stonecrandall Chapter 21 The Shadow Appears
Chapter 21 The Shadow Appears
The crimson light grew increasingly intense, like congealed blood, completely enveloping the entire Ye family courtyard, preventing even a sliver of moonlight from penetrating. A bone-chilling cold seeped up from the cracks in the blue bricks, causing the courtyard temperature to plummet to freezing. A thin layer of black frost formed on the floor tiles, the chill penetrating to the bone, making even the air feel brittle and icy with every breath.
Ye Hongyu slumped at the courtyard gate, her body covered in blood, her former stunning beauty long gone. Her once full, firm, and supple skin now sagged rapidly like a punctured balloon, layers of wrinkles creeping across the corners of her eyes and brows, and clumps of her once smooth, black hair fell out, scattering on the blood-stained bricks, revealing her mottled scalp.
In just a few minutes, the stunning beauty in her twenties, who had captivated the capital and attracted countless wealthy young men, was transformed into a gray-haired, withered, and frail old woman, barely able to lift her hand.
"Save...save me...Mr. Lu...please save me..." She stretched out her withered, claw-like hand, her knuckles bony, her skin wrinkled like old tree bark, weakly scratching towards Lu Yuan. Her voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz, filled with a heart-wrenching plea. Tears mixed with blood slid down from the corners of her wrinkled eyes. "I was wrong...I shouldn't have schemed against you...please...spare my life..."
Only now did she truly understand what Lu Yuan had said in the car—the Ye family had never been any powerful clan in the capital; they were merely dogs kept in captivity, food used by others to nourish themselves. It was laughable that they were so smug, thinking they had something to rely on, and so arrogant and conceited.
But Lu Yuan didn't even lift his eyelids, as if she were just an insignificant patch of mud by the roadside, his gaze fixed on the dry well in the middle of the courtyard the whole time.
The dry well had long since dried up, its opening covered with cobwebs. Seemingly inconspicuous, it was the core of the entire Blood Devouring Array, the final convergence point of all the devoured blood and qi, and the hiding place of the mastermind behind it all.
"Boom—!!"
Just then, a muffled, loud noise suddenly came from the depths of the dry well, as if a huge creature was turning over underground. The noise caused the gravel at the wellhead to fall down in a rustling sound. A chilling black gas burst out wildly from the cracks in the wellhead, and a pungent, fishy stench instantly filled the entire courtyard, more nauseating than any bloody smell before.
Immediately afterwards, a jet-black column of smoke shot into the sky from the dry well, carrying a destructive aura, and slammed into the blood-red light barrier in mid-air. The light barrier trembled violently, its red light flashing, and it was even caused to develop tiny cracks by the impact of the smoke column.
The column of smoke twisted and expanded rapidly in mid-air, tumbling into a three-meter-tall black phantom. Its body was imposing, yet indistinct, with only a vague human outline discernible. Its face had no facial features, only two crimson lights flickering in the darkness, like a ferocious beast lurking in the depths of hell, staring greedily at every living creature in the yard.
"Hehehe...hehehe..."
A piercing laugh, like metal scraping glass, suddenly exploded in everyone's mind. It was sharp, cold, and filled with malice, as if it burrowed directly into the depths of the soul and tore apart one's mind.
Chen Tieshou, who was trembling against the wall, shuddered violently the moment he heard the laughter. His legs buckled, and he collapsed to his knees with a thud. Blood began to seep from his seven orifices, his face turned ashen, his eyes were vacant, and his lips twitched incessantly. This was not the aura of a martial arts expert, nor any power from the secular world, but a direct crushing force from the spiritual level, a terrifying existence that he simply could not resist!
He tried his best to cover his ears, but found that he didn't even have the strength to lift his hands. He could only let the piercing laughter echo in his mind, as if his soul was being torn apart, and he was in unbearable pain.
"Fifty years...a full fifty years..." The black phantom slowly stretched its body in mid-air, letting out a satisfied sigh, its voice hoarse and filled with endless greed, "This Blood-Devouring Array has finally absorbed enough blood. My divided soul can finally take shape!"
Its gaze swept over the dying members of the Ye family in the courtyard, its tone full of contempt and mockery: "These stupid pigs of the Ye family, after raising them for so many years to feed on my life force, have finally been of some use. The scheme I laid out back then wasn't in vain."
Ye Qingcang had become a skeleton, skin and bones bulging out of his body. His eyes were sunken, and his breathing was so faint it was almost invisible. He lay on the cold blue bricks, using his last bit of strength to raise his withered head, staring desperately at the illusory figure in mid-air. His voice was broken and shattered: "Immortal...Immortal Master...you clearly said back then...this formation was to protect the Ye family's century-old foundation...to safeguard the health and well-being of my Ye family's descendants...you lied to me...you actually lied to me..."
"Protect your foundation? Protect your descendants?" The black phantom suddenly lowered its head, two crimson lights locking onto Ye Qingcang. The mockery in its tone was almost overflowing. "A bunch of lowly mortal ants, do you even deserve my protection? To become food for my recovery, to pave the way for me, is an honor for you pigs!"
Before the words were finished, the black phantom suddenly opened its mouth wide and inhaled sharply!
