Parting Ways

"So that's how it is—the truth behind everything!"

Xuan Zi stared at the Heavenly Curtain's exposé, never expecting the truth of that year's events to be like this.

The last shred of his former admiration for Long Xiaoyao shattered completely, replaced by deep disgust.

All of this was Long Xiaoyao's fault. Elder Mu was the true victim.

"Hmph! Looks like scumbags are all the same everywhere." Xian Lin'er, recalling her own unpleasant memories from youth, seized the chance to curse out these worthless men.

Among those she cursed, Yan Shaozhe was naturally included.

···

Inside Haotian Fort, Tai Tan wore an expression of "I told you so," excitedly saying to his elder brother Niu Tian:

"See, big brother? I told you this Long Xiaoyao guy's character really isn't up to snuff."

"Indeed~" Niu Tian didn't argue.

After all, the monologue unfolding on the Heavenly Curtain was crystal clear, letting them as viewers see everything plainly.

In this matter, it truly was Long Xiaoyao's fault, ruining the lives of two other people.

But unlike Tai Tan, who treated the Heavenly Curtain as mere entertainment, Niu Tian was still pondering its origins.

[When I woke up, Xi Shui had already woken too.]

[I remember that scene to this day. She sat beside me, a short sword in her hand, aimed at her own chest.]

[Panicked beyond reason, I had no time to think. I reached out quickly, grabbing the blade to stop Xi Shui from taking her own life.]

[The sharp edge cut into my hand, but I felt no pain. Because at that moment, my heartache and regret outweighed everything. I knew that my momentary impulse had wrought a great wrong.]

[And just then, from outside the room came Mu En's voice calling for Xi Shui. My heart sank to rock bottom as I awaited the final judgment.]

"What a tragedy!" someone couldn't help lamenting, sympathizing with Elder Mu and condemning Long Xiaoyao.

"Ha! This is all Long Xiaoyao's fault. He said he'd truly let go, but in the end? He still gave in to desire and destroyed two other people's lives!"

Others gloated without restraint, sneering, "Who would've thought the mighty Dragon God Douluo suffered such a blow in his youth. Serves him right."

···

"I failed Mu En. I failed Xi Shui."

Long Xiaoyao's mood now was like being back in those days, guilt and regret reaching their peak.

Indeed, all of it—every last bit—stemmed from his unwilling, restless desires.

He had utterly destroyed the lives of his best brother and the woman he loved most.

Especially Xi Shui. Compared to Mu En, who gradually moved on and let go, her entire life could only be described as a tragedy.

And the source of that tragedy was Long Xiaoyao.

That was precisely why he chose to spend the rest of his life guarding Xi Shui, even if it meant aiding evil without hesitation.

[That night, the three of us went our separate ways. Xi Shui left first, vanishing into the vast darkness without a trace.]

[And I didn't know how to face Mu En. After a few pale excuses, I could only slink away like a coward.]

[After that night, Xi Shui seemed to vanish from the face of the earth. No matter how I searched, I couldn't find a single clue. At first, I roamed the continent endlessly looking for her. But in the end, I found nothing. As time passed, I finally gave up.]

[As for the brother I wronged most, Mu En, I didn't even know how to face him.]

[Years ago, I left my clan alone to roam the continent; years later, I returned alone, ready to live out my remaining days in solitude.]

[But under my clan's arrangements, I started a family. The clan was overjoyed, believing my child might inherit my Dark Holy Dragon Martial Soul.]

[Ten years passed in the blink of an eye. I began to accept my new life.]

[But one day, ten years later, Mu En suddenly found me. Before I could say a word, he attacked.]

[Of course, I immediately fought back, crossing blows with Mu En. In cultivation, I had never been negligent; but in the end, Mu En still had the upper hand.]

[At that moment, Mu En could have killed me outright. But remembering our brotherhood from years past, he held back in the end.]

[Yet the more he did that, the more I regretted and felt ashamed of what had happened back then.]

"Huh? Why wasn't this part in the Dragon God Douluo's monologue?"

Someone was confused. Wasn't this matter something the Dragon God Douluo had started himself?

Why had it never appeared in his own monologue, yet was so detailed in the Dragon Emperor Douluo's?

Of course, there were sharp minds on the Douluo Continent who could infer the reason.

Kong Deming, the Hall Master of the Sun Moon Empire's Hall of Worship, didn't even need to think to know why.

"It seems the Dragon Emperor Douluo never moved on his entire life." Kong Deming gazed at the Heavenly Curtain and sighed softly.

This was karma, in a way.

The one who committed the wrong never moved on, spending the vast majority of his life's memories on that single event.

And the one who was betrayed, though trapped for a time, eventually walked out, started a new life, and stopped dwelling on the past.

So for Long Xiaoyao, it was a matter of a lifetime—one he had never let go of.

For Mu En, that was a painful memory, a small fragment of his life; once he moved past it, he naturally no longer lingered at that point in time.

In this matter, Mu En's handling was nothing short of perfect.

[After the great battle, Mu En took the initiative to tell me why he had come to beat me up.]

[It turned out that Xishui had suddenly arrived at Shrek Academy, demanding to see Mu En. Toward the woman he had once deeply loved, Mu En was filled with mixed emotions at the time. But what Mu En hadn't expected was that Xishui had come this time to challenge him.]

[Though puzzled, Mu En had no choice but to accept the fight under Xishui's relentless pressure.]

[During the battle, Mu En was shocked to discover that Xishui's strength had become exceptionally formidable. It even began to overwhelm him, and he gradually found it hard to hold his ground. If not for Mu En's deep cultivation foundation and a unique ability he had developed as a trump card, it would have been difficult for him to barely win.]

[At the same time, during the fight, Mu En also sensed a trace of evil energy within Ye Xishui's martial soul.]

[The Sea God Pavilion Master, who had been secretly observing his disciple's battle, pointed out after the fight that Xishui had become an Evil Soul Master. To prevent Xishui from bringing disaster to the world, he prepared to detain her and cripple her cultivation.]