Chapter 332: Reunion, Assassination in the Shadows
“How could this be…”
Qiu Shuihan and Tang Qianmen were both stunned, clearly not having noticed when this delicate young girl had appeared.
And her words were truly strange, was she friend or foe?
“Wait!”
But Qiu Shuihan seemed to have realized something, her eyes widening abruptly, and she quickly shouted: “Sir, quickly get away, this girl is a ‘Possessor’!”
“Hmm?”
Lin Tianlu’s curiosity was piqued, and he examined the girl carefully.
Her figure was thin and slender, her hair disheveled, her clothes torn and tattered as if she had just gone through a fierce battle. But what was most surprising was the faint black patterns on her neck. And the sharp blade that had pierced through Gu Yasheng’s chest and back was covered in strange runes.
“Heh, hehehe—”
The delicate young girl pressed her hand against her forehead and let out a creepy chuckle: “An excellent… prey!”
With a sharp cry, the girl suddenly charged forward like a crazed lunatic, swinging her sword downwards!
This sword strike was incredibly fast and ruthless, carrying a boundless bloody baleful energy, a fierce and wild attack!
As the deadly blade approached, the wind ruffling his clothes, Lin Tianlu narrowed his eyes and caught the falling blade with precise movements, twisting his hand and silently neutralizing the force, pressing her shoulder down.
Thump—!
With a muffled thud, the young girl was pinned to the ground, her sword piercing the earth, only the cracked hilt remaining exposed.
Lin Tianlu was about to question and persuade her, but upon seeing her back, his eyes widened slightly.
The girl’s back, which should have been smooth and fair, was now covered in dense black patterns, wriggling and pulsating as if they had a life of their own, like exposed blood vessels spreading throughout her body!
“How could there be such a thing… Wait!”
A sudden thought flashed through his mind, and a look of surprise appeared on his face.
This abnormality was very similar to what his sister-in-law, Cheng Qingyu, had experienced. But Cheng Qingyu’s condition hadn’t been this severe, and this girl before him…
Her body and soul had been completely corrupted, countless remnant souls and Yin energy swirling within, as if she had just devoured hundreds or even thousands of souls!
“Sir, quickly let go! The aura on this Possessor is incredibly contagious, even Savage Realm demons and ghosts can be contaminated!”
Qiu Shuihan’s urgent cry echoed.
Lin Tianlu’s expression turned serious, and he suddenly tilted his head back, dodging the heel that kicked upwards.
Corrupted by the strange black energy, the young girl’s body seemed to have become incredibly flexible, twisting into an astonishingly contorted position, grinning sinisterly as she spun around and struck with her knee.
“Don’t… move!”
A low and cold shout, and a powerful surge of spiritual energy descended!
The young girl’s sinister grin froze, and she let out a muffled whimper as she was forcibly suppressed by the spiritual energy, her limbs trembling, unable to fight back.
“Heh, hehehehe—!”
But after a moment of suppression, instead of showing any fear, the young girl let out a chilling laughter, her head twisting unnaturally, her dark eyes filled with a crazed bloodlust: “Strong… strong… I want… strong…!!”
“…”
Seeing her increasingly crazed and deranged expression, Lin Tianlu’s face darkened, his gaze narrowing as he gently placed his hand on her head.
A gentle stream of spiritual energy flowed into her body like a soothing balm, and the young girl’s body stiffened, cracks appearing and spreading on her face.
In a daze, she showed a faint smile of relief.
Then, her body, as if unable to withstand the surging malice within, instantly disintegrated into dust, leaving behind only a black jade bead floating in mid-air. Countless ghostly hands and faces flickered and intertwined within, surrounded by a bloody aura, clearly formed from the souls of countless slain demons, ghosts, and practitioners!
He could even sense a trace of Gu Yasheng’s Yin energy within this black jade!
“As expected…”
Lin Tianlu’s expression darkened.
