Failed Again
The cold blade was pointed at him, seemingly still carrying the sharpness of its Sword Master.
Gu Huaiwei looked up and met Sang Ying's cold gaze.
He instinctively shivered, wanting to say something more, but Floating River Sword moved closer to him once more. "Stand up and settle things with me one last time!"
Sang Ying's tone was already showing signs of impatience.
Urged on repeatedly, Gu Huaiwei finally struggled to her feet.
He had been injured several times and was now extremely weak. His beautiful and delicate face was as white as if it had been powdered, but he no longer possessed the noble demeanor of the Immortal Venerable Yanchen.
Gu Huaiwei clutched her chest, where Sang Ying had stabbed her, blood still slowly seeping from the wound. "Sang Ying, did you have to do this?"
He probably never imagined that his former apprentice would one day be so indifferent to him.
Gu Huaiwei still remembered the scene when Sang Ying came to see him with her parents when she was young. At that time, little Sang Ying was not as cold as she is now, but had the cunning of a child.
She hid behind Sang Zheng, peeking out with her little head, her smiling eyes sparkling with tiny lights.
He could tell that Sang Ying liked him back then. She had even jokingly told Sang Zheng that she wanted to become his disciple.
Gu Huaiwei remembered all of these words!
Thinking of this Gu Huaiwei swallowed hard, a glimmer of hope rising in her heart. "Sang Ying, I know you're upset that I was so focused on protecting Su Fuyun before, and that I targeted you because of her. But believe me, Master didn't mean it!"
"You might not believe these words, but I want to tell you. From beginning to end, the only person I wanted to take in was you, and the only person I wanted to protect was you. It was all Su Fuyun's fault. She appeared when she shouldn't have, and she stole everything that should have belonged to you! She misled me, which is why I treated you that way!"
His tone was somewhat urgent, as if he was worried that Sang Ying wouldn't believe him.
Sang Ying's eyes flickered slightly; she could hardly understand the meaning behind Gu Huaiwei's words anymore.
What do you mean by taking everything that should have belonged to her? What do you mean by saying that she's the only one she wants to take?
Recalling Gu Huaiwei's inexplicable favoritism towards Su Fuyun in the past, Sang Ying had a bad feeling. "You're not trying to say that the preferential treatment you gave Su Fuyun should have belonged to me, are you?"
"Yes! That's what Master meant. Master has always wanted to protect you!" Seeing that she understood, Gu Huaiwei immediately became excited as well. "If it weren't for her, we would be a close and harmonious master and disciple. I would give you everything I have, and I would teach you everything I have learned in my life. We would live happily together forever, we would..."
"We won't," Sang Ying interrupted him. "You said it yourself, this is a hypothetical. But there are no hypotheticals in this world. The fact is we are destined not to be master and disciple. Now you are the Demon Lord, and I am a cultivator. We are now only enemies."
Moreover, even if Su Fuyun hadn't appeared back then, and Sang Ying had truly become Gu Huaiwei's only disciple, receiving unreserved preferential treatment from him, Sang Ying wouldn't have been happy.
He might target and scheme against me for Su Fuyun's sake. He might also hurt other innocent people for her sake, using his power to seize fortuitous opportunity that don't belong to her.
This is something Sang Ying doesn't want to see. What is rightfully hers will fall into her hands no matter what. What isn't hers, even if she fights with others for it, will only bring her trouble in the end.
But Gu Huaiwei's expression turned even uglier upon hearing these words. This was undoubtedly telling him that there was no possibility of reconciliation between him and Sang Ying.
"Why waste so much breath on him? He almost destroyed the entire Twin Orchid Realm. So many innocent people died because of him, so many sects were destroyed by him. I was originally thinking, what if this person escaped while I was undergoing my tribulation? Now look what's happened, he delivered himself to my door, so don't blame me!" Unable to Gu Huaiwei nagging any longer, Jiang Zhuoxue stepped past Sang Ying and attacked Gu Huaiwei.
Gu Huaiwei, Gu Huaiwei was attacked by Jiang Zhuoxue, while Sang Ying made no attempt to stop her. The two quickly engaged in combat, their movements so fast that Sang Ying couldn't even see them clearly.
After all, she was a fully grown Dragon Race. After being baptized by heavenly lightning, Jiang Zhuoxue was more than one or two times stronger than before. Gu Huaiwei, who could originally fight Sang Zheng and Jiulian to a standstill, was also much weaker than before due to her injuries.
From the moment they started fighting, Gu Huaiwei was completely on the defensive!
Their commotion quickly attracted the attention of the other Devil Race. Most of the demon army had already perished in the previous tribulation. Now that the Demon Lord was about to be defeated by the righteous cultivators, these Devil Race were naturally unwilling to sit idly by and wait for their doom.
They brandished their weapons and rushed towards Sang Ying, seemingly intending to capture the only two righteous cultivators present. However, they underestimated Sang Ying's strength.
A flash of lightning on the Floating River Sword signaled the start of what could be described as a one-sided battle.
Sang Ying and Jiang Zhuoxue were very fast, giving the Devil Race almost no chance to catch their breath before decisively defeating their opponents.
When Gu Huaiwei was heavily knocked down from mid-air by Jiang Zhuoxue, a large number of the Devil Race were already lying on the ground, and the few remaining high-level Devil Race also tried to escape as soon as they saw that the situation was not good.
However, they were still too slow. A figure suddenly appeared in their escape route. By the time Sang Ying could see the newcomer's face clearly, a gust of wind swept over them, completely scattering the fleeing Devil Race.
From then on, none of the Devil Race who came to attack, including the Demon Lord, were able to escape.
Thousands of miles away from the Flowing Light Sword Sect, within the Myriad Phenomena Sect, Sect Master Wen Da put down the communication talisman in his hand and addressed the elders and disciples surrounding him, who were awaiting a reply, "The Flowing Light Sword Sect's great undertaking is complete; counterattack!"
The deafening battle cries resounded throughout the entire Myriad Phenomena Sect once again, but this time it was not an attack by the Devil Race, but a counterattack by the righteous path.
The Devil Race army that had previously overwhelmed the Myriad Phenomena Sect had been largely redeployed. After confirming that most of the Devil Race had perished in the lightning tribulation, the members of the Myriad Phenomena Sect knew that this was their only chance to counterattack.
The crowd united as never before. Those who had old grudges joined forces, and disciples from different sects supported each other. The pills obtained from the Flowing Light Sword Sect and Ten Thousand Daos Born played a significant role, healing the injured and making the cultivators even more valiant.
By the Ji Fucang arrived at the Myriad Phenomena Sect with his junior brothers and sisters as Jiulian had instructed, the great battle was already drawing to a close.
The fate of the Twin Orchid Realm was thus completely rewritten!
"Master, this is a message sent back from below." The young servant respectfully presented the man with a jade talisman.
The man casually reached out and took the jade talisman, placing it between his eyebrows. The information within the talisman flooded into his mind.
With a thud, the jade talisman fell to the ground and shattered into pieces.
"Failed again..." The man's tone was regretful, but his expression remained as indifferent as ever.
The Immortal Spirit Realm, the Black Tortoise Realm, and the Twin Orchid Realm have all been saved, so which small world will be the next target of their schemes?
The man raised his hand and gently touched his brow, a new plan slowly forming in his mind.
Meanwhile, the white-haired old man, who was tightly locked up by him, also began to secretly search for a way to escape from this place.
Amidst the turmoil, it's time for those hiding behind the scenes to step into the limelight!