Chapter 19

Yuehua and Ming Qing both cried out in pain as they looked at the lifeless body of Xie Fuyi in disbelief.

They took a few steps forward to touch Xie Fuyi, but before they could even reach him, they were violently thrown back by a powerful surge of spiritual energy from Ye Baixiao, falling to the ground.

“Get lost,” Ye Baixiao’s cold and hoarse voice sounded lifeless, “I won’t kill you out of respect for him.”

Yuehua finally saw the appearance of the Demon Venerable, and he trembled all over. “Ye Baixiao? It’s really you? You’re the Demon Venerable? Is all this your doing? Did you deceive him again?”

A series of questions were affirmative, but Yuehua was extremely angry. He attacked again with his sword, only to be entangled in mid-air by the opponent’s spiritual power with a wave of his hand. The long sword quickly shattered, and Yuehua fell, spitting out a few mouthfuls of blood.

His heart chilled. Such a powerful Demon Venerable and Dragon God were the same person, intending to destroy all living beings effortlessly… Could it be that the prophecy was wrong?

“What did you do to Master?” At this moment, Ming Qing, on the side, keenly noticed a few red marks exposed on Xie Fuyi’s collarbone.

What’s that?

As Ming Qing realized what it was, he instantly became fierce, rushing madly towards Ye Baixiao. Even though his neck was constricted tighter and tighter by the opponent’s spiritual power, his face turned red, he still struggled fiercely, swinging his hands to hit Ye Baixiao.

Ye Baixiao still didn’t kill him. He released his grip, and Ming Qing fell to the ground. He felt as if his bones were shattering, but he stubbornly crawled towards Xie Fuyi.

The closer he got, the clearer he saw. It wasn’t just a small mark; there were many more inside. Ming Qing’s eyes turned bloodshot, glaring angrily at Ye Baixiao. “You beast! How dare you torment Master!”

Following Ming Qing’s words, Yuehua also saw the marks on Xie Fuyi’s body. His heart ached, guessing that after Xie Fuyi was taken away, he must have suffered unbearable treatment… He angrily wanted to rush up and kill Ye Baixiao, but the injuries to his internal organs prevented him from even standing up.

Despite being so insulted, Ye Baixiao remained motionless, as if lifeless, holding the person in his arms tightly. But when Xie Fuyi was mentioned, he felt a sudden sharp pain in his heart.

“Do you hate him for deceiving and using your blood for alchemy? Do you hate him for poisoning you with medicine? What about you? Are you blameless?” Ming Qing’s voice choked with sobs, scolding Ye Baixiao, “If it weren’t for Master saving you, you would have frozen to death in the ice and snow long ago! Every time he drew blood, he treated you with medicine; during the days in the Misty Valley, did he ever mistreat you in terms of food, clothing, shelter, or transportation? And what about you? You repay kindness with ingratitude, deceive him in ignorance, trick him with false affection, and after tormenting him, you still disguise yourself as someone else to deceive him! Yet you hold a grudge against him for seeking revenge on you? Is he wrong for retaliating against you?”

Ming Qing’s furious roar brought Ye Baixiao back to reality, his heart constricting as if sharp needles were piercing through it, waves of intense pain causing him to close his eyes, his throat dry and hoarse. “You’re right. I deceived him just as much. What right do I have to resent him for using me?”

“Huh, are you still blaming Master for using you to refine medicine?” Ming Qing’s light chuckle was filled with mockery. “Do you think everyone is born as powerful as you?”

Ye Baixiao was taken aback, sensing something amiss in his words. His eyes, burning with rage, suddenly locked onto Ming Qing. “What do you mean?”

Ming Qing’s eyes glistened slightly with moisture, but he held back his tears as he spoke hoarsely, “I’m sure you’ve noticed too. Master can’t directly absorb spiritual energy, even though he trained with Immortal Yao since childhood. Why is his spiritual power so weak? It’s because of Master’s unique constitution. He can’t directly absorb others’ spiritual energy, but he can be drained by others. Because he has the best cauldron constitution.”

“Master had made some progress in cultivation, but…” Ming Qing’s eyes flashed with tears, and his voice choked, “Someone forcibly drained all his spiritual energy. Since then, Master has been determined to become stronger.”

