Chapter 142: Shangguan Yudie's Happiness

Huo Ye had once broken the defense of an esper whose entire body could undergo metal-malleable metallization. Back then, he exploited metal fatigue by repeatedly striking a single point to shatter his defense.

Now, Huo Ye intended to use that exact principle to breach the defense of the crystal battle armor. However, the defensive power of the crystal armor was simply too monstrous. Huo Ye had unleashed the majority of his psionic energy, putting the maximum physical force of his body into every single slash, yet he still could not cleave through it.

Naturally, as fellow S-class espers, he had only recently broken through, while Shangguan Qingcai was a veteran powerhouse who had honed his skills at this tier for many years. Moreover, the grades of their equipment were completely different. Qi Shenqiao and Shangguan Qingcai were forgers operating on entirely different levels, so their creations naturally differed as vastly as heaven and earth.

Shangguan Qingcai had still held back; Huo Ye was a junior after all. Could an old man approaching the age of seventy really unleash his full strength against him?

Therefore, he had remained as immovable as a mountain, merely enduring Huo Ye’s onslaught. Yet even so, Huo Ye remained utterly incapable of piercing his defense.

Huo Ye's breathing was already beginning to grow erratic; his psionic energy and physical stamina must have been nearing depletion. In that case, it was time to simply bring this to an end. Even though he was currently cast in the role of the villain, these two youngsters would surely thank him in the future for making today happen.

Shangguan Qingcai abruptly clenched his fist, and suddenly, disc-like objects began to emerge all over his body, adhering directly to his skin—or more precisely, to the surface of the crystal battle armor.

In an instant, those discs functioned like ultra-high-powered ultrasonic emitters, radiating destructive sound waves in every direction.

Huo Ye had just attempted to land another strike on Shangguan Qingcai’s chest—the very spot he had been continuously targeting all along—but the power of those sound waves was simply too immense, fully matching the might of his own full-power Ghostly Cry and Wolf Howl.

He was sent flying backward on the spot. At that exact moment, Shangguan Qingcai strode forward imposingly, poised to knock Huo Ye out with a single punch.

Yet just as his fist was about to connect with Huo Ye, he caught sight of the corner of Huo Ye’s mouth curving upward. That smile… it was the look of a successful scheme.

"Old man, you really don't fight often enough. All's fair in love and war!" As soon as these words left his mouth, Huo Ye took a fierce, deep breath. Did that breath look anything like ragged or chaotic? His previous fatigue had clearly been feigned.

Huo Ye spat out a single, fierce syllable: "Humph!"

Riding on the momentum of that single snort, Huo Ye exhaled a massive breath. That breath was pitch-black, resembling thick, viscous ink. Yet amidst the darkness, there flickered the dark-red flames hidden within an exploding bomb's black smoke, accompanied by the deafening, chaotic noise of crackling lightning.

The four elements of wind, lightning, fire, and darkness fused into one: Foggy Thunder Blast!

Numbness, scorching heat, vaporization, and erosion. This Foggy Thunder Blast relied entirely on catching the opponent off guard. By embedding the explosive power of fire and lightning within the atomized wind-attribute psionic energy, and then utilizing dark-attribute psionic energy to silently erode the wounds, this unique psionic technique belonged exclusively to Huo Ye—possessing both overt, explosive devastation and covert, insidious cruelty.

Shangguan Qingcai was swallowed entirely by this black fog, falling completely silent for a moment. Huo Ye knew very well that his paltry tricks stood no chance of seriously injuring the old man protected by the crystal battle armor. He was truly exhausted now, and holding the God-Slaying Blade in his current state, he simply couldn't hack through that damned crystal armor.

"Come on, Old Man. Whether you get knocked down by my paralyzing and burning psionic technique, or emerge completely unscathed—whatever the outcome, just give me a result, and I should finally have my answer."

When the black smoke dissipated completely, Huo Ye looked up to see Shangguan Qingcai standing as composed as ever. There were a few disheveled black smudges on his face, but other than that, not a single trace of damage could be seen.

"I lost!" Huo Ye sighed, leaning backward and bracing his body with his arms behind him. His shoulders relaxed slightly, though his face wore a comically exaggerated expression of sorrow and distress.

"It's over. I can't chop through it, and my psionic technique couldn't blast it open either. Old Man, your battle armor is truly miraculous, I—"

Before Huo Ye could finish his sentence, a flash of cold light pierced through the ground right in front of his eyes. Wasn't that… Ice-Edge Morning Dew?

Huo Ye looked toward the spectator stands and saw that Shangguan Yudie still maintained her throwing posture. Her arms were trembling, and her eyes shimmered with unshed tears.

