Chapter 308: Guo Zhengming
Li Yao was hiding behind a layer of space near the demon lotus.
“There are so many hidden experts around here,” she thought to herself. “It seems the central continent really made this thing.”
As she observed the area, Li Yao was shocked to discover that there were actually ten integration realm experts hiding in various locations around the demon lotus.
It seemed the whole demon lotus having guards thing was nothing more than a sham.
Although there were some genuinely strong demons positioned near the heart of the demon lotus, the real strongmen here were the people from the central continent who were concealing their presence.
Li Yao thought to herself that she wanted to deliver one devastating strike that would take out the majority of the demons here where they were most concentrated before making a quick retreat, if she got into a direct confrontation with these integration realm experts, she wouldn’t be able to survive.
But how was she supposed to accomplish that kind of attack? These experts were clearly ready to act the moment they noticed even the slightest bit of commotion or suspicious activity. Any large-scale technique would immediately draw their attention and retaliation.
As she was thinking of different strategies, she heard a loud shout echo across the area. “You central continent trash, get out and fight! I know you’re in there!”
Li Yao turned to look in the direction of the voice, and her expression shifted with recognition. “That person…” she murmured, studying the figure more carefully.
She recognized him, she had seen him before. He was the person who had been snooping around during her battle with that phoenix elder. She wondered what he was doing here and why he was directly challenging the central continent forces. Especially with just his void realm cultivation.
The area remained silent just like before and the man spoke up once again.
“Are you pretending not to hear me?”
Space broke apart and a buff man emerged slowly from the tear.
“Yeah yeah… what do you want, old man?” the man spoke dismissively, using his finger to clean his ears.
He thought to himself that he didn’t recognize this void realm expert at all. It seemed he was a native of the eastern continent.
“To think there are people who can cultivate to the void realm in this backwater place,” he said with contempt. “You are either extremely talented, or extremely lucky.”
His expression became more serious as he continued speaking. “Either way, you should’ve remained hidden instead of drawing attention to yourself like this.”
Zhengming had a furious expression as he stared at the arrogant man, his hands clenching into fists. But then he shook his head. “Never mind, it’s not like trash would understand anyway,” he said with resignation.
He then breathed out slowly, forcing himself to calm down and focus. His expression then turned serious and he drew his sword, pointing it at the man.
His sword then started glowing with a subtle blue light that grew steadily brighter with each passing moment. “Back then, you guys slaughtered my people,” he said, his voice filled with hatred. “This time, I’ll be the one doing the slaughtering.”
The glow on his sword became even brighter as he raised it above his head.
…
Back then, his sect had been the strongest in the eastern continent. With his considerable strength as their leader, he had been able to resist the demon invasion and lead the charge against the demons.
But under the false guise of providing reinforcements, the so-called helpers from the central continent had deliberately led them into a trap. It was during that betrayal that he realized the secret of the central continent, no wonder they weren’t being affected by the demonic invasion like everyone else. After all, they were the ones who had started it in the first place.
When his sect fell into the trap, the entire organization was wiped out. Only he and his wife were able to just barely survive the massacre, but even their survival came at a terrible cost.
His wife had been infected by the overwhelming demonic energy despite managing to survive the initial attack. She possessed the rare light element attribute and had used every bit of her power to protect both of them from the crushing waves of demonic energy. But now she had absorbed so much corruption that it was threatening to completely overwhelm her.
If it had been any normal person, they would have died immediately from such exposure. But because of her unique constitution and powerful light element abilities, she was able to hold on. She continued using her light energy to resist the corruption, even though she couldn’t completely cure the infection since it had penetrated so deeply into her core.
When they finally managed to escape, Zhengming’s first thought had been revenge against those who had betrayed them. But his wife had pleaded with him to abandon those thoughts of vengeance. Seeing how desperately she wanted him to let go of his anger, he decided to honor her wishes.
There wasn’t much he could realistically do against such powerful enemies anyway, so he made the choice to follow her guidance. They gave up the path of fighting and cultivation, deciding instead to live out their remaining years as ordinary mortals.
Although he still remembered the painful memories of his sect’s destruction, Guo Zhengming had genuinely enjoyed living this simple life with his wife. The peaceful days brought him unexpected happiness, yet they also made him feel deeply uneasy at times. He was enjoying his life while his sect members had been brutally killed – how could he find peace when their deaths remained unavenged?
Over the years, he gradually made some new friends in their small village. He even made two sworn brothers. Although they weren’t nearly as strong as him, Zhengming truly considered them his brothers.
Later, his wife finally became pregnant and gave birth to their son. For the first time in centuries, he felt genuine hope for the future.
But that happiness was short-lived. Shortly after their son’s birth, his wife passed away. The demonic energy that had corrupted her body for so long could no longer be held back after she had weakened considerably due to the strain of childbirth.
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