The Psychopath's Harem

Chapter 264 What Do You Desire The Most...?

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Xia Tian loved fixing things, only to shatter them again later.

It was a pleasure he took in.

Without granting her a chance to voice her opinion, he issued a command, his authority unmistakable. "Little fox, I order you to go back to your so-called father and have a conversation with him, regardless of your feelings towards him."

"Why?" Xu Qing asked, her confusion evident.

Xia Tian smirked, his true motives remaining shrouded. "Why don't you discover it for yourself," he replied cryptically, his voice laced with mystery. The words rendered Xu Qing momentarily speechless.

With a sly grin, Xia Tian made her stand up and then walked away, whistling a tune, leaving her alone to grapple with her swirling thoughts.

On the way, he found a park where small children were playing with their parents watching them, and joined the scene.

The rest can be said to be a nightmare...

There was news on TV the same day of numerous deaths reported at the same park, with everyone dying in a unique manner.

The CCTV footage revealed a man with a blurred face going around, laughing as he committed all those crimes.

On the slide made of metal, he dropped acidic liquid and made the children go over it again and again, until their bottoms melted.

For the adults, he had an even better idea. He put them on swings and used some kind of magic to let them go around 360° in a circle. The moment they lost their grip, their bodies launched into the air, eventually falling and dying.

Xia Tian also wanted to see if he could use some babies as his skateboard and immediately put it to the trial.

The result was good!

He made a pathway with children as cobblestones running above them. 

Just for fun, they also worked as a good piano, all crying differently when he stepped over them.

He seemed to create a new music of his own!

A new kind of piano!

Haha!

Even the people who saw the footage were petrified, and all the higher ups of Beijing were alerted!

_______

As they walked through the city, chaos seemed to trail behind Xia Tian like a tempest. "How can you completely upend an entire city in just one day?" Evelynn blinked, her expression a mixture of bewilderment and incredulity.

Even though she had spent countless hours in his company, the mystery of Xia Tian's ability to unleash havoc with a mere fleeting presence within a dimension continued to baffle Evelynn.

It was as if he held a supernatural power to disturb the very fabric of reality.

With a silent determination, Evelynn often undertook the menial task of cleaning up the mess he left in his wake.

Yet, her motive wasn't to save him the inconvenience. Instead, she sought to divert any direct confrontations, knowing that facing his full might head-on could lead to utter annihilation.

She feared that he might redirect his ire to another place, an act that, given his breathtaking speed, could render entire universes barren of life.

Amid their conversation, Xia Tian's retort pierced the air, laced with his usual audacious confidence. "Just like I could transform you into all four forms in a single second."

"I don't believe it!" Evelynn immediately shot back.

Xia Tian's steps halted, his gaze meeting hers directly.

Then commenced a peculiar duel between two narcissists—each striving to outstare the other, an unusual battle of wills.

Unsurprisingly, Xia Tian emerged victorious in their silent staring contest, though this was far from the most remarkable occurrence of the day.

Later, he escorted Evelynn to a room for a disciplinary lesson, leaving the details to the imagination.

As night descended, a wearied Xia Chen found himself on a bridge by the lake, his gaze fixed on the distant horizon.

"Hah.."

A sigh escaped him, laden with an air of melancholy.

In stark contrast, Xia Tian's spirits remained undiminished.

For him, happiness was a choice transcending circumstances; he believed one could even smile in the face of death itself, it was more about matter of choice and not circumstances. 

Observing Xia Chen's somber countenance from the shadows, the old fox found his interest piqued.

An intriguing idea crossed his mind—what if he stripped Xia Chen of everything he held dear?

Would that transform him into a man with nothing left to lose?

Unbeknownst to Xia Chen, he had already become the target of the old fox's experiment.

*Boom!*

Only when a hand landed with a stinging slap on his back did Xia Chen's eyes widen. "Ahh!" He gritted his teeth to suppress the pain, his body tensing as he swiftly turned towards the intruder, alertness taking over.

