Stranger Danger

Chapter 748: Her Face Smiles, But Her Heart Weeps

I see.

Realization struck Ye Qing. From the beginning, he had had this strange feeling that the Dark Overlord’s downfall was a little too convenient. The stars had aligned just a little too well almost as if an invisible hand had manipulated Zhuang Juyun, Chen Miaozeng, Ning Xiliu into waging war against the Dark Overlord.

Now, he knew for certain that it wasn’t a feeling. It was all Murong Xianxian’s design.

He had to admit that Murong Xianxian deserved her title as the number one celestial of wulin and the crowning jewel of humanity. How many people in this world could bear to surrender themselves to their enemy? How many were willing to invest decades to understand them, scheme against them, and finally kill them? And how many more actually succeeded in their endeavor?

Murong Xianxian did it. She succeeded where so many others would have failed.

Cui Qiuyuan, Qu Langhuan and Blood Rakshasa were quite shocked as well. Be it the truth behind the Dark Overlord’s sudden disappearance, the war between him and the three Sages, the hidden relationship between Murong Xianxian and the Dark Overlord, or the true reason behind the Dark Overlord’s death, each secret was only more shocking than the last.

A moment later, Qu Langhuan asked another question, “Since you killed the Dark Overlord and successfully took revenge against him, why did you say you failed?”

“Because of my current state, of course.”

Murong Xianxian sighed. “The peachwood nail in my forehead is called ‘Repentance’. It is a Disaster-class Strange Artifact that could be used to nail a person’s body and soul and preserve their consciousness for thousands and thousands of years. In a sense, it is a form of immortality, but it is also one of the cruelest. It is near impossible for me to move my body, and I must suffer an endless wave of pain day and night. Since there is no one but me in this place, I must endure endless days of aching loneliness as well. It is easily one of the most terrible torture devices in this world.”

“As for why it is named ‘Repentance’, it’s because it’s meant to drown its victim in eternal repentance, of course. Do you know who’s the one who subjected me to its horrors?”

“Is it the Dark Overlord?” Qu Langhuan said tentatively.

“Naturally.” A strange smile spread across Murong Xianxian’s face. “He knew I’m the one who plotted his downfall, so before he died, he nailed me to this place using ‘Repentance’ with the intention of torturing me for eternity. He wanted me to beg for death’s sweet release while repenting my decisions and actions day and night.”

“But why should I? Li Hentian killed my family and destroyed my clan. It is perfectly natural for me to want to take revenge against him, just as there is no heaven in this world who would judge me sinful for doing what I did. And since I have committed no sin, then why should I repent? Why should I regret anything?”

“I am right. I have never regretted my decisions, and I never will.”

“Hahahahahahaha!”

Suddenly, Murong Xianxian burst out in laughter. “You’ve won your whole life, but in the end, you still died in my hands, Li Hentian. You died, but I still lived, so the final laugh goes to me. I am the victor, and you the loser! Hahahahahahahaha!”

Murong Xianxian was laughing, but Ye Qing could tell that she was really crying. Or rather, she was both laughing and crying at the same time.

She was laughing because she had taken revenge for her family and the Murong Clan, and she was crying because the price she paid was the Dark Overlord, her husband.

Yes, the Dark Overlord was the one who killed her dearest family and clan. However, he was also her husband; the one she had shared a bed with for many decades. Even if they did not share the same dream, how could she possibly feel nothing for him?

Besides, it was clear from Murong Xianxian’s tone that Li Hentian treated her very well. In fact, it sounded like he indulged her every whim no matter how unreasonable or dangerous it was. After all, the Dark Overlord was famous not just for his martial prowess, but also his intelligence and wisdom. How could he not realize the true reason Murong Xianxian chose to marry him? How could he not be aware of her secret machinations to kill him?

He knew everything, and yet he pretended that he knew nothing. Why?

Because of love, of course! He loved her from the bottom of his heart!

Was Murong Xianxian unaware of Li Hentian’s love? With her intelligence? Of course not. She just refused to acknowledge it!

Unfortunately, a human wasn’t a plant. They could not be truly indifferent toward everything. Li Hentian had given his heart to her not for a day, but for many decades. Try as she might, how could she not be moved by it?

So she laughed as she cried. She was laughing on the outside, but crying on the inside.

Eventually, Murong Xianxian grew tired of laughing—or more accurately, crying. Once she had recovered her composure, she looked at Cui Qiuyuan, Qu Langhuan and Blood Rakshasa and asked, “Now that you’ve listened to my story, what will you do? Are you still going to kill me?”

