The Beautiful Demon Lord’s Disciple Won’t Pretend Anymore - Chapter 3

When Hua Yao dragged Xu Chengbi out of the forbidden grounds, he was still completely dazed.

Before he could regain his senses, a wave of the World-Ender’s suffocating, bloody stench hit him full force, making his hair stand on end. Instantly, a fire ignited in his heart. Blue flames erupted along with his fury, surging from his fingertips like a fire dragon. He blasted the World-Ender away, sending it flying over ten meters back. A thunderous explosion echoed, accompanied by his furious roar:

“Get away from me!”

Hua Yao: “…”

The disciples on the scene: “…”

World-Ender: “…”

Scorched black by Xu Chengbi’s blue flames and cowed by its master’s murderous glare, the World-Ender shrank until it was no larger than a sea urchin. It curled up at Xu Chengbi’s feet, shutting all its eyes. With nothing left but its fluffy black fur, it peeked up at Xu Chengbi with its two remaining eyes, looking utterly cautious and terrified to step out of line again.

In truth, Hua Yao had only pulled Xu Chengbi out in a moment of desperation. His original intention had been to summon the Oblivion Lock to bind the beast, never expecting that Xu Chengbi would restrain the creature a step ahead of him.

Holding the other end of the Oblivion Lock, Hua Yao watched the slow-to-react Xu Chengbi for a long time before finally saying:

“Thank you.”

Xu Chengbi was bewildered. As his anger subsided, the blue flames on his hands flickered and dimmed. He had no idea what was happening; his previous actions had been nothing but raw instinct in the face of danger.

“What are you thanking me for?”

Hua Yao did not answer. The next second, he drew his sword and plunged it directly into the World-Ender. A spray of blood splashed onto his forehead as the creature burst apart, making him appear as compassionate as a deity, yet simultaneously detached and heartless. He spoke coldly:

“Thank you for giving me the chance to kill it.”

Xu Chengbi: “…”

Xu Chengbi had previously signed a master-servant contract with the World-Ender, linking their lives. Now that Hua Yao had run the beast through without mercy, it let out a shrill, piercing shriek before its body dissolved into a mist of blood, its soul scattering like fractured stardust.

As the World-Ender perished, Xu Chengbi felt as if his heart had been cruelly pierced by a cold blade. His meridians burned as if seared by fire, bursting inch by inch. Blood rushed to his head in a violent reversal, and every nerve felt as though it were being squeezed and snapped by a massive hand. He screamed in agony, curling into a ball on the ground like a frail, wounded animal, clutching his arms as he trembled uncontrollably.

His temples throbbed violently. Because of the pain, veins stood out on Xu Chengbi’s neck. His face flushed a deep red, and he bit his lips so hard to stifle his moans that they were mangled and bleeding. Trails of blood dripped from the corners of his mouth, making him look profoundly pitiful.

Hua Yao did not even glance at him. Enduring the metallic taste of blood rising in his own throat, he quickly drew a teleportation array on the ground. He performed a hand seal to ensure all the disciples were safely returned to the sect, and only then did he turn, his eyes lowering to look at the sweat-drenched Xu Chengbi.

“Save… save me…”

Xu Chengbi’s back teeth were clenched tight. Struggling like a helpless puppy, he grabbed the hem of Hua Yao’s wide sleeve. A lock of dark hair fell over his forehead, messy and disheveled. Through his blurred vision, he could see Hua Yao’s wrist, pale as jade, with a faint red mark visible, which stung his eyes. Driven by a desperate need, he gripped the sleeve as a drowning traveler might grasp a straw, stubbornly insisting:

“You… you owe me a favor…”

If he hadn’t been there, they all would have been mauled to death by the World-Ender.

They owed him a favor, so they couldn’t just stand by and watch him suffer like this…

Xu Chengbi thought he could reason with Hua Yao, but to his surprise, Hua Yao’s expression shifted violently upon hearing those words. Not only did he refuse to save him, he shoved him away without a shred of pity. Hua Yao’s chest heaved as he stared down at him, silent and intense.

The force of the shove sent Xu Chengbi flying several meters back. His body, already in a fragile state, suffered further trauma as the back of his head slammed against a tree. Darkness clouded his vision, and he lost consciousness.

Before he slipped away, his last thought was that this man was incredibly efficient at killing, not wasting a single word, what a ruthless, cold beauty he was.

