Chapter 408: Meeting

As Yun Yang walked in, he suddenly recalled the echoes of an odd question, "After meeting you today, I realized that I have greatly misjudged your prowess in the past. What I understand of your cultivation base now is that it reaches the pinnacle in this world; why, it probably doesn't pale compared to even that of Ling Xiaozui! That being said, how did Bai Yixue escape from you back then? With his cultivation base, it was impossible for him to survive even a casual slash from you; how could he be struck and live to tell the tale?"

It was strange indeed.

Before he met Jun Moyan, Yun Yang always thought that Old Bai was the penultimate expert.

As Yun Yang's cultivation base grew and heightened, especially when he had actually met Jun Moyan, he realized that Old Bai wasn't as imposing as he originally thought he was. Regardless of Old Bai's condition, Jun Moyan could cut Bai Yixue into a dozen pieces without even touching his sword.

It was the difference between heaven and earth, but how could the match go on for so long and for Bai Yixue to lose with just one strike's difference, his chest pierced by the sword - it was mythical and unbelievable!

Jun Moyan answered coldly, "Those who have fought me, anyone who is persistent about the sword, as long as they have done nothing heinous, I'll let them go alive. The fact that Bai Yixue didn't die and could even escape when his chest was pierced with a sword was because my stab was accompanied by a ray of sword energy that went into his organs to protect them so his basic Qi doesn't drain away. Naturally, he'd able to flee!"

Yun Yang was dumbstruck when he heard this. F*ck, how could you play this way? Why don't you just head straight to heaven and be a deity if you're so capable?

He couldn't help but ask aloud, "Why? Don't you know that one feeds a tiger to one's own detriment? It'll be your own fault when you're ambushed in the future!"

"I wanted to feed it." Jun Moyan answered with ease. "I'm not afraid of being ambushed, I'm more afraid of not having a worthy opponent to fight. Bai Yixue could be considered adept in swordsmanship as he could last, fighting with me for through ten different techniques without using mystical Qi cultivation base. He's one to watch out for."

In his mind, Yun Yang was somewhat appalled by this attitude. How arrogantly benevolent!

...

"Where's the man?" Yun Yang went into the room but saw no one, not even any bed or furniture.

Jun Moyan said faintly, "I've camouflaged it with a formation, but once it's opened, it can't be recovered."

Yun Yang sucked in a deep breath and said, "Open it then."

The tone was akin to an order.

Jun Moyan said nothing more, only waving his hand that gave birth to a flash of light. The air seemed to warp, like a transparent glass cracking.

Then, a bed appeared.

As Yun Yang began to gain sight of the bed and it's inhabitant, he felt indescribably upset; his tears were about to gush out. He inhaled deeply but felt the murderous intent and rampage run wild within him.

Old Dugu!

This wrinkled and friendly old man with the hunched back and the smell of oil and cooking wearing an apron in Yun Yang's impression was not laid straight on the bed. His wounds seemed to have been cared for, but flesh and blood were muddled up as wounds were peppered all over him.

The old man's right leg was gone. His left leg had been viciously hacked at, leaving only skin and flesh that held the limb in place. There were thousands of wounds across his entire body.

His face was not exempted from injury and was covered with gashes by the saber and sword; one of his eyes had disappeared, leaving behind an empty hole.

His right forearm had been hacked off while his left arm was relatively intact. Still, a dozen gashes decorated the limb. His chest seemed to be deflated; there must have been a number of heavy strikes that had caved in this old man's ribcage.

He was like a tattered doll now; there was not a piece of flesh on him that remained intact!

This was the result after Jun Moyan had patched him up!

"Why? How?" Yun Yang was dazed for a moment; his vision went pitch black, and he came close to fainting.

Before he actually met Old Dugu, he had played the various scenarios in his mind; he knew that Old Dugu must have definitely suffered a great deal of damage, but he had never expected his injuries to be so severe and devastating!

Just by looking at the injuries, it was easy to imagine how much of himself Old Dugu had put into the battle! He had fought to the extreme extent of even setting the strength of his soul aflame.

He must have faced several hundred people, or maybe more.

The old man laid quietly now; his chest did not rise and fall. It was like he had left this world.

"He's still alive." Jun Moyan's voice was anguished. "But he might as well be dead. His deific consciousness, soul, and willpower are all gone. What's left of him is the minute breath of life I delivered unto him to barely sustain this tattered physical body. I wouldn't even call it surviving. It's a wonder that he's alive..."

