After using the talisman, Li Yang quickly reappeared far away from where he had used it. Despite the great distance he had pa.s.sed, he found that the area around him looked practically the same as the area where he had first appeared after stepping into the white door. He swept the surrounding silver beasts with his gaze, but there was no sign of Jing Yimu. He closed his eyes for a short second, straining his ears and picking up sounds of battle from the distance.A slight smile appeared on Li Yang"s face as he turned towards the sound of battle. He was just about to crush another talisman when an idea struck him. He grabbed the spear tightly, using the tip to slice open the armor that Jing Yimu had given him. The armor was indeed strong, strong enough to defend against the attacks of the silver beasts. But when it was Li Yang who attacked the armor, it was completely different. He had customized the armor with blood shortly after entering the mountain, so if he wanted it to be weak, then it would be weak.
He slashed wounds all over his body, completely tearing the armor and drenching it with his own blood, a dark glint in his eyes. Jinwu c.o.c.ked his head when he saw his actions, but he could somewhat guess at what Li Yang was thinking, so he didn"t say anything. Once the armor was completely torn and ruined, he pulled out another talisman and crushed it, flying through s.p.a.ce once more.
When he was done being flung through s.p.a.ce, the area around him still looked the same, but he could see someone battling not too far from him. Jing Yimu was surrounded by a horde of beasts, the sword in his hand flashing with a cold light as he continuously swung it. Despite being completely surrounded, he had yet to be wounded, his robe only somewhat torn.
Li Yang"s lips curled into a grim grin for a short second, but he quickly collected himself. He had just been flung through s.p.a.ce, so he was now falling towards the ground a short distance below him, towards the horde of beasts. Li Yang glanced at the horde of beasts below him. The beasts raised their heads when they sensed him, opening their maws and trying to tear at him with their claws. Seeing this scene, Li Yang put on a horrified expression, screaming out in a terrified voice.
"MASTER YIMU!"
He could see a shiver run through Jing Yimu"s body when he heard the scream. Jing Yimu ignored the screams, hurriedly turning around, his eyes landing on Li Yang, who was about to be swarmed by beasts. His face rapidly paled when he saw the wretched state that Li Yang was in, his body covered in blood. His voice could not help but crack slightly as he called out.
"LITTLE YANG!?"
Jing Yimu slashed furiously at the beasts around him, dashing forward at full speed. Even when the attacks of a few beasts landed on him, wounding him and drawing blood, he continued to ignore it, his terrified eyes glued onto the falling Li Yang. He was so worried that he did not even question how Li Yang arrived there, a.s.suming that he had made a mistake while using the talismans.
Since Jing Yimu practically ignored the beasts around him, he quickly reached Li Yang, even managing to reach him before he was completely surrounded by beasts. He opened both arms wide, embracing Li Yang in a tight hug and using his own body to shield him from the incoming attacks. The claws of the beasts landed on his back, tearing deep wounds into it. With his Qi completely suppressed, his defense had fallen to a point where even a normal mortal could wound him.
Safe within Jing Yimu"s tight embrace, Li Yang"s grin only grew wider and grimmer, his plan had worked better than he ever hoped it could. Li Yang tightened his grip on the spear, an idea appearing within his mind. He raised his eyes slightly, his mind connecting with Jinwu, who was flying a little above him. The flying Jinwu gave a slight nod of his head, his body turning into a stream of golden energy that entered Li Yang"s body, unnoticed by Jing Yimu.
When Jinwu entered Li Yang"s body, their fusion ability activated. Li Yang"s tattered armor turned into a magnificent golden robe decorated with golden crows, his pitch black eyes turning a deep golden. Two icy blue wings should appear on his back, but Li Yang prevented them from appearing, lest Jing Yimu, who was fully focused on shielding Li Yang, notice them.
Li Yang"s body felt like it was filled with power, a smile appearing on his face as he realized his idea had proved correct. Upon fusing with Jinwu, he became something that was neither human nor Divine beast, a type of being he had never heard of before. And now, it seemed like even this strange mountain could not suppress the fire and ice that was flowing within his body.
Li Yang tightly grasped the spear, golden flames flooding into the spear as he delivered a lightning-quick stab with it. He was within Jing Yimu"s embrace, so how could Jing Yimu dodge? Why would he even think to dodge, after all, he was embracing his dear disciple, a person he viewed as his own son. The spear pierced through Jing Yimu"s chest, golden flames bursting forth and swallowing the surrounding area.
The silver beasts started to quickly melt under the heat of the golden flames, but Li Yang completely ignored them, his gaze locked onto Jing Yimu. Jing Yimu"s mouth and eyes were wide open filled with disbelief. The flames that were ravaging his body prevented him from even bleeding, his blood evaporating. He lowered his head slowly, his gaze landing on Li Yang and filling with pain, pain at being betrayed. In a low voice, he managed to squeeze out the words.
