It was cruel.
It was the cruelest joke.
So cruel that the Dragon Emperor can't believe himself.
When he thinks that he finally grasped victory in his hands, his master actually stabbed him.
The Dragon Emperor's eyes widened in shock as the sword of the Heaven's Guiding Emperor pierced through his abdomen. Crimson runes spread across his body, forcefully sealing away his ability to circulate any Qi.
Just one second.
All that it took was one second and his master had already shortened the distance between them, stabbed him and sealed away his cultivation.
The Heaven's Guiding Emperor cupped his cheeks, forcing the Dragon Emperor to meet his gaze dead in the eye. At this point, their faces are only a few inches away that they could practically feel each other's breath. Their eyes locked in an unspoken tension.
"Considering that you are the best disciple I've ever nurtured, this emperor promise that your pathetic excuse of a life shall be spared if you begged." His deep voice shows no emotion, no attachment, only complete indifferent.
The Dragon Emperor was about to reply, but suddenly coughed out a mouthful of blood because of course it's going to be a mouthful of blood. This is a repetitive cultivation novel that shamelessly copied other brainless novels.
The Dragon Emperor coughed out a bucket full of blood, spitting out a huge chunks of blood into his master's face.
Bai Shenxiu was so close to him that he wasn't able to dodge. In an instant, his whole face is covered in blood.
Then, the Dragon Emperor tries to circulate his Qi which causes the runes around his body to react. In an instant, he starts coughing up blood again, staining his master's robe.
"Sorry master, I accidentally stained your robe." The Dragon Emperor felt weak from the loss of blood, clung to Bai Shenxiu's robe.
Long Aotian coughed out another mouthful of blood, staining Bai Shenxiu's robe even further.
Bai Shenxiu was infuriated. He pulled the sword out of his disciple's body before knocking him unconscious with the hilt of the sword.
•••••
The banquet hall are filled with chatters. The aroma of beasts meat cooked to perfection filled the air of the grand hall.
He stood at the centre of it all. His lone figure distant and his face stoic despite the looks from others.
Some sneered in disdains while some look at him as if he was a jumping clown.
Despite this, he remains emotionless. Not showing a hint of emotions. His eyes cold, indifferent to the gazes he is recieving.
He had lived for quite a long time, at least for his generation. He had suffered through so many things, lost so many things and have gone through so many untold horrors.
He had long gone indifferent to what others thought about him. Their thoughts are meaningless.
Then, at the corner of his eyes, he saw them. A youth in white, standing at the corner of the hall, their figure obsecured in darkness.
Their bangs covered their eyes as they look down. Too afraid, too insecure, too scared to even met his gaze.
The youth slowly look up, finally meeting his gaze. A big and round eyes are hidden beneath their bang, making them somewhat adorable.
The youth's mouth opens their slender hands stretched, as if wanting to calls out to him, to them.
The youth's feet slowly raised in an attempt to walk into the light but they stopped.
They are family, right?
They would care right?
Just a step.
Just a single step.
Just a single step into the light.
Just this time. Please.
Just this once
Please look at me.
Just a simple nod of approval.
Just a simple words of encouragement.
I've already trie my best.
Just show me that you care.
The laughters and the mocking gazes.
It's so cruciating.
So painful.
The air was tense.
The youth once again meet his gaze, a complex emotions playing within those round eyes.
Sadness.
Unwillingness.
Pain.
In the end, the youth turns around, walking deeper into the darkness.
He shook his head, disappointed.
As he was about to turns around, a whisper was heard.
"Papa, I'm sorry I was never enough."
Bai Shenxiu's eyes flicker in between red and purple as the scene plays out. He rubbed the bridge of his nose, feeling annoyed.
He always subconsciously peer through the strings of fate just to see those moments.
How annoying.
"Long Aotian, you have slaughtered many geniuses of other sects, killed many disciples of the other Six Hegemons and even disciples of the Immortal Academy, the very faction that had raised you all this time. Do you plead guilty?" Headmaster Xiao's booming voice revebrated through the grand hall of the Immortal Academy.
Here, various high ranking elders from the five other hegemons can be seen.
As the founder of the Immortal Academy, Bai Shenxiu is considered as an ancestor. Originally, given his status, he doesn't need to attend this even. However considering that Long Aotian was one of his disciples, he had attended.
Now, he is seated with the leaders of the other Six Hegemons. After the beatings they suffered from Long Aotian, it can be said that they are not in the best condition.
Currently, the Dragon Emperor, Long Aotian is chained to the ground, forced to kneel before the highest authorities of the cosmos, that are the Six Hegemons.
