He caught a glimpse of the golden patterns on Yun Che's palm, narrowing his eyes. "What treasures are you hiding? Hand them over!"
Yun Che tightened his grip on the jade pendant and stepped back, his back pressed against the cold wall. The sudden chill made him aware of his body's unusual state; he swore to protect the only legacy his father had left him, and it must not fall into anyone else's hands.
Zhou Lan, seeing him unmoving, sneered, "What are you waiting for? You useless fool, are you deaf?"
Xing Wen felt a surge of blood boiling in his veins; at that moment, Yun Che sensed a killing intent spreading like wildfire.
"Seeking death!" Zhou Lan drew his sword and slashed forward, the spiritual energy of Body Refinement Level Five enveloping the blade, causing dust to rain down from the beams above.
Yun Che did not retreat but advanced instead.
The first move of Nine Thunderclaps, "Thunderous Strike at Heaven's Gate," was unleashed—
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The sound of fists striking echoed seven times, two more than usual!
Zhou Lan's sword was deflected by three inches, and a clear cracking sound came from his shoulder blade.
"Impossible!" He retreated in horror, "You’re clearly a waste..."
The second punch was already upon him.
The nine thunderous booms roared like thunder, and the beams of the woodshed snapped in response!
Zhou Lan crashed through the wall like a broken sack, landing in a pool of blood in the courtyard.
Yun Che stepped over the rubble and walked out.
Under the moonlight, Xing Wen's aura spread from his palm to his neck, looking otherworldly like a demon.
The servant quarters fell into complete silence.
Disciples who rushed over stood frozen in place, as if witnessing a devil crawling out of hell.
Yun Che bent down to pick up Zhou Lan's sword and lightly flicked its edge.
"Body Refinement Level Five is nothing special."
Two hours later, at Lingxiao Pavilion's Discipline Hall.
"To harm fellow disciples deserves punishment!"
Elder Xing's voice fell like cold iron hitting the ground. Twelve Spirit Binding Chains shot through the air, but Yun Che narrowly evaded them with his strange movements.
Xing Wen felt a burning sensation beneath his skin, countless phantom techniques flashing through his consciousness—
"Flowing Wind Steps," "Heavenly Gang Sword Technique," "Devouring Demon Scripture"…
"This child is unusual!" Elder Xing's pupils constricted. "Form the Exorcism Formation!"
Yun Che bit down on his tongue, using the pain to suppress Xing Wen's turmoil. He could not die here! The truth behind his family's destruction, the mystery of his bloodline… too many enigmas awaited to be unraveled!
Suddenly, the jade pendant in his possession glowed with a brilliant blood-red light. Yun Che shot towards the mountain gate's barrier like an arrow released from its bow. At the moment he collided with Xing Wen and the formation, a rift tore open!
"Stop him!"
Hundreds of sword lights surged forward, but upon reaching Xing Wen, they vanished as if into the sea. Yun Che leaped off the thousand-foot cliff.
As the fierce wind filled his robe, he looked up at the peak of the main mountain—
That figure in white snow attire, once so distant, now stood at the railing, her fingertips resonating with Qin Yin's sound.
Xiao Qingli.
The daughter of the Lingxiao Pavilion's master, destined to intertwine her fate with his.
Yun Che fell through the howling wind. The sharp whistling filled his ears, and before him lay an endless darkness. The gnarled branches protruding from the cliff face clawed at his robe like ghostly hands, leaving trails of blood across his back. He clutched the jade pendant tightly; Xing Wen burned within him, forcing back some of the chill.
"Am I going to die here…"
In his hazy consciousness, the dying screams of his father intertwined with Zhou Lan's sinister laughter echoed around him. Suddenly, Xing Wen erupted violently; nine blood lines exploded from his palm, clinging to the cliff face like a spider's web—
Boom!
The downward momentum halted abruptly. Yun Che hung suspended between the sheer cliffs, a chilling wail emanating from the abyss below, as if ten thousand ghosts were weeping together.
"Wujian Cliff…" A shiver ran down his spine.
This place was a forbidden zone of the Underworld; it was said that ancient Demon Remains were suppressed at its base, and even elders of Lingxiao Pavilion dared not enter recklessly.
The jade pendant suddenly felt as hot as a branding iron.
Yun Che looked down and saw Xing Wen actually devouring the black mist—those demonic energies surging from the abyss twisted like living creatures, yet they were being shredded and refined by golden patterns, transforming into pure spiritual power that flowed into his dantian.
"Heavenly Gang Star Pattern, feeding on demons?" His pupils constricted slightly.
Comment 0 Comment Count