Chapter 456: Death
The voice that boomed throughout the chamber caused everyone to turn and look at whoever spoke. Behind them, a cloaked person had appeared, and this person was clearly at least as strong as the bull.
His entire body was covered by a cloak, and nothing could be seen of his body, but his voice seemed familiar. Yet Hui Yue could not exactly place where he knew him from.
The person had no aura which Hui Yue could feel, but it felt as though this person was the most dangerous person Hui Yue had ever met before.
Looking at this person, Hui Yue was uncertain of what to do. But before he could do anything three beams of red light shot out from this person's hand and penetrated the chests of Deng Wu, Sha Yun, and Wang Ju Long.
Looking at their chests, the faces of these three were filled with utter disbelief as their bodies slowly tilted to the side and collapsed. Their eyes were filled with unwillingness as their life left them.
Before Hui Yue had the chance to react another three red beams appeared from the hand of this cloaked man and this time they pierced the hearts of Cai Jie, Jo, and Lao.
The three of them were filled with horror as they felt their lives slip away. Hui Yue was so shocked that he was unable to do anything other than watching all his friends and family die.
The world turned silent. No one moved as the ones he truly cared about were lying on the ground, never to move again. The cloaked man just stood there as well not moving. He showed no signs of attacking Hui Yue; he just allowed for the white-haired young man to go insane with grief.
A loud howl rang from the depth of his soul as he threw himself at the man in front of him, yet every attack he unleashed was easily avoided by this cloaked figure.
He even unleashed what black energy he had left, but even this did nothing to the cloaked man. Even when Hui Yue was forced into using Phoenix Descent, he could do nothing as the cloaked man lifted up his hand and a protective barrier of Ancestral Worldpower surged forth protecting him.
Hui Yue had no more energy; he had nothing. His heart had died alongside his last traces of energy. He felt nothing but sheer hopelessness. Looking around him, he saw the young faces of Lao and Jo still filled with horror; he saw the faces of the two he loved the most in this world, Sha Yun and Wang Ju Long, filled with confusion and unwillingness. Even Lan Feng was shocked silent at this moment.
Collapsing to the ground, tears streamed down his cheeks. A roar sounded out as he grasped his chest because his heart had broken into tiny pieces. He was overwhelmed by grief, and it was impossible for him to comprehend what was going on as he just kept crying. He tried to tell himself that what was happening was not real, that it could not be real. He stared hatefully at that coward hiding behind his barrier while he cried as his heart trembled uncontrollably. It was impossible for him to accept what had just happened; such a thing made no sense.
"Why do you practice martial arts?" The general finally spoke, "for what purpose do you seek strength?"
Although he heard the question, Hui Yue ignored him. He just sat there on the ground that felt colder than it had ever felt before. No, it was not just the ground, the whole world felt different… colder, desolate. He was filled with despair and was almost unable to think. After a while, what this person had said finally reached the core of his being.
After thinking, he was at first confused. Why would this general of An He ask such a question? It was clear that they were enemies; however, this question seemed to contain some meaning hidden within. Suddenly, the grief in his eyes lightened as a gleam of understanding replaced it. A small smile spread on his lips as he nodded his head slightly.
"I see." He said as he wiped the tears from his eyes. "That’s what this is!"
He was now enlightened, and he turned his back to the general. With his strong arms, he lifted up all the corpses of the most important people to him putting them into a line one by one while looking at and thinking of them all.
"I thought the reason I wanted to become strong was for revenge." He said with a soft voice. "The road to revenge was paved years ago when my body became shared with Lan Feng; however, the reason I want strength now has changed."
"I no longer gain strength for the sake of revenge, nor do I gain strength to get back what Lan Feng lost. Although this is something I must do, the reason I gain strength is to protect those dear to me."
Thinking this, Hui Yue looked at the cloaked man in front of him, but his eyes which were full of hate earlier had changed. Now a slight bit of gratitude could be seen within.
"Although there are many ways to make me understand my heart, I doubt anything would be as effective as showing me what I would have become if I had lost everyone dear to me. For me, there is no longer any meaning in life without my loved ones by my side." Hui Yue continued to speak, not to the general or Lan Feng, but to himself.
"This test is not only to see my determination, but it is also to understand the martial heart of the cultivator. To test and see what kind of martial path we walk down."
"Before, I was sure that the reason I wanted more strength was to gain revenge for Lan Feng and make him reestablish his world as it used to be; a world filled with love and laughter. A world where all races are equal."
"But this is not something I do because I need revenge." Hui Yue continued pondering as he gently placed Jo and Lao next to the other corpses. "The reason I wish for Lan Feng to become whole again is because he is my dearest friend. He is the only one who knows my most hidden secrets and the one who I trust unconditionally."
