Chapter 36: Unsheathed
"Master, just as you predicted, that Hu Da brat has run away."
Huo Chuan and Wu Tong were still in the great hall when a communication talisman suddenly lit up. Wu Tong glanced at it, then bowed deeply to Huo Chuan.
"Have Zhang Xiansheng and the others follow him, but don't alert him. It's not time for me to show myself yet. If I appear too early, Dongfang Bubai will likely be too scared to reveal herself. Remember to tell Zhang Xiansheng that once Dongfang Bubai is discovered, they only need to stall her and immediately activate the communication talisman. I'll rush over as soon as I receive it."
Golden Core cultivators could fly through the skies and traverse the earth. Huo Chuan had already reached the late Golden Core stage, if he used sword flight, even if Hu Da fled into the lower districts of the city, Huo Chuan could reach him in minutes.
In Huo Chuan's eyes, although the returning disciples all claimed that Dongfang Bubai traveled by riding the wind and was at the Golden Core realm, he didn't believe it. Golden Core experts could not enter the ancient tomb, for once they did, they would be detected by the array core, causing the tomb to shift and the core itself to flee. Thus, Dongfang Bubai was most likely at the peak of the Foundation Establishment realm, perhaps even on the verge of breaking through to Golden Core but deliberately holding back.
"Hmph. Even if Dongfang Bubai has already reached Golden Core after leaving the tomb, she's still no match for me." Huo Chuan closed his eyes and rested, waiting for news from Zhang Xiansheng and the others.
. . .
On the other side, after the competition dispersed, Lu You failed to find his senior sister.
"I really do owe Senior Sister an apology for all she's done," he murmured.
Lu You guessed that Zeng Yan might be angry, so he obediently returned home to wait for her to come and retrieve the treasured artifact in his possession. Between inner disciples and menial disciples lay an unbridgeable gulf—for example, menial disciples were only allowed to operate within the spiritual field and were forbidden from setting foot inside the Verdant Cloud Sect proper. That fact alone meant that his senior sister and Lu You lived in two completely different worlds.
For some reason, Lu You felt a trace of sadness. Though he and Senior Sister Zeng Yan had not yet reached the stage of lovers, the mutual care between them had naturally given rise to affection. She had protected him on the road and helped him descend the mountain, taught him sword techniques, and lent him a treasured artifact. Though nothing had been stated outright, in truth, as long as Lu You's cultivation path went smoothly, there was still a chance for the two of them to become dao companions.
But after today, on the surface at least, Lu You would need to cultivate within the spiritual field until reaching the peak of Qi Refining before he could apply to enter the Outer Sect again. With the salary and resources available in the spiritual field, who knew how long that would take? With his senior sister in the Inner Sect, it would be hard for the two of them to have any further contact.
"The path to longevity isn't just about cultivation, it's even more about tempering the heart. Since I've chosen to pursue longevity, many emotions must be let go." Lu You carefully wiped down the treasured artifact and waited for his senior sister to come retrieve the sword. He had even prepared himself for the possibility that she might not come in person, instead sending someone else to take the sword and thereby sever their karmic ties.
Bang!
With a loud crash, Lu You's door was smashed open. The one who rushed in was not his senior sister, but the crazed-looking Hu Da.
"Hahaha! What luck—this treasured artifact was destined to be mine!"
Seeing that Lu You was at home and that the treasured artifact was indeed on him, Hu Da burst out laughing. On the way here, he'd been worried that Lu You might not be around. Now that he saw him, Hu Da felt that his own fate was truly blessed with great fortune. Having been a bandit cultivator and amassed a sizable fortune, surviving a soul search by a Golden Core cultivator, and now even possibly gaining a treasured artifact from this disaster—Hu Da felt as though he was destined to ascend to immortality.
Without the slightest hesitation, Hu Da didn't even bother to greet him. He drew his sword at once, planning to kill Lu You in a single strike, grab the sword, and run so as not to waste any time.
As he watched Hu Da lunge at him and the blade thrust toward his chest, Lu You's eyes suddenly snapped open.
"Eye of Hell, open!"
Within the Blood Shadow Technique, Lu You had killed Hu Da thousands of times already. This strike from Hu Da was riddled with flaws, and Lu You could have killed him with ease. Yet for some reason, Lu You sensed danger.
This wasn't normal. How could a mere Hu Da possibly make him feel threatened?
