Heroes' Prison

Chapter 306 - 301 Dao Feng’s Important Decision

Countless players flocked to Dragon City just to gaze upon the Sky Garden. However, the first 50 levels of the Sky Garden had stairs; the remaining 50 did not. Without special means, there was simply no way to ascend.

After more than half an hour’s journey, Huang Yi finally saw a Giant Tower piercing the clouds at the end of his sight, shrouded in darkness without a single light.

Huang Yi looked up to the very top, as if he could see Dao Feng standing there, his position akin to his status, atop the pinnacle of the world.

He transformed into his White Dragon Form and flew towards the summit of the Sky Garden. The houses on the ground gradually diminished in size, and the people below scurried about like ants, never able to climb to such heights.

Similarly, they would never know the chill of the high winds or the depths of the loneliness it carried.

At that moment, a grand Bright Moon hung in the Starry Sky, its pure light casting a quiet over the high altitudes with not a sound to be heard. The vast land below stretched out without bounds; the entirety of Dragon City was visible, and thousands of lights twinkled like stars.

Soon, Huang Yi reached the topmost level of the Sky Garden and from afar, noticed a solitary figure standing at the edge of the garden, overlooking the land below. The huge Bright Moon acted like a backdrop, showcasing an unparalleled side profile of elegance and grace.

This person was none other than Dao Feng, ranked first in the world.

Huang Yi flew directly to Dao Feng’s side and reverted to his human form.

"Instakill, your city is really beautiful!" Dao Feng remarked as he gazed down at Dragon City, uttering a slight sigh.

"It’s just a city I picked up, I didn’t build it," Huang Yi stood beside him and asked, "What brings you here?"

"You still haven’t collected your trophy and gold medal for the Best Newcomer Award; they are with me. When will you come to get them? I am in Beijing," Dao Feng asked, turning to look at Huang Yi.

"Keep them as a souvenir, I don’t need them," Huang Yi shook his head, having almost forgotten about the award.

Dao Feng was slightly taken aback and questioned, "That’s the only trophy for the Best Newcomer Award in the entire world, and you don’t want it?"

Huang Yi shook his head, "I competed for the Best Newcomer Award solely because it would allow me to make a request to Mr. Huang Sha, the CEO of Era Corporation, not for the sake of the award itself. If it had nothing to do with Mr. Huang Sha, then I wouldn’t have been interested in competing for it; it doesn’t represent anything to me."

Dao Feng just looked at Huang Yi, unmoving, as a night breeze blew by, causing their cloaks to billow.

After a long silence, Dao Feng turned his head back to gaze at Dragon City below and spoke softly, "Your mindset is better than mine. I used to envy you because you could live for yourself. If, a long time ago, I could have been like you, maybe I wouldn’t have ended up in this situation. But now, I finally don’t need to envy you anymore."

"What happened?" Huang Yi sensed something unusual in Dao Feng’s tone, as if he was concealing an important message.

"Did you know? Right now, I am actually lying in a hospital bed talking to you." Dao Feng turned to look at Huang Yi, smiled bitterly, and said, "In order to retain my top rank in the world, I’ve been fighting non-stop for over two years, hardly ever resting. Last month, I began to feel unwell, and after going to the hospital, I found out I had late-stage liver cancer, which would have been terminal a hundred years ago."

Dao Feng continued with a shake of his head and a laugh, "Of course, with today’s advanced medicine, late-stage cancer isn’t such a big deal. I had surgery the day before yesterday and there’s basically no big issue anymore; I just need some time to recuperate. However, after this incident, I started to reevaluate everything I’ve done these past two years. I suddenly realized that all this time, I was living for others. I fought day and night, just to keep my number one spot, to prevent others from catching up, to avoid disappointing my fans. But gradually, I found that maintaining this rank was becoming increasingly difficult. In the recently concluded second annual festival, I didn’t win the Best Individual Award, which instead went to an almost unheard-of Sharp Sword. Fortunately, I managed to win the Best Guild Award, barely preserving some face."

Pausing for a moment, Dao Feng went on, "Moreover, the rise of you and Thunder God as supernovas has doubled the pressure on me. The harder I fought, the weaker I seemed to become. I’ve invested more time than both of you, yet you’re still able to catch up to me, which is profoundly painful. For two years now, my body has been overtaxed. Often, while level grinding and monster-slaying, I would suddenly feel dizzy and hallucinate. There were even times I was forcibly logged off due to extreme Weakness."

Huang Yi pursed his lips, shook his head with a sigh, and said, "I didn’t expect you to be so weary. What’s the point of being number one like this?"

