The atmosphere upon Mengxiang Peak was dark and gloomy. There was a dark cloud casted overhead, as if depicting the internal turmoil within a man's heart.
Fei Qianchi looked outside. His once vibrant blue eyes looked dull and lifeless, no emotion within them. In his hand, he clinched tightly onto the pendant, the dragon pendant.
What was he currently going through? Even he didn't know. There was too much going on, different emotions clashed within him. As the voice got louder, Fei Qianchi was slowly becoming muddled. The anger, pain, and betrayal was getting to him. It made his blood course with anger. But he held it in. Even as he slowly lost his mind, he held it in.
Fei Qianchi's white hair was in a mess. The man was no longer tidied up.
How long has it been? In a few days, Baicheng was going to finally marry Hong Meiwan.
Fei Qianchi tilted his head, closing his eyes as a wave of pain attacked him. What changed? From the moment he met Baicheng, everything changed. The man brought a new peace to him. After all, he was the man Fei Qianchi had always been searching for. For this man, Fei Qianchi threw away all fear, threw away every part of himself and changed.
Even that wasn't enough. The man once smiled and said that he would always love him. But thinking back upon it, the man had never uttered these words. It was merely Fei Qianchi who filled in the holes, pretending that the man also loved him.
But even so, he was already in too deep. Baicheng became his lifeline even before he knew it. After meeting Baicheng, Fei Qianchi became obsessed. It was like his whole being depended on the man. Fei Qianchi had already lost a piece of himself when Baicheng appeared in his life.
Without knowing, Fei Qianchi had already pushed everyone out of his life. He only let Baicheng near him. Even his close bonds with Fei Shang disappeared. Fei Qianchi pushed away everyone that he knew for Baicheng, even Zhu Longwang.
He clenched his fist as he thought about this.
The man had called him evil. Fei Qianchi knew that deep down, he was not a righteous person. He was never that type of person. Deep down, he was a cruel and evil person. He was greedy and selfish, and it took meeting Baicheng to bring out his inner-self.
The Qi surrounding Fei Qianchi became chaotic as a cup shattered into pieces. He opened his eyes, his blue pupils flickering between red, black, and his normal eye color. A vengeful smile appeared upon his face.
"Just follow me..."
A wisp of dark energy flowed out from him. Fei Qianchi's eyes appeared as a dark black. With his white hair, the image looked like a demonic cultivator.
"Everyone has been lying to you. If even Baicheng knew, do you really think no one else knew about the fact that you killed your family? In front of your face, they may smile and say that they care for you, but behind your back, they most likely talk about how evil you are. Only I know. Only I know that your actions are not wrong. You are not evil, you were just born on the wrong side."
Upon these words, a familiar man appeared before Fei Qianchi. The man smiled, a bewitching smile. The man's yellow eyes glowed, flickering between black.
Fei Qianchi looked up, his black eyes made him appear even more menacing. There was a cold look on his face, his eyes filled with vengeance.
The man stretched out his hand, smiling as he said in a light tone, "I understand your pain. Those righteous cultivators will never understand, but I know about everything you've gone through. Us, demonic cultivators are not evil like they all say. They merely do not want to admit that we walk the same path as them, though we have our own different road."
Fei Qianchi looked at the man. No one knew his pain... only this man, only this voice continued to reach out to him. No one knew about the nightmares he still faced after his mother's death, the reoccurring images of his dead mother that still haunted him. No one knew how much he suffered under Madam Fei's hand, no one knew the ridicules he faced, the humiliations he had gone through.
As words spread about how he had killed his family as a child, everyone slowly alienated from Fei Qianchi. Discovering that he was not a just person, everyone began to ridicule and speak of him behind his back.
He was already stranded. No one was here to save him. Even those in the same sect as him did not want to be too close to him.
