It wasn't that he surrendered without a fight, but under Lu Mingfeng, no one could survive.

Moreover, Lu Mingfeng must have been prepared early on to prevent his disciple from rebelling, and he cast some sort of curse.

As it turned out, Hua Che guessed correctly. The golden core inside him screamed in pain, pulled by an invisible force, trying to burst out of his inner chamber and throw itself into Lu Mingfeng’s hands.

Hua Che thought he was surely going to die.

In an instant, countless images and people flashed through his mind, finally resting on Chu Binghuan.

*

When he woke up, Hua Che was in the Fen Qing Palace Hall

He could never have imagined that he would be saved by Yin Wuhui, truly worthy of being his real father, arriving just in time when his son was in trouble.

The Demon Lord easily broke Lu Mingfeng's evil curse and various bewitchments, wanting Hua Che to leave Shangqing and join Fen Qing Palace.

“A fine seedling, all ruined by the Shangqing sect,” Yin Wuhui extended his hand, “No worries, my son, you have come home. Abandon your filthy immortal arts and study the path of ghosts with your father. Together, we can unite Jiuzhou it’s only a matter of time!” (NT: 九州 Jiǔ Zhōu, the nine Provinces, historical symbolic name of China),

 

Just having been shocked, Hua Che had no mind for Yin Wuhui's sarcasm, and simply said, “Keep your ambitions to yourself, don’t drag me into them.”

Yin Wuhui’s eyes revealed a fierce gleam, “What? Lu Mingfeng is a hypocrite, a false gentleman who approached you only for profit. You wouldn’t still be pining for him, still have lingering feelings for those insidious and cunning immortal cultivators, would you?”

Hua Che stared directly into Yin Wuhui’s intense eyes, “Only he is wrong, why involve others?”

“Did I hear wrong?” Yin Wuhui stood up excitedly, striding down the jade steps, “Turn against those who would join hands to put you to death? Weren’t they immortal cultivators? Yesterday they revered you, today they turn their backs, treating you like a street rat everyone shouts to beat. These pretentious things are not worth mourning, and here you are, still in league with them!”

“You are right,” Hua Che said with a bitter smile, his pale face showing complete despondence, “From the moment you revealed my origins in front of me, I was spurned by Jiuzhou, unacceptable to heaven and earth.”

Yin Wuhui’s eyes narrowed slightly, “Are you blaming your father?”

“Don’t talk to me about fathers, it makes me sick!” Hua Che shouted angrily, “I only know the word ‘mother,’ not ‘father’!”

Yin Wuhui’s hand stiffened, he asked solemnly, “Are you blaming me for abandoning you and your mother?”

Hua Che’s laugh grew more sarcastic, “The esteemed Demon Lord, aren’t you quite self-aware?”

Fearless, he grabbed Yin Wuhui’s collar, his voice low and deep as if from a dying beast, “My mother carried me for ten months, and when she was driven out of the Drunken Mansion, where were you? When my mother passed away, and I begged around for a living, where were you then?”

“The Demon Lord, to whom all demons bow, can’t even protect his own wife and child, discards them at will, now you play the father, feigning kinship? Not a bit of effort, and you get such a big son, where in the world is there such a cheap deal!”

Hua Che pushed him away fiercely, “I, Hua Qingkong, would rather be shattered to pieces than associate with you and your type, filled with evil deeds!”

"‘Filled with evil deeds?’ Yin Wuhui was amused, 'Hua Che, you inherit my blood. Do you think if I am filled with evil deeds, you can remain virtuous and immaculate? Wasn’t the behaviour of those immortal cultivators during the Martial Arts Conference enough? Do you think there is any place for you in this world of Jiuzhou outside of Fen Qing Palace?'

Although he didn’t want to admit it, what Yin Wuhui said was right.

Even Hua Che couldn’t refute it, nor could he deceive himself, because the bloody reality was right before his eyes.

'Just rely on me and stay in Fen Qing Palace! After all, Lu Mingfeng will surely hunt you across the seas and tarnish your reputation. I stormed into Shangqing Sect and took you away, there must have been many witnesses, right? Hehehe, guess what kind of chaos it is outside now?'

Hua Che didn’t need Yin Wuhui to tell him; he already had a guess.

What else could be said?

