CHAPTER 475: CHAPTER 475 : SETTLING SCORES FROM THE PAST LIFE (6)

A metallic tang flooded Zhang Fengxi’s mouth. He convulsed, a spray of crimson erupting from his lips. A lone droplet struck Qiao Wei’s face, staining his otherwise impassive expression.

"Supreme General!!!" Wu Shenxia cried out in horror.

Pain blurred Zhang Fengxi’s vision. In a single, fluid motion, Qiao Wei withdrew his blade, sending Zhang Fengxi crashing to the ground.

"Jianbao, p-please..."

Zhang Fengxi, hand trembling, reached for Qiao Wei’s ankle. A vicious stomp of a leather boot met him instead. A silent scream curdled in Zhang Fengxi’s throat as the unforgiving sole crushed his bones.

Wu Shenxia unsheathed her blade, intent on fighting Qiao Wei, but the latter held his long sword in a stabbing pose, its tip resting over Zhang Fengxi’s neck.

"Another step and the Supreme General is a dead man," he said, narrowing his eyes at Wu Shenxia.

"Ugh!"

Wu Shenxia gritted her teeth. She struggled to understand why Zhang Fengxi referred to him as his wife, the Crown Prince. The Xie Jianyu she knew was a gentle, benevolent soul who wouldn’t harm a fly without reason.

This imposter, however, hadn’t hesitated to humiliate and wound Zhang Fengxi, his blade poised with chilling indifference.

"Second Demon King, please!!!"

The First Prince howled, tears streaming down his face incessantly.

"If my father truly is a sinful person, let him repay it in his next life. Please do not disperse his soul. I beg you! I beg you! I will tell everyone in the wolf clan to repent. We will strive to be better people. Please, please just spare my poor father!"

"..."

Qiao Wei locked eyes with the First Prince, a flicker of hesitation betraying itself in his gaze. An unexpected parallel surfaced in his mind -- a son pleading for his father, mirrored by a mother’s desperate plea for his son. Though the roles of beggar and benefactor were reversed, Qiao Wei recognized the raw vulnerability at the heart of both. It was the act of supplication for another’s life.

Although it was not an exact eye for an eye, a life had been used to pay for another. By the grace of heaven, his soul did not disperse. Why must he insist on dispersing his enemy’s soul? Sending him to the afterlife should be adequate.

Qiao Wei flicked his blade wordlessly, sending a spray of Zhang Fengxi’s blood arcing onto the ground. With a final heave, he cast the Wuyang Palace Master’s lifeless form away from the maw of the hacking machine.

"Father...!!!"

The First Prince leaped from the ground to catch his father’s bloody corpse.

A swirling vortex of inky darkness erupted behind Qiao Wei, forming a dimensional portal that hovered in the air.

"Suit yourself," Qiao Wei said to the First Prince, who howled like a wounded wolf with his father’s body cradled in his arms.

A single, chilling glance at Zhang Fengxi, sprawled on the ground with a crimson stain blooming beneath him, was all Qiao Wei spared before vanishing through the gap.

"Supreme General!!!"

Wu Shenxia carefully lifted Zhang Fengxi from the ground and helped him lie on his back. A jolt of pain shot through Zhang Fengxi’s body, prompting him to cry out from pain.

"Please bear with it. I am going to take you to the Golden Dragon Palace first and get the best palace physician to treat you!"

Zhang Fengxi lifted a hand and grabbed one of Wu Shenxia’s boots.

Blood dripped down the corner of Zhang Fengxi’s lips when he spoke.

"I need... Need to speak to His Majesty at once. My sons..."

A coughing fit followed, and a torrent of blood erupted from his throat anew.

"I am going to make the report in your stead. You need to rest! Dear heavens, that demon almost ruptured your organ!"

"No..."

You don’t understand, Wu Shenxia.

The person you called the demon was my wife, the Crown Prince, the Fuxi Palace Master Xie Jianyu.

It doesn’t matter what form he takes, he will never be a demon.

He is the gentlest soul in the entire three realms.

He is not the kind of person who will act on his desire for vengeance.

No, he is not even the kind of person who holds a grudge.

My poor Jianbao would rather swallow all his bitterness in his stomach and cry himself to sleep at night.

That is how sweet and kind my Jianbao is...

Alas, these arguments remained unspoken, lost like sand through his fingers as his consciousness swiftly ebbed. His surroundings blurred away, and Zhang Fengxi was engulfed by darkness.

"Zhang Fengxi!!!"

The portal sent Qiao Wei back to the Demonic Realm before closing up and leaving no trace in the air. As soon as he stepped into the main hall of the Second Demon King’s Palace, the Three-Eyed Realm Wanderer came up to greet him.

"Second Demon King, welcome back."

"Mmm."

Qiao Wei handed his bloody sword to a demon servant.

The woman eyed him suspiciously.

"Did everything go smoothly according to your plan?" she asked.

"Yes," Qiao Wei lied. This was his quest for vengeance. He alone decided whether he had enough or not.

"I see."

A glint of satisfaction flickered in the Three-Eyed Realm Wanderer’s eyes. Her liege lord’s handiwork proved impeccable, as always. Every creature in the three realms, even the seemingly righteous, harbored a darkness held in check by societal constraints. Once unleashed, this darkness became an uncontrollable force.

The Golden Lotus, once the paragon of virtue during his time as Crown Prince of the Heavenly Realm, now revealed a hidden capacity for villainy. This unexpected twist sent a thrill through the Three-Eyed Realm Wanderer.

She never thought that Xie Jianyu could be such an interesting person.

"Is His Majesty around?" Qiao Wei asked.

"His Majesty is sowing discord at the Human Realm," the woman readily answered. "Second Demon King, are you in need of some assistance?"

"No. I just wonder what you are doing here," he said, his annoyance evident in the manner of his speech.

"Ah. Well, His Majesty wants to know what your next plan is."

After destroying Wuyang Palace, there was only one more thing left to do.

"Next, I shall kill the Heavenly Emperor," Qiao Wei answered.