The Tianxin Pearl was shattered into dust.

Without the pull of the red light, Qiao Xuan fell weakly to the ground, his body numb from the soul-wrenching pain. It felt as though this body wasn’t even his.

What was that golden light…? Could it be something left behind by his master…?

But at the moment, Qiao Xuan didn’t have time to feel the joy of escaping death, because Bai Cang was already walking toward him, step by step.

In the man’s dark eyes was a madness and intensity that Qiao Xuan had never seen before.

What the hell is going on now?!

Exhausted in both body and mind, Qiao Xuan couldn’t handle it anymore. He simply closed his eyes and fainted!

Bai Cang looked down at the boy on the ground. His clothes were soaked with sweat, messy hair clung to his forehead, and he looked utterly disheveled. His eyes were tightly closed, and his long eyelashes cast a faint shadow below them. His brow was furrowed in pain…

A few seconds later, Bai Cang bent down and gently picked the boy up. Ignoring the wreckage of the altar, he turned and prepared to leave with Qiao Xuan.

Ji Xiao, still in shock from the earlier events, looked at the boy in Bai Cang’s arms with disbelief. Qiao Xuan was the one the Demon Lord had been searching for all these years… But what shocked him even more was the boy’s true identity, and the meaning of the golden light from his forehead.

This altar’s ritual had been planned for centuries, and it was meant to link two dimensions. Once activated, it was unstoppable, with terrifying power! Yet that golden light had not only interrupted the soul-summoning ceremony but had also shattered the Tianxin Pearl, a rare and powerful treasure!

Though the golden light had only flashed for a moment, its terrifying presence had made Ji Xiao tremble in fear. Thankfully, it had only targeted the Tianxin Pearl. If it had been directed at him, he wouldn’t have survived…

This boy was far more than he appeared to be.

Seeing Bai Cang about to leave with Qiao Xuan, Ji Xiao hesitated for a moment before stepping forward and saying, “My lord, he…”

Bai Cang cast a sideways glance at him and coldly replied, “His matters are none of your concern.”

Meeting Bai Cang’s icy gaze, Ji Xiao shuddered, breaking out in cold sweat. Whatever he could think of, there was no way the Demon Lord hadn’t considered it already. Qing Xun was Bai Cang’s reverse scale—no matter what he was in this life, it wasn’t Ji Xiao’s place to overstep.

Ji Xiao quickly stepped back, bowed deeply, and respectfully said, “Congratulations, my lord, on fulfilling your long-held wish.”

He held this posture for a full fifteen minutes before daring to straighten up, only to find that Bai Cang was already gone.

Bai Cang carried Qiao Xuan back to his palace, staring intently at the boy’s face. His thumb lightly brushed over Qiao Xuan’s eyelashes, and deep within Bai Cang’s violet eyes, emotions swirled. Beneath the surface lay a mad obsession, like an abyss ready to swallow everything.

My little one, I’ve finally found you.

You were right here by my side all along.

Nine hundred years.

This time, I won’t lose you again.

…

Bai Cang had been born in a small sect called the Blood Rain Sect in the Western Wasteland. His father, Bai Tu, was the sect leader.

Though the Blood Rain Sect was small, Bai Tu was an indulgent man. He ordered all the surrounding villages to send him their young women, and any who caught his eye were added to his collection, while those who didn’t were sent back.

Bai Cang’s mother had some beauty and was taken by Bai Tu as one of his dozens of furnaces.

She was somewhat fortunate. In her first year, she bore Bai Tu a son, named Bai Zhou. But when she gave birth to her second son, Bai Cang, her luck ran out.

Bai Cang survived, but she died.

Bai Tu had many women and children. To him, women were merely tools for cultivation and playthings for pleasure. As for the children they bore, they were nothing more than unintended consequences.

Those who survived and were useful would become his subordinates. As for those who were weak and useless, they naturally had no place in this world.

Bai Cang, who had lost his mother at birth, only survived because of his brother, Bai Zhou.

Bai Zhou was just five years older than Bai Cang, but despite his young age, he protected his younger brother in that cruel, dog-eat-dog environment.

