But facing Emperor Shun, he was easily defeated.
As the leader of the Star Guard, he was responsible for protecting the human civilization, the human culture. Every star guard had made a powerful soul blood oath. Emperor Shun did nothing but stand in front of Rock Dragon old man, and taking a full-power strike launched by Rock Dragon old man.
Emperor Shun stayed perfectly unharmed, while Rock Dragon old man vomited blood. Rock Dragon old man’s spirit internal stars collapsed suddenly, while his limbs were shattered as well.
He was at his last gasp now.
"That soul blood oath is indeed powerful. I, I’ve tried for so many years, but still failed to deactivate it." Rock Dragon old man fell on the ground while vomiting blood. He laughed bitterly to Emperor Shun, "I want, want nothing but to live. Is it too much?"
"If possible, I also want you to live forever. You are the wisest human being, and none of us wants to lose you," Emperor Shun kneeled on one knee beside Rock Dragon old man and held up Rock Dragon old man’s upper body, letting him lean against his shoulder.
Pressing his left hand on Rock Dragon old man’s back, Emperor Shun sent his own life-force into Rock Dragon old man’s body to keep him alive, while saying, "If you had any other wish, we would have tried out best to fulfill your expectations. But you chose the wrong way. You really shouldn’t have agreed to these sky devils’ requests…See, they fed on your families!"
Emperor Shun pointed at those broken armors on the ground.
Earlier, Ji Hao destroyed over ten-thousand possessed star guard warriors with a single strike. Those sky devils were all killed, but way before that, they devoured the souls, the blood, and the flesh of those star guard warriors, leaving nothing but empty shells.
Those star guard warriors were all Rock Dragon old man’s families, his offsprings.
Rock Dragon old man looked at those armor pieces in silence. Abruptly, an ice-cold drop of tear rolled out from his wrinkled eye corner as he murmured to himself, "Yeah, so many sweet boys, they shouldn’t have died. They could have lived. Why did I work with those evil beings…?"
"Green Pine, he got married three months ago."
"Little Six, he had just been engaged with the girl-next-door."
"And little Piggy, he loved grilled pig ears the most. Days ago, he went into the mountain with his brothers, brought back a few huge wild boars. These were all wonderful kids. They were the future of our humankind… Why did I agree to let those evil beings possess them?"
"I am truly afraid of death." Rock Dragon old man struggled to raise his head, looking at Emperor Shun, "I am your teacher. Shun, you and the few boys before you, you have all learned from me. But I, an old man, watched you boys become Supreme Magi and leave the world one after another. You left the old man here alone…"
"I am really afraid. I know a lot, I know many things that you don’t, but I am more confused than any of you."
"Where will I go after I die?"
"Will I still be me, after I die?"
"Is reincarnation real?"
"What about a thousand years later after I have died? Will I still exist?"
"In my life, I have my most beloved woman, my favorite children, grandchildren…I have so much to care…What will happen to them after I died? My most beloved girl, if reincarnation is real and I can live again, will you still recognize me? Will I still recognize you when we meet again?"
"The great terror between life and death…Death is not so terrifying. What I am truly frightened of is loosing all that I love. I can’t let it all go. The more I am afraid of losing, the more confused I get. The more confused I get, the more frightened I feel …"
Rock Dragon old man looked at Emperor Shun in the eyes, pointed at his own heart, and continued, "But, it still shouldn’t happen. I have a chance to think now. No matter how badly I am terrified of death, I shouldn’t be helping those evil beings. I am dying now, but my mind is suddenly clear again. When did things start to change?"
Emperor Shun knitted his eyebrows. His eyes shone with a sharp light, as he asked in a deep voice, "You…What can you remember?"
Rock Dragon old man remained silent for a long while, then raised his right hand with difficulty, weakly knocked on his forehead and said, "Someone, someone erased some of my memories…Ah, how terrifying…Hehe, I thought that I am a powerful one, especially good at all kinds of soul magic…I am, always, always the one to do things to the others’ souls…But, I never thought that one day, someone would do things to me, yet I didn’t even know."
"This, hmm, hehe…I am dying now, but I finally remembered."
"My youngest granddaughter, that day, she brought back a lotus." Rock Dragon old man looked at Emperor Shun, his lips twitching, "A rare one, golden, with eighty-one petals. It was glowing and colorful. I had never seen a lotus like that before, so I planted it in a jade bowl, and looked at it every day and night."
"Later on, someone told me that he has a supreme magic that can allow me to go beyond life and death, to live forever."
"But how did he tell me that? And why did I believe him? How could I…Those sky devils, how did they find me?"
Rock Dragon old man’s voice turned weaker and weaker. Blood gushed out of his mouth. Soon, bits of smashed internal organs started spurting out of his mouth. He looked at Emperor Shun, reached out his hand, which was covered in blood, then gently patted on Emperor Shun’s cheek.
"Do you remember it? Back then, you were sent to me to learn fishing, farming, grazing…You were just a three-year-old kid…Shun, be careful, you must be careful…We human beings are the owners of the natural fortune, that means we can never live a peaceful life…Wolves, tigers, cruel and evil ones…Too many of them…"
Rock Dragon old man slightly trembled, then his body quickly turned cold and stiff. His life faded, so quickly.
Emperor Shun gazed at Rock Dragon old man’s face and murmured with a low voice, "We are the owner of the natural fortune, so we can never live a peaceful life. Why? Why? Those wolves, tigers…"
Slowly putting down Rock Dragon old man’s body, Emperor Shun stood back up. His eyes had turned blood-red, while streams of purple mist rose, twisting around his body. The broad palace started quaking; hurricanes were raised, stirring the air and roaring shrilly.
"If we can never live a peaceful life, so can’t you!" Emperor Shun gritted his teeth and raised his head, roaring towards the sparkling dome, "If we can never live a peaceful life, you shall never rest either! For what you have done to us, sooner or later, we will do it back to you!"
Following a sizzling noise, Rock Dragon old man’s body suddenly began burning.
Rock Dragon old man’s body quickly burned out, leaving a fist-sized golden lotus wrapped a hazy silhouette in it. It flashed up and seemed to dart away.