Chapter 160 is written so small…
Before long, Jian Wushuang was gripping an exquisite yet ice-cold small dagger. His knuckles were white from excessive force, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead, sliding down his handsome yet currently contorted cheeks.
He stared fixedly at the eight large characters on the Jade Slip that seemed to radiate a mocking golden light: "To practice this Cultivation Technique, one must first castrate oneself." His eyes were filled with struggle, fear, unwillingness, and a trace of madness scorched into existence by the immense temptation.
"Impossible... How could there be such a Cultivation Technique? How could there be such an outrageous requirement? But... a God-tier Cultivation Technique... it is something one can only encounter by luck but never seek!" He hissed in a low voice, as if trying to persuade himself, but those eight incredibly clear characters on the Jade Slip kept assaulting his wishful thinking.
He looked down between his legs, then looked up at the Jade Slip emitting that alluring golden light. One side represented a man's dignity, future pleasure, and the possibility of passing on his lineage; the other was supreme power to reach the pinnacle, dominate the world, and trample everyone beneath his feet! The two clashed fiercely in his mind, almost tearing his sanity apart.
"I am the one destined by Heaven! I am fated to stand at the pinnacle of the world! Beauties? As long as I possess invincible power, what in this world cannot be obtained? When the time comes, what would I lack? Wanting to restore myself, wouldn't that be simple? The slight physical pain now, the temporary incompleteness... compared to the supreme Dao, what does it amount to?" A voice full of temptation screamed in the depths of his heart.
"No! I, Jian Wushuang, am a Dragon among men and a Phoenix among women, how can I degenerate into the ranks of eunuchs! Without that thing, what kind of man am I? Even if I possess power, I would become a laughingstock of the world!" Another voice screamed back.
His breathing became increasingly rapid, and his eyes were bloodshot. In the end, the extreme desire for power and the inability to resist the words "God-tier" overwhelmed his instinctive fear and shame as a man.
"Those who accomplish great things... do not fuss over small details! As the ancients said, when Heaven is about to place a great burden on a person, it first exhausts their mind, strains their muscles and bones... starves their body, empties their frame... and disrupts their actions!" He seemed to have found some theoretical support, muttering to himself, his gaze gradually replaced by a kind of near-maniacal determination.
"Sever! Today I sever my mortal root, tomorrow I shall sever the Heavens and Earth!"
He suddenly let out a low growl that did not sound human. The dagger tightly gripped in his right hand, infused with Spiritual Qi, gleamed with a cold light. Aiming at the vital point between his legs, he closed his eyes, steeled his heart, and slashed down with all his might!
"Sshhh—" A faint, teeth-aching sound of flesh separating rang out.
Not far away, Mu Changge, who was watching the "show" with great interest through the craggy rocks, first heard Jian Wushuang's series of self-comforting words about "those who accomplish great things do not fuss over small details," and couldn't help but curl his lip, thinking to himself, 'Are you debating the Dao, you bastard?'
But as Jian Wushuang's hand fell, Mu Changge instinctively squeezed his legs together, his whole body shuddering, as if that cold, sharp sensation had been transmitted to him as well.
"Hiss—!" Mu Changge gasped, his heart churning with shock. "My goodness! He really cut it off? Jian Wushuang, oh Jian Wushuang, you are truly a ruthless person! A savage! How can you be so ruthless to yourself?"
He had originally thought that with Jian Wushuang's arrogant and self-centered personality, when faced with such a choice, he would likely fly into a powerless rage or try to find other ways to break it, and in the end, he would likely be unable to bring himself to use the knife. He didn't expect that this guy's desire for power would be so paranoid and crazy that he really would just slash.
"Is this a Child of Fortune? Able to endure what others cannot, and achieve what others cannot? For the sake of power, he can even give this up? Tsk, although we are on opposing sides, I am truly a bit 'impressed' by this 'determination' of yours." Mu Changge smacked his lips and shook his head in admiration.
