Against The Heavens 41 The Betrayal Of The Thunder Monarch.

He could just barely see Time's March in the distance, so he guessed that they had been sent to a place a bit away from the entrance. He made sure that Jinwu was still with him, and then swept his surroundings with his gaze, a somewhat worried voice escaping from his lips.

"Where is Master Yimu?"

Just in case Jing Yimu was nearby, Li Yang had immediately switched over to the persona he used when he was around Jing Yimu. He continued to sweep the surroundings with his eyes, finally spotting someone laying on the ground a short distance away.

Li Yang made his way towards the person on the ground and saw that it was indeed Jing Yimu, but he was tossing and turning, his face covered in cold sweat. Li Yang's eyes narrowed for a short second when he noticed that Jing Yimu had not yet woken up, the thought of trying to kill him popping into his head.

"Stupid idea, I am more likely to die than I am to kill him."

Li Yang shook his head and discarded the thought quickly. The fact that Jing Yimu wasn't conscious did not mean that Li Yang could kill him. His cultivation was still there, and there was a good chance that his body would act on instinct and try to defend itself if Li Yang were to attack. Facing an attack like that, the odds of Li Yang dying were simply far too high. It was safer to wait for the test in Spear's Advance, where Jing Yimu's cultivation would be sealed. Li Yang slowly made his way towards Jing Yimu, not making any threatening movements. Once he reached the side of Jing Yimu, he kneeled down and gently shook him.

"Master Yimu, Master Yimu, you must wake up!"

There was no response from Jing Yimu at first, but after Li Yang continued to shake him for a short moment, Jing Yimu's eyes suddenly shot open. His eyes were bloodshot and red, moisture gathering at the corners. When he saw Li Yang above him, his expression turned into one of disbelief, and then into one of relief. He quickly sat up and pulled Li Yang close, embracing him in a hug so tight that it squeezed all the air out of his lungs.

"I'm sorry! Little Yang, please forgive this old man! I had to do it... I had to do it..."

When he heard Jing Yimu's hoa.r.s.e voice, Li Yang's eyes narrowed and his pupils shrank until they were the size of pinholes. From what Jing Yimu was saying, it sounded like he had figured out Li Yang's true ident.i.ty and was apologizing for what he had done in the past.

Li Yang closed his eyes and calmed his mind, quickly gathering his thoughts. The way he saw it, it was unlikely that Jing Yimu had learned about his true ident.i.ty. Had he learned about his true ident.i.ty, he would not be calling him Little Yang. It was more likely that the illusion Jing Yimu had seen had featured the Li Yang he knew as Luosho Yang. After gathering his thoughts, Li Yang spoke out.

"Master Yimu, you are squeezing me too hard, I can barely breathe."

Li Yang pat Jing Yimu on the back as he spoke in a pained voice. Jing Yimu hurriedly opened his arms and pulled back slightly. But he did not take his arms off Li Yang, placing his hands on Li Yang's shoulders and holding them tightly, as if he was afraid that Li Yang was going to disappear.

"Forgive this old man, Little Yang. Forgive this old man, Little Yang. Forgive this old man, Little Yang."

Jing Yimu looked at Li Yang with his bloodshot and moist eyes, almost rhythmically muttering the same words over and over again. Li Yang did not know what Mengxiang had shown Jing Yimu as part of the trial, but it was clear that it had affected him heavily. Li Yang put on a comforting smile, placing his own hands on top of Jing Yimu's.

"Don't worry, Master Yimu. No matter what you might do, I will always forgive you."

Li Yang's voice was so calm and comforting that Jing Yimu temporarily stopped his muttering, his eyes growing even redder as tears started to run down his cheeks. Li Yang removed Jing Yimu's hands from his shoulders, standing up and speaking with a bright smile.

"You seem to be somewhat confused right now, something to eat will surely clear up your mind."

Li Yang hurriedly took out some wood from his interspatial ring and quickly created a small fire. Once the fire was lit, he filled a pot with water and threw in dried meat and vegetables, creating a quick and easy soup. While Li Yang was making the soup and waiting for it to boil, Jing Yimu simply sat there, looking at him with moist eyes that seemed like they wanted to memorize every single part of Li Yang.

"Take this, Master Yimu. Something warm always helps me clear my mind, I am sure it will help you too."

Li Yang poured some soup into a wooden bowl and handed it to Jing Yimu with a bright smile, he then poured a soup for himself and one for Jinwu. Jing Yimu drank the soup quietly, never taking his eyes off of Li Yang as they ate in silence. Once he finished three bowls of soup, Jing Yimu gazed towards the distance, in the direction of the Thunder Flower Memorial, and spoke out in a reminiscing voice.

"I once had a friend. A good friend that I could call a brother, someone who I was willing to put my life on the line for. More than once we fought back to back, each saving the other in times of danger. I fondly remember those days."

After Jing Yimu started talking, while Li Yang put on a curious and warm expression, his mind was completely cold. Even after all that Jing Yimu had done to Li Yang, he still dared call himself a brother of Li Yang? Jing Yimu took his eyes away from the distance, turning them towards Li Yang as he continued talking.

"The reason I am in this separate s.p.a.ce is actually because of him, his legacy is located inside the city known as the Thunder Flower Memorial. Inside that city lies the legacy of the strongest cultivator I have ever known, as well as the greatest traitor to this world that I have ever known, Thunder Monarch Li Yang."

