After the devastation that the Divine Dragon Sect had suffered, the rebuilding would be a long process. However, we had to leave the place before Chen Bei Xuan returned and found out that his ally, Long Ao Tian, had been killed.
Otherwise the sect would be completely destroyed.
So we left Cang Long Mountain behind. The only survivors were a handful of elders, including Ye Wu Tian, and the leader, Cheng Long.
No disciples survived. Long Ao Tian had been very thorough when he slaughtered them all. He wanted to ensure that the future of the Divine Dragon Sect, at least, was destroyed. What a ruthless fellow. Then again, people praised cultivation protagonists for being ruthless and loved to see them massacre other people.
I wondered if their opinion would change if they ended up being the victims instead.
"You are now the first disciple." Behind me, Ye Wu Tian coughed, looking embarrassed. "Ironically enough."
"He's the only disciple left," Cheng Long muttered. "On hindsight, it was a good idea not to bring him in so soon and allow him to train on his own outside the sect, otherwise we would have lost all of our disciples."
"What happened to those out on missions, overseas, or training elsewhere?" I asked. Surely I couldn't possibly be the only disciple left in the Divine Dragon Sect, right?
"Uh…we don't have any disciples out on any missions or overseas at the moment." Ye Wu Tian sighed. "That bastard Long Ao Tian chose his timing well. He decided to launch his attack on the day when his engagement party was held and the entire sect was recalled."
"Huh? Engagement party?"
"Oh, you probably didn't know, but Long Ao Tian was originally supposed to be betrothed to the first young miss of the Na Lan family, Na Lan Yan Ran."
"Oh, yeah, I know. Na Lan Yan Ran told me about that." I nodded. "But I didn't know there was an engagement party."
"I think it's cancelled. We're obviously in no condition to hold any party.�� Cheng Long buried his face in his palm.
"What should we do now?" Ye Wu Tian asked the sect leader. He shrugged.
"We'll have to hide out."
"We'll help you out with that."
To our surprise, Na Lan Jie and Na Lan Su appeared right in front of us, right outside the forest trail we took to escape from Cang Long Mountain. They had a limousine with them and a retinue of bodyguards in suits and sunglasses.
"Sir Na Lan! You actually came for us!"
Cheng Long cupped his hands and bowed his head. Na Lan Jie shook his head and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Not at all. We are old friends. It's only natural to help a brother when he is in need!"
"What happened?" Na Lan Su asked, looking pale. "We heard that there was an attack…"
"The North Jeweled Sect," Ye Wu Tian replied, breathing heavily. "Chen Bei Xuan led his subordinates to attack us. And…Long Ao Tian betrayed us."
"What?! Ao Tian betrayed you? How is that possible?!"
Na Lan Jie couldn't believe what he was hearing. It was only natural – Long Ao Tian was supposed to be his grandson-in-law. Just before this tragic incident, he was about to marry off his granddaughter, Na Lan Yan Ran, to Long Ao Tian.
"Is this all of you? Where are the rest?" Na Lan Su was looking around, skeptical of what he was seeing. There were about three elders, not including Cheng Long. "Where are all the other disciples?"
"Dead," Cheng Long replied angrily. "Killed by Chen Bei Xuan and Long Ao Tian. They were really thorough."
"Why would they do that?! Chen Bei Xuan isn't a demonic cultivator." Na Lan Jie was still trying to wrap his head around what was going on.
"Wu Tou Nao was stupid enough to insult Chen Bei Xuan. Called him an arrogant cultivator who liked showing off. Chen Bei Xuan then killed him instantly. When we protested, he proceeded to wipe our sect out."
"That's insane! How can he do that?!"
"Because he is the main character. He has cheats, plot armor and preferential treatment from his author." Cheng Long sighed. "And quite simply, because he has the strength to do whatever he wants and gets away with it."
"The cultivator world is ruthless. Strong eat the weak." Ye Wu Tian shook his head. "If you don't have the strength, you'll only be trampled upon by others."
