Chapter 102 - 70: Rending the Sky and Splitting the Earth

Chapter 102: Chapter 70: Rending the Sky and Splitting the Earth

A vast, empty, and gloomy grand hall where a ghostly mist drifted about.

Wei Lingyun stood in the center of the hall, his hands at his sides and his head bowed low.

The floor was paved with black jade, so faintly transparent that one could see what lay beneath the slabs: pale, massive hands slapped relentlessly from below, and countless anguished, misshapen faces were crowded together, letting out silent wails.

Wei Lingyun remained unmoved, his eyes staring straight through the floor and into some unknown distance.

CLACK. CLACK. CLACK.

Footsteps echoed in the empty hall as a figure emerged at the edge of the shadows. "Junior Brother Wei," he asked, "have you made your decision?"

Wei Lingyun remained silent for a moment before speaking. "The Zhenren has given an order. I would not dare to disobey."

The man chuckled. "’Wouldn’t dare’ just means you’re unwilling, doesn’t it?"

Wei Lingyun said, "This concerns the Sect’s grand plan. How could I dare be unwilling?"

"Hahaha," the man laughed heartily. "Oh, Junior Brother Wei..."

"It doesn’t matter. Your actions are all that matter, not what’s in your heart. As long as you can seize the Dharma Origin Grotto Heaven this time and perform a great service for the Yinji Sect’s re-emergence in Profound Yellow, the Zhenren will not treat you unfairly."

Wei Lingyun said nothing, merely giving a slight nod.

The man paid him no mind, tossing an object over as he spoke. "Junior Brother, your cultivation is already at its peak. With this One-Element Spirit Truth, how many days will you need to form your Nascent Soul?"

Wei Lingyun replied, "Nine days."

The man praised him. "Excellent! After you enter the Dharma Origin Grotto Heaven, you will then achieve the Nascent Soul stage. That way, you’ll be able to sweep away all opposition. It will be foolproof."

Wei Lingyun let out a soft sigh. "By doing this... can we truly deceive the Zhenren from the orthodox sects?"

The man smiled faintly. "Rest assured, Junior Brother. You are performing a great service for the Sect. How could the Sect possibly abandon you?"

Wei Lingyun’s eyes shifted. "I understand," he replied.

"Very good. You may go and prepare, Junior Brother."

The man was only halfway through his sentence when Wei Lingyun turned and strode out of the hall. The man seemed to suddenly recall something and chuckled. "Ah! Junior Brother, there is one more thing you must remember."

Wei Lingyun stopped and asked, "What is it?"

The man said, "The Sect only permits success."

A flicker of emotion crossed Wei Lingyun’s eyes. "And if I fail?" he asked.

—

Wei Lingyun dazedly turned his head. A seam, so fine that not even a trace of blood was visible, ran from the crown of his head to his groin, splitting him in two.

On his demonic body, fleshy tendrils struggled to sprout, trying to knit his halves back together, only to be severed by the residual golden Qi and Sword Qi.

Wei Lingyun paid no attention to his injuries, his gaze fixed on the golden seal for a long, long time.

’I lost?’

Wei Lingyun’s senses grew hazy, and the world began to spin.

’Am I about to die?’

Wei Lingyun seemed to lose consciousness, but the man’s voice echoed in his ears as if it were deafening: "Then I must ask Junior Brother to burn his life force and ignite the Zhenren’s talismanic decree. In doing so, you can atone for your failure. Perhaps the Zhenren will take pity on your efforts and even bring back a wisp of your True Spirit, saving you from complete annihilation."

Wei Lingyun struggled to twist his lips into a sneer. ’Atone for my failure? How ridiculous! What crime have I even committed?!’

But the thought of his soul being scattered to the winds was simply too terrifying.

And the one thing he treasured most was still within the Yinji Sect.

"Fellow Daoist... you were right. Demonic cultivators fear nothing in this world, but they are terrified of having a ’weakness’."

WHOOSH! Wei Lingyun’s demonic body suddenly erupted like a torch, engulfed in black flames. A pillar of dark, ghostly smoke, like a signal beacon, shot into the sky and vanished high into the firmament, heading for some unknown destination.

Xuzhuang looked up, watching the beacon of smoke disappear high into the firmament, heading for some unknown destination. A look of shocked suspicion crossed his face. "This is..."

Sun Suzhen furrowed her brow. With a shake of her shoulder, a wave of light surged forth and struck at Wei Lingyun. Unexpectedly, his body seemed no more than a burning piece of charcoal. Struck by Sun Suzhen’s Divine Technique, the flames were instantly extinguished, leaving only a pile of black ashes scattered on the ground.

"Just who was this person..." Before Sun Suzhen could voice her confusion, she suddenly heard a sharp CRACK! Everyone turned toward the sound to see the golden seal in Tantai Jing’s hand tremble as a crack appeared on its surface.

"That’s the Grotto Heaven Core." Xuzhuang’s expression turned grim. "If it’s about to be destroyed... doesn’t that mean the Grotto Heaven itself...?"

"Tantai Jing, what have you done!" Tan Chong roared, about to lunge forward and seize him. But his expression suddenly changed. The next moment, a violent tremor shook the ground beneath his feet! This was no simple shaking of the grand hall or even the mountain peak; the entire Grotto Heaven had begun to tremble.

Sun Suzhen looked up, her expression changing drastically. "There’s a Primordial Spirit True Man attacking this Grotto Heaven from the outside? Is it the Yinji Sect?"

The sky began to tremble, as if under some immense, unknown pressure, threatening to collapse. Boundless lightning and fire roiled into existence, only to dissipate again as the restrictive formations in the air began to shatter. Xuzhuang suddenly looked back and saw the golden seal, having reached its limit, abruptly crumble to dust. The grand hall shook with a deafening RUMBLE. Golden pillars toppled, and the roof, which Xuzhuang had already sliced open, caved in completely. In an instant, the entire hall was on the verge of collapsing into ruin.

Tan Chong steadied his footing, his expression shifting rapidly. "The Yinji Sect wanted to seize this realm to build a lasting foundation. Now that they’ve failed, don’t tell me they plan to destroy it instead?"

As everyone reeled in shock from the seal’s destruction and the hall’s collapse, another strange CRACK echoed. On the altar, the Yin-Yang Fish abruptly shattered. In that instant, countless rays of brilliant light shot out from within. Xuzhuang caught a momentary glimpse, seeing a Bamboo Book, jade slips, a Daoist Crown, a Magical Robe, a golden sword, a jade censer, a bronze cauldron, a purification vase, and more.

Streams of brilliant, treasured light burst out, flying off in all directions. In a flash, they were already several miles away.

Sun Suzhen’s eyes suddenly lit up. ’The Ten Thousand Rivers Return Flow Book!’ she cried out internally. With no time to wait, let alone call out to the others, she shot into the air as a streak of light, chasing directly after one of the radiant treasures.

It wasn’t just Sun Suzhen. The sudden turn of events stunned everyone for only an instant before they all reacted. With no time to consider anything else, several streaks of light shot up from the ground, each one chasing a different treasured glow in the sky.