Death… and me

"Why shouldn't we save him?"

Chu Yang turned to look at Mo Tian Ji.

"Why should we?" Mo Tian Ji asked with a frown.

"If we wanted to save him, Gu Du Xing could have done that from the very start and he would escape unscathed!" Mo Tian Ji said in anger. "I want to take this chance to reveal Tian Bu Hui's plot and deal with the Shi Clan of the Upper Three Heavens. The Nine Heavens Enforcers would have a bad impression of the Shi Clan and this would make our lives easier in the future."

"Today, the Black Devil is not dead. The sensation of a suppressed rage has not reached everyone! Without this atmosphere, the effects are greatly reduced. Furthermore, it's very difficult to arouse the feeling of hatred and injustice…"

Mo Tian Ji frowned and said, "Why are you so rash? The Black Devil's death is well-deserved and he will also die in peace! By allowing him to live, you're injecting many elements into this."

Chu Yang stared at him and finally understood why Gu Du Xing's performance from the very start did not appear very enthusiastic.

The reason was that Mo Tian Ji had expected this and gave his own instructions to Gu Du Xing.

However, how could Mo Tian Ji match Chu Yang's position in Gu Du Xing's heart? Even though Mo Tian Ji had arranged for it, a single order from Chu Yang would make Gu Du Xing change his original decision!

Save the Black Devil!

In it, there was another conflict. Intellect versus humanity!

This was the conflict between Chu Yang and Mo Tian Ji.

Mo Tian Ji did not care about the process and all he wanted were results. This was his greatest difference from Chu Yang.

After a long while, Chu Yang exhaled and said deeply, "Tian Ji, I understand your plan and I can definitely predict what you will do next and what you will say. I also know that you're doing this to help us make our entrance in the Upper Three Heavens. This will indeed make our lives a lot easier! At the very least, if we do as you instruct, the Shi Clan will be in huge trouble! And the Shi Clan is one of the Nine Great Clans!"

"By giving this order, I've obstructed your plan! This will make it a lot more difficult for us to strike in the Upper Three Heavens!"

"However, I can't just watch the Black Devil die like this! Tian Ji, I want him dead more than you!"

Chu Yang looked sincerely at Mo Tian Ji.

Mo Tian Ji gradually calmed down. With a long sigh, he said, "I understand."

"That's right. Now, the Black Devil can't die!"

"As an enemy, he is a cunning and sly one, but he deserves our respect. Why? This is because it is his nature to strike from the darkness! If he doesn't ambush or plot, is he still the Black Devil?"

"Secondly, as a father, he meets all the benchmarks. As a father, he deserves our respect and admiration!"

"However, this is not enough to make me instruct Gu Du Xing to save him. No matter what, his hands are stained with the blood of countless people! For those people, only his death can avenge them!"

Chu Yang paced about and said, "I asked Gu Du Xing to save him because of Wu Shang!"

"If the Black Devil dies, what will become of Mo Lei Er? What will become of Dong Wu Shang? If he dies like this, this old b*stard will think that he has done everything to the best of his abilities. He will be delighted and he will die at ease. However, is this happiness which he has obtained for his daughter truly 'happiness'? What kind of f*cking happiness is this? It's akin to a lifetime worth of torture!"

"If Mo Lei Er is going to be tormented for her entire life, won't Wu Shang be tormented as well?"

"This concerns Wu Shang's entire life. We can't look at it from the perspective of interests alone," said Chu Yang. "Sometimes, we have to consider interests. Sometimes, we have to consider humanity."

Mo Tian Ji said nothing.

On one hand, he did not dare to agree to what Chu Yang had said. On the other hand, he knew that he was right.

The two of them were silent for a long while. Chu Yang then said in a low voice, "Tian Ji, if this happens to you and not Wu Shang, everyone will make the same decision as I did. I don't need to say this. You should have been able to guess!"

Mo Tian Ji's body trembled as he looked up.

"I have absolute faith in your intellect. I am confident in your organization. I trust your calculative mind and I value it!" Chu Yang took two steps forward and said, "However, I have one request! Before you come up with any plan, you must never hurt anyone from our side!"

"We can't afford to lose a single member!"

"If all of you are dead, what's the point in me dominating the Nine Heavens! There's no point at all. The achievement of a man has to be shared with others. Others must validate him. If only I know that I have succeeded, and if only I delight in it, what's the point?"

"One day, if you reach the pinnacle of the Nine Heavens, but Gu Du Xing, Little Wu, and I are all dead, what will you taste there? Have you thought about it?" Chu Yang said solemnly.

After that, he said nothing else.

This was because Gu Du Xing, carrying the Black Devil in his arms, had rushed already rushed over to them. The battle had concluded.

Chu Yang rushed up to receive him.

Mo Tian Ji stood amidst the snow and did not move a single inch.

In his mouth, he mumbled quietly, "Never hurt anyone from our side, no matter what I do."

"We can't afford to lose a single member."

"The achievements of man have to be shared!"

After a long while, Mo Tian Ji smiled slightly and said to himself, "At first, I thought that I'm right. Right now, it seems that I'm still right, but I need to adjust my angle."

