Chapter 150: The Overturning Star Black Jade
The old man’s face was filled with disbelief.
His saber was imbued with ominous energy, amplified by his powerful blade intent. It could even injure a Savage Realm demon or ghost.
But this man had blocked it with his bare hand, unharmed?!
—Clang!
A tremendous force surged back from the saber, and the old man’s expression changed drastically. He stumbled back, losing his grip on the weapon, sending it flying.
The black saber spun through the air and plunged into the ground, its blade trembling.
“You… possess such incredible power?!”
The old man’s expression turned grim.
Lin Tianlu chuckled. “You claim to be skilled in fortune-telling. Haven’t you ever tried reading your own fortune?”
“…Heh!”
The old man rubbed his hand, the feeling returning to his fingers. He grinned. “The greatest taboo for a fortune teller is to divine their own fate. It invites heavenly retribution.”
“Heavenly retribution… ?”
Lin Tianlu walked towards him, his expression calm. “For you, heavenly retribution is now.”
He took a step forward.
Boom!
The earth trembled as a torrent of spiritual energy erupted, surging like a tidal wave, engulfing the bamboo grove in an instant!
A faint rumble of thunder echoed through the air, carrying a terrifying power. The old man’s face contorted in fear, and he collapsed to his knees, his body creaking under the pressure.
He stared at his trembling hands, his eyes filled with shock and disbelief.
As the soul-crushing pressure subsided slightly, he looked up, his face pale, his voice trembling. “You… You’ve surpassed the Savage Realm!”
Lin Tianlu’s eyes narrowed. “Tell me the truth.”
“Ha… haha…”
But the old man just laughed bitterly, collapsing to the ground, shaking his head dejectedly.
“I calculated everything, but I never anticipated this. To encounter such a hidden master in this small town… How ironic, how tragic!”
He sighed softly. “You want to know my plan?”
“I’m listening.”
“Do you know about the thousand-year tribulation?” The old man chuckled self-deprecatingly. “No, with your earth-shattering cultivation, you’ve probably surpassed our comprehension. You can’t possibly understand our worries.”
Lin Tianlu remained silent, his expression unreadable.
The old man looked up at the darkening sky, his voice filled with longing. “A thousand years might seem long, but it still has an end. Once you’ve tasted immortality, you can never forget it.
Cultivation… those two simple words, countless demons and ghosts have dedicated their lives to them. Factions rise and fall, the world is in chaos, but the path forward is shrouded in uncertainty.”
“This black jade, this ‘Demon Seed’… is this the opportunity you seek?”
“You haven’t seen its true form.”
The old man sat cross-legged, grinning. “Once the ritual is complete, demons and ghosts will become a thing of the past. And our centuries of perseverance and research will bear fruit.”
Lin Tianlu pondered silently, about to ask another question, when he sensed a strange aura emanating from the old man.
Hum
The black saber that had fallen to the ground suddenly hummed and flew towards the old man, hovering above his head.
“You said the blade was good, but the wielder was lacking—”
A solemn expression appeared on the old man’s weathered face, his cloudy eyes filled with blade intent. “Then I’ll show you a true technique!”
He pointed his finger towards the sky, and the black saber hummed, its blade rising. A black light connected man and blade, reaching for the night sky, a cold wind swirling around them.
The bamboo grove seemed to be filled with a ghostly wind, yet it was also strangely silent. Black energy swirled, as if they had returned to the eerie and desolate Netherworld, a realm of pure death and darkness.
Suddenly, a blade cry broke the silence.
Clear and sharp, like a spring flowing into the heart.
Lin Tianlu stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his gaze calm as he watched the black blade aura rise before him.
“One strike, to shatter obsession.”
“One slash, to sever life and death.”
The old man raised his right hand, his face shrouded in black mist, his cold words seeming to amplify the blade’s power. He swung it down!
“Only… oblivion remains.”
*Clang—!*
The layers of black blade aura slammed down, splitting the earth in two, like a dark curtain extending to the end of the bamboo grove. Everything in its path was cleaved in two, reduced to ashes and dust.
A single strike, his full power unleashed.
The night sky was silent, filled with a desolate emptiness.
“…”
The black mist around the old man dissipated, and he stared at the black saber in his hand, his eyes distant.
Crack!
A faint sound. Cracks appeared on the blade, spreading rapidly until it shattered into countless fragments.
“—Now, it’s a perfect match between man and blade.”
Lin Tianlu stood before him, tossing aside the fragments he had caught in his hand.
“…”
The old man was silent for a moment, then he chuckled. “You’re far more powerful than that Luo Xing Soultaker, Sir. You’ve truly… opened my eyes. I finally understand that there are always greater heights, how blind and arrogant I was.”
“Do you have anything else to say?”
“I have nothing more to say.”
The old man looked up at the man before him. “But what about the fate of the world? Will you fight for it, or not?”
Lin Tianlu smiled faintly. “I only know that you’ve disturbed my wife and almost harmed my sister-in-law. I’m here to seek justice.”