A terrifying suction force erupted instantly. Before Ye Qingcang could even scream, he was instantly transformed into a cloud of scarlet blood mist and swallowed whole by the phantom. After absorbing Ye Qingcang's life force, the phantom's outline became clearer, the black aura around it grew even denser, and the two scarlet lights shone even brighter.
It slowly turned its head, its two scarlet eyes instantly locking onto Lu Yuan, who was standing in the center of the courtyard. Its tone carried a hint of surprise: "Huh? Interesting... You haven't had a single drop of your vital energy drained by the formation; on the contrary, your vital energy is abundant and undiminished?"
The illusory figure hovered slowly in mid-air, scrutinizing Lu Yuan from head to toe. A crimson light flickered within it, and the surprise in its eyes was gradually replaced by an undisguised greed and fanaticism. Its voice trembled as it exclaimed, "Such...such a pure physical body! Abundant blood and energy, without a trace of impurity, not even a hint of turbidity! Top-grade! Simply a top-grade cauldron! With this body, my divided soul can recover rapidly, and may even break through its bottleneck to condense into its true form!"
It swooped down and hovered in front of Lu Yuan, its tone brimming with unquestionable arrogance, yet tinged with a hint of seduction: "Boy, be smart and obediently release your sea of consciousness so I can possess your body! If you comply, I might consider sparing a wisp of your remnant soul, so you can witness me reign supreme over this desolate star, where spiritual energy is exhausted, and hold the power of life and death over all things!"
Before the words were finished, the black phantom suddenly pounced down, its body enveloped by a sky full of yin wind and blood energy, transforming into a huge black ghost claw. The claw tip was as sharp as a knife, gleaming with a chilling black aura, and with a sharp sound that tore through the air, it went straight for Lu Yuan's crown. This claw contained all its power, enough to instantly tear apart a martial artist at the peak of the Divine Realm and crush all obstacles!
Lu Yuan remained standing, not even flinching, his expression unwavering. He stared at the massive ghostly claw hurtling down, his eyes devoid of fear, only displaying a disdain akin to looking at trash or ants, as if this world-destroying attack was nothing more than an insignificant gust of wind.
"It's been a long time since I've seen anyone use the Yin Ghost Sect's 'Blood Devouring Soul Transformation Technique'." Lu Yuan's thin lips parted slightly, his tone calm, yet he accurately stated the name of the other party's technique. There was no ripple in his voice, but rather a sense of composure that revealed his understanding of everything.
The black phantom abruptly stopped, its enormous ghostly claw halting abruptly half a meter above Lu Yuan's head. The black aura surrounding it trembled violently, and for the first time, panic and disbelief appeared in its voice: "You...how do you know our sect's secret technique?! This is a closely guarded secret of my Yin Ghost Sect! No one on a wasteland like Earth could possibly know it! Who are you?!"
It panicked completely—the Earth's spiritual energy was depleted, making it impossible for cultivators to exist. This young man in front of it was not only immune to the formation's blood and qi devouring, but he could also recognize its demonic cultivation technique at a glance. This was something no mortal could do!
"A piece of trash who hasn't even formed a Golden Core, clinging to life with a wisp of his divided soul, hiding in a place like this, sucking the lifeblood of mortals," Lu Yuan slowly raised his right hand, his fingertips gleaming faintly, his contempt undisguised, "dares to call himself 'This Venerable One' before me? Dares to be so insolent before me?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Yuan lightly tapped his finger in the air.
There was no earth-shattering noise, no fancy moves, not even the slightest fluctuation in momentum; it was just a light touch, as if he had simply brushed away a speck of dust.
"Bang--!!"
The enormous black ghost claw, powerful enough to tear apart even the peak of the Divine Realm, instantly crashed into an invisible wall of bronze and iron. Without even a shred of resistance, it shattered into a sky full of black mist, dissipating into the air without leaving a trace.
"ah--!!"
The black phantom in mid-air let out an extremely shrill scream, its entire body twisting violently, large swaths of black energy dissipating from its body, and the two crimson lights dimming considerably, clearly indicating that it had suffered severe damage.
"This is impossible! Absolutely impossible!" the phantom roared madly, its voice filled with fear and resentment. "You don't even have a trace of true energy fluctuation on you, how could you possibly break my Dharma Form?! What kind of monster are you?!"
It felt a deadly threat—this wisp of soul, though only one-tenth the power of the original body, far surpassed all the strong on Earth. Even a peak-level god could only barely withstand a few moves from it. But in front of this young man, its proud demonic magic was as fragile as paper!
"Escape! We must escape!"
Without any hesitation, the phantom's instinct for survival overwhelmed everything. It no longer harbored any arrogance or greed, and transformed directly into a wisp of black smoke, rushing towards the gap in the blood-red light shield with all its might, wanting only to escape this terrifying place and preserve its fragmented soul.
"Since you're already here, why are you in such a hurry to leave?" Lu Yuan looked at the fleeing black smoke, a cold smile curving his lips. He formed his five fingers into a claw and grabbed at the black smoke from a distance. His tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable authority, "Come here."
