42: Nemesis

In his past life, after Gu Wanquan and his Master slew the Shanxiao, the Liu Yan before him had said these exact same words.

His past self, who appeared clever but was actually foolish to the core, truly believed that it was because he and his Master arrived late that Liu Yan's parents had died!

To atone for his perceived mistake, Gu Wanquan's care for Liu Yan had been meticulous to the extreme.

He not only personally taught Liu Yan how to cultivate but even sought out various Heaven And Earth Treasures to help her raise her Realm.

It was only after he sent Liu Yan to the Guanyue Sect and the Guanyue Sect Master accepted her as a Personal Disciple that the two went their separate ways.

When they met again, the once cold and aloof little girl had grown into a Seventh Rank Great Cultivator, clad in rainbow garments and treading upon auspicious clouds!

The black mole between her brows had transformed into a faint red cinnabar mole; her already cold and holy face now carried an even heavier aura of compassionate divinity.

She did not seem like a female Cultivator of the mortal Realm, but rather like a Fairy descended from the heavens.

By then, Liu Yan had already changed her name to Liu Ruyan!

Fairy Ruyan's fame shook the entire Great Liang!

She reigned supreme at the top of Great Liang's Rouge Rank and was hailed as a Fairy seen only once in five millennia!

After their reunion, Gu Wanquan also realized he felt a different kind of affection for Liu Ruyan—perhaps it was from their time spent together in youth, or perhaps it was the "White Moonlight" filter of his naive years.

Gu Wanquan had poured all his heart and love into Liu Yan.

And Liu Yan, from her initial resistance and indifference, eventually came to exchange vows of love with him.

Gu Wanquan had always thought that the heavens had treated him well: he had a Master who led him onto the path, carried the Sword Immortal Legacy, had a beautiful woman by his side, and held the title of number one under heaven.

Was there anyone in this world more successful or better able to prove themselves than him?

That was, until the Dao-Demon Great War, when he fought Yin Chaoge for three days and three nights. He was nearly exhausted, his True Essence and Dao Intent spent, and Yin Chaoge across from him was on the verge of being beaten to death by his own hands!

Suddenly, Gu Wanquan discovered he had been poisoned—and with the world's most peculiar poison, the loose immortal pill!

It was a poison reputed to turn even an Immortal into an ordinary person upon consumption!

With unpredictable power, it could strip a Cultivator of their entire cultivation; there was no cure!

When first consumed, it would even help a Cultivator raise their cultivation without any side effects!

Who could have poisoned him?

Gu Wanquan immediately looked at Yin Chaoge, whom he had nearly stabbed into a hornet's nest.

His scumbag Junior Brother, unable to defeat him, had actually resorted to poison!

In his fury, Gu Wanquan decided that even if his Dao were to vanish and his body perish, he would drag this scumbag Junior Brother down with him to restore clarity to the world!

Just as Gu Wanquan was prepared to perish along with Yin Chaoge, dozens of attacks from behind instantly pierced through his entire body.

In disbelief, Gu Wanquan turned his head to look at the Sect Heads and patriarchs of various sects who had attacked him.

And among these hypocritical villains who wore masks of righteousness, Gu Wanquan saw Liu Yan's figure.

"Brother Quan, this Medicinal Pill can help you raise your Realm by half a level. It is a secret treasure of the Guanyue Sect, and I specifically brought it for you!"

Liu Yan's words suddenly exploded in Gu Wanquan's ears. He didn't understand why she would poison him when he had clearly given her everything he could!

Yet Liu Yan, standing in the crowd, looked at his dying self with an expression of vengeance fulfilled; her ecstasy was so great that her face became twisted and terrifying.

That familiar, pretty face now seemed so utterly foreign.

Their past harmony now felt like silent irony and mockery upon reflection.

Slowly drawing his wooden sword, Gu Wanquan looked at the resentful, shouting Liu Yan before him. For the first time, he realized his past stupidity—he had been even more foolish than the Yin Chaoge standing beside him!

The smile on his face grew gentler, the wooden sword in his hand flickered with sword light, and his eyes were filled with surging killing intent.

Seeing Gu Wanquan draw his wooden sword with a gentle smile but ice-cold eyes, Liu Yan felt a sudden chill for no reason and hurriedly tried to explain, "I didn't... You..."

