In the darkness of the night when the only source of light was the moon and the stars when the entire world was asleep, there was an entirely different scene playing out at the top of the mountain.
"Ugh." Both Yang Ze and the old ancestor of the Hua family were lying on the ground motionless. The entire area around them was swept clean of any living thing. It was as if, a storm just passed through here.
The old ancestor's clothes were completely torn off. The only thing that was covering his wrinkled body was a piece of trousers, which too was in rags.
Yang Ze who was just lying beside him wasn't any better. It's just that, compared to the old man lying there like a dead dog, he was barely able to move his body.
"Fuck." Even though he knew the battle was going to be tough, he didn't assume it to be this tough. Compared to before, there wasn't a single place in his body that wasn't in pain. If not for the protection of the Black Tiger Technique, he believed he would have died the minute the old man's fist made contact with him.
"Hey old man, are you dead?" It took a great deal of effort to speak these simple words.
"Your mother is dead you little shit." Though he didn't have any energy remaining, his voice was as loud as ever.
"Fuck you, you fucking dog." How could he, a person from modern times, lose to someone like him? After all, it was a matter of pride.
"Fuck you." The reply was short but quick.
"No, no, no. Fuck you you fucking dog. Losing to me. Fuck you."
"Oh no, no. You lost to me you fucking brat."
"You must be kidding me. You are in your nineties and yet you lost to someone in his twenties. Fucking cunt."
"Exactly, it's because I am in my nineties, I didn't have enough energy to contest against you. Otherwise, you would have been dead." The old man wasn't willing to accept any loss. It was one thing to lose to someone in the same realm but to lose to someone in their twenties, that too, to someone who was an entire realm less than him, was the greatest shame that he had ever experienced in his life.
In the silence of the night, the entire mountain was echoing with their cursing. This would have been a battle like never before, yet unfortunately, no one was there to witness this. Every single person around them was unconscious.
"Ugh. I am tired. I guess the old age is taking a toll on me." The old man was the first to stop cursing. Looking up at the sky, his face was solemn.
"Let me tell you this, I have seen my fair share of the so-called talents, yet none of them even comes close to you. I truly wonder which great family you belong to?"
"Heh, family huh." With a long pause, Yang Ze continued. "I wonder that myself too."
"I see." The old man didn't speak another word. Though he wanted to know the story behind Yang Ze, he didn't force him to speak. Everyone has their own difficulties and secrets. Besides, he wasn't in a position to know those secrets.
"So, what are you gonna do?" Turning his body on the ground with great difficulty, the old man looked at Yang Ze. It was pretty clear that he had lost. He was well aware of the fate of the loser, so he didn't have any hopes for himself, but he still wanted the boy to spare his family.
"How about this, I am old and have lived my entire life. This event was the outcome of my own greed. How about you take my life and let the others go." The old man has already resigned himself to fate. Before today, he never thought about the possibility of his plan failing, yet now that reality was in front of him, he had to make a choice. Sacrificing himself for the lives of other family members, especially talented young individuals was a worthy deal.
Changing his position, Yang Ze sat cross-legged in front of him. His eyes looked at the old man for a long time. The more he looked at the old man the more he found his figure overlapping with a familiar figure.
"So much alike..." He muttered under his breath but no one could see his expression under the mask.
With every moment that was passing in silence, the old man was getting more and more anxious. Even though he had seen a fair share of people in his life, the man lying in front of him was unfathomable. He couldn't guess his thoughts or course of action. The only thing he could see was the black mask that was shattered in many places, revealing some of the skin underneath it.
"Tell me. Why did you do it? Was it that important?"
Knowing that fate of him and all the people depended on his answer, the old man went silent for a long time.
"Sigh." After a long sigh, he closed his eyes. "You know, I am 180 years old this year. I don't know how long I can live. Perhaps another two years or perhaps three, nothing is certain. Stepping into the Innate is the only way for me to extend my life."
"Come on old man. Even though I don't know you very well, increasing your life is the last thing you want after stepping into Innate. Let's be more honest, shall we?"
The old man looked at Yang Ze for a long time, amazed by his insight. Shakin his head with a bitter smile, he started speaking again.
"I want to unite the Ignis city."
"I want my Hua family to dominate the Ignis city."
"I want to become the only existence that has ever stepped into the realm of Innate in my family. I want to establish a true Martial Academy."
With every passing sentence, his voice was getting louder and louder. By the time it reached its end, he almost choked.
