?Mo Yan and Yu Sui walked back together along the same path, yet the silence between them was heavy, echoing with the final words spoken by Grandmaster Qinji. Her words were too much for them to bear, or rather, their past itself was a colossal tragedy.

  ?Mo Yan and Yu Sui felt helpless. A hollowness settled over them, for today they had learned about their true parents, and today they learned that their parents were gone from this world, sacrificing themselves to save them. Mo Yan was utterly broken, moving forward only by sheer force of will. Both understood what the other was feeling. Then, Yu Sui spoke in a soft but weighty voice, one that was heavier than their footsteps. His eyes welled up as he spoke:

  ?"It would have been better if we had never found out. This wasn't mere betrayal it was a dagger plunged into the back."

  ?His eyes blazed with the fire of rage, yet they were simultaneously filled with deep sorrow. Yu Sui's fists clenched tightly. He felt himself losing control to his own fury.

  ?Mo Yan, sensing this, grabbed him by the shoulders, attempting to calm him. His anxiety grew because this was not the time to act impulsively; they needed to proceed with caution. But Yu Sui was completely consumed by his anger. Yet, he still looked at Mo Yan with eyes full of such love and heart-wrenching pain, as if Mo Yan were a part of his very soul as if Mo Yan were his own heartbeat. However, his words conveyed a different emotion. Yu Sui gently cupped Mo Yan’s face, gathering all the love in his heart as he spoke:

  ?"Mo Yan, forgive me, but I have no choice now. I am a devil, and I don't want to hurt you. That is why this path is only for my steps, not yours. The journey ahead is mine alone, not yours. You must return to the Ming Jing Men Sect from here. Seek their help. The Linyan Clan and the Fuzi Xion Clan need them. You need them."

  ?But Mo Yan shook his head in denial and said to Yu Sui:

  "I am coming with you."

  ?Yu Sui's brows furrowed. He looked straight into Mo Yan's eyes, his voice laced with concern.

  "This is not your fight, Mo Yan."

  ?But Mo Yan wouldn't let him finish. He constantly interrupted him, insisting that he wanted to come along, that he would not leave him and go anywhere. Yu Sui looked at him one last time, his eyes filled to the brim. The sight of those tear-filled eyes broke him completely inside.

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  ?Without another word, Mo Yan stepped forward and embraced Yu Sui tightly against his chest. Yu Sui could hear his every breath, his every heartbeat up close. For a moment, Yu Sui also wanted to hug him back, but if he did, it would be difficult for him to let Mo Yan go. Yet, deep down, he wished to lose himself in Mo Yan's embrace. He wished for time to stop right there, so they would never be separated.

  ?But this was all just a dream. Yu Sui pushed Mo Yan back, and in a single breath, slicing through the air, he unsheathed his sword and pointed it directly at Mo Yan. He spoke in a harsh voice that spread through the entire atmosphere like a storm:

  ?"Leave from here, Mo Yan, or my sword will answer you next."

  ?These words pierced Mo Yan's heart and soul like a cascade falling into the sea. But his eyes, completely filled with tears and love, gazed steadily at Yu Sui and the sword pointed at him. He knew Yu Sui was forced into this. His eyes showed that he did not want to do this. Burdened by this knowledge, Mo Yan took the first step and began to walk away, yet he left his heart, his soul, everything behind with Yu Sui.

  ?Yu Sui returned his sword to its sheath and walked forward without looking back.

  ?There was a time when Mo Yan and Yu Sui walked side-by-side. Their steps always moved towards each other, to draw closer, but today, fate had played such a trick that they were walking in opposite directions. But could the heart follow the footsteps? Could the soul agree to leave the person it loves with all its being?

  ?No. Mo Yan turned back and watched the receding figure of Yu Sui. Then he called out:

  ?"I will wait for you, Yu."

  ?Saying this, he moved forward and vanished into the fog.

  ?But Yu Sui did not turn around, for he wanted to hide his weeping face. He was crying bitterly, like a small child from whom his most cherished toy had been snatched. The storm in his heart intensified with his weeping. But just as the range of the Su Tao Jue Spell Seal ended, Yu Sui's dark, terrifying reality awakened. A black aura began to surge within his body as he lost self-control. His eyes turned completely red, and even his sword was emitting a black glow. Just then, a devilish smile crossed his face, and his manner of speech changed, as if a demon were speaking:

  ?"Lin Chaoyuan, the time has come to pay the price."