"That's just bullshit." Na Lan Su rolled his eyes. "This is the twenty-first century. Such thinking is barbaric and outdated. What is this, North Korea? Who the fuck executes someone just for a verbal insult? Without trial too!"
"We can complain all we want, but the fact of the matter is that we can't do anything because Chen Bei Xuan is too strong." Cheng Long sighed again. "That is the reality of it all."
So much for great power came with great responsibility. It went to show that those with the most power usually were the ones who didn't deserve it.
"For now, we'll give you and your elders shelter." Na Lan Jie gritted his teeth. "Even Chen Bei Xuan shouldn't be shameless enough to stomp my Na Lan residence just for a few old men. You can stay there for as long as you need to, until you rebuild your sect. Of course, you're welcome to retire and live there permanently if that's what you prefer. My Na Lan clan owe your Divine Dragon Sect so much. We definitely won't abandon you."
"Thank you very much." Cheng Long bowed deeply. Na Lan Jie gestured frantically.
"Raise your head, Sir Cheng Long! My Na Lan family owe you a great debt! If it weren't for you, we would have perished in the flames of war…"
"Not at all. It's the duty of orthodox sects to support each other and help out during times of need."
Something that Chen Bei Xuan and his North Jeweled Sect didn't seem to be doing. They weren't demonic, but they were far from the righteous and just orthodox sects that reigned peacefully over the secret world of cultivation on Earth.
"We'll have to accept your assistance then. On behalf of my sect, I express my gratitude."
"Not at all, not at all! Don't be so formal, you're not an outsider. We are brothers, aren't we?"
Whoa. I had no idea what sort of history the Divine Dragon Sect and the Na Lan clan possessed between them, but it was definitely not simple. From what I could gather, it appeared that the Divine Dragon Sect saved the Na Lan family during some war during the old men's generation. That also explained why Na Lan Jie was so willing to marry off his granddaughter to the first disciple of the Divine Dragon Sect.
"Ao Tian! Ao Tian, are you all right?!"
While the grownups were discussing the whole fracas, Na Lan Yan Ran rushed forward in panic. She skidded to a stop, scanning the remnants of the Divine Dragon Sect. When she caught sight of me, she scowled.
"What are you doing here?!"
"He's a disciple of our Divine Dragon Sect," Cheng Long replied. He raised an eyebrow. "Do you two already know each other?"
"Sort of," I muttered.
"How is it that I'm always running into you?!" Na Lan Yan Ran snapped furiously. "Are you stalking me?"
"Yan Ran!" Her grandfather reprimanded her sternly. The beautiful girl turned away with a huff, folding her arms. Then she gasped, as if remembering something.
"Ao Tian! Where is Ao Tian? Did he survive?"
"He's dead," Cheng Long replied coldly. He then regarded Na Lan Yan Ran. "He was a traitor. He betrayed our Divine Dragon Sect and sold us to the North Jeweled Sect. Most of our sect's disciples died at his hands."
"N…no!" Na Lan Yan Ran's hands flew to her mouth. "That can't be true! That's impossible!"
"Honestly, I would have thought so too," Ye Wu Tian told her. "Until I witnessed the atrocities that Long Ao Tian committed with my very own eyes. I saw firsthand how he slaughtered those who called him senior brother for years."
"In a way, we are partly at fault." Cheng Long sighed heavily. "We knew that Long Ao Tian had been bullied during his first years here…condemned as trash, treated as a handyman in the outer sect and abused. We should never have left him alone…his resentment festered into a murderous grudge."
"And he used the opportunity that Chen Bei Xuan afforded him to take revenge."
"NO!" Na Lan Yan Ran screamed. "That can't be! That's impossible! Ao Tian isn't the type to do something like that! You must be mistaken! Surely there's some error? You saw the wrong person? Or Ao Tian was controlled…!"
"We saw what we saw, Ms. Yan Ran," Cheng Long interrupted. "You can deny it all you want, but the reality is that Long Ao Tian betrayed us. He even gloated to us about his motivations for destroying the sect. He didn't seem controlled at all."