In the next instant, the Eye of Hell activated, and Lu You's perception multiplied severalfold. He immediately sensed five Foundation Establishment cultivators quietly closing in outside the house. The spiritual energy of one of them felt familiar—it was none other than Zhang Xiansheng, who had just been presiding over the recruitment.
"Die!"
Seeing that Lu You hadn't moved, Hu Da grinned, thinking Lu You had been scared stupid. "Trash is trash. This treasured artifact is mine now."
Hu Da's sword abruptly stopped in front of Lu You's chest.
Blood seeped from Hu Da's throat. The next second, his sword clanged to the ground. He clutched at his neck with both hands and collapsed unwillingly, his eyes fixed on Lu You's blade as it slowly slid back into its sheath.
When had it happened? Exactly when had Lu You drawn his sword?
From the start of the fight to its end, Lu You hadn't even looked at Hu Da. Even the effortless killing blow had come purely from muscle memory forged in the Blood Shadow Technique.
With the Eye of Hell active, the small cauldron continuously supplied it with life essence. A blood-red skeletal figure suddenly manifested in Lu You's courtyard.
Hell Avatar, activate!
"What happened?!"
The five Foundation Establishment cultivators who were waiting outside the courtyard for Hu Da to keep fleeing sensed the surge of spiritual energy and hurriedly leapt onto the wall.
But in the next second, the massive crimson phantom seized all five of them in its grasp.
Lu You stood in the courtyard, pushing the Avatar to its skeletal form. Six enormous arms materialized, each grabbing hold of one of the five Foundation Establishment cultivators, as well as Hu Da's corpse and the fallen sword.
Teleportation Talisman, activate!
Without the slightest hesitation, Lu You unleashed nearly ten thousand Teleportation Talismans.
This was within the territory of the Verdant Cloud Sect. If the sect turned against him, Golden Core and even Nascent Soul experts would come pouring out, and Lu You would surely die. So he had to leave the Verdant Cloud Sect's domain at once.
Boom!
In the next second, the crimson skeleton landed in a desolate stretch of desert.
Immediately afterward, the red skeleton transformed into a gigantic Avatar giant—the complete form of the Hell Avatar was fully activated by Lu You.
"What is this thing?!" Zhang Xiansheng's mind still hadn't caught up with what was happening. Especially with so many Teleportation Talismans activating at once, Zhang Xiansheng, who was being gripped by Lu You's Avatar, had been dragged thousands of li away in an instant. He was dizzy, his body on the verge of falling apart. Even as a Foundation Establishment cultivator, experiencing teleportation for the first time over such a long distance was unbearable.
Lu You, having prepared himself in advance and protected by the Avatar, suffered no ill effects from the teleportation. While Zhang Xiansheng was still reeling, Lu You's Hell Eye pupils began to spin madly.
Illusion!
Lu You was only at the Qi Refining realm and had no way to control a Foundation Establishment cultivator like a puppet. The illusion technique merely pried open Zhang Xiansheng's mental defenses and guided him to speak the truth.
"The winners... Dongfang Bubai's people... we're looking for Dongfang Bubai."
Stared down by Lu You, Zhang Xiansheng blurted it out instinctively. But in the very next moment, he came back to his senses.
"Damn! We picked the wrong target—Hu Da was just a pawn. Lu You is the real higher-up among Dongfang Bubai's people!"
Once he realized this, Zhang Xiansheng immediately activated his communication talisman. Lu You's Hell Avatar was far too terrifying—Zhang Xiansheng had no idea how long he could hold out.
"Looking for Dongfang Bubai?" Lu You's thoughts raced, and he immediately guessed most of the truth.
Hu Da had been mistaken for one of Dongfang Bubai's people, sent to seize his treasured artifact, and by a twist of fate, they had ended up hitting the wrong target—him.
Sensing the spiritual energy of the activated communication talisman, Lu You clenched his grip on the five Foundation Establishment cultivators. In the next instant, a dense swarm of Thunder Technique Talismans flew out.
<+>
Patreon Account: https://www.patreon.com/collection/1960529?view=condensed[1]
Latest Chapter In Patreon: Chapter 74: Breakthrough[2]
Link to the Latest Chapter: https://www.patreon.com/posts/154371282?collection=1960529[3]
[1] https://www.patreon.com/collection/1960529?view=condensed
[2] https://www.patreon.com/posts/154371282?collection=1960529
[3] https://www.patreon.com/posts/154371282?collection=1960529