Chapter 809: Principles Are Worth Nothing!
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
"Okay, Comrade Yang, how will you choose?"
But as this deep voice laughed, Yue Hongyan, Kang Nanhua and Zhao Huan felt as if they were struck by lightning, petrified.
Fang Ting’s body trembled a little. Boundless fear rose in her heart.
Yue Hongyan looked at the jade talisman in Wang Lin’s hand. While she spoke with difficulty, she managed to squeeze out a name, "Zhang! Lie!"
Kang Nanhua’s face turned green while Zhao Huan revealed a frightened and hateful expression on his face. An image in the valley of their minds surfaced in their heads.
Amidst a raging sea of green fire, countless Liefeng Covenant cultivators were screaming in horror as they were engulfed by the green fire.
In the huge fire, a tall man in black smiled as he looked at them.
A laughter came from the jade talisman, "Oh, Hongyan, long time no see. I have to congratulate you on forming your Nascent Soul. And Nanhua, you have also formed your Cosmic Form. It is indeed something worth celebrating."
"Oh yes, Zhao Huan, you too. You have grown up."
Zhang Lie’s voice was very calm, as if he was greeting people that he had not met for a long time. He seemed to be chatting leisurely, as if he was unaware of the hate and rage that Yue Hongyan and the other two felt.
Kang Nanhua retorted, "Zhang Lie, long time no see indeed!"
Zhang Lie laughed, "Yes, it’s been a long time. You are still the same."
Kang Nanhua was good friends with Yue Hongyan’s brother, Yue Hongfeng. Following the wishes of Yue Hongfeng to help out the Liefeng Covenant, Kang Nanhua familiarized himself with Zhang Lie, who was another leader of the covenant.
Kang Nanhua replied in a deep voice, "You still treat human lives as worthless! Because of you, Fang Ting has become like that. The countless souls who have died for nothing in the nine cities have all landed in this state because of your doing! Do you think you can absolve yourself of all the blame even though you were not the one who personally did all this?"
"Is the dagger that is stained with fresh blood or the person holding the dagger the true killer?"
Zhang Lie laughed and said, "Hey, I did not give her any orders. I only let her out. Whatever she did, I did not teach her. In fact, I am the one who let her regain her freedom."
"You are the one who caused Tingting to become a poisonous ghost!" Yang Qing hugged the trembling Fang Ting, enraged.
Zhang Lie laughed, "If I did not cultivate her into a poisonous ghost, she would have died a long time ago. Under the True Torch of Ksitigarbha, her flesh was completely razed and her soul had been damaged greatly. If she wants to survive, she can’t just be cultivated into a spiritual ghost. Only with a poisonous power can her ghostly entity remain undissipated."
"Otherwise, do you wish that she was dead? If that is the case, how will the reunification of the both of you happen today?"
"I believe that you want to see your loved one again, don’t you?"
Yang Qing gritted his teeth, "If it was not because of you, would Tingting have died? Would the Cloud Water Cave have been destroyed?"
Zhang Lie laughed unconcernedly, "You are right. If you want to put it this way, the source of the problem seems to be me, but…"
"Hehe, but are you going to explain it to the Great Qin Empire and the Great Barren Sword Sect using this?" Zhang Lie laughed, "Do you think that if you account to them in this manner, they will just let the matter slide?"
"Even if they believe you and want to kill me, after that happens, how will they feel when Fang Ting appears in front of them again? Will they think that nothing has happened?"
"If an object surfaces a crack, powers can mend the crack. But if a human’s heart has a crack, is it possible to mend it? Even if it does not relapse, it is still rooted in the body. With just a little water, a root can grow into a huge tree."
"Furthermore, do you think the countless souls from the nine cities can rest in peace if Fang Ting doesn’t die?"
Yang Qing gripped his fist tightly and revealed a conflicted expression.
As Zhang Lie’s laughter disappeared gradually, his voice became hoarse, "Comrade Yang, if I’m not wrong, in your heart, the Celestial Sect of Wonders is very important to you, am I right?"
"Among all of Lin Feng’s Immediate Disciples, you are the least eye-catching. You are a genius too, but compared to your other seniors and juniors, you seem to be ordinary. Because of this, with your personality, you always try to be prudent. You don’t wish to tarnish the name of your Master and the Celestial Sect of Wonders."
"I believe, I really believe, that if the situation calls for it, you will sacrifice your life without any hesitation for your sect. In your heart, the honor of your sect is above your life. Protecting the honor of your sect is the utmost principle and belief in your heart."
"If I have to find something that is perhaps of the same value to you, I believe that it’s Fang Ting. She is your greatest love. Similarly, for her safety, you are willing to sacrifice your life."
Zhang Lie’s tone of voice sounded a little ethereal, "Right now, on one side is your long-lost lover, and on the other side are the beliefs that you hold. How will you choose?"