"B…but…!"
"And he's dead," Cheng Long finished coldly. "I killed him with my own hands."
"No! NO!" Na Lan Yan Ran sank to her knees, weeping. She looked up pleadingly, shaking her head in denial. "It can���t be true! Ao Tian can't be dead!"
The grownups ignored her. Under Na Lan Jie's direction, they proceeded toward the limousine and row of vehicles. I wasn't shameless enough to join the old men in the luxury vehicle, so I opted to board one of the smaller cars at the back.
Before I did that, though, I heard an interesting conversation.
"What should we do now about the betrothal, Sir Cheng Long? Is it still on?"
"I don't know. Long Ao Tian betrayed us…and he is now dead. It might not be a good time to talk about it…"
"Sorry. I was just thinking…as a show of support, I will agree to whatever engagement that you might still want. I won't cancel my granddaughter's betrothal over this disaster."
"I appreciate it, but as I said, Long Ao Tian is dead."
"Oh, I was thinking…the next person in line. The agreement is for Ran Er to get married to the first disciple of your sect. It doesn't necessarily have to be Long Ao Tian."
Suddenly, I felt a chill run down my spine. They couldn't possibly be…
"Let me think about it. I just lost almost all of my disciples." Cheng Long rubbed his forehead. "Give me some time."
"I understand. No pressure. Just wanted you to know that you'll always have the support of the Na Lan Clan, no matter what disasters you face."
"Appreciate it."
I shook my head and climbed into the car. Fortunately, Cheng Long didn't seem to be keen on this stupid engagement, but if he was…then I was more than willing to forego the position of first disciple.
*
Chen Fan watched Cang Long Mountain from a distance, feeling disturbed. Long Ao Tian was taking too long to finish off a sect that he had personally drove to the verge of destruction. Honestly, as an Earth Immortal, Chen Fan could easily kill every single member with a single flick of his finger, but Long Ao Tian had begged him to spare him a few, so that he could satiate his desire for revenge by personally murdering them with his own hands.
Having indulged in his own vendetta and settled his own grudges in the past, Chen Fan – or Chen Bei Xuan as he was more commonly known – was aware of how important it was to an avenger to take revenge with his own hands. Therefore he had consented.
And this was how that fool Long Ao Tian repaid him?
"Did Long Ao Tian fail?"
Chen Fan turned to regard Fang Qiong, his wife. She sidled up to him, taking his arm and smiling faintly.
"You should have known that you can't trust that boy. He might be strong and have plot armor, but he's dumb as a brick. What if he runs into someone with more plot armor?"
"Then he deserves to be killed. That's the way of the cultivation world. The strong eat the weak. You have to be ruthless if you want to survive."
"Then why haven't you killed me? I'm weaker than you, right?"
"Because you are my woman."
Fang Qiong giggled at that. "I guess I should be thankful for that?"
"Yes." Chen Fan suddenly stiffened. He frowned and glared at Cang Long Mountain. In a single flash, he crossed the distance and landed in the remains of the ruined Divine Dragon temple, scanning the place meticulously.
"What's the matter, Fan?"
A second later, Fang Qiong joined him, landing gracefully beside him. Chen Fan took her hand and squeezed it.
"An enemy from my other life. He's here."
"Your other life?"
"Didn't you remember? I told you before, I actually ascended to the Immortal Realm and spent 500 years there, mastering over 13,000 techniques and reaching the pinnacle of godhood. However, there, I met an enemy that I must destroy."
He clenched his fists.
"Shu Cong."
"What did he do?" Fang Qiong asked curiously, not having any recollection of their past lives together, where they spent 500 years married.
"His very existence offends me," Chen Fan replied coldly. "He tried to protect someone I wanted to kill, and he refused to serve me in the North Jeweled Sect. For these offences, he must die. One of the reasons I was sent back to the past, aside from because I had lingering regrets, is because I must…Terminate him before he ever reaches the same level as me."