In the mortal world, Y City.

After getting out of the taxi, Xie Xiaofeng, weighted down with thoughts, walked slowly and heavily toward the apartment building where Chen Hao lived.

Last night, Ye Yuqiao and Chen Hao had urged him to go back and properly say goodbye to his family. However, he only dared to tell his grandfather, Xie Da, about going to the Netherworld. If his parents found out, they would surely try to stop him by all means, especially his mother, who would certainly cry in front of him until dawn.

Just before he left home, he had lied to his parents, saying he was going to the Yin Yang Master Association to report in.

So at this moment, he felt very ashamed, feeling that he had let down his parents, who had given him life and raised him through hardships.

He didn't know if what he was doing was right or wrong.

"Xie Xiaofeng!" As Xie Xiaofeng reached the entrance of the corridor, Tang Jing's voice came from behind him.

Xie Xiaofeng turned around and greeted Tang Jing with a gloomy face.

Seeing Xie Xiaofeng's despondent appearance, Tang Jing asked with concern, "Xiao Feng, what's wrong? Do you find it hard to leave your family?"

Xie Xiaofeng shook his head slightly and explained, "I only told grandfather about us going to the Netherworld; I didn't tell my parents. This morning, my mother prepared a big, rich breakfast for me. She said I've gotten thinner recently and needed to eat well. She still thinks that from today onward, I'll be staying at home and not going anywhere."

Xie Xiaofeng's voice grew sadder as he spoke, and his expression became more downcast.

With a sigh of resignation, Tang Jing patted Xie Xiaofeng's shoulder and consoled him, "The deed is done, so stop worrying about it. The only thing you need to do is to stay alive and come back to take good care of your parents!"

Xie Xiaofeng gave a wry smile and nodded. Then he looked at Tang Jing and asked, "How about you? Have you been able to contact your brother?"

Tang Jing pursed her lips and shook her head, her eyes suddenly filling with tears.

"I haven't been able to contact him, but I've left him a very long letter," Tang Jing said, her voice hoarse.

Xie Xiaofeng managed a small smile and stepped forward to gently embrace Tang Jing, comforting her, "You too must do only one thing—stay alive and come back to read the letter you wrote last night to your brother yourself."

"Yes!" Tang Jing agreed, her voice trembling, crying.

The loneliest thing in the world might be when you need to say goodbye, only to find there is not a single friend or relative to bid farewell to.

All of last night, she had endured this solitary ordeal. Xie Xiaofeng's embrace, though late, was as warm as she had hoped it would be.

To Tang Jing, Chen Hao, Ye Yuqiao, and Xie Xiaofeng had become as dear as her brother, Tang Chao.

After hugging for a while, the two walked upstairs.

When they reached Chen Hao's front door, they knocked.

After a long time, no one answered, so Xie Xiaofeng knocked again, more forcefully.

Time passed, and as the door remained coldly shut, Xie Xiaofeng and Tang Jing exchanged puzzled and uncertain looks.

"It's already 8:10 AM. Chen Hao and Yuqiao couldn't possibly still be asleep!" Xie Xiaofeng said, glancing at his watch.

"Impossible!" Tang Jing shook her head, "Yuqiao is extremely meticulous. How could she still be asleep with such an important matter at hand? Could it be..."

Tang Jing suddenly choked up and couldn't continue. She began to recall the scene of their parting the previous night, analyzing every word and action of Chen Hao and Ye Yuqiao.

Suddenly, a sharp insight flashed in her eyes, and a look of anger and sadness appeared on her surprised face. She had pieced together that Chen Hao and Ye Yuqiao's every move the night before, it turns out, had been their way of saying goodbye to her and Xie Xiaofeng. They had decided to leave without them, which explained her anger and sadness.

"No wonder Yuqiao insisted I go home last night," Tang Jing couldn't hold back her tears, "they had already decided not to take us to the Netherworld."

After saying that, Tang Jing's tears fell like rain. To her, it felt like being abandoned.

Xie Xiaofeng's face darkened and he repeatedly shook his head, "No, impossible! We clearly agreed to go to the Netherworld together. Didn't they even ask for our opinions?"

After speaking, Xie Xiaofeng felt a surge of uncontrollable anger and rammed his shoulder violently against Chen Hao's door.

After several blows, Chen Hao's door finally burst open.

Seeing the room empty and void of Chen Hao and Ye Yuqiao's familiar presence, both were momentarily stunned.

Regaining their senses, the two rushed into Chen Hao's house and quickly, Xie Xiaofeng discovered a note on the table in front of the living room sofa.

Xie Xiaofeng hurriedly grabbed the note, which read, "Sorry, Yuqiao and I have gone to the Netherworld first. Hopefully, we'll meet again."

After reading the note, Xie Xiaofeng and Tang Jing were taken aback once more.

After standing motionless for a long while.

Xie Xiaofeng crumpled the note into a ball and hurled it to the ground. Just like Tang Jing, he felt as though he had been abandoned.

"What bastards, complete bastards!" Xie Xiaofeng roared with rage.

Tang Jing, on the other hand, collapsed on the sofa, crying harder and harder.

A quarter of an hour later, while Tang Jing's sobs were still faintly audible, Xie Xiaofeng had gradually calmed down from his initial fury. Seeing Tang Jing in such sorrowful distress, his heart ached deeply.

He knew that Tang Jing was different from him: without Chen Hao and Ye Yuqiao, he still had his parents, grandfather, and younger brother; but Tang Jing had lost everything.

He squatted in front of Tang Jing, took her hand, and said, "Tang Jing, darling, don't cry, you still have me. The bastard and the goddess likely didn't take us with them to the Netherworld because they feared for our lives, not because they wanted to abandon us, but because they cared about us."

"I know, I know it all," Tang Jing sobbed and then stood up, throwing herself into Xie Xiaofeng's embrace.

..

..

The Netherworld.

The Huiyin Mountains.

What was once a scorched mountain range had turned into a vast expanse, with white lime particles floating through the air. The charred surfaces of the mountains had peeled away, exposing the pale yellow rock layers beneath.

The fiery bird, with its flames for wings, had descended from the sky to stand atop the main peak of the Huiyin Mountains.

She had absorbed all of the blood and flames left on the Huiyin Mountains by the Netherworld Azure Bird thousands of years ago into her body. Her strength was nearly fully recovered, and in addition, her fiery abilities had significantly improved.

After standing on the summit for a long time, she opened her eyes, and two jets of red flame shot from them, piercing the gloomy sky.

Soon after, a heavy rain began to fall. Raindrops the size of beans pattered against the Huiyin Mountains.

Before long, as the rain continued to pour, green specks gradually appeared on the barren Huiyin Mountains, and tender green sprouts emerged from the rocks and soil. Almost a hundred thousand years later, life was returning to the Huiyin Mountains once again.

At that moment, the fiery bird transformed back into the woman from the Purgatory Fire Pool.

"Chen Hao, I'll soon replace her and have you to myself!"

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