Chapter 131 - Be Prepared (Final) (Patreon)

Without clothes, Lucian bit into her neck again. He wanted to drain her blood and kill her as soon as possible, but less than a second after he began, silver flames erupted from her body.

Such a peculiar flame, he thought with a wince, as his body burned beneath the strange silver fire.

The sensation was unlike ordinary flames. Lucian felt as though countless tiny blades were lacerating his skin and grinding apart his muscles and bones. He was forced to retreat and spend Blood Essence to extinguish the silver fire, while chunks of pale flesh peeled away from his body. He had to use Blood Essence to hold his muscles, organs, and blood in place.

The woman was in no better condition, however.

Her body swayed from side to side, and her vision darkened as she used every shred of concentration and remaining strength to stay standing.

Her techniques appeared specialized for close combat. Even while engulfed in silver fire, the effect extended no farther than a few paces from her body. Normally, she would have been able to overwhelm her enemies through superior speed, clinging to them until they died.

Now, however, she had found her match.

She doesn't seem to possess any Qi artifacts or forbidden techniques like Elder Black Scale did, Lucian thought, inwardly evaluating his options. But cultivators are difficult to predict.

He had complete confidence he would defeat her. Even Elder Black Scale would have lost to him at close range, and only the special Purple Qi evened the odds.

Nonetheless, Lucian never underestimated his opponents, especially cultivators. Their power system was too different from anything he had dealt with.

Given enough time, she'll collapse from exhaustion and run out of Qi, he thought. Unfortunately, her allies will arrive before that happens, I presume.

Unwilling to waste any more time, Lucian mobilized half of his Blood Essence, and a rune formed inside his brain.

Devilish Art: Boon of Lust — Out of Touch

The image of a four-fingered hand wrapped around a neck appeared within shifting sigils. Without moving a muscle, Lucian stared directly at the woman, and crimson waves spread through the surroundings as Blood Essence leaked from him.

Then he spoke, mixing his voice with the blood intent. "Rest."

Normally, he would have commanded his target to sleep, but cultivators possessed powerful souls and some awareness of the Sea of Consciousness, making it hard to give illogical commands.

In a life-and-death battle, sleep was unacceptable.

Rest, however, was something the mind could accept. Or at least, the woman seemed to think so, as she exhaled and her shoulders relaxed. The tension left her body, an inner peace spreading through her soul, as she obeyed Lucian’s command.

Then she spat blood.

Her technique with silver flames malfunctioned, meridians ruptured, chakra points contracted, and her altered breathing pattern disrupted the flow of Qi. The backlash soon triggered a violent Qi deviation, and because of the pain, she broke free of the trance.

She desperately tried to regain control of her Qi, noticing specks of crimson light receding from her vision.

Alas, she was already too late.

The instant he issued the command, Lucian had moved. When she woke up, he was pinning her against the wall once more. His bleeding body smeared blood across her clothes as his fangs sank into her neck.

One second passed, and her blood and Qi poured into Lucian, draining away the woman’s remaining strength.

Another second passed, and more blood followed, the woman’s eyelids drooping as exhaustion consumed her.

By the third second, she stopped breathing.

By the fourth, Lucian released her neck.

Her shriveled corpse slid down the wall and collapsed onto the floor. Then, using the Rune of Lust to stabilize and purify the Qi he had stolen, Lucian rapidly searched her body for artifacts.

He found only a dagger, its Qi flow showing it was weaker than the rings he had left behind in the warehouse. Shrugging, he held the dagger with his right hand and took a deep breath, focusing on regenerating his wounds through Blood Essence and flooding his meridians with Qi.

His inverted cultivation worked at full capacity, allowing him to refine the woman’s blood and accelerating his recovery through the Root Chakra as soon as he was filled with Qi once more.

The main advantage of his inverted cultivation was exactly how fast he could replenish his spent Qi! After all, as long as he had Blood Essence, he could use the Rune of Lust to command Qi to enter his body.

Without waiting for complete healing, Lucian shot deeper into the tunnel, following the scents of blood, food, and human waste.

