Chapter 111 The end of love and hate
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Pei Jing had seen the competition on Wentian Peak at the Futu Tower.
However, at that time, he had mixed emotions.
They walked towards Wentian Peak, and soon the sight of the world’s highest peak appeared before them. The mountaintop was a small flat area covered in old snow. The sky was hidden by clouds, and there was a misty ambiance with the wind gently blowing.
At the summit of Wentian Peak, there stood a dark stone stele, old and strong. On it, a hundred names were carved. It was the top-ranking list in the world—the Wentian Rankings. It had seemingly existed since the beginning of time, and it was the lifelong dream of every cultivator within a thousand years to have their name on that list.
It symbolized great honor and recognition in the world.
Pei Jing, in a contemplative state, stood before the stone stele. He looked at the name “Ji Wuyou” at the top, fell silent, and his gaze wandered, lost in memories.
Amidst the snowy landscape, with a quiet world, only two people remained at the summit of Wentian Peak.
The remaining people were blocked at the base of the mountain, only able to look up from a slope with a mix of envy and regret. The rivalry between the previous first-ranked individual on the Wentian Rankings and the second-ranked person from the previous term was a rare occurrence that happened once in a millennium.
Ji Wuyou had been standing here for quite some time, his fingers growing cold as the wind and snow pressed against him. He felt a daze clouding his mind—a time-traveling sensation that took him back to the very beginning, to this particular season.
It was during his naive and innocent phase, long before he awakened his true potential. He was clueless and inexperienced when he entered Yunxiao, enduring beatings and humiliation from others. Eventually, he was cast out of the sect, falling helplessly into the muddy ground, too tired and hungry to get back up.
Then that person arrived, gracefully stepping through the fine drizzle of the moonlit night.
Dressed in pure white, his gaze held a subtle smile.
They became an unattainable light in his eyes, an indelible thorn that would remain throughout his life.
The Queen Mother of the West claimed that he was inherently wicked from birth.
From his initial anger to his present silence, he gradually accepted his innate disposition for evil. Since birth, he was destined for a life of violence, heartlessness, and ingratitude.
He couldn’t tell whether the words he spoke to the world were self-deception or deceit aimed at others.
He only knew that Pei Yuzhi had to die, otherwise, he…would never succeed in the path of demonic cultivation.
What did it all mean? Ji Wuyou raised his head, the once crazed envy in his eyes gradually dissipating as his fingers brushed over the sword in his hand.
He sneered, considering it as proof of achieving enlightenment through killing his master.
The elegant and unparalleled goddess in blue dress from Peng Mountain, after learning everything yesterday, smiled and said, “Interesting. So, this is the Heartless Path of your Demoni Clan? No room for gratitude, love, friendship, mercy, or even jealousy? Then you truly are a born villain.”
Her lips curved, and she continued, “Ordinary people, when they encounter Pei Yuzhi in such a situation and are saved by him, either develop feelings of affection and admiration, treating him as a deity or a belief. But you, only you—upon seeing the radiance, inferiority arises; upon experiencing redemption in adversity, jealousy emerges; upon witnessing his grace, the initial response is a desire to replace him.”
The words that escaped her red lips, like venom, pierced through his facade of false righteousness, infiltrating his long-rotted and darkened heart.
Ji Wuyou stared coldly at her, catching a glimpse of her enigmatic smile. In the end, he chose to turn around and leave.
He and the Queen Mother of the West were destined to be different.
Despite the woman’s madness, her dress concealing a multitude of skeletons, and her involvement in massacring clans, perpetrating countless evil deeds.
Still, they were not the same.
The inherent sin in that woman’s soul was pride. As for him, he was perhaps born with guilt.
It wasn’t until Ji Wuyou pressed his sword against Pei Yuzhi’s throat that his thoughts slowly returned to clarity.
The person plunged the sword into the snowy ground, half-kneeling, clothes soaked in blood, and silver hair falling to conceal his expression. However, this display of humiliation and meekness only made Ji Wuyou laugh.
On the mountainside, the crowd erupted in commotion. Some wore complex expressions, revealing pity in their eyes, while others burst into laughter, finding solace in witnessing the downfall of the prodigy of the heavens. For many, it was a dirty pleasure.
