Forty Millenniums of Cultivation Chapter 3519: Side Story: city of trapped beasts (Ⅶ)

"I'm aware,"

Yang Yi spoke with a cold edge. "Quiet down. Get some sleep!"

"Oh."

Ding Lingdang pulled her head back into her hiding spot.

Even so, when Yang Yi’s eyes drifted toward her, he noticed the young girl’s eyes were wide and alert, lost in contemplation.

"Uncle Yang, could you answer just one more thing?"

Ding Lingdang questioned softly. "Since you understand the Hyena so well, do you believe he's simply using his wife as a front, or does he actually care for her even a little?"

This inquiry plunged Yang Yi into a protracted silence.

A very long time passed.

"How could I possibly know?"

It wasn't until the little girl finally succumbed to exhaustion and drifted into a deep slumber that Yang Yi whispered to himself, "How could I ever know?"

A Mother's Regret

Initially, Yang Yi intended to handle the watch alone.

Ding Lingdang, however, was adamant about splitting the shifts with him.

Yang Yi didn't feel particularly drowsy.

Yet, he couldn't resist the allure of returning home to his wife's side within the realm of dreams.

Regrettably, though he closed his eyes this time, he found it impossible to return to that gentle dreamscape no matter how hard he tried.

His mind was filled only with shadows, pursuits, betrayals, and the stench of slaughter.

He didn't wake until Ding Lingdang’s muffled cheers reached his ears. Seeing the faint light filtering through the manhole cover, he realized that morning had arrived.

Yang Yi fought to stand up. His limbs felt as heavy as lead, and a persistent, dull ache radiated from his internal organs.

The damage he had sustained was far too severe.

Simple bandages were not enough to fix this.

It was highly probable that these injuries would result in permanent, irreversible damage to his Cultivation base or health.

But for the moment, he couldn't afford to worry about it.

Gritting his teeth, Yang Yi used every ounce of strength to crawl toward the manhole cover to survey their surroundings.

While heavy clouds still churned in the sky, the thick haze had been pierced in several spots by golden rays of sun, revealing patches of azure blue.

The massive thunderstorm encircling the city had shrunk considerably since the previous night, and its violent intensity had faded.

The distress signal must have been received. Help will be arriving shortly!

Yang Yi felt a surge of renewed hope.

However, this wasn't the primary source of Ding Lingdang’s excitement.

"Uncle Yang, my mother sent me a message!"

The girl waved her portable crystal processor enthusiastically.

The Spiritual Crane transmission stored in her device must have been dispatched early the day before.

However, it had been delayed mid-transit due to the chaotic turbulence of the heaven and earth Qi and severe electromagnetic interference.

Only now, as the morning sun rose and the storm subsided, was the data within the Spiritual Crane finally able to reach Ding Lingdang’s crystal processor.

Though the Spiritual Nexus remained offline, the cached data could still be accessed.

The girl quickly triggered the crystal processor, inviting Yang Yi to view it with her.

A small 3D holographic beam projected from the device, revealing a powerful female warrior clad in armor. She looked bold and heroic, appearing like a grown version of Ding Lingdang.

It was unclear if the interference was lingering or if the internal components of the processor were failing after their ordeal, but the image flickered and blurred almost immediately after appearing.

It looked as though a dense fog had swallowed the warrior's surroundings.

The woman's voice echoed as if from a great distance, faint and broken.

"Xiaoling, Mommy has been thinking for a long time, and I feel I must say 'sorry' to you."

The warrior in the mist offered a smile. "I know you have no desire to be a literary-type cultivator, yet I still pressured you to master the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting.

If being a literary-type cultivator was my dream, then I should have been the one to master the four Arts. I shouldn't have forced my ambitions onto you."

"Huh?"

"Mother?" Ding Lingdang’s eyes were wide with shock. She whispered, "What's happened to my mother? Since when is she so reasonable?"

"Actually, I’ve always known you wanted to be just like me—a martial artist."

The female warrior went on, "Even when you seemed to obey me, you never truly abandoned your path. Even when you pretended to be a refiner like your father, it was only a cover to become a sword cultivator and master lethal magical equipment."

"Aiya!"

Ding Lingdang stuck out her tongue, looking sheepish. "So, she knew the whole time!"

Because this was a recorded message from the day before, the woman in the fog couldn't hear her daughter. She simply continued,

"In the past, your father was the one who kept me from calling you out on your little schemes.

