Chapter Fifty-Four: To Live, One Must Embrace Madness

Hearing that barely perceptible, yet strikingly crisp sound of shattering, Zhou Yu forcibly suppressed the fear rising in his heart and began to steady his breathing. With the rise and fall of his chest—even without moving—his body was already at its peak state. Having endured the complete destruction of his meridians, Zhou Yu had developed an exceptional ability to regulate himself; every ounce of hardship had yielded a corresponding reward.

Morrison retreated two steps, coming to Zhou Yu’s side, his gaze fixed anxiously on that spot. His lips moved as if to speak, but in the end, he said nothing.

The air grew steadily colder. With the final sharp crack, Zhou Yu’s heart gave a violent thump. His hands began to tremble uncontrollably—not from fear, but because this high-frequency trembling allowed the energy within his hands to circulate more freely, unleashing even greater combat power. Zhou Yu had considered running, but he couldn’t abandon Abu Li. Besides, the crisis had come so suddenly, there was no time for anything but to wait and see how things would unfold.

Suddenly, a streak of white flashed from the center of the pit, sending up a chill that soared into the sky. That white form was tightly shrouded in frost, making it impossible to discern what it was.

At that very moment, Zhou Yu sprang into action. His knees bent, and with a sudden burst of strength, he leapt backward, landing beside the still-unconscious Abu Li. Morrison moved at the same instant, retreating to Nan Feng’s side. Then, almost in perfect unison, the two hoisted their companions and turned to flee.

With Abu Li slung over his back, Zhou Yu used one hand and both legs to leave a tangled trail across the soft, damp grass, sweeping across the plain like the wind. The tall wild grass parted at his furious passage, some blades even snapping in the gusts he whipped up.

In just a few heartbeats, Zhou Yu and Morrison had already fled a hundred meters. It was then that Zhou Yu felt an intense chill surging from behind and glanced toward Morrison.

Morrison sensed it as well. The two exchanged a silent look, then wordlessly split up, each fleeing in a completely different direction.

Though he was running at full speed, pouring out all his strength, the cold aura behind Zhou Yu clung to him like a shadow. He knew escape was impossible, but another idea flickered in his mind: if such a powerful chill was emanating here, surely it would draw the attention of other strong cultivators. If that happened, Zhou Yu could seize the chance to escape.

He adjusted Abu Li on his back again, preventing him from slipping off. Zhou Yu’s body was drenched in sweat, beads forming at every pore and bursting into mist as he moved, shrouding him in a fog that was instantly frozen into frost by the cold.

As he ran, Zhou Yu sensed something was wrong. He hadn’t looked back, focused entirely on fleeing, and by now had covered several kilometers. Yet the chill behind him remained constant—neither increasing nor lessening—as if that presence was deliberately keeping a fixed distance.

He decided to slow down just a little and test it. When he did, the cold stayed exactly the same. He slowed even more; still, no change. He accelerated again, but the effect was identical.

At that, Zhou Yu’s suspicions were confirmed: it was following him, matching his pace.

Just then, a voice called from behind, “Stop.”

Hearing that familiar voice, Zhou Yu couldn’t help but halt, dragging his feet through the grass and leaving two long furrows, the upturned roots pale and tangled.

With Abu Li still over his shoulders, Zhou Yu turned and looked back in disbelief. “You’ve been following me?”

“Yes.”

“But it felt like…”

“That’s right. You could also say the Sacred Qilin was following you.” As Liu Yueming finished speaking, a snow-white little beast suddenly emerged from his body—it was the Sacred Qilin, now shrunken to a diminutive form.

“What happened?” Zhou Yu asked, a faint suspicion dawning in his mind.

“After that night, I meant to leave, but I encountered a man carrying a box on his back. He was so powerful, it defied imagination.” At this, Liu Yueming’s eyes lit up, full of reverence. “He told me to wait here, so I did, for several days. Then the Sacred Qilin arrived and entered my body. Now we’ve become one. I feel power like never before.”

“That man—how does he compare to... Liu Wujian?” Zhou Yu had meant to say ‘your father’, but changed it at the last moment.

At the sudden mention of Liu Wujian, Liu Yueming’s face turned pale and cold, a chill radiating from his body, freezing the wild grass to powder. Yet the frost stopped short of Zhou Yu.