Fei Qianchi felt a cold feeling rush over him, a delightful feeling. Looking at the man, his lips suddenly lifted, turning into a smirk. The image was shocking. Fei Qianchi had never shown such an expression before in his life. Even when troubled, the man still smiled lightly. Yet now, he smirked. The wisp of dark energy gradually turned darker.
Opposite of him, the man's smile got even bigger. "Follow me for a bit. Let me walk you through a piece of hidden history that Fushui Sect has hidden. After this, you will understand that even righteous cultivators are selfish, they are as evil as demonic cultivators, the beings that they hate."
Fei Qianchi smirked, his black eyes were cold. He slowly stuck out his hand, letting the man grasp onto him.
The man smiled. And then, a dark energy covered their bodies. As it disappeared, they were gone.
Fei Qianchi opened his eyes. He looked around. His eyes were cold.
The man smiled. "I've been by your side for so long, but I've never told you my name. I am Ran Mengyu,"
Fei Qianchi looked at the mountain. "Where are we?" His voice was hoarse.
Ran Mengyu smiled, his yellow eyes looking around. "I'm letting you take a look at how Fushui Sect was formed." Then, he stopped. Laughing, he corrected, "No, I'm letting you take a look at who was sacrificed to create Fushui Sect."
Hearing this, Fei Qianchi made no reaction. It was like the man couldn't even hear these words. He merely looked onward with a cold face.
"Follow me. We will be passing by a few different souls first." Ran Mengyu added. They walked through the mountain, climbing up the steep mountain that seemed to continue on forever.
Fei Qianchi walked with calm steps. There was a long stone staircase that ascended up the mountain. Walking by, there were some people latched onto the stairs, as if they couldn't carry on the journey anymore.
As Fei Qianchi took a glance backwards, he saw that they had already walked a long way.
They encountered more people. Some were chained, others were haggard. Many were unable to continue walking, crawling as they tried to climb up the stairs on the mountain.
Fei Qianchi furrowed his brows but he didn't say anything as they passed by these people.
"These are lost souls. They are unable to climb these stairs because a part of them still lingers in the mortal realm. Whether it be because of hatred or a deep yearning, if it is unsettled, they are unable to ascend this mountain." Ran Mengyu explained, not looking back.
Fei Qianchi made no expression. He continued walking up the stairs. Clenching his hand by his side, his terrible mood was now settled, having calmed as he stepped up the stairs. From behind him, hundreds and hundreds of people were still trying to climb the stairs.
Finally, they arrived. At the very top of the mountain, there was a pavilion situated. There was a gateway, blocked by two soldiers adorned in a golden armor, holding a long white spear in their hands.
By them, a man sat on the table. He faced away from them, turning towards the empty space that surrounded them. There were mountains surrounding them but the current mountain they were on was much taller than the rest of the mountains.
The man looked particularly peaceful. His body was not muscular, instead, he had a thin frame. From behind, his figure was small.
Fei Qianchi stared long as Ran Mengyu walked forward first. The man led Fei Qianchi to the table. As Ran Mengyu sat next to the man at the table, he pointed towards the opposite seat for Fei Qianchi.
Fei Qianchi slowly took a seat. As he sat down, it was then that he finally noticed something. The man's limbs were chained. His wrists and ankles were chained to the large boulder that was situated by the gateway.
Realizing this, he became even more confused. Why did Ran Mengyu take him here?
The silence was disrupted. "Mengyu, did you come again?" The man's voice was soft and gentle.
Fei Qianchi couldn't see his expression, he only saw that Ran Mengyu's expression lightened.
"I did. Su Lianghe, how are you?" Ran Mengyu smiled, his yellow eyes held more light within them.
Su Lianghe... he also had the same surname as Su Fuwen, the current sect leader of Fushui Sect. Fei Qianchi became more nervous. Ran Mengyu had already said something from before that caught his attention. He said that this was the man who was sacrificed to create Fushui Sect.
But Fei Qianchi had never heard of this name before. Then again, he now understood that the righteous cultivators would never speak of their wrongdoings, they only hid and disguised it. He sat silently, watching as the man turned towards Ran Mengyu's voice.