The world fell silent.
Ji Wuyou took a step forward and spoke softly, “Pei Yuzhi, my master.”
His gaze turned ferocious, shattering all emotions beyond indifference in his heart.
However, it wasn’t enough. The jealousy still lingered.
His gaze carried a hint of nostalgia as he spoke in a gentle tone.
“Since the first time I saw you, I aspired to become someone like you. Look, when you saved me, it wasn’t gratitude or the desire to repay you that filled my mind. It was the ambition to become someone like you. Admired by the world in the light of the moon and clear breeze. It turns out my initial mindset was flawed.
“After years of foolish and ridiculous imitation, I finally understand. In truth, my initial thoughts were not something to cling onto. The more I clung, the less it was about admiration and more about resentment. My hatred towards you has even become my inner demon, the obstacle preventing my ascension.
“How should I rid myself of this hatred? Hah, perhaps by severing the initial longing. For example, in your current state, what is there that’s worth my longing?”
Dark and raging spiritual energy surged around him. His entire being underwent changes, with his flesh and skin becoming pale and transparent. Only his bones emitted a faint white-blue light, shrouded in a black mist. From a distance, he appeared as a skeleton.
Ji Wuyou calmly descended.
“I will reclaim my sword.”
He reached out his hand and snapped Pei Yuzhi’s hand.
The young man coughed up blood as his arm fell, gradually curling up on the ground, unable to grasp anything.
Ji Wuyou spoke, “I will cripple your cultivation and render you a useless person.”
His sword pierced through Pei Yuzhi’s dantian, twisting and tearing apart flesh and blood.
“I will sever your meridians and condemn you to eternal damnation. I will obliterate your pride, leaving nothing behind.”
Ji Wuyou listened to the young man’s screams of agony, unable to contain himself any longer. The facade of calmness shattered, and he laughed in an ugly and sinister manner. “Master, don’t blame me. It was you who first stole something that didn’t belong to you.”
What lay behind Wentian Peak? No one knew, but Ji Wuyou did. It was the Abyss of Ten Thousand Ghosts.
The holiest place in the world, adjacent and accompanied by the most evil place in the world.
“Go to hell,” he muttered softly. “With your death, there will be no more Pei Yuzhi in this world.”
He used his sword to sever the young man’s fingers desperately clinging to the edge of a broken wall. The black mist dispersed, and the purple robe fluttered.
He smirked with satisfaction, saying each word deliberately. “Only me, Ji Wuyou.”
The desire to take his place from the beginning, today, it finally came to fruition.
Pei Jing seethed with anger, his eyes turning red. “He’s a beast!”
His furious shouts blended with the howling wind and snow, causing his heart to ache.
As the young man fell into the Abyss of Ten Thousand Ghosts, Chu Junyu also held his hand and descended.
Pei Jing gripped his wrist, momentarily stunned, without struggling, but filled with heartache. “Were you in pain back then?”
Chu Junyu replied calmly, “It was bearable.”
“Bearable?”
“I’ve forgotten.”
Pei Jing held his hand tightly and remained silent.
The path to the Abyds of Ten Thousand Ghosts was murky and devoid of light, where sounds and colors were concealed. Only Chu Junyu’s hand was something he could feel.
Even before entering, the thick stench of blood reached his nostrils, making him uncomfortable. This was a place of extreme evil, inhabited by fiends and demons, where wickedness prevailed.
It was not unfamiliar to Chu Junyu. He even remembered every direction by memory. Being rendered powerless and falling into the Abyss of Ten Thousand Ghosts was his most desperate and helpless moment. Devoid of cultivation, he was weak and defenseless, facing the tearing of malevolent spirits and the coiling of venomous snakes. Fortunately, with the spirit of the Execution Sword, he managed to survive, even if his body was shattered into pieces. Driven by sheer resentment, he clung to life.
Even within the illusion created by the Heavenly Dao, Chu Junyu’s power could still be utilized, and it was not difficult to generate light.
However, he preferred complete darkness.
After all, there were certain things he didn’t want Pei Jing to see.
