Everyone mistakenly assumed Wuzhi’s changed self to be the product of some horrible problem. This was not the case at all. Sure, some things about him were distinctly different as compared to before; however, such differences were only to be expected when one considered the extent of his injuries and the sheer radicalism of his treatment.
What was important was that Wuzhi remained Wuzhi. His core self remained the same and so did his motives and goals. He still remained an Emissary of the Heavens and was faithful towards his goal of uniting the world and preparing it for the Great Threat.
And to that extent, the minor differences in his character were only that: minor.
“Does my ‘strangeness’ repulse you, Sister Baixue?” Wuzhi monotonously asked. “Does your skin crawl seeing my smile?”
A strange pressure settled over buxom young woman rendering her unable to move. She had her gaze become locked against the argent glare of the expressionless scholarly youth and felt more than a little compelled to answer his query truthfully.
“…Yes.” Baixue found herself replying against her own volition. Her honest agency, or the lack thereof at this moment, terrified her.
“Good to know,” replied Wuzhi. He then broke his gaze and turned away, returning to stare at the distant scenery of the north. “Go and inform my aunt that I would like to return to the Mu Household complex at the earliest.”
Baixue, who seemed to have finally been freed from whatever mysterious power that had momentarily put her in a stranglehold, coughed and breathed intensely. Hearing Wuzhi’s words, she quickly replied with a nod and fearfully muttered, “Y-yes.”
She then scampered away with the terror of a deer narrowly missing the claws of a predator.
Left alone at the gazebo, Wuzhi mumbled to himself. “The Dragon Heart that I seek rests within the Golden Treasury of the Mu Household. I remember Teacher muttering once about how the Golden Sovereign had specially kept it in reserve for his favourite son, Yuelong, for when he would require it while advancing to the Sixth Rank.”
“With the Golden Sovereign currently incapacitated, now is the perfect time to get my hands on this material. However, in order to do so, I need to prove to the Household that I am a better prospect than ‘Son of the Heavens’ Mu Yuelong and all the other Heir candidates. This will be no easy task.”
The scholar did not even dream of the notion of stealing it as even his teacher, the Heaven Scheming Devil, had once told him that it was impossible for even a veritable Sovereign to steal from the Golden Treasury.
“Apart from the Dragon Heart, I know the approximate locations of two more items on the list. The Stygian Leviathan is rumoured to reside somewhere in the Primordial Sea and the Fragment of the Edge can be obtained by sailing to the end of the World’s End Sea. However, the real challenge is acquiring these two materials. The first one involves slaying a Pseudo-Sovereign Rank Wild Beast and the latter involves crossing the Unfathomable Leagues, a feat that none have achieved.”
“As for the final item, Ancient Ichor, I have no clue if and where it exists. This would prove to be the most challenging material to gather. Both luck and providence will have to be on my side.”
“And what better place to seek both luck and providence than the Mu Household; the originators of the [Luck Path] and the [Providence Path].”
Be it his quest to complete his treatment or his quest bestowed by the Heavens, the Mu Household appeared to be the nexus of all his problems and solutions. Wuzhi needed to secure the seat of the Heir; this much was a must.
And so he needed to plot to take the seat for himself.
“In terms of first impressions, I can confidently say that I have definitely left an impression. However, to return as a cripple, no matter how temporary my affliction, would serve to undo all that I had managed to build. Thus, a stronger stimulation is required to make the Household aware of my promise.”
Stolen story; please report.
“In terms of allies within the Household, I have an untrustworthy ally in the Second Madame, Su Li. However, she cannot be relied upon. Dealing with a [Wisdom Path] cultivator has more demerits than merits.”
“There is also the Eldest Madame, Bai Xiulan. Perhaps, I could make use of her guilt towards me to gain some advantages.”
“There is also Grandmother Mu. While she herself is utterly useless as an asset, the family behind her would serve as a decent card.”
“What else can I do? Who else can I use?” Just as Wuzhi was pondering on this matter, a sudden bout of inspiration struck him. Instantly, an ‘a-ha’ moment came to him.
