Chapter 1789: Ruoshui Realm

Meanwhile.

Ruoshui inner wall, the other side.

A guard tower standing atop the inner wall suddenly collapsed amidst a violent roar!

Fragments of the steel-forged tower fell from the sky, and several guards screamed as they fell to the ground, crushed into pulp. Amidst the rising dust, an old lady leaning on a cane walked forward with a limp.

"The sixth one..." Her wrinkled mouth curled slightly.

"It seems this time, the old lady wins the bet."

ROAR—!!

Just as the old lady was limping toward the next guard tower, an eardrum-shattering roar suddenly erupted.

The dust behind her swirled like a vortex as a skeletal giant elephant charged out. It didn't even see the frail old woman, and its massive foot seemed ready to crush her into pulp!

The old lady’s gray-white hair danced in the gale. She lightly released her cane, clenched her right arm, and lifted it upward...

THUMP—!!

A visible shockwave ravaged the surroundings. Hideous cracks instantly exploded across the skeletal giant elephant's foot. It was as if it had been struck by some immense force; its front limbs couldn't help but lift upward... and then it crashed to the ground.

The old lady remained squinting, looking harmless, as if she hadn't just flipped over a Seventh-Order disaster, but merely scratched an itch... She held her waist, squatted down to pick up her cane, and then limped forward again.

"Sigh... I really am getting old..."

She had only taken two steps when she suddenly seemed to notice something and turned her head toward another direction.

*Tap*—

With a light sound, a figure wearing a hoodie and a red baseball cap landed lightly on a guard tower.

Chi Tong stood up unhurriedly. Behind him was the chaotic inner wall, and in front of him were the disaster-ridden streets. He looked at the old lady from afar, his eyes narrowing slightly:

"So, your target was here..."

A look of gravity flashed across the old lady's brow, and veins bulged on her legs, as if she were ready to dodge a theft technique at any moment... The atmosphere became tense.

"Now that I know, it'll be easy to handle." Chi Tong chuckled.

The next second, he reached out and grabbed at the tower beneath him. The theft technique activated, and the entire guard tower instantly vanished into thin air... Immediately after, the sound of some massive object falling echoed from the ruins hundreds of meters away!

The old lady, who had been prepared for battle, was stunned on the spot.

Chi Tong didn't say a word; his figure flew directly toward the next guard tower, moving as fast as lightning.

Following that, another guard tower vanished into thin air...

Seeing this, the Queen of Spades, the old lady, was trembling with rage!

As she hobbled forward with her cane, she muttered incessantly:

"These young people, they only know how to bully the elderly for having bad legs... The world is going downhill, truly downhill..."

……

The roars of the chaotic battle echoed one after another in the distance.

The Ruoshui garrison, the disasters, the Dusk Society, and the Fire Tamperers—all factions had completely stirred together, turning the entire inner wall into a mess... With most high-order disasters attracted by the melee, the streets actually became quiet.

"Marquis!"

A figure rushed into the room and, seeing Marquis Wei, who was extremely weak on the bed, his expression turned anxious. "Marquis, how are you feeling?!"

Marquis Wei was currently looking quietly out the window at Ruoshui Prison, which had already largely turned into ruins, his gaze incredibly complex.

Hearing Jing Si's voice, he slowly turned his head, seemingly a bit surprised:

"Jing Si? Why didn't you go with them to take the realm train?"

"Marquis, I couldn't leave you behind." Jing Si looked at Marquis Wei with concern. "Your body is so weak, you still need someone to take care of you... Let me go with you, Marquis."

Marquis Wei shook his head:

"You should go... I, I'm not leaving."

"Not leaving?" Jing Si was stunned, then as if realizing something, his face turned even paler.

"No... how can you not leave? You are the leader of the 【Prophets】, the most powerful Divination Path user in the last hundred years. Even the Emperor personally issued an edict for you to return to the Chengtian Dynasty immediately...

Aren't you the one who respects that Emperor the most? Are you going to defy the imperial edict??"

"Defy the edict... then so be it." Marquis Wei spoke calmly.

"In my current state, even if I went elsewhere, I likely wouldn't live much longer... I grew up in Ruoshui since I was a child; I have long since dedicated everything to this place."

"An old tree roots deep into the earth. I have no other wishes, only to have the fallen leaves return to their roots..."

"The Emperor is a wise ruler; he will understand."

Jing Si stared blankly at the aged and lonely back before the ruins, unable to speak for a long time.

After a long silence, he walked straight behind Marquis Wei:

"Then I'm not leaving either."

"Marquis, wherever you go, I go... If you don't leave, I'll stay here to accompany you."

"Don't be foolish." Marquis Wei frowned, turning back to look at Jing Si. His gaze was incredibly complex, as if he wanted to imprint his appearance into his heart. "I have never married in my life, and you are my only foster son... After you go to Chengtian, they will take good care of you."

"But..."

"No buts." Marquis Wei’s voice was incredibly cold. "Jing Si, are you not even listening to me now?"

Jing Si bit his lips like a child who had done something wrong, and only after a long time did he answer:

"Marquis..."

"You are the best person I have ever met in my life, and the most powerful figure... I just don't want... I don't want you to just die in Ruoshui Prison like this... People outside don't even know what you have sacrificed for Ruoshui Prison."

"Does my life need others to judge it?" Marquis Wei shook his head.

"Go, Jing Si, be obedient... If you still consider me your Marquis, or... consider me your father."

Jing Si’s fists were tightly clenched.

He took a deep breath, and finally, as if he had made up his mind, he knelt on the ground with a thud and kowtowed to Marquis Wei several times.

"Fine... then I'm leaving, Father."

Hearing the last two words, a faint smile curled at the corner of Marquis Wei’s mouth. He didn't turn back, but just sat by the window, waving his hand as a farewell.

Jing Si stood up and walked out the door.

"Jing Si."

Just then, the Marquis’s voice sounded again.

Jing Si stopped in his tracks.

"Remember... Ruoshui was never a prison. Living here, and dying here, is not something inferior." By the window, the aged figure spoke calmly.

"Perhaps it has been too long, and everyone has forgotten..."

"A long, long time ago..."

"This place was called the 'Ruoshui Realm'."