Sect Leader Hou stammered, "S-Sect Leader Su, I don't mean anything by my words."
However, Su Baicheng stood up.
Seeing that Su Baicheng had already stood up, Sect Leader Hou's back was immediately filled with sweat. He got up, his chair clattering.
Su Baicheng could feel everyone's eyes. Fearful and scared. Scared of whom? Him. Because he was now a devil, a demon widely feared. It was only normal. This was how everyone came to look at him. But he didn't care. So long as his objective remained the same, so long as he still held onto this power, nothing could escape. Be it people or immortals, be it small or big, he was a man who sought vengeance. Death followed him closely, just like it had always been.
Wei XueLu remained, standing still even as Su Baicheng moved. However, his hand was rested onto the hilt of his sword, ready to take it out at any moment. But at this moment, he waited for orders.
"Sect Leader Su!"
"Wait!"
The many voices yelled at him.
What were they yelling for? Su Baicheng wasn't going to kill the man. Immortals were harder to kill than what people thought. He wasn't going to kill the man. It was merely a few words, but everyone was already so scared. In front of their eyes, only power existed. Yet in the face of someone stronger, they all cowered like a wild animal, only baring their fangs to animals weaker than them. Righteous cultivators. What a joke. In the end, everyone remained selfish. Everyone... even him.
"Ever since my climb to power, ever since I killed Su Fuwen, the power in my hands only grew. In the Jianghu world, I remain the strongest, the youngest yet. I'm a madman, blood has flowed down the path that I've walked. Sect Leader Hou, do you know what you've done wrong?" Su Baicheng's lips rose, his eyes holding a dark glare from within them. His footsteps were slow, echoing in the silent room. He held no sword in his hand, yet it was clear what his intent was. He didn't need a sword to kill Sect Leader Hou.
Sect Leader Hou backed away with Su Baicheng's steps. His face was pale, sweat popping on his forehead. His whole body was trembling as Su Baicheng focused his force on him, his cultivation weighing down heavily onto the man.
Sect Leader Hou was shaking so much, he was barely able to answer Su Baicheng. "A- Abandoning! I- I should never think about abandoning anyone! I owe it to them!" From his shaking voice, his words were almost unable to be decipher.
However, Su Baicheng's lips widened even more. With his glowing red eyes, he truly looked like he had gone mad. It was to the point that though everyone was afraid and wanted to stop him, no one dared to. Not to mention, they would also have to go against Wei XueLu.
"And?" Su Baicheng asked, looking down at the man who collapsed onto the ground from his weakened knees.
What a sight. Was this how Sect Leader Hou looked down to the humans who did not cultivate? Was he arrogant and ignorant? If so, Su Baicheng would just have to imprint it into his head that he still existed.
This was what his parents would have done. Perhaps not with his means, but in their own careful and gentle ways. They always cared about the mortals, the humans who did not cultivate. If they were still alive, perhaps this world wouldn't be so ugly.
Su Baicheng swept his eyes around the room. No one was willing to look at him. Everyone avoided his gaze, pretending that they didn't exist. In this room of more than twenty people, no one dared to look at him. In this room where some of the strongest individuals were gathered, everyone bowed to him. It was only normal with his history. He had massacred the previous leaders of Fushui Sect, the most powerful sect even back then. He could easily exterminate the other sects too.
Su Baicheng was still holding onto his sanity. Contrary to what people were thinking, he was very much aware of what he was doing. Perhaps they thought he was already going mad. In a way, that was true.
Sect Leader Hou froze under Su Baicheng's eyes that turned even colder. He hurriedly got up, "I apologize! The Weiyan Sect will do everything in our power to help find the culprit behind the deaths." As he spoke, he looked at Su Baicheng to make sure that he wasn't saying anything wrong.
Su Baicheng cocked his brows, "Well, I will be expecting that from everyone here. I'm sure that you will all do that, right?"
The murmurs and stammers of agreements were heard.
With that, Su Baicheng turned to Zhuang Bufei. "I will be leaving first, Sect Leader Zhuang. I'm sure that everyone will keep their words. Oh, and this year, Fushui Sect will send only five disciples to the Cleansing of Demonic Beasts. Come, XueLu." He turned to Wei XueLu.
Wei XueLu walked over to Su Baicheng, standing and walking behind the man who was moving towards the doors. Under everyone's gaze, they walked forward without caring of what would happen after they leave.
The doors closed with a heavy sound.
Su Baicheng continued to walk down the path. A waterfall could faintly be heard. Under his sleeves, he took out his hands. His pale fingers were cracked, a black line running down it. Looking at his hand, his face was empty. However, while he didn't panic, Wei XueLu's eyes widened, hurriedly coming to his side.
"Baicheng!" Wei XueLu grabbed onto Su Baicheng's wrist. His hands were the same size as Su Baicheng's, but his fingers were not as pale and more calloused.
