Chapter 106 This Life and Past Life (Part 3)
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
Ji Wuyou suddenly looked up.
He watched the stormy night with thunder and lightning, seeing a man in a white snow-covered robe standing at the door, looking pale as a sheet of paper.
He released his grip, stepping back as fear filled his dark purple eyes. “Master… please listen to my explanation…”
Pei Yuzhi, at that moment, appeared completely devoid of consciousness, his clothes getting wet in the rain. He took a step forward and directly threw himself beside Tianya Daoren, who had already fallen to the ground, lifeless.
“Master!”
There was a loud boom as the young man angrily shouted, his voice merging with the lightning and thunder. It echoed throughout Yunxiao.
However, no matter how much he called out, no one woke up.
Ji Wuyou had already retreated into a corner, looking confused, not understanding how things had turned out this way.
There was a long silence, and Pei Yuzhi smiled, his voice trembling. “I deserve to die, I truly deserve it.”
His voice choked up, tears already streaming down his face.
Ji Wuyou felt a coldness spread throughout his body.
Pei Yuzhi slowly stood up, his face pale, his eyes bloodshot like a vengeful deity. He walked forward, exuding a cold and deadly aura. When his toe touched that bright red heart, the air seemed to freeze.
The young man, dusty and exhausted from his journey, seemed to collapse along a thin line, as a metallic and sweet smell of blood gushed from his throat.
He squatted down, his slender and fair hand trembling as he picked up the heart, cleaning off the dust from its surface.
There was a loud, jarring sound. The Cloud Slayer Sword was unsheathed, the wind howling as the sword shattered everything in its path.
A vast sense of sword intent swept over the entire palace.
Ji Wuyou was able to kill Tianya Daoren because of the momentary awakening of demonic power inside him. But now, he was just a weak and helpless Foundation Establishment disciple, appearing insignificant as an ant before Pei Yuzhi. He was kicked out of the Tianqian Hall, rolling down several steps, returning to the muddy ground. His entire body felt broken, and with one sword strike from Pei Yuzhi, his dantian was hit.
The Immortal Lord, dressed in white, approached from the rain, resembling a vengeful god. “You don’t even deserve to die in the Tianqian Hall.”
Ji Wuyou trembled as he spoke, “Master, I didn’t…”
Pei Yuzhi was almost amused by his innocent expression. Demonic, inherently demonic. So, what were all the things he had done before? How ridiculous.
“It’s not you, it’s not you. It’s me, it’s me who invited the wolf into the house. I am immensely guilty.”
Rainwater mixed with snow flowed over his face, cold as a blade. Without saying another word, the long sword gleamed with a clear light, its tip cutting through Ji Wuyou’s ᴛʜʀᴏᴀᴛ directly.
The pain of severed blood surged to his scalp, and Ji Wuyou crawled on the ground, staring at him—on this thunderous stormy night. He couldn’t help but think of the first time he met Pei Yuzhi, it was the same, he was in the mud, and he was in the clouds. A hundred years of mentorship and camaraderie, but in the end, nothing had changed.
Nothing had changed at all.
Suddenly, Ji Wuyou’s body was covered in a layer of white light, pure white, shining brighter than Pei Yuzhi’s sword.
The admiration and jealousy that had been suppressed in his heart finally fermented at this moment, becoming the final straw that drove him to lose his sanity.
Ji Wuyou recalled the words of that woman, the words he had never dared to ponder.
“Heh…” A faint, low laughter escaped his lips as he spoke intermittently, “You knew from the beginning that I was a demonic being… Taking me as your disciple was just a way to make me a useless person, right? You never truly wanted to be good to me. I’m a demonic being, according to the human cultivation methods, how could I break through Foundation Establishment? You must have known early on that they mocked me, you comforted me not to care, but I’m sure you also mocked me behind my back. I know everything now, I know everything—”
He opened his eyes, filled with intense hatred, and suddenly burst into laughter, his voice echoing from the depths of his bleeding lungs, “—The sword in your hand was supposed to be mine!”