"Protecting your loved one, but tarnishing the name of your sect, causing rifts to appear between your sect and their allies? Or will you forgo your loved one?"
Yang Qing was furious, "Zhang Lie! You …"
Zhang Lie interrupted him and said in a rather numb tone, "Actually, you will find that the principles and beliefs that you have always hold true to yourself are not worth a penny."
In the next moment, Zhang Lie’s voice became relaxed. He smiled while saying, "Oh yes, to make it more convenient for you to pick a choice, I shall say a little more."
"Fang Ting’s death and the destruction of the Cloud Water Cave was indeed caused by me, but those actions were not the main point. My real goal is to obtain your Grand Moon Primordial Water."
Yang Qing’s breathing stopped suddenly. Zhang Lie laughed, "That’s right. If it was not because I wanted to find you, I wouldn’t have gone to the Cloud Water Cave. But then, I found that Fang Ting had the Grand Moon Primordial Water on her too, so I didn’t have to go and find you."
"You may think that Fang Ting is living a fate worse than death, and perhaps you should just grant her her wish? Wrong, wrong. You may not have a solution, but your Master is resourceful. He may know a trick or two."
"At least, I know of a way. Since there is one, you don’t have to be so dejected, right?" Zhang Lie laughed. "But I wonder, will you give her a chance?"
"Ka-shh!"
Wang Lin crushed the jade talisman in his hand and he conjured a spell with the other hand. A ball of purple light surged out and covered the talisman.
"Receive!" As the spell in Wang Lin’s hand changed, the purple light that covered the broken talisman converted into a purple ray which flew towards the sky in the distance.
Wang Lin looked at Yang Qing, "It takes some time to locate the specific position, thus I allowed him to spout gibberish all this while. Now, we shall drag him out!"
As he said, Wang Lin summoned his powers and brought everyone as they broke through space. They followed the ray.
Yang Qing hugged Fang Ting and his lips were pursed. He looked extremely tormented.
Fang Ting was very pale. As she looked up at Yang Qing, she said, "I am already very contented to see you again."
"In fact, the price to pay for this reunification is too huge. I have harmed too many people. I can’t take it as if nothing has happened."
A smile was revealed on her face, "Senior Yang, just end it now. It has been arduous."
Yang Qing closed his eyes and he remained expressionless. He did not speak, but he hugged Fang Ting tightly. He could feel that she was trembling.
"We have arrived!" Wang Lin’s voice sounded. Everyone broke through void space and landed in a forest.
In the forest, above a short hill, there was a tall and huge youth standing. He wore black and his face looked charming.
Wang Lin had just broken through void space before this youth detected him. The energy around him surged, as if he was the burning Sun.
He flew into the skies and wanted to escape. Wang Lin snorted, "Where are you going?"
The Destructive Stage of the River of Styx was unleashed and started to violate the entire Heavens and Earth. The space converted into a dim yellow surrounding, as if it was the Netherworld.
With Wang Lin’s current cultivation, his Destructive Stage of the River of Styx could directly infuse into reality and he could convert countless square miles radius of area into his battlefield.
That man in black laughed. As he flipped his palm, his palm turned crimson red. A strong smell of lava and sulfur was released. As he smacked down his palm, a prosperous energy was unleashed that forced the powers of the Destructive Stage of the River of Styx back.
The place where the man in black was in also seemed to turn into a hell that was burning with lava.
"You are indeed as powerful as they claim you are."
"I heard that in the Ying Sea, Xiao Yan killed the Marquis of Jinghuan. Whereas Zhu Yi defeated Shao Qingcheng." The man in black’s lips moved and he revealed a smile. "Now it seems like your powers are not inferior to them."
Wang Lin looked at him expressionlessly before turning to face Yue Hongyan, Kang Nanhua and Yang Qing, "He is in the Immortal Soul Stage. Battling him will be dangerous."
Yue Hongyan stared at Zhang Lie and her eyes seemed to rage with fire. Her crimson brows seemed like two thin swords that were dripping with blood.
"Zhang Lie, why? What is all this for?"
Zhang Lie looked at Yue Hongyan. After fixing his gaze for a moment, he regained his peace.
He smiled, "Thinking of it, I believe that you have always wondered why I killed my fellow comrades from the Liefeng Covenant and why I came to this stage, don’t you?"
"Thinking of it, I believe that you have hated me to the core all these years, but because of this doubt that you have, you have always tried to consider that maybe I had some difficulties that I couldn’t speak of? Or that I was forced?"
Yue Hongyan’s fury intensified. "Before today, I might have some doubts. But today, I can only see an evil fanatic."
"So, why? Why have you become like this? Or is it that you have always been like this and that we were blind not to see through you?"