That young girl had long since died, even her soul becoming nourishment for this black jade. Driven by countless malice and baleful energy, she had maintained her human form, fighting and killing, craving more souls and baleful energy to become stronger.
This technique… seemed even more overbearing and cruel than before.
“Such a sinister technique, truly defying heaven and earth, violating all that is human.”
A snow-white figure quietly appeared beside him, waving her sleeve, and quickly pulled the black jade bead into her wide sleeve, holding it in her palm.
Yun Yue looked at the black jade and mused: “If left unchecked, it might truly create an incredibly terrifying monster, an unstoppable disaster.”
“You’ve been pondering for a while, Yue’er, haven’t you found a solution?”
“Not yet.” Yun Yue shook her head: “Perhaps only your spiritual energy, Tianlu, can barely save a life, but for someone like this girl, just an empty shell controlled by the black jade, there’s nothing we can do.”
This strange and mysterious technique was unlike anything she had ever seen.
Perhaps it didn’t seem particularly profound at first glance, but it was a secret method she had never heard of. Even after months since their first encounter, she still hadn’t figured out a way to counter it.
The more she investigated, the more she sensed its profoundness and mystery, definitely not some simple trick that an ordinary demon, ghost, or practitioner could use.
Hum—!
“Hmm?”
Yun Yue’s expression suddenly changed slightly as she felt the black jade bead, restrained and sealed in her palm, trembling, as if being pulled by some external force.
Lin Tianlu asked in surprise: “What happened?”
“I don’t know.”
Yun Yue focused her mind and mused: “It doesn’t feel like an external force, but rather the black jade itself trying to break free from the seal and fly somewhere else.”
Just then, Lin Tianlu and Yun Yue’s expressions darkened, and they both took a step back.
The next moment, a heavy, pitch-black greatsword suddenly fell from the sky, crashing heavily onto the ground.
“This is—”
“Wh-What’s going on?”
Qiu Shuihan, seeing the giant sword from afar, looked surprised. Before she could react, a surge of chilling energy erupted from her sleeve.
Then, a petite figure suddenly tore through the silver threads binding her, moving swiftly like the wind, stepping onto the hilt of the giant sword, bending down, and reaching out with lightning speed.
“Ugh?!”
Yun Yue frowned slightly, and the black jade bead in her palm suddenly erupted with a powerful repulsive force, shattering the restraints and seal, turning into a black light and flying into the person’s hand.
Then, it was completely absorbed into her flesh and blood, disappearing without a trace!
“Who are you?!”
Yun Yue’s expression turned serious, and she waved her sleeve, about to intervene, but the figure, shrouded in black mist, didn’t stop or fight, instead, pulling out the giant sword and trying to escape at full speed.
But her steps abruptly halted.
Because a hand had landed on her shoulder, and a calm and gentle voice echoed beside her ear: “Miss Mo, long time no see.”
“…”
The black mist surrounding her body froze, as if falling into a silent stillness.
Yun Yue, hearing Lin Tianlu’s words, looked surprised.
—Miss Mo?
In their memories, there seemed to be only one young woman they knew surnamed Mo.
“Mo Duanyan, have I mistaken you for someone else?”
Lin Tianlu softened his tone and expression, saying gently: “It’s been months, why didn’t you greet us?”
“…”
Mo Duanyan gritted her teeth and tried to shake off the hand on her shoulder, about to flee again.
But no matter how hard she tried to twist and turn, the hand remained firmly on her shoulder. Not only could she not escape, but it was becoming even more difficult to move.
“Miss Mo, what happened?” Lin Tianlu intentionally loosened his grip slightly, his thoughts racing as he asked gently: “If it’s too complicated, please calm down, we don’t have any hostile intentions, there’s no need to run.”
“…Don’t… don’t touch me…”
A slightly trembling murmur came from beneath her disheveled black hair.
Seeing that she had lowered her giant sword, Lin Tianlu didn’t press the matter further and released his hand.
