Chapter 114: The Shocking Memory, Part 2

Le Tianxing shuddered, his tiger-like eyes erupting with a gaze of profound disbelief. "Bing Wuji, what are you trying to say? My dear brother would never betray me!"

"Hahaha, how laughable. Even now, Ye Wudi has not appeared. You should give up hope; surrender obediently, and perhaps you might still save the lives of your wife and child." Bing Wuji waved his hand, and an ice sword several meters long materialized in the void, slashing down fiercely toward Le Tianxing.

The blade’s glow did not yield, colliding head-on with the ice sword. Suddenly, the very space seemed to freeze, twisting in an eerie fashion. Bing Wuji stood tall and arrogant, while Le Tianxing let out a muffled groan, sent flying a great distance as he spat out several mouthfuls of blood. A moment later, his mother had already brought Le Kai to his father’s side, supporting him anxiously. "Big Brother, are you alright?"

Le Tianxing laughed heartily, spitting out the remaining blood in his mouth. "It’s nothing. You know how tough my body is; what is this minor injury?"

"Big Brother, there has been no news of Ye Wudi until now. I fear that this matter..."

"It cannot be. Le’er, do not doubt him. I believe in my brother. Even if he cannot come, it must be because he has no choice, but he would never betray us." Le Tianxing stood up and said in a deep voice, "Take Xiao Kai and go first; leave this to me."

"No, we have endured so many hardships together, and we have survived them all. What meaning is there in a life without you? Even if it means death, Le’er will die with you. No one can separate us."

"Fool, we cannot be so selfish; we must think of Xiao Kai! Listen to me, go!"

Le Tianxing’s body jolted as if an air current had exploded. Le Kai heard his mother scream, and then he found himself moving further and further away from his father, whose figure grew smaller and smaller...

But in the instant he left, Le Kai saw his father’s eyes suddenly turn blood-red, while his hands emitted a piercing, chilling light!

Those were... claws!

In that moment, Le Kai felt as if struck by lightning, frozen in absolute shock.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

In the distant space, violent explosions seemed to erupt, the raging energy extending to an unknown distance.

"Big Brother..."

The shrill cry sliced through Le Kai’s heart like a blade, leaving him in agonizing pain. The next second, he was horrified to find himself back by his father’s side. But now, his father’s military uniform was reduced to rags, his flowing hair was disheveled, and most terrifying of all, his body was covered in dense, crisscrossing wounds, blood flowing freely. Those piercing, spirited eyes had dimmed, and his lips were bruised and purple, like those of a corpse.

Yet his voice suddenly surged with fury: "Le’er, why couldn't you listen to me just this once? Your body cannot withstand the repeated use of 'Star-Shifting.' Why do you force yourself like this!"

"Big Brother, I said it before: a life without you is worse than death. Even if I must sacrifice everything, I cannot sacrifice you." The voice in his ear was gentle yet firm. As Le Kai felt a deep sense of sorrow, he was also profoundly moved by the deep love between his parents.

This was true devotion, life and death together, never to be parted.

"Bing Wuji has been injured by my Berserk Transformation; we are safe for now. Although the warship is destroyed, with my current spiritual energy, I can still support us until we reach the Sanctuary Galaxy. Once we find Brother Ye, everything will be over."

Le Tianxing gathered his spiritual energy and stood up, a smile on his face. Having survived so many battles and slaughters, they were finally about to live the peaceful life he had always longed for. What a joyous thing that was!

"Brother Le, I have arrived!"

With the voice, an object suddenly appeared—a small flying shuttle emerged from nowhere and appeared directly before them. A young man in long robes wearing a strange hat jumped out.

"Brother Ye, you finally arrived." Le Tianxing looked at the other man with excitement, a joy so profound that even Le Kai was moved.

The young man had an upright countenance, immediately inspiring an infinite sense of goodwill. One felt he was surely a kind soul, especially his eyes, which held a compassion that seemed to look straight into one’s heart, moving others with his benevolent spirit.

But at this moment, looking at his brother of life and death, he showed no joy, only hesitation.

"Brother Ye, what does this mean? Could it be...?"

No matter how much Le Tianxing believed in their brotherhood, seeing Ye Wudi’s expression, he understood. He smiled bitterly. "I never expected that brotherly love would ultimately fall short of worldly interests. Ye Wudi, I truly was blind to have misjudged you."

His already severely injured body began to tremble violently, and blood gushed from the corners of his mouth. No one knew that his heart pain at this moment was comparable to ten thousand blades piercing his heart. Those once optimistic eyes were now filled with a grief that tore Le Kai’s heart to pieces.

Ye Wudi said guiltily, "Brother Le, I am truly sorry. This matter has become a bit too big, and I cannot defy my master’s orders. I can only wrong you, Brother Le."

Having finished, he stepped forward, the hesitation in his eyes vanishing, replaced by a resolve that treated them as strangers.

