"Han Feng, I always knew you would never be loyal to me. A faithless and dishonorable person like you doesn't even deserve to carry my shoes. I just wanted to see how shameless you could be. I never expected you to be so utterly devoid of scruples that you'd actually consent to be my dog in your quest for power, losing even the heart of a true warrior. No wonder you've been declining ever since you left Yao Chen," Xu Ran said with a sneer.
Han Feng's innate talent was decent, especially since Yao Chen had helped him maximize his potential with medicinal baths from a young age.
Unfortunately, with his crooked heart, Han Feng was never destined for greatness.
If only he had followed the path laid out for him by Yao Chen, becoming an Eighth-grade Pharmacist in the future would have been undisputable. But Han Feng had destroyed his own prospects, and he had no one else to blame.
Xu Ran truly despised someone like Han Feng from the bottom of his heart, how could he possibly recruit Han Feng for his own purposes?
To become his subordinate, at the very least, one would need the "Cultivation Level" of a Dou Sheng. Otherwise, they wouldn't even catch his eye.
"Ahhhh. Xu Ran, I hate you. Why must you treat me this way?"
"I never provoked you, you might as well have killed me right from the start."
Han Feng felt as miserable as if he had swallowed filth.
He had fought so desperately, even willing to forsake his dignity, just for a chance to be recognized by Xu Ran and to grow stronger.
He was the Medicine Emperor!
In the Black Corner Region, he was an object of reverence and admiration for countless people.
If he had known that he would still die by Xu Ran's hands even after casting aside his dignity, he would never have exposed such a low and undignified side of himself to Xu Ran.
If it wasn't for Xu Ran's misleading hope, how could he have ever humbled himself so deeply?
Han Feng was a personage in his own right!
The oppressive force slowly increased, making it difficult for Han Feng to breathe.
Han Feng knew that a ruthless man like Xu Ran never altered his decisions. Since Xu Ran had decided to kill him, he would certainly not spare him.
In front of Xu Ran, he was nothing but an ant, and Xu Ran would not care about an ant's feelings.
"Teacher..."
Only now did Han Feng finally come to realize his mistake.
In this world, only Yao Chen truly cared for him. It was under Yao Chen's guidance in "Cultivation" that he made his fastest progress.
When Mu Gu Laoren had initially prompted him to betray Yao Chen, he thought he could gain immense benefits and even catch the attention of the powerful Soul Hall behind Mu Gu Laoren, eventually joining its ranks.
But had Mu Gu Laoren ever cared about his life and death?
He was merely a pitiable worm, blinded by his own greed.
And now, Xu Ran treated him like a dog, while Yao Chen, his master, had not dwelled on his past mistakes but had always pitied him instead.
"Teacher, I was wrong. Your disciple Han Feng truly realizes his mistake. If I could do it all over, I would never betray my master again. Looking back now, I can see how misguided my actions were, yet I just kept making mistakes over and over again."
In the last moments of his life, Han Feng looked towards Yao Chen, his eyes brimming with tears.
Only in the last moment of his life did he realize what he had lost. Is power really that important? Even if he had betrayed Yao Chen in the past and gained immense benefits, even breaking through to Dou Sheng, what of it?
In Xu Ran's hands, a Dou Sheng was as weak as a chicken.
Dou Huang, Dou Zong, Dou Zun, Dou Sheng... In Xu Ran's hands, they all seemed to meet the same end.
In this world, the most important thing has never been power. Power is merely something to protect what we have obtained with difficulty in our hands.
"Feng Er," Yao Chen looked into the remorseful eyes of Han Feng, and the knot in his heart along with the resentment vanished. No matter how despicable Han Feng had been, he was still his child. When a child makes a mistake, as long as they are willing to return repentant, they will be forgiven.
Who hasn't made a few mistakes in life? It's just that some mistakes, once made, can only lead to further error, with no way to turn back.
"Xiao Yan, my junior brother, you must take good care of Master and break free," said Han Feng, looking towards Xiao Yan, fully comprehending everything at that moment. That's just how people are, enlightenment can strike in an instant.
"Han Feng, my senior brother," there were also tears in Xiao Yan's eyes.
He never imagined that Han Feng's end would be like this.
His utterly unforgivable brother, had actually repented due to the torment inflicted by Xu Ran.
In this world, there are no demons, of course with Xu Ran being an exception.
"Enough. What a lot of nonsense, it all should vanish into smoke and mist now. It truly is a touching master-disciple scene, but, I, Xu Ran, most enjoy destroying such scenes," said Xu Ran, as the oppressive force he exerted on Han Feng instantly intensified a hundredfold.
Han Feng exploded in an instant, his blood spurting out in torrents, forming mists of blood.
Then, under the evaporation of powerful Dou Qi, these mists of blood turned into red wisps of smoky vapor, drifting away with the wind.
In a short while, Emperor Han Feng, a renowned figure in the Black Corner Region, had vanished, without leaving a trace.
"Xu Ran, you will eventually get your retribution."
"You demon. You are even more shameless than Soul Hall. You and Soul Hall are cut from the same cloth, just go and let you dogs of Soul Hall bite each other," seeing his beloved disciple die at the hands of Xu Ran, Yao Lao's heart turned utterly desolate.
Rage, frustration, despair...
He never thought that Han Feng would eventually repent. The moment Han Feng had spoken those words, he had already forgiven him. Now, with Han Feng dead by Xu Ran's hand, his hatred for Xu Ran ran deep to the bone.
"Yao Chen, to speak like that seems a bit ungrateful. If not for me, Han Feng would never have repented at the last moment of his life, nor would he have comprehended those things. I helped your disciple reclaim his conscience, isn't that a good thing?" said Xu Ran with a smile.
"But you, you also killed him," Yao Chen responded through gritted teeth.
He understood that Xu Ran spoke the truth; with Han Feng's nature, even if he had done something wrong, he was the type who would not turn back until he hit rock bottom. That is to say, only on the brink of death might he admit his mistakes.
"When you do something wrong, punishment is necessary. His repentance came too late. And with his nature, even if spared, he would have easily gone to extremes again."
"Hah. Xu Ran. There's nothing left for us to say. I am not your match, and I can't avenge Han Feng, but Xiao Yan can. His talent is unmatched and not inferior to yours. As long as you hinder his growth, he will eventually surpass you. Do you dare let me speak with Xiao Yan before you kill me?" Yao Lao's gaze towards Xu Ran was filled with endless hatred,
Han Feng was his first disciple. With Han Feng killed by Xu Ran, he couldn't let Xiao Yan die by Xu Ran's hand as well.
Han Feng and Xiao Yan were the efforts and pride of his lifetime. He simply could not tolerate his hard work being destroyed by Xu Ran.