MJWCATFPITWOC Chapter 85

Chapter 85: A Thought Away

Chapter 85: A Thought Away

A villager stood in front of Bai Guchen, blood flowing from a shocking wound that split his chest. Bai Guchen narrowly dodged the attack.

He retreated a few steps and, after seeing the two figures clearly, the tightly furrowed brows slowly relaxed. A slight smile tugged at the corner of his lips, and his expression turned manic again as he stared at the newcomers, “Finally out?”

It was Shen Yucheng and Mo Yifeng, though both were covered in mud and dust, a stark contrast to their usual handsome and dashing appearances.

Bai Guchen shoved aside the villager blocking his path, letting the man’s broken body fall heavily to the ground. He said with regret, “What a pity, just a little bit more… Before you came out, I could have finished them all off.”

Seeing this, Shen Yucheng’s brows furrowed, and he stared coldly at Bai Guchen.

Li Juemu, who had been in despair as if he had fallen into the abyss, watched as Shen Yucheng and Mo Yifeng burst out of the ground covered in mud, charging toward Bai Guchen. For a moment, he didn’t know whether to continue despairing or burst out laughing.

Mo Yifeng quickly stepped between the two, his gaze falling on the people being suppressed by the stone statue on the ground. A sly glint flashed in his eyes.

He went straight to the three people on the ground, squatted down, and poked the top of one of their black heads, his tone extremely gleeful, “Oh? Why do these people look so familiar? Do I know them?”

The scene fell silent. No one answered.

Or rather, no one dared to answer.

The hair on the three people on the ground was soaked.

Shen Yucheng: “…” Were they sweating from fear?

Mo Yifeng seemed to have found something amusing and continued to provoke them with great interest.

“I was wondering, how could I see the Vice Sect Leader here?”

“The dignified Vice Sect Leader is being pinned to the ground?”

“So, it’s really not the Vice Sect Leader?”

“Then what about the other two? Sect Leaders?”

“Should I help you cover your faces? To prevent your disciples from seeing their Sect Leaders being pinned to the ground and shattering their dreams.”

Shen Yucheng couldn’t stand it anymore and was about to stop him when, the next second, the three people on the ground raised their heads in unison and said to Mo Yifeng, “Yes, please.”

Shen Yucheng’s lips twitched slightly: “…”

It seemed they cared quite a bit about this, and they were very interested in Mo Yifeng’s suggestion.

Mo Yifeng finally couldn’t help but burst into laughter. Then, he pressed their heads back to the ground one by one, laughing as he said, “I’ll see how I feel. Suddenly, I think this is pretty good too.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a flash of silver light appeared. The Crimson longsword was drawn, aiming straight for Bai Guchen!

This sudden attack caught everyone off guard. Just as it was about to succeed, a stone hand abruptly blocked the way. The Crimson longsword was as nimble as a snake, slipping past from the side. The stone statue seemed to have not expected it to be so agile and hastily mobilized all its power to try to intercept it.

Almost at the same time as all the stone hands lunged at the Crimson longsword, Mo Yifeng didn’t need to say anything. Shen Yucheng immediately understood and acted, rescuing the three people pinned to the ground.

Bai Guchen stood in the back. Seeing this, he gritted his teeth in anger and immediately ordered the stone statue to stop, “Shen Yucheng, which side are you on?”

Shen Yucheng was confused by this inexplicable question.

Which side?

Bai Guchen frowned even deeper when he saw his bewildered expression, “Didn’t you see what’s underneath?”

Shen Yucheng settled Fu Lingxuan and the others in a safe place, his expression calm, “I saw it.”

“Then don’t you have any thoughts?” Bai Guchen pressed closer.

Shen Yucheng pondered for a moment and said faintly, “I do.”

Bai Guchen’s brows relaxed, his interest piqued, “Tell me.”

Shen Yucheng slowly said, “I want to know, what did you do in Yining Village three years ago?”

When he came up, he had already calmly considered the situation. This incident was undoubtedly Bai Guchen’s doing, and the mutated villagers were also his creation.