He heaved a deep sigh and turned away, unable to bring himself to continue looking at his brother's battered body.

Yun Yang placed his hand gently on Old Dugu's neck. Only this spot allowed him to feel the faint warmth and almost stagnant heartbeat of the old man.

"I've used countless spiritual medicines, but the only effect they garnered... was to sustain his last breath. That is all."

Jun Moyan said forlornly, "Sometimes, I am tempted to end his life with a clean slash, let him go easily, leave this cruel world. However, he obviously still has an unfulfilled wish. He still has the will to live, he's still hanging on. To be honest, it's not that I've helped him acquire that half a breath of life, it's more from him not giving up and persevering..."

"Otherwise, even when Old Dugu landed in the grasp of the enemy, he would still have to ability to kill himself... He would never wait until now - his dignity would never allow himself to go on living like this..."

"So, I used a formation to seal this entire space because only by doing so will Old Dugu's soul be unable to fully dissipate." Jun Moyan said in a murmur.

Yun Yang inhaled deeply. At this moment, he felt a wild impulse to massacre the Empire of Ziyou's people, billions of them.

It was too cruel!

"Old Dugu's cultivation base can put him as a top-notch expert in the Tianxuan Continent; he'd at least be at the level of heaven realm..." Yun Yang heard himself speaking flatly without any emotion. "How could he have been beaten up like this? There must be other reason."

Jun Moyan kept quiet for a bit and said, "When I came upon him, I felt the taint of Immortals' Odium on his breath. It should be this medicine's fault."

"Poisoned!"

Yun Yang pressed his lips together, his gaze was icy. "With Old Dugu's martial world experience and cautious behavior, being poisoned like this must not have been an accident. A veteran like him, one who assassinates people as a vocation, should be meticulous and careful in every step he takes. How poisoned so easily? I think Senior Jun must know this too."

Jun Moyan was silent for a long time before replying, "I certainly do. Rumor has it that he was poisoned by Ouyang Xiaoshe. His whereabouts were leaked out by Ouyang Xiaoshe as well."

Yun Yang tightened his fist, asking quietly, "Ouyang Xiaoshe? Why did he do this?"

"Dugu Jimo and Ouyang Xiaoshe were paralleled reputable assassins of their time. This time, when Dugu Jimo came to Zilong City, both of them somehow got in touch and agreed to act together... this was the outcome," Jun Moyan said.

"Then what about Ouyang Xiaoshe?" Yun Yang's eyes were ablaze.

"He is nowhere to be found, nor does anyone know about the details of this matter." Jun Moyan said, "What I know is limited to the fact that he betrayed Old Dugu and poisoned him. This person has since disappeared without a trace!"

"I plan to hunt Ouyang Xiaoshe down when the matter here is resolved - to annihilate this unscrupulous one for Old Dugu!" said Jun Moyan.

"There is no need. Please keep Ouyang Xiaoshe alive." Yun Yang said coldly, "Old Dugu still has family in this world. This vengeance need not be attained by an outsider!"

Jun Moyan was silent before saying, "Fair enough."

He looked at Yun Yang with a hint of surprise. The murderous intent Yun Yang exuded now almost made Jun Moyan, a paramount expert, feel slightly nervous.

"I'm going to start healing Old Dugu. I need absolute quiet and peace during the process.

Yun Yang closed his eyes and said quietly, "Regardless of the circumstances, I still have to thank you, Jun Moyan, for keeping this last breath of Old Dugu intact. Otherwise, nothing will work now!"

Jun Moyan sighed. Just as he was about to answer, Yun Yang had already closed his eyes and was already delivering his life force to repair Old Dugu's tattered form.

Jun Moyan stood motionless for a while without saying anything, before turning to go to the door. His gaze flickered to the solemn winter scenery forlornly.

His heart of the sword had returned to him after receiving Yun Yang's thanks and acknowledgment; he had done his part after all.

Yet somehow, chills curled from the bottom of his heart; it was a piercing and unforgiving cold!

He knew that from this moment onwards, the last relation that tied him down in this world was gone.

From now onwards, there would only be the sword to accompany him in this life.

He had long sought after this way of life, but for some reason, when this stage had finally come to him, he felt an unexplainable sense of despondency.

Loneliness.

"How lonely..."

Jun Moyan sighed dejectedly.

He could feel his last friend slipping away, leaving him behind.