"One becomes ten, ten becomes a hundred, a hundred becomes a thousand, a thousand becomes ten thousand.
The Three Talents, Heaven, Earth, and Man. The Three Lights, Sun, Moon, and Stars.
The Three Principles, Ruler and Subjects, Father and Son, and Husband and Wife. "
Specks of white light appeared around the Confucian scholar. Within each light sat a small child. They were either intently reading, or softly chanting. They slowly circled around the scholar's figure.
The scholar smiled, a satisfied smile. He waved his hand, and the specks of light rose into the air.
The white sky grew brighter, until it was as if it were made of platinum. A beam of platinum light fell upon the tome in the scholar's hand. Instantly, the tome became platinum, and upon its surface two large characters could be seen.
"Karma!"
The Keeper laughed heartily. "Haha, good karma.
A hundred years of hard work, and at last the fruit.
Your Paragon title will be the Karmic Scholar. "
"Hahahaha!"
His hearty laughter pierced the air. The Confucian scholar dissolved into a beam of light. Then, from the direction of Skyfire Avenue, a figure shot forth and merged with the light.
The platinum light poured down in torrents, slowly converging on a single point.
Finally, it became an old man clad in white scholarly robes.
The old man's face was ruddy, and his spirit was hale and hearty. His eyes reflected the platinum light, and in his hand was a tome identical to the one that had appeared earlier.
It's him!
Although Lan Jue had already guessed who it was, he was still shocked to see it with his own eyes.
This man had broken through his bottleneck, and become a Paragon in front of two Citadels. Wasn't this the Bookworm he'd brought back from Lir?
Compared to before …
Now, his spirit was obviously much, much better.
His eyes were bright and full of life.
He didn't look old at all.
And it wasn't just him. The Keeper was the same.
It was as if they'd become ten years younger in one night.
The Bookworm took a step through the air, leaving a trail of platinum flames behind him. In a flash, he was at the Bookworm's side.
"Karma Scholar. Let's call him that!" The Bookworm's face was filled with satisfaction.
As for the gloomy Demon King Satan, he acted as if he didn't see him at all.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty the Karmic Scholar." The Pontiff's deep voice rang out. The Pontiff's Citadel leader rose into the air.
He was very clear.
There was no way to fight this battle.
Skyfire Avenue's strength was far beyond what they'd anticipated.
Not to mention high-level Adepts, there were at least five Paragons among them.
Even though the Clairvoyant had entered Death Pass, there were still four of them.
The Gourmet was a little weaker, but the Karmic Scholar was a new Paragon. His aura was frightening, no weaker than any of the older Paragons.
Moreover, in the Pope's memories, he seemed to have some impression of this Creation Confucian scholar.
But there was no way to confirm it.
Not to mention, both he and Satan could feel the Keeper's surging vitality.
It wasn't a sign that he was nearing the end of his lifespan.
Skyfire Avenue had once again proven their strength. Even without the Clairvoyant as their anchor, the four Paragons were equal in number to the Western Alliance and the Northern Alliance combined!
The Bookworm snorted. "Don't try to curry favor. You're no good yourself.
If there's nothing else, you can leave.
Skyfire Avenue doesn't welcome guests like you. "
Neither he nor the Keeper had a good temper. It was why the Pontiff hadn't dared provoke the Keeper the last time he visited the Pontiff's Citadel.
Both of them had become Paragons through knowledge and technology. In a fight between Paragons they weren't necessarily strong, but in terms of destructive power the Keeper was renowned for.
No one wanted to provoke an opponent like that.
The Wine Master's cold, hard eyes fixed on Satan. "What do you say, Demon King?"
Satan turned his gaze in Mika's direction. "Why do you want to leave?
Why won't you come with me?
Isn't being a Paragon of darkness a good thing?
You're all I have. Your sister died in a foreign land, and only her body came back?
Don't tell me that you want me to send off my son for you one day? "
The Demon King's words stunned the Paragons present.
Was this still the Great Demon King who was not afraid of anything and would even poke a hole in the sky?
Satan had always been arrogant and destructive, but the reason the Dark Citadel was able to gain the support of the Western Alliance was because of the Western Alliance.
It had a lot to do with the Dark Citadel.
