"What if I refuse?" Chu Yang asked.
"Five Elements City is under the control of our Yin-Yang Sect. By killing the City Lord here, you are challenging our Yin-Yang Sect. Shouldn’t I capture you?" Sect Leader Wu said with a smile.
She wasn’t in a hurry, waiting calmly for Chu Yang’s response.
Chu Yang was silent for a while, knowing that what his adversary had proposed was an overt scheme, rooted in his own weakness.
"I don’t understand," Chu Yang looked up at Sect Leader Wu and said, "Your Yin-Yang Sect is one of the four top-tier sects in the Extreme West Region. Why would you choose an ordinary person like me to be the Saint Heir?"
"Firstly, let me correct you, I’m not offering you the position of Saint Heir, but rather a chance to compete for it," Sect Leader Wu said, "Secondly, you are not an ordinary person. I’ve felt the most primordial essence within the Yin and Yang Qi in your body."
Chu Yang was silent for a moment, then said with a bitter smile, "Do I even have a choice?"
"No," Sect Leader Wu shook her head.
The Pure Moon Divine Realm is located at the border of the Extreme West Region, just a thin line away from the center of the Eastern Continent.
The name Pure Moon Divine Realm comes from the Pure Moon Altar.
Legend has it that at the dawn of the Epoch, the universe was in chaos.
Unclean and pure Qi were intermingled, indistinguishable, and the heavens and earth were almost the same color.
Thus, the universe gave birth to an altar.
This altar had the ability to purify all things in the world. With its help, the unclean and pure Qi finally separated completely.
Later, the altar settled in a pivotal location between heaven and earth, becoming one with them.
Around the location of the altar, a sect called Myriad Beasts Sect began to establish itself millions of years later.
Since then, the situation in the Extreme West had truly stabilized.
The three great Imperial Rule Immortal Sects are the True Martial Holy Sect, Divine Sun Holy Sect, and Purgatory Holy Sect.
The four top-tier Sects are Holy Spring Sect, Immortal Spirit Sect, Yin-Yang Sect, and the Myriad Beasts Sect.
Xu Zimei and Ren Pingsheng traveled through the night and, after nearly five days, finally arrived at Hundred Beasts City.
This city, managed by the Myriad Beasts Sect, presented different Monster Beasts from any direction, whether from the east, south, west, or north.
There were furious-eyed wild lions, iron-fisted gorillas thumping their chests, Mysterious Birds spreading their wings, and dragons and tigers roaring skyward.
The design and construction of the city were marvels, exhibiting exceptional ingenuity and painstaking effort.
As Xu Zimei and Ren Pingsheng entered the city, being managed by the Myriad Beasts Sect, most of the residents were either disciples of the sect or family members and relatives.
Therefore, it was common to see Half-Beast People on the streets.
Most of these Half-Beast People had the head of a beast and a human body, each with their own Monster Beast characteristic features.
Some had the head of a lion, some the trunk of an elephant, and others sprouted wings that could overshadow the heavens.
Here, the most popular women belonged to two types: the Folded-Ear Girls with cat ears, and the Dancing Maidens with a kind of rabbit’s tail.
"It feels like I’ve entered an animal kingdom, so lively," Ren Pingsheng commented, looking at the Half-Beast People, and laughed.
"Did you know? In the eyes of the Half-Beast People, their bloodline is the noblest. To them, us pure-blooded humans are the lowest," Xu Zimei said with a smile.
"Superficial, after all. No matter what they think, our bloodlines are pure, whereas theirs are not. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have established their sect around the Pure Moon Divine Realm," Ren Pingsheng stated.
"Enough, let’s find an inn to stay for the night, and go to the Pure Moon Divine Realm tomorrow," Xu Zimei laughed.
As they were about to look for an inn, they saw a group of people approaching them.
This group consisted of four people, with two elderly-looking individuals who appeared to be guards, standing on both sides.
In the middle were two young men, one holding a folding fan, dressed in a white robe, with an extraordinary handsomeness on his face that made one cannot help but exclaim, "What a graceful young gentleman."
The other young man looked somewhat burly, with naturally curly golden hair scattering behind him, making him resemble a golden lion king.
At that moment, staring at the graceful young man with the folding fan, Xu Zimei was completely stunned in place.
It was as if he could hear again the sounds from that year by the weeping willow riverbank, the breeze caressing his face, and the girl with tears streaking her face, crying and begging him.
Begging him not to leave, to stay and live through an ordinary life with her.
He abandoned the girl, leaving behind only his silhouette,
He departed with his sword, his aura as a Divine Vein Realm warrior bursting forth like the sea, vast as mist stretching thousands of miles.
That day, the setting sun painted the sky with an afterglow, casting two long shadows.
In the end, he embarked on the road of no return.
He said he was going to defeat Chu Yang.
He wanted to carry out his destiny,
He aspired to become a Great Emperor,
He wanted to soar into the sky to see a broader world,
He shouldn’t be shackled by romantic entanglements.
His resolve was firm and decisive, even as he watched the girl crouching on the ground, holding her head and crying, he did not hesitate for a moment.
Xu Zimei didn’t dare to make those grand statements about recognizing her even if she turned into ashes or anything of that sort.
But at this moment, even if the girl were dressed as a boy, or no matter how she disguised herself, Xu Zimei could recognize her in a glance.
Because the girl had a pair of unique eyes, eyes that seemed extraordinarily spirited.
Even with just one glance, Xu Zimei could recognize her.
At this moment, looking at the girl, Xu Zimei was completely petrified in place.
Memories of the past seemed to roll slowly like heavy gears, pressing down on him like murmurs from ancient beings until he could barely breathe.
He watched as the girl slowly walked by him; Xu Zimei felt as if he had fallen into a huge trap.
Flanking the girl on both sides were two elders, their auras turbulent; Xu Zimei could see that they were two Emperor Pulse Realm experts.
The appearances of these two elders were also striking; one resembled the always smiling Maitreya Buddha, his face brimming with joyous red light.
The other’s entire face appeared to be filled with grievance and bitterness, as if expressing the very essence of the character for "awkward."
Sad Taoist and Happy Taoist – Xu Zimei had heard of these two in his previous life, and they were prominent figures even among Emperor Pulse Realm experts.
The girl traveled with two seasoned Emperor Pulse Realm experts by her side.
At this moment, Xu Zimei felt as if everything from his past life had turned into a joke.
All those notions about a girl from a small village, about living an ordinary life together.
An uncontrollable rage exploded in his mind; all the love and guilt he had felt for the girl in his heart seemed to have turned into a skyful of fury.
Xu Zimei admitted that in his previous life, he wasn’t exactly the big boss behind the scenes.
He was merely a stepping stone on Chu Yang’s path to rise, and toward the end, he didn’t even qualify as an opponent.
Pitiful and lamentable.
With a new life, Xu Zimei thought of becoming the big boss, becoming a Demon King that terrified at the mention of his name.
But he also wanted to protect the family he had wronged in his previous life, and those few friends, as well as the girl who had occupied his thoughts day and night.