Swish, swish, swish, swish, swish!!
Strands of hair tore through the air, spearing into the ground and walls until both were riddled with holes. The courtyard was pitted as though a storm of needles had fallen upon it.
The old man stood unmoving. Behind him, his endless cascade of white hair surged like a living maelstrom, chasing Li Shunxi and Bai Qiuling in a blood-soaked frenzy.
“It’s the Jade of Secrets indeed. You can predict the spot I’m about to strike.” A sharp green gleam flickered in his pupils, growing brighter, harsher.
A savage smile curled across his lips as his body distorted, swelling grotesquely. Muscles writhed. Bones shifted. A glossy black cuticle climbed over his skin. Behind him, the waterfall of white hair thickened and poured outward with terrifying force.
A similar black layer wrapped across his face, transforming him fully.
“My original form can perfectly avoid the predictive powers of the Jade of Secrets. Because my attacks are, in the first place, unpredictable. In fact, as long as I’m willing, I can seal this entire courtyard. In this space, I am absolutely invincible…”
He raised both hands. A tidal wave of white hair surged forward, blotting out the light as it crashed toward Bai Qiuling and Li Shunxi. The old man’s figure continued to grow—taller, broader—as intricate structures of intertwined hair wove themselves across his body, making him monstrous.
“Do you see this? This is my power. So what if it falls within the Jade of Secrets’ predictions? Who in Twin Eagle City can save you? None! None at all!! Even if you run for your lives, scream until your throats tear, even if you activate the Jade of Secrets perfectly, even—”
KA-BOOM!!!
A thunderous explosion tore through the courtyard.
The perimeter wall behind the old man erupted outward, and a three-meter-tall giant silhouette burst through, ramming violently into his back.
“PUU!!”
Blood sprayed from the old man’s mouth as he was hurled forward at a twisted angle. Bones cracked in rapid succession as he shot across the courtyard like a fired projectile, slamming hard into the earth.
Buzz…!
A numb, vibrating pressure washed over the courtyard.
The old man tried to rise, but an unseen force yanked violently at his hair, sending a sharp jolt of pain ripping into his scalp.
“I WAS JUST ABOUT TO LEAVE! I was going to let you do your thing! And in the end? IN THE END!!?”
Lu Sheng roared as he slammed the old man’s head into the ground again and again, still gripping his hair.
BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!!!
The courtyard shook with each impact. Only after a long, brutal series of blows did Lu Sheng finally stop. He blinked, realizing the hair in his hands was no longer attached to a head—only to clumps of flesh and blood.
He casually bundled the severed hair and tied it to his belt.
“Phew…!”
He exhaled, the gust from his breath stirring dust and loose debris across the courtyard.
Between him and Li Shunxi, the ground had collapsed into a ten-meter-wide crater—the result of Lu Sheng repeatedly smashing the old man’s skull into the earth with unrestrained fury.
The old man had ceased to exist. Li Shunxi and Bai Qiuling stared blankly at the scene, jaws slack, eyes glazed with disbelief.
“Oh? Isn’t this Brother Li? Why are you here?” Lu Sheng asked, genuinely surprised.
“…Shouldn’t that be my line?” Li Shunxi managed, his voice trembling. He glanced at the smear of meat on the ground, then at the massive pit. Was that terrifying old monster truly gone… just like that?
‘Lu Sheng’s that strong?’
The thought felt unreal. But memories of their clash with the Ashoka Manor Emissaries resurfaced, and suddenly it all made a certain kind of sense.
With effort, Li Shunxi dragged his gaze back to the towering figure before him. Lu Sheng looked slightly different from before, but his imposing frame was unmistakable.
The unsettling part was this: in the destiny revealed by the Jade of Secrets, Lu Sheng had never appeared. This moment was supposed to be when Li Shunxi fled with Bai Qiuling for their lives.
Though he had foreseen the martial arts exchange, the scene in his vision had been entirely different—Crimson Whale Sect had not participated at all, and the leader of the exchange party in that future was an elderly man. Lu Sheng had not appeared anywhere in that glimpse of destiny. Had Li Shunxi known he would be present, he would have revealed every detail to him the instant they met. Perhaps… the tragedy could have been avoided.
“You… you know each other!?” Bai Qiuling trembled, shrinking behind Li Shunxi. In Lu Sheng’s Yang Extreme Mode, she could not recognize him at all. To her, one monstrous foe had simply been replaced by an even more terrifying one. If not for Li Shunxi’s familiarity with him, she would have run without looking back.
“Oh, it’s niece Qiuling! It’s me! I’m your Uncle Lu.” Lu Sheng’s figure rapidly contracted, returning to his normal form. Bai Qiuling froze, staring at him with round, disbelieving eyes.
“Not good. Let’s go! The evil jade is exploding!!!” Li Shunxi shouted suddenly, panic sharpening his voice.
“Evil jade?” One glance at Li Shunxi’s expression told Lu Sheng all he needed to know: this was no trivial matter. Without hesitation, he moved like a flash of lightning, grabbing both of them and leaping out of the courtyard toward the Crimson Whale Sect group.
As for the old man, he had only been at the Four-Vein Level. The gap between them was vast, and being caught off-guard, reduced to pulp, there was no possibility he could still be alive.
Scarlet District, however, was another matter—there would be chances in the future to settle accounts with them. The moment Lu Sheng saw the symbol on the lanterns, he knew they were behind this incident.
He carried the two back toward the Crimson Whale Sect contingent at astonishing speed. Soon, they approached the gates of Twin Eagle City.
