"Faster, a bit faster. She's about to mature... that's the scent..." Yan Luoyang's face was a mask of fanaticism as he stared at the thick, giant cocoon. He was like a lost traveler who had been wandering the desert for days, suddenly faced with an unexpected oasis.
His phone rang. He answered.
Mu Fan's voice ca through the line, "Latest news. Lin Tang has dealt with the strange thing that was chasing his wife, and now he's searching everywhere for you."
"I know." Yan Luoyang's eyes remained fixed on the giant cocoon.
A short while later, Mu Fan called again. He said that by using the surveillance footage from a hidden dashcam in a taxi, he had discovered that Lin Tang had already found the Communication Talisman.
"He's terrifyingly fast. I advise you to run," Mu Fan suggested kindly.
"Almost... I'm almost there, just a little bit more..." Yan Luoyang's eyes were bloodshot, and his breathing grew ragged.
On the other end of the line, Mu Fan was silent for a few seconds. "Those whom the gods wish to destroy, they first make mad. I always thought I was the craziest one, but I never expected this... I'll be the one collecting your corpse."
"Shut up! Damn your jinxing mouth!" Yan Luoyang roared. "I won't die! I will gain deeper power! I will beco invincible! What is Lin Tang? Nothing! I will kill him! If you bother again, I'll kill you too!"
The next mont, a voice like the Grim Reaper's suddenly closed in from afar. "Found you!"
Yan Luoyang whirled around to see Lin Tang descending from the sky, accompanied by an extre, biting cold.
"How could you possibly know I'm here so quickly? This is impossible! Impossible!" Yan Luoyang stumbled back several steps before falling to the ground on his rear, his eyes nearly bulging from their sockets.
He... knew too little, far too little, about Cultivators!
He was completely unaware that Lin Tang could not only fly, but that his Divine Sense could instantly spread out to cover a radius of a kiloter, making it far more useful than his eyes. Coupled with the guiding scent from the corpse of Gu Zicheng's Gu insect, it was only natural that he could find Lee Encai with such speed.
Just as Lin Tang reached out to touch the giant cocoon, Yan Luoyang, his voice and body trembling, still threw his arms open to block Lin Tang's path. "Get away from her! She's mine!"
He was like a hyena baring its teeth at a lion. All the Corpse-eating Worms on his body bared their fangs and claws, swarming toward Lin Tang like moths to a fla, utterly heedless of their own destruction.
"Die!" Lin Tang's Divine Sense lashed out like thousands of fine needles, annihilating all the insects in an instant.
His True Qi was low, but he had an abundance of inner strength. Unleashing the Life Creation Technique, he struck Yan Luoyang head-on.
BOOM!
Yan Luoyang was blown apart, his body torn into several pieces.
"Ghk... ghk..." He collapsed to the ground, struggling to lift his head as he gasped for breath. But with his chest and lungs completely ruptured, no amount of gasping could stop his body from deflating. "I refuse to accept this! I refuse to accept this!"
With one final, furious roar, he croaked.
Lin Tang didn't spare the clown a single glance. He summoned his flying sword, preparing to slice the cocoon open.
"Don't!" Gu Zicheng shouted urgently. "She has already begun evolving into a Gu Immortal! If you stop it prematurely, she will certainly die!" He pointed to the corpse of the Ti Moth, his expression grave. "If I'm not mistaken, this is a rare treasure that can accelerate a Gu insect's evolution, but it cos with a fatal side effect..."
"What is it?"
When Lin Tang learned that even if Lee Encai successfully evolved into a Gu Immortal, the Ti Moth would have consud ninety-nine percent of her lifespan, aning she could die at any mont, his heart seized. His face fell, becoming as dark as a thundercloud.
In that instant, he felt a long-forgotten wave of sorrow, but it was overshadowed by an even greater rage. He was furious with Yan Luoyang. He was furious with every enemy he had faced that day. And he was most furious... with himself.
CRUNCH!
He threw another punch, smashing Yan Luoyang's head. With a phantom grasp of his hand, he seized Yan Luoyang's dissipating soul. The Soul Searching Technique, activated!
After reading a portion of Yan Luoyang's mories, Lin Tang confird that Gu Zicheng was right. He could not cut open the cocoon and terminate the evolution. And even if Lee Encai's evolution was successful, her lifespan would be incredibly short. The Spring Breeze and Rain Technique could bring the dead back to life and regrow flesh on bones, but sothing like a person's lifespan... it could not be extended.
I'd either need a genuine Immortal Elixir that can extend life... but where am I supposed to find one on such short notice? Or... I'd have to break through to the Nascent Soul realm and use its Innate Qi to defy the heavens and alter her fate... but I can't possibly break through right now! What do I do? What in the world am I supposed to do?!
The oppressive aura emanating from Lin Tang grew so intense that Gu Zicheng found it difficult to breathe. He struggled to speak, "Although we can't stop her evolution, we can freeze her... put her into a state of suspended animation..."
In her current state, Lee Encai could no longer be considered human. She was more like a special type of insect egg. So insect eggs could survive for years in dry soil, only to hatch after being soaked by rain. Experints have even shown that if you dig up soil from a dried pond, let it sit for years, and then place it in a water tank, tiny creatures will appear within days. These animals have a natural lifespan of only a few days or weeks, but in a state of suspended animation, they can remain "alive" indefinitely.
"I understand."
Lin Tang read through Yan Luoyang's mories several more tis, finding the sections related to the ritual. After studying them, he let out a long breath and ticulously began to alter the procedure.