"To have a friend such as Lan Feng, I am truly lucky. My wish is to repay his friendship by allowing him to one day become whole again. To see my friends and family happy is what makes me happy."
Hui Yue finally understood. He wasn’t driven by revenge; he was a protector. What he wished was not to change the world into a better place by removing some horrible person, nor did he wish to seek justice for all the unfairness or things which had happened in the past. What he wished was to live a comfortable life with those he loved while being strong enough to protect them.
Unfortunately, Hui Yue was already entangled with the God known as An He, and to protect those he loved, he needed more strength, more power! He needed to improve his strength, but he also needed to do it for the right reasons.
Understanding this, the world around him turned black. It felt as though everything slowed down, even his thoughts slowed as he regained his consciousness.
The first thing he saw was a stone ceiling. Looking up he was dumbfounded, but as he slowly sat up, his body complained after having been in the same position for a long period of time.
Looking around, he found that by his side all his friends and family were laying down; all of them were breathing steadily while sleeping deeply.
"Congratulations." A voice sounded from the side. Hui Yue looked and saw the bull standing some distance away, his arms folded behind the back while smiling gently.
"You managed to pass through the Trial of Determination rather quickly." He commented. Although Hui Yue had been quick, he was far from the fastest person the bull had ever seen, but he was still amongst the upper half. His performance was in no way bad.
"The Trial of Determination is also known as the Trial of Heart. Only by testing the expert’s will and seeing that they have an unwavering martial heart will they wake up. Everyone will enter a dream world and see various things. As for what happens within this dream world, no one will know apart from the person being tested. Remember that you can never tell anyone what you saw, nor can you talk about it."
"No one will come and judge you if you do, but this is the essence of your martial heart. If others understand this, then it will be much easier to injure you. Although you might think that only your friends will hear, no one knows who could be listening, so it’s better to keep it to yourself."
The bull's words made perfect sense, and Hui Yue, who was still affected by seeing his loved ones die, nodded to the bull before he sat down and started to cultivate. Despite knowing what was real, he still needed to calm his mind before it was time for their final trial.
After a few days, Hui Yue found out that he had been unconscious for a full week, while the next person to wake up took another week.
The second person to awaken was Wang Ju Long. The moment she opened her eyes tears could be seen lining them, and when she saw Hui Yue, she threw herself into his embrace. She cried her heart out constantly mumbling sentences such as, "I will never let it happen," "Over my dead body," and "It was not real."
Hui Yue never asked what she had experienced, all he did was hold her tight and gently rub her back making her feel much more comfortable.
It took her a few hours before she finally steadied herself. As she did, she fell asleep in Hui Yue's arms holding onto him as though her life depended on it.
"Youth these days sure is beautiful." The bull said with a smile on his face as he paced the floor up and down. His pacing was not a sign of him being in a rush, but rather a habit he had gotten after being alone within this realm for so many years already.
The next to awaken was as expected Cai Jie. Cai Jie had a pale face, but his complexion was not too bad. After a few breaths of air, he looked almost normal.
"This Trial of Determination is truly ruthless." He mumbled, and Hui Yue could only agree but said nothing. Wang Ju Long was becoming better and better by the day, but she refused to let go of Hui Yue's hand. Even while cultivating she would hold onto his hand as though she feared letting him go.
After Cai Jie, the next to awaken was Lao. He too seemed shocked to his core, but unlike Wang Ju Long, he did not break down and cry. All he did was stand up and move to Hui Yue, sitting by his side. He looked at his father with doting eyes before he said with a serious voice that did not suit his age. "Father, you gave me a new life, and everything I have is because of you. In this life, no one will ever mean as much to me as you and Jo do. Even if I have to pay with my life, I will ensure that you will always be safe."
Hearing these words, Hui Yue was shocked, and he gently patted his son's head as a smile formed on his face. "Although you say such grown up words, don't forget that you are my son. Who would ever want their son to die for their sake?" He asked gently as the image of Lao dying replayed in his mind; recalling the scene his heart turned cold as he shivered. Never again would he allow for the ones dear to him die in front of him. Never again would this happen!
Hearing Hui Yue's words, Lao’s love for his father was clear in his eyes, but his determination was still there as well. It was clear that he had no intention of letting his father risk his life for his sake.
Hui Yue did not know what the others had experienced within the Trial of Determination, but looking at the many grim expressions, he could understand that none of them had a better time than him.
Soon a month had passed, but the final three had still not awoken. By now even Hui Yue was starting to feel slightly worried, but every time his heart felt uneasy, he would look at the sleeping faces and take comfort in the fact that they were still breathing. He truly believed that they would all wake up sometime soon.