Bai Zhou would share the food he had struggled to obtain with Bai Cang. When Bai Cang was bullied, Bai Zhou would stand in front of him, using his own frail body as a shield. On freezing winter nights, they huddled together to stay warm…

In young Bai Cang’s eyes, his brother was both father and mother—the only person in the world he could rely on, the only one he could trust.

The Western Wasteland was full of ruthless, treacherous people, but Bai Zhou was rare—gentle and soft-hearted, an outlier in this brutal world.

However, Bai Zhou wasn’t strong, nor did he have much talent for cultivation. People like him found it hard to survive in such a place… Bai Cang had once witnessed his brother crawl on his belly under the legs of his other siblings, allowing their father’s other women to curse and beat him, just to bring back a little food. Even after enduring all of that, Bai Zhou would still smile gently at him, patting his head and saying, “Big brother will take care of you…”

From that moment on, Bai Cang vowed to grow stronger so that he could protect his brother.

He swore he would kill everyone who hurt them.

He would never let anyone humiliate them again.

Unlike Bai Zhou, Bai Cang showed great talent from a young age. When Bai Zhou realized this, he was overjoyed. He took Bai Cang to see their father and begged him, saying that Bai Cang would one day become a powerful demon cultivator and a strong ally for their father, pleading for more resources for Bai Cang’s cultivation.

Bai Zhou gave up his pride and did everything he could for Bai Cang.

Unfortunately, even with all his efforts, the resources they received were still very limited. Bai Zhou blamed himself, saying he was useless, but Bai Cang didn’t care. Even the little they had was enough. Soon… he would grow stronger, and he would take what others had for himself!

When Bai Cang was ten, during a competition, he killed their father’s favorite son, Bai Chen. But instead of being angry, Bai Tu was delighted. He had favored Bai Chen because of his potential, but now Bai Cang showed even greater promise, exceeding all expectations. Thus, Bai Cang became his new favorite son.

This child, who had barely crossed his mind and whom he had only heard about through Bai Zhou’s pleas, had unexpectedly grown into a resilient young man. Not only had he survived, but he had also begun to shine with unprecedented brilliance.

Bai Tu decided to cultivate Bai Cang, granting him cultivation resources and gifting him Bai Chen’s estate.

Bai Chen’s residence was second only to Bai Tu’s, reserved for his most favored son. Since Bai Cang had defeated Bai Chen, everything that had belonged to Bai Chen was now his. Despite gaining so much, Bai Cang remained calm.

This was just the first step in his path to power. He would take more, much more…

This would not be his final destination.

Bai Cang took his father’s gifts to see his brother, Bai Zhou. Only when facing his brother did the cold-hearted young man show a trace of warmth. He wanted to tell his brother that they could finally move out of their shabby, freezing home and live in a warm, comfortable mansion with enough food and shelter. He would earn even more spiritual stones and resources in the future, and his brother would never have to beg or struggle for scraps again.

He was stronger now.

Bai Cang told Bai Zhou the good news, and Bai Zhou was overjoyed. He hugged Bai Cang tightly, murmuring, “That’s wonderful, that’s wonderful…”

Their old, rundown house had nothing worth taking with them.

That very night, they moved to the new estate. The mansion was brightly lit, and servants were on hand to tend to their needs. The difference from their previous home was like night and day.

That night, Bai Zhou personally cooked a meal for Bai Cang—hot soup and fragrant grilled meat over rice. In the past, they had no food and could only eat cold leftovers or spoiled scraps discarded by others. This was the best meal Bai Cang had ever had, and it was made by his brother. From now on, they could eat like this every day. They wouldn’t have to wander, starve, or suffer humiliation anymore. Bai Cang ate happily, so much so that when he suddenly felt weak and collapsed to the ground, he was confused and bewildered.

Dazed, he asked Bai Zhou, “What’s going on?”