"The demonic energy within me must have rioted." Su Baicheng didn't care for such a small wound. However, Wei XueLu's reaction was normal to him. Wei XueLu cared more about his body than he did himself.
After all, Wei XueLu was the closest person to him now. The man wouldn't betray him. Time had made Su Baicheng realize that even if the world betrayed him, Wei XueLu would still stand by his side. Thus, Su Baicheng let himself open up towards Wei XueLu.
"Let me heal this first." Wei XueLu shook his head. His dark blue eyes were heavy as he gazed at the hand with black cracks running along it.
"Do as you wish." Su Baicheng didn't stop him. Wei XueLu wouldn't have listened anyway. Perhaps he listened to every order from him, but when it came to his well-being, Wei XueLu could care less.
In fact, if Wei XueLu wasn't by his side, if he hadn't saved him back then, Su Baicheng wondered what would have happened to him.
Wei XueLu knew his past. Su Baicheng didn't care to hide it, but he also didn't care to speak about it. Unlike Zhu Luishui, Wei XueLu still stood by his side even when they faced death countless times.
And it was unfortunate. To Su Baicheng, Wei XueLu was a close companion, almost like family. He couldn't give Wei XueLu what he wanted. He couldn't be more than just companions. He couldn't return the feelings that Wei XueLu had towards himself. His heart was cold.
Su Baicheng's eyes flickered a bit as he looked at Wei XueLu who wholeheartedly focused on treating his wound.
At times, Su Baicheng felt pity for Wei XueLu. To have such a man by his side, Wei XueLu deserved more.
Even so, his objectives remained the same and he wouldn't change. Towards Wei XueLu, there was only so much he could give. Once was enough. He didn't want to lose himself ever again.
"I checked the energy within you. Your spiritual roots are unharmed at the moment. However, as your roots were never made for the way of demonic cultivation, the demonic energy is colliding with the foundations of your body. Not to mention," Wei XueLu dragged on, biting his thin lips. He didn't finish his sentence.
Su Baicheng knew what the man couldn't bear to say. His body was dying. That much, he was fully aware of. It was only normal. He should be dead. However, he was given a second chance to live. A body that was already dead once, it was only normal for it to break down faster. With his cultivation, the demonic energy was corroding his spiritual roots and destroying them, clashing against one another.
Su Baicheng wasn't scared to die. If it was in the past, he wouldn't have wanted to die. However, he had gotten revenge. His life was rather empty now. The memories only reminded of everything that was already lost. Bygones should be bygones, but reality proved that it wasn't so easy to let go.
Even if Su Baicheng didn't want to admit it, he still longed for the past.
"I know." Su Baicheng replied. His voice was softer, as if trying to calm the man in front of him. Wei XueLu looked cold. The man was cold. However, towards him, Wei XueLu sought warmth.
With his words, Wei XueLu looked up. His eyes were glazed with a tint of pain within them. The heartache within them couldn't be hidden.
To Su Baicheng, it was unbearably clear. The emotions within the man's eyes always slipped like this, as if he couldn't suppress his own emotions. Even if Wei XueLu never spoke about his feelings, Su Baicheng had long since known.
"Why?" Wei XueLu asked.
Su Baicheng looked around first. "Let's return back to the sect and speak. Here isn't a good place."
At that, Wei XueLu slowly nodded his head. He grabbed onto Su Baicheng's wrist, his other hand sweeping across the air, a small light falling from it.
With a quick incantation, they arrived directly in the sect, in Su Baicheng's study room.
Su Baicheng stepped away from Wei XueLu, sitting down first. He motioned for Wei XueLu to sit down too.
As the other man sat down, Su Baicheng began finding his own words. When did he know? It was a long time ago. In fact, Su Baicheng had always known that death would approach faster the higher his cultivation was. However, to seek revenge he didn't care. After he successfully became the sect leader, he realized that his cultivation was out of his own hands. His Qi was harder to control. Qi Deviations and Heart Demons became a normal occurrence for him.
Because of this, his mood was also irrational. His temper was hard to control, headaches became common too. Wine helped him. It helped calm him down and it also quelled the headaches. However, the Qi Deviations and Heart Demons couldn't be escaped from. This, Wei XueLu helped him with this.
He had known long ago that Fei Shang and Zhu Luishui were trying to bring Fei Qianchi back, that they were trying to resurrect Zhu Longwang. He could have stopped them. If he wanted, he could have forced them to stop.
However, with time, Su Baicheng realized his own faults. It was true that Zhu Longwang and Fei Qianchi had nothing to do with his revenge. However, at that time, the pain from Zhu Luishui's betrayal was still aching in his chest. Thus, he brought in people who had nothing to do with them.
Because of that, he didn't stop anything.
During that time, Su Baicheng was in his worst conditions. He awaited Fei Qianchi's return, a man who was famed. Even after the man went mad, the people of Jianghu still spoke about his talents. Even after he disappeared, many still spoke about his name.
200 years was like water coursing through a river. It was fast for cultivators.
