Kael

Chapter 15: Kael

Under the dead of night, even the moon's radiance was snuffed out by the oppressive black clouds that blanketed the sky.

Bodies lay scattered in a macabre pile in a secluded part of the forest, the aftermath of a brutal and bloody battle. The air was thick with the metallic scent of blood, drawing all manner of wild animals eager to feast on the fallen.

"Ugh..."

Amidst the cacophony of chomping sounds from the feasting animals, a faint groan emerged from the pile of bodies.

Ears twitched as the animals froze, their attention fixated on the source of the sound. Silently, they crept closer, drawn by the promise of fresh prey.

Thump!

With a loud crash, two corpses were forcefully cast aside, revealing a bloodstained figure struggling to free himself from the gruesome mound.

The animals recoiled in fright, leaping back two steps. But upon realizing he was still alive, they quickly regained their composure and advanced with renewed ferocity, determined to claim his life.

Yet, the youth hardly noticed the imminent danger. He remained seated in a daze, seemingly oblivious to the peril surrounding him.

"The sensation one experiences on the brink of death is always so pleasurable?" he mused, examining his blood-streaked hands as his eyes glazed over.

Awoo!

The howl of a Rank 2 Hundred Beast King wolf pierced the night as the beast lunged toward the youth.

He turned his head, his eyes gleaming with a bloodthirsty intensity, his bloodstained face twisted in a grim expression. The killing intent in his gaze was as sharp as two swords, stabbing into the wolf's eyes.

Whoosh!

The wolf skidded to a halt, trembling as it recoiled in terror. The rest of the wolves, witnessing the demonic pair of eyes brimming with murderous intent, began to retreat in fear.

Despite his frail appearance, the animals' instincts screamed of the danger the youth posed—a threat far greater than that of a Rank 4 gu master.

As silence set in once again, the youth took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

After some time, he reopened his eyes and looked at the beautiful girl in front of him with a gaze so terrifying that even beasts from the depths of hell would cower in fear.

The girl, adorned in fine white robes, had milky white skin that made her appear as a heavenly beauty, a rare treasure born once in a thousand years. However, in his eyes, there was no lust for her, only clear disappointment.

"Ren Sasaki, I am disappointed in you. I had great expectations for you. I didn't think I would have to discard you this quickly. Simply disappointing," Kael said as he released his suppressed killing intent. 

"I am sorry, Master, for not being worthy enough to fulfill your expectations. I shall be punished. Please end this failure of a life. Please kill me. I don't deserve to live," Sasaki slowly presented her bare throat in front of him.

"Okay, shut your trash mouth and tell me what went wrong with the plan. Why is Ren Meng still alive? He should be dead. Why the heck is he still alive? Huh... I also gave you so many precious gu's and weapons to kill him, and he is not even injured.

Maybe he is slightly, but I looked at his vitality. Both his body and soul were in perfect condition, his soul even more vibrant than before."

Sasaki bend her head even more due to shame she was feeling. "As the master ordered, I told my grandfather what you instructed me to say and gave him the chauiliqdaus poison. The old man said the plan had succeeded. I didn't just believe his words; I saw him consuming the tea myself.

I also used the gu you gave me to confirm it, and the result was that he was truly dead, devoid of any vitality and soul."

"Then how is he alive? Are you telling me that the poison I gave was ineffective?"

"It's not that, master. I... just failed to fulfill your order. I deserved be killed. Please kill me, master!"

"You are too precious to be killed at this moment. But I shall punish you, "

"This lowly slave is happy"

"Hmm... Go and spy on Ren Meng and inform me if anything significant happens. If you get caught, kill yourself. If you can't even do that, you are nothing more than a pile of trash and no longer useful to me."

"Also, what about the old man? Don't tell me you also failed in that. If you did, there's no need for you to go spying. You aren't worthy."

If you can't even scheme against that old man of yours, then Ren Meng is far ahead of you. Don't fail to see Mount Tai."

"The old man was too defenseless against me. I didn't have to do much for that plan to succeed," Sasaki said with her voice clear and pleasureful as always.

"Okay, good. After all, you aren't complete trash."

"This slave obeys the master's order. Please permit me to leave."

"Hmm..."

Ren Sasaki left like a swift shadow, moving with the grace of flowing water and the swiftness of passing air.

If the poison I had given her was truly ineffective, then I couldn't do anything against him. That poison was not some ordinary mortal concoction; it was a legendary poison obtained from an immemorial beast.

That poison could even easily destroy the soul of a Rank 7 immortal, and Ren Meng was merely a Rank 4 gu master.

There is no way he can survive that. The only chance is that he is protected by something beyond a Rank 8 gu immortal.

No, I am overthinking it. But I lose nothing by being overly cautious. How cautious was he? To use a Rank 8 legendary poison just to kill a Rank 4 gu master and still failed.

He should be frustrated by this, but he did not lose his calm and cold demeanor, just as he never had.

He knew the path of a gu master is cruel, a path only of killing or being killed. Before embarking on this path, he asked himself, asked his inner self if he truly desired it, and the answer was clear.

From that day until now, everything he did was for his goals, and only his goals. In this world, there is no one but him and his ambitions.

Since deciding to walk the path of a gu master, he had not smiled once, frowned once, or screamed even once. No matter the happiness, sadness, or pain, he always remained calm because he knew that suffering is not eternal.

Suffering and defeat are just ways to shape one's path and character, refining them into a near-perfect being.

If he were to become saddened and frustrated by such a defeat, he should abandon his goals of eternal life and go sell fruits and vegetables like a petty mortal.

If he can't even control his emotions, he isn't worthy of being 'his' true inheritor; he deserves to die.

As the night wore on, the oppressive black clouds began to disperse, slowly revealing the pristine canvas of the sky above.

One by one, the clouds melted away, retreating into the vast expanse of the horizon. With their departure, the moon's radiant glow was no longer obscured, casting a silvery light across the landscape.

The stars emerged from their veiled slumber, twinkling like countless diamonds scattered across a velvet tapestry. The moon hung high and majestic, its serene face illuminating the forest with an ethereal glow.

Kael laid there calmly on the dead corpses as he slowly reached his hand towards the night sky and made the grasping motion, almost as if he wished to grab ahold the stars shining above.

"I walk where dreams have no end, A path that is not protected by a venerable or a society.

The stars above, cold and bright, Watch me with their ancient vision. I have no home, no fireplace, no relatives, Only the will that burns within me.

Love is a flame that dies too quickly, I seek the fire that will last forever. I do not grieve, I do not cry, My heart is too deep and too dark.

Pity means dying too slowly. Through many chances, and through the cruel whirl of time, I have cast aside what could have been.

The will of heaven, a cage of gold, But I am stone, unburned, unquenched. No dawn, no twilight, Only an endless step, A demon's heart, cold as the tide.

Let all things break, Let all things die,

I alone will remain - I alone will defy, I alone will kill,

I alone will laugh at the death of very being till the eternal end."

....

Author's thought:

Please give this poor cultivator some power stones,

It's not that I love begging, If I could I will exhort and plunder you,

Let's set the power stone goal,

If the power stones reached 200 this week, I will release 3 extra chapter.

Bye Bye,