Similar men, different paths.

Liang Chen stepped forward and dropped down from Yumao's back, descending to the ground with arcs of brown lightning trailing behind him. He bent his knees slightly as he landed on the ground, the earth shattering all around him due to the force of his fall. His gaze was locked onto Qing Lan Yong, who had crashed into the earth not far away and was lying in a small crater. His Qi and bloodline were sealed, but he seemed to have cultivated his body a little bit in the past, his jaw was still intact after taking on Liang Chen's furious punch.

But the sheer force of the punch and his subsequent crash had left him in a dazed state, his vision spinning viciously and leaving him unable to properly control his limbs. Liang Chen's gaze was steely and practically dripping with blood as he walked over while gripping his own right arm, transforming it into his spear.

It was him, it was Qing Lan Yong who started everything, it was he who pushed Liang Chen onto his path, it was he who first sowed the seeds of wrath in this monster. All those nights he couldn't sleep, all those times he was quietly waiting for time to pass, all those times pain wracked his body due to his painful training, it was always this face that flashed in his mind. This was the source of his first hatred, and he would put an end to it right here and now.

He stopped his steps in front of Qing Lan Yong, whose somewhat unfocused gaze was already locked onto him. Liang Chen didn't see any hatred or anger on Qing Lan Yong's face, all he saw was sorrow, loneliness, and a tinge of relief. Liang Chen raised his spear slightly and placed the tip against Qing Lan Yong's chest, right where his heart was, a final declaration. He then drew back his arm and stabbed forward with all his might.

But just as he started to move his arm, his own shadow wriggled slightly and stretched up, coiling around his left arm and constricting his stab. Yumao flashed out of the shadow and appeared between Liang Chen and Qing Lan Yong, pushing Liang Chen back a bit. He stretched out to his full length of almost seven meters and coiled up in front of Qing Lan Yong, stretching out his feathery black wings and using them as a shield. The two jagged horns on the side of his head were pulsating with a soft black light, increasing the force of the shadows that were restraining Liang Chen. Liang Chen's eyes temporarily moved to the shadows coiling around him but then quickly landed on Yumao.

"Yumao, move. Now."

He didn't know why Yumao would bring Qing Lan Yong along, much less why he would be protecting him right now. But right now his mind was so clouded by rage that he didn't even bother thinking about it, the sheer shock of unexpectedly seeing Qing Lan Yong had completely ruined Liang Chen's usual flow, where his rage would only cause his mind to grow sharper. But even when faced with Liang Chen's wrath, Yumao didn't move, letting out several loud hissing noises. The two were connected so Liang Chen could understand what Yumao was trying to say, his expression distorting somewhat as he bellowed loudly.

"PROTECTED HER!? I watched her lose her head on the same scaffolding as my parents! I TORE OPEN HER STILL WARM STOMACH AND YOU WANT TO TELL ME HE PROTECTED HER!?"

Just remembering the scene back then caused Liang Chen's emotions to nearly run rampant, lightning flickering around him and tearing away at Yumao's darkness, nearly freeing Liang Chen. But Yumao didn't falter even in the face of Liang Chen's roar, continuing to hiss and communicate with Liang Chen, practically pleading with him while flapping his wings.

Under Yumao's incessant hissing, Liang Chen's bloodshot eyes slowly returned to normal, his dyed red world regaining its normal colors. His expression remained as cold as ice, and lightning still flickered around him while poison seeped into the earth beneath him, but he was already returning to his usual sharp anger.

The shadows around his arm dissipated, allowing Liang Chen to lower his spear somewhat. The tip pierced into the earth, dragging a line behind Liang Chen as he walked forward and stepped past Yumao, who had lowered his wings. Qing Lan Yong's gaze had regained their normal clarity after he recovered from the attack, but he still hadn't made any move to escape from Liang Chen, dark bags clearly visible under his eyes. The gaze of the two interlocked, Liang Chen speaking plainly.

"Your memories, hand them over."

Qing Lan Yong's eyes flashed with a sliver of surprise after hearing Liang Chen's demand, it seemed like Yumao had told him quite a bit and now he wanted to see for himself. Liang Chen used the core of the grand array to slightly loosen the seal on Qing Lan Yong, just so that he had enough Qi to transfer his memories to Liang Chen in the same way that he had Zhong San do earlier.

Liang Chen stepped on Qing Lan Yong's left shin, who then quickly used a bit of his Qi and transferred all his memories to Liang Chen. The countless memories all flashed through Liang Chen's mind, every second of Qing Lan Yong's life playing out in front of his eyes, every word spoken or heard resounding within his ears.

