Resentment

"This is Wujin?" Xia Yi was shocked. He had already guessed that Wujin was that Lion Emperor.

No wonder Wujin carried such an icy aura within him. It turned out it was the essence of flesh, blood, and souls from the Soul Beasts of the Endless Mountains.

"One day, I will return and flatten the Abyssal Plane, avenging my people." An icy voice sounded behind Xia Yi. At some point, the white-clad youth Wujin had silently appeared behind him.

"You really are that Lion Emperor." Xia Yi looked at Wujin. Wujin—Endless Mountains. No wonder.

"Yes, and no." Wujin shook his head.

"What does that mean?" Xia Yi asked curiously.

"The Snow Jade Lion Emperor had long since died at the hands of Abyssal Creatures. What you see now is an avenger condensed from the blood, souls, and essence of all the Soul Beasts in the Endless Mountains. Even my soul was pieced together from countless fragments of Soul Beast souls from the Forbidden Mountain Range." Wujin's voice was icy, brimming with overwhelming killing intent.

"No wonder you have such a deathly aura inside you." Xia Yi nodded, then asked, "As far as I know, the Abyssal Plane descended upon Douluo Continent thousands of years ago. Why did you only undergo Transformation now?"

"My condition is very unusual. After my flesh and blood escaped the Endless Mountains back then, it was dragged back into them by some force. However, that force scattered my power throughout every corner of the Forbidden Mountain Range. No matter how high one's cultivation was, it would have been impossible to detect it. I recuperated in the Endless Mountains for thousands of years before slowly condensing a body and becoming what I am now." Wujin spoke coldly.

"As far as I know, the Forbidden Mountain Range lies deep within the former territory of the Sun Moon Empire. Why did you come to Eastsea City?" Xia Yi continued asking.

"Because of Gu Yue," Wujin said in a low voice.

"You know Gu Yue's identity?" Xia Yi was somewhat stunned. Hadn't Wujin died a thousand years ago? Even if he had come back to life, he should not have known Gu Yue's identity.

Gu Yue's Transformation was the highest secret among Soul Beasts. Other than Xia Yi, only Di Tian and several other Beasts knew about it.

"While I was condensing my body, a voice suddenly appeared in my mind and told me that Gu Yue, the Master of Soul Beasts, had undergone Transformation." Wujin spoke gravely. Even he did not know who had secretly guided him to Eastsea City to find Gu Yue.

Could it have been the Plane Master? Xia Yi secretly guessed. Aside from the Beasts of the Star Dou Forest, only the Plane Master could have known Gu Yue's identity.

Moreover, the Plane Master had indeed been monitoring Gu Yue all along.

A month ago, Xia Yi had been forcibly made to undergo Transformation by the Plane Master simply because he had beaten Gu Yue up.

Xia Yi simply could not understand why the Plane Master had told Wujin that Gu Yue was a transformed Soul Beast.

Could the Plane Master have wanted Gu Yue to gather the power of all Soul Beasts together?

"Impossible!" Xia Yi shook his head. According to Gu Yue and the others, although the Plane Master's wife was also a transformed Soul Beast, he himself suppressed Soul Beasts at every turn.

There was no way he would turn around and help Soul Beasts.

"Since you came all this way to find Gu Yue, why didn't you go reveal your identity to her?" Xia Yi continued asking.

"Disappointed." Wujin shook his head and spat out the two icy words. Turning to Xia Yi, he continued, "My only goal for the rest of my life is to flatten the Abyssal Plane. I have no intention of wasting time playing at romance with her. Only Soul Beasts from the Star Dou Forest have the leisure to indulge her nonsense."

"You guessed my identity, which is why you told me so much, right?" Xia Yi asked curiously. Since Wujin knew Gu Yue's identity, it would not have been difficult for him to guess Xia Yi's identity when he had appeared alongside her.

Of course, Wujin must have mistaken him for a Hundred-Thousand-Year Transformed Soul Beast. He could never have guessed that Xia Yi was a ten-year transformed Soul Beast.

"I think you're quite promising, so I hope you leave Gu Yue soon. Otherwise, when Gu Yue follows the old path of the transformed Soul Beasts of the Star Dou Forest, you may not even have the chance to regret it." Wujin spoke gravely.

"You seem to hold a deep grudge against the Star Dou Forest." Xia Yi asked in a low voice.

