Arc 5: Chapter 39 (end)
The young man’s clear voice resounded throughout the hall, like a refreshing breeze that carried a slight chill and cruelty.
Xie Hanzhou didn’t expect his little disciple to suddenly take someone hostage, and he frowned imperceptibly with a little displeasure in his eyes.
Who was it that agreed to not take action no matter what happened? His little disciple has grown much bolder, even lying to his master and husband now. He must clean him up later.
Xie Hanzhou stepped forwards and came behind Lin Yuan, raising his hand and gently rubbing the back of Lin Yuan’s head. He said in a low voice: “No more messing around, you step back.”
His words were cold, but it had no deterrent power at all. It actually sounded more like he was coaxing the youth.
Lin Yuan pretended to not hear it. The sword in his hand broke the skin on Chu Yao’s neck.
Beads of blood slipped down the smooth and sharp blade, dropping down onto the floor of the hall, and the scent of iron filled the air.
The moment Chu Yao was taken hostage, the Sword Saint’s expression became extremely gloomy.
Seeing the person he cherished bleeding and threatened, his eyes looking at Lin Yuan turned icily cold, as if he was looking at a dead man. But a second later, he suppressed his rage and murderous intent, and his composure returned.
“Young man, what do you mean by holding your own sect brother hostage?”
Lin Yuan tilted his head slightly, his round and clear eyes seemed as innocent as a small animal: “Sword Saint, I said very clearly just now, if you want my master and senior brother dead, then this disciple in my hands must die with them.”
Lin Yuan’s smile deepened, and the dimples on his cheeks appeared: “Anyways, this disciple is a person of Pure Jade Palace, he has nothing to do with outsiders, nor the Heaven Abyss Sword Sect, so why am I telling you this anyways? I can just kill him.”
Chu Yao panicked: “Lin… Lin Yuan are you crazy? What are your terms?”
Lin Yuan chuckled in amusement, like a child who had no concept of good or evil, ignorant and cruel at the same time: “Didn’t I say it already? If Xie Hanzhou and Yu Sui’an should die for the sake of the world, then why can’t Chu Yao die too?”
He looked at the Sword Saint, still smiling: “Aren’t I right, Sword Saint? Everyone would applaud this noble sacrifice, and you too, right?”
Seeing Lin Yuan’s eyes, the Sword Saint was almost certain that Lin Yuan knew about his relationship with Chu Yao. He had just sentenced Xie Hanzhou to die in the name of righteousness and the greater good, but in less than half an hour, the situation had reversed, and someone else was threatening his beloved with the same reasoning.
Lin Yuan saw the look on the Sword Saint’s face of wanting to kill him but unable to do anything and was very happy. These bastards thought it would be easy to bully his husbands? Not over his dead body!
Lin Yuan’s smile was full of satisfaction and he provoked directly: “Sword Saint, why aren’t you saying anything? Weren’t you quite eloquent just now while talking to my master?”
The Sword Saint’s face darkened like a pot, he had never been so disrespected by a junior before. But with Chu Yao still in the other party’s hands, he didn’t dare to act rashly.
After a moment of silence, he raised his sword and sighed: “Young man, I owe a life-saving grace to the person in your hands.”
He deliberately emphasized the words ‘life-saving grace’, and continued seriously: “I naturally can’t ignore such a great kindness. If you insist on having him buried with your master, then let me replace him. My life for his, what do you say?”
The elders and disciples of the Heaven Abyss Sword Sect immediately cried out, calling for their sect master, and tried to stop him.
Lin Yuan scoffed: “Sword Saint, what makes you think you can be compared to my master?”
The people of Heaven Abyss Sword Sect could no longer stand it, and said angrily: “Pure Jade Palace has gone too far! Your sect master’s Dao heart was unstable, making his inner demon the Demon Lord, bringing disaster to the world! Our sect master considers the greater good, the fate of the world, and does everything for the sake of righteousness! How dare a mere disciple speak with such insolence! Does Yuqing Palace intend to shield the Demon Lord and turn against all of the immortal sects?”
Lin Yuan asked genuinely: “Is anything wrong with what I said? My Master is recognized as the once-in-a-generation genius. Even the Sword Saint has never been as good as him. I just told the truth.”
“And just now, the Sword Saint said that a life-saving grace should be repaid with one’s life. Then I would like to ask, my Master has saved the people of this world countless times, shouldn’t those people now offer their lives?”
