58 The greatest monster. (1/2)
After they killed the spy from the Puppet God Sect, Liang Zhou did as Li Yang had said, sending out some of their older warriors to hunt for Demonic beasts they could use for the Demon Warrior technique. With the warriors heading out, the rest of the remaining people in the tribe ran around to prepare everything for the return of the warriors, for when they would get their revenge.
While the villagers prepared, Li Yang and Liang Zhou retreated to Li Yang's old house, which was located at the eastern edge of the village, somewhat secluded. It was a small house that only contained two rooms, the walls painted with a fresh blue color. As the two of them entered the house, Li Yang glanced at the inside, a faint smile on his face as he muttered.
”It looks nice, you must have spent quite a bit of time on fixing it up.”
As he had never really bothered to take care of the house after his parents from this life died, the house had basically been in ruins when he left the village a year ago. But now the walls were rebuilt and repainted, the furniture within the house replaced with new items. Liang Zhou also swept the rooms with his eyes, letting out a slight laugh.
”It was Xinyi's idea, she figured we should keep your house nice and ready for whenever you came back. I bet she never expected you to come back like this.”
Liang Zhou glanced at Li Yang as he spoke. Once it was just the two of them, all the sharpness he had felt from Li Yang simply vanished, as if it had been nothing but an illusion. His face carried that same faint smile he had carried before he left, his posture relaxed. To be able to change his entire demeanor so quickly, how did he do it? After hearing Liang Zhou's response, Li Yang could not help but let out a light chuckle.
”I've only been gone a year, but she is already acting as the main wife, huh?”
The house had been fixed up, but everything seemed like it was still in the same place. Li Yang walked over to the corner that served as a kitchen and was surprised to find that the cupboards had actually been stocked with dried and preserved food. He fetched a kettle, melted some ice into water, and then boiled some bitter herb tea. Once the tea was done, he and Liang Zhou sat down at the table located at the center of the room, both quietly sipping the tea for a moment before Liang Zhou let out a deep sigh.
”Brother Yang. How do you feel about taking over the leadership of the tribe?”
Liang Zhou had pondered it over for a while, but in the end, he decided that he was not worthy of leading the Liang tribe. In that case, it was better to hand over the leadership to someone strong like Li Yang, someone who could take them to greater heights. But Li Yang did not hesitate for even a moment before he shook his head.
”Not happening.”
Liang Zhou could not help but be caught off-guard. He had rejected the notion that quickly, not even thinking about it? He tried to read Li Yang's expression, looking for anything that he could use to read Li Yang's thoughts, but he found nothing, so he could only continue to press on.
”But the villagers need someone like you, someone who can cause their blood to boil!”
Li Yang had only been back for a short moment, but thanks to him, the remaining villagers were all fully motivated to fight, even if their enemies were the great clans and sects. A leader who could motivate his people like that was invaluable. But Li Yang simply continued to gently sip his tea, calmly explaining to Liang Zhou.
”I can motivate them, but I cannot lead them. Someone like you, who cares for them and wants the best for them, is far more suited for that. Do you remember what I said earlier, that you would be the first Demon Warriors since the fall of the Devil's Gate? The Devil's Gate was led by a person like me, and that is what caused their downfall. People like me are not suited to lead others, we are far too selfish. Even now, the only reason I am doing anything for this tribe is because I consider you and Xinyi as friends. Were it not for the two of you, the life of this tribe would mean nothing to me.”
Li Yang was selfish, other than his friends, nothing else mattered. He would burn entire countries just to see the flames dance in Fang Ying's eyes. If he tried to lead any clan or tribe, it would only lead that clan to death. Liang Zhou was slightly taken aback after hearing the truth from Li Yang, falling into a short silence with a somewhat lowered head. After he got to organize his thoughts slightly, he raised his head again, speaking out in a low voice.
”You said that all strong people are monsters, but what about you? I can't tell exactly how strong you are, but not even Father or the people of the Shentu tribe were able to do anything to the people from the clans. Yet one such person was easily killed by your beast partners. Brother Yang, over this one year, what has happened to you? What have you forced yourself to become?”
Li Yang's beast companions alone were that powerful, so Liang Zhou could not even guess at how strong Li Yang was. But to become that strong in only a single year, what had Li Yang forced himself to endure, what sort of monster had he turned himself into. Hearing Liang Zhou's question, a gentle smile could not help but appear on Li Yang's face.
”What I have become, huh? Big Brother Zhou, out of all the monsters in the world, I have become the greatest of them all.”
Not only was Li Yang the only person to ever have comprehended the law of destruction, but he was also someone that had been reborn after dying once. If that did not make him the greatest monster in existence, he did not want to meet the true greatest monster. Liang Zhou could not help but raise an eyebrow, looking Li Yang up and down.