Lu Mingfeng was blind, his goodwill fed to the dogs, the disciple he vouched for turned out to be a wolf with wild ambitions, who injured Lu Mingfeng and fled the sect with his real father.

The son of the Demon Lord, with demon blood flowing through his veins and inherent ferocity etched into his bones, was destined from birth to be a demon denounced by all!

Hua Che left Fen Qing Palace.

As if intentionally wanting to see his farce, Yin Wuhui did not stop him.

The collapse of one thought did not matter, there were still Lu Yao, Chu Binghuan, and Nanny Jiang.

As long as there was something in one’s heart to cling to, one had motivation.

He recuperated while striving to enhance his power. Half a month later, he returned to Shangqing Sect.

Not to avenge a patricide, nor to expose Lu Mingfeng’s misdeeds.

With his identity, even if he had solid evidence against Lu Mingfeng, the world would think he was framing him. Hua Che didn’t want to engage in futile actions; regarding Lu Mingfeng, he would go to Yuntian Shuijing to find Chu Binghuan, believing Chu Binghuan would trust him.

This return to Shangqing Sect was only for Lu Yao.

Lu Mingfeng was cruel and bloodthirsty; Lu Yao still didn’t know his true nature. If Lu Mingfeng fully succumbed to his demonic afflictions, would he kill Lu Yao and harvest his son’s golden core?

Though a tiger does not eat its cubs, Hua Che felt it unlikely, but he dared not bet on it.

Lu Yao, though timid, was clever. Perhaps he would uncover clues, follow the trail, and find the back mountain stone chamber. Then, he might confront Lu Mingfeng..."

"The more Hua Che thought about it, the more dangerous he felt it was. He had promised Lu Yao that he would protect him forever, and even though this journey deep into enemy territory was fraught with peril, it was something he had to do.

After all, he had lived there for over a decade, so Hua Che easily made his way to the Shangqing Pavilion and silently sneaked into the inner chamber.

Standing outside the door, he saw that Lu Yao was indeed inside.

Just as Hua Che was about to push the door open, he heard Lu Mingfeng's voice inside: 'After all that's been said, what exactly do you want to do?'

Lu Yao stood a little distance away, head bowed, and said, “Qingkong was taken away by Yin Wuhui, and Chu Tianyu knows about it too. He plans to go alone into Fen Qing Palace to rescue him. This son also wants to go.”

“You want to go too?” Lu Mingfeng raised an eyebrow. 'To do what, bring him back?'

“How could that be” A cold smile appeared on Lu Yao's lips. “This son wants to kill him before Chu Tianyu gets there.”

Hua Che shuddered outside the door!

Lu Mingfeng sounded quite surprised: “You could actually bear to do it?”

Lu Yao remained calm and said, “He knows father’s secrets, he must die.”

Hua Che staggered a step, struggling to maintain his composure.

Could it be, could it be that Lu Yao had known all along about Lu Mingfeng killing his disciples to steal their golden cores?

“I thought you were too indecisive to achieve anything great, but it turns out you can be quite ruthless,” Lu Mingfeng said with a faint, almost imperceptible chuckle. “How Hua Che has treated you over the years, I have seen it all. You also depend too much on him, I thought you would stand by his side.”

“Father is joking, how could that be possible.”

Lu Yao stepped forward a few steps, bowed his head and knelt before Lu Mingfeng, he sighed, his eyes brimming with a terrifying ruthlessness: “He’s too dazzling, standing next to him makes one feel very insignificant. Sometimes I truly wish he would stumble badly, fall hard, and never climb back up again!”

Hua Che felt a stifling sensation in his chest, his blood running in reverse, and a scarlet taste surged into his throat, which he forcibly swallowed down.

Hua Che trembled, the warmth in his chest completely dissipated, and his body felt waves of cold.

He still remembered many years ago, when the disciples of Shangqing were gossiping in the dining hall, speaking ill of Lu Yao, elevating some and degrading others, and how Hua Che, in a fit of rage, had beaten them until they were down.

At that time, he was even more embarrassed than Lu Yao, vaguely feeling he might have been wrong, thus he felt guilty. Unexpectedly, it was Lu Yao who comforted him.

Now it seemed, Lu Yao truly didn’t care, it really didn’t matter.

