Chapter 632: Friendship, Love

There had once been a man of utmost importance in Hua Qinglian’s life. A brother. Not by blood, but by bond.

They trained under the same master, cultivated together, traveled the world side by side, and joined the government together. In their youth, they had shared a vow, and in adulthood, fulfilled it together. Time and again, they fought side by side on the battlefield, entrusting their backs to each other without hesitation.

They had shared the same bed, sleeping back-to-back. Music, chess, calligraphy, poetry, wine, and flowers—even their passions were the same. Both had once been hailed as peerless prodigies, the Twin Jewels of Great Xia, who had dazzled an entire era.

𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Finding a true confidant in life was rare. Hua Qinglian considered himself fortunate to have had such a bond forged from childhood. It had carried them forward as they devoted themselves to protecting Great Xia until death.

One walked in the light, the other in the shadows. Together, they slayed star beasts and vanquished enemies. They were unstoppable.

Hua Qinglian, standing in the open, had climbed step by step to the highest rank of honor until he became one of Great Xia’s Grand Commanders. But the one in the shadows had never stood in the spotlight. His name had never appeared in public records.

He once said, "Little Hua, I am your shadow."

He once said, "If only one of us can receive the people's cheers, I hope that person is you."

He once said, "Someone must carry the burden in the darkness."

He once said, "Being a Grand Commander is troublesome. I have no interest in it. I'd rather stay behind the scenes... But if you ever need me, I will always be here."

He had said many things. And he had kept every single promise. He was always a man of his word. Until one day, he had never returned from a secret mission to Yiggs. He had vanished completely from this world.

Never again did he set foot on the land of Great Xia, the nation he had loved so deeply. Never again did he stand at Hua Qinglian’s side, like a shadow that had always followed him.

To find him, Hua Qinglian, a Grand Commander of Great Xia, had broken protocol twice to infiltrate the Yiggs Union alone in search of clues. But he had found nothing.

And so, a classified document titled ‘Dark Glory ①’ was sealed away within Great Xia’s National Archives, locked inside the most confidential vault, alongside the records of every Grand Commander in history.

His name was Xie Yuxiao. Hua Qinglian’s best friend. But now, this man, who should have been dead for a hundred years, stood before him in this strange space. A man who should have aged, yet now looked as radiant as the morning sun.

But what tore Hua Qinglian’s heart apart was the sight of Xie Yuxiao wearing the moon-white uniform of the Eden God Warriors. He had come from Eden.

"Little Hua." Xie Yuxiao smiled, stepping forward slowly. "It’s been a long time."

Hua Qinglian’s breathing trembled. This man, who had stood at the pinnacle of both influence and martial arts in one of Earth's greatest nations, now revealed something rare in his eyes. Weakness. Sorrow.

"Why is it you?" Hua Qinglian’s voice was as fragile as drifting clouds. A whisper of pain and confusion.

Xie Yuxiao tilted his head and smiled. "Why do you look so unhappy to see me alive?"

"If I could, I would give my life—everything I have—to bring you back. But unfortunately, the one standing before me now... is not you."

Hua Qinglian’s forehead veins bulged slightly. Even with his unyielding will, it took all his strength to suppress the emotions surging inside him like the eruption of Mount Naroya.

"Little Hua, why deceive yourself? You should be able to feel it; I am still me. Nothing has changed," said Xie Yuxiao, stepping forward once more. "Do you remember everything I did for you? We have always been kindred spirits and the closest of comrades. Trust me. Abandon resistance. Come and witness the wonders beyond the stars, the eternal brilliance of immortality."

Hua Qinglian shook his head. He didn’t know if fate itself had finally grown weary after five hundred years of struggle and begun to tip against humanity. When teleportation arrays ignored the city’s defensive barriers, when he himself was trapped within an inescapable formation in an instant...

When such forces, far beyond Earth's civilization, descended so brutally upon them, perhaps the fate of Great Xia was already sealed. But still, he wanted to fight one last time.

"I'm sorry, Little Yu," said Hua Qinglian.