Fei Qianchi's eyes widened. As the man turned around, it was clear to see now. Su Lianghe was blind. Although Fei Qianchi had noticed the white cloth from before, he thought it was simply a headband. But now, he understood that it was to cover his eyes. No, rather than blind, it seemed like something had been done to his eyes. Suddenly, more conflicting feelings appeared in his heart.
"I have been the same as normal. There's not much that I can do." Su Lianghe didn't seem to mind. He stuck up his hand as he reached, trying to grasp for Ran Mengyu's face. The chain on his wrist clattered.
Ran Mengyu stayed still for the man. Su Lianghe carefully touched the man's features.
Fei Qianchi realized that the man was trying to make sure that Ran Mengyu was not just a man pretending to be him. Finally, Su Lianghe took down his hand, his smile brighter now.
"You visited so soon. I told you to not come so often. Coming to this part of the spiritual realm will damage your core." Su Lianghe's voice was still gentle. Then the man asked, "Who did you bring with you?"
Being pointed out, Fei Qianchi was a bit startled. Although he wasn't overly powerful, he was able to hide his presence quite well. Seeing that Su Lianghe was able to easily point him out, he knew that Su Lianghe was a skilled cultivator.
Ran Mengyu turned to Fei Qianchi, "I brought a fellow member of the Fushui Sect."
Hearing this, Su Lianghe's smile staggered. But still, it didn't disappear. "It... has been so long since I've heard the name of that sect. Fellow cultivator, how is the sect now?"
Knowing that Su Lianghe was speaking to him, Fei Qianchi replied, "The sect has been the same. Throughout these ten thousands of years, many different sect leaders have come to power, totaling at 6."
Hearing this, Su Lianghe nodded his head with a peaceful look. "The sect is still the same. Has Su Lizhuang already ascended?" The man couldn't see, but he turned around, fixing his position. The white cloth that covered his eyes made him appear more otherworldly.
"Su Lizhuang ascended into Heaven over six thousand years ago. Ever since then, it became harder for cultivators to ascend into Heaven." Fei Qianchi explained. There were no deep emotion in his voice as he spoke.
Ran Mengyu stayed silent as Su Lianghe took in this information.
Su Lianghe nodded. "You must have never heard of my name before, have you?" He questioned.
Fei Qianchi didn't. This name was unfamiliar, but he knew that there must have been a deeper story. "I do not, Senior."
Su Lianghe didn't see surprised by that. He merely nodded his head. "It is only normal. After ten thousand years, those who knew of my name should already have ascended or lost their lives." The man spoke lightly, as if he was no longer affected by the matter anymore.
At this, a dire feeling began to sprout. Something... Fei Qianchi knew that what he was doing right now was not right. He should've never come. Coming here, it was going to make him even more confused. But something forced him in place. He knew that leaving would be the best decision but he didn't leave.
"I... shouldn't speak too much about the past." Su Lianghe finally whispered. The man looked quiet and resolute, the chains outlining his thin limbs.
At this, Ran Mengyu suddenly furrowed his brows. But he didn't speak as he looked at Su Lianghe.
Seeing this, Fei Qianchi was suddenly confused. From what he knew, Ran Mengyu was certainly a demonic cultivator. But the man... why did he look so conflicted as he looked at Su Lianghe?
"Lianghe, you won't tell him?" Ran Mengyu's voice softened.
At this, Su Lianghe's lips lifted into an exasperated smile. "Ten thousand years have already passed. No matter what, I will forever be bound to this place. If they had already hid that matter from ten thousand years ago, then I will also not speak of it. Many won't even know about the events ten thousand years ago."
Fei Qianchi knew that something was very wrong now. It had to do with Su Lianghe. At that moment, Ran Mengyu suddenly turned to Fei Qianchi.