And the villagers of Yining Village had been “dealt with” by someone as early as three years ago. So, it could be inferred that the problem had already existed at least three years ago, or even earlier.

His intuition told him that all of this was related to Bai Guchen, but the records on the wall didn’t mention a word.

He could only ask in person.

Bai Guchen was silent for a moment, then lowered his head and sighed, “I thought you could deduce something…”

“That’s right, three years ago, or perhaps even earlier, after you and I fought, in a place in the Southern Region, do you know what I discovered?” Bai Guchen sneered, “Since you’ve already seen the records on the wall, then you should understand that Baili’s death is inextricably linked to Jitan Village. So, I slaughtered the village.”

“But I didn’t expect that after so many years, I thought I had already succeeded in taking revenge, but in reality… it was far from enough!!!” Bai Guchen became more and more agitated as he spoke, his tone almost out of control, as if the scene from back then was reappearing before his eyes.

“Do you know why people from the various major sects were able to arrive at Jitan Village so quickly back then and lie in wait to encircle and capture Baili?”

“In the far north, under the biting cold wind and heavy snow, how could an ordinary commoner quickly send a message to the sects far away in the central region?”

As Shen Yucheng listened, his expression gradually changed.

Seeing this, Bai Guchen sneered, “Yes, yes, yes, it’s just like you’re thinking! Those lowly people! The people of Jitan Village passed the message to the nearby villages! This Yining Village! The messages were passed on one after another, and soon they reached the outside world.”

Shen Yucheng frowned, not expecting that there was this link in the process of Baili being encircled and captured back then. In Bai Guchen’s eyes, Yining Village was undoubtedly an accomplice to Baili’s death, guilty just like Jitan Village.

But even so, it couldn’t be the reason for him to wantonly slaughter so many people.

Bai Guchen said coldly, “Of course, I couldn’t leave any loose ends. So, when I recovered, I immediately rushed here and told them about what happened a thousand years ago. Although these people are no longer the same people from back then, since they were reincarnated here, their very existence is a sin. Someone must pay the price for this debt.”

He paused, a strange smile appearing at the corner of his lips, “However, I didn’t go as far as killing everyone.”

“Back then, I gave them a choice. As long as each household handed over one person for me to kill, I would let them go.”

As he finished speaking, his gaze locked tightly onto Shen Yucheng, as if waiting for some kind of reaction.

“Do you know what choice they made back then?”

Shen Yucheng was silent, just quietly looking at Bai Guchen.

Bai Guchen noticed his gaze and instantly withdrew his smile, his face gloomy, “Don’t look at me like that. I just wanted them to taste the feeling of losing a loved one too. Why should they be able to do that, but I have to be merciful to them?!”

…

He paused for a moment, his voice becoming low, “But they weren’t willing. They weren’t willing to hand over important people. They weren’t willing… Heh, then why should I be willing?!”

Bai Guchen’s breathing became rapid, his eyes bloodshot, the smile on his face manic, “Haha… hahaha… Back then, I gave them three days, and I specifically released demon beasts to guard them, to prevent them from escaping. Then, you should know what happened next better than I do, Shen Yucheng?”

“Those villagers, in order to protect their loved ones, began to try to resist me in every possible way. They racked their brains and finally thought of spiritual power. That’s right, the only thing that could protect them and get rid of me at the same time.”

“…”

“So, you, Shen Yucheng, who reached out to help Yining Village back then! Became their first target to seize spiritual power from!”

At this point, he burst into wild laughter, his whole person like a demon who had crawled back from hell.

However, the funny thing was, this hell was called the mortal realm.

Mo Yifeng slowly walked to Shen Yucheng’s side. Bai Guchen looked at him coldly, his tone mocking, “You shouldn’t have forgotten, right? Back then, those villagers saw you as if they had grabbed onto a lifeline. As long as they saw a glimmer of hope, they would drag that straw into the abyss without hesitation. Their selfishness is simply… disgusting.”

“Shen Yucheng, I just want you to take a good look at what kind of people you’ve been protecting. People who, for the sake of interests and survival, can drag others into darkness without hesitation.”

