Did Hao Yeshu’s scheming fail? Not entirely. At the very least, he used his death to trade for Wen Muli’s guilt toward him, as well as his hatred for Su Mo!
Su Mo had survived, but Wen Muli would forever live in the remorse of losing his beloved. Unable to blame himself, he could only transfer all that hatred onto Su Mo. This guilt and hatred tortured Wen Muli madly, turning all the love he once held for Su Mo into a biting, lingering resentment.
In the Memory Stone, it was playing the events of several months ago, when Wen Muli returned with Yan Yichen, who looked exactly like Hao Yeshu. This time, he did not want to see history repeat itself. So, without hesitation, he chose to extract Su Mo’s spiritual root, “correcting” the mistake of a century ago.
It was laughable that his efforts, and Su Mo’s “sacrifice,” did not yield the results he expected. What appeared in the Memory Stone was the scene where Su Mo followed Yan Yichen and discovered that Yan Yichen had killed Zhou Yanyu, framing Wen Muli for the crime.
What is the truth? It is peeling back the skin, exposing the blood and bone, and then shattering that bone inch by inch. Making you wish you were dead…
Wen Muli stared blankly at the scene before him, feeling a piercing, heart-wrenching pain. A mouthful of blood sprayed from his lips once again. His eyes scarlet, he looked at the stunned Yan Yichen, asking through gritted teeth, “Why!”
He had been so good to him—why would he betray him?! Did he know the consequences of destroying the defensive barrier? A cultivator might be able to protect themselves, but 80% of the residents of the Phoenix Capital were ordinary commoners!
Just a short while ago, a terrifying 28th-level demon beast had appeared where the barrier was broken. He had risked his life to kill that beast, yet despite his own injuries, he had rushed back in a frenzy. But he was still too late…
He… watched helplessly as the man who had tormented him for nearly a hundred years, the man he had secretly held in his heart, yet was forever unwilling to admit he loved… fall! And the mastermind behind all of this was Yan Yichen! Once again, he had trusted the wrong person, hurting Su Mo boundlessly, over and over again!
“Because you deserve to die!” Yan Yichen’s eyes filled with hatred; he spat out these words through clenched teeth.
“Haha… Hahaha…” Wen Muli broke into a maniacal laugh, tears blurring his vision. His eyes were filled with hatred, but he did not deliver the final blow.
He threw him violently to the ground and ordered Song Zhi, who stood silently to the side: “Keep a close watch on him. If anything happens to him, all of you will be buried with him!”
“Wen Muli, you are a despicable, shameless, and sinister villain! If you have the guts, kill me!” Yan Yichen no longer hid his hatred, screaming loudly.
“Die? No… I won’t let you die… You were traded for Su Mo’s life, so you shall live on well in his place! Don’t worry… I won’t let you live comfortably…” Wen Muli caressed his cheek with a gentle expression, but the words he spoke were filled with unadulterated malice.
“Bah, cat crying for a mouse, feigning compassion! The person is already dead; who are you acting for now? You are no different from that Hao Yeshu… No, you are even more hateful, even more disgusting… Brother Su Mo died well—only by dying could he truly escape the clutches of a madman and pervert like you!” Yan Yichen spat in his face, his eyes flashing with intense hatred as he spoke incoherently.
“If you can be reborn, so can he… A hundred years, a thousand years, ten thousand years… I will definitely find a way to bring him back to life!” Wen Muli said, his eyes filled with determination, articulating every word.
Ignoring the clamoring Yan Yichen, he gently knelt and pulled Su Mo’s corpse into his arms, stroking Su Mo’s hideous face with tenderness and guilt: “Su Mo… I have failed you. Don’t worry, no matter how long it takes, I will find a way for you to be resurrected; I will spend the rest of my life atoning for my sins…”
Just as he lowered his head with deep affection, intending to kiss Su Mo’s cold lips, a piercing dragon roar resonated through heaven and earth. The entire sky filled with thunder and lightning; the previously clear, cloudless sky turned pitch-black. Lightning tore the sky into pieces; from within the fissures, a massive black dragon suddenly descended.
“What is that?!” “It’s… it’s a dragon! A black dragon!” “It’s a Fallen Dragon, a Fallen Dragon!”
The people pointed at the giant “monster,” which seemed almost to merge with the dark sky, and cried out in terror. Wen Muli’s expression was cold; he immediately ordered the cultivators to prepare for battle.
The black dragon stood in mid-air, its golden vertical pupils coldly meeting his gaze. After another dragon roar, scorching flames erupted from its maw. In an instant, the entire Phoenix Capital turned into a sea of fire. Screams and sounds of panicked flight were endless. Many commoners were caught in the flames, rolling continuously in agony as buildings collapsed in swaths—a tragedy as if the end of the world had arrived.
Wen Muli had already been severely injured in the previous fight against the demon beasts. But if he didn’t intervene, the entire Phoenix Capital would be doomed. Gritting his teeth, he ordered his men to guard Su Mo’s corpse, conjured his natal sword, and flew to face the black dragon.
Another shrill dragon roar, and the black dragon suddenly transformed into human form. Everyone gasped in shock again—what a beautiful, ethereal face!
Draped in red robes with intricate dark patterns on the sleeves, his skin, already pale, looked like a pure white lotus; his temples were sharp like knives, his brows like ink, his face like peach blossoms, and his eyes like autumn waves. Those peach-blossom eyes stared unblinkingly at Wen Muli, and his cherry-pink lips slowly curled into a smile.
That smile was as enchanting as a phantom, as eerie as a demon, and carried intense killing intent!
The overly powerful aura kept Wen Muli from daring to be the slightest bit negligent. His body stiffened like a wire, and he spat out two cold words: “It’s you!”
In the world today, there was only one dragon! That dragon Su Mo had let go—Xiao Xiao! He had appeared at this very moment for only one reason!
He wanted to fight him for Su Mo’s ‘corpse’!
“Wen Muli, you deserve to die.”
The man in red spat these words coldly. In the next second, his figure vanished, reappearing instantly before Wen Muli. A black folding fan struck directly at his face. Wen Muli’s pupils contracted violently; he dodged rapidly while countering at the same time. The speed of their attacks was so fast that the bystanders could only see two blurs of light colliding—they couldn’t even make out their moves.
If Wen Muli hadn’t been injured and was still at his peak, the young dragon might not have been his match. But unfortunately, he had sustained severe internal injuries while fighting the great demon earlier. Furthermore, his inner demons had been triggered by Su Mo’s death and the truth of it all. At this moment, he was no match for the young dragon.
In less than a quarter of an hour, the outcome was decided. His body plummeted fiercely from mid-air, smashing a giant crater into the ground.
“Your Majesty!” The cultivators shouted in terror.
“Cough, cough… Protect the Empress’s body! Do not let him take it!” Wen Muli’s face was as pale as paper. He spat out blood, gritting his teeth as he gave the order.
“Kill…” The cultivators roared, charging at the man in red.
The man in red looked on with disdain, transformed back into a dragon, and began a massacre!