CHAPTER 138
The Master's Dilemma
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Su Cheng sighed helplessly. Qinghan's mother was the ruler of the Demon Clan—the reasons behind this were not something that could be explained in a few words.
But in Ye Qinghan's eyes, it was the fickle human race that had killed her mother. This had led Ye Qinghan to view humans as little better than livestock.
"What do you mean?" Yu Lan was confused. If the debt had a debtor, what did "the will of heaven" refer to?
"Yu Lan, you must keep Qinghan's affairs strictly confidential. Upon returning, do not speak of her matters."
With that, Yu Lan asked no more questions and simply followed Su Cheng into the Demon Capital.
For years, Ye Qinghan had dared only to speak with her mother outside the city walls. She lacked the courage to enter the city, nor did she know how to face it.
Bones charred beyond recognition by raging flames, bloodstains mingled with flesh fragments on crumbling walls, claw marks etched into the palace's towering pillars.
The twelve massive soul-binding spikes used to restrain the Demon Emperor in years past remained firmly embedded around the square's perimeter, not one missing. Three of them had even been wrenched out, hanging limply on the ground.
The square beneath their feet was drenched in blood, spread like a seamless crimson carpet.
Snow-white hairs stood like steel needles embedded in the paving stones, resembling weeds sprouting from the cracks.
Further ahead, at the center of the twelve soul-binding spikes arranged like a clock face, lay the Demon-Slaying Array.
It was here that the Human Clan, having turned the Demon Emperor's trusted confidant against him, had executed Ye Qinghan's mother.
The corpse had long vanished without a trace. Ye Qinghan possessed no means to seek vengeance. Even knowing her mother had been skinned alive and her fangs broken, she could do nothing.
A blind pursuit would only lead to certain death. What she sought was vengeance with her own hands!
"Who did this?!"
As Dragon King, Yu Lan was not easily shaken by such bloody scenes. Yet, knowing this was the mother of the former young miss, he could not help but be moved.
"The Demon Emperor is no ordinary being. His power rivals Yulan's. This was a war… waged by the Demon Clan in alliance with the Human Clan."
Su Cheng merely watched coldly. To him, this matter had never concerned him, and neither side could be deemed right.
With Qinghan's mother ascending to the Demon Emperor's throne, it was only natural that the human race would not tolerate it.
According to the original world's timeline, Ye Qinghan, aided by Cheng Liang, had slain the mastermind behind the conflict and then let go of her hatred. Hmph.
Su Cheng had always found this outcome utterly repulsive.
Cheng Liang had been involved in the events back then too, though he'd been too busy dealing with the demon race to personally attend.
But Ye Qinghan was love-struck; she likely never considered this angle.
But now, she was Su Cheng's disciple. Su Cheng cared not how many lives were lost—all he desired was Qinghan's happiness.
Twelve Demon Clan powerhouses, four human cultivators—Su Cheng intended to spare none.
Su Cheng activated his immortal arts, murmuring, "Spirit Gathering Array."
A pale blue formation instantly unfolded beneath his feet, soon covering the entire square. Su Cheng turned to Yulan beside him: "Give me a hand, will you? With my cultivation level, I fear I can't sustain this array alone."
Yu Lan chuckled softly. Moments ago, she’d been puzzled—how could Su Cheng, merely at the Foundation Establishment stage, sustain an array of such magnitude? She’d been genuinely surprised!
Hearing Su Cheng's slightly joking words, her earlier sorrow and anger vanished. She thought to herself, Just as I suspected!
"How could I disobey my husband's command?" Yu Lan adopted a playful expression, as if to say: My husband is truly beyond reason~
Su Cheng had originally planned to use Ye Qinghan's hair as a catalyst. He had even taken a strand of her hair while in the Spirit Pool Hall, intending to use it to gather spiritual energy.
But upon arriving here, he realized it was utterly unnecessary. The Demon Emperor had drenched the entire plaza in blood—why would he need his daughter's hair?
Even so, time had taken its toll. The spirit-gathering array could only serve a minimal purpose, gathering less than a hundredth of the scattered soul fragments.
"My lord intends to use this spirit-gathering array to summon the Demon Emperor's lingering soul?"
The spirit-gathering array served many purposes, but Yulan could easily discern that Su Cheng's true intent today was likely to learn the truth of those events directly from the Demon Emperor himself.
"Precisely. Yet even if summoned now, it would likely linger but moments. Such a precious opportunity should be reserved for Qinghan."
Su Cheng had actually hoped to see if he could reshape its physical form to revive Qinghan's mother. Now it seemed that was likely impossible.
Given that, even a fleeting moment of companionship would suffice. Su Cheng resolved to gather the remnant soul and entrust it to his cherished disciple.
First, even if only for a moment, Qinghan surely wished to see her mother one last time.
Second, the Demon Emperor's soul would serve as a comforting memory for Qinghan. Su Cheng planned to seal it within her jade pendant in the future, ensuring she would no longer be truly alone.
"Qinghan has been alone for decades. I once hoped to restore her mother's physical form so they could reunite. But now, with less than a hundredth of her soul remaining, even a brief meeting seems unlikely."
As he spoke, Su Cheng drew a jade vial from the Jade Pendant and sealed the remnant soul within to nurture it.
These words and actions genuinely astonished Yu Lan. Yet what surprised her even more was that Su Cheng possessed the means to revive the dead.
"Time has passed, and most lingering souls have already been reincarnated among the masses. What remains now is mostly the manifestation of unresolved attachments. However, if Master Su possesses a method to reshape a physical form, given enough time, it might be possible to gather the remnant soul and bring it back to life."
Su Cheng heard these words and fell into deep thought.
"So you mean… by finding those who have been reincarnated, killing them to collect their lingering souls, we could revive Qinghan's mother?"
Yu Lan smiled. Truthfully, she believed Su Cheng was the type who would slaughter the entire world for his disciples.
"Heh, I thought my husband was the decisive sort who wouldn't care what the world thinks of him."
Su Cheng shook his head and exhaled deeply. After all he'd been through, though his appearance remained youthful, he was no longer the man who had first crossed over.
"It's not that I pity the world. But I've always known the true nature of those two disciples."
"Qinghan may be ruthless, but she is not one to stir trouble for no reason."
"Shiyao may be simple-minded, but she is not one to scheme without reason."
"If Qinghan learned the method to revive her mother, she would pursue it relentlessly. Though Shiyu appears delicate, she would never allow Qinghan to act so recklessly. I fear the sisters might…"
Yu Lan pondered this as well. Qinghan needed no further explanation. As for Shiyao, though she usually appeared innocent and naive, she had never been taken advantage of. This alone showed she was far from reckless.
Yu Lan nodded. Su Cheng's assessment of his two disciples was fair and balanced.
Su Cheng clearly did not wish to see discord arise between the sisters, nor did he want Ye Qinghan to proceed in such a manner.
Yu Lan understood Su Cheng's dilemma. Though he claimed indifference to worldly matters, he clearly sought to revive his disciple's mother without needlessly taking innocent lives.
Seeing this, Yu Lan spoke plainly: "The matter of gathering scattered souls—for those reincarnated as ordinary humans, it takes but a hundred years. But Qinghan is a fox demon with a lifespan of over a thousand years, and she has her husband by her side. Is it truly necessary to rush this?"
Su Cheng nodded. "You speak wisely, but I fear Qinghan might not be able to control her temper. I must still caution her myself."
"Then let her husband advise her. Qinghan is obedient and sensible—how could she disobey her husband's words?"
How could Su Cheng not know? But honestly, how could he possibly broach the subject?
On one side stood his disciple; on the other, the world. But what did the world matter to him?
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