"Now, I have truly had a change of heart. I won't hinder your dreams any longer.

"What is the point of secretly learning a few combat moves under the guise of artifact refining? From this day forward, Xiaoling, you are free to practice martial arts openly. We either do things right or not at all; strive to become the greatest in the Federation and the most powerful in the Tengen Sector!

That said, the path of a martial artist is a grueling trek through thorns and fire. It is a journey of extreme hardship. If you find you cannot go on, do not force yourself into misery.

Life offers many paths. Regardless of what you become, as long as you are happy every day—like a ringing wind chime—your father and I will share in that joy.

Keep going, Xiaoling. No matter what, your parents will always love and stand by you. Charge forward toward your dreams!"

The portable crystal processor was clearly malfunctioning.

The transmission talisman array was failing.

The warrior's final words wavered in pitch, as if she were struggling to maintain her composure.

Only her smile remained as brilliant as ever.

Like a burning flame, it cut through the fog and seared itself into Ding Lingdang’s memory.

"Mommy, I..."

Ding Lingdang’s face flushed red. She looked at Yang Yi with a hint of bashfulness. "Mom is acting so strange. She almost never says such sentimental things to me."

"She was likely... likely afraid of the beast tide, fearing she might never get the chance to see you again."

"Mom, Dad, I'm going to make it. I'm coming to find you!"

Ding Lingdang tapped her processor repeatedly, attempting to establish a live link with her mother.

However, the interference remained oppressive. The Spiritual Crane messages she attempted to send vanished into the void, and there was no way to tell if any were getting through.

As the light grew stronger, the pair knew they couldn't remain in the underground warehouse.

Many nocturnal demon beasts that hunted on the surface at night would retreat to the underground during the day.

Staying in the sewers or basements would eventually lead to a fatal encounter.

"Move out, Ding Lingdang,"

Yang Yi commanded in a low tone. "Don't be afraid. I give you my word, we will get out of here."

"Right, I'm not scared!"

Ding Lingdang gave a firm nod. "We're definitely breaking through this siege. This is where my path as a warrior begins!"

...

In a single day, the city had been transformed into a bloody purgatory, looking as though it had endured decades of brutal warfare.

Everywhere they looked, foul fungi in shades of purple, brown, and green were pulsing and spreading, releasing clouds of acrid spores.

The skyscrapers that stood tall the day before were now nothing but crumbling ruins. Damp, parasitic vines and thorns twisted around the wreckage, turning the height of human civilization into a nightmare forest.

Nightmarish demon beasts prowled the skies, circling or resting atop the rubble, baring their fangs. They acted as the new rulers of this crimson hell.

Inside the shattered remains of crystal tanks and melted crystal suits, human remains stared out from hollow sockets, silent and helpless witnesses to the destruction.

Only the whistling wind gave them a voice, sounding like a ghostly howl.

Yet, even though the demon beasts had seized the surface...

The embers of human resistance had not been extinguished.

Yang Yi and Ding Lingdang moved through the carnage together.

They had smeared themselves with foul-smelling demon beast slime and wrapped withered vines around their bodies. From a distance, they looked like the common demonic vegetation found throughout the ruins.

They stayed hyper-alert, watching every direction and listening for any sign of movement.

They would wait several minutes just to dash a few dozen meters.

After every movement, they immediately dove back into cover. Survival was the only priority.

Using this cautious method, they slowly made their way toward the Mining Technology School.

Eventually, they reached the halfway point.

But luck is a fickle thing.

A massive battle seemed to have leveled the area ahead.

The entire street was a graveyard of rubble.

Three different paths diverged through the wreckage.

The snarls of beasts and the rustle of demonic plants seemed to echo from every direction.

Yang Yi’s face darkened.

He had memorized the map of Leizhe City perfectly, but even he struggled now.

It was nearly impossible to navigate a landscape that had been torn apart and buried under filth.

Three choices—which led to safety, and which to a grave?

Or were they all dead ends that would force them into a dangerous detour?

As he gripped with indecision, Yang Yi suddenly spotted a rhythmic pulse of light deep within the ruins.

He blinked, confirming it wasn't a hallucination or a stray reflection of the sun.

It was a glowing talisman array or a piece of magical equipment, flashing with a steady, intentional rhythm. It was calm and persistent.

Based on the timing of the pulses, Yang Yi was able to decode a simple, clear message.

Someone with a lighting device was signaling any survivors in the area, a silent beacon saying:

"Come to me!"