Chapter 66: The Echoes of a Vanished Past

After Ouyang Xiyue successfully challenged the tenth position on the Heavenly List, the video of his Azure Dew technique went viral online.

His immense power made him the focal point of countless discussions, for it was an undeniable truth that all revered the strong.

“To be so remarkably young, yet possess such potent control over ice elements,” a netizen commented on the blog.

“From the looks of the match, that girl didn’t even exert her full power, effortlessly defeating her opponent.

That was the tenth-ranked on the Heavenly List, mind you, not some insignificant nobody.”

“Indeed, you’ve hit on something,” another blog user, Passerby B, remarked.

“Watching this match stirred a profound sense of familiarity within me.

Perhaps too much time has passed for me to pinpoint it, but that particular feeling of recognition is undeniable.”

“Yes, yes, yes, precisely that familiar sensation!” Passerby C chimed in.

“I felt it so strongly.

I was there, watching the battle live, and not only was it familiar, but the very aura also felt remarkably similar.

It was as if… it was so much like a particular person.”

“How foolish!” exclaimed Passerby D on the blog.

“Isn’t it obviously the previous Saintess, Ren Linglong? Have you all forgotten?

Her terrifying control over ice elements, her unfathomable cultivation – she was truly too powerful.

It’s just a profound pity that such a mighty and beautiful Saintess simply vanished.

Doesn’t that strike you as incredibly strange?”

“Ah, now that you’ve said it, it all comes back to me!” Passerby A on the blog replied.

“Her power transcended that of a Sword Saint.

The previous Saintess, Ren Linglong, was undeniably one of the continent’s supreme experts.

Yet her disappearance is utterly preposterous.

To suggest someone so formidable could have been slain by another is simply inconceivable.

Where did she truly vanish to?

It remains an enigma even now.”

“Rumors circulate that she journeyed to the Outer Realm Battlefield,” Passerby D commented.

“And what’s more, alongside the previous Saintess’s disappearance, six other individuals, each possessing comparable power, also vanished in succession.

Ouyang Xiu was the sole person to return.

Tragically, his cultivation had completely dissipated, leaving him a mere shell of his former self.

I heard the Ouyang family executed him not long ago.

Alas, such a pity that heaven envies heroic talent!”

“Who can truly say?” Passerby E on the blog replied.

“The Ouyang family certainly shows no regard for sentiment.

What a tragic waste, what a profound loss.

He was once the continent’s most formidable fire-elementalist, only to perish in such a manner.”

“Let’s set those matters aside,” Passerby A commented.

“A decade has already passed.

What are your thoughts on this young girl?

Do you believe she can truly follow in the Saintess’s footsteps, becoming as formidable as her, perhaps even rivaling a Saintess?”

“She is undeniably potent,” one user countered.

“If permitted to cultivate unhindered, she could indeed grow far more formidable.

However, to suggest she could rival the previous Saintess is nothing short of a fool’s dream.”

The blog post, brimming with fervent discussions, soared in popularity, reaching even Ouyang Xiyue, who rarely frequented such forums.

It wasn’t the chatter about his own strength, or whether he could stand shoulder to shoulder with the previous Saintess, that captured his attention; none of that truly mattered.

What truly seized him was the familiar name he had overheard: Ouyang Xiu.

Perched on his dormitory bed, Ouyang Xiyue stared at the blog messages on his phone, his mind racing.

‘The strongest fire-elementalist on the entire continent, back then? Ouyang Xiu? Was it merely a coincidence?

Did he share the same name as his father? Or could it be…’

Ouyang Xiyue, who had been lost in thought, utterly still, abruptly rose from his bed.

He yearned to uncover the truth behind these revelations, yet who could he possibly ask?

After a brief moment of contemplation, an answer crystallized in his mind.

With unhurried grace, Ouyang Xiyue settled back down, then retrieved his phone and placed a call.

Mere minutes later, a familiar figure materialized before him.

“Hehehe, my dear ‘wife,’ I’m here!” a voice chirped.

“I didn’t expect you’d contact me so late.

I just returned from a mission.

To think you missed me so much after only two days! Come, give me a hug… Ah!” It was Chi Congyu, the very person who had been kneeling for over a year, still as persistently annoying as ever.

Ouyang Xiyue’s icy gaze swept over her, and Chi Congyu instantly dropped her playful grin.

She sensed the sudden gravity in the air, a wave of confusion washing over her.

‘Eh? What could have happened?’ she mused.

‘Yun’er should be away on training with that little girl.

Is my dear ‘wife’ simply unhappy, or is something else afoot…?’

“Ahem, I apologize, my dear ‘wife,'” Chi Congyu quickly interjected, her tone now serious.

“No more jokes.

Did anything significant occur during the two days I was absent?

Has someone perhaps dared to bully you?

No… that can’t be right.

With your formidable strength, my dear ‘wife,’ such a thing is impossible.