Once he had successfully paused Lee Encai's evolution, he shouldered the giant cocoon, grabbed Gu Zicheng, and flew with him to the secret chamber where he usually cultivated. Upon arriving, he arranged the Inverted Five Elents Formation flags he had previously crafted around the cocoon. Once activated, the five elents inverted, drastically changing the environnt to ensure Lee Encai would remain frozen, unable to continue her evolution. Lin Tang then ordered Gu Zicheng to stand guard and imdiately send a signal if there was any change in Lee Encai's condition.
Then, without a mont's rest, he returned to Shen Youling's side. He examined her carefully and tried to wake her, but after a long ti, she remained deep in her slumber. Neither his dical skills nor his spells had any effect on her.
Lin Tang fell silent.
"Master..." Zhu Yingning whispered, her voice filled with apprehension. Mo Pinglan was also deeply unsettled, terrified that Lin Tang would turn his anger on them.
Lin Tang stood with his back to them, his hand gently stroking Shen Youling's cheek. He spoke slowly, "Five years ago, my entire family was murdered. I was the only one left, saved by my master. At the ti, I hated everything, and a vicious malevolence had seeped into my very bones. My master gave a copy of the Quiet Scripture and had recite it for three years. Only when I had completely regained my sanity did he pass his Cultivation Technique to . He advised that no matter the circumstances, I must always carry rcy in my heart and maintain a bottom line. I always believed him... but now, I have a different perspective. The strong do not need rcy. Revenge needs no bottom line!"
THUD!
Zhu Yingning and Mo Pinglan fell to their knees in unison.
"Master, spare us!"
"We already did our best! Please don't kill us..."
Lin Tang turned to face them. "You are not my enemies right now, so why would I kill you?" he said coolly. "However, you should consider yourselves lucky that you t while I still clung to rcy and a bottom line. Otherwise... Take good care of Shen Youling. If she loses so much as a single hair on her head, you..."
"Yes, Master!" the two kowtowed. When they dared to look up again, Lin Tang had vanished.
「Half a day later.」
At the convalescent ho, Yan Qinghe, who had just been fitted with a new set of dentures, was frequently applying an ice pack to his swollen cheek. He lay in bed, resting with his eyes closed, when he suddenly sensed sothing. He opened his eyes, and his soul nearly fled his body.
"The Dragon... The Dragon Heavenly King!" He shot up from the bed, bowing slightly and forcing a smile. "You've arrived! Why didn't you give an old man like a heads-up? You scared half to death."
"Where are the things I want?" Lin Tang asked coldly.
"They've been delivered! Please, take a look." Yan Qinghe didn't dare hesitate, quickly opening a box. Inside lay the treasures the Grand Commandant had once entrusted to him.
Lin Tang took them and inspected them one by one.
This must be the legendary Spirit Crystal. To think sothing like this still exists in an era where Spiritual Energy is almost nonexistent.
He pinched one of the crystals, feeling the vast amount of Spiritual Energy sealed tightly within, none of it leaking out. Cultivators primarily absorbed Spiritual Energy to practice, so this Spirit Crystal was naturally of imnse value to him. He couldn't identify the other items by na and didn't know their specific functions, but they were all rich with Spiritual Energy that could be absorbed directly. While this might be a wasteful way to use them, Lin Tang valued raising his cultivation level above all their other flashy uses.
As he began absorbing the energy, he asked, "Do you know the whereabouts of the Grand Commandant?"
"Well... she hasn't contacted any of us since she disappeared. Perhaps she has returned to the Yaochi Heavenly Palace?" Yan Qinghe answered cautiously, not daring to lift his head, terrified that an unsatisfactory answer would earn him another slap. His old bones couldn't take many more beatings.
"Where, exactly, is the Yaochi Heavenly Palace?"
"It's on a peak in the Heavenly Mountain Range, near Tianchi. Are you planning an attack? I can have soone lead the way..."
"Are you hoping I'll walk right into a trap?"
"No, no, that's not what I ant at all!"
"If the Grand Commandant doesn't co to see within three days, she can prepare to collect the corpses of the Lesser Commandant and the old War General," Lin Tang stated coldly, before his figure flickered and vanished.
Monts later, Yan Qinghe, who had just begun to breathe a sigh of relief, received a report from his subordinate: the Lesser Commandant and the old War General had been tied up and were now hanging from the tallest building in Jiangbei.
"This—" Yan Qinghe's jaw dropped.
His subordinate asked, "Should we get them down?"
"Get them down? You dare go? Are you looking to die?" Yan Qinghe retorted irritably. He felt that Long Tianji had sohow beco even more ruthless than before.
After thinking for a mont, he had his subordinate contact Ning Yuexi and arrange a dinner eting. At the table, he wore a kind, grandfatherly expression as he spoke earnestly, "Ah, my dear Yuexi, the Dragon Heavenly King is in a terrible mood right now! Who knows what sort of depraved things he'll do next? The montous task of calming him down can only be accomplished by you..."
There was also Wei Zichu, of course, but they had just sentenced her to life imprisonnt and nearly executed Wei Shanhe. It would be a miracle if Wei Zichu didn't add fuel to the fire. They couldn't possibly hope for her help.
Ning Yuexi was speechless. ? The "vicious woman," in his own words? Am I really qualified to soothe him?
She forced a wry smile and said she would do her best. After a few hasty bites, she excused herself and left.
She had just walked through the door of her hotel room when she tensed. "Who's there?"
She spun around, expecting to see Long Tianji. Instead, she found soone else. "Why is it you?" she asked, surprised.
The next mont, her visitor's finger shot out, sharp as a blade, stabbing fiercely toward the center of her forehead.
This is not good!
Ning Yuexi tried to dodge or block, but there was no ti...
Am I about to be killed?
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