Noting the mixed stone and rock walls, he guessed the passageway had been carved through the stone long ago.

As he rushed forward and the smells intensified, a sudden sensation struck him. It felt like a blade slicing directly into his mind.

“You are courting death!” an old man said, giving him a headache. “The consequences of your actions far surpass your imagination!”

Frowning, Lucian kept his pace and thought, This isn’t communication through intent. It reminds me of a mage’s telepathy.

Using the Rune of Lust, he attempted to follow the connection with the one invading his mind.

Doing so wasn’t easy or instinctive, but given Lucian’s ample experience dealing with mages who used mental links and whatnot, he quickly identified where the voice was coming from.

Looking at the dagger, he felt a connection between it and the direction he was going.

So it’s a kind of medium, Lucian thought, grasping the dagger. Can’t I use it too, if that’s the case?

Holding the dagger tightly, he sent his intent through it, forcing a message to the other side.

“Shut up.”

“...” The old man gasped at Lucian’s audacity, then quickly berated him, the sensation of Lucian’s brain being slashed intensifying. “You dare?! Junior, I’ll teach you how to write the word death! Who gave you the guts? Do you know who I am?!”

Ignoring the rambling old man, Lucian observed the new room he had entered, which was akin to a cavern. Inside, there was a shining silver river. There were also stalactites above that glinted a similar silver light, sending a sharp sensation to one’s eyes.

The cave was as silent as a grave except for the voice inside Lucian’s head.

“Do not dare come closer! Your body won’t be spared!”

“Nine generations! I’ll kill your nine generations!”

“Are you blind?! You have eyes and fail to see—”

Lucian cut off the connection with the dagger, frowning.

Noisy.

The previous faint connection to the old man and faint scents guided Lucian through the cave. While he could see in the dark, there were too many branches to follow. Being able to see didn't mean he knew where to go.

After a few turns and jumps, Lucian arrived at his destination, his eyes widening as he saw a giant silver banner with the characters “Sword Formation”.

It emitted a mysterious light that illuminated the cave with a silver halo. It was also made of a special cloth that seemed resistant and yet soft. Most importantly, below the banner, there was a building, and a few dozen people stared at Lucian with worried expressions.

Among them, Lucian recognized Bai Xiaomeng, who was holding back her surprise and signaled him with her eyes, glancing toward the banner.

What’s she trying to say?

“You dared come to my domain,” the old man’s voice returned, echoing through the walls as he laughed maniacally. “Your cultivation journey ends now, lowly ant!”

Lucian turned his eyes toward the giant silver banner. It moved despite the lack of wind, and it was bigger than a flagship, making it comically large from Lucian’s perspective. He had looked up because he was sure the old man’s voice came from it.

“Why aren’t you kneeling and begging for mercy, junior?!” the old man shouted.

Ignoring the angered voice, Lucian remained where he was, studying the dozen people in the farther building.

He was a bit surprised to notice they were all mortals, and that their bodies seemed to have undergone extensive training. Scars filled their naked arms, and their eyes locked on him without fear. Concern and caution, yes, but not fear. 

Even Bai Xiaomeng looked like she had undergone similar training over the last few weeks.

All of them were filled with the iron scent of blood, but a single whiff told Lucian it was a mixture of old blood, instead of being open wounds or something along those lines.

“Are you ignoring this Senior?!” the old man shouted, the banner flapping wildly.

Lucian didn’t move. Through his Qi perception, he could see silver lines weaving through the cave and converging into the banner. It reminded him of the formation used by Magistrate Yue in Ganshou Village, but instead of fixed lines forming a net, these were akin to wavering lights.

And the closest lights to him were just two steps away. But they didn't move a single finger closer.

These are mostly teenagers and young adults, Lucian thought, tuning out the raging old man and focusing on the youngsters. What do they have to do with Sword Qi and the Sword Vein? And why is no other cultivator here? Bai Xiaomeng reported on students being sent elsewhere. Maybe this is the place.

