Chapter 1212
Chapter 1212: This power does not belong to you; you have been living in lies
The older man in his black robe floated in the sky like an unyielding shroud of darkness. His bent form carried an air of exceptional age.
“Barbara…” He called out to her, his voice filled with curiosity and concern.
Why have you transformed like this? Who is responsible for such a change?
His gaze settled on the girl standing before him, her demeanor as cold as ice. He found it difficult to believe, so he ventured to speak further.
Barbara remained unchanged, her icy eyes fixed upon him. “Do you still intend to hide it from me at this moment?”
“Hide what?” He questioned, seemingly taken aback by her words.
Barbara’s eyes grew even colder, devoid of any warmth.
It appears you have grown, no longer the little girl who used to revolve around her grandfather.
The black-robed man was incredulous at her words and couldn’t help but murmur,”Do you believe discussing this now will change anything?”
Barbara’s eyes remained unyielding. “Is there any point in continuing to conceal it?”
Upon hearing this, the black-robed man was momentarily stunned, staring straight at Barbara. He knew these words came directly from her, not someone else.
“Hehe…”
Suddenly, he broke into unabashed laughter, no longer concealing his amus.e.m.e.nt. The face beneath the hood resembled a withered tree trunk with hollow eye sockets. It bore none of the gentleness Barbara had once known but exuded indifference.
“I’m curious how you orchestrated all of this,” the black-robed man inquired as he surveyed the harrowing, purgatorial scene before him. His demeanor remained indifferent as he addressed Barbara.
He had sensed a disturbance in the p.a.w.ns he had placed within the Barbarian G.o.d Sect. The vitality had vanished, and communication was lost. He couldn’t arrive here from his tribe, let alone witness the horrors before him firsthand.
In his perspective, Barbara, who had adhered to the rules and followed a predetermined destiny, should never have uncovered the truth. Furthermore, the ma.s.sacre that had befallen the entire Barbarian G.o.d Sect was beyond anyone’s ability to withstand. Corpses and bloodshed littered the landscape, and resistance seemed futile.
It was an utterly astonishing sight. Barbara’s entire body was drenched in blood, resembling a delicate flower caught in a torrential downpour of crimson rain. Her porcelain-like face, marred by the same blood, remained impa.s.sive as she spoke.
I’m even more curious why you’ve concealed the truth from me all this time, my dear grandfather.
Lying to me all this time? I find that hard to believe.
Am I the one who’s lying? Or has your memory of the past ten years been fabricated?
“If you had been honest and adhered to the predetermined path of growth, then I would still call you my grandfather.”
“But you were never supposed to know the truth in advance.”
Upon hearing this, the older man in the black robe suddenly smirked. Barbara interpreted his smile as ironic and scornful.
Still my grandfather? Is that the answer you’re giving me?
Barbara’s eyes betrayed some tumultuous emotions.
“Grandfather…”
But for the sake of addressing me as Grandpa, I’ll tell you this: Regardless of the reason, you knew the truth in advance.
“But you can’t escape the destiny that awaits you.”
“This is the destiny from which you cannot break free.”
The black-robed man’s words were cold, and the smile on his lips was cruel.
Destiny?
Barbara heard the word again, her expression still icy, unfazed by it.
“You deceived me, ensnared me—does that fit your definition of destiny?”
“You even remember being ensnared; it seems you’ve regained your past memories,” the black-robed man sneered even more.
Past memories?
Barbara was shocked. She hadn’t expected to hear such a mind-boggling revelation. In other words, she had previously possessed different memories—perhaps more distant ones.
At this moment, a splitting headache gripped her like the world-shattering before her. Chaotic memories surged, intertwining the false and the real, creating a vortex of confusion.
Barbara found herself trapped in a perplexing blur, uncertain of what was reality and what was mere illusion.
“Hehe, it appears you remain unaware,” the black-robed old man taunted. There was a trace of pity in his eyes.
Descending methodically from lofty heights, he emitted a daunting aura, attempting to bend Barbara to his will to restore the world to its original course. Yet, Barbara’s momentary confusion swiftly dissipated.
