Chapter Sixty: I Can Save You

In an instant, the entire cabin was plunged into a stifling tension.

Su Ye and Ouyang Yunfeng exchanged a glance, their pupils contracting ever so slightly. Su Ye was astonished to realize that the frail, sickly-looking Ouyang Yunfeng before him actually radiated an air of immense authority; such calm composure could never be feigned.

The two elderly men standing beside Ouyang Yunfeng remained silent, standing quietly at his sides.

Ouyang Yunfeng seemed utterly unconcerned with Su Ye’s response. He turned back to gaze at the words inscribed on the table and spoke slowly, “You likely don’t know who I am, do you? When I was your age, I too had a nickname. You are known as the greatest prodigy of Yang City, while I—they called me the Devil’s Sculptor. Any martial artist, even the most worthless, in my hands could be forged into a demon…”

With that, he coughed lightly twice, looking even more feeble. The faces of the two old men beside him filled with concern; they wanted to step forward and inquire after him, but held back.

Suddenly, Ouyang Yunfeng turned his gaze to Su Ye, his eyes bursting with sharp light. He spoke through clenched teeth, “The stability the Martial League enjoys today, countless families owe to me! Even three years ago, when the Yu family stole your Thunder Meridian, it was our Martial League that pressured them in secret, which is why the Yu family spared your life. But why—why did you have to cut off my path to survival?”

Su Ye had always believed Ouyang Yunfeng would seek retribution for Zhou Yuyang’s death, but to his surprise, all this talk had nothing to do with Zhou Yuyang. He couldn’t help but ask, “Oh? You knew full well the Yu family committed such heinous crimes, and as a leader of the Martial League, you did not stand up for justice—at most, you simply refrained from joining their evil. You speak as if you spared me! Now I have merely killed those who deserved death. How, then, have I cut off your path?”

“Hahaha. You truly live up to your title as the greatest prodigy.”

Ouyang Yunfeng broke into a brief, bitter laugh, and then his smile faded. “What I wanted was that jellyfish, the beast beneath the pool. Why did you have to interfere? Was it my elder brother who sent you? Was it?”

At the mention of the jellyfish, Su Ye suddenly recalled Qian Li Luo removing his scars and replenishing his innate deficiencies for him. At that time, Qian Li Luo had said those martial artists came only to take her heart.

With it, one could live for a thousand years!

Could it be that Ouyang Yunfeng…

Suddenly, Su Ye looked at the frail Ouyang Yunfeng and understood everything.

“So this so-called trial was nothing more than you using us as bait. You wanted the jellyfish’s heart. You sought immortality! In truth, you cared nothing for our lives—whether I killed, or was killed, it meant nothing to you. The only thing you cared for was yourself… But, as fate would have it, in the end you gained nothing.”

Ouyang Yunfeng seemed to have been struck where it hurt most. The pain he had suppressed for so long erupted in that moment. He strode forward, and with every step, a chill of frost spread across the floor.

He seized Su Ye’s collar, roaring, “It was you! The stability I built over so many years was destroyed by you. My only hope for survival—ruined by you! Tell me, should I kill you?”

Ouyang Yunfeng was truly enraged. Though he had long brought glory to the Martial League, his position was coveted by many brothers. Now that the stability of the Yu, Zhou, and Jiang families was shattered, a brutal power struggle was inevitable.

Once war broke out, it would only give his rivals the perfect chance to seize power!

And now, his hope of survival was gone as well!

All of this—because of Su Ye!

Seeing himself seized by the collar, Su Ye grabbed Ouyang Yunfeng’s wrist in return, shouting, “Such a Martial League—unable to discern right from wrong! Your short life is of your own making!”

Boom—

Ouyang Yunfeng was instantly provoked. Power surged from his grip, waves of force erupting from his body’s vital points.

Su Ye held his wrist, and in that instant, he felt the turbulent power raging within Ouyang Yunfeng.

He could even sense Ouyang Yunfeng’s heartbeat—if it could still be called that. That heart was all but withered!

Ouyang Yunfeng clenched his fist, a savage gleam in his eyes, ready to strike Su Ye down. Yet halfway through, his fist halted, and he abruptly released Su Ye, retreating a few steps, looking weak.

“Go. You are a pitiful man, too. If I killed you, how would I be any different from those who stole your Thunder Meridian? Go.”

Ouyang Yunfeng waved his hand wearily and stepped back to the table, collapsing into the chair. Upon sitting, it was as if he aged several more years, his face gaunt and exhausted.

The two old men rushed forward, asking after his health and pulling medicine bottles from their sleeves.

Su Ye watched all this and slowly withdrew the Heavenly Thunder power within him. He had been ready to fight to the death, but to his surprise, Ouyang Yunfeng could still tell right from wrong and let him go.

At the same time, he was shaken by what he had sensed—a heart so withered, Ouyang Yunfeng must have suffered for at least ten years. Had he truly endured this for a decade?

Suddenly, Su Ye shuddered. The only reason he could sense this was because the first volume of the Yanhuang Method which he cultivated possessed unique abilities; just now, he’d sensed the vital points throughout Ouyang Yunfeng’s body.

Those vital points had clearly fallen into a deadlock.

“Ouyang Yunfeng—I can save you!”

“What?” Ouyang Yunfeng, not understanding why Su Ye had not left, looked up at him.

Su Ye glanced at the two old men, recognizing them as trusted confidants, and said in a low voice, “I can save your life! Your heart is withered. You do not need the jellyfish’s heart—I can save you! I can keep you alive!”

At these words, Ouyang Yunfeng’s body went rigid. Over the years, he had heard these claims many times, each ending in disappointment.

Yet deep down, he still wished for someone who could save him.

His voice trembled faintly as he spoke, “You? You are neither an alchemist nor a medium. What makes you think you can save me? Even the best alchemists could only prolong my life. What can you do? Can you give me a new heart?”

Su Ye shook his head. “No. Your heart is already withered—you will not live past three months. Even with a new heart, the icy energy within you would clash with it, and you would die all the same.”

Ouyang Yunfeng was shocked that Su Ye knew such secrets; his face drained of color.

Could Su Ye really have been sent by his elder brother?

One of the old men barked, “How do you know all this? Who told you? Speak!”

Swish—

The other old man darted to Su Ye’s side, ready to seize him at any moment.

“How do I know? I was born with nine Thunder Meridians. I was cast aside as a cripple, yet now I’ve returned! Let me ask you—do you wish to live?” Su Ye’s voice grew grim.

At these words, Ouyang Yunfeng grew quiet, his gaze fixed on Su Ye. After a long pause, he asked, “You—do you want my help against your enemies?”

“Is your life worth you upholding the order of the Martial League? That is for you to judge!” Su Ye was surprised Ouyang Yunfeng had grasped his intention so quickly, so he stopped speaking in riddles.

“How will you save me? How will you restore my heart?” That was all Ouyang Yunfeng cared about.

Su Ye sighed deeply. “You are mistaken. I intend to destroy your heart, to make you a man without one. As for blood supply, I will use your vital points to circulate blood throughout your body.”

Ouyang Yunfeng sprang to his feet. He had never heard of such a method; even the world’s most advanced science, even the most ancient alchemists, would not dare claim that a man could live without a heart.

Yet for some reason, though it sounded impossible, Ouyang Yunfeng’s heart stirred with longing.

“To live without a heart?”

“Exactly!”