CG Chapter 171: Severed Thoughts and Sizzling Violet
All men who walk upon these lands are destined to be buried below, returned to the earth they had once trodden upon. A time comes in every mortal's life when they must concede to that reality, facing the truth that the end is coming, no matter how much they struggle or what they try to do.
When that time comes, the hearts of men split into two extremes. Some lose their hearts, their passion, and vigor, scattering like ash in the wind, drained of the colors that once made their lives vibrant, leaving only a dark canvas. Yet, for a rare few, this cruel truth liberates them. It pushes them to live each day as if it were their last, clinging to life with an obsession and hunger that borders on madness.
Viewed from an outsider's perspective, one might think Aretius's heart is filled with nothing but hatred for the world, with nothing but darkness. Ultimately, it is he who chooses to live each day of his life with fervour; the persistent planning and the endless fighting are all but a part of that journey.
In front of Aretius was a giant map, spanning from the west to the east of the continent. It reached beyond Great Shen, plunging into the far deserted wilderness, and past Great Xien and the countless minor kingdoms surrounding it.
Innumerable wooden pieces filled the board, resembling a vast chessboard of Heaven and Earth. Aretius was lost in thought as he moved the pieces, his fingers seemingly deciding the strings of fate in a random, indifferent pattern.
To his right side stood an obedient but bewildered Manager Li, or as his true name revealed, Li Meng.
Who could blame him? He had witnessed Aretius suppress the control of the Ghost Wedding Wine with his own eyes; this was the absolute control method of the Withered Shadow Hall. Still, the nightmare didn't end there, as he was handed a bowl with Aretius's own blood.
The memory of Aretius cutting his own wrist for him to drink was still fresh. That strange, violet, sizzling substance: he wasn't even sure it was blood. Yet, it possessed the power to shatter the constraints of the Withered Shadow Hall from both of them.
Nevertheless, he didn't get to be happy for long; once the chains of the Hall had been lifted, he sensed that even more suffocating chains had been placed on him by Aretius.
He was lost in that scene as he stared disconnectedly at the board; his thoughts, too, were severed by the sudden, apathetic voice of Aretius.
"I will make a visit as an honored guest to your great Li Clan shortly."
The tone was completely apathetic, yet Manager Li couldn't help but feel a primal terror deep down for the fate of the Clan. Li Meng knew that he wasn't a good man himself, nor did he hold love for that Clan.
Still, he consistently sensed a strange aura emitting from the man in front of him, a sensation of not belonging to this world, as if he were a being who rightfully was above all else.
This feeling he had only felt once during the earlier days of his training when he was not so fortunate as to come across one of the higher lords of the Withered Shadow Hall. But comparing them now, even that man would turn into nothing more than livestock before the monster in front of him.
There was a profound greed in Aretius's eyes as he looked at the board of the continent with hunger, as if it were but a meal for him.
Snap! Snap! Snap!
Li Meng wasn't sure what was happening to him, but ever since he drank that blood, he didn't feel like himself. He felt a constant sense of detachment from reality.
"Interesting," Aretius muttered under his breath as he took a closer look at Li Meng.
"What do you seek, Li Meng? What are your dreams and aspirations?" A question that came out of nowhere followed.
Hearing that question, Li Meng's face shifted into one of melancholy, as if he were remembering some old memory, before turning once more into an expression full of gravity.
If you want a sly man like Li Meng to speak, then you need to corner him and make him understand that he has no choice but to tell the truth. At that moment, he knew that his fate was sealed to live and die as a servant of the man standing in front of him.
"In my unworthy life, I have only held two desires. The first was revenge against the Li Clan, and the second was the power to fulfill the first. I want to witness the fall of the Li Clan with my own eyes." His pupils were shining with crimson killing intent and deep-seated wrath.
Humans tend to seek what they lacked in their youth. Those who have slept hungry would want to fill their pockets with gold while watching the world starve, and those who have been under the foot of another would want to crush others in the same way.
Aretius grinned demonically. Even when he held Manager Li's life in the fingers of his hands, he still wasn't assured. He wanted complete and utter control over him at all levels. He wanted to become both the devil and immortal in Li Meng, both his hope and dread.
Some might question, "Why Li Meng, of all people?" The answer to that question was twofold.
The first was because he saw actual talent in this man; he wasn't an ordinary piece. He believed that if he were given the resources he needed, he could become the right guardian of his new force. The second reason was more straightforward: he was the most accessible piece he could get his hands on in a short time.
This is not to say that he didn't plan on planting more seeds; after all, that was his reason for visiting the Li Clan: to use their resources and power as the cradle for his own personal power.
Without wasting any more time, Aretius commanded in a tone that left no possibility of refusal: "Recite after me."
"The Ghost Orchid blooms within the heart of the desperate.
The Three Hun are everlasting.
The Celestial Fiend exists beyond time.
Respond and transform without stopping.
Expel the good and restrain the immortal.
Protect Death-Destiny and profane the body."