He recalled the words that woman had spoken to him and now, he laughed manically, “It was you who took away my sword! The power of the Execution can even change one’s talent! Everything you have should have been mine from the start!
“You stole my sword! You stole my talent! You were born as the pride of the heavens, revered by thousands! And me, since birth, I’ve been like a despised rat, lowly and filthy. Pei Yuzhi—it’s all because of you! You’re nothing but a hypocrite, hiding behind the guise of goodwill, plotting against me!
“If I hadn’t awakened, would I have lived my whole life at the Foundation Establishment Stage, confined to Tianqian Peak until my old age? To die under the mocking gazes of others, to die in the guilt of being a fool!”
Pure white and gentle light surrounded him, gradually healing the wounds on Ji Wuyou’s body, but his expression became grotesque and fierce.
Pei Yuzhi couldn’t even muster anger, he just laughed and said, “Interesting. The Heavenly Dao can come up with any reason to make you awaken.”
Ji Wuyou’s gums bled as he gripped the slippery mud, struggling to stand.
He had had enough! It was the same scene as the first time.
From then on, his weakness and inferiority in his heart only grew stronger over the next hundred years.
Ji Wuyou said, “Why, why did you steal what belonged to me? Yet, I still have to be so insignificant in front of you.”
The rain on Tianqian Peak grew heavier, and Pei Yuzhi felt a force preventing his hand from gripping the sword.
His rage and killing intent were forcibly suppressed.
Veins bulged on the back of his hand, but he remained motionless—he knew what it was, it was the Heavenly Dao.
Ji Wuyou took the opportunity to cover his arm, tightly gripping the sword as he fled. With an extremely sinister gaze, he turned back and said, “One day, I will bring you down as well. Just like the two times I knelt before you, I will make you a useless person, kneeling before me in insignificance.”
The misty rain soaked the mountains.
Pei Yuzhi had an expressionless face.
The rain continued unabated, as if the Heavenly Dao was displeased with him.
A divine consciousness pressed upon his heart, causing his sea of consciousness to churn and his soul to tear apart. He painfully bent down, and within his sleeve, his master’s heart, already cold, rolled into the mud. Crimson, it stood in stark contrast against the vast gray of the heavens and earth.
His eyes instantly bled, turning red.
The youth who had never compromised in his entire life felt his spine shatter like a broken fir tree in this moment.
His hand clenched into a fist, crashing heavily onto the ground, crushing his bones with force.
Hot tears mingled with rainwater, streaming into the earth.
The endless night, choked and stifled in silence.
Pei Jing’s face was equally pale. Through the rain, she watched the once spirited young man now in a state of vulnerability and helplessness. His heart ached, and his eyes unknowingly stung with bitterness.
He stepped forward, wanting to embrace him, but his body was insubstantial, and he didn’t touch anything.
In the blink of an eye, it was once again a vast expanse of snow in Yunxiao.
After experiencing a bloodbath, Tianqian Peak became even more desolate.
The death of Tianya Daoren caused a sensation throughout the cultivation world, but Yunxiao shut its doors to everyone. The world turned gray and white, and the vitality of the one hundred and eight peaks of the past fell silent in a deathly stillness. Under the grayish-blue sky, all the disciples of Yunxiao gazed anxiously in one direction.
Suddenly, a strange rumble resounded through the sky, with twisted thunderclouds visible across the entire Canghua Continent.
A thunderclap, striking horizontally, almost flattened half of Changji Peak.
Only charred and horrifying remnants remained, dangerously marking the scene.
However, for all the disciples of Yunxiao, these Heavenly Tribulations were considered great news.
Senior Brother Pei, Senior Brother Pei has broken through Nascent Soul!
After emerging from seclusion, Pei Yuzhi’s whole demeanor changed. That rain had washed away so much, including his youthful recklessness and arrogance. However, a chill now enveloped him like a snowy wasteland. Even Pei Jing faintly saw traces of Chu Junyu in this Pei Yuzhi. He forced himself to calm down and patiently await the conclusion of the story.