Although the Dark Citadel operated as an underground organization, they didn't target ordinary people. That alone allowed the Dark Citadel to survive, and grow stronger.
In fact, it was on the verge of overtaking the Pontiff's Citadel.
Mika looked at his father, his eyes frighteningly calm. "I'm leaving because I don't want to be controlled by this power.
The Demon King's power will subtly change your personality.
Do you remember, father?
What you were like when I was a child?
You were a benevolent elder, a father I loved the most.
You were the kindest person I've ever known.
You were the pride of me and my sister. You were our goal.
The greatest man in our hearts.
You told us you'd work hard to change the Dark Citadel, so we wouldn't have to live in darkness any longer.
Of all the Satans, you had the best control of your own demonic power.
Even after becoming a Paragon, you still have perfect control over your own magic. "
"Until one day.
We saw with our own eyes how crazy you were when you killed my mother.
We knew then that you were still controlled by that demonic power.
There was a limit to what you could do.
Even with your strength and your kindness, you couldn't overcome it.
How are we going to achieve that?
From then on, your personality became more and more strange, more and more like the Satans of old.
The Dark Citadel rejoiced in your transformation, but my sister and I wept because of it.
We don't want to be like you, no!
So my sister left. She chose to leave.
Before she left, she told me she was going to find a way to bring our father back. "
"We never hated you for killing my mother. We knew it was because you had no choice.
All we wanted was to get our father back!
She was gone for many, many years.
I prayed every day. I prayed that she would come back soon. She would change my father back and let the loving father return to us.
He would hug me like he used to when we were little, kiss me on the cheek, tell me he loved me more than anyone else in the world.
I waited, I waited. "
"Finally, one day she came back. But all she brought back was a corpse.
My sister's body was cold, and I could see the pain in her face.
I could feel the remnants of your power in her.
It made me shudder. You … you killed my sister, didn't you?
You!
Why?
Why would you kill a daughter who only wanted her father back?! "
"My sister is dead, and I'm the only one left in the Dark Citadel. I don't want to be another you. I don't want my children to die at the hands of their mother.
I want to leave. I want to leave the Dark Citadel.
I want to leave that place of evil.
So I ran. I got out of there.
I didn't want to be a ruler. I wanted to be someone I could control.
That's all there is to it. Is that not enough?
Father, if there's any part of your heart that hasn't been taken over by evil, if there's still love for me and my sister, let me go.
I beg you. "
Mika's voice was choked with sobs.
Up in the air, the hundred or so experts from Skyfire Avenue, the Pontiff's Citadel, and the Dark Citadel were silent.
The Pontiff closed his eyes. His fingertips traced crosses across his forehead, chest, and shoulders. His lips moved as though he were praying.
Satan's eyes were glazed, but there was a struggle in the depths of his eyes.
The Gourmet's fists were clenched tight. His eyes, now grey, were filled with a deathly stillness.
The Nether King's inheritance controlled the power of death, but the power of death would not corrode his soul.
But the Demon King controlled the power of demons. He had sold his soul to them.
Even the Demon King was no exception.
In his heart, there was a demon.
It was him. It was he who killed Mina!
Murderous intent flared in the Gourmet's heart.
"It wasn't me. It wasn't me."
Satan shook his head. Strangely, he didn't explode. He didn't rage, didn't explode.
He just stared blankly at Mika. His handsome face was filled with sorrow.
"Mika, I'm no longer the kind father you knew. I've sold my soul to demons. I killed your mother with my own hands.
But I didn't kill Mina.
Believe it or not, I have to tell you. Your mother's death freed me from the clutches of demons.
I spent another twenty years before I was finally able to control that power.
Although it was still a demon's power, it wasn't invincible.
I am the Demon King. I will control all demons.
I didn't kill Mina. I really didn't kill her.
I'm sorry. I owe you and your sister too much. Too much.
Do you know?
I'm so happy to hear what you've said today.
I know why you left me. It wasn't because you didn't love me. It was because you loved me too much.
I've let you down. I've let you and Mina down. "
-----
Isn't the Karmic Scholar handsome?
I'm sorry it's late today.
But I'll shamelessly ask for a recommendation!
Tomorrow at three.
(To be continued, please search, the better the novel, the faster the update!