A warped smile formed on Wuzhi’s face. “How could I forget? There is still that card that I have yet to use.”
It would be a bit of a waste to play that card now; however, given his current circumstances, there was no better opening move for Wuzhi to play. The move that he was planning to make would guarantee fantastic results.
“Some preparation is in order. There is no time to waste.”
There was no denying that some aspects of the scholar had changed. However, some aspects, such as his ability to plot, scheme and have fun while doing the prior had remained the same.
He was still Mu Wuzhi, Star of the Era, Emissary of the Heavens and the Sole Successor of the Heaven Scheming Devil.
And the world was soon going to meet him.
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‘You fought well, Yuelong. But unfortunately, this victory will belong to me.’
‘NO! I cannot lose! I must not lose! The Son of the Heavens can only win! I must win! I will do ANYTHING to win!’
‘Y-you! What are you doing!? CRAZY BASTARD! STOP THAT! I YIELD! I YEEIIIILLLDDD!!”
Darkness. Pitch-black darkness. And silence.
It was unknown how long he sat amidst this darkness and silence. Time did not exist within this realm. Nor did space. There was only darkness and silence.
Yuelong did not know where he was or what he was. He only knew that he was in this instant. He also knew that this instant would not last long. Soon, a voice would speak for him.
“You call for my strength?”
The voice spoke to him with a strange tongue; one that sounded infinitely old and mystically arcane. Yuelong did not recognize this language and obviously did not know it. However, for reasons unknown, he could perfectly understand the meaning of the words spoken to him.
The voice asked him a question, and it was only proper for him to answer. However, such an action was impossible given that he possessed no physical body, let alone a mouth or lips.
“Very well,” the voice continued, seemingly unbothered by his lack of answer. “You shall be given your ask. In exchange, you will be my ears.”
No sooner than it had finished uttering those terms, Yuelong felt a terrible, scalding pain tear at his ears –or at least, where he thought his ears were. The pain easily surpassed any other pain that he had ever suffered in his life. It was as if someone was reaching into his brain and patiently setting every nerve ending on fire.
The pain lasted for just another moment, and then there was silence. Cold and infinite silence.
The exchange was complete. It wouldn’t be long before he would be cast out of this space. However, for the shortest instant before that, Yuelong had a scene appear in front of him.
Bolts of red lightning arced across the inky-black sky.
Pale ground that is akin to bleached bones; littered with numerous craters large and small.
A black throne that was as tall and vast as a mountain.
And upon it, the hunched figure of a human man.
Yuelong awoke with a startle; his chest heaving furiously. His body desperately swallowed the air, seemingly as if it had been starved of it for several minutes. Cold sweat covered every inch of his body and completely wetted the blanket that he had been covering his body with.
‘A-again!’ Yuelong thought to himself. ‘It was that same dream once again!’
It was not an unfamiliar nightmare for Mu Yuelong. He had been having the same one every night since he had woken up from the unconscious after having utilized the [Sacrifice Path] to eke out a victory against Fairy Baixue during their duel in the South Aislan Continent almost two months ago.
The contents of the nightmare were always the same; Darkness and silence at first, then came the foreign voice stating the terms, followed by indescribable pain and ending with that dreadful imagery.
Fully awake, Yuelong spent a few minutes to recover his breath. He then cast aside the sweat-soaked blanket and stepped down onto the plush silken carpet on the floor. Naked from the waist up and covered in cold sweat, Yuelong walked towards the bathroom and stopped before the sink.
Staring at the image of himself in the mirror, Yuelong sighed at how terribly unkempt he looked. Thick dark circles outlined his tired eyes, his skin looked haggard and pale, and his hair stood up like dry straws… to call him ‘sickly-looking’ would not be a stretch.
Shaking his head, he inhaled deeply for a moment before moving to twist the tap on the sink. Water immediately rushed out in a plentiful pour and wetted his hands.
Almost immediately, a depressed look overcame his face as he heavily sighed once more.
The sound of the gushing water did not greet him.