The smile on Lin Yuan’s face faded: “If all of the people that he had saved gave up their lives in return, then how many people here would still be left standing?”
All throughout the hall, many people’s expressions changed.
Indeed, Xie Hanzhou’s inner demon becoming the Demon Lord was an unforgivable sin. However, it was also the fact that Xie Hanzhou had saved countless people.
Lin Yuan didn’t expect any responses from this bunch of people.
He looked at Chu Yao, who had turned pale with fear, and his eyes glinted with a sly light. He clicked his tongue and said: “Brother Chu, do you know why I chose you?”
Chu Yao swallowed heavily and asked: “Why?”
Lin Yuan said “Because kindness should be repaid, and grudges should be avenged. First, when you first entered the sect, you drugged Senior Brother, and wanted to take advantage of him. Second, you took the opportunity during Master’s teaching session to harass him.”
He grabbed Chu Yao’s right wrist: “Did you use this hand to touch Master? It’s really unsightly, how about cutting it off and feeding it to the dogs?”
Chu Yao’s eyes were filled with dread, he didn’t even have the time to wonder how Lin Yuan knew about these matters when he saw a cold flash of sword light. He screamed in terror and shut his eyes, not daring to look.
The pain he imagined never came, but he still smelled the strong scent of blood.
Lin Yuan blinked slowly, seeming innocently. At this moment, on his left was the Sword Saint, who’s shoulder was pierced through by Yu Sui’an’s sword. On his right, Daoist Ziyuan was forced to stop with Xie Hanzhou’s sword at his throat.
Unable to move, Daoist Ziyuan only had the time to grab Lin Yuan’s sword tightly with his hand.
Lin Yuan’s sword was given to him by Yu Sui’an. It was named Vast Sky and was a peerless, legendary sword. Daoist Ziyuan’s hand was quickly covered in blood.
“Martial Uncle Ziyuan? Don’t tell me Brother Chu saved your life too?” Lin Yuan asked meaningfully.
Sure enough, Chu Yao’s harem was full of love-brained men, they definitely wouldn’t just stand by and watch him threaten Chu Yao. He bet that these men definitely couldn’t wait to kill him.
Indeed, his current cultivation wasn’t good enough to defeat them at once, at most, he could escape with his life.
But unfortunately for them, Chu Yao wasn’t the only one with powerful lovers.
Humph! Want to harm him? Let his two husbands teach them a lesson!
Daoist Ziyuan gritted his teeth, and was about to speak when Xie Hanzhou’s pitch-black eyes stared at him icily and he said faintly: “Senior Brother, there will be no second time.”
On the other side, Yu Sui’an pulled out his sword from the left shoulder of the Sword Saint and lightly swung his sword, sending blood flying off. His white robes were dotted with blood, like red plum blossoms scattered across the snow. Yu Sui’an said lazily: “There’s something I want to ask all of you immortals. If I remember correctly, ever since I ascended the throne, the demons have rarely crossed the Red River. Do the immortal sects want to kill me in order to replace me with a more tyrannical ruler?”
Yu Sui’an’s long fingers twirled the hilt of his sword casually: “If so, I’ll take a step back. I’ll write my abdication decree today, return to the Demon Realm, and abdicate the throne. Then from now on, the world and the Demon Realm will have nothing to do with me.”
“But…”
Although his posture seemed lazy, his hand on his sword hilt meant he was ready to strike at any moment: “If anyone utters another word, although I can’t destroy the world right now, taking you all down with me is no problem.”
The various righteous immortals couldn’t understand how the Demon Lord dared to say such things in Pure Jade Palace. How could Xie Hanzhou possibly allow his inner demon to kill rampantly in his own sect?
Yu Sui’an, keenly aware of these people’s thoughts, naturally knew what these so-called righteous cultivators were thinking. He almost pitied them, the so-called noble and virtuous leader of Pure Jade Palace was not a good person at all, not to mention Yu Sui’an and Xie Hanzhou were on the same team.
Yu Sui’an turned to the wounded Sword Saint and smiled wickedly. He had gotten the general idea about his and Chu Yao’s relationship from listening to his little liar: “Rumors say that sword style the Sword Saint practices is the most emotionless and ruthless path of all, but seeing your actions today, seems like you do have deep affections.”