With a crack, Ye Baixiao crushed the bedpost with his bare hands, dark intent surging in his crimson eyes. Almost squeezing out two words from between his teeth, he growled, “Who?”

Judging by his aura, he seemed capable of tearing the heavens and earth apart just to find that person, to flay them alive and rip their tendons apart, to annihilate them body and soul!

“That person was dealt with by our founder long ago. But after Master was brought back, no matter how he cultivated, his spiritual power couldn’t improve, and his body was weaker than ordinary cultivators.” Ming Qing shook his head, his eyes reddening at the corners. “Master has a strong sense of pride. He never wanted anyone to know about these things. I only accidentally stumbled upon the truth, but I could only pretend not to know.”

Ye Baixiao thought of all the things he had forced upon the other, feeling a pang of regret. He murmured painfully, “No wonder his health deteriorated…”

Suddenly, Ming Qing looked up, staring at Ye Baixiao intensely. Unable to control his tears, he roared, “Master only wanted to enhance his spiritual power and become stronger, to be a cultivator capable of defending himself! He just wanted to ensure that he wouldn’t be bullied and exploited at will in the future, without the ability to fight back! He never intended to kill you. Was he wrong to retaliate against you?”

Ming Qing, a grown man, was now sobbing uncontrollably, his face marred by the half-mask, making his crying somewhat grotesque yet incredibly heart-wrenching.

Ye Baixiao was shaken to the core, his throat dry and bitter as he spoke hoarsely, “He was not wrong, it was me, it was all my fault…”

Indeed… It was he who had bullied the other, deceived him in cultivation, even kidnapped and forced him, leading to this…

On the side, Yuehua also felt a piercing ache in his heart, murmuring, “He was originally pure-hearted, rescuing anyone who was injured or bullied. He protected me even when facing a demon lord… He only wanted to cultivate in this manner to ensure he could defend himself. He never intended harm. What’s wrong with that?”

Ye Baixiao was now utterly devastated, overwhelmed with regret. His eyes, crimson with tears, could shed no more tears, only streaming with blood. “Master, I didn’t hate you for using my blood in cultivation. From the moment I first saw you, I loved you. That love, as if etched into my marrow, seemed to have existed for an eternity.”

Ye Baixiao tightened his arms, but found them empty— the person in his embrace was gradually dissipating, until nothing remained but specks of silver light in the air.

“Master!” A heart-rending scream escaped Ye Baixiao’s lips as he reached out desperately, but found nothing.

“Gone…” After a moment of daze, as if all his strength had been sucked away, he collapsed to the ground.

“No, it can’t be…” Ye Baixiao’s deep black eyes, through the scattered silver light, slowly closed. “Master, I will find you. Across reincarnations, for eternity.”

With a violent surge of spiritual power, Yuehua and Ming Qing were thrown several meters away. When they steadied themselves, a surge of metallic taste rose in their throats. Looking back at Ye Baixiao, they saw him sitting cross-legged, head lowered. There was no sign of life left in his once proud figure.

He had destroyed his own soul for Xie Fuyi. There would be no more Dragon God or Demon Venerable in the world.

As Yuehua regained his senses, he stared blankly at the dissipating silver light where Xie Fuyi had vanished— the prophecy was correct. The Dragon God had sealed the Demon Venerable again, but it was Xie Fuyi who saved the world.

Ming Qing saw something falling amidst the dispersing silver light. As he caught it with trembling hands, he realized it was Xie Fuyi’s jade token. He held it tenderly, tears blurring his vision. “Master, I’ll take you home…”

…

The demonic race was completely wiped out, and the cultivation world ushered in a long-awaited peace.

It was said that although the Demon Venerable had emerged again as foretold, this time it wasn’t the Dragon God who sealed him, but Xie Fuyi, the master of the Misty Valley.

Because Xie Fuyi saved the world, the Misty Valley became a place revered by countless cultivators. But with the protection of the Yaoxian Sect, no one could easily enter.

Ming Qing, on the other hand, stayed by Master’s wooden cabin, never leaving the Misty Valley for the rest of his life.