Chapter 4: Ghost of the past
The moon hung low in the sky, casting an eerie glow over the **Ashen Peaks**, a desolate mountain range that stood as a border between the known world and the unknown. This was a place few dared to venture, a place where the wind howled like a mournful spirit and the rocks themselves seemed to watch with silent judgment.
Xian Wu climbed the rocky path with determined strides, the events at Red Hollow Village fresh in his mind. His power had grown, but so had the burden it carried. The further he walked down this path, the heavier his heart felt, though he refused to acknowledge it. The Blood Devil’s Codex pulsed within him, its dark energy both a source of strength and a constant reminder of what he had sacrificed.
As he reached a plateau overlooking a vast, barren valley, Xian Wu paused, his breath misting in the cold night air. He could feel the presence of someone—or something—waiting for him in the darkness ahead. The air was thick with anticipation, a tension that coiled around him like a serpent.
Then, from the shadows, a voice echoed—a voice that Xian Wu hadn’t heard in years. It was soft, almost a whisper, yet it carried the weight of a thousand regrets.
“Xian Wu, why have you come here?”
He turned sharply, his eyes narrowing as he tried to pierce the gloom. Slowly, a figure emerged from the shadows, clad in the tattered robes of a wandering hermit. But as the figure drew closer, Xian Wu’s breath caught in his throat. He recognized the face, despite the lines of age and the weariness in those once bright eyes.
“**Lian Yue**,” Xian Wu’s voice was a mixture of surprise and wariness. Lian Yue had been his closest friend during their time at the Jade Moon Sect, a bond forged through shared hardships and mutual respect. But she had disappeared after his betrayal, vanishing without a trace.
Lian Yue’s eyes, once filled with warmth and hope, were now cold and distant. “I warned you, Xian Wu. I warned you not to delve into the dark arts. But you didn’t listen. Now, you’re nothing more than a shadow of the man I once knew.”
Xian Wu’s expression hardened. “I am what they made me, Lian Yue. The weak die, and the strong survive. It’s the law of this world. You should know that better than anyone.”
She shook her head, her gaze filled with sorrow. “You’ve become something worse than those who betrayed you. You’ve let the darkness consume you, and now you’re too far gone to see the light.”
Xian Wu felt a pang of guilt, but he quickly buried it. “I’m not here to debate morality, Lian Yue. If you stand in my way, I’ll treat you as I would any other enemy.”
Lian Yue sighed, the sound heavy with resignation. “I didn’t come here to fight you, Xian Wu. I came to offer you one last chance. Turn back now, leave this path before it’s too late. There’s still a way for you to redeem yourself.”
For a moment, Xian Wu hesitated. Lian Yue’s words stirred something deep within him, a flicker of doubt, a whisper of the man he used to be. But the darkness within him was too strong, the power too intoxicating.
This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.
“No,” he said, his voice cold and final. “This is the path I’ve chosen. There’s no redemption for me.”
Lian Yue’s expression hardened, her eyes reflecting the steely resolve of someone who knew what had to be done, no matter the cost. “Then I’m sorry, Xian Wu. You leave me no choice.”
With a swift motion, she drew her sword—a weapon of pure, blinding light that stood in stark contrast to the darkness that clung to Xian Wu. The sword hummed with a righteous energy, an embodiment of the light that Lian Yue had clung to even in the face of despair.
The clash between them was a spectacle of contrasting forces. Lian Yue’s attacks were swift and precise, her blade carving through the darkness with graceful arcs. She fought not just with skill, but with the conviction of someone who believed she was doing what was right.
Xian Wu met her blade with his own, the blood-red energy of the Blood Devil’s Codex swirling around him like a storm. His strikes were powerful and relentless, each one driven by the rage and pain that had fueled his transformation. The ground beneath them cracked and shattered under the force of their blows, the air filled with the deafening sound of steel against steel, light against dark.
For a time, it seemed that they were evenly matched. Lian Yue’s light pushed back against the darkness, but Xian Wu’s sheer power kept him on the offensive. The battle raged on, neither willing to yield, neither able to break the other.
But slowly, Xian Wu began to gain the upper hand. The darkness within him was vast and unyielding, and as the battle wore on, it began to overwhelm Lian Yue’s light. Her movements slowed, her strikes became less sure, as if the weight of Xian Wu’s power was crushing her spirit.
With a final, desperate cry, Lian Yue summoned all her remaining strength and launched herself at Xian Wu, her blade aimed straight for his heart. But Xian Wu was faster. He sidestepped her attack and, with a swift motion, plunged his blood blade into her side.
Lian Yue gasped, her eyes widening in shock and pain. She staggered, the light from her sword dimming as her life force ebbed away. Xian Wu stepped back, his expression unreadable as he watched her fall to her knees.
Lian Yue’s sword clattered to the ground, its light extinguished. She looked up at Xian Wu, her eyes filled with sorrow, but also with a deep, unspoken understanding.
“Even now… I don’t hate you, Xian Wu,” she whispered, her voice trembling with the effort to speak. “I only wish… you had chosen differently.”
Xian Wu clenched his fists, his heart pounding in his chest. For a brief moment, he felt the crushing weight of his choices, the unbearable burden of the lives he had taken, the friends he had lost. But he quickly buried those feelings, forcing himself to remain cold, detached.
“There was no other choice,” he said, his voice cold and distant. “This is the only way.”
Lian Yue’s eyes fluttered closed, her breathing shallow. “Perhaps… but in the end, you’ll find that power alone is not enough… And when that day comes… you’ll be all alone…”
With those final words, Lian Yue’s body went still, her last breath escaping her lips in a soft sigh. The light in her eyes faded, leaving only emptiness behind.
Xian Wu stood there in the silence, his gaze fixed on the lifeless form of his former friend. He felt nothing—or so he told himself. But deep down, beneath the layers of darkness and power, a part of him wept for what he had lost, for the man he had once been.
But there was no turning back. The path he had chosen was one of blood and destruction, and he had known from the beginning that it would leave him with nothing but ashes.
With a final, cold glance at Lian Yue’s body, Xian Wu turned and continued his journey up the mountain, leaving behind yet another ghost to haunt his already tormented soul.
The night grew darker as Xian Wu ascended the Ashen Peaks, the weight of his actions pressing down on him like a shroud. The power he had sought, the vengeance he had craved—it had come at a cost he could no longer ignore.
But the whispers of the Blood Devil’s Codex drowned out the voice of doubt within him, urging him to push forward, to embrace the darkness fully. The path of the unforgiven was a lonely one, but it was the only path left to him.
And so, Xian Wu walked on, his silhouette fading into the night, leaving behind the echoes of a battle that would forever mark him as unforgiven