However, the smile at the corner of his mouth, which he could not suppress and was growing ever wider, completely betrayed his true inner thoughts—awesome! It was just too awesome! Letting you act cool, you bastard! Letting you have the Heavens feeding you and still wanting to kill me! Are you comfortable now?
"Sharing joy is better than enjoying it alone, but it's a pity this scene can't be broadcast live, otherwise it would definitely go down in the 'Top Ten Ruthless Acts of the Year' history books!" Mu Changge was blooming with joy inside, almost laughing out loud, and quickly covered his mouth, his shoulders shaking like a sieve.
He looked at the white-clad figure inside the light barrier, who was still holding the posture of swinging the knife, stiff and motionless, as if petrified. The bit of "admiration" in his heart was quickly replaced by endless joy and mockery. He did not linger, took one last "approving" look at Jian Wushuang's stiff back, like an audience member who had finished watching the climax of a brilliant play, turned around with satisfaction, concealed his aura, and silently sped off in another direction—the location of the Opportunity belonging to Yun Qingyao, as displayed on the System panel.
"Next, it's time to go 'take care' of my good Senior Sister." Mu Changge thought maliciously while moving rapidly.
However, he had just turned and dashed less than a hundred feet— "Awwwww—!!!!!!!!!!" An incomparably shrill, tragic howl, as if it had gathered all the pain in the world, suddenly erupted from the direction of the golden light barrier behind him!
The sound was so sharp, so painful, so desperate, that it simply didn't sound like something a human could emit. It pierced through the stagnant air of the Secret Realm and traveled far, still making Mu Changge's scalp tingle.
"Holy crap!" Mu Changge stumbled, almost losing his breath from this sudden "demonic sound piercing the ears." He steadied himself, picked at his ears, and looked back speechlessly, although he could no longer see the situation inside the light barrier.
"Tsk, I thought you were really some iron-blooded man, not even making a sound while castrating yourself. Turns out it's not that it didn't hurt, but your reflex arc circled the Secret Realm three times and only just arrived, huh?" Mu Changge muttered softly, his expression extremely disdainful, "Or is this the legendary 'as long as I am fast enough, the pain can't catch up to me'? And yet it still caught up, and it was a delayed explosion?"
He shook his head, no longer paying attention to the continuous, distorted wails and curses coming from behind him, mixed with endless resentment, anger, collapse, and unspeakable pain (vaguely able to hear broken words like "My...", "How is there... small text...", "Can... not cut...", "Damn it... writing so small... afraid that people would see it!"), and sped up, his figure disappearing like a ghost into the craggy stone forest. The more painful and collapsed Jian Wushuang was at this moment, the more cheerful he felt. This "big gift" would surely be "unforgettable for a lifetime" for Jian Wushuang.
Meanwhile, outside the Secret Realm, at Earth Sword Peak, inside the main room of Mu Changge's small courtyard.
On the soft and comfortable big bed, Mu Wanning, who had been lying on her side, in a lazy and cozy posture, holding a crystal-clear spirit fruit to her alluring red lips, suddenly froze!
Her pair of pale golden beautiful eyes, which always carried a bit of coldness and arrogance, were now wide open, her pupils slightly constricted, and her stunningly beautiful face was filled with extreme shock, absurdity, and a trace of indescribable... marvelous expression.
Her jade-white fingertips held the spirit fruit, stopping at her alluring lips, but she forgot to put it in. Her small mouth was slightly open, very cute, obviously because she had seen some extremely incredible, high-impact scene.
She maintained this stiff posture, as if she had turned into a perfect jade statue, with only her slightly heaving chest showing the stormy waves in her heart.
After a long while, as if she had finally recovered from that extreme shock, she let out a long breath, her chest heaving violently. Immediately, a burst of suppressed but uncontrollable laughter spilled from her throat, ringing softly.
"Pfft... Hehe... Hehehe... Hahaha..."
