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They stuffed their spatial rings with all the items they would need on the journey: food, weapons, and crystals filled with various kinds of mystical energy. Traveling Buddha brought his beloved tea set, while the Water Elementals indicated that they didn’t need to bring anything. They extracted energy from nature and had never needed to eat.

The Skywings didn’t notify their comrades on the Divine Path. Xia Geng explained that this was to keep the power balanced.

“I certainly don’t trust the kindness of the Demonic Ant. The Skywings have battled him for many years, and we understand his personality far too well. Once we leave for the Lower Realm, he will definitely start causing trouble in the Middle Realm. Hai Lingzi and the others are staying behind to prevent the Demonic Ant from expanding too quickly. But the key is still the progress we can make. Let’s hope we can find your father and the others quickly. Just where did those guys run off to?” Xia Geng said to Xia Fan.

Counting Xia Fan and Traveling Buddha, the Skywing team ultimately consisted of sixty-three people. One-third were speed warriors of the Xia family, while two-thirds were companions who had joined the Skywings. Although everyone was fully-equipped and ready to go, they all couldn’t help but be a little worried.

That was because the Demonic Ant had said that not everyone would have the right to enter the Lower Realm. The barrier between the two realms would block a part of their group!

Surprisingly, the Demonic Ant had told the Skywings how to fix the erratic time of the Cosmic Gate. One only needed to put a drop of blood on the Seal to return to the correct time and reunite with their family!

Upon learning that, Traveling Buddha returned to Ashen Moon to visit Hidden Water and his newborn son. He buried his face in Hidden Water’s black hair and then picked up his son and kissed him all over, completely immersed in the joy of being a father.

“You should stay behind instead of coming with us to the Lower Realm.”

Xia Fan advised Traveling Buddha to stay and take care of his son, but Traveling Buddha refused. A man had his ambitions in the wider world, and the Lower Realm seemed like a rather interesting place. He insisted on going to take a look, and since Xia Fan knew he couldn’t persuade Traveling Buddha otherwise, he could only nod.

——

It was an ordinary morning when the team of sixty-three set out. They didn’t have many lingering affections for the Great Chiliocosm. To put it simply, this place was a collection of all universes, all of them connected to the Divine Path, yet all of them their own world.

The Lower Realm as described by the Demonic Ant was a mystical place. When sapient lifeforms died, their souls would be reborn in the Lower Realm. But if living people wanted to go to the Lower Realm, they needed to pass through a turbulent flow called the Underworld River.

Xia Di was abnormally excited. The silent little boy who liked to be alone was far more excited about the Lower Realm than anyone had anticipated. Xia Fan had seen him several times listening to the adults talk very earnestly, his eyes brimming with energy and his fists tightly clenched.

Even the sound of his flute became happier, the melodious tune tinged with ardent anticipation. For several nights in a row, Xia Di had played his flute on the roof of the base. They were tunes that no one had ever heard before, ones that no one had ever taught him.

At this time, Xia Fan couldn’t help but ask Xia Di what had him so excited about going to the Lower Realm.

Xia Di said that he wasn’t sure why, only that the mention of the Lower Realm and the thought of crossing the Underworld River had his heart burning with desire. It was the same sort of emotion Xia Fan had felt when hearing his father’s name for the first time.

Besides playing his flute, Xia Di began to draw bizarre pictures of a tall mountain blanketed in white snow. Clouds ringed the mountain like a halo, and a large river split it down the center into black and white. In the distance, the river was linked to an enormous waterfall that fell from the heavens and cast a mystical haze of light over the center of the river.

As the leader of the Skywing group, Xia Geng became more and more hesitant about his decision. Xia Geng, who had always been indomitable and bravely explored the unknown, had recently become very irritable. Over a small matter at meal time, he even cursed out the two Water Elementals.

Water Star and Water Moon were two very honest and frank fellows. After being cursed at, they scratched their heads and cried silently, feeling like they had been greatly wronged. After the matter, Xia Geng went to find them and confessed that he had just been venting his emotions because the pressure recently had just been too great. The kind Water Elementals immediately told him that they understood and worked even harder than usual.

Gradually, everyone began to avoid Xia Geng because of his bad temper. From the occasional snatches of conversation Xia Fan heard from his clan brothers, he came to understand that Xia Geng’s temper was mostly likely related to a woman.

This woman was not only a heaven-toppling beauty, but also an extremely rare personality. At times, she was warm and gentle, greeting everyone with a smile like the spring breeze caressing one’s cheeks. Her body had an aroma that could linger in the air for several months. Even several years after the woman was gone, everyone could still occasionally catch a glimpse of her. Xia Geng had one of her handkerchiefs, and on certain nights, he would be overcome by sorrow.

But at times, the woman would sleepwalk, traveling the corridors alone in her thin nightgown, laughing loudly in the silence. Her laughter gave even the bravest Skywing warrior goosebumps. Everyone said that the woman’s laughter was like the call of Hell!

The woman was called Mei Mei. She had not married Xia Geng, but Xia Di was their child born out of wedlock. Not long after Xia Di was born, Mei Mei had left Xia Geng. While sleepwalking, she had shouted, “I’m going to Hell! Don’t try to stop me!”

And then, like a madwoman, she had stolen a warship equipped with a pulse engine and charged into the Divine Path, never to return. Xia Geng had run out with the newborn Xia Dia and stood at the base’s landing area with him for three whole years.

In those three years, Xia Geng didn’t participate in a single battle, Xia Yu taking up leadership of the scouting team. He didn’t concern himself with any matters of the clan, even forgetting his own son. He was like a dejected fool, hoping that Mei Mei would come back to him.

Afraid of setting off Xia Geng’s fragile nerves, nobody disturbed him, until one day, the three-year-old Xia Di went to his father. Compared to other children his age, Xia Di had begun speaking very late. That day, when Xia Di called out “Papa”, Xia Geng immediately teared up and embraced Xia Di, swearing an oath that he would forget Mei Mei and live only for the sake of his son.

Four years had passed since then. In those four years, Xia Geng had been very normal. He fought even more fiercely in battle, drank the strongest alcohol, and ate the spiciest meat. His reformation left everyone in the clan stunned. Xia Fei and Xia Gucheng were even considering grouping Xia Geng with top-class warriors like Xia Donghai to lead the Skywing Clan’s elite main force!

But today, after deciding that they were going to the Lower Realm, that place also known as Hell, Xia Geng started to lose control himself. Perhaps he could never forget the words Mei Mei had said on that gloomy night.

“I’m going to Hell! Don’t try to stop me!”