You Wuxie seemed to be deeply afraid of the Master of the Void Destruction Hall, his trembling body enough to reveal the truth. The further they traveled into the Void Destruction Hall, the more oppressive the aura became. At this rate, it seemed the pressure he felt was as heavy as a mountain pressing down on him.
The air in this void seemed to pulse with a strange frequency, silent and still, save for You Wuxie, whose face was filled with deep trepidation as he repeatedly kowtowed, his lips moving in what seemed like a quiet defense.
With Feng Yunwuji's power, there was no way to break through the special barrier of this space to gather any information. He gave up after a short while. Not long after closing his eyes, Feng Yunwuji suddenly felt a powerful gaze land on him.
Smack!
An invisible force pushed Feng Yunwuji to his knees. His heart trembled—he had never bowed before anyone, neither before nor after his ascension. In this moment, a deep sense of humiliation washed over him. Even if the Master of the Void Destruction Hall had transcended into something beyond mortal understanding, Feng Yunwuji did not believe this person had the power to make him kneel.
"Ahhh!" Feng Yunwuji roared in defiance, struggling to rise. Yet the more he resisted, the heavier the pressure became. Crack! His leg bones snapped at the knees, and blood poured from his orifices.
His figure, grotesquely contorted, screamed toward the Void Destruction Hall: "I will never forget this humiliation! I swear I will return it a thousandfold!"
Boom!
The hall shook violently. A forceful, invisible power shot out from the Void Destruction Hall, sending Feng Yunwuji flying hundreds of thousands of miles away.
"Foolish child, daring to defy me. Hahaha… hmph, it's been millennia since anyone has had the gall to do this. Left Protector, listen up! Capture this child! I want to see just how proud his spirit truly is!" A thunderous voice filled with rage echoed above the hall.
A gray-haired man stepped out from the hall, his eyes eerily devoid of any blackness, his pupils completely white.
He leaned on a slender sword with his right hand. His robes billowed as he lowered his head and walked slowly out of the hall. Though his pace appeared deliberate, it was surprisingly swift. As a streak of lightning crossed the sky eastward, he seemed to move alongside it.
"You Wuxie, you're quite bold!" A voice suddenly shouted from mid-air. It was You Wuxie, who had lunged out as soon as the gray-haired man stepped outside, rushing toward the spot where Feng Yunwuji had been blasted away. This action enraged the Master of the Void Destruction Hall, and a powerful divine sense slammed into You Wuxie's mind, following the curve of his path.
Pfft!
You Wuxie vomited blood as his mind was assaulted.
"Master, please forgive me! I meant no offense. This is my only disciple, and..." You Wuxie shouted desperately as he sped eastward without looking back.
"And he looks just like my disciple who was slain by the demons! The same pride, the same refusal to listen to me…" You Wuxie thought bitterly. He had never been so soft-hearted, never begged to take a disciple. It was all because he missed his beloved disciple so much, his... son.
Faintly, You Wuxie remembered that night, the stormy evening:
"Mo Yue, you will not go to this battle against the demons! I won't allow it!" You Wuxie's voice was cold and stern, his expression forbidding any disobedience.
"Hmph! If you say I can't go, then I will! You let my mother die at the hands of demons; I hate you, I hate you! If you won't avenge her, I will!" The young man stormed out, his head held high, determined.
"Come back! If you take one step outside this hall, you are no longer my son!" Years of indulgence finally made You Wuxie regret. Was this really his son, with such a stubborn temper?
"Hmph! If you won't acknowledge me, then fine! My people have suffered at the hands of the demons for too long. As a member of the human race, I cannot stand idly by, even if my strength is insignificant!" The young man shot a defiant look at You Wuxie, then rushed out into the pouring rain, the cries of demons echoing outside the hall...
When news of Mo Yue's death arrived, You Wuxie was devastated. His heart, shattered by the loss, drove him to seek greater strength at all costs, all to avenge his son.
"Mo Yue, please be safe! I cannot bear this loss!" The Master of the Void Destruction Hall was so powerful that a single blow to You Wuxie's mind left an irreparable wound. His consciousness wavered, his thoughts mixing with images of Feng Yunwuji and Mo Yue.
Boom!
Silver lightning crackled across the sky.
Beneath the dim sky, You Wuxie saw Feng Yunwuji's stumbling form, clutching something in the air. Above him stood the gray-haired man.
"Earth Demon Sword!" Feng Yunwuji was desperately forcing his mind to channel the Earth Demon Sword beyond his limits!
A massive sword, composed of mud, ice, and specks of blood, roared toward the gray-haired man, the Left Protector of the Void Destruction Hall.
You Wuxie saw the man's lips move, clearly saying, "Suicidal."
The gray-haired man didn't even draw his sword. With a single palm, he shattered the Earth Demon Sword, sending Feng Yunwuji crashing into the mud, drained of all strength.
"Ahhh!" Feng Yunwuji screamed in agony as his chest exploded, blood spurting like a fountain.
"No!" You Wuxie cried out in despair, diving down, his body glowing with a fiery red-blue aura. He threw a fierce fireball at the gray-haired man.
The gray-haired man slowly raised his head, unfazed. Without even looking, he struck with a palm, sending You Wuxie flying. The difference in their power was immense.
Looking back at the massive crater below, the gray-haired man turned and walked through the void, his steps swift yet seemingly unhurried.
"Mo Yue, no... please, don't go!" You Wuxie, still reeling from the blow, shot upward and dove towards the spot where Feng Yunwuji had been sent crashing.
In the depths of the vast crater, Feng Yunwuji lay motionless, his chest torn open, blood pooling at the bottom.
You Wuxie knelt by his side, checking for a pulse. There was none. Feng Yunwuji was dead. The Left Protector's blow was fatal; if there had been any doubt, it was now clear.
"Mo Yue... Mo Yue..." You Wuxie no longer resembled the proud master of the void. In this moment, he was a grieving father, holding the lifeless body of his disciple in despair.
What he failed to notice, however, was a strange force beginning to flow through Feng Yunwuji's body. This force grew stronger and stronger, circulating through his meridians and repairing his damaged body.
After an unknown amount of time, Feng Yunwuji groaned and came back to life, and You Wuxie sensed it immediately.
"Mo Yue... Mo Yue! You're not dead, you're not dead!" You Wuxie cried out in joy.
Rebirth After Destruction. When Feng Yunwuji had been fatally wounded, the Nine Revolutions Death-Rebirth Art finally broke through to the second level—"Living Worse Than Death." His Qi surged with ten times the power and speed it had before.
At this stage, his body felt as though it were on the brink of death, as if his very essence were decaying. The deeper his power grew, the more death-like his aura became. Feng Yunwuji was trapped in this peculiar state, caught between life and death...