Normally, others would have had been afraid, fearful even. Long Aotian however, was amused. He is kneeling yes, but his stature is not even haunched over.
Instead, despite being in a kneeling position, his back is is as straight as a javelin. Despite the injuries all over his body, his body still excudes such a terrifying presence no different than an emperor. Despite being heavily injured and death will soon embrace him, he shows no fear.
Only amusement as he stare at his master.
Of all the people he had met in his entire life, Bai Shenxiu is the only person who knew him the best. He is also the only person who understands his master the best.
Long Aotian is arrogant, as prideful as a dragon and despise those who are weak but doesn't put in the hardwork to escape from their weak talent.
Similarly,Long Aotian understands Bai Shenxiu the most. Bai Shenxiu is stoic, a man with little words and he barely shows any hint of emotions. He also hates and despise those who are talented and lacks the discipline to work hard.
Ironically, because of this they always at each other's throat despite being master and disciple.
It can be said Long Aotian is someone he hated the most. The moment he became a Great Emperor, he simply spent his times in leisure.
He slept with women here and there, gotten drunk almost all the time and always make enemies everywhere.
Yet somehow Bai Shenxiu had 'adopted' this stupid golden reptile.
And given how much Long Aotian understands him and his comprehension over karmic laws, he can already tell what his master had just seen.
As if sensing his disciple's mocking gaze, Bai Shenxiu stood up. Immediately, all the eyes are locked on him.
Ignoring their gazes, Bai Shenxiu jumps down from the platform and landed right before the blonde haired man.
"Master?" Headmaster Xiao can't help but calls out.
"Step down. I'll be the one to take care of his execution."
At this, Headmaster Xiao bowed down before finally stepping down.
Bai Shenxiu stood before the kneeling Dragon Emperor. His figure towering over him.
"Last chance, apologize."
His meaning was simple.
Apologize.
Said you are sorry.
No need to beg, no need to kneel down or kowtow. Saved that for your future wife or anything.
Just said you are sorry and everything will be done.
It doesn't matter what these reptiles, long eared blondes, half cold half hot aviants, sword cultists or even those hypocritical golden eyed merchants said.
I'll protect you.
They won't dare to say anything about you.
Just said you are sorry.
Please.
Hearing his words, the other members of the Six Hegemons raged.
The Dragon Emperor had killed many of their kind.
How could they just allows him to be alive?
Where will they put their face in the future?
Hearing their shouts and curses, Bai Shenxiu was annoyed. With a simple click of his fingers, a large dome of Qi manifest around the two, blocking the shouts of those outside.
"So what do you say?"
The Dragon Emperor spit on his face, "Fuck off."
"You want me to apologize? For what? For killing those hypocrites who have destroyed countless worlds, killed countless innocence and had committed many autracious crimes in the name of maintaining order? Those idiots have committed many crimes that would make me looks like a saint, why should I apologise to them? In fact, I was doing the Heavensa favour."
"In this world there is law and order. Everyone knows that going against the Six Hegemons is akin to going against the order itself."
"Master, you of all people wants to preach about order when you can't even raise your own daughter properly?"
Bai Shenxiu's stern gaze fluctuate as memories of the past resurface.
A family of three around a dinner table. Each of them radiates a powerful presence.
The mother and the son radiatiate a noble and supreme aura of dragons. Their very movements down to the way they speak radiates power.
Meanwhile, the father is like a sheathed sword. Although not as powerful as the two, he is an expert many would be wary of.
What many would not noticed however, was the existence of a young lady sharing the same table as them. While the rest of her family radiates power and authority, she is rather, bland.
Be it in cultivation or appearance, she is rather..... average.
A core formation realm, not too bad given her age but not too good either.
Her appearance was.....bland. For mortal standards, she is an absolute beauty, but for cultivators, put her in the background and no one will notice her.
Just sitting alongside her supposed 'family', her entire existence is already overlooked.
When the family trains, she was there, watching from underneath the tree.
When the family has a discussion, she was there, looking down and trying her best to not be noticed.
Still, despite her overlooked existence, there is a form of purity within her gaze. So pure, innocent, untainted by the world.
As these scenes played inside his mind, Bai Shenxiu's eyes turns cold as he supressed these memories once more.
Seeing his reaction, Long Aotian grinned before erupting in a fits of laughter
He loves it.
He thrives for it.
"How ironic isn't it master? You are reborn with an Immortal Pupils, the Heaven's Nurturing Pupils that gives you the talent to see the paths suitable for others and yet," the Dragon Emperor leaned forward, whispering into Bai Shenxiu's ears, "You've failed to guide your own daughter in your previous life."
Bai Shenxiu's stern gaze turns even colder, his shoulders tensed and his hands clenched into a fist.
