Chapter 183 - The Tragedy of a Broken Heart [2]

Finally getting a proper path in cultivation, Cale learned more and more things.

He became the type of person who possessed a Will to survive even against a mortal, however weak the opponent may be, never underestimate the will to survive of a person near death.

The very day he became Expert Stage, he killed the entire clan. Their main branches, their subsidiary families, every last one.

The small demonic sect he was in didn’t mind, as long as he gave them the supplies of all these clans. And so he did, he didn’t want those resources. He wanted revenge.

Their clan had Apex Stages as the highest cultivators, but he killed those too — with lots of explosives and poisons. What was impossible?

Seeing his ruthless work, he was hailed as a high-tier demonic cultivator, getting called many names by people.

But he didn’t become Expert Stage simply by cultivating.

He did the exact thing what the others were doing, hunting other races and making elixirs. But that wasn’t enough. Not at all.

So he killed humans too. The elixirs made from humans weren’t that effective, but taken in a big amount would obviously give results.

Eventually, he was taken in by the Heavenly Demon Sect. It was like a cult, hailing their leader as the absolute.

Weirdly enough, that was the place he found solace in. Making friends, people he could call comrades.

For the first time since his children died, he felt something approaching belonging.

It took him sixty years to go from low Expert Stage to low Apex Stage. That was the price he had to pay to get such strength this quickly.

When he achieved Apex Stage, his position in the cult changed. He became an elder.

The cult leader was at Great Sage Stage. Most of the strength came from the grand elders and some ancestors, who were at Boundless Stage. Two of them were even at Saint Stage.

After having a position, he could easily go off to other places and no one would question him unless it was very urgent, that was power and position. But he didn’t feel anything.

He had lost all his emotions long ago. He had cried once, cried so much that he didn’t cry a single time after that. Seeing everyone with that cold, hard, distrustful gaze.

After such a long time, he visited Vaeloria, only to realize his father had been killed.

Most of the family dead. Hell, there wasn’t even a Vaeloria at this point.

The entire plain was now considered a continent, being called the Bloodmoon Plains. It was called that because of how much destruction and killing had occurred between Vaeloria and the other four — northern, southern, eastern, and western border continents.

Seeing his entire estate being handled by some random small-time sect, Cale wanted to lash out, but he couldn’t. The same power and position he had now held him back like shackles.

He had to become more strong. Strong enough to not let anyone control how he lived. His hatred for himself grew more and more. To think even now, he had to live like a slave.

Seeing his family’s graves, he wanted to laugh. But he couldn’t.

Seeing many of his friends’ graves, he wanted to cry. But he couldn’t.

Because the path he had led, such things had been left behind long ago.

For what? This paltry amount of strength? It was laughable!

Seeing nothing left for him, he went back. Time passed and he performed like a heartless maniac in many battles, not even sparing children.

As he rose from elder to high elder, he was made the cult leader’s daughter’s personal guard.

He couldn’t understand why. Wasn’t he strong enough to become a war general?

Of course such positions went to the son of another general. Why would he, a person who hailed from a defeated plains, be given that precious position?

He was getting fed up of all this.

But maybe, just maybe, if he did a good job guarding the sect leader’s daughter, he could rise in the future, gaining favor from the cult leader.

He had only met the sect leader a few times, only to realize that day that the sect leader’s bloodline was that of demons.

Although obvious, he didn’t guess it initially. Why? Because the entire sect consisted of humans.

But then he got to know that they weren’t your average demons. They were a race of demons but not entirely demonic either. It could be said that they were the purest form of demons with intelligence.

He was assigned to guard Cheon Yuha, a girl with two horns on her head. That was quite cute.

But she wasn’t some arrogant girl who used her position, she was quite smart actually.

She treated him more like an elder than a normal guard.

As years passed, they became more familiar with each other.

Maybe because she didn’t have many male figures around her, Cale recognized the look in her eyes. The girl had started liking him now... a bad signal for a guard.

But he couldn’t, even if he wanted to. Such feelings were lost to him, let alone vying for the sect leader’s daughter was a death sentence.

His days were harsh. Spending most of the night with harsh training and cultivating, while spending all day guarding the girl.

Twenty years had passed, Cale was at Peak Apex Stage, and the girl’s random fluke of liking him had only turned into obsession.

She gave him hints. Hell, she even walked naked into his room once.

But Cale declined anyway.

It wasn’t like he hated her. But he didn’t actually like her that much to want to have her. Secondly, he still believed he wasn’t strong enough to have a life of comfort yet.

As years passed, both of them grew satisfied with their current standing. Not lovers, but at least a bit more than just a guard and employer.

Close friends could be the correct word.

It was then that the sect leader saw Cale’s devotion, granting him the first part of the Four Seasons Sword Technique.

It wasn’t some normal technique, but one belonging to the sacred clan itself.

To think that the cult leader would grant him such a technique, which was only practiced in the Cheon Clan.

As the technique dictated, one had to make the second part by their understanding of the first.

Cale eventually did, and even used it against Wang Yunfeng in this life.

THE FIVE STANCES:

Earth Stance. The sword was held firmly before the body, its tip directed toward the opponent’s throat or chest. The stance was steady and balanced, like a mountain that had weathered countless storms. It guarded the wielder’s center while maintaining the balance between offense and defense, allowing the blade to advance or retreat without the slightest hesitation.

Water Stance. The sword tip lowered toward the ground, the wielder’s posture appearing deceptively relaxed. Like water flowing through changing terrain, the stance possessed no rigid form, adapting to the opponent’s movements while concealing subtle openings. From this seemingly passive position, the blade could rise in a swift counterattack, turning defense into offense in a single fluid motion.

Fire Stance. The sword was raised high above the head, its edge poised to descend with overwhelming force. It was an aggressive stance that abandoned much of its defensive subtlety in favor of a decisive attack. Like a raging inferno, it gathered momentum in its stillness, threatening to engulf the opponent beneath a torrent of speed, power, and relentless pressure.

Wood Stance. The sword was held upright beside the wielder’s face, the handguard positioned near the mouth and the blade pointing toward the heavens. Like a tree extending its branches toward the sky, the stance concealed numerous possibilities within its seemingly simple form. It allowed the wielder to strike from different angles, each movement branching into another, making the trajectory of the next attack difficult to predict.

Metal Stance. The sword was drawn low and held behind the wielder’s flank, its blade concealed from the opponent’s direct view. It was a deceptive posture that obscured the weapon’s true length, angle, and intended trajectory. Like a sheathed blade awaiting its moment of release, it appeared restrained, yet beneath that restraint lay a sharp and decisive killing intent. The instant the sword emerged from concealment, its strike could arrive along an unexpected path, leaving the opponent with little time to react.

This was the foundation that would make Cale a legendary warrior in his previous life.

And this was why, in the current life, when Cale had obtained the inheritance and the means to transcend, he was willing to sacrifice even the memory of Cheon Yuha.

Because in both lives, she represented something he could never have without losing everything else he’d fought for.