It was as if something was lodged in her throat. After a long moment, she shouted toward Huo Ye, "Brother Xiao Ye, pick up the sword! Don't give up."

Huo Ye looked at Shangguan Yudie in bewilderment and asked, "Xiaoyu… What do you mean? Didn't you say you were willing to be with me? If I lose, doesn't that play right into your wishes?"

Shangguan Qingcai chimed in loudly from the side, "That's right, my good granddaughter! This brat is already conceding defeat, don't go getting foolish on us now. If you're feeling heartbroken because you're worried your grandpa's divine weapon won't fall into your man's hands, I'll just give it to him! Once you two are married, isn't he my grandson-in-law? If I don't give it to him, who else would I give it to?!"

"No, that's not it!" Shangguan Yudie rejected fiercely. "It's not because of that. Brother Xiao Ye, I accidentally overheard what you said to Jiang Feng outside the door earlier. I know you've been hesitating because you're afraid you won't be able to protect me. But it doesn't matter; I can grow strong alongside you. You don't need to carry the burden alone. I read your mind, and I also know you're afraid you won't be able to give me happiness. But do you even know what kind of happiness I actually want?"

Hearing Shangguan Yudie's words, Huo Ye froze. In the past, he had only ever fixated on his own dilemmas, truly never stopping to consider what happiness actually meant to Shangguan Yudie, who had grown to love him somewhere along the way.

Shangguan Yudie continued, "My happiness is simply for you to be truly at peace and stay by my side, without needing to constantly worry over me. Knowing that my presence can offer you solace—because to me, you are precisely that kind of existence! So… so… so I don't want the relationship between us to be reduced to mere words written on a marriage contract. If you still have hesitations, keep fighting! Defeat my grandfather. I don't want you to force yourself!"

This was the first time in many years that Shangguan Yudie had spoken so many words in one breath, and every single one of them was a manifestation of her truest emotions. She hoped to use this as a key to unlock Huo Ye's tightly guarded heart. If he couldn't agree right now, it didn't matter; they were both still young, and there would be plenty of opportunities in the future. All of this was her grandfather's meddling anyway; she refused to heap such immense pressure on Huo Ye and force him to make a snap decision on the spot.

Witnessing Shangguan Yudie's display, the tense expression on Huo Ye's face finally relaxed. He smiled—a smile as warm and gentle as a spring breeze, his eyes overflowing with deep tenderness and indulgence.

"As expected, Xiaoyu, you are one of the gentlest girls I've ever met. In fact, if we're only counting the living, you're the absolute number one." With those words, Huo Ye patted the hilt of the Ice-Edge Morning Dew, then leaned back and lay flat on the ground. "I can't fight anymore! Fine, I concede defeat, and I accept the marriage contract. But you said it yourself, Old Man: that divine weapon still belongs to me, your grandson-in-law. You are a man of great virtue and prestige, so you certainly can't go back on your word, Grandpa!"

What Huo Ye called him was "Grandpa," not "Grandpa Qingcai."

Seeing Huo Ye's reaction, Shangguan Qingcai burst into hearty laughter. Stroking his beard, he boomed, "Haha, no problem at all! This old man will surely pour every ounce of his lifelong mastery into forging an unprecedented pair of precious blades for you!"

Lying flat on his back with his face turned toward the sky, Huo Ye muttered to himself inwardly: "Just now… that feeling was like a weight lifting off my chest. And right before the black smoke dispersed, my heart was fluttering with anxiety, terrified that I might actually win. Well then… I have my answer now. In the past… I was simply too unbrave. Let it be like this. I'm tired; it's time to find someone I can truly lean on. This time, I will protect you with my very life. And if I fail to protect you, I'll march straight down to the netherworld ahead of you and clear away thousands of evil ghosts, Xiaoyu…"

Huo Ye turned his head to look at Shangguan Yudie, wearing that exact same soft, gentle smile.

Shangguan Yudie knew that this time, Huo Ye wore no mask; his telepathic ripples were full of joy and ease. Huo Ye made a subtle hand gesture, and she understood instantly. A golden light flashed in her eyes as she heard Huo Ye's innermost thoughts:

"I am truly, genuinely wishing to be with you. Life from here on out might be tough on you, though; I happen to be a terribly troublesome person."

With his inner voice, Huo Ye spoke the promise of a lifetime to Shangguan Yudie.

"No, Brother Xiao Ye, you are the gentlest person in the world. I am very happy." Shangguan Yudie's inner voice echoed softly within Huo Ye's mind.

Huo Ye felt a jolt of shock. Telepathic communication—had Xiaoyu's ability evolved? Oh well, never mind. Such a wonderful atmosphere, why waste time pondering psionic abilities? Just cherish the sight of her face instead.