Chapter 9: Night Demon’s Fury

Fang Che was racing through the snow as if his life depended on it, and it truly did.

The sounds of battle were getting further and further away, but Sun Yuan's thunderous roars only seemed to be ringing out closer and closer.

***

"You once asked me if I would betray you to save myself if I were faced with that choice someday. I can tell you now that I won't! Run as far away as you can, then avenge me when you're ready! Remember these faces! Live on and avenge me! That is my final order to you as your master!"

***

Fang Che gritted his teeth as he raced through the snow, his eyes full of venom like those of a vengeful wolf.

His hand was clasped over the hole in his abdomen, and he didn't dare to stop even for a split second, terrified that any delay would make Sun Yuan's sacrifice go in vain.

I will avenge you! I will wipe out the Wang Clan, the Li Clan, and all of the other clans that conspired against you! Once I'm done with them, you'll have entire clans joining you in the afterlife!

Thanks to his Cool as Ice mental technique, he was able to completely suppress his emotions, allowing him to fly through the snow like an unfeeling mannequin.

This wasn't the time to be caught up in impulsive urges.

He made a beeline straight for the cliff, stumbling down the cliff face with blood still gushing out of his wound.

Ye Meng flew out of hiding, then picked him up and hoisted him onto her back.

"Go!" Fang Che urged in a feeble voice, having already completely exhausted his spirit qi.

Ye Meng darted straight into the snow-covered forest, covering her tracks as she went.

With such a severe crisis looming over them, she was forced to display her full cultivation base, her mind focused solely on carrying Fang Che to safety.

Perched on Ye Meng's back, Fang Che finally had a chance to catch his breath, and he immediately took one of the Cloud Spirit Pills that he had received as a reward from the Parasite Ascension Project.

Around an hour later, he patted Ye Meng on the shoulder and said, "You can put me down now."

He had already fully recovered from his injuries, and even his spirit power had been fully replenished.

There were no signs that they were being pursued, but Fang Che still grabbed onto Ye Meng's hand, sharing his spirit power with her as they continued to race deeper into the forest.

***

Meanwhile, Wang Yun'er's group had arrived at the cliff where Ye Meng had been hiding.

"He had someone waiting for him here!"

After some searching, they had discovered the body of Ye Meng's horse and the trail of blood that had been concealed under a layer of snow.

"What a slippery little rascal! Follow the trail of blood!"

The group followed the trail of blood for several kilometers, at which point it disappeared.

Up ahead was a dense forest.

Wang Yun'er stopped in her tracks as she glowered into the undergrowth with a frustrated expression.

They had lost his trail!

As much as she hated to admit it, Sun Yuan's disciple really had gotten away from them.

Some time later, Wang Yun'er decided, "Sun Yuan intentionally diverted us away, indicating that he clearly didn't want us to go to the White Cloud Prefecture, so that's exactly where we'll go! Once we get there, we'll hang Sun Yuan's head on the city wall. That'll be sure to goad him out of hiding!"

***

Fang Che and Ye Meng continued to race through the snow, and at this point, Ye Meng had already completely lost her bearings, but it seemed that Fang Che knew exactly where they were and had a clear destination in mind.

Some time later, they arrived at a frozen pond. Fang Che broke ice without any hesitation, then plunged into the freezing cold water with Ye Meng. Before jumping in, he swept a sleeve through the air, raising a flurry of snow to cover the pond, leaving no trace behind.

Fang Che had taken Ye Meng to the Hundred Miasma Peak. This was the only place in the general vicinity where he felt safe.

After entering the cave, Fang Che sat down onto a rock with a dark expression before heaving a long sigh. He opened his mouth to say something, but all he could muster was another forlorn sigh.

"Young Master, I heard someone yelling in the distance earlier, and it sounded like Master Sun," Ye Meng said in a tentative manner.

"That's right, it was him," Fang Che replied in an indifferent voice.

"What happened? Is he alright?"

"He's dead," Fang Che replied in a calm and emotionless voice.

Ye Meng's eyes widened in shock.

She really wanted to ask Fang Che how he could be so calm and composed when his master had just died!

"You want to ask me why I don't look like I'm mourning at all, right?"

Ye Meng lowered her head.

Fang Che turned to unfurl the pieces of beast hide that he had prepared in advance in the cave, quickly arranging them into a pair of makeshift beds as he said, "People from the demonic churches like us have no emotions!"

He laid down onto one of the beds, then draped another sheet of beast hide over himself as a blanket as he declared, "I'm going to sleep."

Ye Meng didn't know what to say.

She carefully laid down on the second bed, still reeling from the news of Sun Yuan's demise.

On the other bed, Fang Che's breathing had already evened out, and it seemed that he had truly fallen asleep.