The trio looked surprised and troubled. What should they do?

They were troubled because their thoughts were a jumbled mess right now, and because their opponent was the Murong Xianxian.

“Allow me to enlighten you on the consequences before you make your decision. If you kill me, you shall walk away with nothing.”

Murong Xianxian looked at Blood Rakshasa and began, “Before I die, I will kill everyone here and annihilate their blood essence. You have my word that you won’t be able to obtain even a single drop of blood.”

She then looked at Qu Langhuan and said, “You wish to obtain Repentance? If I die, I will destroy it with me and leave you with nothing.”

Finally, she looked at Cui Qiuyuan and declared, “You want my body, but I can tell that your desire is pure. There is not a shred of lust in your bone. Regardless, I will dissolve my body into ash before I perish.”

All three Grandmasters stared at her with deep frowns on their faces.

“Trust me, I can do what I claim I can do. Of course, you are free to test my word if you don’t believe me,” Murong Xianxian ended with a calm smile.

Cui Qiuyuan, Qu Langhuan and Blood Rakshasa exchanged glances with each other. They could see the hesitation in each other’s eyes.

If Murong Xianxian was anyone else, they might have scoffed at her threat and attacked her already. However, the woman before them was the legendary Murong Xianxian. How could they not take her threat seriously?

“Since it looks like you aren’t able to arrive at a decision immediately, allow me to provide you with a suggestion.”

Murong Xianxian continued after waiting for a moment, “If you kill me, then you will get nothing. But if you free me, then I promise to reward you handsomely.”

Once again, Murong Xianxian looked at Blood Rakshasa first. “You desire a warrior’s blood essence, don’t you? If you free me, then I can supply you with as many Sage’s blood essence as you want.”

Blood Rakshasa’s breath immediately hitched in her throat. If what she said was true, then her cultivation level would improve tremendously, and her mastery of the “Blood Soul Divine Light” would grow a step further.

Before Blood Rakshasa could say anything, Murong Xianxian turned to Cui Qiuyuan and said, “I believe that you practice a martial art that allows you to control corpses, which means that you have a need for powerful bodies. If you lend me your aid, I can help you locate the bodies of the Sages scattered across in this realm. There are at least four Sage bodies in the Demonbearer Abode including the Dark Overlord’s, and I can lead you to them.”

Cui Qiuyuan’s breathing immediately grew heavy. There was nothing more tempting to him than a powerful body, but the Dark Overlord? That was the man who dominated the Spring and Autumn Period eight hundred years ago. Just how powerful and flawless must his body be? If he could transform it into a Corpse Spirit, then he would be the first person ever to accomplish such a feat!

“As for you, you desire Strange Artifacts and treasures. I can give you items that are even better than ‘Repentance’.”

Murong Xianxian turned to Qu Langhuan next. “On top of that, I can correct the flaws in your ‘Divine Art of Separation’. You are not far away from mastering the martial art, but that also means you are but years, maybe even months away from suffering a deviation and perishing. I’m sure you know better than me that I am not trying to trick you.”

Qu Langhuan’s heart skipped a beat. Of course she knew that Murong Xianxian wasn’t trying to trick her. After all, she was already at the state where her internal energies were starting to slip out of her control.

A Mistress of the Li Hentian Palace was a powerful figure who answered to one and only one person alone. Naturally, they were granted access to secrets that were normally kept hidden from others. For example, she knew that not a single person who cultivated the “Divine Art of Hateful Separation” had died of old age. All of them had died a sudden death because of varying reasons.

Not only that, she heard that the Holy Consort, Yan Qingyan had passed away from insanity while she was cultivating behind closed doors. For obvious reasons, this was top secret knowledge in Li Hentian Palace that was only known to a handful of people. Assuming that Murong Xianxian was telling the truth, it would seem that the reason Yan Qingyan went insane was most likely because the “Divine Art of Hateful Separation” she practiced was flawed.

While she was thinking, Murong Xianxian continued, “If you free me, I can teach you the complete, flawless version of the ‘Divine Art of Hateful Separation’. You will never have to worry about dying a sudden death again, and you will become stronger than ever before.”

“And finally, Li Hentian had collected countless treasures from all over the world. I can tell you all where they’re stored if you free me from my eternal prison.”

“So? What do you say?”

Cui Qiuyuan, Qu Langhuan and Blood Rakshasa exchanged glances with each other again. This time, their hesitation had been replaced by desire.