Chapter 65: Returning Home

After several rounds, Li Chenqiu finally loosened his grip.

Under such torment, the Nether Prison Dragon had long since rolled its eyes back, collapsing onto the ground like a puddle of mud.

With a thought from Li Chenqiu, his fifty-meter-long arm instantly dissipated. Amidst the swirling water mist, Li Chenqiu emerged charred black from head to toe, stumbling about as if dead drunk. His unfocused gaze locked onto a piece of wood wrapped in flames.

According to Li Chenqiu's deduction, as long as he was burned to death by fire, he would regain his vitality just like when he drowned in the water last time.

"Getting closer... Soon... I'll be... a little stronger..."

A faint trace of joy welled up in Li Chenqiu's exhausted eyes as he condensed an ice spike out of thin air and drove it straight into his own heart.

Splat!

Red blood trickled down the ice spike, and his groggy mind grew slightly clearer from the pain.

"Almost there... Almost..." Li Chenqiu's lips split into a grin.

He drew closer and closer to that ball of flames, only three steps away now.

Just as Li Chenqiu was about to take the third-to-last step, the Nether Prison Dragon lying behind him opened its eyes, its deep blue vertical pupils suddenly dilating.

In the next second, the Nether Prison Dragon's massive body transformed into wisps of black smoke that drifted away with the wind, but one wisp surged in the opposite direction straight toward Li Chenqiu.

Just as Li Chenqiu was about to take his final step, that wisp of black smoke darted into the back of his head, and his already tottering body collapsed heavily to the ground.

……

……

Amidst boundless darkness, Li Chenqiu stood on the spot, his entire body gripped by fatigue.

"Where is this?" Li Chenqiu looked around blankly, then glanced down at his own body, which was as transparent as glazed glass.

"I truly underestimated you. You are far more powerful than I ever expected!" In the darkness, a pair of deep blue pupils slowly lit up, followed by blue flames surging from the shadows as the form of the Nether Prison Dragon materialized before Li Chenqiu.

Unlike its previous height of a hundred meters, the Nether Prison Dragon appeared quite petite now, standing only a little over two meters tall.

"Though the process was somewhat twists and turns, the outcome remains the same. Your soul has indeed grown weak. Next, all I need to do is eradicate your soul, and this physical vessel will be mine!"

Before it could even finish speaking, the Nether Prison Dragon flapped its wings and pounced on Li Chenqiu.

It was truly terrified, deathly afraid that Li Chenqiu might suddenly blurt out a sentence: *Are you even worthy of measuring me?*

……

The Nether Prison Dragon's speed was not fast, but Li Chenqiu's speed was even slower, for he had no intention of dodging at all.

With a muffled thud, Li Chenqiu was pinned firmly beneath the Nether Prison Dragon. "You have no chance left! Your soul is far too weak!"

The Nether Prison Dragon locked Li Chenqiu in place with all four limbs as the blue flames on its body gradually spread onto Li Chenqiu.

In an instant, an excruciating, bone-deep agony speared straight up to Li Chenqiu's crown. Yet he showed no outward sign of distress; this level of pain was far too mild for him—or rather, he could easily endure it.

Li Chenqiu looked calmly at the Nether Prison Dragon, a faint smile lingering at the corner of his lips. "Your fire isn't hot enough."

"You..." The Nether Prison Dragon's eyes widened. "Such a stubborn mouth!"

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

The blue Nether flames burned with even greater ferocity, and wisps of black smoke drifted away from Li Chenqiu's soul.

"Enjoy it to the fullest!"

The Nether Prison Dragon released Li Chenqiu, leaped up into the air, and quietly awaited the moment of his demise.

The fire grew larger and larger until Li Chenqiu was entirely engulfed by the flames, rendering any human form invisible from the outside.

"Just how long do I have to burn to be considered dead..." Li Chenqiu bit his lips tightly. Under the scorching heat, he instinctively curled his entire body inward, wrapping his arms tightly around his knees.

I know not how much time passed, but Li Chenqiu could no longer see the color of the flames, nor could he hear any crackling sounds. He felt as though he had plunged into an even deeper abyss of darkness, enveloped by an indescribable sense of solitude.

……

……

Warm and pleasant sunlight streamed through the old windows into the room, and Li Chenqiu slowly opened his eyes.

Greeting his vision were several cracks crisscrossing the ceiling, peeling wallpaper held together by adhesive tape, and an old tungsten-filament bulb swaying gently in the morning breeze.

An enticing aroma of steamed buns wafted in from outside the window, and Li Chenqiu knew that Uncle Wang's bun shop on the second floor had opened for business.

"How..." Li Chenqiu's gaze was dull, his pupils trembling slightly.

He lay there on the bed, unmoving, staring hungrily at the ceiling, breathing in the surrounding air, and listening to the rhythmic clatter of pots and spatulas coming from the kitchen.

Li Chenqiu's lips quivered, as if he wanted to shout something, yet he dared not open his mouth, terrified of plunging back into the darkness.

After a long moment of hesitation, he called out in a slightly hoarse voice, "Mom."

……

Perhaps the noises from the kitchen were simply too loud, for the person inside seemed not to have heard Li Chenqiu's voice.

So he raised his volume and called out once more, "Mom."

"Yeah, what is it?" A gentle and familiar voice floated over from the kitchen.

Li Chenqiu, lying on the bed, froze. A certain chord within his heart seemed to have been plucked, and tear after tear slipped uncontrollably from the corners of his eyes.

With trembling hands, he pulled back the blanket, steadied himself against the wall, and walked step by step from the bedroom toward the kitchen.

This was the shortest path he had ever walked in his life, yet also the longest.

Leaning against the kitchen doorframe with reddened eyes, Li Chenqiu looked at the middle-aged woman wearing an apron. The temples of her hair were already streaked with white, and the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes were growing deeper.

Xu Yue seemed to sense the movement at the doorway and turned her head to look at Li Chenqiu. "Hey, why are you crying?"

"I..." Li Chenqiu rubbed his eyes, forcing out a somewhat unnatural smile. "Something seems to have gotten into my eye."

"Go wash your face quickly, dinner will be ready in a moment. Head next door and call Xiaoyue over." Xu Yue harbored no suspicions and resumed what she had been doing.

"Okay." Li Chenqiu nodded obediently and turned to leave the kitchen. Before he even reached the doorway, a series of heavy knocking sounds echoed from the front door.

"Coming." Li Chenqiu answered and trotted over to open the front door.

Just as the door cracked open an inch, a hand grabbed the doorframe, and a bright, radiant face instantly appeared before Li Chenqiu.

"Oh my, what's with these red-rimmed eyes of yours? Were you crying?" Qi Mingyue chimed in with a mischievous glint, pointing mockingly at the corner of Li Chenqiu's eye as if discovering some rare wonder, his eyes full of astonishment.

"Get lost. I wouldn't even shed a tear if you dropped dead." Li Chenqiu reached out and swatted Qi Mingyue's hand away.

Qi Mingyue chuckled. "Still keeping a stiff upper lip, huh? If the day ever comes when one of us truly has to die, I must die before you. That way, I'll get to see what you look like crying over me, and you won't get to see what I look like crying over you—killing two birds with one stone."

Li Chenqiu froze slightly, asking in a bantering tone, "A heartless fellow like you could actually cry for me?"

Qi Mingyue made a fist and gently punched Li Chenqiu's shoulder. "Don't go tossing around morbid talk like death even in jest. If you ever actually curse yourself to death one day, what am I supposed to do when I'm left without a companion and want someone to talk to? You can't expect me to follow you up to heaven, can you!"