DEMON EMPEROR

CHAPTER 10 : The Curse of Wong An

Ba Bel, who had known the story since his first life, harbored a great question in his heart. Why had a sect founded by a magnificent Swordsman like the Ancestor Founder fallen so far, becoming only a mid-tier sect, the Earth and Sky Sword Sect? The Earth and Sky Sword Sect didn't even have a single Swordsman who had reached the Saint Swordsman Realm. Ba Bel himself had been able to break through the Saint Swordsman Realm and reach the Emperor Realm after studying the Tome of Nine Demonic Transformations. Furthermore, the Earth and Sky Sword Sect had been utterly destroyed and perished at the dawn of the Age of Darkness.

That question persistently bothered and haunted Ba Bel's mind to this day. Ba Bel's reverie was interrupted when he heard numerous shouts from the girls of the Earth and Sky Sword Sect.

The girls gathered in front of the Sect Gate tried to attract Wong An's attention in various ways.

“Senior Wong!”

“Ah, Junior Wong!”

As Wong An and Ba Bel approached the entrance of the Earth and Sky Sword Sect, dozens of women, dressed in the same uniform as Wong, became enthusiastic upon seeing Wong An's arrival.

Ba Bel could see Wong An's body, standing beside him, tremble for a moment as the women ran towards them.

“Senior Wong, you always walk with your head down when you pass through the Sect gate? Let me see your face!”

“Junior Wong, you must be tired; I have a bottle of water from the snow blossom waterfall. Drink this, Junior Wong...”

“Brother Wong, were you injured on this mission? I have an effective ointment for external wounds.”

Each woman tried to grab Wong An's attention and offer him something. Ba Bel stepped back a few paces, afraid of being trampled by the women.

Ba Bel smiled awkwardly, seeing his Master struggling with the girls. Wong An was known as the Earth Swordsman because of his humble nature, and his other advantage was his exceedingly handsome face. It was said that the beauty of Wong An's features could make any girl's heart race when she saw him.

From childhood, Wong An received special treatment from the female disciples; even the female elders of the Earth and Sky Sword Sect tried to spoil him. This made Wong An hated by many male disciples, especially since he was also exceptionally talented in martial arts.

Ba Bel knew the reason Wong An sustained serious injuries during a sparring match several years ago, which now caused his Master to cough whenever night fell. It was due to an issue with a female fellow disciple. One of Wong An's seniors confessed her love to him, but Wong An wasn't particularly interested in romance with the opposite sex.

Because Wong An subtly rejected her, his senior fellow disciple challenged him to a sparring match. Wong An's female senior attacked him with an incredibly strong killing intent.

When Wong An was struck by his female senior's palm attack, delivered with 100% of her internal energy, he suffered internal injuries that remain a grave concern to this day.

“Sisters, I apologize, but I cannot converse with you right now...” Wong An slowly stepped back, then took Ba Bel's hand.

Only when Wong An did that did the women notice Ba Bel's presence, a small child they hadn't seen before. Ba Bel could feel the cold stares from all the women surrounding Wong An; some of the girls even emitted killing intent. The girls surrounding Wong An assumed that the 5-year-old child was the son of Wong An and another woman from outside the sect, with whom he had a secret relationship, and now Wong An was bringing his child to join and study at the Earth and Sky Sword Sect.

Ba Bel remembered the first time he came to the Earth and Sky Sword Sect; he had also received similar treatment, but back then, he didn't understand what was happening and so he cried. Ba Bel quickly introduced himself, “I am Ba Bel, Master Wong's disciple. I humbly ask for guidance from all seniors.” Then Ba Bel bowed to the crowd of girls around Wong An.

Upon hearing Ba Bel introduce himself as a disciple, the attitudes of all the girls immediately changed.

“Oh, Junior Wong finally has a disciple...”

“Aww, how cute, what was your name again? Bel'er, wasn't it?”

“Bel'er, you can call me Martial Aunt Mei; I am someone close to your Master...” A girl handed Ba Bel a handkerchief.

“What do you mean, Sister Mei!” one of the girls cut off the girl named Mei.

Ba Bel could only scratch his head as the girls' attention turned to him. All these girls shared the same thought: Ba Bel was a golden opportunity for them to get closer to Wong An.

The girls tried to spoil Ba Bel, but before they could go too far, Wong An pulled Ba Bel and brought him into the Sect. Such situations made Wong An prefer to be outside the Sect, carrying out missions.