"Those are some big ambitions, old man." Xen finally let out a smile under his mask.
"Heh. What is a life without ambition, young man? You already have the best of everything at such a young age, how could you even hope to understand our struggle? Haven't you heard of the saying 'Birds die for food and humans die for ambition'?"
"I don't know, seems stupid to me." Shrugging his shoulders, Yang Ze shook his head. "I mean if one can live a decent happy life, then why all the hustle? Can't you just be happy with what you have? Look at yourself, an esteemed ancestor of a big family with countless people at your call. Even if you become the lord of the Ignis city what is going to change? Everything will be the same as before, other than the fact that more people will serve you then."
"And what's the difference between getting served by a thousand people and getting served by ten thousand people? In the end, it's all just a number."
The old man went silent before suddenly breaking out in a smile. There was a self-mocking tone in his voice. "I truly envy your simple thinking. I hope you can always remain the same without any ambition or goals." Even though he sounded full of admiration, in his heart he was secretly laughing at him.
To him, a person like Yang Ze, who didn't have any ambition was better off dead. He only hated and envied him... Why... why was someone like him blessed with such strength and talent? Why did someone with no ambition get everything that he desired? Why was it not him that was born with this talent?
The more he asked himself this question, the more the old man blamed fate for being so cruel.
"I don't know about my future goals and ambitions old man... I am not sure if I have them in the first place." Yang Ze's eyes seemed to be lost at this moment. "Look at where all that wild ambition got me."
Hearing him, the old man had an illusion that Yang Ze wasn't talking about the situation he was in right now. But a boy less than twenty years old; what kind of storms had he seen? The more he thought about it, the more ridiculous it seemed.
......
The two of them stayed silent for a long time, each lost in their own train of thought. In the end, it was Yang Ze who broke this silence.
"Well, it's about time." Stretching out his body, Yang Ze slowly stood up.
"Do it." Closing his eyes, the old man lay still. The moment he saw the young man in front of him manifesting the tiger, he was already prepared for this outcome. Perhaps, it was better to die at the hands of someone so young and talented. Maybe his death now could quench his fury and the Hua family wouldn't face any troubles in the future. As for revenge... He could only hope the members of the Hua family could practice in peace and forget about revenge. Going against such a monster only meant death and destruction. He didn't want to be the one who brought it upon the Hua family.
"Okay."
After taking a deep breath, Yang Ze looked around him. Other than him and the old man, everyone was lying on the ground unconscious. The old Li, Hua Lin, and elder Cheng were even more miserable than the others as they were closest to the collision.
"Now then, it was fun while it lasted."
Patting the dust off his clothes, Yang Ze looked at the old man with a smile before slowly speaking. "But, I shall take my leave now. If fate allows it, we will meet again." Turning away, Yang Ze started to make his way down the mountain.
"WHAT?" The old man was stunned for a moment before suddenly speaking. "Are you serious?"
Replying to him was the figure of Yang Ze who was slowly moving away. The old man didn't know what to say or feel. Was he happy? Anyone who would have come from the clutches of death would be happy. After all, who doesn't want to live longer? Was he sad or full of regret? Perhaps.
"Remember this old man, Ambition is like the sea wave, which the more you drink, the more you thirst. And drink too much, as men on the rafts of the wreck have done - it drives you mad."
"I gave this advice to someone a long time ago and today I am giving you this exact advice... He didn't listen, but I hope you can."
The old man was stunned for a long time. the words were simple yet profound.
"What an extraordinary man." Sighing in his heart, the old man looked at his departing back. There were few times in someone's life when one had the chance to encounter something so strange and different. In his eyes, what Yang Ze did was foolishness. After defeating his enemies, he didn't take their lives. If he wanted to, he could make a comeback in the future.
"But for what?" With a bitter smile, he shook his head. The hatred between them didn't exist. If there was someone with hatred in their heart, then it should have been the young man, yet he didn't take any revenge on them.
This was the first time in many years that the old ancestor of the Hua family didn't know what to do next. Should he regret the chance to step into the Innate? Or, should he rejoice in the new life he got? The questions were numerous, yet there were no answers.
This event of him trying to step into innate was a secret from almost all of the normal members of the Hua family. Only some of the core members knew about this matter. Right now, they all were waiting in the Ignis city with great excitement. As for what will happen when the old man reaches there, it wasn't something that he wanted to think about now.
"I wish I was born in this generation." With a mournful sigh, the old man looked at the back that almost disappeared into the distance, as if wanting to etch it in his memory.