Chapter 855: Putting Aside My Hatred (II)

An Fuqing continued in a calm tone. "But he didn’t completely betray the human race. Using a secret art he obtained from a ruin, combined with his ability, he struck himself with a blade and split himself into three. One of them was his sacred form, the Lord of Holy Light, whom you killed. The other took on forms of a human and demon, both of which are already at or above the heavenly king level.

"Due to the nature of the secret art, when you destroyed one of his bodies, that part of his power was split in two and returned to his human and demon body, greatly enhancing their strengths. If we can kill the demon body next, the remaining Xiao Tianyi will be able to combine all of the power from the three different bodies and break through to the supreme level."

Chen Chu thoughtfully said, "So you're saying, your mother and grandfather's death weren’t actually caused by Xiao Tianyi? Do the higher-ups in the Human Federation know about this?"

An Fuqing shook her head. "No. My mother’s injuries, and my grandfather and the others' deaths, were indeed caused by the demonized Xiao Tianyi. As for whether the Federation leadership knows, I’m not sure."

"Then if your mother and your other relatives from the last generation died because of Xiao Tianyi, why are you still willing to help him?"

An Fuqing was silent for a moment, then quietly said, "Because the dead cannot come back to life. The living still have to keep moving forward. And the one responsible for all of it back then was the demonized Zuo Mo, who has gone completely off the rails. At the time those things happened, the human Xiao Tianyi was severely wounded and in seclusion somewhere deep in the mythical world. He never imagined it would come to this.

"Besides, I believe what my mother wanted was for me to kill the demonized Xiao Tianyi, Zuo Mo. If we can slay Zuo Mo and allow Xiao Tianyi to return to his complete self and break through to the supreme level, the human race will gain another top-level cultivator. Emotionally and logically, I have no reason to refuse.

"And now, after absorbing half of the power from the sacred form, Zuo Mo’s cultivation may have already surpassed the peak of the great demon king level. If we don’t kill him before he ascends to the demon god level, even the First Councilor won’t be able to suppress him. At that point, Zuo Mo will turn around and hunt Xiao Tianyi down himself. If he succeeds and absorbs Xiao Tianyi's power, he’ll become the greatest enemy the Human Federation has ever faced."

Looking at An Fuqing, Chen Chu slowly said, "So this is why you believe Xiao Tianyi—and why you’re helping him hunt down Zuo Mo.”

Of course, An Fuqing wasn’t a fool who believed whatever people told her, not even if that person was her so-called "father." She had likely already guessed Xiao Tianyi’s true identity by now. The real reason she chose to set aside her hatred was to give the human race another supreme cultivator.

Currently, the known peak combat strength of the human race consisted of the three councilors and Heavenly King Zhenwu. Just four demon-god-level cultivators were barely enough to hold the ground against two Purgatory Empires. However, if Xiao Tianyi could succeed in killing Zuo Mo, return to wholeness, and break through to the supreme level, the human side would finally gain the upper hand.

Furthermore, Xiao Tianyi’s true goal wasn’t just to reach the supreme level; he wanted to rise beyond that and become a civilization emperor. With his talent, if he hadn’t split himself, he might have already broken through after these past ten-plus years.

Because of this, Chen Chu only believed about half of what Xiao Tianyi had told An Fuqing. The events of the past clearly weren’t so simple. Among Xiao Tianyi’s three avatars, Chen Chu had seen traces of the Alliance of Gods’ power when fighting the sacred avatar, indicating that they had played a part in Xiao Tianyi’s betrayal. The three Councilors also likely knew a great deal more than they let on.

At the same time, Chen Chu more or less guessed An Fuqing’s intention. "You want me to help Xiao Tianyi kill Zuo Mo, right?"

An Fuqing nodded calmly. "Yes. He said he’s not confident he can take down Zuo Mo alone. But if you help, there’s a 60% chance of success."

Looking at the seventeen-year-old girl, Chen Chu couldn’t help but feel a little moved. Then, without hesitation, he nodded. "Alright. Let me know when it’s time to act."

If An Fuqing could put down her hatred for the sake of the human race, how could he refuse? Even though she once claimed she was only trying to fulfill her mother's dying wish, how could she truly feel no hatred? She just didn't want to show it.

After all, if not for Xiao Tianyi, her mother would have lived past forty. If it had been Chen Chu, with his temperament, he wouldn’t care if the world drowned. He’d kill his enemy with his own hands, no matter what. In fact, he wouldn't just kill the culprit, he’d wipe out anyone connected. If they were of an alien race, he’d erase them all.

Chen Chu’s decisiveness surprised An Fuqing, then she showed a rare expression of gratitude. "Thank you."

