Chapter 212.1: Unable to be Perfect; A Heart Filled with Regrets

He stared at Quan Yi Zhen who had been beaten to a pile of trash for a long time before whispering, "...My Lord, are you, really... able to give me, all of his spiritual powers?"

Xie Lian's heart sank while Quan Yi Zhen gaped, his mouth wide open, "...Shixiong?"

"Why don't I give it to you now, so you can see for yourself whether if I am able." Jun Wu said.

Yin Yu still seemed to be concerned and asked, "Then... can he still steal them back? It's his own spiritual powers after all, so if he wanted to steal it back..."

"Unless you yourself are willing to return it to him, or if you die, then it would be impossible for him to steal it back." Jun Wu said.

Yin Yu hesitantly asked, "Then if his spiritual powers are transferred to me, will Quan Yi Zhen... die? Or would something else happen..."

No matter what, he probably still didn't want Quan Yi Zhen to die by his hands. Jun Wu replied, "Nothing will happen, it's just the process that's a bit painful, that's all, but who hasn't suffered pain in this world? How you want to deal with him afterwards, whether he lives or dies, will be all up to you."

Yin Yu then asked, "What about the other heavenly officials? There's so many heavenly officials in the Upper Court who saw what happened at the Great Martial Hall, if it got out..."

Jun Wu smiled, "So what if they know? They're all but ants that can be squished with but one hand. Annihilate them all, bring up a new batch of heavenly officials and you change your face and your name, make up a new background, who would be the wiser?"

When he said this his expression was nonchalant, as calm and easy as if he was saying the tea in the cup had gone cold, to pour it out and change a new cup.

Finally, Yin Yu asked, "In the new Upper Court, me, what... would be my new identity?"

"Ling Wen if my left hand, and you shall be my right." Jun Wu said, "There will be no others above you besides me."

Yin Yu gritted his teeth, and finally, he said, "...Very well!"

He said darkly, "Pray My Lord will remember the promise made to me today. Then, now..."

He didn't continue, and only moved his gaze to Quan Yi Zhen. Jun Wu replied, "As you wish."

The moment those words left his lips Quan Yi Zhen suddenly started writhing, his faces twisting, and he screamed, blood flowing from all of his orifices as he clutched his head and rolled around, seeming to be in great agony. As for Yin Yu, a sudden spiritual light emitted from his body.

His entire face was shining and illuminated, and he raised an arm, swinging it above, and the entire Palace of Qi Ying collapsed in a rumble!

A giant hole appeared upon the golden palace. Standing among the wreckage, Yin Yu bowed his head to look at his hands, slowly clenching them into fists. Jun Wu's expression was like he was watching a small child playing with his new toy, "How do you feel?"

It a moment before Yin Yu replied, "...I've never possessed such strong powers before."

He gazed at Quan Yi Zhen who was howling on the ground on the side, his expression complicated, "My master once said, Quan Yi Zhen was someone born to ascend, an ability gifted by the heavens. Is this the power bestowed by the heavens?"

"From now on, it's yours." Jun Wu said.

Yin Yu slowly nodded.

Then the next moment, he raised his palm and blasted.

This blast used all of Quan Yi Zhen's powers, its strength terrifying, and a white light erupted from the mirror. Soon after, Yin Yu drew a giant circle in the air with his right hand, grabbed that circle from the air and hurled, trapping Jun Wu. Jun Wu looked at the circle of light around his feet, frowned slightly, seeming to be wary, and cautious not to touch it. Then he looked at Yin Yu who was pulling at Quan Yi Zhen on the ground, appearing indifferent, "Yin Yu, to renege at the last minute, are you not going to give me an explanation?"

"..."

Yin Yu had his back turned to him as he carried Quan Yi Zhen on his back and didn't respond. Jun Wu said, "What you're doing is certainly worthy of praise, a man of class. However, is this your true heart? You've endured and aggrieved yourself for hundreds of years, are you going to keep enduring?"

"..."

"Do you truly not resent the one you are saving right now? Even if you do not resent, do you not hate?"

"..."

Yin Yu finally couldn't take it anymore.

He clenched his fists tight, his knuckles cracking, and he whipped around, "I DO RESENT HIM! I DO HATE HIM!!! BUT, SO WHAT??"

Quan Yi Zhen was flustered and ruffled, speaking as blood spewed from his nose and mouth, "Shixiong..."

"SHUT UP!!!" Yin Yu shouted.

He then turned to Jun Wu again, "My lord... My lord... YOU! WHY MUST YOU REMIND ME OF THIS?? SAYING IT LIKE YOU ALL UNDERSTAND ME OR SOMETHING! YES, I HATE HIM! BUT, SO WHAT?? HE'S GIVEN ME SO MUCH TROUBLE, OF COURSE I HATE HIM??"

"..."

Xie Lian's sunken heart was suddenly thrown high from the deep valley once again, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, almost falling over. What kind of mess up logic was this??

Then, Yin Yu continued, "...BUT... But I only... I only wanted to just hate him, it doesn't mean I have to hurt him. What's that "should've been mine"? Other than natural talent, there is nothing that belonged to anyone from birth. OTHER PEOPLE'S POSSESSIONS, I DON'T WANT THEM!!"

Xie Lian's eyes lit up and shouted, "WELL SAID!"

Yin Yu continued, "I do want to return to the heavens, I do want to be ranked in the top ten! BUT! If I didn't manage all that on my own then it's completely meaningless! I'm unlucky, I accept it! If I'm not as powerful as him, then at the very least I can admit I'm not as powerful as him!"