"Someone is coming. I'm sending you back first. Remember, be careful." Ran Mengyu lifted a hand, and drew a seal over Fei Qianchi's head. It ignited, shining brightly.
When Fei Qianchi opened his eyes again, he was back. The oppressive feeling from before appeared in his heart, a stuffy and emotional feeling. Back in the spiritual realm, Fei Qianchi couldn't feel any of these feelings. Now that he came back, the emotions were much stronger.
His face darkened as a pulsing pain hit his head. He already knew who was here.
"Qianchi?" A knock came from outside of the door. It was a familiar cold voice, yet, Fei Qianchi became more agitated. His emotions were spiraling out of control. His fists tightened as he fought to keep his emotions calm.
Fei Qianchi looked at the door, "Come in."
The door slowly opened. Zhu Longwang walked in, a hint of worry attached onto his brows.
Fei Qianchi's expression was cold, even colder than Zhu Longwang's. As the man saw this, his lips quivered. Ever since returning, Fei Qianchi couldn't remember the last time he smiled. After... after he had confronted Baicheng, he found himself changing. For the better or worse, he didn't know.
Zhu Longwang froze, staring at Fei Qianchi's glazed eyes that couldn't hide a deep sorrow in them. His fingers trembled, a storm within his eyes.
"Qianchi, can you smile for me? Just once... please, I beg you." Zhu Longwang's voice cracked. His voice had never held this much emotion in them before. It had stopped when Baicheng became prominent in Fei Qianchi's life.
But at this, Fei Qianchi suddenly smirked. Countless voices filled his head, laughters filled with ridicule. "Is that all you came here for?" His voice was filled with daggers.
Zhu Longwang flinched upon hearing his voice.
"Are you here to look at my misery and laugh?!" Fei Qianchi's voice rose. There was a dark feeling gathering in his heart that made it hard to control his emotions. Fei Qianchi felt like lashing to the whole world. Even though he knew Zhu Longwang wasn't at fault, he couldn't help himself.
There was a light scar on Zhu Longwang's face from their fight before. His pale skin was marred by a scar that ran down the left side of his face.
"That's not what I mean." Zhu Longwang's eyes widened, shocked by what Fei Qianchi said.
"I've heard the ridicules from everyone in this sect." Fei Qianchi sneered. The gentle composure from his past was gone. It was nowhere to be seen. At the moment, he looked like a total different person. "My past is already known. Everyone has turned to look at me with eyes filled with disgust, it's not hard to see."
Hearing this, Zhu Longwang opened his mouth, closing it as his eyes deepened. "You can't shut everyone out. Qianchi, there are those who love you."
But Fei Qianchi became even more agitated. Who knew why, there was a raging fire in his heart that couldn't be suppressed. It was getting stronger. "Love? I saw what love ended in... don't speak of such lies to me."
Upon Zhu Longwang's cold face, a wave of pain surfaced. "I want to help you, please..." The man froze as Fei Qianchi stood up, his chair rattling.
"Help me? Do you think that I've also gone senile?" Fei Qianchi closed in on Zhu Longwang, staring face to face with the man as he questioned, scoffing.
"Qianchi, I-"
"What? What do you want? I once thought I knew who you were, but your heart is hidden deep. I could never figure you out. As soon as I thought that I understood you, you pushed me away. Every time I wanted to know more about you, you closed yourself off. You created a line between us, a line that I was never able to cross. Now you speak of my pain as if you just want to help me?" Fei Qianchi's voice was filled with rage.
Zhu Longwang's words were getting twisted. As they entered Fei Qianchi's brain, the words had different meanings to them. Fei Qianchi found himself losing control.
Zhu Longwang's lips quivered. For the first time since Fei Qianchi had known him, the man showed a rare look of pain, an expression of sorrow.
Fei Qianchi felt his emotions growing even darker. Even as he wanted to stop this growing anger, he couldn't.
Finally, from the man's lips, a sad sentence came out, "The greatest fear in my life is losing you."
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