Published at 27th of December 2025 7:42 am

Chapter 1368: Goodbye, My Friend

This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl

There were hardly any men stationed within the wall. In total, there were fewer than a hundred.

When the explosion occurred, these men were heavily affected by the shockwaves and the flames. And when the Tsuitsui forces invaded the Wall, they couldn’t even put up a shred of resistance.

Needless to say, all of them were killed. The Tsuitsui Clan did not intend to take any prisoners, not after a thousand of them were killed in the previous days.

The fifth day finally ended the Battle of Kurogane Pass.

Fewer than five hundred Tsuitsui Magi had stormed through the shattered defenses, swept through the Wall, and cut down every remaining Tiesha Tang survivor inside.

By the time the fighting stopped, the Tsuitsui Clan’s banners were already hanging from the battlements.

Outside the Wall, a ruined battlefield stretched as far as the eye could see. Broken weapons, blood-stained soil, and blackened earth. Behind them, the remains of the titanic explosion still burned, sending waves of heat rolling through the air.

The Tsuitsui survivors stood in silence. Exhaustion clung to their bodies, but a heavy, almost disbelieving relief remained on their faces.

Some stared blankly at the carnage, unable to process that they had actually lived through it. Others clenched thier fists, eyes trembling with the weight of all the people they had lost in this battle.

They had finally won... but at a cost none of them would ever forget.

Goro stood on the battlements, hands resting on the railings as he gazed at the sea of flames sprawling before him.

Where are you?

He thought to himself, his eyes flashing with worry. It had been several hours since they had conquered the Wall, yet they still weren’t able to locate Adam.

"Brother," Kagenami Tsuitsui called out to him.

"Where is Ao?" Goro quickly asked. "Have you found him yet?"

Kagenami sighed and shook his head. "We haven’t. The flames are too intense down there. Even with water magic, it’s going to take a lot of time for them to completely die down."

"...I see." Goro shifted his attention back to the sea of flames.

"We were able to deduce that the source of the explosion was underground," Kagenami added. "Other than that, we haven’t been able to find any traces of Brother Ao."

Goro silently nodded.

"The control room for the Wall is also located underground," Kagenami continued. "Until the fires are snuffed out, we won’t be able to go there. Fortunately, with that jade disk, we should be able to control the basic formations inscribed on the Wall."

Goro had already found the jade disk in Han Xun’s ring. The first thing he did was refine it to transfer ownership, then close the Wall’s gates and activate the defense formations.

"I understand." Goro nodded. "Have you informed the clan?"

"Yes, Brother!" A smile crept up on Kagenami’s face. "They’ve already dispatched a large army to help us consolidate our base here."

"Alright." Goro nodded again. He paused for a moment, then added, "Continue your search for Ao."

"Of course!"

Goro was once again by himself, gazing blankly at the sea of flames before him. He was immensely grateful for what Adam had done for him and the Tsuitsui Clan.

If not for him, they might not have won the Battle of Kurogane Pass. The Wall would never have been conquered. Adam was instrumental in their victory.

Yet now his absence cast a dark cloud on the Tsuitsui survivors. They couldn’t help but wonder... was Adam even alive?

Suddenly, Goro’s eyes narrowed.

A lone silhouette stood beyond the sea of flames, motionless against the backdrop of the roaring heat and drifting embers. Firelight wrapped around the figure, casting long shadows across the scorched ground.

Nothing about this silhouette moved, yet an unsettling but... familiar presence radiated from him, as though it had been watching the entire battlefield unfold from beyond the blazing field.

This person was too far away, so Goro couldn’t make out many details. He could only confirm that it was a tall figure with long hair that danced gently in the wind. And that he wore a black cloak.

"...Ao?" He couldn’t help but murmur, yet he couldn’t be certain.

Through the roaring fire, his outline remained firm. But the strange thing was... this figure seemed unnaturally calm in the midst of such devastation.

The following moment, under Goro’s stunned gaze, the mysterious figure slowly raised a hand and waved at him!

And then, amidst fire and smoke, the figure vanished...

Like a ghost.

***

Beyond the sea of flames, Adam turned around and walked away. He did not look back.

"Goodbye, my friend," he muttered under his breath.

After setting the storage room on fire and causing the massive explosion, Adam hid inside the Nexus Hall. Fortunately, the hall was made of the same material used to build the Wall. So he was safe from the shockwaves and the flames.

After the explosion died down a little, he emerged from underground and traversed the sea of flames. After confirming that Goro and the rest had finally conquered the Wall, he finally relaxed.

I’ll leave the rest to you, Goro... Reika...

He smiled faintly.

Gradually, his smile faded, and he scoffed.

"I know you’re here."

A moment later, a hermit wearing tattered robes appeared beside Adam. He had concealed his face with the hood of his robe, making it difficult for Adam to ascertain his appearance. He held a wooden staff in one hand and an ancient lantern in the other.

It was none other than the Sect Leader of the Shadow Sect!

The hermit walked alongside Adam. At last, he couldn’t help but say:

"You’re a strange man, Adam. You burned down two thousand men alive without hesitation, yet when you found that child inside the Wall, you gave him money and told him to run. Your intentions... remain impossible to read."

Adam’s lips twitched. "Sect Leader... have you been stalking me?"

"I have been observing you."

Adam was a little speechless. He shook his head and sighed. "I spared him because I felt like it. Must there be some grand reason behind it?"

The hermit remained silent for a while, then asked, "So the difference between mercy and death is nothing more than a passing impulse?"

This time it was Adam’s turn to be silent.

"I suppose," he murmured. "But I wasn’t always this crazy..."

He then changed the subject and asked, "Anyway, why are you here? Don’t you have important matters to tend to?"

"That is what I’m doing." The hermit sighed.

"I am here to guide you to the Dark Valley."

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