…

Xu Chengbi had no idea how much time had passed when he finally awoke. The World-Ender, now in its spiritual form, was lying on his chest, looking at him with worry.

He was lying on a rosewood bed. The room was sparsely furnished with a few pieces of porcelain, some scrolls, books, and small tables. Aside from that, there was nothing else; it was as clean and hollow as a cave of snow.

Xu Chengbi sat up, cradling his forehead as he examined his surroundings. Finding the environment too monotonous, he shifted his attention to the World-Ender in his arms.

In its true form, the World-Ender wasn’t actually that terrifying—it was just a fuzzy, sea-urchin-like demonic creature. Xu Chengbi had found it lacking in ferocity, so he usually let the beast take on a fearsome appearance to scare off enemies.

Seeing Xu Chengbi wake up, the World-Ender jumped excitedly on his chest. It slid off the bed, eager to fetch him some water, but since its physical body had been destroyed by Hua Yao, it was now just a spectral spirit. Despite its best efforts, it couldn’t even lift a cup.

Its translucent body darted anxiously around the cup, wondering how to help its master, when its scruff was suddenly grabbed and it was tossed to the floor at Xu Chengbi’s feet.

Xu Chengbi blinked, looking up to find that Hua Yao had reached his bedside at some point.

Hua Yao had changed out of his pale green day robe. His thick, dark hair was tied up with a sandalwood hairpin, and he wore an outer garment of white and black gauze embroidered with white cranes, making him look so pure he might be about to renounce the world and become a monk.

“My chief disciple died because of it. I intended to kill it to pay for that life, but considering it once signed a master-servant contract with you and now that your lives are bound together, if I killed it, you would die too.” Hua Yao paused as he approached the bed, as if realizing something, and stopped before getting closer.

Standing a meter away, he met Xu Chengbi’s gaze. After a long time, he spoke again, his voice slow like a bubbling stream, though it grew heavier as he continued:

“However, you were not the culprit, so your transgressions do not warrant death. Therefore, I will spare its soul.”

Hua Yao lowered his eyes. His face seemed even paler than when Xu Chengbi had first seen him, as if he were suffering from severe injuries. He stood there cold and untouchable, delivering his verdict with emotionless finality:

“But from now on, it shall never enter reincarnation, nor will it be able to cultivate. It must never harm another soul again. It shall drift outside the three realms, and there will be no place in the world for it to belong.”

The World-Ender didn’t understand what Hua Yao was saying. It spun around on the floor, but its spirit body flickered and began to dissipate due to a lack of spiritual energy. It struggled for a moment, then, driven by sheer obsession, slowly coalesced and drifted back to perch on Xu Chengbi’s shoulder.

As a demon, it knew nothing of right or wrong and had slaughtered many creatures, yet its loyalty to its master remained. Now that its body was gone and only a wisp of consciousness remained, it was hard to say if this could be considered a peaceful end.

Xu Chengbi sighed inwardly at the cruelty of the cultivation world. He lightly touched the World-Ender’s consciousness with his fingertip. After a soft rub from the creature, he instinctively pulled the World-Ender into his own spiritual world with his palm, then said softly:

“Thank you.”

 Hua Yao didn’t acknowledge his comment. He stood up, cast a cold, detached glance at Xu Chengbi, and with a flick of his palm, the chilling chain of the Oblivion Lock reappeared around Xu Chengbi’s neck.

“Since the matter is settled, return to the forbidden grounds.”

“Hey, wait!” Xu Chengbi was alarmed. He thought, You can’t be this heartless right after killing my beast! I finally got out; I can’t just go back.

“I saved you, you know! You still owe me a huge favor!”

Xu Chengbi knew that saying this was a bit of a moral hostage-taking, and he felt a sudden pang of anxiety, wondering if Hua Yao would blast him away again like before. To his surprise, Hua Yao’s long, dark lashes trembled slightly. He actually stopped moving, stared at him for a long time, and said concisely:

“What is it that you want?”

“What… what?”

Xu Chengbi had been too busy bracing himself to be hit again and hadn’t processed the subtext.

“I owe you.”

Hua Yao lowered his eyes, his hand gripping the chain trembling slightly, as if he were using all his strength to endure something.

“I must repay you.”

“How do you want me to pay it back?”

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