"Scum"
"You scumbag! Don't think you can escape the consequences of your actions!"
"Evil."
"Despicable."
"Do you really believe everything will go your way? Hah..."
The air was thick with the smell of blood. The moon hung low, its pale light shining on the bloody scene in front of them.
Bodies were scattered across the battlefield, lying still with long shadows stretching out under the moonlight. The land, once full of life, had turned into a graveyard after a brutal fight.
...
"Why aren't you saying anything? Did you really think the heavens would forgive you after all this?" Wang Xiuying's voice trembled, caught between anger and sorrow.
"Wang Xiuying. A name as beautiful as the shimmering gems that adorn a royal crown. What hardships have you ever known?"
"Like your name, you lived a life full of light, far from the darkness of this world. A life others could only dream of. With talent that could shake the heavens and skills that outshined everyone else. Truly a rare genius in the cultivation world."
"What a pity. To have been brainwashed by those old fools."
"STOP! Don't you dare finish that sentence! Look around you, Lao Xie! All these corpses, Is this what you truly wanted?! Why did you do this? Why..."
"Why have you fallen to the demonic path, Lao Xie... "
"I trusted you..."
A soft, mocking laugh slipped from Lao Xie. It echoed in the silence.
"Pffft~... Is this what I truly wanted?"
Then, he burst out laughing, a sound that mocked everything around him.
"Ahaha..."
"Sorry, but i couldn't help it. He wore a strange smile, his eyes cold and sharp like a beast's.
He leaned back against a large rock, the jagged edges pressing into his back. It was like the pain reminded him he was still here, still real.
"Wang Xiuying, I never fell into the demonic path."
His words hung heavy in the air. He looked straight at her.
Wang Xiuying's bright blue eyes glimmered like calm water, but deep inside, they hid endless pain. Her long, white hair flowed down her back like silk. Beautiful, but stained by the blood around her.
"W-what?" she stammered, her heart pounding.
"W-what are you saying?" Her voice cracked with fear as realization slowly hit her.
They faced each other like two dancers locked in a deadly rhythm. Lao Xie sat casually on the rock, while Wang Xiuying knelt in front of him. Her golden sword lay beside her, glowing under the moon—a reminder of her lost strength.
"Say something, Lao Xie! Tell me what you mean!" she shouted, her voice breaking.
"Look around you! What kind of person does something like this?!" Her emotions finally exploded, her beauty twisted by grief.
Lao Xie looked at her calmly, like nothing could touch him.
"I didn't fall to the demonic path, Xiuying. I've always been on it. Can't you see? I've just been using you this whole time."
His cold stare sent a chill through her body.
"U-use me? What are you talking about, Lao Xie?! Stop lying!" she cried, her voice filled with disbelief as tears welled up.
Her face crumbled, grief taking over.
"I... I know you're lying-"
"I'm not lying, Wang Xiuying."
Lao Xie's voice cut through like ice.
"You've always known, deep down."
He stared into her eyes, heavy with all the things they had shared.
"We have stayed together for thousands of years. Did you never wonder why your Senior Brother and Sister kept dying during our missions?
His expression didn't change. It was a mask of calm hiding a thousand emotions.
"It was all part of my plan. Everything."
He paused, glancing up at the sky, now red and full of swirling clouds.
"Wang Ling."
The name hit like a stone.
Wang Xiuying's eyes widened. She froze.
"H-how do you know that name?" she whispered.
"Your beloved brother," Lao Xie replied, his voice devoid of sympathy.
Wang Xiuying turned away, her chest heaving. "Stop."
"The one you loved the most."
"STOP!" Wang Xiuying shouted, her voice slicing through the night like a blade.
Lao Xie remained calm, unmoved by her tears.
Tears began to flow down Wang Xiuying's cheeks, relentless and heartbreaking. "Just kill me already."
Lao Xie's expression remained unchanged, "Is that what you really want?" he asked, his tone unnervingly calm.
"You've already taken so many lives. What's one more?" Her voice was hoarse and broken. "You've gotten everything you wanted, so just kill me."
Slowly lifting her gaze to meet his, she added, "Even now, I can't bring my heart to despise you. So please... just kill me. Let me escape this hell of suffering."
Lao Xie stared at her, "Wang Xiuying. If only we had met in another life, maybe things would've been different."
Confused by his words, Wang Xiuying's frowned. "What are you talking about? Don't say weird things."
"Invincibility leads only to loneliness. I've slaughtered countless people, destroyed countless sects, all in pursuit of that goal. My resolve is unshakable, this is the only path i know." Lao Xie replied, his tone distant, as if weighed down by something far deeper.
Taken aback, Wang Xiuying shook her head. "Have you lost your mind? Does absorbing so many people's blood essence drive you mad?" she asked, bewildered.
Suddenly, a smile formed on Lao Xie's face. It wasn't sinister or unsettling, but a genuine, heartfelt smile.
Wang Xiuying's eyes widened in shock, "You... smiled?" she asked.
"I've seen you smile countless times before, but this one… is different."
His smile grew as he took a deep breath.
"It's been a long time since I felt like this. Maybe it could've been different. But it's too late."
Wang Xiuying was completely lost, her emotions spinning.
"Ying'er… you made me feel something I thought I'd forgotten. Memories… feelings I thought were gone forever. In my past life, I had everything. But over time… it all turned empty."
"Being invincible… it's nothing to be proud of," he added, his voice trailing off.
Wang Xiuying stood speechless, unable to grasp the weight of his words.
"You lit a small fire in me, Ying'er. I've ruled over many lives, held many titles. But even now… I failed. Even in this life..."
!!
The world shattered with a sharp krack! ripping him out of the dream and back into reality.
The scene shifted abruptly.
"It's that dream again," he muttered, voice low and empty.
The young man sat up slowly, calm like nothing had happened. His chest rose steadily, no panic in his eyes. Sweat covered his skin, but he wiped it away like it didn't matter.
He glanced around the room. His eyes landed on the broken glass on the floor, moonlight making the shards glimmer. A rock, small enough to hold in one hand, lay among the mess.
Just a simple rock. But the timing…
He rubbed his forehead. The dull pain felt more like a light tap.
"These dreams... They're not just dreams, are they?"
A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips, not out of fear, but intrigue. The battlefield, Wang Xiuying's voice, the strange feeling afterward... It didn't feel like a warning.
It felt like a memory.
"I've been having this same dreams more often now," he continued, voice soft but laced with growing amusement.
"And the name… Lao Xie…"
The very same name as his.
He gazed at the broken shards of glass, his reflection distorted and shattered.
"But it always ends the same way." His voice was quiet. His expression unreadable.