Bai Zhou looked at him gently and sighed. “I’ve known since I was very young that I have no talent for cultivation. A person without talent in the Western Wasteland will always be bullied, never able to rise above… For someone like me, living is a burden. But I still wanted to live, refusing to accept my fate…”

Bai Zhou continued, “I wanted to live, to change my fate. I needed more food, more resources… Father may be cold and indifferent, but he doesn’t care much about his children. As long as they don’t die before the age of ten, they receive a share of food and spiritual stones. When I realized that, I knew that by keeping you around, I could collect resources for two people… You were so young, you didn’t eat much. I only had to give you a little, and the rest was my reward for taking care of you. You were always so obedient, and even a little food made you so grateful…”

Bai Cang stared blankly at his brother.

Bai Zhou knelt in front of him, looking at him with a mixture of pity and envy, and said softly, “I always told Father that you had great talent and would become strong and useful. When Father was in a good mood, he would reward me with a little more… But the truth is, I had no idea if you had any talent at all. I just wanted more resources for myself. The little I gave you was just a fraction… Unfortunately, I had to face reality. I truly have no talent, but you… you really do. Even after all this, you’ve made it this far…”

Why wasn’t I the one with the talent?

Bai Zhou caressed his face, his expression sorrowful. “Now that you’ve grown strong, you’ll figure everything out eventually, and you won’t listen to your big brother anymore… I’m sorry.”

Bai Cang stared silently at Bai Zhou. He understood everything now.

Bai Zhou placed the tip of a knife against Bai Cang’s chest, his eyes still as gentle as ever. He smiled softly and said, “In the Western Wasteland, trust is the most foolish thing a person can have.”

This was the last thing Bai Zhou ever said to Bai Cang.

Because just as he was about to drive the knife into his heart, Bai Cang, having gathered a small reserve of spiritual energy, twisted his brother’s neck. Slowly, he stood up and pulled the knife from his chest, saying, “You did nothing wrong. You just talked too much.”

And you were too weak.

He had killed the person who raised him, protected him, and accompanied him… the only person he had trusted, because that person had tried to kill him.

It turned out that person was no different from anyone else.

The final lesson that person had taught him was to never trust anyone.

Bai Cang believed that Bai Zhou was right.

From that day forward, he lived only for himself.

Bai Cang killed Bai Zhou, but the event caused no stir. Bai Tu didn’t care about the death of a useless son. In his eyes, it was surprising that someone as weak and incompetent as Bai Zhou had even lived this long. As for why Bai Cang killed his brother, no one asked.

Later, some of his other brothers made mocking comments to him, saying, “Your worthless brother should’ve died long ago. He took so much from you but never amounted to anything. Keeping him around was a waste of resources.”

Bai Cang looked at them, realizing that everyone else had known about it.

Everyone but him.

From the moment he could remember, Bai Zhou had appeared in his life as a protector, giving him a chance to survive, providing him with warmth he hadn’t dared to dream of… He had trusted his brother with all his heart, never once considering the possibility of betrayal. It turned out his most trusted brother had only kept him around as a means to beg for more resources. He was nothing more than a tool.

But in the end, Bai Cang had to accept that living in this world meant following its rules. From now on, he would walk the path alone, and he knew he would survive.

Bai Cang focused on his cultivation, quickly becoming his father’s right-hand man.

Kill others, take their spoils, grow stronger.

The cycle repeated.

As long as no one could kill him, he would continue to grow stronger.

When Bai Cang was fifteen, the Blood Rain Sect faced a powerful enemy. Seeing the imminent destruction of the sect, Bai Tu ordered Bai Cang, “Take your men and block them. I’ll lead the rear forces.”

Bai Cang did as instructed, but as soon as he left his father’s sight, he quietly hid, allowing the enemy to advance and catch Bai Tu, who had been preparing to flee with his women, by surprise.

Bai Tu had planned to use Bai Cang as a decoy to buy time for his escape. Little did he know that Bai Cang had no intention of fighting. Unable to escape in time, Bai Tu was killed by the other demonic sects.

When it was all over, Bai Cang returned to the Blood Rain Sect.

The sect had been ransacked, and he looked at his father’s lifeless corpse, his expression calm. Never trust anyone—this was the most valuable lesson Bai Zhou had taught him.

Many years passed.