"It seems our family of three cannot escape death today. But to die together, we have no regrets. Big Brother, Xiao Kai is already three months old; you haven't held him yet. We cannot leave with regrets. Help me hold him!" After the gentle voice finished, Le Kai left a warm embrace and entered a broad, solid chest. He knew this was his father’s embrace!

In that exact moment, the image he had waited for so long finally appeared: his mother’s face.

What a countenance it was!

Le Kai had never seen such a beautiful woman. Her snow-white robes were flowing and pure; her features were exquisite to the extreme, cold and noble, like a celestial maiden untainted by any dust of the mortal world. Yet, those charming eyes held deep longing and reluctance... and resolve!

Le Kai felt a vague sense of dread, but the next moment, the beautiful woman’s lips overflowed with brilliant crimson blood, vivid as a blooming flower...

This was a scene Le Kai often dreamt of, though he had never clearly seen her face. But that heart-rending sorrow was just as real as it was now.

"Star-Shifting... Big Brother, Xiao Kai, farewell!" His mother’s reluctant voice rang in Le Kai’s ears. A single drop of blood floated up and flew toward him, followed by a sharp pain in his forehead, as if something had entered his mind.

"No..."

His father’s shrill cry was drawn out, and then—total darkness.

***

The memory ended. Le Kai was sobbing uncontrollably, clutching Xianxian tightly as he wailed, as if to vent over a decade of grievances and bitterness all at once.

Xianxian was also weeping, her face streaked with tears. Although this was only a consciousness space, the sorrow was so intense that, sharing everything with Le Kai, she felt it as if she were there herself. At this moment, she hugged Le Kai tightly, just like a mother holding her child.

"Le Kai, be strong."

"Sister Xianxian, I’m fine, really, I’m fine." Le Kai raised his head, his face covered in tears, yet he smiled. "I finally saw her. She is so beautiful, even more beautiful than you, Sister. It’s just a pity I don't know her name." He sobbed, tears streaming down. "But that Bing Wuji and Ye Wudi must know, right?"

Xianxian said worriedly, "My dear brother, calm down. Our current cultivation level is too low; we are no match for peerless experts like Bing Wuji and Ye Wudi."

The grief in Le Kai’s eyes gradually turned into a steely resolve. He swore, "I finally know now that my Berserk Transformation was not sparked by the professor, but inherited. If my father could heavily injure Bing Wuji, I can certainly do the same. Besides, I have my mother’s excellent genes. I am a genius—a fated genius, am I not?" He looked at Xianxian with absolute confidence. "Moreover, I have Master Danchi’s alchemy. In time, defeating those two will not be difficult. And those who hunted them down—I will make them taste despair as well."

Xianxian stared blankly at Le Kai for a long time before nodding. "Yes, you are a genius! A peerless genius for whom the entire universe will tremble."

Only in the consciousness space, only with Xianxian, and only this once could Le Kai be so emotional and let go of his vulnerable side.

He calmed himself and said, "Sister Xianxian, please help me organize and formulate the best training plan for the future. Since this is an era where geniuses emerge, I shall simply have to tread over their corpses to move forward."

Xianxian said, "I will formulate the plan as soon as possible. Actually, I have already carefully studied the 'Secret Manual of Unity' for you. It is truly an ancient and peerless book. As long as you master it, defeating the likes of Bing Wuji and Ye Wudi will be no difficult task."

"Le Kai, Le Kai, what’s wrong? Why are you crying? Who bullied you?"

Le Kai snapped his eyes open to see Li Yan looking at him in shock. He was crouching on the ground, his face covered in tears.

"No... it’s nothing. I just suddenly remembered that my mom and dad are gone, and I felt a bit emotional." Le Kai reached out to wipe the tears, but they kept flowing, unstoppable. The sorrow in his eyes shook Li Yan deeply. She had never imagined that the cheerful and optimistic Le Kai could one day cry so heart-wrenchingly. She couldn't help but feel her own eyes redden. She pulled a delicate handkerchief from her pocket and gently wiped his tears.

Le Kai felt a surge of warmth. Li Yan was truly a kind girl, just like his mother. Not only did she have a similar voice, but her temperament and mannerisms were so alike. Could it be that his mother, in the afterlife, knew he was lonely and sent her to look after him?

"Thank you, Yan'er, you are really like my mother." Le Kai said this with no ulterior motive; it was just a natural thought. Li Yan’s face flushed, and she pouted coquettishly, "I don't have a crybaby like you for a kid. Come, there, there, don't cry—Big Sister will give you a candy!"

With that, she actually pulled a candy from her pocket and stuffed it directly into Le Kai’s mouth.

Le Kai’s mouth fell open in surprise, but he couldn't help but burst into a laugh, and the gloom in his heart seemed to dissipate along with it.