"ADMITTING THAT I CAN'T COMPARE IS NOT THAT HARD!"

Such pride!

In that instant, Xie Lian finally saw once again on Yin Yu that glorious shine and pride of his youth.

"WAH!" Quan Yi Zhen burst out in tears on his back, blood mingling with tears and snot all spewed, splattering Yin Yu with a face full of blood, and Yin Yu broke down, "STOP THAT!!!"

Quan Yi Zhen sobbed and moaned, "Shixiong, I'm sorry!"

Yin Yu couldn't endure it any longer, "You don't need to apologize to me anymore either! Either way you won't understand no matter how much you say sorry. I've really had enough of you..."

Jun Wu sighed and rubbed his temple. Yin Yu added, "Besides... besides, I'm not completely useless either. You've said it yourself. When it came to overall abilities, he might not compare to me. I've got my own..."

Oof.

Jun Wu turned around and casually swept a hand, "Exhilarating. I imagine, you and Xian Le must get along very well."

...

What?

What happened?!

Xie Lian was still tied onto the chair but his heart was pounding so hard it was going to jump out of his chest. What happened to Yin Yu?

He had only stopped talking and his expression also turned odd. As for Jun Wu, he rested his hands behind his back and calmly crossed over that seemingly powerful circle of light, not feeling the restriction in the least. "I had pretty much guessed that's how you would respond. So, I didn't remove your cursed shackle beforehand."

Cursed shackle?!

There was indeed a cursed shackle on Yin Yu's arm! Xie Lian quickly looked over, and Yin Yu also raised his wrist.

That typical band of cursed shackle had tightened greatly, so much so that it looked like it was going to snap Yin Yu's hand, and Yin Yu's entire arm had already turned tragically pale like paper, and that whiteness was spreading.

That cursed shackle was sucking his blood!

Xie Lian lunged forward, and his entire person along with the chair fell over on the ground in a heap. Now, he couldn't even see the mirror. He struggled crazily on the ground but it was useless, and could only hear the sound of crazed beating from the mirror.

After a good while, a pair of white boots appeared before his eyes, and it was Jun Wu who had returned.

In his hand was a dark crimson "cursed shackle" that was sucked full of blood, probably removed from Yin Yu. He crouched down and petted Xie Lian's head, "Go bid your farewells with your little friend."

RuoYe's dead knot was finally untied. Xie Lian crawled to his feet and threw a punch to his face. Of course the punch didn't land and he almost fell over himself, but he didn't actually expect to hit Jun Wu anyway and was only venting. He dashed madly to the hall next door.

Yin Yu was lying on the ground, dried up and shriveled, white and thinned like a paper doll, and even his cheeks were sallow. All the spiritual powers in his body were gone, returned to the more bruised and beaten Quan Yi Zhen whose face was now completely unrecognizable. It seemed, those spiritual powers had returned to their master.

Xie Lian rushed over, "YOUR HIGHNESS YIN YU!!!"

Yin Yu blinked with a pair of eyes that were more gaunt than before, and when he saw him, he croaked, "Your Highness..."

Quan Yi Zhen was clinging onto the ground crying at the top of his lungs, screaming to the heavens, "I'M SORRY SHIXIONG, I ONLY KNOW HOW TO FIGHT, BUT I CAN'T BEAT HIM!"

The blood from his mouth and nose splattered onto Yin Yu's face and eyes again, and just watching it looked miserable, and veins popped on Yin Yu's forehead, shouting with the last bit of his life, "I TOLD YOU TO STOP THAT!! Sigh! Nevermind... Just drive me to my death..."

He lost his vigour once again. Seeing this, Xie Lian couldn't tell if he wanted to moan and groan or cry, or perhaps he wanted to break out in laughter.

Suddenly, Yin Yu's dried eyes were filled with tears.

He whispered, "I knew."

He said, "Yi Zhen is a genius, I'm a commoner. The most I could climb was only so high. I knew this."

A sense of powerlessness and pain swarmed Xie Lian's heart.

"Even though I knew I still couldn't accept it." Yin Yu said, "In truth, I thought the same as Jian Yu. I felt even more indignant than he did. It's not that I've never felt resentment, it's impossible not to feel resentment. After the incident, I never dared to think why I told Yi Zhen to go die even though I knew he was wearing the Brocade Immortal. Was I really just driven to madness or have I really wanted him to die?"

Xie Lian hugged him, "It's alright, it's alright. These are all small matters, really. Your Highness Yin Yu, just live in this world for another few hundred years and you'll know that none of that really matters. Either driven to madness or really wishing someone would die, whichever. Who in the world had never had such thoughts? I've even thought of massacring all in the world who had wronged me, it's true, and no lie, I'd almost done it. But look at me, haven't I shamelessly lived until now? You haven't actually done anything in the end, and that's the most important thing."

"But... in the end, I... still think... it's so unfair." Yin Yu sobbed, "If I was already destined to be no one remarkable, then at the very least, I... wanted to be a kind and perfect person. But... I couldn't even do that. It's really... so unfair. And truth to be told, even in this moment, just thinking that I'm dying for Yi Zhen, this little dummy, I still can't get over it. I can't even let go and die with a heart with no resentment and no regrets, what is that."

Xie Lian comforted softly, "Your Highness, you've already worked really hard. And, you've done very well. You're already much, much better than most people."

Yin Yu finally gave a small chuckle arduously, "Better than most people, huh?"

After he stopped, he sighed, and the sound of his last regret passed along with his soul as he mumbled, "But, I wanted to be a god..."

Xie Lian bowed his head deeply, "But, Your Highness Yin Yu, there is actually no god in this world..."