"Little Yang...Why?"
Jing Yimu could not understand it. The pain he felt from his wounds were nothing compared to the pain he felt at the betrayal. Under his sad eyes, Li Yang"s lips cracked into a grim grin, his eyes turning sharp and prideful, an expression Jing Yimu had never seen on this Li Yang. Li Yang swept the surroundings, which were burning with golden flames, a loud laughter escaping his lips.
"Hahaha! It"s not quite as good as that nameless hill, but this strange mountain will make for a fine burial ground for you, Jing Yimu."
At first, Jing Yimu was confused at Li Yang"s words. But as he looked closely at Li Yang, seeing the prideful and ferocious expression in his eyes, his looks started to slowly overlap with someone he knew long ago. Coupled with the words Li Yang had just spoken, words very few people knew, it quickly clicked in his mind, his trembling voice sounding out.
"Little Yang...No...Thunder Monarch...You...Are still alive?"
His voice not only contained sadness, it contained a strange sense of relief, even a bit of joy. Li Yang pulled the spear out of Jing Yimu"s chest, taking a few steps backward. The beasts in the surroundings were all melting under the golden flames, so it was only Li Yang and Jing Yimu. Li Yang"s merciless gaze stayed on Jing Yimu the entire time, his voice chilly.
"No, the Thunder Monarch died countless years ago, died because of you. I am no longer the Thunder Monarch, I am Li Yang. Oh, how about Crow Emperor? That"s a pretty good t.i.tle."
When he got to the end of his sentence, Li Yang glanced at the golden crow robe he was wearing, the grin on his face turning somewhat joyful. Right now, he was feeling truly joyful, almost bubbling with happiness. Even with Jing Yimu"s strong lifeforce, he would soon die, buried in a mountain all alone. Jing Yimu stretched out an arm as if he was trying to grab a hold of Li Yang, his lips forming a smile.
"My brother... I am...Glad...That you are still alive."
Li Yang"s eyes could not help but narrow when he heard how Jing Yimu called him, seeing Jing Yimu so happy also made him rather annoyed, as he could tell that Jing Yimu was truly happy at seeing him alive. But no matter how happy he was, Li Yang would still rob him of everything today.
"You don"t have the right to call me that, you lost that right the day you sprouted the idea to kill Ying"er."
Jing Yimu took a staggering step forward, trying his best to move closer to Li Yang. He was happy from the bottom of his heart. His idol and best friend had been reborn. Now he could become who he should have been in the past, without the corruption of that monster. Before Jing Yimu got to move any closer, Li Yang raised the orange spear, which was now dyed completely golden, his voice colder than the winds from h.e.l.l.
"Jing Yimu, this spear is for all the things that I lost because of you. I pray that your soul never manages to reach reincarnation."
After Li Yang spoke out, he stabbed out with the spear. Golden flames and an icy mist twisted around the tip of the spear, s.p.a.ce trembling slightly under their gathered might. The spear stabbed into Jing Yimu"s chest, the two elements exploding as Jing Yimu let out a few weak words, his relieved and hopeful gaze locked onto Li Yang.
"My...Brother..."
With the elements exploding, the left half of Jing Yimu"s body turned to ash, while the right half was frozen solid, quickly shattering and turning into dust. Li Yang looked at the dust and ash, which was quickly blown away by the slight breeze that was present in the mountain. His gaze was steely, his voice still chilly.
"Goodbye, Jing Yimu."
Not even Jing Yimu"s interspatial ring remained, shattered after turning to ice, its content lost in the void that was s.p.a.ce. Perhaps someone might find the contents one day, but Li Yang could not be bothered to care about it. He raised his head slightly, staring at the ceiling of the cave above him, a smile appearing on his face.
"Xue"er, Ying"er. I did it, I killed the one who was responsible for your deaths. In the future, I will bury everyone who joined him and aided in your deaths. Everyone who breathed the air on that nameless hill, everyone who breathed the air in those emerald volcanoes, I will bury them all, a funeral pyre for the past."
His gaze flashed with lightning and fire as he spoke, the fires burning around him growing in intensity. Jing Yimu had been one of the main instigators, but he was not the only one who had taken part in the deaths of Fang Ying and Fang Xue"er. But Li Yang was not impatient. He had time, plenty of time. Eventually, he would turn all who had taken part in those days to ash. Jinwu"s worried caw rang out in his mind, but Li Yang responded with a bright smile.
"It"s okay, I am fine. Let us finish this last trial, then it won"t be long before we can leave this place."