Chapter 694: Heartbreak

Chapter 694: Heartbreak

"Ahh!!" Fang Che let out a roar, his eyes turning red. He spat out a mouthful of fresh blood and unleashed his Blood Ignition Technique with all his might, doubling his speed once more.

With a long howl that shook the heavens, he charged forward, the snow within a thousand zhang around him flying up and shattering into pieces. The boundless snowy ground beneath his feet passed by in a blur.

He paid no attention to time, only knowing that he had to rush forward with all his might.

His sharp howls echoed along the way, like continuous thunder from the nine heavens.

With a whoosh, he burst through the forest that had been revealed by his howls, and his charging body suddenly stopped. Then, like a ghost, he turned back.

Because on the snow-covered ground, there was a patch of crimson.

In the midst of the heavy snow, it stood out starkly.

Fang Che's body descended like a whirlwind, his divine sense spreading out to inspect the surroundings, and the Golden Horned Dragon hovered and circled around, vigilant and searching.

Then, he rushed to the crimson patch.

There was no intact corpse, only fragments.

Bone shards, flesh, and scattered white hair were strewn all over the forest.

Mu Lin Yuan's robe was also torn to shreds, like a butterfly.

Fang Che searched frantically, flying around.

Finally, he stopped.

In front of him, a small tree had its crown knocked off and its trunk sharpened.

Sticking out from the end of the trunk was a head.

It was Mu Lin Yuan's head, with his white hair fluttering. His face still held a mocking, satisfied smile.

It seemed to be laughing at something.

Below the trunk, the bark had been peeled away, and on it, written in blood, were a few words.

Mu Lin Yuan's blood.

"Night Demon Sect Leader, huh? Haha..."

Fang Che let out a roar that shook the heavens and earth, and his mind went blank.

He took a step forward, pulled Mu Lin Yuan's head off the stump, and held it in his arms.

His heart ached, and tears welled up in his eyes.

This was a demon, a man who had committed countless evil deeds.

But to Fang Che, he was sincere and genuine.

Ever since their first meeting, when Mu Lin Yuan had taught him the Ice Clear Spirit Platform cultivation technique, Fang Che had been using it up until now.

From Green Wave City to Baiyun Continent, and from Baiyun Continent to Donghu Continent, Mu Lin Yuan had always done his best to support Fang Che.

Even when the Yin Shen Gong was suspicious of Fang Che and dissatisfied with him, Mu Lin Yuan had always mediated on his behalf.

Now, he was finally gone!

Fang Che felt like his heart was being torn apart. This wave of grief was even more intense than when Sun Yuan had died.

Just moments ago, Mu Lin Yuan had said that once Fang Che had a foundation, he would bring them over to live out their old age.

Fang Che knew this was Mu Lin Yuan's long-cherished wish.

So he had said it on purpose, to comfort them.

He hadn't forgotten the dazzling light that had flashed in Mu Lin Yuan's eyes when he had spoken those words.

That bright gaze seemed to still linger in Fang Che's mind.

Fang Che didn't know what he was feeling.

'I said that on purpose, to deceive you. I can't actually do it. What you heard was a lie...'

Fang Che held Mu Lin Yuan's head, his face expressionless.

Memories flashed through his mind...

"Night Demon, I'll wait for you to achieve greatness and enjoy the fruits of your labor."

"Don't blame your master. He had no choice but to be the Supreme Leader."

"Do you still have enough cultivation resources?"

"You are now the Night Demon Sect Leader, no longer just a Night Demon."

"I'll wait for you to soar to the heavens!"

Then, his eyes suddenly flashed with dazzling brilliance: "Really?!"

The laughter, filled with joy: "This life is without regrets! This life is without regrets!"

...

Fang Che's heart was filled with sorrow, and as he held Mu Lin Yuan's head, he finally took a deep breath and tears flowed down his cheeks: "Second Master..."

The Golden Horned Dragon reported that no traces of Hai Wu Liang were found nearby.

Hai Wu Liang had disappeared without a trace.

Fang Che felt like his chest was about to explode, his face twisted in anger, and he roared towards the sky.

"Hai Wu Liang!"

Mo Wang and the others rushed over, and seeing the Supreme Leader holding a severed head, their hearts suddenly grew heavy.

They weren't close to Mu Lin Yuan.

