Ethereal World: Vicious Cannon Fodder's Immortality Road
Chapter 891: Traitors, Li Bing’s Heartbreaking Past

Chapter 891: Traitors, Li Bing’s Heartbreaking Past

"Who are they?" someone whispered. None of them knew exactly how many traitors had hidden within their clan.

"I believe that some forces will soon arrive here," Shenlian Yingyue said calmly, glancing around. "Your region happens to be located right on the path that everyone must pass through in order to reach the center of the Ember Dune Desert. I believe that is where the ancient treasure will appear. How about you hide your region first?"

"It’s my carelessness," the Glass Lizard Ancestor said, lowering his head with a heavy sigh. He looked around at the other clan members.

The others immediately moved to assist him. Together, they joined forces to activate the hidden formation, causing their entire region to vanish from perception. It was as if nothing had ever existed there. Even if other forces arrived, they would feel nothing but the emptiness of the desert stretching endlessly before them.

[Ember Dune Desert, Glass Lizard Region]

"Bang!" Two figures were thrown harshly onto the ground by Bing Xue and Jun Mu Yang.

"Traitors," Xiao Lan said coldly, her voice like a blade slicing through the tense air.

When the Glass Lizards saw who these two figures were, their pupils shrank sharply, especially the eyes of the Glass Lizard Ancestor, filled with shock and disbelief.

"Elder brothers, you’re still alive! But why, why, brothers?" he asked hoarsely, his voice trembling. He had believed for centuries that they were dead. Yet now, he discovered they had been living among them, pretending to be ordinary clan members, silently waiting for the chance to destroy everything they once protected.

These two traitors were none other than the biological elder brothers of the Glass Lizard Ancestor.

"You are the reason our parents died! If you had never been born, they would still be alive!" one of them roared, his eyes bloodshot with grief and hatred, while the other glared at the ancestor with a hatred so deep it seemed to burn.

"You still blame me for their deaths..." The figure of Li Bing, the Glass Lizard Ancestor, staggered back, and several elders quickly rushed forward to support him.

"We will never forget that moment!" the second elder brother shouted, a bitter, hollow laugh escaping his throat. Hatred and despair gleamed in his eyes like poisonous thorns. "You wanted to see the Ice Lotus blooming in winter. Our parents traveled thousands of miles across dangerous lands to the Seasonal Domain to retrieve it for you. On their return journey, they were ambushed and killed by their enemies, all because of you!"

The words pierced deep into everyone’s hearts.

If only they had stopped their parents, or gone with them, maybe everything would have been different. But back then, the brothers had still been young, and their parents hadn’t allowed them to leave the safety of the clan.

The entire Glass Lizard clan was stunned. None of them had ever heard of such a tragic story within their own history. They stared at Li Bing, some with disappointment, others with silent understanding and aching hearts, thinking about the burdens he must have carried alone.

They had only known that the ones who had once led their clan to prosperity, the legendary Seventh Generation Ancestors, had died under enemy blades, leaving the young Li Bing to govern their people. The clan had thrived for thousands of years, and it was thanks to those ancestors’ sacrifices that peace had lasted this long. It was those same ancestors who had bled and sacrificed half of their lives to create the Hidden Formation that protected their homeland.

The reason Shenlian Yingyue could even enter their hidden region remained a mystery to them, because even Shenlian Yingyue herself did not know how she had stumbled into this place so many years ago.

Feeling the wave of disappointment from his clan members, Li Bing’s heart trembled violently. But it still didn’t hurt him as much as the nightmares he had endured for thousands of years.

Even now, not a day passed without him remembering the sweet smile of his mother or the gentle warmth in his father’s eyes, as they crawled across the scorching desert, their bodies bloodied, handing him the Ice Lotus covered in their fresh blood.

He vividly recalled the horror and despair in his elder brothers’ faces when they had rushed to greet their returning parents, only to find them lying lifeless in the sand, and their youngest brother, Li Bing, sitting there like a soulless puppet, cradling the bloodied lotus.

Afterward, unable to bear the sight of Li Bing, his brothers had faked their illnesses and left the clan, despite the strong protests from the elders. They left behind the young Li Bing to manage the affairs of the entire clan alone.

Later, the news reached Li Bing that they had supposedly died from their "strange illness." Since then, he had never truly smiled again. He withdrew into seclusion, appearing only when invaders threatened their region. He had devoted himself to his parents’ last wish, to protect the clan at all costs.

And now, the brothers he once loved were standing before him as traitors.

"You hate me," Li Bing said, his voice hollow, "then kill me, torture me if you must. But why betray the clan? Don’t you understand? Our parents paid a terrible price to establish the formation that hides and protects our home!"

"Our parents were everything to us!" one brother shouted, his voice cracking with anguish. "Without them, what meaning is left in this world? Why should we care about anyone else?"

At first, both traitorous brothers remained silent. Then they sneered bitterly, their faces twisted with sadness and madness.

"You!" Li Bing grabbed their collars, shaking them violently, his sanity fraying at the edges.

Seeing their ancestor break down like this, many clan members who had initially been furious at him gradually calmed down. Their hearts ached as they witnessed his despair and anguish.

"Killing you won’t heal the hole in our hearts!" the eldest brother snarled. "We know how much you love this clan. That’s exactly why, we want you to taste the pain of losing everything you hold dear!"

As he spoke, tears of blood seemed to seep from his eyes, and his body trembled with exhaustion. He appeared older than ever, as though his very life force had drained away.

"You...!" Li Bing staggered backward, too shocked for words. Blood welled up in his mouth, and he coughed it out violently, the emotional blow striking deeper than any sword.

The clan members’ anger faded completely, replaced by deep sorrow. They mourned the loss of their ancestors but couldn’t deny how much Li Bing had sacrificed for them. They clenched their fists, their loyalty wavering no longer.

"Kill us if you dare!" the brothers shouted viciously. "If you let us live, we’ll ensure the entire clan is wiped from existence!"

Li Bing’s eyes turned crimson, burning with grief, anger, and unbearable self-blame. He knew that his death could never atone for the past. But why, why couldn’t his brothers see that he too had suffered endlessly?

He raised his hands, gathering his spiritual power. The two traitorous brothers, having been severely beaten by Shenlian Yingyue’s companions earlier, had no strength left to resist.

Meanwhile, Shenlian Yingyue had quietly left her Spirit Bees scattered throughout the region to monitor every movement. That was how she discovered the true identities of the traitors immediately.

However, even knowing everything, she had chosen not to interfere with the internal affairs of another clan. It wasn’t her place.

Yet, when she saw Li Bing’s collapsing figure, she turned to her companions, especially her brother. They exchanged silent glances, and one by one, they nodded, understanding what she intended to do.

Shenlian Yinzhu gently stroked her hair and smiled at her supportively.

Meanwhile, Li Bing stood there, his trembling hands raised. He couldn’t do it.

He couldn’t kill them.

He couldn’t bring himself to destroy the only family he had left, even if it cost the lives of everyone he had sworn to protect.

One side was the heavy sense of duty and responsibility he bore as the leader of the clan.

The other side was the deep, irreparable love he still felt for his family.

How could he choose?