Su Baicheng bided his time, waiting for them to return.
When they returned, Su Baicheng gave them time before he met them. After all, he was still the enemy in their eyes. Even he wouldn't forgive himself. He was rather surprised by how Fei Qianchi changed. However, it was only normal after having gone through countless lifetimes and then returning back to the past.
With a Vow of Blood, he sought for their aid. After all, there were countless sects upset at him and many had tried to attack him. He didn't know how long he had to live.
"I died once. I've told you this before. I was able to live again but it doesn't change the fact that my body was once dead. Demonic cultivation has caused havoc upon my body. This body has limited time, hence why I gave way for Lord of Suzhou and Fei Shang." Su Baicheng's red eyes did not hold any emotion. Even as he spoke about the possibilities of him dying at any time, he wasn't afraid. He had accomplished revenge for himself and his parents. Even... if there were some unresolved matters, it was better to let it go.
Wei XueLu's eyes glinted with remorse. "Baicheng, I have followed you for nearly 7 centuries. I've followed your every order, never caring about the consequences. All to repay you, I became your sword and shield. So please... is there a way to save you?"
Su Baicheng felt like a demon. This man... why did he love him? Wei XueLu shouldn't be living this life. If only Su Baicheng hadn't been so impulsive and took him in, perhaps Wei XueLu would be free from him.
"There is no reason for me to live." Su Baicheng smiled very lightly. It was different from his smirks and sneers. It was a very light and tired smile that displayed a side of him he kept hidden.
Wei XueLu clenched his fist. His brows were knitted together in thought. He looked like he wanted to say something but he couldn't say it.
"Then what about me? You said that you would take care of me. When you took me in, you promised to take care of me and I promised you too." Wei XueLu finally whispered. His facial expression cracked, the coldness slipping away.
Hearing these words, Su Baicheng couldn't refute it. Blame himself. After having been betrayed by Zhu Luishui, after being revived, Su Baicheng became entangled in resentment and hatred. He encountered countless dangers seeking the most precious items of the Jianghu world, all to get more powerful.
Wei XueLu saved him. The small child saved him, a man who obviously looked evil. It brought back memories of a man who once saved him too. Even the words the young child spoke was so similar to him. Perhaps even then, Su Baicheng was still a bit softhearted towards the man he once loved. He took in the small child who later grew to this day.
"I will still do the same. Immortal Fei will help you in my stead. After I die, I will proclaim this seat his. The day I die, the bloodline of the Su will no longer exist. Once I die, the world would be a better place." He spoke from his heart. The blood on his hands were a reminder of what he had sacrificed to come to this point. He was driven by madness. In the end, he caused even more pain for other people.
Su Baicheng looked at Wei XueLu who bit his lips in frustration. It was easy to see that his words caused Wei XueLu to be in shock and a frenzy.
"Leave for a bit, XueLu." Su Baicheng ordered. It was not a question, he wasn't allowing disagreement.
In the end, Wei XueLu nodded his head and left. The man didn't turn his head. Su Baicheng was glad that he didn't.
With Wei XueLu gone, Su Baicheng finally looked at his desk. As he looked at it, he noticed a small piece of paper folded. Narrowing his eyes, he picked up the paper and read it.
'Bai Chengsu, no, it is now Su Baicheng. I've returned. I had killed you. Once more will be easy for me now that you're in such a weakened state. Currently, I'm wearing down your forces. It is a rather unfortunate thing that you have forgotten your last life. Of course, that was my fault after all. However, I am awaiting to see what you will do. After all, I've just ordered my men to do something big for you.'
Reading this mysterious letter, an ominous feelings appeared in Su Baicheng's heart. Holding the letter, he watched as it suddenly erupted, falling into pieces of ash.
He... something about this felt familiar. At that moment, the door was slammed open. Wei XueLu, who had just left, appeared by the door with eyes in a state of panic.
"Baicheng, there's been an accident."
-
Leaning back onto his throne, a man sat. With a black cloak covering him, the man was obviously strong and powerful. By his side, a long black snake nearing 30 meters sat obediently.
The man stroke the snake's head, to which it opened its mouth and licked his hand.
"It seems like you are eager to come back. You've been speeding the process." His voice was hoarse and slightly distorted.
The snake hissed before a voice filled the air. "Of course, Master. I hurried back to meet you first. I've done as you said and Mengyu has been following your orders too. We are simply waiting for the moment to strike."
"Have you given him my letter?" The man asked as the snake came closer to him.
"Yes, I found time to break away and sneak into his courtyard. It seems like they were in a meeting with the other sect leaders and weren't there. However, Zhu Luishui and Fei Shang were seen patrolling the sect so I didn't linger for too long." The snake's one red and one gold eyes peered at the man.
The man's lashes fell over his eyes. "Then everything is ready. The Cleansing of Demonic Beasts is about to begin. Lure them and trap them there. That way, we can mess with them first before getting rid of them."
.
.
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