“Bel'er, are you alright?” Once they reached a quiet spot, Wong An immediately checked on Ba Bel, worried that Ba Bel might experience the same trauma he had.

“This disciple is fine, Master; they were all kind,” Ba Bel replied with a wide smile.

Wong An opened his mouth, but no words came out. He then led Ba Bel to a Pavilion not far from the entrance gate. Along the way, more girls tried to approach Wong An, but seeing his haste made them reluctant to do so.

“This place is called the Earth Pavilion, where all Sect members take on missions and handle various administrative tasks,” Wong An explained to Ba Bel.

The Earth Pavilion is where members of the Earth and Sky Sword Sect undertake missions and manage all necessary administrative matters, including exchanging Contribution Points earned from completing Sect Missions and registering new disciples to become members of the Earth and Sky Sword Sect.

Within the Earth and Sky Sword Sect itself, there are two categories of disciples: Inner Disciples, who are members of the Earth and Sky Sword Sect, usually descendants of its members. Outer Disciples, on the other hand, typically come from outside the Sect, like Ba Bel himself now.

Wong An surveyed the area, searching for an empty table to register Ba Bel as an official disciple of the Earth and Sky Sword Sect. When he spotted an unoccupied table in the corner of the room, Wong An led Ba Bel towards it.

When Wong An and Ba Bel arrived at the registration desk, they found a beautiful woman whose demeanor was unlike that of the other female Sect members who were infatuated with Wong An.

“Welcome, Elder Wong. Ah, it seems you've brought someone new. Is this your disciple, Elder Wong?” the woman behind the registration desk greeted with a friendly smile.

“Sister Yue, please help me create an identity for my disciple, Ba Bel.” Wong An returned the warm smile offered by Yue Ying.

“Ah, Elder Wong has finally taken on a disciple! Congratulations, Elder Wong.” Yue Ying exclaimed, immediately getting busy creating Ba Bel's identity.

Meanwhile, Ba Bel continuously gazed at Yue Ying's face. He remembered his previous life: only Yue Ying had cared for him, and after Wong An's death, Yue Ying continued to look after Ba Bel. However, Yue Ying herself rarely ate and never smiled again after her Master's death.

Wong An's presence served as a surrogate father figure for Ba Bel, and Yue Ying was a surrogate mother figure. Yue Ying herself passed away three years after Wong An's death because she refused to eat or drink for three months. Yue Ying was a Sect member with moderately high martial arts capabilities for her age and was of the same generation as Wong An; Wong An was five years older than Yue Ying.

Yue Ying had already reached the Expert Swordsman level at this time. Ba Bel couldn't stop gazing at Yue Ying's face, whom he already considered his own mother. Unbeknownst to him, Ba Bel's eyes welled up with tears as he looked at Yue Ying, filled with nostalgia and regret in his heart.

Yue Ying, who had finished creating Ba Bel's identity as a new disciple of the Earth and Sky Sword Sect, felt puzzled when Ba Bel looked at her with teary eyes.

“Excuse me, is something wrong with me?” Yue Ying asked Ba Bel.

Yue Ying's sudden question made Wong An frown and turn towards Ba Bel. Ba Bel quickly snapped out of his trance, “I apologize, Senior. Your face reminds me of someone close to me in my previous life,” Ba Bel answered Yue Ying's question, trying to hold back his tears.

Wong An then explained to Yue Ying how he and Ba Bel met and how he ended up taking Ba Bel as his first disciple. Yue Ying, hearing Ba Bel's life story, was deeply moved. She then stepped out from behind the registration desk and hugged Ba Bel. Ba Bel, who had not expected to be hugged by Yue Ying, finally couldn't hold back his tears.

“It's alright, child, you're safe now. If you wish, you can consider me your closest person or even your mother,” Yue Ying said, crouching down to hug and stroke Ba Bel's back.

Before Ba Bel could react, a middle-aged man with a mustache scoffed at Ba Bel, who was crying while being hugged by Yue Ying. “The martial world is harsh and cruel, child. If you have such a tender heart, I suggest you leave the Earth and Sky Sword Sect right now. Because this Sect has no need for easily weeping trash like you.”

Wong An and Yue Ying, recognizing the middle-aged man's voice, immediately turned to face him and bowed respectfully. Meanwhile, Ba Bel, who already knew who the old man was, quickly wiped away the remaining tears on his cheeks and also bowed respectfully to the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man, seeing Ba Bel also bow, merely snorted in their direction and walked closer to Ba Bel.