"Ay, I need to adjust my preconditions," he said as he shook his head. Then, he looked at the ice and snow and cursed underneath his breath, "This b*stard Chu Yang is cursing me! How dare he say that Gu Du Xing, Little Wu, him, and all the other brothers would die? What nonsense is this! Pfft! His intentions aren't good!"

He spat and quickly walked back.

"How is he?" Chu Yang asked.

"All five of his organs show signs of tear and severe injury. His head has been struck by a palm. He has been stabbed twice from behind and his back has been struck seven times by sabers and six times by swords. His bones are visible," said Gu Du Xing with a solemn expression. "From his left arm to his shoulder, it's all gone. Nine of his ribs are broken. His left leg is broken and half of his right foot has been hacked off. Without his cultivation, one of his ears is also lost completely."

"As for his other injuries, they are uncountable."

Chu Yang sucked in a breath of cold air.

"Carry him into the tent!" Chu Yang waved his hand and led the way.

Gu Du Xing followed tightly behind him.

Dong Wu Shang carried the unconscious Mo Lei Er and was about to enter it too. Then, he saw a figure appear before him. Mo Tian Ji stood in front of him.

"What's the matter?" Dong Wu Shang asked Mo Tian Ji.

Mo Tian Ji looked at him apologetically and bowed and said, "Wu Shang, I'm sorry."

Dong Wu Shang did not know what was going on. He asked, "What for?"

"Yes, I'm sorry!" Mo Tian Ji straightened his body. "Gu Du Xing could have saved him earlier but I stopped him! If not, the Black Devil's injuries would not have been so severe."

"This is all my fault."

Dong Wu Shang finally understood and said, "Are you apologizing to me?"

He laughed and said, "There's no need for apologies between you and me."

Mo Tian Ji felt a sense of relief. His patted Dong Wu Shang's shoulder as the two of them walked inside.

As he walked in, Mo Tian Ji looked at Mo Lei Er and sighed.

"In the past, I would not have felt this uneasy," thought Mo Tian Ji.

Chu Yang had already fed the Black Devil an incomplete Nine Heavens Pill.

"His injuries are too severe, especially his arm, which had been hacked off. This created such a huge hole and his internal organs are visible. For injuries like these, medicines are ineffective. Right now, all we can do is to save his life. We can only discuss his future recovery once he wakes up."

Chu Yang's face was serious as he looked at Dong Wu Shang.

Dong Wu Shang nodded his head.

As they spoke, the powers of the Nine Heavens Pill kicked in. The Black Devil wheezed and suddenly opened his eyes.

His eyes were just as dark and murderous as before. However, a new emotion had entered his pupils. He seemed to be longing for something. He looked around and was disappointed.

"Hurhur, so I'm still alive."

The Black Devil said in a low voice. His tone was disappointed. "I thought I can finally see Lei Er's mother… ayy."

Everyone did not know what to say.

"King of Hell Chu," summoned the Black Devil faintly.

"What's the matter?" Chu Yang asked he walked up.

"In my pouch, there's the Bone-Gnawing Heart Burning Grass and the Seven Wonders Ling Long Flower," wheezed the Black Devil. "I have crushed them into powder and placed them inside my belt. Take it out and give them to Wu Shang and Lei Er."

Chu Yang nodded and comforted him, "Focus on recovering first. You can't die. For all matters, both good and bad, we can discuss them after you have recovered."

"It's good enough to live," said the Black Devil as his lips quivered. He wanted to smile. Then, his body relaxed as he lay down on the bed. He looked at the top of the tent.

"However, I don't want to recover. I want to give up," said the Black Devil quietly. "No matter if it's vengeance, kindness, hatred, I want to give them all up…"

Everyone was stunned.

"My entire life has been spent killing other people. Killing people is my livelihood!"

The Black Devil laughed in a raspy fashion and said, "If karma exists, no matter how many times I go through the cycle of rebirth, I cannot cleanse myself of my sins. So there's no point in trying to do that anymore."

"If I can live, all I want to do is to live for a few more years," said the Black Devil as he smiled faintly. "In the last few years of my life, I want to live peacefully and normally, like a normal person. That's all."

"I have never lived like this before. Dong Wu Shang, I'll look after your house for you. I'll tend to the gardens and I'll spend the last chapter of my life like this. If I can see my daughter getting married and starting her own family, I can answer to my wife in the afterlife."

Dong Wu Shang held Mo Lei Er in his arms as he looked dumbfounded at the Black Devil.

"The Black Devils are gone," said the Black Devil. "What was my name again?"

After a long while, he said, "I remember my name is Mo Zhu Liu."

"Thus, I shall be called Mo Zhu Liu in the future," said the Black Devil. He smiled and he fell into a deep sleep as if he had given everything up.

He did not request anything from Dong Wu Shang. When he saw Dong Wu Shang carrying his daughter like this, he was at ease.

His daughter had found her partner. She was in charge of her life now. He was now a father-in-law and he did not care so much.

Everyone remained silent for a long while.

Slowly, they exited the tent.

"The Martial Monarchs will fight in the afternoon," said Chu Yang as he looked at the Martial Emperors sweeping the battlefield.

"This Shi Clan is worried," said Mo Tian Ji. He was worried about something else as he looked to the side.