Chapter 32: The Past
In the dim underground cavern, the White Wolf King on the bronze altar slowly lifted its head. Its golden vertical pupils were as murky as dusty amber, yet they still held a trace of their unbroken majesty.
Chen Chang'an stood before the altar, his gaze calmly fixed on the demon king who had once commanded the wind and clouds.
"You... you are not one of them?" the Wolf King's voice was raspy and broken, like the sound of rustling dry leaves.
"I am not," Chen Chang'an shook his head. "The people of this City Lord's mansion and I are enemies, not friends."
The Wolf King let out a low laugh, tinged with a hint of sarcasm. "Humans... you truly enjoy your infighting."
"Whether human or demon, good and evil have never been defined by race," Chen Chang'an said plainly. "I have only one question—what is the story behind the Blood-Refined Demon Crystal?"
The Wolf King's pupils contracted slightly. After a moment of silence, it finally spoke slowly, "Forget it. No matter who you are, what does it matter if I tell you... Since you were able to get here, you must have already seen the blood pool outside..."
Chen Chang'an nodded lightly.
The Wolf King's voice was deep, carrying a hint of desolation.
"Over twenty years ago, my lifespan was nearing its end, so I left the Northern Frontier, wanting to take one last look at this world..."
"But in the end, I carelessly fell into a human ambush."
Chen Chang'an's brow furrowed slightly. "The people from this City Lord's mansion?"
"No, not them," the Wolf King shook its head. "It was a group of black-robed cultivators. Their methods were sinister, and they specialized in hunting high-level demon clans... They sold me to the City Lord's mansion."
Its voice grew quieter, as if recalling that unbearable past.
"The people of the City Lord's mansion... they used my blood to cultivate new wolf demons, and then used the blood of those wolf demons to feed the Blood-Refined Demon Crystal..."
"Twenty years... a full twenty years..."
A flash of pain crossed the Wolf King's eyes, but it quickly returned to calm.
"I was already suffering from the Five Signs of Decay, and my cultivation fell from the Longevity Realm to the Origin-Returning Realm... Now, I'm not even a match for the Profound-Connecting Realm."
...
The Five Signs of Decay...
Chen Chang'an naturally knew this term. It was the most desperate calamity for a cultivator, symbolizing that "even the path of immortality has an end." No matter how powerful a cultivator was, if they could not transcend, they would eventually turn to dust under the Heavenly Dao.
It was both a heavenly tribulation and a tribulation of fate, symbolizing the tragic end of a cultivator falling from their peak as their life came to an end.
In an instant, Chen Chang'an understood the cause and effect.
For some reason, the image of that woman named Ah Li, with her indifferent and cold eyes, appeared in his mind again—
'All things have a spirit. How do you know it wasn't driven by someone to intentionally harm people?'
Looking at it now, he had indeed been wrong.
Chen Chang'an was silent for a moment, then suddenly spoke: "I can get you out of here."
The White Wolf King was taken aback, then laughed in disbelief. "Save me? With just you?"
Its gaze swept over Chen Chang'an. Although weak, it could still discern his cultivation level—a mere Profound-Connecting Realm.
"You might not even be able to leave here alive yourself, and you speak of saving me?"
Chen Chang'an wasn't angered, only stating calmly, "Since I could sneak in here without a sound, I naturally have a way to get you out."
The White Wolf King stared at him, as if trying to judge the truth in his words.
"Why?" it finally asked. "I am of the demon clan, and you are human... Why would you risk saving me?"
Chen Chang'an was silent for a second, then said faintly, "Someone once told me that all things have a spirit, and seeing is believing. Besides..."
"I thought about it when I went back. It's true, there are good people and bad people, and there are good demons and bad demons..."
"Take the people of the City Lord's mansion, for example. They let demons run rampant and cultivate evil arts. They aren't necessarily any nobler than the demon clan."
Chen Chang'an said this with sincerity.
The White Wolf King was stunned.
Its murky, golden vertical pupils stared at Chen Chang'an, as if trying to see through to his soul.
After a long while, it suddenly burst into laughter. The laugh was hoarse yet hearty, as if it had just heard the most ridiculous yet interesting thing in the world.
"Hahaha... Good! An excellent 'there are good and bad among humans, and the same for demons'!"
"To think that before I die, I would meet someone as fascinating as you! For so many years, the most I've heard is 'those not of our race must have different hearts.' Honestly, many humans and demons who have cultivated for a thousand years might not see things as clearly as you do."
The laughter gradually subsided, and the White Wolf King shook its head.
"But I appreciate your kind intentions... I will not leave."
Chen Chang'an frowned. "Why?"
A cold glint flashed in the White Wolf King's eyes. "For these twenty years, my blood has been drained bit by bit, my power siphoned away..."
"But I... am not completely unprepared."
Its voice was low, carrying a harsh edge.
"I have infused the aura of my Five Signs of Decay... into my demon blood."
"In ten days, when the Blood-Refined Demon Crystal reaches completion..."
"That will be their day of death! If I were to leave now, wouldn't it just make them suspicious for no reason?"
Chen Chang'an's pupils shrank.
The Five Signs of Decay was an aura of decline that only appeared when a cultivator's life was at its end. Once tainted by it, at best one's cultivation would regress; at worst, one would die and their Dao would vanish!
The White Wolf King had actually injected its own aura of decay into the Blood-Refined Demon Crystal!
"You..." Chen Chang'an was speechless for a moment.
But the White Wolf King laughed, a hint of release in its smile. "My life is ending anyway... It's no loss to take a few people down with me."
The cavern fell into a brief silence.
After a moment, Chen Chang'an suddenly spoke, "Do you have any unfulfilled wishes?"
The White Wolf King paused, seeming not to expect such a question.
"A wish?" it repeated in a low voice, its golden vertical pupils slightly dazed.
"Twenty years..."
"It's been... twenty years since I last had a drink."
Its voice suddenly became nostalgic, as if recalling distant memories.
"If I could have a jar of fine wine... I could die without regrets."
...
System Prompt: Epic achievement series detected: Youthful Deeds [1/4]
Youthful Deeds (Part 1): A promise to carry spring wine, riding the wind to send off the white wolf.
Completing the Youthful Deeds achievement series rewards Otherworldly Jade (upgrades one supreme immortal art).
...
This time, however, Chen Chang'an ignored the system prompt. Instead, he looked at the wolf and suddenly nodded.
"Alright."
"Tomorrow night, I will come again."
"And bring you wine."
The White Wolf King froze, then shook its head and laughed in disbelief. "There's no need... It was a life-and-death struggle for you to even get here. Why take the risk again?"
"Besides..."
It paused, its voice low. "I... can't wait much longer."
Chen Chang'an didn't say more, simply turning to leave.
The White Wolf King watched his retreating back, a complex light flickering in its golden vertical pupils.
It didn't believe Chen Chang'an would return.
It was a miracle for a Profound-Connecting Realm cultivator to have snuck in here. How could he possibly risk his life again to deliver wine?
But it didn't blame him.
To have met a human willing to speak with it as an equal in the final moments of its life...
That was enough.
Chen Chang'an's figure disappeared at the end of the secret passage.
In the cavern, only the White Wolf King was left, lying alone on the altar, chains piercing its body, the blood-red crystal pillar still slowly draining the last of its life force.
It slowly closed its eyes, its breathing so faint it was almost imperceptible.
"Wine..."
It murmured in a low voice, as if talking in its sleep.
"If it were strong wine... that would be even better..."
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