But just from observing the conversation between Mu Lin Yuan and the Supreme Leader, they knew their relationship was deep.

Mu Lin Yuan was only at the Venerable Rank in cultivation, a level that the Supreme Leader could easily massacre with a wave of his hand. Yet, he treated Mu Lin Yuan with such respect and reverence.

He was a senior figure of great importance in the Supreme Leader's heart!

Moreover, at the Night Demon Sect's old headquarters, Mu Lin Yuan's words had resonated deeply with everyone.

Especially those few inappropriate sentences.

Indeed, when discussing the relocation of the Night Demon Sect, if Mu Lin Yuan had been present, Mo Wang and the others would have genuinely felt it was inappropriate. But since the Supreme Leader insisted, they let it go.

However, Mu Lin Yuan himself had suggested leaving first.

One could say he had a keen sense of propriety.

But this departure... had cost him his life!

He died a tragic death at the hands of others!

After a long while, Mo Wang took a step forward, his voice low: "Supreme Leader, please step back. Let me gather Second Master's remains."

Mo Wang and the others looked at the scattered blood, flesh, and bones on the ground, and couldn't help but sigh.

This... Is there a need to clean up?

No matter what, it couldn't be put together.

But Fang Che was meticulous, so meticulous that even the smallest bone fragment was not overlooked.

In the end, all that could be collected was a small package, including the head.

Looking at the small package, Fang Che's heart tightened. He remembered when he had collected Sun Yuan's remains.

It was also such a small package.

A tall and robust man in life, but after death, he met such a miserable end, dismembered!

Even his flesh and blood couldn't be found.

Looking at the mocking smile lingering on Mu Lin Yuan's face, Fang Che could tell that before his death, Mu Lin Yuan was laughing heartily, filled with satisfaction.

Fang Che sighed in his heart, "I wonder what you mocked Hai Wu Liang about before your death, to have such satisfaction."

He wrapped the package securely and tied it up.

Fang Che carried the package on his back and said solemnly, "I need to go to One Heart Sect first to bring Second Master back."

"We'll go together!"

Mo Wang and the others spoke in unison, "Hai Wu Liang is probably still hiding. We can go together and look out for each other."

"No need."

There was a burning rage in Fang Che's eyes as he said calmly, "You all go back and attend to your own matters."

Looking into the distant snowy mist, Mo Wang gritted his teeth and said, "There are too many people. Hai Wu Liang might not dare to show himself."

The six of them looked at each other, "Sect Leader, you... this..."

"When Hai Wu Liang was the leader of the Night Demon Sect, he was only at the first rank of the Sage level."

Fang Che took a deep breath, "Even if he has transformed in these past six months... what can he do?"

The six of them immediately felt relieved.

Indeed, there was no need to worry.

With the Sect Leader's combat power, Mo Wang even suspected that the Sect Leader could already fight against a Sage King!

A small Sage indeed wasn't much to worry about!

"Sect Leader, please take care and be careful on your journey!"

The six of them clasped their fists simultaneously, "We await your return at the sect."

"The departed has left, Sect Leader, please accept our condolences."

Fang Che didn't speak, he waved his hand, carrying the package on his back, and disappeared in an instant amidst the snowy forest.

Mo Wang and the others stood in their original spots, seeing him off until the Sect Leader's figure disappeared, and he didn't turn back once.

"This time, the Sect Leader... has suffered a significant blow."

Mo Wang sighed, "Let's go back and get to work quickly. We should sort out what we can as soon as possible; otherwise... if the Sect Leader returns and doesn't see any progress, we won't have a good outcome."

"Yes, right! Let's go back!"

Everyone was startled.

They immediately turned back and went to work.

Fang Che continued on his journey, feeling like a fire was burning in his heart.

After walking for over two thousand li, he suddenly remembered to send a message to Yin Shen Gong, "Master, give me a direction, and I'll bring Second Master back."

One Heart Sect.

Yin Shen Gong sat there, his spirit shattered.

He looked at the vast snow before him, not realizing when tears had flowed from his eyes and dried on his face.

When Mu Lin Yuan's message arrived, Yin Shen Gong was shocked.

He immediately replied, but there was no response. Then, he couldn't send messages anymore.

What did it mean that he couldn't send messages anymore? Yin Shen Gong, as the leader of the Only Righteous Sect, naturally understood very clearly.

