Chapter 57: Rift in Time and Space

“It wasn’t until half a year later that the location of the research institute was finally discovered. Unfortunately, I arrived far too late…” Ling Xi shook his head in self-reproach. “At first, he was merely infected by the dark power, but this time, he’s been completely demonized. The hope of saving him is now extremely slim.”

Blackfeather clenched his right palm. He knew that Xiaoyu had become this way because he had been injected with his own demonic blood. He thought to himself, “Father must have planted the seal in my palm back then because he feared I’d be corrupted by the dark power and fall into darkness.”

Ling Xi continued, “After bringing Xiaoyu back to the tavern, I locked him in the basement. His state was extremely violent then—there were several times he almost hurt me. The neighbors often became suspicious because of the wild beast’s howls echoing in the night. Before long, I was forced to send Xiaoyu back to the research institute. By then, it was already a ruin, the devastation from the explosion still plainly visible.

After settling Xiaoyu in the basement, I brought him food every evening and set up a barrier of mist around the area to ensure no one stumbled in by mistake. I continued investigating the whereabouts of White Scorpion, but to no avail.”

“If only I’d been better at sneaking into the institute, maybe Xiaoyu would still be safe there now…” Blackfeather said guiltily.

Ling Xi shook his head. “No matter where he stayed, it wouldn’t have been a long-term solution. Life truly is strange—who would have thought that the former Dark Elf King would live so many years in the Holy City? And that a humble tavern could inexplicably prosper, expanding now to two floors.” He smiled bitterly in resignation.

At last, Blackfeather understood why the legendary Dark Elf King was in the Holy City.

“Fortunately, the place Xiaoyu has gone will be more beneficial to his growth, and it’s safer than here.”

“Where has Xiaoyu gone?” Blackfeather finally voiced the question that burned most in his heart.

Ling Xi could see how deeply Blackfeather cared for Xiaoyu; the bond between them ran deep.

“It’s not that I don’t want to tell you—it’s just… you won’t be able to reach the place where Xiaoyu has gone.”

“What kind of place is so unreachable? Please, Boss Ling, tell me. No matter how perilous, I’ll go—I only want to see Xiaoyu again.”

Ling Xi’s smile faded, and he looked down at Blackfeather with a cold gaze. “You think I don’t wish to be reunited with Xiaoyu? The time simply isn’t right. You want to see him, but your strength is far too weak. You probably couldn’t even handle the demons of the Eastern Continent.”

Blackfeather shrank from shame at these words.

“One day… I will set foot on the Eastern Continent. Boss Ling, what must I achieve before I can see Xiaoyu again?”

“You know the regions you must pass through from here to the Lost Eastern Lands, don’t you?”

“Let me think… the Green Wilds outside the city, the Twilight Forest,” Blackfeather recalled what Teacher Shi had mentioned during their field training, “and the Forest of Destruction…”

“Then, from the Lost Eastern Lands to the Rift of Time and Space, what regions must you traverse?”

“The Rift of Time and Space?” Blackfeather’s heart leapt—he’d been fascinated by that place for a long time. “Um…” He remembered that the last time he’d asked about it, Teacher Shi had suddenly refused to answer.

“The coast of the Lost Eastern Lands is home to the Misty Forest. Beyond it lies the vast Dark Forest. Past the Border Wall, you’ll reach the Red Earth Desert. At the far edge, you must cross a Corrupted Wood and a Death Zone before you reach the Rift of Time and Space. With your current abilities, it’s far too soon to venture into those places.”

“I see…” Blackfeather silently committed the names of those places to memory, though he knew he dared not risk such dangers now.

Even Saint Magisters could not approach the area near the Rift of Time and Space.

“When you are strong enough to slay the mightiest demon in the Death Zone, I will tell you where Xiaoyu is.”

“What?” Blackfeather was stunned for a moment, but then he slapped the table, firm with resolve. “Very well, I promise you! However long it takes to train, I will find Xiaoyu!”

Seeing the unwavering determination in his eyes, Ling Xi was finally at ease.

“Now that Xiaoyu has found his place, it’s time I left to tend to matters of my own… In the future, help yourself to any wine you like from the cabinet behind the bar.”

“Really?” Blackfeather nearly leapt up in excitement, then paused. “Wait—Boss Ling, are you leaving the tavern?”

“There are things that must be done—one cannot avoid fate forever…”

Ling Xi gazed thoughtfully into the distance.

At the very end of the Lost Eastern Lands, across a barren black desert, a colossal rift tore through heaven and earth—the Rift of Time and Space, standing like an awakened demonic eye, strange and magnificent.

Around it, space warped and twisted, distorting the scenery into something uncanny. The air crackled with thunder and whirled with chaos. Two figures in black descended before the rift, laying Xiaoyu gently on the ground.

At the heart of the rift yawned a black void, as though it could swallow all things. The infernal storms that blew forth invigorated Xiaoyu’s spirit. Compared to the suffocating mortal world, he seemed to long for the place he was about to enter. The tentacles on his back had retracted under control, so that he looked like an ordinary boy now. He paused to look back, his eyes filled with longing and reluctance.

“Will my master come to visit me?”

“He will,” replied one of the black-clad figures. He lifted his hood, revealing two crimson demonic horns—it was Shadowfiend.

“When will I see Master again? And Xiaohei?”

The other black-robed figure walked toward the rift, his back to them. Strands of black hair slipped from beneath his hood, swaying gently. He reached into the heart of the rift, feeling the storm from another dimension with no sign of fear, as though he alone commanded all this power. A cold smile curled on his lips, his voice deep and frosty:

“The child of demons… I look forward to our next meeting.”

That night, Blackfeather lay restless on his dormitory bed, unable to sleep. He picked up the iron box by his side and examined it in the moonlight. It was the box Ling Xiao Lei had given him, containing the Dark Elf signal flares. The belt was pierced through by Xiaoyu’s spike; all that remained was a blackened hole.

“Xiaoyu…”

He stroked the black hole, recalling the harrowing moment the spike shot from the darkness toward his throat, remembering Xiaoyu, transformed into a monster, racing like a wild beast through the moonlit ruins.

But what pained him most was the memory of Xiaoyu, tears streaming down his face, reaching out to him as he was carried away by the black-clad strangers.

“I don’t know who those black-robed figures were, but I hope they will take good care of you.”