Bai Cang experienced countless battles and betrayals, always remembering that he could only trust himself. It was Bai Zhou’s lesson that allowed him to survive countless crises. Better to betray others than trust anyone.

This was the law of survival in the Western Wasteland.

Thirty years later.

Bai Cang had become a well-known demon cultivator in the Western Wasteland. He founded the Wuya Sect, controlling a large area near the Turbid River.

As was customary, the villages under Wuya Sect’s control offered tributes of young boys and girls. Those with potential would become furnaces, given as rewards to his subordinates. Those without beauty or talent would become lowly servants.

Bai Cang wasn’t like his father, who indulged in carnal pleasures. To Bai Cang, his lustful, indulgent father was a worthless waste.

Though he practiced demonic arts, his path was far more ruthless and domineering. He absorbed the demonic power of others to strengthen himself. Using ordinary furnaces would be less effective than simply seizing more resources to cultivate faster.

One day, his subordinates presented him with a gift—a beautiful pure yin furnace.

Pure yin furnaces were exceedingly rare, appearing only once every few hundred years. Dual cultivating with a pure yin furnace could refine one’s demonic power, making it purer. And more refined demonic power meant greater potential for advancement, so whenever a pure yin furnace appeared, it would cause a frenzy among demon cultivators.

Though Bai Cang’s cultivation method was brutal, his demonic power had become impure due to absorbing so much from others. This had created a bottleneck in his progress. The pure yin furnace was indeed a useful gift for him.

He looked at the timid boy.

The boy had an exceptionally beautiful face. With such rare beauty and a special physique, he was destined to become the possession of the strong.

Bai Cang kept him.

The boy had no talent for cultivation, was timid, weak, and foolish. But he wanted to live—Bai Cang could see that.

Bai Cang thought, He’s just another one like Bai Zhou. There were too many like him in the Western Wasteland—weak and untalented, but desperate to survive, willing to do anything, no matter how degrading, just to cling to life…

As long as the boy was useful, Bai Cang would give him food, clothing, and shelter.

He didn’t care whether the boy might betray him, because he would never give him the chance.

As expected, the boy was soon enticed by everything Bai Cang gave him. To keep what he had, he began to fawn over Bai Cang in every way possible.

One day, Bai Cang returned to find the boy dressed in a ridiculous pink and green dress, his face painted with garish makeup, trying to seduce him. Bai Cang suddenly laughed. The difference from Bai Zhou was that Qing Xun was truly an idiot.

He wanted to survive but didn’t know how to do it properly. He simply let fate carry him along, making no effort to resist. He wasn’t even as clear-headed as Bai Zhou, who had at least known how to exploit everything at his disposal for greater gain.

Qing Xun only wanted to please him.

He was content with a full belly and warm clothes, asking for nothing more.

Yet Bai Cang didn’t dislike the boy for it. Wanting to live wasn’t a crime, and being foolish wasn’t a problem either. Bai Cang didn’t need overly clever people by his side.

The boy was innocent and clueless, unaware of right and wrong. He didn’t even know how to do bad things… As long as Bai Cang was pleased, the boy would do his best to flatter him, as if Bai Cang’s happiness was all that mattered. His eyes shone with undisguised greed, but also with pure, sincere admiration…

Everything about him was laid bare.

The fact that he had survived this long was pure luck.

For the first time, Bai Cang thought, Keeping this thing around isn’t so bad.

He was willing to show the boy a little more patience and tolerance because, despite everything, the boy was a useful furnace and could amuse him. For Bai Cang, that was enough. He never expected more.

Perhaps sensing Bai Cang’s indulgence, the boy gradually became more relaxed, no longer as timid or cautious as before. He was like a small, frightened animal, cautiously testing how far he could go in the beast’s territory.

Bai Cang was aware of this.

But a small animal was still just a small animal. No matter what, it could never pose a threat to him, so Bai Cang let him be.

Wuya Sect expanded rapidly. Bai Cang was ruthless in his conquests. Resources in the Western Wasteland were limited, so expansion meant seizing others’ territories. And with more land came more resources and people to control.