His heart felt like it had suddenly lost a piece.

An old friend who had adventured in the martial world during his prime, the founder of the One Heart Sect, a fellow companion for nearly two thousand years! Just like that, he was gone!

At this moment, he couldn't even bring himself to feel hatred towards Hai Wu Liang.

Only profound sadness!

Qian San Jiang and Hou Fang had already received the summons.

The two of them were very surprised. What happened to the Sect Leader? It had been a long time since they had seen him so low-spirited, and there were even tear stains...

"Gather everyone."

Yin Shen Gong's eyes were filled with gloom, "We're going to bring Old Mu back."

"Old Mu?"

Qian San Jiang suddenly felt a sense of foreboding, "What happened to Old Mu?"

"He's dead."

Yin Shen Gong said expressionlessly, "Killed by Hai Wu Liang."

"What?!"

The two of them immediately stood up in anger, "Sect Leader! Let's go!"

Just as they were about to issue the summons.

Yin Shen Gong suddenly received news from the Night Demon Sect.

After reading it, he fell silent and muttered, "No need to go for now."

"Why?!"

"The Night Demon Sect... has sent Old Mu back..."

Yin Shen Gong said sorrowfully, "Prepare to welcome Old Mu... home!"

He turned and looked at the two hundred jars of Hundred Fruit Fragrance he had specially prepared in the room, stacked neatly.

Remembering the agreement with Mu Lin Yuan, he couldn't help but feel sorrow.

"Old Mu... why did you make this agreement... how am I supposed to drink all this wine in the future?"

One Heart Sect had already begun hanging white mourning cloths.

They prepared to welcome him.

Fang Che was already on his way, about to reach the headquarters of the One Heart Sect.

Along the way, he had been hoping that Hai Wu Liang would appear and ambush him, but Hai Wu Liang never showed up!

As he was about to reach the One Heart Sect, Fang Che's heart was filled with complex emotions.

This was his first time at the headquarters of the One Heart Sect.

Even he couldn't have imagined that his first time at the headquarters would be to deliver a corpse!

Fang Che's heart was heavy with sorrow.

Was Mu Lin Yuan a demon? Yes.

His hands were also stained with the blood of countless innocent people! Throughout his life, he didn't know how many Guardian Continent commoners he had slaughtered.

Fang Che had considered the future and the fate of Mu Lin Yuan and the others, but he never imagined that he would die in such a manner.

He had already discovered traces left behind by the One Heart Sect, signs that guided him. The members of Yin Shen Gong should soon realize his arrival.

At that moment, the communication jade he carried, a gift from the Guardians, suddenly conveyed a message.

There was new news, and it was urgent.

The message was personally sent by An Ruo Xing.

"Fang Che, where are you?! Reply immediately!"

Fang Che's heart skipped a beat.

An Ruo Xing rarely took the initiative to send him messages.

And even less so with messages that demanded an immediate response.

A sense of foreboding surged within him.

He hurriedly replied, "Deputy Vice Minister An, I'm searching for survivors in the mountains... I've lost my bearings and can't pinpoint my exact location. If there's anything, I'll find a way to handle it."

An Ruo Xing sent another message.

"Reply immediately! Your teacher, Shen Lao Shi, has sacrificed himself."

Boom!

Pfft!

A mouthful of blood suddenly gushed out.

Fang Che's body shook violently, feeling as if a dry thunderbolt had struck his head.

The blow caused his eyes to see stars, and his vision blurred to the point where he couldn't even read the words on the communication jade. His heart ached as if it were about to shatter.

He never imagined that in a single day, he would lose two beloved elders, one from the righteous and the other from the evil side.

Both were elders who had shown him immense kindness. This reality was almost unbearable for Fang Che. Mu Lin Yuan's death had already left him heartbroken, but the news of Shen Lao Shi's demise was even more devastating.

He breathed heavily, instinctively grabbing the bundle on his back.

He sat down on the ground.

His heart pounded like a drum, and sweat poured like a stream.

He forced himself to activate the Ice-Clear Spirit Platform, a technique taught by Mu Lin Yuan.

Suddenly, a scene flashed through his mind—Shen Lao Shi fiercely beating Zhao Shanhe for Fang Che's sake.

His mind became chaotic.

"Huff... Huff..."

Fang Che took deep breaths, desperately reciting the Infinite Sutra to regain his clarity.