"What's the point of saying any of this? I've said what I should. Whether you listen is up to you." Wujin shook his head. "You've asked me so many questions. Now it's my turn to ask you."

"Go ahead." Xia Yi nodded.

"First question: how did you get here?" Wujin asked gravely.

"I don't know. I remember meditating and cultivating, then suddenly I was here." Xia Yi shook his head. He truly had no idea what had happened.

"This is a space of consciousness formed from the soul fragments of countless Soul Beast spirits from the Endless Mountains. You can think of it as a Spiritual World. Once consciousness enters this place, it must endure the corrosion of the countless Soul Beast spirits here at every moment. If not for my special identity, and the fact that these spirits are unwilling to harm me, even ten of me might not be enough to survive. Yet even so, the aura these spirits emit has nearly caused me to fall." Wujin stared at Xia Yi, his gaze growing puzzled. "Why are you unaffected?"

"I don't know what's going on either." Xia Yi shook his head. He did not even know how he had gotten here, so how could he know why the spirits had no effect on him?

Wujin nodded. Xia Yi truly did not look like he was lying. Suddenly, a glint flashed through his eyes. "I do have a suggestion. Perhaps you could try it?"

"Looking at you, you're clearly up to no good. I'm not falling for it!" Xia Yi shook his head without hesitation.

"Listen to me first. You can try circulating your Soul Power and actively absorbing the resentment of the spirits here, then see whether it affects you." Wujin looked at Xia Yi, and a trace of fervor appeared in his icy gaze.

Xia Yi immediately shook his head again. "You were so friendly to me from the start because of this, huh? You wish. I absorb the resentment and leave you with pure soul power. Then your strength soars while I fall into becoming an Evil Spirit Master. Where could there possibly be such a good deal?"

To be honest, Xia Yi was somewhat tempted. He had too many secrets that even he himself did not understand, and he also wanted to know whether he could absorb resentment without being affected.

But so many Soul Beasts from the Forbidden Mountain Range had died tragically. The resentment gathered here was simply too immense. He truly did not dare try it lightly.

"I know what you're worried about, but you can try absorbing only a little. If it truly doesn't work, then forget it." Wujin was still unwilling to give up. He desperately wanted to grow stronger and return to the Endless Mountains, but this resentment forced him to devote most of his energy to suppressing it, greatly slowing his cultivation.

"Give me a reason or excuse to take a risk for you," Xia Yi said flatly.

Wujin nodded. "Fine, I'll give you one. A large part of this resentment arose because of the Master of Soul Beasts from your Star Dou Forest. As Gu Yue's subordinate, shouldn't you bear some responsibility for helping me?"

"Didn't the Soul Beasts of the Forbidden Mountain Range all die at the hands of Abyssal Creatures? What does that have to do with the Star Dou Forest?" Xia Yi asked.

"Originally, it had nothing to do with the Master of Soul Beasts of the Star Dou Forest. But after I saw Gu Yue and learned her identity, I saw that all the Soul Beasts of the Endless Mountains had died in battle while she, a Master of Soul Beasts, was here playing at romance. Hatred rose within me, and the spirits of the Soul Beasts of the Endless Mountains likewise grew hateful. A vast amount of resentment was born within me once more. Tell me, does this resentment have anything to do with the Star Dou Forest? Does it have anything to do with the Master of Soul Beasts?" Wujin stared at Xia Yi and asked in a low voice.

In truth, the resentment created when the Soul Beasts of the Endless Mountains had died in battle had not affected him much. At that time, he had already done everything he could, and those Soul Beast spirits would never direct their hatred at him.

What affected him most was the resentment born because of Gu Yue. It constantly battered his Spiritual World, seeking to break out and question Gu Yue—why, as the Master of Soul Beasts, she had sat by and watched the Endless Mountains be slaughtered to the last.

And once that resentment broke through his Spiritual World, Wujin would surely be controlled by it and completely become an Evil Spirit Master.

That was also why, during the day, he had only exchanged two moves with Xia Yi before daring not to continue fighting.

Because he had seen Xia Yi at Gu Yue's side. The sight of Gu Yue had caused the resentment in his heart to erupt once more, forcing him to stop after only two moves.

This should be why the Plane Master guided Wujin to Eastsea Academy. A guess surfaced in Xia Yi's heart. Though he had no evidence at all, he was at least eighty percent certain.

The Plane Master must not have wanted Wujin to continue cultivating and had intended to use the resentment of the Soul Beasts from the Endless Mountains to devour him.