Dao Feng nodded, "Yeah! I’ve been thinking about this issue recently. Physical ailments can be cured, but what about the sickness of the soul? My heart has been tired for too long. I want to live for myself once, without caring about other people’s opinions or the pressure of public opinion, without caring about the questioning of those who support me. That’s why I’ve made an important decision."

"What decision?" Huang Yi stared intently at Dao Feng. The words he was about to hear might just be a piece of news that would shock the world.

"I’ve decided to retire!" Dao Feng took a deep breath, seemingly exhausting all his strength to utter those words, "I don’t want to continue like this. I don’t want to be the world’s number one anymore. I want to live the life I desire. Also, I’ve resigned as the president of the Xuanyuan Clan and passed it on to Yun Sihai. From now on, I’ll just be a nameless person, wandering around various places on the continent, to see those beautiful landscapes. When I’m tired, I’ll just lie down on the grass to sleep; when I’m thirsty, I’ll drink dew from the grass; when I’m hungry, I’ll eat a few pine cones. I don’t want to continue level grinding day and night, nor do I want to be involved in any disputes. I won’t attend award ceremonies like the annual festivals anymore."

Huang Yi was stunned for a moment. He had not expected Dao Feng to make such a decision, to voluntarily step down from the position of world number one. This kind of boldness was not something ordinary people had. People aim for higher places and water flows to lower ones; it’s natural law. Very few people can truly see through the mundane world and renounce fame and fortune.

He stroked his chin, eyeing Dao Feng and said, "By doing this, you’re implying that all your past achievements will turn into a bubble. Your honors will become history, and you will descend from the Altar of the Gods to become a mere mortal. Are you really willing to do that?"

"I’ve already thought through all of this. I’ve talked to Yun Sihai, Lin Yiqin, Dragon Dominates the World, and those from Dong Huan. They all understand me. I think this might be the best decision I’ve ever made in my life. I need to let my heart rest." Dao Feng nodded, his voice carrying a sense of relief from a heavy burden.

"Since you’ve made your decision, there’s not much left to say. But one day, you will come back," Huang Yi said, gazing into the distance.

"Why?" Dao Feng turned to look at Huang Yi.

"Because you belong here," Huang Yi looked down at the vast land below, "You have stood here before, overlooking this world, looking down on those myriad beings below. Such pride doesn’t vanish. It won’t settle for Ji Mo. You’re just temporarily lost. Once you’ve recovered, you’ll come back; you can’t forget this place." Huang Yi continued, patting Dao Feng’s shoulder, "Your heart is in the distance, and the journey of the body is to find yourself. Once you have found yourself, then you will know where you truly want to go."

"Is that so?" Dao Feng seemed bewildered, now appearing more like a traveler who had lost his sense of direction rather than the world champion who once looked down upon the world. This god showed a mortal’s weakness.

Huang Yi, with his hands behind his back, said, "I believe that when you return, you will be even more formidable than you are now."

"Why?"

"A dao hidden in its sheath is even more dangerous. No one knows what you will have experienced in the time you are gone, how you might change. Your blade will be hidden, not exposed in the open like it is now."

Dao Feng fell silent, quietly looking at the earth under the moonlight, at the thousands of household lights. The only sound left in the air was the night wind blowing against his cloak, rustling.

"Maybe you’re referring to people like Sharp Sword," Dao Feng said after a while, turning to look at Huang Yi, "Instakill, you should be careful of Sharp Sword."

"Why?" Huang Yi was somewhat surprised to hear of Sharp Sword from Dao Feng, "Did you fight with him?"

Dao Feng nodded, "Just yesterday, I fought him."

"What was the result?"

"A draw. We were only sparring, neither of us used our full strength, and the fight was brief. But in truth, I lost." Dao Feng’s expression grew serious, "At that time, I used five skills, and he only used four. You know, at our level, the difference of one skill is significant. I’ve always pursued victory using the fewest skills, but he used even fewer than I did. I came to see you today mainly to share what I know about him with you. I’m about to retire, so naturally, I won’t encounter him again, but you will. He will seek you out someday."

"Why would he seek me out? We don’t seem to have any grievances," Huang Yi said, recalling the mysterious footprint he had seen in the Courtyard of the Pantheons when he completed a Rare Quest. That footprint had been etched in his mind and was unforgettable. It represented deterrence, but having never seen Thunder God, that sense of deterrence felt much weaker to Huang Yi, like that between two strangers. (To be continued. If you like this novel, you are welcome to come to Starting Point (qidian.com) to cast your Recommendation Tickets and Monthly Tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)