Once all the memories finished flashing through his mind, Liang Chen's expression sank and turned extremely gloomy. His spear liquefied and sank into his body, taking on the shape of his lost right arm again. Liang Chen grabbed onto Qing Lan Yong's leg and exerted some force, lifting him up and then slamming him into the ground again while cursing.

"FUCK!"

He raised Qing Lan Yong's body into the air again after slamming him down, once again bringing him crashing down into the ground. He took advantage of Qing Lan Yong's strong body and repeatedly raised him into the air and slammed him down, roaring and cursing all the while as complex emotions swirled within him.

"FUCK!"

"WHY!"

"COULDN'T!"

"YOU!"

"BE!"

"EVIL!?"

"WHY WAS IT ONLY THEM?!"

"WHY THE FUCK WERE YOU ONLY EVIL TO THEM!?"

"YOU STOPPED EVERYTHING ELSE! FUCKING EVERYTHING ELSE!"

"SO WHY WAS IT THEM?! WHY DID THEY HAVE TO BE THE ONES TO DIE?!"

Liang Chen had seen every second of Qing Lan Yong's life, every deed he had done, every thought he had ever had. And he could only come to one conclusion after seeing it all, Qing Lan Yong was a good person. He was good to almost everyone who wasn't his enemy, he had used his position in the Nightshield sect to help several villages that needed protection.

He married three wives and four concubines and fathered nine children, never once did he raise his hand against them, never once did he raise his voice at them, he treated them as the most important treasures in the world. And when the time came that his wife was killed and Liang Chen's parents were executed, the disgust he felt with himself made him cut all ties with the Qing clan and retreat to the sect, locking himself up in his courtyard.

He'd even been keeping tabs on Liang Chen ever since word of him spread after the incident in the Mystic's Hidden Realm. Three times he had prevented the Nightshield sect from taking action, three times he had personally moved against his master to save Liang Chen's life. And then he moved to protect Liang Chen's sect and his sister, personally taking action to save her from the hands of his uncle, even slaying him as revenge. He had even briefly protected and helped Yan Ying.

But with the forces of the Sealing God Empyrean swarming the planet, not even Qing Lan Yong could hide forever. He was captured and taken prisoner for acting against the Sealing God Empyrean, he was then forced to watch a recording they had made. His wives were beheaded and burnt to ashes, and even the children that he thought managed to flee were executed and incinerated, his entire family had been reduced to nothing.

That was why Qing Lan Yong's eyes were filled with sorrow and relief when he saw Liang Chen, he had already lost everything and was hoping that Liang Chen would end his loneliness. In that regard, the two were actually rather similar, they had both lost everything, but they chose different paths afterward. Liang Chen walked the road of wrath and tore himself a path forward while Qing Lan Yong wallowed in loneliness and misery. And this similarity only further added to Liang Chen's complex emotions, only further muddled his mind.

He hated Qing Lan Yong's cowardice that didn't speak up to save his parents, he hated the fact that he didn't find his courage earlier on, he hated the furious anger and resentment that mixed with his gratitude right now. But what he hated above all else was that he couldn't bring himself to kill Qing Lan Yong right here. It was only temporary, but he had saved and protected Liang Chen's sister and Yan Ying.

He was even together with Yan Ying in the Nighstield sect dungeon until Yumao caught a whiff of their scent and saved them by moving through the darkness. And when Yan Ling appeared in front of them to take Yan Ying with her to follow the Nine Star Demon God, Yan Ying had stepped forward to protect Qing Lan Yong when Yan Ling wanted to bring Qing Lan Yong to Liang Chen.

It was a strange state, he couldn't bring himself to spare Qing Lan Yong but he also couldn't bring himself to kill him, the conflicting emotions tearing at his mind and soul. After smashing Qing Lan Yong into the ground over 20 times, Liang Chen's arm moved and threw him away like a sack of potatoes, sending him flying into the distance for a bit before he crashed into the ground and rolled forward for a bit.

Liang Chen took several deep breaths, the veins on his neck and on his left arm bulging and writhing as he looked at the distant Qing Lan Yong. He clenched both his trembling fists so hard that the knuckles on his left hand turned white, just barely forcing out a few words while looking at Qing Lan Yong.

"Leave, right now. I don't ever want to see you again, if I do I will probably kill you."

Right now Liang Chen had to choose, the gratitude and life of his sister, as well as the will of a friend, or his own burning hatred. And right now, the gratitude won out and stopped him from killing a good man, but he wouldn't guarantee that the same happened in the future.