One-Eyed Monster

”The path you have chosen is one you must face yourself. Next, you will face their unbridled fury.” The Great Mentor gestured towards the few people beside Kuyi Tulan. They were Yuga, Kuren, and the others.

Indeed, the Great Mentor could forgive Kuyi Tulan and place his trust in him. However, others lacked such magnanimity, nor did they harbor such feelings for Kuyi Tulan. All they felt for him now was a bone-deep hatred.

Truth be told, they had been waiting a long time for the Great Mentor to say these words. They were itching to beat Kuyi Tulan to a pulp! Nothing else—they just wanted to thrash him.

Kuyi Tulan was, of course, aware of this, but he was unafraid. Here, he only cared about the Great Mentor; everyone else could be disregarded. This disregard wasn’t born from apathy, but from a necessity not to care. His focus had to be elsewhere, so he couldn’t afford to be distracted by too many other things. Let a thousand fingers point in accusation, he would not budge an inch—that was Kuyi Tulan’s current state.

At present, Kuyi Tulan found himself in a rather awkward position. Those who trusted him would continue to follow him, while those who hated him would not forgive him easily. Such was his current, awkward predicament.

It was rare for him, but he had apologized before. Speaking of which, that apology was truly a peculiar act. Considering Kuyi Tulan’s usual state, he shouldn’t have felt any guilt. Yet, under Kadi’s pressure at the time, he had actually apologized. Many people found this hard to comprehend.

The monsters, however, wouldn’t overthink it. They were cracking their knuckles, having wanted to thrash Kuyi Tulan for a long time.

Estev was something of an anomaly in this group. He was a Soul Guardian, originally tasked with protecting this mountain’s secrets. Now, those secrets were completely gone. He had failed, but he didn’t know how.

Having lost an arm, Estev became deeply troubled after hearing the conversation between the Great Mentor and Kuyi Tulan. He didn’t know what to do now.

Initially, as he listened to the discussion between the Great Mentor and Kuyi Tulan, he found himself involuntarily thinking about how complex the matters he would soon face would be.

What he had guarded was thus shattered, and he hadn’t played the slightest role in preventing it. This made him very dejected.

From the Great Mentor’s tone, he could tell that the intruder was Willem, the traitor from their midst.

However, the complex arguments between the Great Mentor and Kuyi Tulan drew him in, making him feel irresistibly captivated.

After hearing the Great Mentor’s speech, he felt it was very reasonable. But then, listening to Kuyi Tulan’s words, he also felt Kuyi Tulan was not wrong. He found himself swaying between the two sides. He kept thinking, if it were him facing this situation, how would he choose?

He thought for a moment and felt he would probably side with Kuyi Tulan. He had always been prepared for sacrifice, just as he had resolutely chosen the position of Soul Guardian back then.

He understood this feeling of sacrifice, so he somewhat understood Kuyi Tulan’s intentions. However, Estev would not choose radical methods to obtain power, especially the Dark Force—he would never touch it.

But at this moment, Estev was very confused. The fact that he, as a Soul Guardian, had failed to protect the secret made him very sorrowful. He had originally thought he would accompany this secret to its very end, but he hadn’t expected that before he could even react, the scroll sealing Guru Mountain would be gone.

The more Estev thought about it, the less he understood. If it hadn’t been for the earlier sporadic arguments between the Great Mentor and Kuyi Tulan, he would have asked his question long ago...

Now, Estev felt that something was a little off. Everyone around was cracking their knuckles, and the Alchemy Workshop was also poised for action. It seemed another major battle was about to erupt.

Estev had seen this scene before: the standoff between the Alchemy Workshop and the monsters...

But before that, he had to get his questions answered clearly. Otherwise, once the fighting started, he wouldn’t have another chance.

This really was a tricky matter.

No wonder the Great Mentor had said earlier that Kuyi Tulan would next face their anger.

Looking at it now, this anger was clearly not minor. This level of anger had reached its extreme; all they thought about was attacking, without considering anything else...

”I!” Estev struggled to speak, hoping to attract everyone’s attention.

However, his ”I” was spoken weakly and lacked any distinctiveness; it drew almost no reaction...

Aside from the two strange youths who glanced at him, only the Great Mentor cast a questioning gaze his way...

Perhaps the Great Mentor could answer his questions...

Estev didn’t dwell on it. Since only the Great Mentor had noticed him, he decided to ask the Great Mentor. As for the others, let them fight until the sky turns dark, he thought.

”I... I want to know, was the secret of Guru Mountain’s seal taken by Black Crow?”

The Great Mentor looked at Estev, who had lost an arm, and nodded, ”Regrettably, we couldn’t protect it.”

Estev took a deep breath. He had anticipated this outcome; Willem had finally obtained what he desired.

”Did that fellow say he wants to establish some Great Harmony World?” Estev continued, ”He knew this leader of Black Crow quite well.”

”Yes, that’s his plan. He wants to lead everyone into a Great Harmony World, a world without strife, without disputes, where everyone shares the same ideals.”

”You, do you think he can achieve that?”

”Who knows? These things must be tested by time and judged by later generations.”

Perhaps our guardianship was truly a mistake... For the first time, Estev’s convictions wavered. He was a traditional and conservative person; thinking this way at this moment was also because the recent string of failures had affected him quite a bit.

Scholar Manjia’s earlier words echoed in his ears. Scholar Manjia had said it was time to let go, to leave it to the younger generation to judge. This was exactly what the Great Mentor had said earlier...

A Great Harmony World... Estev didn’t quite understand what Willem’s vision entailed. He wasn’t very receptive to new things; the ancient heritage was deeply ingrained in him, and he preferred to accept ancient traditions.

”Hopefully, the Great Harmony World will be better than our current world...” the Great Mentor said softly. He didn’t quite understand the pursuits of the current young Adventurers with Class.

The surrounding atmosphere remained as awkward as ever. Kuyi Tulan’s Alchemy Workshop and the monsters of Guru Mountain were still locked in a tense standoff. Both sides seemed eager for a good fight, yet neither could make a move.

Kuyi Tulan had also heard the conversation between the Great Mentor and Estev. He was very concerned about the hidden power of Guru Mountain, so he asked again, ”Was it Black Crow that took this mountain’s hidden secret?”

Both the Great Mentor and Estev looked at Kuyi Tulan in surprise. They hadn’t expected this fellow to still be concerned about this issue while both sides were in a standoff...