After all, Lu Yao knew that no matter how powerful Hua Qingsky was, he was ultimately just a meal on his father's plate, and his coveted high-level cultivation, too, would sooner or later belong to his father.

His efforts, his hardships, were merely making a wedding dress for someone else!

What about the position of the head of Shangqing? Go ahead with your grand dreams! If the position of the head is not for the real son, could it possibly be for a mere ‘livestock’?

Hahaha.

And to say 'your senior brother will always protect you,' truly arrogant and utterly ridiculous!

It all collapsed, everything collapsed.

The most respected master, the dearest junior brother.

Dead, all dead!

He didn't want to kill, after all, that was Lu Yao’s real father, and for Lu Yao’s sake, it wouldn’t be right for him to strike down Lu Mingfeng.

Now what? No more concerns, these two people both deserved to die!

Birds of a feather, all tarred with the same brush!

Hua Che couldn’t remember how he had stormed in, only that the entire Shangqing Pavilion lay in ruins.

Just as he had guessed before, Lu Mingfeng's talent really wasn't enough, and Lu Yao, having inherited from him, truly was his own father's son!

If the talent was not sufficient, using others' golden cores to compensate could indeed work. But after all, that was someone else’s, not one’s own."

Just absorbing the golden cores for his own use required considerable true essence, not to mention that Hua Che was fully aware of Lu Mingfeng's weaknesses.

Without a curse, it was hard for Lu Mingfeng to control Hua Che.

A cultivator who could defend the championship three times was no mere decoration. After several chases, Hua Che cast a spell to trap Lu Mingfeng and used 'Soul Search' to forcibly enter Lu Mingfeng's inner sanctum with his spirit.

This move was indeed risky, but the effect was significant.

Hua Che planted a curse on Lu Mingfeng's spirit, stirred up the golden cores he had absorbed from his disciples, and although the old ones were too integrated to consider, just the recent ones alone amounted to over thirty strands of force, all stirred up by Hua Che!

Over thirty strands of power collided wildly within Lu Mingfeng's body, incompatible with each other. Soon, Lu Mingfeng was bleeding from all seven orifices, and his fragile golden core could not withstand the intense pressure and finally burst.

With his cultivation dispersed, Lu Mingfeng collapsed to the ground, weakened and deflated, but Hua Che would not let him off easily. He extracted Lu Mingfeng's soul and crushed it completely, cutting off his chances of reincarnation!

Lu Mingfeng, lying on the ground and convulsing, said, 'You, betraying your master and ancestors, thinking that after I die, you can... live freely and happily?'

'I don’t know whether I’ll be free or not, but you’re about to die very soon,' Hua Che said from above, his eyes tinged with bloodlust. 'You won’t be lonely on the road to the Yellow Springs; I'll send your son to accompany you soon!'

Hearing this, Lu Mingfeng was not panicked or afraid but instead let out a cold, grim laugh: 'Really, I say you wouldn’t dare to kill him!'

'Just now, I placed a curse on Lu Yao, using my soul as a sacrifice, cursing you both to a shared fate,' Lu Mingfeng struggled to rise, his eyes fixed on Hua Che like a venomous snake. 'If he dies, you die; if you die, he can live!'

Hua Che's arms wrestled, and Lu Mingfeng laughed wildly: 'It doesn’t matter if you kill me, but my bloodline will still remain in this world! Hahahaha, I win, I am immortal!!'

As Lu Mingfeng spoke his last, he breathed his last.

Enraged, Hua Che cast a deadly curse that left Lu Mingfeng’s bones dust.

He had fought Lu Mingfeng for a long time without drawing the attack of the Shangqing disciples, which he always found strange, until he smelled the thick scent of blood, overwhelming, the sky unknowingly stained red, a lonely blood moon hanging high. Hua Che had a foreboding feeling.

He flew on his sword to the front of the Shangqing Palace, and from the air, Hua Che was stunned.

The hills were scattered with corpses!

Everywhere were ruins and remnants; the once vast and magnificent palaces were crushed to the ground, disciples in Shangqing uniforms lay scattered across the ground, hanging from trees, floating on the lake surface...

Blood red filled his vision, the smell of blood piercing the heavens!

'Yin Wuhui!' Hua Che saw the culprit, that bloodthirsty maniac laughing wildly atop a pile of corpses."

