NOVEL WEB Chapter 48:
Chapter 48: Vermilion Bird’s Hatred:
[Ding ding ding, Host, they’re coming.]
The Heavenly Spirit Pool was picturesque, surrounded by serene beauty.
After its brief outcry, the system promptly shut down the light screen.
It felt a rush of excitement—witnessing drama up close was far more thrilling than watching it unfold on a distant projection.
“You even enjoy my troubles now?” Lu Ye raised an eyebrow, questioning the system.
[Ding! Yours are the juiciest and the sweetest!]
Lu Ye…
To meet or not to meet? That was the question.
Yue Hongling’s arrival would likely involve more tears, regret, and anguished apologies—scenes all too similar to those with Chu Ling.
Forget it. The Heavenly Spirit Pool was indeed an excellent place for cultivation, and he felt no urge to relocate for now.
As the system had once said, the path of cultivation was long. Sometimes, taking a moment to enjoy other views was itself a form of cultivation.
With this thought, Lu Ye closed his eyes.
He was edging closer to the Void Refining stage. Soon, the restrictions of the Ancient Battlefield of Prodigies would loosen, allowing a second wave of prodigies under fifty years old to enter.
In a little while longer, the battlefield would fully open, welcoming all prodigies under a hundred. That would be when the real chaos began.
Where would his fists land on the Eternal Prodigy Rankings this time?
Not long after…
A wave of intense heat swept over as flames approached rapidly from the horizon.
The Vermilion Bird’s sharp eyes immediately spotted Lu Ye’s figure, and her heart trembled.
It was him!
In her heart, conflicting emotions surged like a tempest.
Their first encounter had been when Lu Ye saved her.
The Myriad Spirits Demon Emperor had sent assassins after her, seeking to extract her Vermilion Bird true blood. Severely injured and with barely a fraction of her strength remaining, she had ended up as Lu Ye’s pet.
Later, she escaped his care. Although many demons pursued her, the Vermilion Bird always believed the root cause of the Demon Clan’s plight lay in the ambitions of their demon emperors, especially the loathsome Myriad Spirits Demon Emperor.
Not all demons were evil.
If it hadn’t been for the Myriad Spirits Demon Emperor leading the Demon Clan astray, they wouldn’t have fallen to such depths.
Eventually, she was saved by Lu Ye once again.
By then, Lu Ye had become the Demon Clan’s nemesis, standing in direct opposition to the Myriad Spirits Demon Emperor.
A catastrophic war broke out between the Demon and Human Clans, leaving both sides with unbearable casualties.
In the end, Lu Ye slew the Myriad Spirits Demon Emperor, yet the slaughter didn’t cease. Perhaps it could no longer be called a war—it had turned into a massacre.
Lu Ye claimed the Myriad Spirits Demon Emperor wasn’t truly dead but had fragmented into countless demons. Each demon was both itself and a part of the emperor.
Thus began his rampage.
He killed with a madness that shook the heavens.
Even the Vermilion Bird despaired.
She believed Lu Ye, convinced that his actions, though painful, were necessary—a brutal yet unavoidable purge.
But then she uncovered the complete Myriad Spirits Blood Transformation Demonic Codex.
Its contents revealed no such claim of the Myriad Spirits Demon Emperor fragmenting. Everything Lu Ye had said was a lie.
That was why she hated him.
Lu Ye’s words were untrustworthy. What she had discovered was the truth.
The Vermilion Bird summoned a searing gust, gently setting Yue Hongling down.
Lu Ye calmly observed Yue Hongling.
She was in a miserable state—her abdomen torn open, one arm severed, her body riddled with countless wounds.
“Senior Brother… Senior Brother…”
Yue Hongling struggled to move her broken body, forcing herself into a kneeling position by the edge of the Heavenly Spirit Pool.
“I was wrong. Hongling admits her mistakes.”
“It was all my fault!”
Yue Hongling cried bitterly, pressing her forehead against the ground, her body trembling uncontrollably.
Hearing this, a faint smile played on Lu Ye’s lips.
A twisted satisfaction welled up within him.
Lu Ye had reflected deeply.
In his previous life, he believed he needed people to protect, love to accompany him—sources of strength driving him to become invincible.
But after experiencing such profound betrayal…
He could have killed all eight women. Then what?
Left alone, with no ties or connections, would he truly have had the resolve to keep going and reach the summit?
Perhaps, along the way, he might have grown indifferent, lost interest—that would have been the ultimate heart tribulation.
But now, things were perfect.
Continuous cultivation allowed him to leave those women behind while also watching their fates unfold.
These two motivations kept him moving forward, sharpening his focus.
Perhaps one day, he might let it all go, transcend the betrayal, and find a new life, a fresh start.
For now, though, that day hadn’t come.
“Senior Brother, please forgive me. I know you cared for me the most. Treat my behavior as a moment of childishness. I promise I won’t make the same mistake again. I’ll be obedient and trust you.”
“Senior Brother, forgive me this one last time. You’ve always been so understanding. You can forgive me this time too, right?”
“Senior Brother…”
Yue Hongling’s voice was soft and pitiful, as if clinging to the hope that he might forgive her as he had before.
Lu Ye initially thought of teasing her, but suddenly, he found it tiresome.
Instead, he turned his gaze toward the Vermilion Bird.
Instinctively, she took a step back.
Realizing her reaction, she immediately returned to her original spot, steeling herself.
“What poison did you use on me in my previous life?” Lu Ye asked.
The Vermilion Bird was stunned.
Why was he bringing up their past lives?
Did he intend to manipulate her emotions by dredging up old memories?
Dream on!
“The poison I used was incredibly vicious. You wanted slaughter, didn’t you? After killing so many of my Demon Clan brethren, I gave you the Slaughter Lotus Core to fuel your rampage. What do you think?” she sneered, her expression twisted.
Slaughter Lotus Core?
Lu Ye’s expression froze.
Well played. Each one more ruthless than the last.
The Slaughter Lotus Core was the seed of the Slaughter Lotus, a treasure of the Asura Emperor Clan, and once the weapon of the Asura God Emperor. It wasn’t a poison but a tool to amplify murderous intent to uncontrollable levels.
Having gotten his answer, Lu Ye said calmly, “Leave.”
“Never appear before me again, and I’ll forgive you.”
This was directed at Yue Hongling.
“Senior Brother!”
Lu Ye raised his head, and a sword aura flashed through the air.
The Vermilion Bird, alarmed, pulled Yue Hongling aside just in time.
The sword aura left a deep gash in the ground.
If the Vermilion Bird ahd not acted, that strike would have ended Yue Hongling’s life.
“Are you insane?”
The Vermilion Bird looked at Lu Ye in disbelief.
Yue Hongling was the junior sister he had always doted on!
Yet he had genuinely aimed to kill her!