***

Fang Che was laying with his eyes closed, looking tranquil and composed on the surface, but deep down was a raging tempest.

Scenes from the past were flashing through his mind one after another, starting from his first meeting with Sun Yuan back in Green Wave City.

"You need help cutting up that deer?"

After accepting Fang Che as his disciple, Sun Yuan began regular deliveries of natural treasures to him.

"You just focus on cultivation, I'll take care of everything else."

"You're learning too fast! I have nothing left to teach you..."

"Master, I've heard that there are many masters in our One Heart Church who screw over their disciples for their own benefit, so why is that you're so good to me?"

"Our One Heart Church is a selfish organization, and it's every man for themselves. In some life and death situations, betrayal is very common, with members often sacrificing others to ensure their own escape.

"... but the more selfish we are, the more important it is for us to not burn all of our bridges. Otherwise, we will suffer fates more horrific than we can imagine. You are my most precious bridge."

"Che'er, if something happens to me someday, then I entrust my family to you."

Fang Che exhaled a trembling breath, and he could feel his heart quivering, despite his best efforts to rein in his emotions using his Cool as Ice mental technique.

You told me that betrayal for the sake of survival is very commonplace when it comes to demonic church members like us, but you've acted completely contrary to that on this occasion. Why?

Tears began to flow silently down from the corners of Fang Che's eyes before dripping down onto the makeshift beast hide bed below.

He had always known that Sun Yuan was a demonic church member, someone who could easily wipe out entire villages and towns without even the slightest hint of remorse.

He had thought that even if Sun Yuan were to die someday, there would be no mental toll on him at all, and he certainly never anticipated shedding tears for such a heinous scoundrel, yet here he was.

I've dedicated both my lifetimes to killing people like you, so why am I shedding tears over your death? I should be happy! Even if you sacrificed yourself to cover for my escape, I should be denouncing you for a fool, sacrificing yourself to save the enemy!

He gritted his teeth tightly in an attempt to steel himself, but the tears continued to flow uncontrollably.

Sun Yuan had died to protect him, and the ones who had taken his life were most likely related to one of the Generals he had killed in the Parasite Ascension Project. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been so desperate to find Night Demon.

Essentially, his actions had implicated Sun Yuan, and Sun Yuan had died to protect him.

Fang Che's gut wrenched in excruciating pain at this thought.

I will avenge you!

With sleep clearly out of reach, he sat up in his makeshift bed and sent a message to Yin Shengong using his communication jade.

"Master Sun Yuan is dead. He sacrificed himself to ensure my escape."

***

At the new One Heart Church headquarters.

Yin Shengong was having a drink with Mu Linyuan and the others. With the headquarters in a state of forced lockdown, there wasn't really anything else for them to do.

Yin Shengong had just taken a sip of wine when he caught sight of Night Demon's message, and he immediately choked on his wine, erupting into a coughing fit that sent wine spilling down the front of his robe.

He hurriedly gulped down some water, only to cough it back up before he had a chance to swallow.

Mu Linyuan hurriedly picked up a piece of cloth to wipe down the front of Yin Shengong's robe as he asked in a concerned manner, "What's wrong, Pope Yin?"

After his coughing fit subsided, Yin Shengong took a sip of water to compose himself, then revealed, "Sun Yuan is dead."

Mu Linyuan's trio were instantly stunned into silence.

"How did that happen? Didn't he just make a breakthrough to the Emperor tier after his divine power injection? How did he suddenly end up dead?"

Yin Shengong offered no response to the queries of the three elders as he returned Night Demon's message.

"Are you safe?"

"I'm fine. I was able to escape because Master Sun Yuan held off the enemy for me, at the cost of his own life. I must avenge Master Sun Yuan! I heard that the culprits are from the Wang Clan of the main church. Is that true, Master? Please tell me the truth! I won't be able to live with myself if I don't avenge Master Sun Yuan!"

Yin Shengong sent back a response, then finally set down his communication jade as he sighed, "Sun Yuan is dead, and Night Demon is in a very emotional state, vowing to avenge his master. The problem is that Sun Yuan was killed by a clan from the main church. Come to think of it, Sun Yuan was killed because he was implicated by Night Demon, but he most likely still doesn't know that yet."

Right at this moment, a new message from Night Demon arrived.

"Master Sun Yuan died because of me! Those people were searching for Night Demon, so they must've forced Master Sun Yuan to lead them to me for vengeance!"

"Turns out he

does

know, after all," Yin Shengong sighed. "That's a problem."

"He wants to avenge Sun Yuan?" Mu Linyuan asked.

"What do you think? What would you do if your master was implicated by you, then sacrificed himself to save you?"

Mu Linyuan heaved a forlorn sigh before falling silent.

Clearly, this was a vendetta of blood that had to be repaid.