He also glanced at Daoist Ziyuan: “And you, Ziyuan, actually dote on a random disciple. You don’t even protect your junior brother Xie Hanzhou so closely.”
“Everything Lin Yuan said is true. Chu Yao coveted me back then, and to think he even lusted after Xie Hanzhou. Truly audacious beyond measure. Sword Saint, it seems your life-saving benefactor has quite the lustful nature.”
Chu Yao had been drenched in cold sweat ever since Lin Yuan brought up those past events. Almost all of the Pure Jade Palace’s disciples, along with so many members of the immortal sects, had heard everything. How could he possibly face them in the future?
What would his mission targets think of him after hearing he had drugged Yu Sui’an and tried to take advantage of Xie Hanzhou?
Would they believe he was heartless, chasing after every man?
Chu Yao didn’t know how to explain. When he heard that Lin Yuan and Yu Sui’an were going to marry three years ago, he was mad that Lin Yuan stole his mission targets, and kept thinking of how to take revenge on Lin Yuan and making Yu Sui’an regret. When he later discovered Yu Sui’an was none other than the Demon Lord himself, his jealousy nearly drove him crazy. That was the ruler of the entire Demon Realm! Of all the powerful figures he had pursued, none could compare to Yu Sui’an.
The Demon Lord’s Grand Bright Hall was made with pure gold, and all of the Demon Realm’s royal cities housed countless rare treasures, not to mention being the ruler of hundreds of thousands of miles of rivers and mountains.
No one could be compared at all!
After marrying Yu Sui’an, Lin Yuan would become the empress of the Demon Realm, was he worthy?
The more Chu Yao thought about it, the more unbearable he felt. It should have all belonged to him—Yu Sui’an, the title of Empress of the Demon Realm, the wealth and power of the Demon Realm—these were all supposed to be his. Who did Lin Yuan think he was?
The gods still favored him. Not long ago, Chu Yao had learned from the system that Xie Hanzhou and Yu Sui’an were the same person. Finally, he understood why only those two were the most difficult mission targets.
But it was too late, if he couldn’t have them, then he might as well destroy them.
Chu Yao told the Sword Saint and the other immortal sect elders the truth, making them go after Xie Hanzhou and Yu Sui’an. But he never expected things to play out this way.
Where had it all gone wrong? What mistake did he make?
In his panic, the pain from his neck made him finally realize, everything went wrong because of Lin Yuan!
It was all Lin Yuan’s fault!
If not for Lin Yuan, even if he couldn’t have Yu Sui’an, he wouldn’t have used this method.
If Lin Yuan hadn’t taken him hostage, if Lin Yuan hadn’t exposed those secrets…
Chu Yao completely lost his rationality. At this moment, he only had anger, hatred, and resentment left.
If he couldn’t live well, then he would drag Lin Yuan down with him!
Thinking like this, Chu Yao became eerily calm. He thought of a way to take revenge on Lin Yuan and make Yu Sui’an regret everything.
Yu Sui’an was too powerful, no one other than Xie Hanzhou could touch him. But Lin Yuan was different, killing Lin Yuan was too easy.
The thought alone made Chu Yao restless with anticipation. He could barely suppress his murderous intent.
As long as Lin Yuan died, everything would go back to the way it was supposed to be.
Chu Yao called out to the system in his mind and used his points to exchange for a hidden weapon coated in deadly poison.
“Lin Yuan! You’re framing me! Yu Sui’an is your Dao companion, of course, he would take your side!” Chu Yao pretended to be wronged.
Lin Yuan sensed familiar energy functions of a system within Chu Yao’s mind. Seeing Chu Yao starting to pretend, Lin Yuan immediately guessed what he wanted to do.
A wild system was trying to make trouble in front of an official system?
This was provocation!
Lin Yuan didn’t give Chu Yao a chance to do anything at all and directly knocked him unconscious on the spot.
Following Lin Yuan’s instructions, 521 entered Chu Yao’s brain, and absorbed the wild system. Afterward, it muttered a little disdainfully: “What is this? Why is it just a black screen?”
Daoist Ziyuan shouted anxiously: “Stop! Don’t hurt him!”
Lin Yuan was speechless and said flatly: “He’s not dead. I’ll give him back to you.”
Xie Hanzhou hadn’t spoken since Lin Yuan took action. Now that Lin Yuan was done, he impatiently drew Unsullied out of its scabbard.