In the conflict with the Blood Demon Sect, things had gone smoothly at first. But once the Blood Demon Sect’s leader realized he couldn’t win, he turned his forces toward Wuya Sect’s headquarters.

Bai Cang had taken most of his elite forces with him, leaving only a few demon cultivators to defend the headquarters. They were quickly slaughtered, and the Blood Demon Sect’s leader soon found Bai Cang’s residence, setting it ablaze.

When Bai Cang arrived, he saw the boy sitting on the ground, staring blankly at the sky, his face pale with despair and confusion.

For the first time in years, Bai Cang felt anger. Over the years, he had faced countless betrayals and battles, and he never expected anything from people, so he never felt anger or pain… But in that moment, Bai Cang was furious.

This was his possession, and no one else had the right to touch it.

In an instant, Bai Cang appeared in front of the Blood Demon Sect’s leader, blocking the raging flames. With a single pull, he tore the old man in half, blood splattering his face. Bai Cang’s eyes gleamed with excitement as he licked his lips.

Then he turned back to the trembling boy.

The boy’s gaze was unfocused, and he was so terrified that he couldn’t even speak. His lips quivered uncontrollably.

Bai Cang’s expression turned mocking. Just as useless and cowardly as always, he said coldly, “Worthless thing.”

It was true—the boy was a worthless thing.

But he was Bai Cang’s.

Which meant he would tolerate the boy’s continued existence, providing him with food, clothing, and shelter. After all, he could afford to keep such a creature around. Whether the boy was useful or not didn’t really matter.

Bai Cang wiped out the Blood Demon Sect and continued his rapid expansion. The territory of Wuya Sect grew ever larger.

Gradually, Bai Cang noticed that at some point, the boy’s gaze had changed. In addition to the admiration he had shown before, there was now trust and dependence.

Bai Cang had rarely seen anyone so foolish. The boy was just a furnace, yet he had begun to rely on and trust his master… Although the boy’s behavior was laughable, Bai Cang didn’t feel the need to correct him. Instead, he allowed the boy to draw closer to him. Sometimes, when he was in a good mood, he would even spend time with the boy, teasing him. These were things Bai Cang had never done before…

One day, Bai Cang’s subordinates presented him with several more beautiful furnaces. Though these furnaces didn’t have the same potential as Qing Xun, their beauty was comparable.

When the boy learned of this, he showed rare signs of panic, as if he wanted to say something but couldn’t bring himself to.

Bai Cang knew the boy was afraid of losing his favor and everything he had gained. The boy’s little thoughts didn’t escape Bai Cang’s eyes. Logically speaking, Bai Cang didn’t need to worry about anyone’s feelings, much less those of a furnace. But in that moment, Bai Cang said to him, “Don’t worry, you’re all I need.”

When Bai Cang said this, it wasn’t because he cared deeply for Qing Xun. It was simply that he didn’t need more furnaces, and if this sentence reassured the boy, then there was no harm in saying it.

It was just an offhand remark, not a promise. Yet the boy was overjoyed, his beautiful eyes lighting up with dazzling brilliance.

He knelt at Bai Cang’s feet, so devout it was as if Bai Cang were his god.

Bai Cang suddenly thought, This isn’t so bad.

He had walked this lonely path for so long, killing everyone who stood in his way. He was used to this way of life and would continue it in the future. There would be no one beside him, no one to accompany him.

All that awaited him were slaughter and betrayal.

He didn’t know when he would die, but at least for now, in this brief moment, he had someone by his side—someone who saw him as everything.

It wasn’t a bad feeling.

In fact, he had begun to get used to having the boy around.

A year later, Bai Cang reached another bottleneck in his cultivation. Though his demonic power had grown purer and more refined, he couldn’t quite break through. It was like a thin sheet of paper separating him from the next level—so close, yet impossible to tear through.

Bai Cang scoured the nearby mountains and destroyed several more demonic sects but still couldn’t find the spiritual material he needed to break through.

Until he heard that the Master of Cloud-Slicing Mountain had a thousand-year-old Blood Vine.

The Blood Vine had absorbed countless baleful energies over the centuries. If refined, its essence could help him break through.