Swish!

Before Liu Yan could finish, the wooden sword was already at her throat. Amidst the fluttering white robes, those cold eyes reflected the girl's panicked face!

Since your resentment toward me never vanished, rather than living with it, I might as well send you to reunite with your parents now!

Clang!

A wooden saber suddenly appeared, blocking Gu Wanquan's wooden sword.

Gu Wanquan's eyes darkened as he looked up and met Yin Chaoge's cold and wicked face.

Slumped on the ground, Liu Yan saw Yin Chaoge blocking the sword for her and pleaded as if grasping at a lifeline, "Save me, save me! He's a monster too! He wants to kill me!"

"Scram!"

Yin Chaoge, his leg being hugged by Liu Yan, looked at Gu Wanquan and with a flick of his foot, kicked Liu Yan away.

Showing no tenderness toward the fair sex, he kicked her like trash; the strike from a Fifth Rank Cultivator caused the twelve or thirteen-year-old girl to black out instantly.

"Junior Brother wants to save her?" Gu Wanquan's smile was gentle, but the killing intent radiating from him made even Yin Chaoge frown.

Yin Chaoge looked at Gu Wanquan with interest and replied, "She cannot die!"

Gu Wanquan's eyes flashed with a cold light as he looked at Yin Chaoge and said, "You don't know why I'm killing her?"

Yin Chaoge nodded as if it were obvious. "I know. That's why I can't let you kill her!"

Then, Yin Chaoge gave Gu Wanquan a strange smile and said, "That's not important. What matters is that as long as she lives, you suffer. That's what's useful to me!"

Gu Wanquan lowered his wooden sword and looked at Yin Chaoge as if seeing him for the first time.

"That loose immortal pill—did you give it to her?" Gu Wanquan wiped away his smile and asked Yin Chaoge indifferently.

"She was my most important chess piece; otherwise, how could I have screwed you over?" Yin Chaoge sneered at Gu Wanquan. "Or did you think that by living a new life, the grudges between us would just be wiped clean?"

"How many hardships did Master and I suffer because of your selfishness? How many unlooked-for disasters did you provoke? How many times did you kill me in our past life? Master even... for your sake..."

Yin Chaoge stopped himself and stared intently at Gu Wanquan. "For your so-called title of 'number one under heaven,' you nearly took Master's life and always wanted mine. You think our accounts are settled just like that?"

"Does playing at being Senior and Junior Brothers for a few days make you think you've actually grown a brain?"

Could the hatred of over a decade in the past life be wiped away just by Rebirth?

Recalling the scenes of their past life, Yin Chaoge wished he could eat Gu Wanquan's flesh and drink his blood!

"Everything can start over. I can make it up to you," Gu Wanquan said calmly.

Yin Chaoge looked at the still-unfazed Gu Wanquan, pointed his saber at him, and cursed, "F*ck you! Seeing your hypocritical face makes me sick. We both reached the Ninth Rank; do you really think I'm an idiot? None of this can be changed, which means you and I will inevitably end up on opposite sides!"

Gu Wanquan didn't argue. He actually agreed with Yin Chaoge's words. Based on what had happened over the past few days, everything from their past life would repeat itself.

No matter how much the timeline was altered, what was meant to happen would still happen. The Dao-Demon Great War would still break out, and he and Yin Chaoge would still be pushed to opposing sides.

A life-and-death struggle between them was inevitable; even if he hid behind Master for this entire life, it likely couldn't be avoided.

In the end, the Heavenly Dao might even force him to pay an unbearable price to make him draw his sword against Yin Chaoge!

For instance, Master, who had quietly cultivated on the mountain in their past life, might be dragged into the Dao-Demon Great War because of them in this life!

If he needed to draw his sword against Yin Chaoge for Master's sake, Gu Wanquan wouldn't hesitate for a second.

As for the events of their past life, Yin Chaoge wasn't the only one who couldn't let go—Gu Wanquan couldn't either!

Even if he wanted to fulfill his duty as an Eldest Senior Brother in this life, no matter how he disguised it, he couldn't hide his instinctive loathing for Yin Chaoge!

Both knew very well in their hearts that even with Rebirth...

The life-and-death enemies of their past life would still be arch-enemies in this one!