Li Yang thought he knew what Jing Yimu was going to say, but he was quickly caught off-guard. Greatest traitor? When had Li Yang ever betrayed someone, much less the entire world? Jing Yimu saw Li Yang's expression and thought that he was confused because he had never heard about the Thunder Monarch before, so he quickly explained in a wistful voice.

"I am not surprised that you don't know his name, there is not much information about him left in this world. After his death, I slowly and methodically removed any information about him. If he was to go down in history as the greatest traitor, I would rather he not be remembered at all."

Jing Yimu moved his eyes away from Li Yang, turning his head towards the sky as if he was uncertain where he wanted to keep his eyes as he was talking.

"Do you remember when I said that the golden lightning reminded me of an old friend? Li Yang's trademark was golden lightning. When he wielded his sword, the heavens split apart and spewed out golden lightning, decimating everything in his path and raining destruction upon his enemies."

Jing Yimu's eyes glowed with a bright light as he talked as if he was still able to see the scene of Li Yang wielding his sword and lightning to tear open a path in front of him.

"He was a steadfast person who stubbornly followed his ideals, often leading him into more troubles and battles. I truly admired that part of him, that part which was able to mindlessly move forward in an attempt to reach the top, to always better himself, able to weather any storm and danger, just to follow those ideals of his. I vowed to become like him, but then he ended up betraying his ideals."

Jing Yimu's voice sank, his expression growing dim and his eyes filling with sorrow. He once more turned his head towards Li Yang, continuing the story while looking at him.

"He had a woman that he loved, Poison Empress Fang Ying. The poison rain you see in this world is caused by the remnants of her power, sealed away inside the Thunder Flower Memorial. Someone with such strong poison that I still fear for my life just by seeing it, can you imagine something like that? And she could spread the poison so easily, just mixing it into a lake or spreading it with the wind. That woman was nothing more than an unstable weapon of ma.s.s destruction. Every day she lived was a day where the world was in danger of being poisoned."

When Jing Yimu talked about Fang Ying, someone who Li Yang would always talk about with a warm and loving expression, his expression was twisted by clear fear and terror.

"I knew that I could not let a woman like that live, and I truly believed that Li Yang felt the same as me. After all, he was someone who mindlessly moved to reach the top and better himself. Yet do you know what he did when I came to him with the proposition to kill Fang Ying? He threw me aside, cutting all ties with me and saying that he would only forgive me once for spouting words like that."

"That was when I realized, that the Li Yang I knew had changed, no longer mindlessly moving towards the top. He didn't care about that in the slightest anymore. Even when I said that Fang Ying might accidentally kill everyone on this planet, he did not even raise an eyebrow. The lives of everyone on this planet meant nothing to him."

Jing Yimu clutched his chest weakly as he spoke, tears once more running down his chin. To him, the fact that he had not been able to prevent his good brother from being corrupted would always be his greatest regret.

Li Yang put on a sympathizing expression, but on the inside, he could not help but feel like shaking his head. Hearing Jing Yimu's story, it was clear that he had never known Li Yang for who he really was, only who he believed Li Yang to be. Li Yang had never bothered with trying to better himself or reach the top. All he had ever done was only for the sake of protecting those around him, to protect Fang Ying and the rest of his friends. To achieve that goal, he would not bat an eye even if he had to torch a hundred planets.

"That thing had poisoned his mind and corrupted him, tearing him down and stomping him and his ideals into the dirt. I gathered up other people that shared my views, that Fang Ying was not something that could be kept alive, and we tried to talk to Li Yang again. But this time he simply attacked us, wielding his sword and golden lightning he cut down person after person, his eyes cold and hard."

Li Yang remembered that day when Jing Yimu had brought a large group of people to his house and told him that they had to kill Fang Ying. Hearing something like that again, how could Li Yang not draw his sword and start attacking?

"The man I knew back then had already died, tainted and distorted. It was with a heavy heart that I gathered up more allies and besieged them. Even if he was once my brother, if I wanted to cut down that dangerous thing, I would have to cut down him as well."

"Even if his mind was tainted, his strength had grown tremendously, surpa.s.sing all my expectations. I quickly lost count of how many people died in his hands during the attack and ensuing chase, and the number of people who died at the hands of that thing was also countless, blood washing the world and dyeing the earth and heavens red. We finally cornered them on a nameless hill, killing them and destroying their bodies and souls, making sure that they would never manage to reach reincarnation. Only like that would this world be truly safe."

Jing Yimu's eyes seemed to glow with a red light as he spoke, that fateful day replaying inside his mind with every word he spoke. He still felt fear, even to this day, whenever he remembered the might that Li Yang and Fang Ying had released together on that day. After he finished the story, he stood up and stepped towards Li Yang, placing his hands on Li Yang's shoulders, talking to him with a slightly shivering voice and red eyes.

"I wanted you to know this. To know that no matter what I do, it will always be for the best of this world, for the greater good. Can you understand that? Can you forgive me for doing so if it were to ever hurt someone close to you?"

Li Yang raised his head so that his eyes met with Jing Yimu's, a bright smile appearing on his lips as he placed his own hands on Jing Yimu's. His voice was completely calm and confident as he spoke, perfectly hiding his true emotions.

"What are you saying, Master Yimu? You saved my life, no matter what you do, I will always support you."

Jing Yimu seemed truly relieved and even joyous upon hearing Li Yang's confident proclamation. He once more pulled Li Yang close and hugged him tightly, repeatedly thanking him with a relieved voice.

"Thank you, Little Yang. Thank you."