Her gaze turned icy, a radiant power surging within her palm like exploding stars. It bore the strength granted to her by Gu Changge, endowing her with almost boundless, invincible might in her current world. Even the mightiest elder of the Barbaric G.o.d Sect had fallen before her.
This isn’t your power. Who is aiding you?
The black-robed man’s expression shifted dramatically. His eyes darted about, no longer looking down upon her, searching for clues. Barbara couldn’t had acquired such power in so short, even with her regained memories of past lives.
In other words, a peerless expert lurked by her side. This individual illuminated certain truths and bestowed upon her this terrifying might. For the black-robed older man, these actions posed a direct threat to his plans, compelling him to uncover this person and take action to rectify matters.
It seems you’re unable to perceive Senior’s presence.
Barbara deduced the truth from the black-robed man’s expression. After all, Gu Changge stood beside her in the visible void, yet her grandfather remained entirely blind to him.
With this realization, Barbara felt an overwhelming sense of rea.s.surance. Her senior’s strength and origin were nothing short of unfathomable. Although she remained oblivious to the conspiracies and schemes that lay ahead, the presence of her old at her side steadied her resolve.
Attack!!!
Barbara’s voice was cold as ice as she moved, akin to a female Shura drenched in blood rain, launching an a.s.sault on the black-robed older man.
“You underestimate the river you swim in. Do you truly believe that, with the a.s.sistance of an expert, you can escape your predetermined destiny?” The black-robed man’s tone was condescending.
You cannot.
“You remain oblivious to what awaits you.” His sneer was contemptuous as he raised his colossal palm, obscuring the sky and the sun, and brought it crashing down upon Barbara.
At this moment, his aura had surged beyond even the so-called ninth-level cultivators. Yet, there were no witnesses among the local cultivators to behold this spectacle.
The battleground, which happened to be the Barbarian G.o.d Sect, could hardly endure such destruction. The heavens and earth quaked and rumbled as ancient laws and order were disrupted, and runic symbols were obliterated. The aftermath was nothing short of devastating. Vast mountains were reduced to ash and ruin.
The fabric of the sky and earth seemed to shift, radiating a divine brilliance sweeping tens of thousands of miles. For ordinary cultivators, this was a once-in-a-millennium phenomenon.
The battle between the two t.i.tans was cataclysmic. Even the black-robed older man was astounded and disbelieving afterward. His power had surpa.s.sed the Ninth Realm of this world, yet he found it exceedingly difficult to subdue Barbara.
“Who is that person behind you?” The black-robed man shouted, his eyes dimming. A portal appeared behind him, revealing the primal, ancient aura of the barbarian tribe where Barbara resided.
“Curse you,” Barbara realized his intentions and reluctantly ceased her a.s.sault, her eyes icy.
She wished to shatter the image of the man she once held in the highest regard as a grandfather-like figure.
“It’s unwise to be overly sentimental. This strength isn’t yours, and you can’t protect the loved ones behind you,” the black-robed man sneered, somewhat self-satisfied.
After all, he had been like a grandfather to Barbara and understood her temperament well. He knew she was emotional and wouldn’t allow her tribe to be ignored.
“Tell me the source of your power.” The smile vanished from his face, replaced by indifference.
“Do you really want to know?” Barbara’s expression carried a hint of sarcasm.
“What do you mean?” The black-robed man was momentarily puzzled, sensing Barbara’s mockery, which sent a foreboding chill through him.
“Senior, he’s been here all along. Can’t you see him?” Barbara jeered.
The black-robed man’s heart quivered, realizing Barbara wasn’t attempting to deceive him. Could a formidable presence be lurking in the shadows, obscuring his vision of reality?
It appears Your Excellency is determined to intervene in this matter?
“Are you determined to be my adversary?” His gaze turned cold as he scanned the s.p.a.ce before him. Although he couldn’t perceive Gu Changge’s presence, he detected subtle alterations in the world.
“I’m just pa.s.sing by and aiding the poor little one.”
“However, to be your adversary? You’re not worthy.”