What, then, has transpired to create such a somber atmosphere?” She spoke, her brow furrowed in confusion, before settling onto the bed beside Ouyang Xiyue.

“Chi Congyu,” Ouyang Xiyue asked, his voice grave, “do you know Ouyang Xiu?”

“Ah? Ouyang Xiu?” Chi Congyu stammered.

“Of course I know him.

Isn’t he your father, Xiyue?

Hmm… my deepest condolences… I apologize for bringing up something that causes you distress.” She spoke with extreme caution, fearing her ‘wife’ would be overcome with sorrow, given the circumstances.

“There’s no need to apologize,” Ouyang Xiyue replied.

“I was the one who asked.

Besides, I’ve come to terms with it somewhat.

It’s just… ahem, do you know of my father’s other identity?” His heart was a tumult of both confusion and apprehension, yet he yearned desperately for the truth.

“This?” Chi Congyu began, a hint of bewilderment in her voice.

“Surely it’s common knowledge?

My dear ‘wife,’ your father, Ouyang Xiu – my father-in-law, that is – was once the continent’s most powerful fire manipulator.

What’s amiss?

Could it be that you, my dear ‘wife,’ are unaware?

That seems quite improbable.” She was genuinely perplexed by Ouyang Xiyue’s inquiry, as this information was hardly a secret; it was known to all.

As Ouyang Xiyue listened to Chi Congyu’s revelation, a subtle shift occurred within him.

It truly was his father.

A fleeting shadow of sorrow crossed his eyes, only to vanish instantly, as if that momentary grief had never been.

“I genuinely had no idea,” Ouyang Xiyue confessed, his voice tinged with agitation.

“No one ever told me, and I’ve never paid much attention to outside news.

What exactly transpired back then?

Why did my father’s cultivation scatter completely?

What truly happened?”

Shedding her usual carefree demeanor, Chi Congyu’s expression grew solemn.

“Very well, I understand,” Chi Congyu responded.

“I will tell you everything I know.

Although this information is not meant for public dissemination, you are already mine, so there’s no harm in sharing it with you.

Xiyue, have you ever heard of the God Slaying War?” she asked, her voice tinged with an air of mystery.

‘Not to be spread? The God Slaying War?’ Ouyang Xiyue’s mind reeled.

‘What truly happened back then?’ Even with his sharp intellect, he found himself utterly bewildered.

“I’ve never heard of it,” Ouyang Xiyue admitted, his confusion deepening with every word.

“The God Slaying War?

What does it mean to ‘slay gods’?

What are these ‘gods’?

Why would one slay them?

Do gods truly exist in this world?

And what connection does this have to my father?” The more he heard, the more disoriented he became.

He felt like an outsider on this very continent, having been privy to none of these profound secrets.

He could only fault himself for his singular focus on cultivation and vengeance.

“Whoa, stop, stop, stop, my dear ‘wife’!” Chi Congyu interjected, a wry smile playing on her lips.

“Are you a walking encyclopedia of ‘whys’?

Allow me to answer slowly.

Truthfully, I don’t know a great deal myself.

For more intricate details, one would likely need to consult my grandfather, though I fear he might be reluctant to divulge such secrets.

Legend has it that gods descended from the heavens, embarking on a rampant slaughter of humanity.

In response, seven of the continent’s most formidable individuals united to slay these deities, and your father was among their ranks.”

“No one truly knows how the gods descended, nor why they so ruthlessly slaughtered humanity,” Chi Congyu continued.

“The conflict between those seven supreme human experts and the gods became known as the God Slaying War.

All I know is what my grandfather recounted: back then, the battle tore the very void apart, manifesting bizarre celestial phenomena.

No one dared to approach that ravaged land, for the shattered void teemed with chaotic temporal currents.

Ultimately, it was known that the gods were successfully vanquished.

Of the seven paramount experts, six vanished in succession.

Only your father, Ouyang Xiu, returned alive.”

“However,” she added, “while he did return, his entire cultivation had been completely scattered.

Following that, he never truly recovered.

What precisely transpired, only your father likely knew.

But he, too… This is the extent of my knowledge.

My grandfather undoubtedly possesses far more information than I do, yet he appears reluctant to speak of this matter.

As for why, even now, I remain ignorant…” Having delivered her account, Chi Congyu settled into a quiet stillness, patiently awaiting Ouyang Xiyue’s response, allowing him time to absorb the profound revelations.

A prolonged silence stretched between them before…

“Emm, alright then,” Ouyang Xiyue eventually said, his expression utterly unreadable.

“I require some time to process this information.

Thank you for your efforts.

I need to rest now; you may return.”

Chi Congyu, though still somewhat baffled, recognized the shift in her ‘wife’s’ mood.

Knowing that Ouyang Xiyue was not in a good state, she decided it best to withdraw for now, lest her ‘wife’ grow angry.

In truth, Ouyang Xiyue wasn’t actively pondering anything.

He simply lay upon his bed, allowing his mind to clear, and with a slow closing of his eyes, he drifted into sleep.