Chapter 838 - 326: Don’t Fall Before Dawn
The radiant starlight swept across the skies above Changning City. Time seemed to slow down, and everyone involuntarily stopped their actions, looked up, and gazed at the sky.
There was a vague feeling of loss, but it did not lead to negativity or despair.
This loss seemed to herald the arrival of something entirely new.
...
Guan Xin stared at the place where Du Changge disappeared, struck dumb, where a black shadow resembling a lotus flower swayed and lingered uncertainly. After a long while, she came to herself, gently covering her chest with her right hand, calming her restless heart, her face showing a forced smile.
Her cultivation continued to soar, waves of clarity spread like ripples, dispelling the surrounding blood mist.
From the corner of the street came the sound of wheels rolling.
Guan Xin looked up and saw an old woman pushing a girl, or perhaps someone resembling a girl, who was seated in a wheelchair, slowly approaching.
Jiang Sha’s voice was as gentle as the wind,
"A great choice, a great sacrifice."
Guan Xin’s expression was serious, "Who are you?"
Jiang Sha smiled, "The world calls me Slaughter Demon Lord."
Guan Xin’s brow immediately tightened, looking at her with hostility,
"You are the real mastermind behind all this!"
Jiang Sha’s gaze was gentle,
"His sacrifice is worthwhile; you’ve already gained the ability to see through the truth and essence."
Upon seeing Jiang Sha, Guan Xin immediately understood everything.
This sickly woman before her had orchestrated everything Du Changge did on the Immortal Continent and everything Ye Wuyue did within the Demon Extermination Bureau. In this chaotic chessboard, she held both the black and white pieces. Thus, the black pieces wouldn’t win, and the white pieces were destined to fail. The final victor could only be her.
Guan Xin asked coldly,
"How many people have you actually deceived?"
Jiang Sha’s eyelids drooped, "One. I’ve only deceived one person."
"The Primordial... Greedy Demon Lord or Ye Wuyue!"
Jiang Sha laughed, "Neither. I never deceived them. Rather, Du Changge deceived me; until the moment he dispersed his cultivations, I didn’t know he was the Primordial Ancestor. If I had known earlier, I might have made different choices. But then, this was ultimately his own choice."
"Choice..."
"Yes. Throughout his life, he pursued truth, hoping to reach and even surpass his teacher, the Jade Ancestor. But in the end, he exhausted all efforts and couldn’t accomplish it. Most people might cling to this obsession until they face the five deteriorations of celestial beings. But he chose to give that opportunity to you."
A trace of sadness passed over Guan Xin’s brow. Her hostility towards Jiang Sha waned somewhat, and she took a deep breath and asked,
"What about Ye Wuyue? You really didn’t deceive her? Or play with her feelings?"
Jiang Sha’s mouth showed a slight curve,
"That child truly likes me. Probably because there’s some quality in me that attracts her. However, she’s also a reserved person, very cautious with her feelings, and has never confessed them to me. So, it’s far from playing with emotions."
Guan Xin breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Jiang Sha asked,
"Do you care about her a lot?"
Guan Xin said, "She’s my friend."
Jiang Sha asked again, "Have you ever suddenly felt that this child is really cute upon seeing her? Have there been moments like this?"
Guan Xin furrowed her brow, "Why are you asking this?"
Jiang Sha laughed,
"Seems like there have been."
Guan Xin didn’t want to face these questions and said bluntly,
"None of your business."
Jiang Sha gave a gentle smile. She reached forward, slowly closing her hand. The black shadow that swayed and lingered at the place where the Primordial Ancestor vanished became threads and wound around her fingertips, eventually entering her forehead.
Guan Xin asked,
"Is that the Greed Demon Dao?"
Jiang Sha nodded.
As Guan Xin was about to ask more questions, a Sword Qi suddenly interrupted her. The sharp and swift sword mark cut through the space among the three, creating a pitch-black, clean slit. After the sword mark’s light faded, Luo Qingyao and Zhuge Hong appeared.
Guan Xin exclaimed in delight,
"Qingyao!"
Luo Qingyao stepped forward and grabbed Guan Xin’s hand excitedly, "You’re here too!"
She quickly realized, immediately asking anxiously,
"By the way, do you know where my Senior Brother is?"
Guan Xin shook her head,
"I feel he’s in every corner of Changning City. His presence is everywhere..."
Luo Qingyao turned around, "Master—hey, Master, where did he go? Xiaohong, did you see where he went?"
Zhuge Hong spread her hands, "Master himself didn’t actually come with us; he merely sent us here."
"This... Ah, let’s not talk about this now." Luo Qingyao said solemnly, "Guan Xin, we must find my Senior Brother immediately. His situation is very dangerous!"
Zhuge Hong corrected, "It’s not that his situation is dangerous; but rather he has become very dangerous!"
As she spoke, Zhuge Hong felt a strange gaze, turned her head, and was startled to find Jiang Sha smiling and gazing at her intently. Feeling uneasy under such a gaze, she forced a laugh and asked,
"Who are you? Why are you looking at me like that?"
Jiang Sha smiled slightly, "I’m Jiang Sha, and many people like to call me Slaughter Demon Lord."
"Oh, Slaughter Demon Lord, huh." Zhuge Hong nodded and then realized, her face turned pale, and she quickly retreated behind Luo Qingyao, "Great Demon, it’s that Great Demon!"
Luo Qingyao’s heart sank.
She knew of the Slaughter Demon Lord and knew that her real name was Jiang Ran.
Her master, Yushan Daoist, had casually mentioned before that Jiang Ran had greatly influenced her Senior Brother.
She watched Jiang Sha cautiously,
"What... is your relationship with my Senior Brother?"
Jiang Sha thought for a moment and smiled,
"Master and servant, perhaps. As you can see, I’m paralyzed from the waist down, and he’s responsible for taking care of my daily needs."