In Order To Ascend, I Became A Modern Wage Slave - Chapter 40: Elemental True Monarch 13

Chapter 40: Elemental True Monarch 13

Xiao Mingqiang burst into laughter. He had thought that once the statue was destroyed, the person behind it would vanish, just like the female ghost he had seen earlier. But when he turned around, Yuan Xu was standing there, completely unscathed and unaffected as he had imagined.

The next second, his neck was gripped tightly and he was lifted off the ground.

Xi Yu stepped forward, only to be halted by Yuan Xu’s shout. Xi Yu frowned and said, “Let him go.”

There was nothing amusing about the statement, yet Yuan Xu laughed as though he’d heard a hilarious joke. He clutched his stomach, forcefully stifling his laughter, and sneered, “You really are just like him.”

After speaking, he threw Xiao Mingqiang over.

Yuan Xu asked, “Do you think he deserves to be saved? He killed his father, sent his mother to prison, and has now become just like his father—a complete loser. Whenever he gets angry, he can’t control himself and beats people. His girlfriend is covered in bruises. He barely earns anything, relying on others for his living expenses, like a leech. And all he does is complain about others. Do you think such a person deserves to be saved?”

“No, he doesn’t,” Yuan Xu answered himself directly. He continued, “And you don’t truly want to save him either. Am I wrong?”

Xiao Mingqiang retorted, “I…!”

Yuan Xu cut him off immediately, his words sharp and aggressive: “Am I wrong? Who in the world has smooth sailing all their lives? Don’t tell me about your so-called misfortunes. Let me remind you—if not for me, you’d already be dead. Dead long ago! I gave you more time to live!”

“Saving lives is my duty! I saved you because I have a conscience, not because I should save you, and certainly not because you deserve saving! We are strangers. An ungrateful dog like you, the dregs of society, isn’t worth saving!”

As he spoke, an invisible force clutched Xiao Mingqiang’s neck.

In an instant, Xiao Mingqiang’s neck snapped. His eyes rolled back, and his head tilted to the side. He stopped breathing. Yuan Xu showed no reaction. This pawn hadn’t fulfilled his ideal purpose but hadn’t been entirely useless either.

He had taken many detours and never placed all his hopes on this worthless man.

Yuan Xu turned and stared at the statue with a strange smile. “Did you do this on purpose? Turning the statue I painstakingly restored into this state? What are you thinking?!”

“Does his death mean nothing to you?” Yuan Xu roared. “Say something! Stop hiding! Come out and talk to me face-to-face!”

Yuan Xu seemed utterly deranged, stepping forward in a futile attempt to piece together the shattered statue. Golden light flickered in his hands, and he even used his magic power.

But no matter what he did, though the statue could be put back together, the cracks remained. The moment he let go, it would fall apart again.

Xi Yu knew that if this continued, Yuan Xu might do something even more insane. This temple, visited daily by an overwhelming number of worshippers, could become a scene of tragedy. Those people would face the same fate as Xiao Mingqiang, or worse.

Without hesitation, Xi Yu stepped forward, pulled Yuan Xu away from the statue, and said, “Have you ever considered that perhaps the Yuan Shenjun you’re looking for is inside you?”

These words brought Yuan Xu to a halt.

He turned slowly to Xi Yu, his gaze filled with a desire to tear him apart.

Fortunately, he maintained a semblance of composure and vented his anger with a furious roar: “What the hell are you talking about?!”

Yuan Xu pointed at the statue and said, “Do you know why it cracked? Because it’s telling us that we are no longer one.”

The statue was peculiar, large and disproportionate in both its features and body. Xi Yu had initially thought the eyes were the problem, but when it split apart, that eerie sense of incongruity disappeared.

It was as if two complete individuals were facing each other.

Yuan Xu gritted his teeth and added, “Besides, I only know how to kill, not save.”

At that moment, darkness descended.

Yuan Xu did not resist Xi Yu’s actions, letting himself be pulled away. Seeing Xi Yu glancing around, he smirked, knowing what he was looking for—a way out. But there was none.

Taking advantage of the situation, Yuan Xu leaned on Xi Yu’s shoulder, whispering near his ear, “Do you know what the most painful illness is? A heart sickness.”

Hurting others and oneself.

At least he had the chance to kill Xi Yu and plunge him into a pit of suffering to repay his debts.

“My heart sickness?”

Indeed, he had a past full of torment and instability. For a time, his emotions had been erratic, causing countless laments among the people.

“That’s right.”

As he spoke, Yuan Xu’s fingertip touched Xi Yu’s forehead, and Xi Yu’s vision slowly darkened.

In this liminal space, a clear sound suddenly rang out, like something heavy breaking upon hitting the ground. Xi Yu blinked a few times and saw that it was one half of the Yuan Shenjun statue that had fallen, shattering into countless fragments of mud and debris, along with shards of bone. Clearly, this was a relic of Yuan’s mortal form.

No wonder it had been so treasured.

Now shattered, it was the end.

“What are you doing?!” Yuan Xu roared, his voice unhinged as he knelt to gather the broken pieces.

“Are you insane?! Are you trying to die?! Why are you hiding in the shadows? Come out! Get out here now!” Yuan Xu yelled madly at the empty air as he gathered the fragments.

But it was futile. There was no response.

No matter how the fragments were pieced together, even if he gathered every last one, what could he accomplish? Could it be restored? Could it?

No.

Realizing this, Yuan Xu stopped, turning to look at Xi Yu, who lay unconscious in Lian Bei’s arms with a furrowed brow.

Yuan Xu snorted coldly. As he stepped forward, Xi Yu suddenly sat up and locked eyes with Yuan Xu.

The atmosphere froze awkwardly for a moment.

Then Yuan Xu exploded: “You weren’t supposed to…!”

“Be tormented by memories, trapped in misery?” Xi Yu smiled. “Yuan Xu, the only one who can’t move on is you.”

“Why should you move on?!” Yuan Xu’s eyes widened in fury. “Your brother is still alive, wreaking havoc in the Celestial Court. Why can you be at peace? Do you know why you’re even alive now? You’re nothing but a pawn being used, just like in your past life!”

Xi Yu replied calmly, “Letting go and settling accounts are two different things. It’s been so many years; why cling to the past?”

Yuan Xu snorted coldly. “Aren’t you afraid history will repeat itself?”

He pointed at Lian Bei and said, “Do you think the person beside you is trustworthy? The great Bei Shang Zunjun—your brother’s right-hand man. Do you still naively think he’ll stand by your side and help you?”

“Bei Shang Zunjun?” Xi Yu looked at Lian Bei.

Lian Bei met his gaze openly.

Xi Yu quipped playfully, “You?”

Lian Bei asked in return, “Don’t believe it?”

“He is,” Bai Fan, who had been observing quietly, confirmed.

Xi Yu could feel the darkness condensing and closing in, ready to envelop and consume him—a mortal without powers.

He was caught in a situation of danger from all sides.

But there was one point of breakthrough.

Xi Yu stared intently at Lian Bei and uttered two words: “Help me.”

Lian Bei suddenly laughed. “Why should I help you?”