Chapter 708: Senior Brother

"Father, he must not be allowed to live!"

"He knows too much about me!"

"He knows all my secrets!"

"If he reveals what happened to me before—that damned water dragon… I… I…"

Tears welled up in Tian Yao's eyes.

The Heavenly Fire Divine Emperor did not look at her; instead, he lay upon the massive jade lotus platform, staring blankly at the vaulted ceiling of the hall.

"Tian Yao," the Heavenly Fire Divine Emperor said suddenly after a long silence, "do you know how many grand deeds I've accomplished in my life?"

Tian Yao froze.

She did not understand why her father had said such a thing out of nowhere.

Before Tian Yao could answer, the Heavenly Fire Divine Emperor continued: "The Undying Imperial Domain is the only imperial domain of our human race. In those days, to establish this domain, the Undying Emperor led us in endless campaigns—this human imperial domain was forged with blood and tears!"

"I nearly died nine times!"

"I am a name known throughout the human race!"

"Though now I have lost my wisdom, the human race will never forget my achievements!"

"They call me a gentleman of the human race!"

"Some even call me the Great Wall of the human race!"

"Others say I am the backbone of the human race!"

"After the Undying Imperial Domain was established, when rewards were distributed, I ranked first among Body Integration cultivators. My name was forever carved upon the human race's grand plaza in the Undying Imperial Domain. The Undying Emperor himself told me that my name would shine in the hearts of the human race for a million years!"

Tian Yao bowed respectfully: "Father's great deeds have been known to me since childhood!"

"And knowing them is enough?" Tian Jinpeng's gaze fell again from the ceiling onto Tian Yao: "I have lived my life with integrity, never once doing anything against my conscience. My life has been open and upright—but now, for your sake, I must commit an act against my own heart!"

"Sigh…"

"Fate? Or just fate?"

"Enough!" A flicker of light instantly returned to Tian Jinpeng's eyes: "If we've done it, let's do it thoroughly!"

"It doesn't matter!"

"Wait here—I'll go myself."

"I'll bring someone."

"If he intervenes, He Pingsheng will surely die!"

Tian Jinpeng rose again, sharply swept his sleeve, and his body transformed into a streak of light, shooting into the sky.

Half a stick of incense later, Tian Jinpeng landed upon a green mountain.

This green mountain stretched for ten thousand li, and at its peak, a thatched hut had been built.

Beside the hut lay a lake as still as a mirror—not large, yet its surface was so clear it inspired awe.

By the lake, a man held a fishing rod, standing upon empty air, fishing for fish in the water.

"Senior Brother!"

Tian Jinpeng landed beside the pond and bowed deeply to the man in the red Daoist robe.

The man said: "Brothers, no need for such formalities."

"Sit."

The man in red gathered his fishing rod and invited the Heavenly Fire Divine Emperor to sit cross-legged right there.

"Yes." Tian Jinpeng sat down respectfully.

The two faced each other.

"Trouble?" The man in red smiled at Tian Jinpeng.

Tian Jinpeng took a deep breath and smiled back, though his smile was bitter: "Yes, Senior Brother… if I hadn't faced a matter of life and death, I wouldn't dare disturb your cultivation."

"Tell me, what is it?"

The man in red produced a teapot from nowhere, poured two cups, placed one beside Tian Jinpeng, and one before himself.

"Ah… still that matter," Tian Jinpeng said. "I regret not heeding your advice to reconcile with He Pingsheng earlier. Now our relationship is completely shattered—there's no turning back."

"Hmph…" The man in red sneered coldly: "Tian Jinpeng, you're always so confident."

"Do you still believe the future of the human race lies in your daughter, Tian Yao?"

The man in red stared at Tian Jinpeng.

Tian Jinpeng had no answer.

The man in red continued: "Your daughter lacks both fortune and magnanimity."

"He saved her life, yet she repaid him with betrayal. You won't deny that, will you?"

"Sigh…" Tian Jinpeng sighed deeply again: "The mistake is already made, and I can't undo it. To be honest, Senior Brother, that boy is… strange."

"I went to find him recently and fought him once."

"Guess what happened?"

"What else could happen?" the man in red said. "You didn't kill him, did you?"

"Mm…" Tian Jinpeng said: "He possesses a space-teleportation technique that bypasses my spatial seals."

"So every time I struck, I failed."

"Now that we're locked in a mortal feud, I can't just wait to be destroyed—once he grows stronger, my Tian family will be wiped out."

"So… so…"

The man in red said: "So you want me to act?"

"No!" Tian Jinpeng said: "Given your prestige among the human race, could you go yourself and mediate between me and him? Could you turn swords into jade?"

"No," the man in red sipped his tea calmly and shook his head. "I've studied He Pingsheng. His will is unyielding—he won't be swayed by a few words from me."

"Plop!" Tian Jinpeng suddenly dropped to his knees before the man in red: "Then please, Senior Brother, kill him!"

"You are a Mahayana Emperor-level cultivator; he is merely Void Refinement Stage One. Though I cannot defeat him, your power ensures his certain death!"

"Please, Senior Brother, act!"

The man in red said nothing, only sipped his tea, one sip after another.

Tian Jinpeng said nothing either, remaining kneeling.

After a long while, the man in red sighed deeply: "It seems I am destined to be drawn into this karmic entanglement…"

"Tian, younger brother, can I refuse?"

Tian Jinpeng slowly lowered his head until his nose nearly touched the ground before speaking: "I am ashamed—I cannot bring myself to say it."

"When we were both Body Integration cultivators, I sacrificed myself to save your life."

"You swore you owed me a great debt—that whatever I asked, you would never refuse."

"I never once planned to call in that debt."

"But now, this matter concerns my life, my family, and the fate of my descendants for generations!"

"I… I am ashamed."

"Rise," the man in red said slowly, standing and sweeping his sleeves behind his back. "From today on, we owe each other nothing."

"From now on, you do not know me, and I do not know you."

"But I cannot kill He Pingsheng."

"The most I can do is capture him and deliver him to you."

"Of course, if I fail to capture him, then it's your misfortune… but even then, our debt is settled."