C1231 The Malignant Tumor

Chu Yao was no longer afraid.

Lifting his gaze, he met Yu Yuan's eyes with a steady look. This rising star in alchemy, known as the "Divine Healer," spoke with due respect, yet his words were piercingly critical.

Yet, they were also imbued with genuine sincerity and earnestness.

The golden characters that had been cascading down suddenly solidified, transforming into a resplendent wall of gold.

The wall bore an enchanting array, depicting auspicious birds and spirit animals, the vast river systems of the Everlands, and the snow-capped peaks of the Holy Mountains.

In an instant, Yu Yuan realized that he and Chu Yao had been transported into a palace created by the sixth Mark of the Celestials.

In the expansive hall, the floor seemed to be paved with golden tiles, and only Chu Yao and Yu Yuan stood there.

At the dome of the palace, Fu Xuanwen from the Ebon Star sect was seated in mid-air, his hands tucked into his sleeves as he peered down at them with half-closed eyes.

The battle between Wei Zhuo and Gheirat, Beru's peculiar condition, and the whereabouts of Leo and Xu Jingyao had all vanished.

It seemed as if this palace was the only thing remaining in the entire world.

Yu Yuan sheathed the Titanblade and gripped the Dragon Slaying Stage firmly with both hands.

Merely with the sheath of the Divine Sword, there was no chance he could escape within Fu Xuanwen's divine palace, let alone inflict any harm on him.

His only hope lay in the Dragon Slaying Stage.

Clasping the Dragon Slaying Stage, it felt like shaking hands with a dear friend of many years, steadying his restless spirit. He calmed his anger and simply held Chu Yao's gaze.

In Chu Yao's eyes, there was no longer any trace of fear.

"The time before my reincarnation..."

He whispered to himself, straining to remember, when a sharp pain suddenly shot through his mind, as if his brow was splitting open, the pain nearly unbearable.

He gasped for air and tried several more times, each attempt as agonizing as the last.

The memories from before he took the Reincarnation Pill had been inexplicably sealed away, eluding his grasp just when he needed to recall them with clarity.

It seemed as if an elusive, unknown force had shrouded his memories, rendering them invisible once more.

Even as the master, he was powerless to shatter the barrier concealing his recollections.

"Do you not dare to remember, or do you simply not wish to?"

Chu Yao's gaze was piercing as he observed the bewilderment on his face. After a moment's contemplation, he spoke, "In the twilight of your life, the slightest oversight by any herbalist in the sect would send you into a rage. We all understood that you sensed your time was drawing near, that you were terrified of death, and so..."

"Outsiders perished en masse due to the poisons you concocted. Within the sect, your volatile nature and brutal deeds bred a chorus of grievances. Everyone feared you, dreaded even the thought of encountering you, lest they provoke your wrath, endure your torment, or become guinea pigs for your poison pills."

"..."

Chu Yao's voice was laden with sorrow and a sense of helplessness, punctuated by his sighs.

"The three upper sects, the Devil Palace, and Shadow's Keep, they've come to regard the Order of Healing as a malevolent faction akin to Colddeath, all because of certain incidents you caused. They've even covertly sought out... Master Zhong. The choice was clear: either the sect would deal with you internally, restoring order, or they would intervene directly to eliminate you."

Chu Yao's expression was one of bitter resignation.

"Master Zhong was compelled by loyalty to the sect, left with no other option. And it's not just me; the other two senior brothers share these sentiments. Their fear of you surpasses even mine; they can't even bring themselves to face you."

"..."

Chu Yao refrained from delving into specifics, yet the details he disclosed spoke volumes.

Yu Yuan's mind was thunderstruck upon hearing Chu Yao's words.

The long-sealed memories did not burst forth; the troubled past Chu Yao had alluded to remained obscured in a mist.

Yu Yuan stood disoriented, his consciousness adrift, struggling to distinguish between past and present.

The fragments of hazy memories, along with the accounts of others, made him aware that indeed, in his previous life, he had committed innumerable atrocities.

He had never deliberately reflected on it, always evading and ignoring the truth.

Until this moment.

Chu Yao described how, upon realizing his life was nearing its end, he had transformed into a bizarre and malevolent being.

He brought death to many, ruling over his own disciples with a tyrant's fear and loathing.

The abandonment by his followers was a consequence of his own actions; he had no one else to blame.

Senior Brother Zhong Chichen had been pressured by the three upper sects, the Devil Palace, and Shadow's Keep, and had reluctantly tampered with the Reincarnation Pill, delaying his rebirth by three hundred years.

Could this have been an act of protection?

The more he dwelled on it, the more uneasy he felt, his mind a whirlpool of confusion, unable to discern truth from illusion.

"How utterly dull!"

Fu Xuanwen, perched at the pinnacle of the palace, listened to Chu Yao's account. Observing Yu Yuan lost in his past and unable to move forward, he huffed with impatience.

He had anticipated witnessing a tragic confrontation between master and disciple, but the absence of such a spectacle left him displeased.

"If you believe my words to be false, you are free to verify them in your own time," Chu Yao said, his demeanor remaining respectful. The sight of Yu Yuan had significantly lightened his once heavy heart. "I confess, after Master Zhong convinced me, I altered the composition of the herbs for the Reincarnation Pill."

"Master Zhong assured me that you would not die from the Reincarnation Pill, but rather, it would put you into a prolonged slumber."

The presence of Yu Yuan meant that he no longer referred to Zhong Chichen simply as 'Master,' but prefixed his name with a surname.

"You may go now."

Fu Xuanwen's voice was tinged with cold dismissal. Chu Yao vanished from the hall, enveloped in a burst of golden light.

In an instant, Fu Xuanwen took Chu Yao's place, standing before Yu Yuan.

Yu Yuan, previously lost in thought, snapped back to reality, his concerns cast aside. His hands tightened their grip on the Dragon Slaying Stage.

His vitality and Soul Power flowed into the microcosm within the Dragon Slaying Stage, as the Lunar Spirit silently invoked the art of Wraithbinding.

Fu Xuanwen had reached the late period of the Unbound Stage and was notoriously difficult to handle in the Extraterrestrial Star River. His animosity toward the Order of Healing and the Artifact Sect was well-known. Had I remained Hong Qi from the Order of Healing, he might have hesitated to kill me due to various concerns.

But now, as a traitor to the Everlands and a conspirator with Boulderdawn, Fu Xuanwen had every reason to want me dead.

"Chu Yao, that kid, wasn't wrong," Fu Xuanwen said with a twisted smile. "Three hundred years ago, while I was in the Star River, I received a heart's whisper from our Sect Master. He asked if I was interested in returning to the Everlands to secretly eliminate someone."

"Heh!"

"Yes, that someone was you, Hong Qi! I agreed that very day, three hundred years ago, and prepared myself to kill you."

"The reason it was me is because they knew of my deep hatred for the Order of Healing. They were confident there would be no slip-ups if I were the one to do it!"

"Hong Qi, oh Hong Qi, are you surprised? You probably didn't expect that, three hundred years later, after being reborn and becoming someone else, you would still end up in my clutches. Fate is truly enthralling. The deed I looked forward to three centuries ago, which I never accomplished, has been postponed until today."

Fu Xuanwen's laughter boomed.

Yu Yuan felt a massive shock in his heart.

At that moment, he sensed someone observing him from a far-off corner of the cosmos. Despite the vastness of space and the opulence of the palace that surrounded him, this person seemed to see every one of his movements and even the subtlest expressions on his face with perfect clarity.

He immediately guessed the identity of his observer and felt a wave of calm wash over him.

"Come then, and do your killing."

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