“If you don’t mind, Miss Mo, why don’t we sit down and talk?”
“…There’s nothing to talk about, it’s my personal business.”
Mo Duanyan exhaled softly.
Seeing that she was about to leave with her giant sword again, Lin Tianlu couldn’t help but click his tongue.
Then, he casually flicked her forehead.
“Ow?!”
Mo Duanyan was caught off guard, instinctively clutching her head, stunned. She hadn’t expected the gentle and refined Master Lin to suddenly resort to violence… although it didn’t really hurt.
“M-Master?”
“Who taught you to keep everything bottled up inside?”
Lin Tianlu put on a stern expression and scolded: “If you’re unhappy or something happened, just talk to someone about it. Keeping it all inside won’t solve anything, it will only make you feel worse.”
“Uh…”
Mo Duanyan was speechless, shrinking her shoulders, a hint of guilt and fear in her eyes.
She had originally wanted to escape, but now, she had softened, and she whispered instinctively: “I-I didn’t mean to hide it from you, Master… it’s just that… I can’t tell you about it…”
“Is it because of the horns on your head?”
“…”
Mo Duanyan’s body completely froze.
“There’s no need to hide it, I saw them clearly the moment you appeared.”
Lin Tianlu sighed helplessly: “Why do you think I would dislike your current appearance? Even if you grew three heads and six arms, you’re still Mo Duanyan. Just turn around.”
“There’s truly no need to worry.” Yun Yue also said gently: “If we’re talking about being different, I have fox ears and a fox tail, wouldn’t I be even stranger than you, Miss Mo?”
As she spoke, she waved her hand, and her fox ears and tail appeared.
“And Ruoyu can even be considered half snake demon. There’s no need for you to feel ashamed or insecure, Miss Mo.”
Mo Duanyan lowered her head and murmured:
“…I-I know I was wrong…”
“It’s good that you’ve calmed down, Miss Mo.”
Lin Tianlu breathed a sigh of relief and looked back at Tang Qianmen and Qiu Shuihan: “Now let’s sit down and talk about what happened.”
Tang Qianmen, who had been silent, bit her lip, her face pale as she trembled slightly.
…
A faint rustling sound echoed through the dark and deserted bamboo forest.
“Cough, cough, cough—!”
A figure stumbled and swayed, finally managing to steady itself by leaning against a rock. Looking closely, one could even see that its body was becoming translucent, as if it would dissipate into smoke at any moment.
“I didn’t expect to be so severely injured during this solo operation, truly unpredictable.”
With a self-deprecating chuckle, the person’s true appearance was gradually revealed in the shadows.
It was the Soultaker, Gu Yasheng, who should have been dead.
“Heh!”
He raised his hand, absorbing the faint Yin energy lingering in the air, a sinister smile appearing on his lips: “That Lin Tianlu is truly as powerful as the intel suggested, even more so. Among all the Soultakers, there’s probably no one who can face him directly. That Bai boy’s plan was quite clever… it’s just a pity that it was all for naught.”
“However, his greatest weakness is still his lack of experience.”
Gu Yasheng clenched his gradually recovering hands and grinned ferociously: “Although he can break my immortality technique, he doesn’t know about my soul transfer rebirth method.”
Before the battle began, he had already set up an “anchor point” outside the village as a precaution.
Even if he were killed, he could still be reborn from a remnant soul, silently escaping the battlefield and regrouping.
“But I didn’t expect such a variable in this situation.”
Gu Yasheng’s expression darkened slightly.
When he was stabbed by the blade, he had clearly seen the attacker behind him— It was the Possessor, without a doubt.
And the density of the baleful energy surrounding her was far beyond what could be accumulated from mortal flesh and blood, she must have slain many demons and ghosts to achieve that!
This couldn’t be a coincidence, but a deliberate act.
“Someone intentionally released the Possessor in Fengtai County, wanting to reap the benefits!”
