Chapter 443: Human Hearts and the Sun, Neither Can Be Looked at Directly

"I have already answered the doubts in your heart; next, it is your turn to answer me."

"Lu Ya Daoren, you wouldn't be a sore loser, would you?"

Lu Ya remained with his eyes closed, his aura fading. "Ask your question."

"You and I are both Guardians, and you once protected the common people of the Three Realms; why have you turned your blades against me?"

Hearing this, the black flames on Lu Ya's body seemed to burn even more intensely.

"Because I want these Three Realms to be buried with me!"

"They all deserve to die. Only when the Three Realms are destroyed will there be peace. No one is worth saving, no one!"

The ferocity on his face and the hatred in his eyes were all telling of the pain he once endured.

Tang An pondered for a moment and said, "Do you know that you have been used? To them, you are merely a dead piece on the board. Once used, there is no turning back?"

After all, the disparity in cultivation was clear, and without the support of the Heavenly Dao, if the Nail-Head Seven-Arrow Book wanted to kill her, the caster would also suffer significant backlash.

Furthermore, given the magnitude of the Causality entangled with her, if she were truly to die, Lu Ya would undoubtedly die as well, even with the Heavenly Dao as his guarantee.

Therefore, in this game, no matter how it was played, Lu Ya was a dead man.

"This seat knows, and this seat does not care."

"As long as you die, only after you die can the Three Realms be destroyed and the Human Race be annihilated!"

Tang An took a deep breath; clearly, this was not their personal grudge, but a grudge between Lu Ya and the Human Race.

"Tell me, why?"

"Why?"

Lu Ya did not say much more; he poured himself another cup of tea, then tapped his brow with two fingers, using his remaining Dharma Power to manifest his memories.

It was an Ancient Demon-Suppressing Pass where Lu Ya had led demon soldiers to guard the pass and block the onslaught of the Outer Realm Demon Race, only to suffer a crushing defeat.

His subordinate demon soldiers were either dead or reduced to dust, leaving only him sitting on the city tower, half-dead, surrounded by a desolate landscape of blood and soil.

The supporting army of the Human Race arrived afterward, but under the cruel harvesting and slaughter of the Outer Realm Demon Race, they were routed.

Those immortals had spoken of eliminating demons and defending the Dao, but when they were truly asked to sacrifice themselves for the Dao, they became afraid.

The Ancestral Demon who ruled the Outer Realm Demon Race at that time played a little game of human nature with Lu Ya and those immortals.

They could live if they wanted to, but those immortals had to harm Lu Ya to survive and escape.

A cut on him would grant them a hundred meters of head start, and piercing his body with a sword would grant them a thousand miles.

If they struck Lu Ya's vital points, they could leave this place alive, and no one would pursue them.

"Lu Ya, look at the Three Realms you protected. You should be grateful that they only wanted to escape a hundred meters first."

Lu Ya let out a bitter laugh and shed tears of blood. Because in the eyes of those people, he saw human hearts that could not be looked at directly.

He had painstakingly supported the Three Realms, yet these people all wanted to kill him just to survive.

"Cough, cough..."

Lu Ya spat out blood; his Primordial Spirit was exhausted and could no longer support the technique of manifesting memories.

"And then?" Tang An discovered that she could actually understand why Lu Ya wanted to destroy the Three Realms.

"And then?" Lu Ya laughed mockingly. "Then they all asked me, since I have the cultivation of a Half-Saint, if they stabbed my heart, I shouldn't die, right?"

"At that time, this seat was already at the end of his rope, yet not one of them was willing to extend a helping hand! Instead, like a pack of wolves, everyone was eager to compete to be the first to stab me!"

"Do you say these Three Realms shouldn't be destroyed?"

Facing Lu Ya's burning interrogation, Tang An's lips trembled, but she could not speak.

Yes, if she were the one facing such Three Realms, she would surely destroy them too.

"You shouldn't have killed Brother Gongming."

"You think I wanted to? You think I had a choice in how I survived? You think I had a choice!"

Lu Ya's roaring interrogation left Tang An's heart clouded, unable to clear for a long time.

"Were you saved by the Western Sect?"

"Yes, I knew they must have had other motives for saving me, but at that time, they did indeed save me, didn't they?"

"Why is there Demonic Qi in your body? Did you fall into the demonic path voluntarily?"

"If this seat doesn't fall into the demonic path, can I ascend to immortality?"

Tang An took a deep breath, but could not exhale the heaviness in her heart. "How much do you know about the affairs of the Western Sect and the Demon Race?"

"Hehehehe..."

Lu Ya smiled bitterly and picked up a cup of tea. "You think I would tell you? Don't be naive. Even if they used me, I still want the Three Realms to be buried with me!"

"Even if you inflict all kinds of torture upon me, this seat will not bow his head even an inch!"

Tang An stood up, and Lu Ya thought she was about to strike. There was no fear in his eyes, only the composure of one facing death.

But Tang An bowed slightly and cupped her hands in a salute. "You may not believe it, but although you and I are mortal enemies, if it were me, or Yunxiao, or my disciples here at that time..."

"We would all choose to put aside our grievances and stand united against the outside."

"It is just that you were schemed against by various parties, and your previous actions only made you too many enemies."

"Therefore, your dead end is unsolvable."

"I will kill you, but we are simply on different sides; I am in no position to judge your rights and wrongs."

"This bow is only to thank you for once saving the Three Realms from fire and water."

Tang An had already understood that Lu Ya's descent into being a pawn was inevitable. And the Western Sect and the Outer Realm Demon Race had likely been colluding since that time.

That game was merely to give Lu Ya enough hatred so that he could become a pawn with great destructive power.

A hero at the end of his road—tragic, lamentable, and a pity.

Lu Ya looked at Tang An in astonishment, his pupils flickering; clearly, he had not expected Tang An to say such things.

And at a time like this, Tang An was the victor; she had absolutely no need to adopt such a posture.

"Hehehe..."

"So it turns out what I have always hated is that the bright moon hangs high, yet it alone does not shine upon me."

"Before, I hated those high and mighty Saints for why they did not extend a helping hand; at this moment, I hate... hate..."

"Forget it."

"Do it."

Lu Ya drank the last mouthful of tea and closed his eyes.

Tang An came before him, but she had no intention of taking action.

"Even if I do not take action, you will not last more than a day."

"I did not extend a helping hand in the past, and at this moment, I cannot bring myself to kill you either."

"If you do not mind, then stay here and live out your final day with us to settle our Causality. After tomorrow, we will also be leaving."

Sun Wukong wanted to step forward to persuade her, but Yang Jian held him back.

Clearly, Yang Jian understood Tang An's strategy best. He had already seen that this was Tang An's policy of conciliation.

Lu Ya also seemed to be able to guess that Tang An was deliberately befriending him to use him to obtain those advantageous pieces of information.

Yet, since ancient times, open schemes have been the most unsolvable; even if he saw through it, he still yearned to let go of his hatred and live with dignity in his final moments.

"Is there wine?"

"There is."

"Can it be drunk?"

"It can."

"I wish to drink Jade Nectar."

Tang An took the Jade Nectar out from the Wealth Gathering Ring and said only two words: "Drink your fill."