At first it was a low chuckle, but it soon turned into suppressed laughter, and finally, she was almost trembling with laughter, falling onto the soft bed, tears almost coming out.
The laughter was no longer the coldness of the past, but instead carried a charming and joyful tone that tugged at the heartstrings, as if she had heard the funniest joke in the world, enough to make any man who heard it flutter with excitement, wanting to investigate and see what kind of interesting event could make this ice-cold beauty laugh like this.
"Aiyo... I can't... my stomach hurts..." Mu Wanning wiped the tears of laughter from the corners of her eyes while rubbing her lower abdomen, her stunningly beautiful face flushed with a moving rosy glow from laughing, adding to her allure.
What had she just "seen"? Her bastard brother not only snatched Jian Wushuang's Opportunity but actually set such a wickedly smoky trap, using a "God-tier Cultivation Technique" that couldn't be any faker, to trick that arrogant and self-important Saint... into doing it himself, slashing and castrating himself?
Even with Mu Wanning's cold Heart-Nature, having seen countless storms, she felt her cognition had been severely refreshed at this moment. This was no longer just a simple scheme; this was simply... too cruel! This kid Mu Changge had left no bamboo shoots on the mountain for anyone else!
"Jian Wushuang... Hahahaha... You have this day too!" Mu Wanning finally stopped laughing, but the corners of her mouth were still raised high, her eyes filled with satisfaction.
She had long found that hypocritical, self-righteous, and arrogant Saint an eyesore. Now seeing him suffer such a big loss, and in such a humiliating and unbelievable way, she couldn't be more comfortable.
"However..." Her beautiful eyes shifted, looking towards the Void Realm, as if she could pierce through space and see that bastard figure speeding through the Secret Realm, "This brother of mine... although he is usually bad, he wasn't this harmful before, right?... How did he become so bad?"
In her mind, she couldn't help but recall scenes of Mu Changge being naughty (the bracelet she gave her bastard brother Mu Changge could not only passively protect the master but also monitor his every move, especially his vision; this was her secret, and only the owner of the Magic Treasure truly understood it). The scene she initially saw: after Mu Changge took the treasure in front of the tomb, he took out a gray giant sword with an exaggerated and ridiculous shape and a Jade Slip emitting a "golden light" aura (Heaven knows how he created it), carefully placed them, and then hid to the side, with that expectant and mischievous expression on his face... he was simply like a naughty child preparing for a successful prank.
"He is truly bad, but this bastard... how does he make one feel a little..." Mu Wanning's slender fingers unconsciously wound around the hair hanging in front of her chest, and a strange luster flashed in her pale golden eyes. She didn't even realize that mixed in with the surprise and amusement, there was a trace of... appreciation? Or even a little... liking?
"Pui pui pui! What am I thinking!" She suddenly woke up, two imperceptible blushes flying across her face, and quickly spat a few times, suppressing that dangerous thought.
But her thoughts drifted away involuntarily: "If Jian Wushuang knew that the 'God-tier Cultivation Technique' he exchanged for such a painful price, and that huge ugly sword he might even treat as a treasure, were all fakes casually made by that kid Changge... I wonder if he would pass out from anger? Or... suffer from Qi Deviation?"
Thinking of that scene, the corners of Mu Wanning's mouth, which had just calmed down, curled up uncontrollably again. That arc, and the mischievous light flickering in her eyes, were actually somewhat similar to Mu Changge in the Secret Realm!
Indeed, one becomes like those one associates with. Having stayed with that guy full of bad water for so long, even she, this cold goddess, seemed to have quietly been infected with a bit of "nasty" fun.
But soon, that smile slowly faded, replaced by a trace of doubt and inquiry.
"How on earth did he do it?" Mu Wanning sat up, bent one long jade leg, rested her arm casually on her knee, and unconsciously stroked the leg ring on her thigh with her other hand. This posture made her pale golden skirt slip down a little more, revealing more jade-white skin, glowing with an alluring luster under the sunlight coming through the window lattice, but she was completely unaware, fully immersed in her thoughts.