“…I’ve truly encountered misfortune.”
He sighed helplessly, his body dissolving into dust.
Lin Tianlu’s eyes narrowed, and he reached out to grab him, but his hand grasped at empty air.
“This body is just a temporary vessel created with Yin techniques.”
The old man smiled smugly. “Consider our little spar a way for you to vent your anger. We’re even now. We won’t bother each other again.”
“I still need to teach you a lesson.”
Lin Tianlu interrupted him, a faint smile on his face. He pointed a finger.
“You—”
The old man’s expression froze, his pupils constricted.
…
Hundreds of miles away, in a remote and desolate wilderness…
A deep chasm split the earth, surrounded by towering mountains. Following the countless black flags that fluttered in the wind, one would reach a hidden sanctuary deep within the chasm.
Ghostly flames illuminated a grand palace, its walls adorned with intricate carvings. Stone platforms with ancient inscriptions stood tall, like a sacred sacrificial ground.
On a burning jade platform, an emaciated old man sat cross-legged, his robes luxurious, his body emanating a chilling aura. The surrounding area was enveloped in darkness.
Several figures sat around the platform, their auras powerful and profound, their cultivation terrifying.
Each of them possessed extraordinary abilities, gathered here because of their shared ambitions.
One of them sighed, his fingers tracing a divination pattern. “The Demon Star shines brightly, chaos spreads in all directions. This tide of change is unstoppable.”
A middle-aged man sneered. “The Nine Netherworlds are approaching. We, the Overturning Star, will have our place in this new world.”
“But we still need the ‘Demon Seed’ to successfully hatch, to prove that our unorthodox path is viable, that we can break through.”
Their gazes turned towards a corner of the chamber.
An old man with a white beard was leaning against the wall, a wine gourd by his side.
Although his clothes were disheveled and his demeanor carefree, like a playful child, his cultivation was among the highest present.
Now that they had heard of his success, many had come to seek his guidance. Perhaps— Thud!
Suddenly, the old man’s eyes flew open, and he cried out in pain, a beam of light piercing through his head, erupting from the wound!
“Aah!”
His Yin energy surged uncontrollably, transforming the area within a hundred meters into a wailing ghost realm, a storm of Yin energy raging wildly.
“Elder Li?!”
“What happened—”
As they watched in shock, the old man’s hair fell loose, and the aura around him gradually calmed down.
He clutched his forehead, gasping for breath, his bloodshot eyes filled with terror. Looking at his hands, he saw countless cracks spreading across his body, as if he would shatter at any moment.
His cultivation plummeted, his foundation damaged, his soul fractured!
“I… I quit!”
He grabbed his gourd and took a few gulps of wine, his voice hoarse. “I’m going into seclusion, never to return! This world is filled with terror and disaster! The Demon Seed will bring great calamity!”
As soon as he finished speaking, the old man stumbled to his feet, his movements erratic, and left the sanctuary, his departure a spectacle of panic and despair.
His cries echoed through the chamber.
“…”
Silence fell upon the sanctuary.
After a long pause, someone finally spoke.
“What Elder Li said…”
“He’s just humiliated and injured. He spoke out of anger.”
Black mist swirled, forming a shadowy reflection on the altar. A deep and raspy voice echoed through the chamber. “Don’t worry.”
“We welcome you, Venerable One.”
The others stood up and bowed respectfully.
But their faces were grim, and they exchanged uneasy glances.
“Where did Elder Li go with his avatar?”
“It seems… to Changling County?”
“Changling—”
A middle-aged man’s expression changed drastically. “Rumors say that the Luo Xing Soultaker, Yan Yi, was killed there. There were also many strange phenomena, even the Luo Xing Crimson Beast was slain.”
“Could those rumors be false? The Luo Xing Crimson Beast is incredibly powerful. How could it be—”
“It seems those rumors are true.”
“Do not approach that place! Inform everyone! Members of the Overturning Star are forbidden from acting recklessly!”
The emaciated old man sitting on the jade platform looked up and sighed softly. “The world is changing. Even hidden factions are emerging from the shadows. We must be cautious with every step we take.
A single misstep could ruin our centuries of planning and turn our dreams into dust.”
The others remained silent, their faces thoughtful.
The deep voice of the Venerable One echoed again. “The ‘Demon Seed’ is not yet ready. Be careful and discreet. Do not act recklessly in the mortal world, lest you alert other factions and the Luo Xing.”
…
In the bamboo grove…
Lin Tianlu watched as the old man disappeared, his expression serious.
He had tried to stop him, but he couldn’t completely restrain him.
However…
“A Demon Seed?”
He looked down at the black jade in his hand, lost in thought.
“I didn’t expect those demons and ghosts to be creating new things in the shadows.”
Just as Yun Yue had speculated, the Realm of Demons and Ghosts hadn’t stagnated over the past thousand years. Many were seeking new paths to power.
This Demon Seed… was perhaps one of their attempts.
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