It's Just That Our Stances Differ

"Die!"

Zhao Tianlong roared, swinging the black mace in his hand with ferocious force. Every blow drove Li Shishi steadily backward.

Li Shishi gritted her teeth, passively enduring the endless barrage as she continuously gathered strength beneath the pressure.

As the golden light around her grew ever more radiant, Li Shishi suddenly stomped heavily on the ground, launching herself into the air.

With a clenched hand, she fiercely thrust the spear in her grip toward Zhao Tianlong!

"Space-Rending Thrust!"

A terrifying aura erupted from Li Shishi. As her spear shot forth, a streak of golden light blasted down, tearing through everything before it as it shot straight for Zhao Tianlong's chest!

"Pfft!"

The golden light pierced straight through Zhao Tianlong's chest, then exploded, transforming into specks of flowing light that detonated across his body!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Zhao Tianlong's body jerked. In the next instant, the black mace flew from his hand, hurtling toward Li Shishi with dense black qi trailing behind it.

The black qi contained thick resentment. Coupled with the overwhelming force of the blow, the golden light around Li Shishi shattered outright, and she was sent flying by the black mace!

Boom!

The two collided fiercely, and an ear-piercing explosion rang out. As the energy shockwaves spread, both figures crashed heavily to the ground.

Li Shishi's body trembled, the dull ache leaving her unable to rise.

Zhao Tianlong's body swayed, his expression twisting even more grotesquely.

His chest had become a gaping hole. The strange eyeball had been destroyed by that last strike, and black blood flowed from his body.

Li Shishi's spear light had been far too domineering. Even a body transformed by Great Medicine had been gravely wounded by that blow.

"Pfft!"

"Gurgle, gurgle!"

Zhao Tianlong spat out another mouthful of black blood. The next moment, gurgling sounds came from within his body, and threadlike tendrils actually began growing from the savage wound in his chest.

The tendrils continued extending outward, eventually turning into blood-red yarn that filled the wound in his chest and squirmed without cease.

And with the emergence of those tendrils, most of Zhao Tianlong's consciousness was devoured as well.

"Roar! Roar! Roar!"

A beastlike growl sounded. Zhao Tianlong's eyes turned blood-red, and grotesque bone spurs burst from his spine!

After his body swayed several more times, he slowly walked toward Li Shishi.

Seeing Zhao Tianlong's condition, Bai Yu's expression turned grave. He was hesitating over whether he should intervene.

He was not familiar with Li Shishi, but she had helped him out of a bind earlier. Besides, she was also a disciple of the Heavenly Demon Sect...

"Young Master, should we save her?"

Just as Bai Yu was hesitating, Yu Linglong spoke up.

Seeing his expression, Yu Linglong took the initiative to explain.

"When I went to purchase materials for you earlier, Young Master, I had some selfish motives. I spent three contribution points to buy some information on the connections of the sect's inner disciples."

"I thought you might need it in the future."

"And among that information was an introduction to Li Shishi."

"Although she wasn't promoted from a menial disciple, and although this woman is only an inner disciple for now, her grandfather is the master of Alchemy Peak—and a very powerful alchemist in his own right..."

Yu Linglong reminded him.

The Heavenly Demon Sect's rules were complicated. Even the sect master's own son had to rise slowly from the ranks of official disciples, in pursuit of the greatest possible fairness.

Though their resources far surpassed those of ordinary official disciples, at least in name, they truly stood with everyone else at the same starting line.

Hearing this, Bai Yu's expression turned strange. For some reason, the term "grassroots experience" suddenly came to mind...

Casting those unrealistic thoughts to the back of his mind, Bai Yu looked at Li Shishi, who was continuously struggling and retreating.

He made his decision at once. This woman had connections—saving her would earn him an enormous favor. No matter how he calculated it, this deal could not lose!

"Die!"

"Everyone from the Heavenly Demon Sect deserves to die!"

Zhao Tianlong's expression grew ever more twisted. His fists clenched tight as he trembled, staring at the terrified Li Shishi with Sha Qi billowing around him!