"How did he know precisely that Jian Wushuang would go to that place? And he was able to arrive one step ahead, take away the real Legacy, and then set a trap? Even... he didn't seem surprised at all that Jian Wushuang would make that choice?"
She recalled the scene at the entrance of the Secret Realm where Mu Changge deliberately provoked Jian Wushuang, forcing him into a predicament... Could it be that all of this, from that time, or even earlier, was in his calculations?
"And his methods... strange Talismans, astonishing strength, unbelievable Comprehension Ability, the ability to see through others' Opportunity..." Mu Wanning's eyes became sharper and more confused, "This is definitely not the Mu Changge I used to know! No matter how deeply he hides, a person's essence and ability cannot undergo such an earth-shaking change in a short time!"
Possession and Rebirth? This thought suddenly appeared in her mind. But the aura, appearance, and even that secret birthmark on his body were exactly the same. If it wasn't Possession, then what was it? Could it be that he really encountered some Heaven-Defying, peerless Opportunity?
The more she thought about it, the more Mu Wanning felt that the fog shrouding Mu Changge was getting thicker and thicker. That sense of mystery and the unknown was like an invisible little hand, constantly teasing her curiosity, making her unable to resist wanting to explore, to uncover the layers of veils, and see what kind of Soul was hidden underneath.
"No matter who you are, no matter what secrets you have..." Mu Wanning's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly, flashing with a touch of determination and a hint of excitement she hadn't even realized herself, "Since you are Mu Changge now, and you are my brother... then don't even think about escaping from my palm. I will figure out your secrets sooner or later."
Thinking of this, her mood seemed to improve again. She finally put the ice-jade grape she had been holding into her slightly opened cherry mouth, bit down gently with her pearly white teeth, and the sweet juice exploded in her mouth. Immediately, she waved her jade hand and took out an exquisite white jade wine pot and a matching jade cup from her storage ring.
She leaned lazily against the soft and fluffy cloud-dream cotton cushion, one long, straight jade leg bent, the other stretched out casually. Her pale golden skirt slipped to the root of her thigh due to her casual movements, revealing a large area of snow-white, dazzling skin, forming a strong contrast with the dark sheets beneath her, extremely alluring. She seemed to be completely immersed in her own thoughts and the fun of "watching the show," not caring at all how alluring and blood-pumping she looked at this moment.
She poured and drank by herself, the spirit wine mellow and fragrant, carrying a faint Spiritual Qi. While eating spirit fruits and tasting fine wine, her pale golden eyes looked into the Void Realm, as if enjoying a brilliant "live movie" that belonged only to her, and the protagonist was her mysterious and naughty brother. Watching in the "picture" as Mu Changge sped towards another direction, with that naughty smile at the corner of his mouth not yet fully dissipated, Mu Wanning couldn't help but smile again, raised her wine glass, and lifted it gently towards the Void Realm, as if drinking with him from afar.
"Bastard, what are you going to do next? I am really... looking forward to it." She whispered to herself, her eyes flowing with charm, a completely different person from her usual self.
... In the Secret Realm, Mu Changge, who was moving rapidly through the stone forest, suddenly felt a chill on his back for no reason and sneezed violently.
"Achoo!" He rubbed his nose and looked suspiciously at the forest of Sword Intent permeating the surroundings, "Strange, the Sword Qi is so heavy here, could there be a cold wind? Or... which bastard is talking about me behind my back again?"
He shook his head, casting this strange feeling to the back of his mind, and cast his gaze forward, where it was the location representing Yun Qingyao's Opportunity on the System panel.
"Senior Sister Yun, I'm coming. Compared to the Opportunity, I am more interested in you!" Mu Changge licked his slightly dry lips, his eyes flashing with the same excited and mischievous light as when he had tricked Jian Wushuang earlier.