Suddenly, he heard forceful footsteps approaching from the corridor he had come through, his eyes narrowing. He had a bit of time before the big man chasing him caught him.

Time to use this old man, Lucian thought.

Giving a ridiculous grin, he shouted in the direction of the Sword Formation Banner, thinking about what the Human Sage would say if he wanted to anger someone.

“Hey, old man, I bet you miss having a body so these sweating teens can hug your back! Your nights must be lonely without a pressure coming from behind!”

“You are—What?!” the old man shouted, as if Lucian had slapped his face.

Lucian smacked his lips, his cold eyes and smiling face making him look very punchable.

“Worry not, your daddy is here! Come and apologize, and I’ll let you clean my pole, little banner!”

“YOU!” the old man shouted, appalled and enraged by the words.

Listening to him, the young people either frowned, blushed, or looked at Lucian with wide eyes. Bai Xiaomeng was the only one who reacted differently, stunned by Lucian’s manner of speech. It was completely different from the cold, distant, and serious person she knew!

“I gave you a chance to live, but you chose death!” the old man shouted louder, the banner flapping as whipping sounds rebounded through the cave. 

The silver lights became visible to the naked eye, and a myriad of cuts appeared across the stone floor close to Lucian.

Analyzing the waving lights' movements, Lucian said, “A bit of fireworks to welcome your daddy is not good enough! Bring your ass over and serve me!”

The old man roared in rage, more silver lights spreading throughout the underground complex as deep, curved crevices were carved into the cave’s ceiling, floor, and walls.

Inside the formation, only the building was spared.

Two steps in front of Lucian, sharper lights cut into the floor, attempting to reach his feet.

Alas, Lucian didn’t move a single step, and as if an invisible boundary protected him, not a single light reached his body.

Suddenly, he felt a powerful presence behind him, the footsteps amplifying as the cave shook.

The old man’s voice no longer echoed through the surroundings, replaced by a grinding sound instead. It was as if someone was clenching their teeth in rage.

Turning around, Lucian saw the axe-wielding man covered in silver radiance, rushing at him with bulging muscles and bloodshot eyes.

At the man’s waist hung the severed head of the woman Lucian had killed.

Mildly surprised by the sight, Lucian didn’t focus on it, instead observing the trajectory of the giant axe as the man slashed in his direction.

A Master, he thought.

The same way Xu Hua had been a Sword Master, the brute brandishing the axe carried a natural air while wielding it, causing one to sense as if the weapon itself was growing larger with the strike, leaving nowhere to escape.

The fake smile disappeared from Lucian’s face, his features morphing into pure apathy. Next, he spun the dagger in his right hand and empowered his body with as much Blood Essence as possible, his muscles swelling.

Staring at the axe-wielder, Lucian threw the dagger-artifact backward.

And it wasn’t aimed at the Sword Formation Banner, but at the young people.

“Old Qi Zhi!” the man screamed, his eyes bulging as he roared, his voice enhanced with Qi while his axe strike slowed down.

Lucian noticed he was attempting to use a Qi technique on the dagger while shouting for help in disguise.

Using the Rune of Lust, Lucian spread his intent into the surroundings and commanded the Qi with a shout.

“Freeze!”

It didn't affect the brute’s technique, as Lucian couldn’t command Qi already under another cultivator’s influence. However, the same didn’t apply to the environmental Qi.

Invisible barriers formed from the surrounding Qi slowed the spread of the Qi waves coming from the shout, disrupting and delaying the technique just enough that it wouldn’t reach the dagger in time.

The dozen young people didn’t have time to react or even think before the dagger reached the building, aiming for a trio standing close together.

Just as it was about to pierce the one in the middle, a harrumph echoed through the cavern.

All the light from the formation converged, stopping the dagger in place.

At the same time, the giant axe reached Lucian, the man wielding it overflowing with bloodlust.

Lucian, spreading the Rune of Lust far enough to reach the young ones in the building, muttered, “I'll be back.”

Then the axe blade reached his forehead, cleaving him in half.