Chapter 0: His Name Is Mo Qingyang
“Are you saying that as long as it can save your life, you can turn from a sacred artifact of that Demon God into my (Qin Gou’s) Divine Bridge?” Qin Gou looked at the pitch-black broken bridge with a strange expression.
“As an artifact spirit, serving beings like Your Excellency is my mission. Since that is the case, what difference is there between the Demon God Lord and Fellow Daoist Qin?” The Divine Bridge Consciousness said this because it wanted to classify itself as a simple tool, not taking any side, and thus not bearing any grudges.
However, upon hearing this, Old Qin’s face went stiff on the spot. “Nonsense, how can there be no difference between me and that Demon God? Who are you insulting?”
“Woof!” The Little Gambler put her hands on her hips and echoed in agreement.
“Cough, what I meant is, from the perspective of an artifact spirit, it’s enough to understand that you should serve the person you’ve currently signed a contract with. There’s absolutely no other meaning.” The Divine Bridge Consciousness quickly explained. It didn’t quite understand Old Qin’s experiences over the years… Having been called Demon Master for too many years, its own disciples were all troublemakers, and it was particularly sensitive to the word ‘demon’. It had only assumed that Qin Gou’s unwillingness to be mentioned in the same breath was due to his hatred for that sacred being.
Seeing this, Qin Gou shook his head and did not continue the topic for the time being, shifting his gaze back to Mo Qingyang, whose face was ashen.
Upon seeing that Qin Gou was still focused on him, leaving Mo Qingyang no chance to escape, he finally despaired and erupted in madness: “Idiots, all idiots! Divine Bridge Consciousness, why didn’t you discuss it with me beforehand and secretly come to find Yan Suoyun? There was clearly a better solution to this matter. Look at what you’ve done!”
While scolding, Mo Qingyang pulled out the Demon Grace Order that could summon an Abyssal Demon Lord to assist.
“But fate is cruel, you actually summoned this deeply hidden ‘Arid Prison’ Yan Suoyun, making it difficult for me to use this Demon Grace Order. Otherwise, even if Yan Suoyun was a traitor among the Ten Pillars of the Abyss, I wouldn’t believe that the Adults Jia Ren, Demon Lord Duyou, and others that this Demon Grace Order is more likely to summon would all side with this Qin thief! The situation should not have developed to such a passive state!”
After listening to Mo Qingyang’s furious questioning of the Divine Bridge Consciousness, Qin Gou shrugged. “If you were pinning your hopes on this Demon Grace Order, then I can only tell you that although the course of events might be different, the ending will by no means change… Also, since you already know that thing is useless, just put it away properly and don’t mess with it.”
Mo Qingyang’s eyes flickered strangely. “Do you seem quite wary of me actually activating this Demon Grace Order?”
“I just don’t want to witness such a precious treasure being wasted again,” Qin Gou chuckled. “After you detached from the Eternal Seal Ice, did you ever see the Nine Saint Monarch again?”
Mo Qingyang hesitated for a moment, his brow furrowed. “Why are you suddenly asking this?”
“Then it seems not. Otherwise, given your personality, you would have already brought up the name of the Saint Monarch to beg me for mercy.” Qin Gou mused, “This is for the best. Luo Wei Ban has clearly seen some things.”
“You…”
Mo Qingyang’s expression froze, and his pupils suddenly trembled. Qin Gou’s words had reminded him about the Saint Monarch and Senior Brother that Yan Suoyun had just mentioned. This so-called Senior Brother, wasn’t it the one standing before him right now…
“Qin, Qin Gou, since you’ve brought up the Saint Monarch with me, you must already know about my past with the Saint Monarch. My life was given by her, and Lord Saint Monarch treated me as her own! Can you not spare me for her sake?”
Mo Qingyang immediately made a solemn vow, “From now on, I, Mo Qingyang, swear to atone with all my heart and make up for all my past mistakes!”
“Of course not.”
“Qin Gou, you!”
“After all, even Nine Saint Monarch herself would probably find it difficult to trust someone who, from the very beginning, purely used her as a stepping stone for convenience?”
Qin Gou shrugged and said without hesitation, “You should know that someone has now informed me in great detail. If you recall, when you were attacked by the ‘Immobile Evil Ghost’ clan, merely to gain Luo Wei Ban’s sympathy to the greatest extent and receive her teachings, you actually took advantage of the chaos to personally set fire to your clan’s entire estate, killing your own older brother who was still barely alive at the time. In your own words, ‘I must leave the Saint Monarch with no other reason but to keep this solitary me by her side for a period of cultivation,’ right?”
“And, if you happened to catch Luo Wei Ban during her brief period of weakness after she revived, you would have immediately immobilized her, dug out all the secrets in her mind that would be beneficial to you, and enslaved her from then on… If I hadn’t known these things at all, your performance just now would have indeed been quite moving and full of emotion.”
“Nonsense! Who deliberately fabricated these to smear me? My sincere reverence for the Saint Monarch is witnessed by heaven and earth. How can I tolerate such slander!” Mo Qingyang roared in shock and anger. His heart was profoundly shaken. What Qin Gou said were all secrets buried deep in his heart, which he had never dared to reveal to anyone else.
But he clearly was unwilling to give up. “Qin Gou, do you so easily believe the slander of others and let yourself be toyed around by a mere villain like this!?”
“The person who told me this information, although not exactly a righteous person, is by no means an insignificant nobody. Furthermore, he has already perished in my hands. How can a defeated opponent continue to toy with someone?” Qin Gou said with some shame. Didn’t the one who revealed these secrets stand before him? And was still talking to him nonstop.
“This person died by your hand? Good riddance, excellent! Such a frivolous liar deserves to have his body dismembered and his soul scattered and spirit vanished!” Mo Qingyang immediately clapped his hands in approval. “However, I wonder where this beast came from? Perhaps it was an old enemy of mine who deliberately set me up like this! If I can find his remains, I will definitely grind them to ashes, just because he dared to fabricate stories involving Lord Saint Monarch!”
In his heart, Mo Qingyang had already secretly made plans. No matter what name Qin Gou revealed next, and regardless of whether he had heard it before, he would quickly concoct a series of earth-shattering and thrilling tales of grievances and enmities, thereby solidifying the claim that the other party had slandered him.
“Are you sure you really want to be so ruthless?” Qin Gou chuckled and shook his head, giving his answer. “His name is ‘Mo Qingyang’.”
“Wh-what?”
“And he looks just like you. He is you.”
Qin Gou didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “I also don’t know why he proudly revealed all this back then, just to put you in this situation now and cut off any chance of you arguing. Perhaps it’s true that ‘a dying man’s words are good,’ or perhaps it’s just to prove that there will definitely be someone in this world who will die more regrettably, more miserably, and more absurdly than him? Or perhaps, we should wait until we meet in the afterlife… Old Mo, why don’t you go ask him yourself?”