However, in the Chamber of Inner Demons in Changtian Realm, those scenes kept appearing in his mind.
It turned out to be the worst possible outcome…
“I think I know the truth about what happened in Yunxiao back then. We were all deceived by Pei Yuzhi’s facade. He’s nothing but a complete hypocrite! I knew there was something fishy about him taking Ji Wuyou as his disciple out of the blue. It was all a ploy to use him as bait.”
“Ah? Where did you hear that from?”
“It’s been widely spread outside. I always said that Ji Wuyou couldn’t break through the Foundation Establishment stage in a hundred years at Tianqian Peak. How could he leave Yunxiao and achieve Nascent Soul cultivation within a century—becoming even the first in the recent Wentian Rankings!”
“But many people didn’t participate in the Wentian Rankings this time. Not a single one of the previous Five Champions showed up. Ji Wuyou just took advantage of the situation, didn’t he?”
“What do you mean by taking advantage? I believe Ji Wuyou is the true genius here. Pei Yuzhi probably realized it early on and grew jealous. That’s why he trapped Ji Wuyou at Tianqian Peak, pretending to be his master but plotting something behind the scenes. Ji Wuyou’s whole life was ruined by him. Thankfully, he had good luck and exceptional talent. Ha, the cultivation world idolized Pei Yuzhi so much, but now he’s reaping what he sowed.”
“I… I still feel that Pei Yuzhi isn’t like that.”
However, the voice of the young, naive, and confused person was drowned out by a group of spectators waiting for a spectacle. They even started cursing and grumbling.
“Are you afraid that you’ve been brainwashed like those Yunxiao people? Ha, he’s not like that. Have you even met him?”
“I’ve always thought that Pei Yuzhi is extremely hypocritical! Ha!”
“Let me tell you another thing, about how Tianya Daoren died—it was at the hands of Pei Yuzhi. I personally witnessed it with my own eyes, thanks to Ziyang Daoren. Pei Yuzhi grasped Tianya Daoren’s heart in his hand, and it was captured by the Water Moon Mirror. It couldn’t have been faked!”
“Ah—?!”
“The Water Moon Mirror! It’s real! After ascending to the position of Sect Master, he even shifted the blame onto Ziyang Zhenren and declared it to the world. Ziyang Zhenren suffered greatly from public condemnation and harassment for a long time. It truly is an extreme act of malevolence.”
The news spread throughout the world, especially when Ji Wuyou stormed into Yunxiao and nonchalantly revealed the truth. It caused a great commotion among all living beings.
Pei Yuzhi’s image instantly crumbled and collapsed.
The cultivation world had always revered the strong, and moreover, Pei Yuzhi taking Ji Wuyou as his disciple had been a problem that troubled everyone in the cultivation world for a hundred years.
Now, unraveling the threads, the truth turned out to be like this.
Yingzhou.
Inside the palace, the maidservants whispered to each other.
“I heard that Ziyang Daoren initially stumbled upon Yunxiao by accident. He was young back then and was viciously beaten by a group of wicked Yunxiao disciples, leaving him with broken bones, abandoned at the mountain gate to die. It was Pei Yuzhi who saved him.”
Another maidservant murmured, “So this is how it was within Yunxiao. They claim to be the number one righteous sect in the world, but it seems like their disciples kill without hesitation, just like the demonic sects.”
The former laughed. “How could a demonic sect produce a Sect Master who uses disciples as bait for alchemy? Poor Ziyang Zhenren. He thought he had escaped the wolves’ den, only to find himself in the tiger’s jaws.” The latter said, “I never expected… Pei Yuzhi to be such a wicked person—Ah! Madam!”
A whip lashed out, accompanied by a fiercely sharp wind, directly striking the backs of two newly appointed palace maidservants. Their spines almost snapped, and they trembled in fear as they knelt down, their eyes filled with terror, gazing towards the red-robed girl surrounded by a crowd at the end.