"Little Chen, you're still weak!" Xia Tian's smirk mirrored Xia Chen's own, though the mockery in his tone was evident and unwelcome.

Frustration bubbled up within Xia Chen, a torrent of words itching to escape his lips. Yet, he released a sigh instead, his shoulders slumping in defeat.

'How can he move in and out like a specter?' he wondered, a perplexed frustration etching his features. Even with his Immortal soul sense at its peak, he couldn't detect the slightest trace of Xia Tian's presence—almost as if the man didn't exist.

Xia Tian's techniques were simply on another level, enabling him to blend seamlessly with the very elements of nature.

This extraordinary skill granted him the uncanny ability to approach anyone, slipping past their defenses without leaving even a trace of his presence.

"I've detected traces of people from the Sacred Sky Jade Realm here," Xia Chen suddenly stated, his tone steadying as he regained his composure.

Xia Tian remained nonchalant, gesturing for him to continue.

"If I'm not mistaken," Xia Chen continued, "they seem to be attempting to extract the core of this realm, presumably for use as an ingredient in some technique."

Feigning surprise, Xia Tian raised an eyebrow, "What kind of technique would necessitate a realm's core?"

Xia Chen's expression darkened, his voice carrying a grave weight. "As far as I know, there's only one such technique—an ascension to immortality. Someone is attempting to forcibly break free from the confines of mortality and ascend to the realm of immortals."

A shadow of concern passed over Xia Chen's features. "Their goal must be to gain dominion over the entire Sacred Sky Jade Realm."

A sneer twisted Xia Chen's lips as he declared, "But at what cost? All the inhabitants of this realm would perish! Once the core is extracted, these mortals won't survive."

His voice dripped with disdain as he continued, "Why this insatiable thirst for power? Is that the only thing that matters in this world?"

Xia Tian interjected suddenly, his voice steady, "You can live without power."

"Huh?" Xia Chen's brows raised in mild surprise.

Expanding on his thought, Xia Tian explained, "You can live without power, but then don't lament when those stronger than you strip away your possessions. Don't complain when the powerful control you and your fate. It's a choice you make."

Xia Chen's forehead creased in a frown, his response laced with conviction, "I don't kill countless people for power!"

Xia Tian's laughter rang out, his tone unrelenting. "That's also your choice. But brace yourself for a day when someone more powerful than you, someone who doesn't hesitate to sacrifice lives for power, comes your way. On that day, your lofty morals might lead to your downfall."

Xia Chen's face contorted into a mixture of anger and melancholy.

He couldn't help but be plagued by memories of that fateful night—the night when everyone he held dear was mercilessly slaughtered before his very eyes.

A sense of remorse clawed at him. Hadn't their deaths been a direct result of his own weakness? Did the path to power truly matter, as long as one ended up being the most powerful?

Such reflections unraveled his once unshakable convictions. The simplicity of his beliefs, the moral compass he had clung to so fervently, now seemed painfully naive and flawed.

The weight of his past mistakes, combined with the blunt reality of his own limitations, struck him with an overwhelming force. His gaze shifted, his eyes now fixed on Xia Tian.

For the second time, Xia Tian had shattered one of his cherished beliefs.

Doubt crept in, eroding his trust in the principles he had clung to.

Were all his long-held beliefs nothing but falsehoods?

The issue lies not in holding beliefs itself...

It's the unquestioning inheritance of these beliefs that presents the real problem.

More often than not, individuals absorb beliefs like a sponge—soaking up what surrounds them, be it societal norms, parental influence, or the opinions of those in their immediate circle. Rarely do they question the validity of these beliefs.

Beliefs should ideally be well-considered, validated ideas. One should consistently evaluate the veracity of the ideas they hold. How much of what is believed today has been rigorously tested or scrutinized?

"What do you desire most in life?" Xia Tian's sudden question pierced the air.

Xia Chen's expression shifted, a mixture of surprise and contemplation evident as his brows furrowed slightly.