But his vision kept darkening.

On the communication jade, An Ruo Xing's messages continued, "We went out to search and rescue, but our team split up. I was with your teacher... He sacrificed himself to cover our retreat..."

"Before he left, he told me... Tell Fang Che to avenge me."

Although An Ruo Xing was in grief, he forced himself to convey Shen Zhixuan's final wishes.

This was something he had to do.

He had just reunited with Zhao Shanhe and the others and immediately contacted Fang Che.

He knew how much Shen Lao Shi cared about Fang Che, the child who weighed heavily on his heart.

If Fang Che didn't attend Shen Lao Shi's funeral, the old man would likely leave this world with a heavy heart.

Fang Che stared intently at the communication jade, carefully deciphering the words.

With difficulty, he sent a message, "Who... did this?"

"Heavenly Will Sect, their leader, Prince Jing."

"Heavenly Will Sect?!"

Fang Che let out a low, mournful roar, like a wounded beast on the brink of death.

"The day after tomorrow is the funeral for Shen Zhixuan, Zhao Yi, and the other brothers."

An Ruo Xing sent a message, "I'll come to see your teacher off."

"Be careful out there. This time, the young leaders of the Only Righteous Sect used the heavy snow as cover to massacre civilians and attack the Guardians and their headquarters. We suffered heavy losses!"

"Come back as soon as you can."

Fang Che felt like the world before him had exploded into black and white. He replied unconsciously, "I'll definitely return! Wait for me!"

...

The Golden Horned Serpent, hovering in the air, issued a soul warning.

Fang Che instantly activated the Infinite Sutra, covering his entire body.

Without changing his posture, he held a sword, supporting his body, fully prepared for battle.

Yin Shen Gong and his men arrived, flying swiftly.

They saw the sorrowful Night Demon.

"Night Demon!"

Yin Shen Gong called out in a trembling voice.

A wave of immense grief washed over them.

"Master."

At that moment, Fang Che's heart truly felt like dried grass. When he saw Yin Shen Gong, he relaxed his guard and slumped to the ground, "Wood Master..."

"Let's talk inside."

Yin Shen Gong picked up Fang Che and half-dragged, half-carried him back.

Qian San Jiang held Mu Lin Yuan's remains in his arms, lowering his head as he rushed back.

Two teardrops fell onto the snowy ground.

...

In Mu Lin Yuan's final message, they had already learned the gist of what happened. Now, after Fang Che recounted the entire incident, the atmosphere in the One Heart Sect's hall became almost suffocating.

"Hai Wu Liang!"

Yin Shen Gong clenched his teeth and spat out three words, his eyes filled with mist.

He was using his spiritual energy to evaporate the tears into fog.

Qian San Jiang and Hou Fang carefully placed Mu Lin Yuan's head, ensuring it was straight and proper. Then, with grim faces, they went to find the best wood.

They personally carved out a body, piece by piece.

The One Heart Sect held a grand funeral.

From beginning to end, Fang Che remained silent.

He said nothing.

Finally,

In front of Mu Lin Yuan's spirit tablet, he respectfully kowtowed nine times.

He stood up.

"Master, I'm going back."

Yin Shen Gong sat silently with his eyes closed, not opening them.

"Okay.

"Regarding avenging your Master Mu… be cautious and stay safe. As long as Hai Wu Liang is alive, this grudge will not be settled!"

"Yes, Master, take care."

Until Fang Che left the One Heart Sect headquarters.

Yin Shen Gong kept his eyes closed.

He sat in silence, like a lifeless old tree.

"This Martial World is no longer ours..."

Mu Lin Yuan's voice echoed in Yin Shen Gong's heart.

Yin Shen Gong sighed silently in his heart.

It wasn't that he didn't want to see his disciple off, but at this moment, his mind was filled with countless scenes from the past thousand years he spent with Mu Lin Yuan.

He was afraid of forgetting, so he immersed himself in those memories.

"Old Mu..."

After a long while, Qian San Jiang and Hou Fang came before Yin Shen Gong, their eyes red with concern, and knelt down, "Supreme Leader?..."

Yin Shen Gong, with his eyes closed, spoke softly, "Before Old Mu left, he mentioned that he wanted to drink the Hundred Fruit Fragrance like we did when we first established the One Heart Sect."