The newly appointed Island Lord of Yingzhou, adorned in magnificent and icy-cold attire, exuded a chilling elegance. The golden bells on her wrist jingled lightly. Unveiled in her eyes was an unmistakable aura of killing intent. Blooming Green Flowers in a Pool of Blood, the girl who had once been notorious for her bloodshed, now showed no signs of diminishing her ruthlessness.
“Madam…” the two maidservants stammered.
Yu Qinglian sneered, “Who are you to discuss what kind of person Pei Yuzhi is? Spouting hearsay and spreading gossip. Since your brains are so useless, perhaps I should cut them out.”
One of the maidservants, young and still filled with pride, gritted her teeth and looked up, “Madam! I know you are on good terms with Pei Yuzhi! But that’s just his facade. You have also been deceived by him. There is evidence and testimonies. Why can’t you see through Pei Yuzhi’s true nature?”
Yu Qinglian advanced, her red lips curved into a blood-like smile. “Interesting. So, in your eyes, what kind of person am I? Allow me to reveal my true nature to you.”
With a flick of her whip, the girl’s mouth widened, feeling a surge of blood. ᴀ ꜱᴇᴠᴇʀᴇᴅ ᴘɪᴇᴄᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴛᴏɴɢᴜᴇ ꜰᴇʟʟ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ɢʀᴏᴜɴᴅ.
Silence enveloped Yingzhou. The dress as vibrant as cherry blossoms swept over the bloodstains as the renowned beauty smiled. “Have you seen my true nature now?”
Everyone remained silent.
Feng Jin extended his hand and forcefully pulled off Crimson Iris, which tightly clung to his arm. He furrowed his brows, and his amber eyes gazed faintly at it. “What kind of madness has possessed you again?”
Crimson Iris felt both wronged and angry. It spread its wings and pointed at the person on the ground, chirping and chattering for a long while.
On the ground lay a young nobleman from the Red Phoenix Clan, clutching his bleeding arm. Filled with youthful fervor, he gritted his teeth and said, “Your Majesty! Even if it’s a divine beast, shouldn’t there be justice for me? I haven’t done anything, yet I’ve been torn apart like this.”
After listening to Crimson Iris’ account, a faint smile curled upon Feng Jin’s handsome face. “He treated you so cruelly in the past, yet now you’re protecting him like this?” Crimson Iris shook its head and continued speaking.
Feng Jin nodded, his gaze seemingly containing the depths of a blazing fire, both scorching and icy.
“Ji Wuyou has attacked Yunxiao, and you want to take people there to steal during the chaos?”
The young nobleman from the Red Phoenix Clan hesitated for a moment but then changed his wording. “Yes, Yunxiao is currently sheltering that villain Pei Yuzhi. None of them are good people. Our intention is to uphold justice.”
Feng Jin chuckled and ignored him, speaking to Crimson Iris instead. “You bit the wrong place. You should have blinded his eyes or bitten off his ear.”
The young nobleman from the Red Phoenix Clan widened his eyes in astonishment. However, in the presence of this young emperor, there was no trace of jest in his expression.
Draped in a luxurious golden-red robe, Feng Jin glided over the icy steps of the palace.
The Phoenix Emperor whispered, “Ji Wuyou has attacked Yunxiao, hasn’t he? Pei Yuzhi probably didn’t expect to raise such a talented disciple.” He seemed to let out a faint laugh, but it held no substantial meaning. Lowering his head, he spoke to Crimson Iris, “Come, let’s go and witness this spectacle.”
There was a brief pause.
Feng Jin said, “However, someone like Pei Yuzhi won’t be able to escape his own predicament, no matter how miserable it may be.”
He disregarded the trembling young nobleman.
The young phoenix whispered softly, “He is Pei Yuzhi, after all.”
If you enjoy this novel, support the Translator ginevre on her ko-fi account :))
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