“My realm and strength are still too low. I can’t tell who is stronger.” Liu Yueming recalled how Liu Wujian had defeated him that night with just a wave of his sleeve, without even moving. He bit his lip and spoke coldly.

Zhou Yu looked at Liu Yueming, watching this youth swing between wild elation and deep sorrow, and unease crept into his heart.

With a barely audible sigh, Zhou Yu said, “Yueming, I think you’ve changed.”

“Changed?” Liu Yueming glanced at Zhou Yu, then lowered his head in thought. With a gentle motion of his right hand, a crystalline ice flower blossomed in his palm.

“Yes, I’ve changed. I’ve become stronger.” Liu Yueming gazed at the ice flower, turning it slowly.

As the flower revolved, its petals etched fine white traces through the air, as if slicing it apart. Wisps of white, like spun sugar, spread around the flower, dissipating slowly as the rotation ceased.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Liu Yueming said, watching the fading traces. “But remember, you’re my good friend.”

Zhou Yu nodded. “You’re my brother. You’ve saved me, more than once. I shouldn’t have harbored any suspicion or guardedness toward you.”

Liu Yueming said nothing, only spinning the ice flower in his hand again. After a long pause, he suddenly looked at Zhou Yu, then at the unconscious Abu Li behind him.

“Kill him,” Liu Yueming said coldly.

“Why?”

“I heard everything you and the bald man said. If Abu Li becomes the so-called Child of Destiny, then the power won’t favor you. Only by killing him will you have another chance. I kept pace with you just now, always at a certain distance, to push you to your limits—but you caught on.”

Zhou Yu shook his head. “There are other ways to grow stronger. I’ll fight ruthlessly for power, but I won’t turn on my friends.”

“Friends?” The ice flower in Liu Yueming’s hand paused. A ring of cold slowly spread through the air. He glanced at Abu Li. “You have him, and you’ll have other friends in the future. But I only have you.”

Zhou Yu frowned. “Yueming, there’s more to life than vengeance and strength. I worry about you, seeing you like this.”

“Heh.” Liu Yueming suddenly laughed, his striking features imbued with an icy allure. “You’re worried I’ll fall to darkness? But what’s so bad about that? At least, it brings power and the freedom to do as I wish—after all, you need strength to accomplish anything.”

He paused, then continued, “Is a sudden surge in power what people call falling to darkness? Is a heart as cold as ice a sign of corruption? The world fears those who succumb, but to me, that’s just the weak fearing the strong.”

“In some sense, haven’t you also fallen? You train with such madness, tormenting yourself, pursuing power at any cost. Aren’t you also a demon?” Liu Yueming asked.

Zhou Yu fell silent. It was true; compared to Liu Yueming, he was no less extreme. Everything he’d done for strength could only be described as madness.

One cannot live without madness.

“If being called a demon by the world means becoming strong, then I’d rather be that demon,” Zhou Yu said.

Liu Yueming smiled at him, twirling another ice flower between his fingers. “Time is short. I sense someone approaching; I must leave.”

Zhou Yu hesitated for a moment. Ever since he’d lost the ability to call upon Baidu, he no longer had the advantage in sensing others. He lowered Abu Li from his back and said, “Then go. Take care of yourself.”

Yueming nodded. “I’ve already taken care of Zuo Hao’s body for you.”

Just then, Liu Yueming’s brows knotted, his aura flaring cold as his gaze sharpened behind Zhou Yu. The two ice flowers in his hands floated forward, spinning.

They whirled past Zhou Yu’s sides, accelerating so quickly they became nearly invisible. Wherever they passed, grass and plants were reduced to icy powder.

By the time Zhou Yu heard the whistling sound of the flowers slicing through the air, they had already exploded two kilometers behind him.

Zhou Yu stared at Liu Yueming’s trembling white hands, then at the madness and fury in his eyes, and his heart skipped a beat—could it be...

First his hands, then his whole body began to tremble. Gritting his teeth, Liu Yueming said, “You go first.”

Silently, Zhou Yu picked up Abu Li, but instead of leaving, he stepped to Liu Yueming’s side.

Liu Yueming glanced at Zhou Yu without a word. Gradually, his trembling ceased, and his hands grew steady.

The sword on his back rang out with a clear chime, flew from its scabbard, and landed in Liu Yueming’s hand.