The city was shrouded in oppressive darkness. A dark green fog blanketed everything, twisting the silhouettes of buildings into eerie, distorted shapes.
“Sect Master!”
“Sect Master’s back!”
At Lu Sheng’s return—with two figures held securely in his arms—the disciples of the sect hurried forward, gathering around him with relief and urgency.
“Let’s get out of this place first!” Lu Sheng landed lightly in the center of the carriage formation and barked his command.
The disciples responded instantly, driving the team forward. From every corner of the darkened streets, Corpse Slaves staggered out, converging slowly like mindless ghouls.
Blades flashed. Each disciple gripped a saber, clashing head-on with the creatures. After overcoming the first moment of shock, they quickly adapted. Corpse Slaves fell one after another beneath the disciplined strikes of the Crimson Whale Sect elites. Terrifying as they appeared, these abominations were weak in truth—threatening only to ordinary mortals.
Led by several Intent Proficiency experts, with Lu Sheng breaking the path like a spearpoint, the group accelerated. No matter how many Corpse Slaves swarmed behind them, they could not hinder the Crimson Whale Sect.
Mounted on horseback, Lu Sheng placed Li Shunxi and Bai Qiuling on a steed beside him, shielding them within the center of the formation.
He sliced open the path ahead with a sweeping saber arc, cleaving aside several Corpse Slaves. Turning his head, he asked,
“What’s that evil jade you mentioned? Why’s it able to draw so many ghosts?”
Finally beyond immediate danger, Li Shunxi exhaled deeply—but his eyes stayed sharp, fixed on the horde closing in from behind.
“These aren’t drawn by the evil jade. This is Ashoka Manor and Scarlet District’s horde of monsters. They sacrificed the entire Twin Eagle City! The evil jade is a Devil Blade shard named Ten Spears of the Evil Jade Crystal. Its might ranks extremely high even among Divine Weapons and Devil Blades. But every time it’s fused, it can only unleash ten strikes. After those ten strikes, it explodes into fragments. The shards vanish under a mysterious force, and to use it again, all pieces must be reassembled,” he explained rapidly.
“Ten Spears of the Evil Jade Crystal?” Lu Sheng’s heart tightened. He steadied his panicked mount. “Let’s get out first!”
BAM!
The half-opened city gates burst wide as Lu Sheng smashed through them, leading the charge. Behind him, the Crimson Whale Sect disciples surged forward in a tight formation, escaping into the open night.
Lu Sheng turned back just in time to see the walls of Twin Eagle City begin to blur, their solid outlines fading into translucent mist.
Li Shunxi’s expression darkened. “The evil jade will explode anytime now.”
“Let’s move away first!” Lu Sheng shouted to the sect members. With no time to waste, the entire group charged down the mountain path. They had barely reached the midpoint when—
Buzzz!!!
A deep, resonant vibration echoed from the direction of Twin Eagle City atop the cliff.
Lu Sheng and the others spun around, eyes fixed on the sight.
The massive city shuddered violently. Its towering structures wavered, turning more transparent by the second, like a reflection rippling on water.
BOOM!!
In an instant, the entire city ruptured. It burst apart into countless translucent shards, scattering outward before vanishing into nothingness.
“LET’S GO!” Lu Sheng’s shout snapped many from their terror-induced daze.
The horses and ox-drawn carriages lurched forward, trembling. Some beasts shook so hard their legs nearly buckled; others panicked outright, becoming incontinent and refusing to move.
Left with no choice, Lu Sheng ordered part of the cargo abandoned so the group could descend the mountain faster.
They made their way from the vanished Twin Eagle City down to the foothills. Hunters and farmers who had lived outside the gates survived, but were stunned beyond words. Some stood petrified, staring at the empty cliff. Others collapsed to their knees, wailing and praying amidst the unimaginable loss.
Lu Sheng rode slowly, scanning the surroundings. Then, sensing something, he snapped his head toward the cliff where the city once stood.
A radiant sphere of light rose into the sky. Within it, he could faintly discern the silhouette of a long purple crystal spear.
It towered impossibly tall. Behind it, the broad silhouette of a man atop a massive stallion emerged from the glow.
ZOOM!!
The spear shot upward, streaking into the heavens as a blinding line of white.
A golden rift tore open in the oppressive clouds above. Darkness dissolved instantly into dawn. Pure, brilliant light poured down, washing the entire region where Twin Eagle City had once stood in shimmering gold.
A fierce wind roared across the landscape, flattening grass and bending trees outward. Lu Sheng raised an arm to shield his eyes from the overwhelming golden brilliance.
“A deity has materialized!!”
“Heavenly deity of the ultimate paradise! Save us from suffering and calamity!”
“Lord Buddha has appeared!!”
Around him, Crimson Whale Sect disciples dropped to their knees, faces drained of color.
As the golden light slowly receded, Lu Sheng swept his gaze across the scene—more than half the disciples were kneeling, bowing toward the cliffside in chaotic, fervent prayer.
“Scoundrels!” Fury surged through him. He tore out his massive saber and struck the cliff face with a violent overhead chop.
BOOM!!!
A cascade of stone thundered downward. Several disciples were struck, crying out as blood trickled down their heads.
“A bunch of fools! Get up!!” Lu Sheng bellowed, his voice echoing through the mountain. He placed no faith in deities, immortals, or buddhas.
Startled and terrified, the sect members scrambled to their feet, trembling uncontrollably.
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