"The destiny of the ten-thousand-year-old immortal sect is exhausted, haha! My child, these ants used to isolate you, humiliate you, and stab you in the back, didn’t they? I have avenged you by slaughtering all 8,000 disciples of the Shangqing Sect. Are you happy?"

Hua Che's heart was torn apart. He only wanted to kill Lu Mingfeng and his son; he never intended to do anything to the Shangqing immortal sect, let alone affect the entire realm of immortals.

Hua Che swung out the Shangqing, aiming directly at Yin Wuhui's forehead: "You maniac!"

"I’ve only killed five thousand; there are still three thousand to go!" Yin Wuhui dodged backwards. "What, my child doesn’t want to kill? Well then, since five thousand are already enough, if you don’t want to, then I will respect your wishes."

Yin Wuhui transformed into a cloud of demonic mist and drifted away.

The heart-wrenching cries tore through the sky, violently hitting Hua Che’s eardrums.

A blood-soaked Lu Yao staggered forward, his tears dried up, his throat hoarse from crying, stepping over bodies as if possessed, wildly swinging his bright moon blade.

Finally, he tripped and fell right in front of Hua Che.

Lu Yao spat out a mouthful of blood and slowly looked up, his eyes brimming with a bone-deep ruthlessness: "Hua Qingkong! If you do not kill me today, tomorrow I will surely have you cut into a thousand pieces and your bones turned to ash!"

From then on, Hua Che's infamy was confirmed.

Betraying his master and ancestors, insanely slaughtering five thousand disciples of the Shangqing Sect.

Hua Che admitted to the first accusation, but the latter was purely Yin Wuhui’s meddling!

Hua Che had also publicly defended himself. Some believed him, others did not. But those who believed said: "Even if it wasn’t you who did it, but Yin Wuhui, what does it matter? A son must pay for his father’s debts, you should pay with your life for this!"

Hua Che laughed out of exasperation.

He had initially wanted to fight tooth and nail to explain, to prove himself.

At this moment, he didn’t want to say anything more.

Indeed, no matter what you have done, even if you have done nothing, just being Yin Wuhui's son means you are born guilty!

They could not contend with the Demon Lord Yin Wuhui, so they targeted the Demon Lord’s son instead!

Many, many years later, he lived up to expectations and cultivated the demonic path, and naturally became the Demon Lord.

The first day he brought Chu Binghuan to the Fen Qing Palace, they faced each other all night, neither moving nor speaking.

Until the dawn began to light up the sky, Hua Che hoarsely said: "Ice cube, our paths are ultimately different, and our destinies will not converge."

Chu Binghuan suddenly smiled, a teasing look on his lips, and took out a red paper from his robe: "Read it yourself."

Hua Che was stunned, taking a long time before unconsciously taking it and unfolding it, shocked on the spot.

Chu Binghuan, with a seemingly smiling demeanour, leisurely said: "A token from an elder above, a marriage letter written by you below, we spent a night together in Bright Moon Valley, bound by all sorts of vows, and now you want to deny it?"

Hua Che was completely dumbfounded: "What are you talking about..."

Chu Binghuan: "If you are not among the top three, we shall marry immediately."

Hua Che's heart skipped a beat.

"If love lasts for a long time, does it really matter whether it happens day by day?"

Hua Che's soul trembled violently, suddenly coughing up a mouthful of blood.

"The surroundings along with Chu Binghuan vanished into ashes and smoke, and Hua Che instinctively tried to grab the red paper, holding it in his hand, it turned to ash.

*

Hua Che couldn’t help but laugh and cry.

He hadn't expected that this marriage letter would give him such a psychological shadow, strong enough to awaken him from a deep illusion!

His past life was unbearable to recall, though it was tragic, fortunately, he was reborn.

Hua Che drew out Gentle breeze and with a furious swing towards the void, the sharp light spread out, slicing through the thick fog, clearing a straight path.

Hua Che stepped forward, and everything before him became clear.

The elder at the exit of the illusion, Elder Qianyang, loudly proclaimed: 'Disciple Hua Che, courtesy name Qingkong, from the Lingxiao Palace, has spent two days, three hours, and one incense stick’s time to exit the illusion!'

 

Translator: DarNan