Soft words emanated from the void, and Gu Changge reappeared, draped in white attire purer than snow, radiating an otherworldly charm and a jade-like spiritual essence, resembling an exiled immortal in the mortal realm.
“Who are you?” The black-robed man’s pupils contracted, and his heart filled with dread. He had yet to sense Gu Changge’s arrival.
Gu Changge stood there, an embodiment of the world itself, his presence overwhelming, suppressing everything.
“Who am I? You are unworthy of knowing,” Gu Changge responded lightly, his gaze casually shifting towards the trembling black-robed man.
The older man in the black robe felt like he had been struck by lightning, paralyzed and powerless, his soul and blood congealing, a chill gripping his limbs.
Senior…
Barbara hadn’t antic.i.p.ated that Gu Changge’s presence would render the black-robed man so terrified that he couldn’t move.
“I…I let Senior down. Even with such immense power, I couldn’t resolve this on my own,” Barbara expressed her remorse and guilt.
She sensed that, with her current strength, she could defeat the black-robed man, perhaps even slay him. However, she was restrained on all sides and could only exert about sixty to seventy percent of her power. She had been threatened as well, forcing her to stop.
Gu Changge shook his head, not blaming her.
You’ve done well. Confronting your former kin, knowing he deceived you, how many could bring themselves to kill him? This is human nature. Even though you are destined to become a demon, true demons need not annihilate their humanity.
Barbara was taken aback, realizing that Gu Changge’s words were a form of comfort. Before this encounter, her senior had been stern and unyielding.
She understood that Gu Changge refrained from scolding her in front of her grandfather, preserving her dignity.
“Who the h.e.l.l are you? Why have you intervened in this world?” Barbara’s grandfather, still immobilized, was terrified. He felt trapped in s.p.a.ce, unable to move.
But he was confident that Gu Changge did not hail from this world.
“I’ve told you, you are not ent.i.tled to know,” Gu Changge said, his gaze still fixed.
Judging by the cultivation standards of the upper realms, Barbara’s grandfather hadn’t even reached the Sacred Realm. Nonetheless, he counted as a pinnacle figure in this remote corner of the lower domain, surpa.s.sing the so-called ninth-level cultivators.
If not for Barbara’s anomaly, Gu Changge would have hardly looked at this world. After all, he could effortlessly obliterate countless such worlds with a mere snap of his fingers.
“You can ask him any truth you wish to uncover,” Gu Changge told Barbara.
Having reached this juncture, he had no intention of prolonging the matter further, though Barbara had yet to attain the level of growth he desired. She needed refinement; this raw jade would eventually shine and reflect the heavens.
“The truth I wish to know…” Barbara wore a conflicted and hesitant expression. Though she had initially been eager to uncover it, she now hesitated, her resolve faltering.
“What’s troubling you? Is it because you lack the courage to accept it, or because you’d rather remain ignorant?” Gu Changge inquired, his gaze unwavering.
“I don’t know. It’s as if my mind is in disarray, as though there are things I didn’t know before…” Barbara shook her head, her eyes reflecting her confusion.
“Whether you wish to know or not, it’s your choice, and I won’t force you,” Gu Changge affirmed.
After a moment of contemplation, Barbara’s face gradually regained its composure.
“I believe… I’ve been living a lie all this time…”
“Not only now, but also in the distant past.” Her voice grew somber.
Gu Changge extended his hand, resting it on her head, and spoke calmly, “If you’ve chosen to accept it, then you must have the courage to bear it. Whether it’s a reflection or a dream, someone must awaken.”
Barbara nodded, her determination resurfacing. She lifted her head regarding her terrified and immobilized grandfather.
“Barbara, even if you kill me, it won’t change anything. I’m just following orders…” Her grandfather, sensing the murderous intent in Barbara’s eyes, grew increasingly uneasy. He struggled in vain but quickly despaired, for he couldn’t move, his soul trapped.
He felt like a helpless insect pinned to the ground by an overwhelming force.
“Puff…”
The next instant, Barbara didn’t allow him to finish his sentence. She plunged the short sword in her hand directly into his heart.