“Even now, do you still think they’re not wrong? Do you still think this world that drove the great hero of the war between immortals and demons to extinction is beautiful?”

“Answer me!!!”

Shen Yucheng stood in place, meeting Bai Guchen’s angry gaze, but only felt an indescribable sorrow in those eyes.

He could feel Bai Guchen’s disgust for this world, the world that took away his lover. He hated it to the core.

But ironically, he was still living here, constantly tormenting himself for thousands of years, lingering in the memories of the past, and even forgetting who he was, forgetting the meaning of living, forgetting what his lover looked like.

Therefore, he carved those words on the wall underground.

That wasn’t to let future generations know the truth, but because he was afraid that one day, he himself would forget all of this.

The deeper the love, the more intense the hate.

Wasn’t this another form of attachment?

Attachment to this world that once gave birth to the person he loved.

Shen Yucheng couldn’t answer.

He couldn’t tell Bai Guchen that he was right.

But he also couldn’t say that what the sects had done was right.

They were all just acting to protect the “justice” in their hearts.

He had understood this principle the moment he walked out of the slums.

Right and wrong often lie in a single thought.

As he pondered, he suddenly felt a warmth envelop his palm. He looked up. Mo Yifeng was holding his hand, not saying anything, but Shen Yucheng could feel a sense of stability, and the gloom in his heart gradually dissipated.

Bai Guchen looked at this scene, pointing at them blankly, his voice trembling, “… I understand… It’s him, it must be him!! Shen Yucheng! He’s still alive, that’s why you can’t understand me!!”

Before he could finish speaking, his actions were faster than his thoughts.

Several giant stone statues and a crowd of villagers attacked Mo Yifeng together!

Just as Shen Yucheng was about to condense golden threads in his hand, the person beside him held it down, and a faint voice came to his ear, “No need.”

The next moment, the huge Crimson longsword landed, countless crimson swords split apart, covering the entire sky. A single sweep instantly pierced the chests of the villagers, rendering them unable to move.

The feet of the stone statues were filled with sharp little crimson swords, making them unable to move.

The villagers all gathered to Shen Yucheng’s side. Li Juemu and the disciples could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Li Juemu was about to remind Shen Yucheng that Bai Guchen possessed the ability to instantly materialize stone statues out of thin air.

Fu Lingxuan and the others had just woken up and were lying on the ground, looking towards the chaotic place. Then, they saw a shocking scene and couldn’t help but exclaim, “Be careful—”

However, it was too late.

A giant stone statue fell from the sky, crashing down on Shen Yucheng’s head!

This exaggerated fighting method was the first time they had seen it.

Just when everyone thought there was no way to avoid it, a reflective object appeared out of thin air in Shen Yucheng’s hand, instantly expanding several times and blocking above their heads.

Seeing this, Bai Guchen’s face changed drastically, becoming extremely ugly. He immediately summoned new stone statues again.

The next second, a spatial rift suddenly appeared above his head.

The stone statue that he had just released was teleported to above his head!

The two stone statues collided with a loud bang. Due to the extremely fast falling speed, the impact force was extremely amazing, instantly exploding and scattering the aftermath. Creatures in the field fled in all directions.

Shen Yucheng slowly retracted the Puppet Shadow Remnant Mirror, the mirror surface gently floating in his palm.

This scene was seen by the three people who had just woken up, Fu Lingxuan and the others.

Fu Lingxuan’s vision was blurry, and he could only vaguely see the back view. At first, he only thought that the person next to Mo Yifeng looked familiar. It wasn’t until he saw that mirror that his mind suddenly shook.

Ten years ago, he had personally seen this magical artifact, and it belonged to only one person.

He didn’t know if it was due to excessive blood loss, but he felt a sharp pain in his brain, which was very chaotic.

Li Yuan also saw this scene, his jaw completely unable to close, “Hey, this is impossible, right… How could that mirror be in his hands? Who… who is he?”

Lingyi tried hard to crane her neck, “I’m… short-sighted, can you tell me who the person next to Mo Yifeng is?”

Unfortunately, the three fell silent.

Finally, a cheerful voice came from afar—

“Brother Yucheng, you were so handsome just now.”