Chapter 125: Villain

Chapter 125: The Villain

"Why!" Li Huowang's cold voice echoed once more through the chamber.

"Those masochists have tortured you to this state, yet you still aid those villains against me! Why!"

"I told you I'd take you away from this wretched place; haven't I treated you well enough? Do you even have a heart? Or have you been completely assimilated by these villains over these past four years!"

"Heh..." Confronted with Li Huowang's words, Yingzi suddenly laughed.

Amidst her low chuckles, Yingzi slowly raised her head.

This was the first time Yingzi had met Li Huowang's gaze; as she smiled, tears slowly streamed down her face.

In Yingzi's light brown pupils, a hatred as tangible as solid matter surged.

The hatred in her eyes was so absolute that she seemed ready to pounce at any moment and tear Li Huowang limb from limb.

Only at this moment did Li Huowang realize why Jiang Yingzi had never once met his gaze—she feared he would be unable to resist striking her down.

Almost simultaneously, two scrolls of the Record of the Myriad Realms swiftly unrolled across the floor.

Empowered by the Record of the Myriad Realms, Li Huowang watched his own flesh and skin rapidly expand in the air, spreading like a net and lunging forward.

Jiang Yingzi's little finger, transformed into a long bone awl, was swiftly enveloped by Li Huowang's flesh and fell limply to the ground.

Seeing the object on the floor, Jiang Yingzi instantly realized that both sides were attacking with the Record of the Myriad Realms, sharing the same origin.

To kill the other, one had only to sacrifice more than them.

With a soft squelch, Jiang Yingzi unhesitatingly stepped her right foot onto the Record of the Myriad Realms.

As the peculiar characters on the red bamboo slips crawled all over her foot, the perceptive Li Huowang instantly felt his scalp tingle.

"No! Imminent danger!!"

Li Huowang retreated at once, leaping from the chamber out into the karst cave.

Just as the maimed Jiang Yingzi stumbled out of the chamber in pursuit, a piercing bell rang out abruptly.

Before she could make any move, a Lord You formed from countless lines swiftly burrowed up from the ground.

Yingzi struggled with all her might, yet Lord You still pierced through half her body.

Half her body instantly numb, Jiang Yingzi crashed heavily to the ground, but she did not give up; gritting her teeth, she struggled desperately to rise.

The next second, as a sharp longsword pressed against her neck, the outcome was decided.

Li Huowang did not strike immediately; instead, he stared fixedly at Yingzi's face.

Speaking almost through gritted teeth, he demanded, "Why! I want to know why! Did the Zoroastrian Sect threaten you with your family!"

"Tap, tap, tap." Li Huowang heard footsteps approaching from all sides; the Zoroastrian cultists in the cave had clearly heard something.

As Li Huowang turned around, he saw Shou San approaching.

"Do you find this amusing? Breaking your promises time and time again! Forcing Yingzi to deal with me! If you have the guts, come face me yourself!"

At this moment, Li Huowang was utterly disgusted with the entire Zoroastrian Sect, these fickle and insidious masochists.

Yet Shou San's subsequent expression defied Li Huowang's expectations; a hint of puzzlement appeared on his charred face.

"I know not of what you speak. I never ordered Er Jiu to attack you; in truth, acting against you brings us no benefit whatsoever, but rather poses a considerable danger."

"You're still lying to me! The evidence is right in front of you, and you're still lying!"

Just as Li Huowang expressed his disbelief, a female voice abruptly interjected.

Li Huowang whipped his head around, looking down at Jiang Yingzi.

The young girl still lay on the ground, staring fixedly at Li Huowang with a venomous gaze.

"Heh... Didn't you ask me why earlier? Fine, I'll tell you why." Yingzi stared into Li Huowang's eyes, speaking through gritted teeth.

Yingzi shed her robe, exposing her mangled body to the air.

"Because you killed my entire family! All the suffering I endure now is your doing!"

Li Huowang first felt a profound sense of absurdity, followed immediately by the conviction that the woman before him had gone completely mad.

Yingzi pointed a trembling finger in a circle at the surrounding Zoroastrian cultists.

"You always call them villains, say they are soulless beasts, but compared to you, they are nothing!"

Yingzi screamed hoarsely, her voice growing increasingly raspy. "Four years ago, it was you who slaughtered the entire town! Over ten thousand souls! You killed them all! Compared to you, what villains are they! They aren't worthy of the name!"

Hearing this, it was as if a thunderclap had exploded in Li Huowang's mind.

"No, absolutely not! I'm not like you trash! I'm a good person!" Li Huowang retorted instinctively.

"Hahaha!! A good person, yes! You're a great good person!" Yingzi pointed a trembling finger at Li Huowang's face, laughing maniacally.

"The old woman who sold tofu, the baby next door who hadn't even had his first birthday, and my father and mother!! You slaughtered them all without batting an eye, and now you claim to be a good person!"

Seeing such resolute hatred in her eyes, a flicker of doubt arose in Li Huowang's heart.

Li Huowang struggled to search his memories, scouring his recollections of four years ago, only to find he had not transmigrated at all, nor had he suffered a breakdown.

The deepest memory he had was attending a sports meet, sweating it out with others on the bustling playground.

"No, I didn't! It's impossible! Four years ago, I hadn't even transmigrated yet... had I?"

Li Huowang suddenly sensed something.

Sensing a hint of wavering in Li Huowang's voice, Yingzi's expression suddenly twisted; with a gentle motion of her palm, a silver leaf thin as a cicada's wing fluttered out.

The moment she pinched the leaf between two fingers, the longsword at her neck was yanked sharply, and Jiang Yingzi's body instantly stiffened.

Crimson blood sprayed from Yingzi's neck; her body swayed slightly before going limp and collapsing to the ground.

A few breaths later, as if just realizing what had happened, Li Huowang rushed forward, trembling as he pulled her into his arms, pressing his hands against her bleeding neck, and stuffing a Blood-Nourishing Pill into her mouth.

"Don't die! You're not allowed to die! Explain everything to me! What on earth is going on!"

"Cough... good person..." Yingzi looked at Li Huowang, who was holding her with both arms, a deeply mocking smile appearing on her face. "Good person..."

Her hand fell limply, her pupils gradually losing focus.

Li Huowang's breathing grew ragged; he stood up holding Yingzi's corpse and shouted at the surrounding Zoroastrian cultists, "Have you had enough fun!! What exactly do you want! You cruel, bizarre, bloodthirsty lunatics! If you want the Heart of Purity, just take it by force! Is it amusing to deceive me?!"

Hearing Li Huowang's words, Shou San revealed a hint of amusement on his face.

"It seems you have truly forgotten the events of four years ago. On that day four years ago, you indeed slaughtered the entire town, killing every man, woman, and child you saw, until the town ran red with blood."

"Our Elder Jian Ye Xi could not bear to watch and stepped in to stop you, but you instead caused a massive uproar at our sect, smashing quite a few Cross Temples; it took us a great deal of effort to finally drive you away."

(End of Chapter)