Unsullied sensed its master’s intent, and its aura turned sharp and fierce like the bitter cold snow and wind in the north. A mountain-like force crushed down in an instant.
“Hundreds of years ago, for the sake of the world, Frost City was destroyed. Now, for the sake of the world, you all urge me to take my own life. But I refuse. If you truly wish to rid the world of evil, then fight! If you want to eliminate the Demon Lord, then do it yourselves. Try and kill me and Yu Sui’an with your own hands.”
The Sword Saint and the rest of the immortal sects had believed that Xie Hanzhou would always put the people first, which was why they banded together to come here. None of them ever thought that Xie Hanzhou would express killing intent to them.
Off to the side, Daoist Danyang looked at Xie Hanzhou and thought of what his junior brother said three years ago, when his junior brother told him he wanted to live as an ordinary man.
It seemed that Pure Jade Palace’s twelve peaks were not suitable for his junior brother anymore.
His junior brother wanted to leave, and as his senior, he should let him go.
Daoist Danyang felt a little sad, but also relieved.
After all these years, he had always felt guilty toward his junior brother because of Frost City. At least now, his junior brother would not let history repeat itself.
Yu Sui’an never imagined that one day, he and Xie Hanzhou would fight side by side. But at the same time, standing together and drawing their swords against a common enemy was very natural. After all, they shared the same soul and the same feelings towards the same person.
Xie Hanzhou and Yu Sui'an were at the same cultivation level, both at the peak of the Heavenly Realm, unmatched throughout the three realms. If Xie Hanzhou or Yu Sui'an were alone, fighting them would be a challenge, but they wouldn’t be unbeatable. However, when they united, they prompted fear from all immortals under heaven, and together with Lin Yuan, who was at the early stage of the Heavenly Realm, the combined forces of everyone in the grand hall was nowhere close enough to hold against them.
Leaving Pure Jade Palace, the three of them traveled dozens of miles in the blink of an eye.
From far behind, they heard the sound of a building collapse.
Xie Hanzhou’s speed faltered slightly, but he didn’t turn back. The wind carried the scent of smoke and dust, even stronger than the stench of blood.
Lin Yuan glanced back and grabbed Xie Hanzhou’s sleeve with some worry and whispered: “Master, Pure Jade Grand Hall has fallen…”
Moments ago Xie Hanzhou had shown no mercy inside, and the building took too many blows. Xie Hanzhou thought back to the first time he had seen the Pure Jade Grand Hall, many years ago. Back then, he never could’ve imagined that this palace would one day be destroyed by his own hands.
“En.” His voice was low and soft. Xie Hanzhou raised a hand to Lin Yuan’s hair and slowly smoothed out his hair: “Letting it fall… is for the best.”
Lin Yuan was full of doubts. In the original plot, the people of Pure Jade Palace fought to protect Xie Hanzhou with their lives. But just now, why didn’t they? Even Daoist Danyang and several peak masters drew their swords against them.
Lin Yuan asked out loud and Yu Sui’an chuckled softly: “Darling, you still don’t understand? They knew that your Master wanted to leave but was reluctant to abandon the sect completely. Daoist Danyang and the others pretended to sever ties with him so he could leave with a peace of mind. Now the other sects can’t find fault with Pure Jade Palace.”
Lin Yuan understood now. He reached out to hug Xie Hanzhou and kissed the man’s ear: “Martial Uncle and the others still care about you.”
Xie Hanzhou wrapped his arms around the youth’s slender waist and buried his face in Lin Yuan’s neck: “I know, so I don’t blame them. I’m not qualified to be their Sect Master anyways.”
【Di! The blackening value of the villain, Xie Hanzhou, has decreased to 0%. Congrats on completing the task.】
The notification sounded unexpectedly, and Lin Yuan was stunned.
Yu Sui’an’s blackening value had decreased to zero the moment they left the hall. Lin Yuan thought that the tiny bit of blackening value left in Xie Hanzhou would take longer.
Lin Yuan came out of Xie Hanzhou’s arms and pulled Yu Sui’an closer as well, holding on to both of them, he said with a big grin: “The south doesn’t have Pure Jade Palace or as much gold as the Grand Bright Hall. Immortal Sovereign and Demon Lord, don’t dislike me okay?”
Xie Hanzhou hummed softly: “En.”
Yu Sui’an laughed dotingly: “Little liar, who could bear to dislike you?”