Gu Yasheng narrowed his eyes and sneered: “What a cunning plan, truly sinister and ruthless. And the timing is perfect!”
Perhaps it was because the situation in Fengtai County had become so chaotic that a Possessor of this level had been able to chase him all the way here.
In that case, the secret cooperation between their Luo Xing and the ancient realm might truly fall apart, igniting a war.
“—Hmm?”
But at this moment, Gu Yasheng’s eyes suddenly narrowed, his gaze fixed coldly on the path ahead.
A seductive figure slowly emerged from the depths of the dark and cold bamboo forest, dressed in a gorgeous robe with flowing tassels, her appearance ethereal and mysterious, making it difficult to discern her identity.
“Who are you—”
“It would be a good thing if another Luo Xing Soultaker dies here.”
A cold and noble female voice broke the silence.
Gu Yasheng’s heart sank.
This woman had come prepared, she already knew where he would be reborn!
Clang!!
Like the twang of a zither string, a melodious tremor echoed through the bamboo forest, scattering withered leaves.
“…”
Gu Yasheng’s face was blank as he glanced sideways and realized that half of his body had been severed, the cut as smooth as a mirror, not even a trace of Yin energy leaking out.
Thud.
Half of his severed arm fell to the ground.
Gu Yasheng stumbled backward, his heart filled with shock, and he shouted with a grim expression: “Who are you?!”
“Just cleaning up after Tianlu.”
As the shadows dispersed, a voluptuous woman wearing a red veil slowly emerged from the deep bamboo forest. Her elegant and gorgeous robe couldn’t conceal her almost overflowing curves, her ample bosom, her slender waist and full hips, a mysterious and otherworldly beauty with a hint of seductive charm.
Only her cold and beautiful eyes were as deep and silent as the night sky, a single glance seemingly enough to swallow and assimilate one’s soul.
“Ah—”
Gu Yasheng was stunned for a moment.
There were no words of response, no resistance.
Until countless cracks appeared on his face.
Crack!
The next moment, his body completely shattered, turning into dust and scattering with the wind.
“Savage Realm demons and ghosts have many tricks, even a remnant soul or a severed head can still fight. It’s a pity that you lost your composure in the end.”
The seductive woman slowly lowered her delicate hand, placing it on her abdomen, her demeanor elegant and dignified, her eyes calm and undisturbed as she watched Gu Yasheng die.
In a battle between experts, life and death were decided in an instant.
This was especially true for a Savage Realm demon or ghost who was already nearing the end of their lifespan.
The renowned Luo Xing Soultaker had met such an ignominious and silent end.
“So this is a Luo Xing Soultaker?”
A cold chuckle suddenly echoed.
A moment later, a nimble figure gracefully descended from the sky above the bamboo forest, landing lightly, her feet barely disturbing the leaves. Looking closely, she was a stunningly beautiful and mature woman, her expression cold, elegant, and indifferent.
“Such weak methods, truly pathetic.”
“This person has many ways to survive and escape. Even if this remnant soul is destroyed, he might have other tricks hidden elsewhere, Eighth Elder, don’t underestimate him.
And he was already weakened by Tianlu, that wasn’t his true strength.”
“Then what should we do now?”
“Let’s go see Tianlu in a while.”
The seductive woman’s eyes narrowed slightly, a strange smile appearing: “It’s been a while, it would be a joyous occasion if we happened to meet again. Perhaps, he also needs our help right now.”
The Eighth Elder glanced at her indifferently:
“Valley Master, you said this operation was a carefully planned scheme, but now it seems… there’s a hint of personal feelings involved. At least before we left, I didn’t know we would encounter Lin Tianlu and his group.”
“Hu~”
A soft chuckle was her only response.
The Valley Master turned and left with a seductive and mysterious smile:
“We, the Lunar Valley, must seize every opportunity, we can’t let others steal them from us.”