"No need for that," Chen Chu replied. "That guy is definitely a threat to humanity. Whether as a friend or as a king, I have no reason to say no. By the way, does Heavenly King Zhenwu know about this?"

"No."

"Got it." Chen Chu nodded.

After wrapping up their talk about Xiao Tianyi, the two chatted a bit longer, then Chen Chu returned to Battleship 1. Although his demon-god body was undergoing innate evolution on its own without needing conscious control, and even though his innate abilities, divine powers, and laws were still merging, which meant he couldn’t cultivate, that didn’t mean he had nothing to do.

This kind of innate evolution was also an opportunity for him to learn. By carefully sensing each change as it happened, he might catch a glimpse of the mysteries of creation. The mythical world was vast beyond measure, teeming with powerful races, civilizations, and countless forms of life.

With Chen Chu and his avatar's rate of growth and cultivation, just one more year would be enough. By then, no demon god or Primordial Ancestor would stand a chance. He alone could tear through everything in his path. Chen Chu's eyes were already fixed on the future. He wasn’t about to miss any chance to grow stronger.

A few days passed in the blink of an eye as he quietly attuned himself to the changes in his god-demon body and occasionally chatted with Luo Fei after her cultivation sessions. The expedition fleet was steadily approaching the Heavenly Feathered Battlefield.

***

At the same time, on the Blue Planet, in the city of Wujiang, the martial arts tournament was underway in the downtown area. The square was packed with people. Hundreds of thousands crowded around, watching the giant screens set up in all directions. Onscreen, the host was holding a microphone.

"Welcome, everyone, to the Federation’s First National Martial Arts Tournament, Wujiang’s city-level qualifier! In response to the Federation’s call, students from the five martial arts high schools in our city, mostly second- and third-year students, have signed up to participate. In the end, three hundred students met the requirements to enter the city-level competition.

"Today’s event is for second-year students. There will be a total of ten arenas. To ensure fairness and save time, all participants will fight ten rounds. Each victory earns one point, and a loss deducts one point. At the end of ten rounds, rankings will be based on total points, and the top ten will qualify for the provincial-level tournament. Now we begin the draw. If your name appears on the screen, please head to your assigned arena. Arena 1: Zhang Feng and Liu Jialing. Arena 2: Chen Hu and Wang Feng..."

When Chen Hu’s name was called, the three excited girls around him yelled out in excitement, "Ah Hu, you’re on Arena 2!"

"Go Ah Hu, you’ve got this! You'll definitely win!"

"Ah Hu, be careful! Don't get hurt!"

Chen Hu grunted in reply, nodding. "Don’t worry, Yiyi, Jiajia, Meiling. A mere second-year martial arts student is no match for me."

Watching Chen Hu stride confidently toward the arena, three other people who had come to cheer him on—Li Meng, Bai Mu, and Liu Feng—showed looks of exasperation. Liu Feng muttered, "Feels like us veteran students are getting totally looked down on."

Bai Mu sighed. "Can’t help it. The guy’s just too strong. If I reached the peak of the Third Heavenly Realm in under a month, I’d be cocky too."

"Damn it. Chen Chu’s already a freak, but who knew his younger brother was an even bigger monster." As they talked, all three of them had envy flashing in their eyes.

At that moment, Chen Hu had already stepped onto Arena 2. Twenty meters across from him stood another student radiating an aura of the middle-stage of the Fourth Heavenly Realm, gripping a saber over two meters long. Facing an opponent of higher cultivation, Chen Hu's eyes were sharp and imposing. He said in a low voice, "Go ahead. You only get one move."

"Wow, you're underestimating me from the get-go, huh?" Wang Feng responded slowly. A wave of true power surged from within him, enveloping his saber in a glowing golden light.

Even though Chen Hu’s current aura was only at the peak of the Third Heavenly Realm, and his tone was undeniably arrogant, Wang Feng didn’t dare underestimate him. After all, no one who made it into the tournament was weak.

Boom!

The air instantly exploded. Wang Feng, going all out, transformed into a dazzling streak of golden saber light, tearing through the air with terrifying sharpness. Just then, however, a black-and-gold fist appeared out of nowhere, radiating a devastating force strong enough to crush everything.

Bang!

With one overpowering punch, the air shattered, the saber broke apart, and Wang Feng spat out blood as he was sent flying off the stage, crashing down over twenty meters away.

The crowd fell into stunned silence. Everyone stared in shock and disbelief. A middle stage Fourth Heavenly Realm student had just been knocked out in a single punch by someone at the peak of the Third Heavenly Realm. Watching the tall, imposing young man on the arena stage, his expression cold and his aura overpowering, Li Yiyi and the others were flushed with excitement.

Ah Hu was incredible.