As their feet touched the ground, it remained pitch black, with nothing visible.
Pei Jing’s heart skipped a beat, and he couldn’t help but call out, “Chu Junyu?”
“Hmm,” Chu Junyu responded, soothing him, “Follow me, and we’ll walk out of the illusion.”
Pei Jing was not referring to that. He anxiously looked around and asked, “Where are you?”
Chu Junyu laughed lightly. “Can’t you sense where I am?”
“No, I mean after falling into the Abyss of Ten Thousand Ghosts, where were you?”
Chu Junyu’s smile faded slightly, “I’ve forgotten.”
Pei Jing lowered his head in frustration, and in the darkness, he followed Chu Junyu’s hand, finding his back.
Then, taking a step forward, he embraced Chu Junyu’s waist. Resting his head against Chu Junyu’s back, he felt the icy-cold hair and the chilly breath.
Chu Junyu also sensed it faintly. Pei Jing might truly be affected by the illusion in this place, making him unusually clingy.
He composed his supremely clear temperament, exhibiting enough patience, and spoke softly, “The pain I endured in the Abyss of Ten Thousand Ghosts was merely superficial, not as agonizing as you think. Afterward, destroying the soul of the Execution Sword and rebuilding my dantian was just a matter of retraining, not difficult at all.”
He was unusually gentle today, so gentle that it made Pei Jing’s eyes well up with tears, but he smiled first. He found it ironic that even though they were in the same hellish place that Chu Junyu had once experienced, it was him who needed comforting.
Superficial pain, destroying the Execution Sword, and rebuilding the dantian. The words he casually said must have caused unimaginable agony for the young man whose beliefs had collapsed. Just the destruction of a sword as a sword cultivator… made him feel chilled to the bone.
Pei Jing murmured softly, “Was that the reason you stopped me back then?”
Chu Junyu paused. “What?”
“At the bottom of the Tower of Spiritual Refinement, inside the Magma Chamber. You didn’t allow me to accompany you, claiming to obtain the power of Heaven’s Wrath and undergo numerous trials. Were you afraid I couldn’t bear it?”
Chu Junyu fell silent for a moment, then smiled. “Yes.”
“So, it wasn’t as easy as you claimed, and you lied to me.”
“It was easy for me, but difficult for you.”
“But we were originally one person, why do you think you can do what I cannot?”
They were originally one person.
Chu Junyu smiled, lowered his gaze, and spoke in a soft voice, “I was once you, but you will never be me.”
Pei Jing was taken aback by his words, unable to speak, his throat filled with bitterness, unable to ask anything.
Chu Junyu whispered, “Many times, when I look at you, it’s as if I’m looking at a stranger. Perhaps, you should see me the same way.”
Yes, Chu Junyu was even more of a stranger to him.
They were complete opposites.
Light and darkness, warmth and coldness.
Chu Junyu’s gaze in the darkness was calm yet gentle as he said, “But precisely because I understand you, I know that you cannot.”
Hell lay beneath their feet, while consuming darkness surrounded them.
Because it was so quiet, Pei Jing’s thoughts were not immersed in sorrow and grief. He listened intently to Chu Junyu’s words. Since the moment he learned the truth within the illusion, he hadn’t found any answers, and his mind became blank. But questions sprouted in his heart.
At this moment, they emerged to the surface.
And so, Pei Jing heard himself ask softly.
“Then, what am I to you, in the end?”
Just a past version of himself? Such an absurd label.
Chu Junyu paused for a moment and said, “Even though I understand you so well, you always manage to surprise me.”
Then he turned around, pressing his fingers against the young man’s shoulder, and repeated Pei Jing’s words with a calm tone, as gentle as snowfall. “What am I to you?”
He smiled and said, “A familiar stranger that I know inside out.”
Pei Jing clenched his teeth tightly.
Chu Junyu paused, feeling a rush of tenderness in his heart.
Separated by darkness, he leaned in and lightly kissed the person before him in the depths of hell.
Only then did he realize that the corners of the young man’s eyes were already cold and moist.
“My lover.”
The light in my eyes, the fire in my heart.
Across eternal time, amidst love and hate, my final obsession in this world.
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