However… this truth made it even harder for Duan Jidao to accept. Not only had he killed his entire clan by mistake, but his own despair and self-destruction had driven the person he loved most to take her own life for his sake.
If only he hadn't disappeared back then, perhaps one day, after Duan Qirou had let go of the grudge in her heart, she would have come looking for him. And when that day arrived, he could have been reunited with her.
But sadly, there was no "if." Because of his impulsiveness, because of his despair, he had brought about this utter ruin of family and loved ones. At the thought of this, his heart felt as though it were being carved by a knife, and his pain was beyond description.
But grief was grief — Duan Jidao quickly composed himself. In front of Chu Feng and the others, he personally built a grave for Duan Qirou and laid her to rest deep within it.
"Elder Duan, this was also a relic of Elder Duan Qirou."
At that moment, Chu Feng produced the tombstone that Duan Qirou had carved for herself and handed it to Duan Jidao.
"All of this was taken from me by Qirou back then. She said… even if we die, we must be buried together — and when that time came, we would use this coffin and this grave." Looking at the tombstone, Duan Jidao was once again lost in the beautiful memories he had shared with Duan Qirou.
"Qirou, let the past be the past. I will not leave you alone any longer. I will be coming to join you soon." Duan Jidao spoke to the tombstone, and as he said these words, the guilt on his face had vanished. In its place was a look of happiness, and within his eyes burned a deep, fervent anticipation.
Most people feared death, but for Duan Jidao, death… had become a form of liberation.
"My lord, the dead cannot return to life. You must not think so recklessly!" Yin Gongfu panicked, fearing that Duan Jidao intended to take his own life right then and there to follow Duan Qirou.
"Gongfu, from the day Qirou died, I no longer wanted to live. Do you understand?" Duan Jidao glanced at Yin Gongfu, then turned his gaze toward the formation and said, "The only reason I've continued living like a walking corpse is that I did not wish to disappoint His Majesty's expectations of me. That is why I must ensure that his power is passed on."
With that, Duan Jidao turned to Jiang Wushang and said, "Wushang, enter the formation."
Hearing these words, Jiang Wushang's body trembled, and he was so overwhelmed with excitement that he didn't know what to do with himself. This blessing had come far too suddenly.
"Wushang, why are you just standing there? Lord Duan has ordered you to enter the formation and receive the bloodline inheritance," Yin Gongfu said with a smile.
"Yes — thank you, my lord! Thank you, my lord!" Jiang Wushang was so emotional that his words tumbled out incoherently, but he hurriedly lay down within the inheritance formation. Throughout the process, he kept turning back to look at Chu Feng, his eyes filled with gratitude. He knew… that receiving this opportunity was entirely thanks to Chu Feng.
Thinking back to the past, he had once possessed only an Emperor-level bloodline. It was through Chu Feng that he had obtained a Martial Emperor-level bloodline. And now… he was about to receive the bloodline inheritance of a Martial Emperor — and that, too, was all because of Chu Feng.
Once Jiang Wushang was in the formation, Duan Jidao seated himself cross-legged at the formation's core and began transferring his power to Jiang Wushang.
This inheritance was entirely different from what Duan Jidao had done before when helping other Emperor-level bloodline holders upgrade to Martial Emperor-level bloodlines.
He was transferring his own bloodline power directly onto Jiang Wushang's body. As such, once the inheritance began, it meant that his own strength would diminish.
And so, Chu Feng could now perceive Duan Jidao's cultivation level.
Seventh-stage Martial Emperor — that overwhelmingly powerful aura was the presence of a seventh-stage Martial Emperor. Duan Jidao's cultivation was actually that of a seventh-stage Martial Emperor.
"So powerful. No wonder they said that the Duan Jidao of old was someone even the Three Palaces had to fear, and the four great Emperor Clans could do nothing about him." Even Chu Feng couldn't help but marvel upon sensing Duan Jidao's cultivation.
Consider this: the clan masters of the four great Emperor Clans were merely third-stage Martial Emperors, and even the dying Supreme Elder was only a fourth-stage Martial Emperor.