"Tonight, let's keep vigil for Old Mu. Old Qian, Old Hou, the three of us will have a drink."

Yin Shen Gong spoke with a heavy heart.

"Yes."

Qian San Jiang and Hou Fang's eyes were bloodshot as they tried to hold back their tears, but they couldn't control it. As they nodded, tears fell to the ground, "Tonight, we three brothers will drink with Old Mu one last time."

...

Fang Che left the One Heart Sect.

As he looked back, he felt a sense of deathly stillness.

Alone, his solitary figure walked through the vast expanse of snow, gazing at the endless sky and earth.

Fang Che's heart felt heavy.

Suddenly, he also felt that the world had changed.

Everything familiar was slowly fading away, and his friends and family were constantly leaving.

This world, which had always been the same, seemed to be becoming increasingly unfamiliar.

He rushed forward, heading in the direction of the Southeast Headquarters.

He walked through the wind and snow, but his blood and heart seemed to have stopped, and his body felt like an ice sculpture.

Along the way, Shen Lao Shi's image and laughter kept swirling in his mind and before his eyes.

He only felt his heart was empty.

Hollow, without any sense of peace.

But there was also a fire burning within him, raging and spreading, as if it wanted to consume all his rationality.

"Heavenly Will Sect!"

"Only Righteous Sect's small sect!"

After traveling for several thousand li... in the midst of the wind and snow, not far away, there was a mountain valley from which a strange scent emanated.

"Could there still be living people here?"

Even though he was in grief, the sense of responsibility as a guardian persisted in his heart, causing Fang Che to instantly arrive at the mountain valley. After a quick search, his spiritual energy erupted, blowing away all the falling snow.

Indeed, there were over a hundred low-lying houses, some of which had already collapsed.

In the midst of the ruins.

There were numerous withered corpses.

All of them had their blood drained.

At a glance, it was clear that they had been killed by the new recruits of the Only Righteous Sect.

Fang Che fell silent for a moment.

Looking at this mountain valley, it was quite sturdy, and the houses built here were very cleverly designed. With the snow sliding down, as long as they endured a little, they could actually survive in this heavy snowfall.

As long as there was food and something to eat, and looking at that pile of dry firewood...

These people had prepared to withstand the natural disaster, but they couldn't escape the slaughter of the Only Righteous Sect.

Fang Che silently buried the corpses.

He walked out of the mountain valley in silence.

The snowdrifts around him were crazily pushed by his divine power, constantly crashing into the valley, filling it up.

"Rest in peace. I will avenge you!"

Fang Che turned around.

Suddenly, a long whistle sounded, and his body soared into the sky amidst the raging blizzard, like a furious dragon ascending to heaven.

...

An Ruo Xing ultimately managed to escape and return.

After Kong Lei, the last one holding the rear, sacrificed himself, Mu Feng led the rest to chase after her. Just as they were about to catch up, they encountered reinforcements from the Southeast Headquarters.

Mu Feng made a quick decision and immediately ordered a retreat, returning to the snowy wasteland.

The Southeast Headquarters, caught off guard by the heavy snowfall, couldn't pursue them either, so they took An Ruo Xing back.

Zhao Shanhe's heart skipped a beat.

Because... they were just one step too late! If they had arrived half a moment later, An Ruo Xing might have been truly lost.

But when he heard that Shen Zhixuan had sacrificed himself, Zhao Shanhe felt like the sky had collapsed.

He knew how important Shen Zhixuan was to Fang Che, and this time, Fang Che would likely go insane.

After discussing, they decided that An Ruo Xing would personally send the news to Fang Che, informing him of the tragic loss.

Subsequently, they searched along the way for the bodies of the fallen, but there was nothing left of Shen Zhixuan.

Only a sword remained in the snow as his sole memento.

The only keepsake! The atmosphere in the Southeast Headquarters was solemn to the extreme.

In this wave, the casualties were not limited to Shen Zhixuan and the other three. The first batch of over sixteen thousand people who went out to rescue the civilians, and the second batch of over ten thousand people.

Among the two groups, there were nearly two thousand people who encountered enemy attacks while rescuing civilians, disappearing in the snowy mountains and forests of the Southeast.

One by one, these hot-blooded men vanished into the boundless blizzard, never to return.

This didn't even include the forces from the various Guardian Halls and the Southeast's major families who had gone out to rescue people.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end