He did not hesitate as he summoned his strongest spiritual treasure, the Nine-Lotus Lantern. Dancing lotus petals transformed into nine deadly streaks of light, shooting forth.

"If this were any other time... Even if I knew the you standing before me was nothing but a resurrected shell, a body stripped of its soul and faith, I would still listen to every word you had to say. I would sit with you and talk, pretending that the shadow that once stood beside me had never left.

"But now, I can't. Great Xia is on the brink of destruction. The last bloodline of the Dragon’s descendants stands at the edge of extinction. It was once the thing you valued more than your own life. I cannot waste a single second. So I will give it my all."

Tears glistened at the corners of Hua Qinglian’s eyes, which were filled with both sorrow and killing intent. The hotter the tears burned, the more searing his intent to kill.

***

"Little Ye?" Li Donglou stared at the girl standing on the white sands of the isolated island before him, his eyes filled with unwavering shock that refused to fade.

A pillar of light had descended. He had been in the midst of fierce battle, but he had suddenly been teleported to this inexplicable deserted island. He was surrounded by ocean waves, seagulls, seashells, and endless beaches.

And standing across from him... was Ye Zhichen. His once unwavering lover. The one who had haunted his thoughts over the past 41,245 days, the one he had loved but could never have again, the weight of an irreparable regret he could not bear.

She had been killed in a counteroffensive against an ocean star beast, torn apart by the tentacles of a Grade Seven Beast Emperor Octopus. Her body had been shredded and her head swallowed whole...

Yet...

"Brother Donglou." The dead girl smiled and waved in a blue two-piece bikini.

Her shoulder-length black hair swayed in the ocean breeze, her bright, captivating eyes shimmering like fragments of gold. Her fair skin was a slight shade of pink under the direct sunlight. She stood there, smiling quietly like a masterpiece painting, mesmerizing and impossibly real.

Li Donglou’s entire body trembled. Everyone had someone they cherished most in this world. And she was his only one. Even a Grand Commander, one who stood at the pinnacle of power and authority, had once walked the path of a young, naive boy.

After tasting the joys and sorrows of the world, after drinking deep from the bitter cup of love and loss, he had become the aloof, emotionless figure he was today.

"I heard that Eden has been conducting a wicked experiment of cloning the finest genes of fallen warriors from the war between humans and beasts, creating soldiers who feel no pain, know no fear, and have no weaknesses.

"Or worse... that they were using dark sorcery to resurrect them, stripping their souls of past honor, making them surrender to the temptation of immortality, and turning them into puppets of evil... So, Little Ye, did they bring you back as well?"

Li Donglou spoke softly as he slowly approached the girl with a mesmerized look on his face.

"If this is a dream... I never want to wake up."

He let all his defenses fall as he spread his arms wide and stepped toward the girl.

"Brother Donglou," Ye Zhichen responded with open warmth and joy.

The moment Li Donglou wrapped his arms around her, tears streamed down his face. She was real. Warm. Fragrant. His memories surged like a tidal wave, drowning him completely.

"I should thank Eden..." Li Donglou buried his face in her soft hair, inhaling deeply. "Otherwise, I might have lived my whole life without ever seeing such a real you again."

"Brother Donglou... huh?" Ye Zhichen’s smile suddenly faded as a flash of shock crossed her face.

Li Donglou’s arms tightened so forcefully that he snapped her spine and both arms in an instant.

"I’m sorry. I’m sorry." He sobbed loudly, but his grip only tightened further. Brilliant flames erupted from his body, engulfing both him and the girl in his embrace.

For Great Xia.

***

Outside Xiajing City, the Divine Envoy stood smiling amidst the endless tide of star beasts. The Stellar Holy War had only ever been a delaying tactic.

Now that reinforcements had arrived, there was no longer any need for a Holy War. Only a siege remained. There was only one thing he was concerned about...

His gaze drifted toward the cemetery behind White Deer Academy. Now, with everything pushed to the brink, would those creatures finally reveal themselves to stop him?

If they did, that would be perfect.