"It still weirded me out how you can raised another man's seed while you abandoned your own flesh and blood."
His eyes turns bloodshot from his killing intent
"Tell me, was your wife's skills that good that you are willing to raise another man's spawn? The same man who took your own wife as a concubine while you are too weak to do anything?"
A terrifying pressure fell upon Long Aotian's shoulders.
In response, Long Aotian grinned, "Master, could it be that you prefer to watch from the sidelines while your wife is railed from behind?"
The supression increase.
"That poor girl. She wasted her entire life waiting for a family who have moved on from her failures. She could have had lived a happy life, maybe even finding a good man to marry and build her own family, a family who would never abandoned her."
The killing intent Bai Shenxiu is releasing is so potent that many inside the halls are already on their knees,trembling.
"Instead, that poor poor little girl waited her entire life. For what? For a family that never considered her as one of their own."
"I've seen through all those karma you know? It costed me quite a lot but I was able to see her last moments."
"Even in her deathbed, as she was dying, she still thinking about her family. Still planning what to cook for them when returned from the war."
At this point,Bai Shenxiu's eyes is as cold as the artic itself. His aura flared, ready to devour his own disciple.
A part of him is already thinking of various ways to end his life in the most gruesome and cruelest ways possible. He had supressed his emotions for so many years and in doing so, he had supressed his true nature as a descendant of the Devil Race. And at this very moment, all of those vicious thoughts and true nature are out.
Despite all of these thoughts, a part of him remains clear. Because no matter what, Long Aotian still was like his own son.
"Mother too prideful to noticed her own mistake, father too busy chasing after power to care and son too ingrained with stupid ideology to noticed her suffering."
"Master, imagine making such a huge mistake in parenting that you had to reincarnated yourself in order to escape."
The flood beneath him cracks from his sheer killing intent.
Long Aotian grinned manically, "That poor girl, if I had met her I would have had cherished her. So much so she won't be able to walks for days."
"So much so that she would have had begged for more."
That was the last straw.
Bai Shenxiu's originally cold gaze turns bloodthirsty. His skin turns redder, while a pair of black abyssal horns grew out from the sides of his forehead. Behind him, the bloodline manifestation of a Devil roared into existence.
Bai Shenxiu had lived for far too long.
He had seen so many things.
He had sacrificed so many.
He had lost so many.
He had failed so many
He have long ago grew detached from attachments.
However when he heard Long Aotian's last words, he instinctively reached out for the hilt of the sword hanging on his waist with his trembling words.
A vile and benevolent aura erupted from Bai Shenxiu's body.
Who are you to smeared her name?!
You are not worthy!! You are not worthy!!
Less than one second.
Before this, all that it took him was just one second to defeated his own disciple.
Now, less than a second and a crimson streak of light had already shot out of the sheath of his sword. His sword moved in a blinding speed, streaking across the air with a force so terrifying the other leaders of the Six Hegemons trembled underneath it's might.
Long Aotian's head fell to the ground, before rolling up to his feet.
Just one swift slash and the Dragon Emperor is already dead.
Or so what everyone thoughts.
The Divine Soul of the Dragon Emperor manifest in the air. A mocking grin still plastered on his face.
See? You do care. Such a shame it took you over two lifetimes.
As his soul was about to finally dissipates, Long Aotian leans forward,
"You are one ill fated soul, master. Always clinging to the past, to the point of abandoning those who are precious to you in order to brings back what you'velost in the past. When you realised that those you've abandoned are important, it was too late. Always a step too late."
Even when his soul is about to dissipates, his laughter continues to rang across the hall.
When his soul finally dissipates, Bai Shenxiu stood ,motionless. His bang casted his eyes.
He rise his feet in an attempt to crush the decapitated head, but he stopped.
On the decapitated head, a simple words had somehow been etched on the cheeks.
It was not her who was never enough, it was you.
"How petty." Bai Shenxiu set his foot down.
His lifeless eyes look down on his bloodied sword.
What was that feeling?
That instinct of wanting to protect something.
It was fleeting.
Just for a moment.
It was there.
In the end, Bai Shenxiu's gaze turns cold once more. This time, his eyes are even colder than before.
As he turns to the rest of the Six Hegemons, the crimson haired man's eyes shows not even a single fluctuations of emotions. His handsome and youthful face is stern.
He was about to speak when.....
'Papa, Linyue made some soup for you.'
Bai Shenxiu abruptly turns his body around.
No one.
There was no one.
Just the headless body of the man he once raised like his own disciple.
And the lifeless head that is still staring at him with a mocking grin.
The Dragon Emperor is indeed a petty little bastard.