light flashing in his blackened eyes. His clenched fists bled red—but the standing figure beside him remained oblivious.