Just as he was about to tear Li Shishi apart, a black-gold figure approached like a ghost. In the next moment, it clamped tightly around his hand.

An incomparably vicious corpse aura and icy chill erupted!

Bang!

Black Charcoal turned into a streak of light and slammed straight into Zhao Tianlong's chest. It then wrapped tightly around him, its sharp fangs biting into Zhao Tianlong's neck as it frantically released venom!

Black qi flowed over Zhao Tianlong's body, stubbornly resisting Black Charcoal's attack. But when the black qi tried to control Zhao Tianlong and make him counterattack, his body began trembling uncontrollably.

The instant Zhao Tianlong saw Zhao Yun, his pupils—filled with killing intent—contracted sharply, and he instinctively cried out.

"Eldest Princess..."

"Yun'er!"

"How did you..."

Before he could finish, Zhao Yun's left hand formed a claw and plunged straight into Zhao Tianlong's chest. Icy corpse qi spread through his body, and for a moment, Zhao Tianlong did not resist at all!

A great deal of frost gathered over his body. The dense black qi tried to mutate Zhao Tianlong's body once more, but Black Charcoal had already begun absorbing everything from him!

"Hm?"

"No resistance?"

Yu Linglong immediately pulled the still-terrified Li Shishi away. Bai Yu held the Yin Mosquito Gu in one hand and a dagger in the other, watching Zhao Tianlong warily!

"Bang!"

Zhao Tianlong dropped straight to his knees before Zhao Yun. At that moment, Zhao Yun's hand was still connected to his chest.

As the black qi was continuously devoured, Zhao Tianlong's consciousness gradually grew clearer.

Looking at his own condition and Zhao Yun before him, he could not help but let out a bitter smile.

"You... are the culprit who destroyed the Wu Shu Kingdom?"

Zhao Tianlong raised his head and looked at Bai Yu, his eyes brimming with fury.

He wanted to stand again, but because of his earlier carelessness, he could no longer manage even such a simple movement.

"Yes. But everything that happened over there was what you deserved."

"It wasn't the Heavenly Demon Sect that provoked you. You were the ones who struck first and provoked the Heavenly Demon Sect."

Bai Yu activated his Delusion-Breaking Golden Eyes. Only after confirming that Zhao Tianlong had no ability to resist did he speak.

"Heh. Even so, how innocent were the common people within Zhao King City? When you acted, did you not feel even a shred of mercy?"

Listening to Bai Yu, Zhao Tianlong's expression remained calm as he asked.

"When you attacked Zhao Lan, did you ever consider the consequences?"

"Or were you rejoicing, thinking that the Iron Sword Sect or the Myriad Sword Sect could protect you?"

"For some things, someone must always pay the price."

Bai Yu said indifferently.

"I am a general. I do not understand all your twists and turns. I only know that everything I protected is gone."

"Since the founding of the Wu Shu Kingdom, I watched an empire rise every step of the way. My entire life was devoted to this place."

"You destroyed it. Even if I have to give everything I possess, I will tear a chunk of flesh from you."

"Perhaps the founding emperor of the Wu Shu Kingdom truly was a real dragon, capable of leading your dynasty toward prosperity. But you forgot—the real dragon is already dead."

"The one you later pledged loyalty to was merely a false dragon. He relied on the true dragon's foundations and acted without restraint. There were signs all along that things would become this way. Even without the Heavenly Demon Sect, the Wu Shu Kingdom would not have lasted long."

Thinking of everything he had seen in the Wu Shu Kingdom, Bai Yu spoke with disdain.

"Misleading the people with heresy!"

Zhao Tianlong raised his head and sneered.

"Since we cannot communicate, then let us stop trying. That is itself the principle of how people get along—we are both not wrong."

"When has there ever been a distinction between righteousness and evil in this world? It is nothing more than a difference in stance."

"A beauty fades in her twilight years, a general grows old; in this mortal world, neither can bear the sight."

"General Zhao, this junior will see you off today!"

Bai Yu clasped his hands in salute, his manner respectful.