As soon as he finished speaking, an incredibly terrifying suction force appeared out of nowhere, like an invisible giant hand, tightly gripping the fleeing black smoke. The black smoke struggled desperately, twisting and turning wildly, but it couldn't break free at all. It was forcibly pulled down from mid-air by the suction force and slammed heavily at Lu Yuan's feet. The black energy churned and could no longer condense into a solid shape.
"Senior...Senior, spare my life! Please, senior, spare my life!" The illusory figure completely cowered, prostrating himself on the ground and frantically kowtowing, his voice filled with humble pleading. All trace of his earlier arrogance had vanished. "I am an outer sect deacon of the Yin Ghost Sect. I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have coveted your body, I shouldn't have sucked the lifeblood of the Ye family! If you spare me, I'm willing to offer you all my treasures. I can even tell you all the Yin Ghost Sect's strongholds on Earth. Please, spare my remnant soul!"
The survival rule of demonic cultivators has always been the law of the jungle: if you can't win, you kneel. Survival is more important than anything else. At this moment, it had long lost all its arrogance and only wanted to preserve this wisp of its soul and prolong its life.
"A treasure?" Lu Yuan looked down at it, his eyes cold and his tone devoid of any emotion. "You took my mother's Spirit Gathering Jade, and now you want to use it to exchange for my life? Do you think you have the right?"
The illusory figure abruptly raised its head, two crimson lights flashing violently, its tone filled with shock and disbelief: "You...you are that woman's son?! The woman who brought the Spirit Gathering Jade and broke into my Yin Ghost Sect's stronghold back then, is she your mother?!"
It finally realized what kind of being it had offended! No wonder there was a profound seal on that Spirit Gathering Jade, no wonder this young man in front of it was so terrifying—it turned out he was a descendant of that woman!
"So...so that jade pendant was yours...no wonder...no wonder I couldn't break the seal on it..." The phantom's voice grew weaker and weaker, filled with endless regret. If it had known earlier, it wouldn't have dared to covet the Spirit Gathering Jade, let alone provoke this young man, even if it had a hundred times the courage!
"Too much nonsense." Lu Yuan was too lazy to listen to its explanation. His tone was icy, and he uttered two words without any emotion: "Soul Search."
As soon as he finished speaking, his right hand pressed directly onto the top of the illusory figure's head. His Mahayana-stage divine sense, like an incomparably sharp, invisible sword, with world-destroying power, brutally tore open the illusory figure's sea of consciousness, frantically plundering all the information within—its true location, the Yin Ghost Sect's stronghold on Earth, the truth behind the theft of the Spirit Gathering Jade…
"Aaaaaahh ...
The pain of having one's soul torn apart is a million times worse than physical torture. The phantom rolled wildly on the ground, letting out a shrill scream. The black aura around its body grew fainter and fainter, almost disappearing completely. The two crimson lights also became barely visible.
Just a few seconds later, Lu Yuan withdrew his hand, his eyes showing no emotion. He had obtained all the information he wanted—an abandoned air-raid shelter in the western mountains of Beijing. That was the hiding place of this demonic cultivator's true form, and also the place where his mother lost the Spirit Gathering Jade.
He looked down at the fading shadow at his feet, his tone as calm as if he were talking about something trivial: "You can go now."
As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Yuan raised his foot and gently stepped on the illusory figure.
"Clatter."
With a soft thud, like stepping on a bug, there was no earth-shattering noise, yet it carried an absolute sense of crushing power. The black phantom instantly exploded into a wisp of green smoke, completely annihilated, leaving not even a trace of its soul behind.
With the death of the phantom, the blood-red light shield that had enveloped the Ye family's courtyard instantly lost its power, shattering with a "crack" and turning into a sky full of red light that dissipated into the air, along with the piercing chill.
The courtyard fell into a deathly silence once again, with only ruins, corpses, and the dripping sound of blood remaining, creating a desolate and eerie atmosphere.
Lu Yuan slowly turned around, his gaze falling on Chen Tieshou, who was kneeling against the wall, already so frightened he had wet his pants. Chen Tieshou was trembling all over, his head bowed low, not daring to look up at Lu Yuan. His crotch was soaked and emitted a foul odor; he didn't even dare to breathe loudly.
"Go back and tell your bureau chief," Lu Yuan's voice was flat, yet carried an irresistible pressure, like a thunderclap, striking Chen Tieshou's ears, "that you should mind your own business. If you dare to interfere again, don't blame me for destroying the entire Bureau of Extraordinary Immortals."
Chen Tieshou trembled all over, and hurriedly kowtowed repeatedly, his voice shaking as he replied, "Yes...yes! This junior remembers! This junior will definitely tell the director! I will absolutely not dare to interfere in your affairs again! Please rest assured, senior!"
Lu Yuan didn't glance at him again. Hands in his pockets, he strode calmly across the ruins and corpses, his figure upright, as he walked out of the Ye family compound. Moonlight bathed him, his blue robe as white as snow. He exuded no trace of malice, yet possessed an aura of domineering power—anyone who offended him, whether from a powerful family in the capital or a cultivator of immortality or demonic arts, was but an ant, and could be slain!