Chapter 192: CH. 192 | Black-Ink Lake
Elsewhere, the protective barrier had formed perfectly, keeping outside cultivators from attacking the village.
Lin Tian let out a breath. With a barrier that strong, there was no way any cultivator below Soul Formation could break through it.
"You’re really leaving? Shouldn’t we come with you and help?"
Lin Tian shook his head. He asked them to stay behind and hold the fort.
The dimensional portal was already set up, and he’d handle bringing the survivors through it himself, delivering them straight to the village.
For that, he needed Zhu Xian and Si Lingxi to stay put, purely to make sure the place remained safe and under control.
"You two stay here. I’ll go handle this on my own."
"Alright."
"Take care of yourself, Lin Tian."
Lin Tian gave a small nod. He turned and shot off, flying fast away from the village, heading northwest toward another demon tower.
He knew full well that the destruction of the demon tower at the Yanzhou Sect wouldn’t go unnoticed by the Yuanmo Sect. But he didn’t have a choice.
Destroying their demon towers was the only way to weaken them significantly.
If that actually works, they’ll be much easier to defeat.
He flew fast, leaving a white trail across the sky, cutting through the clouds and tearing past the black cloud cover. His eyes stayed fixed on the terrain passing beneath him.
Scorched forests stretched out below, burned to ash. Villages lay in ruins, empty and silent. Towns showed almost no sign of life. The mortals of the Qin Kingdom had been hit devastatingly hard.
If this keeps going, they’ll starve and freeze to death. The Qin Kingdom will turn into a ghost kingdom with no people left in it.
The damage from the Yuanmo Sect’s invasion is beyond catastrophic.
Everything Senior Yun Feng feared has come true. The Yuanmo Sect and the Youdu Demon faction can’t be allowed to run free.
He kept flying without pause, even as he spotted small skirmishes breaking out below between cultivators. They wore different robes, some marked with the Yuanmo Sect’s insignia, others not.
Based on the information Zhu Xian had given him, the demon tower in the northwest sat on an island in the middle of a vast lake.
Zhu Xian had mentioned that the lake had turned black, like a pool of ink.
Not from pollution, but from something tied to the demonic sect’s activities there. Zhu Xian had warned Lin Tian to be careful when he visited the place.
From a distance, a rotten smell hit his nose, like spoiled eggs mixed with dead rats, drifting from somewhere ahead.
His eyes swept the terrain in front of him, reading it through his cultivator’s senses.
A massive concentration of black qi had gathered in one spot, hidden behind a black forest full of dead trees.
The spiritual energy inside that forest had been completely drained, leaving the leaves unable to grow, the trees dead and brittle, the ground barren and cracked.
Lucky for him, this particular demon tower in the northwest wasn’t working with any other sect, unlike the last one.
That meant Lin Tian could focus entirely on taking out the Yuanmo Sect elders stationed there.
His flight slowed to a stop, his eyes locking onto the scene ahead.
The black lake was real, sitting there exactly as described, with a large island at its center and a black demon tower rising high into the sky, shooting out a pillar of crimson light that tore a hole through the clouds.
"That’s the place."
Lin Tian came to a halt, standing tall in midair. He noticed a strange qi aura radiating from the black lake, one that wasn’t just energy being absorbed for cultivation.
It’s more complicated than that.
The moment he stepped forward, a protective rune array activated. Crimson runes flared to life, catching Lin Tian off guard.
"I figured you’d show up here eventually," a voice said from within the array’s dome.
Lin Tian raised his hand, summoning a burst of golden qi light and shattering the array that had briefly bound him.
The crimson array shattered instantly, breaking apart like shards of glass. His sharp eyes fixed on what lay ahead.
"So you’re the one who killed Elder Mo Xiu at the northeast tower."
A man appeared, dressed in black robes. He wasn’t alone, several other elders stood with him, along with a large number of Yuanmo Sect disciples.
Their numbers were far greater than what Lin Tian had faced against Mo Xiu. Even so, they were all still stuck at the Nascent Soul stage.
Then something unexpected happened. The lake’s surface suddenly churned violently, and the spiritual qi aura radiating from it surged even stronger.
An old man shot up out of the lake and took his place at the front of the group, standing on the sky floor, eyeing Lin Tian with contempt.
He wasn’t alone either. Lin Tian spotted dozens of massive octopus tentacles rising from the bottom of the lake, as if ready to snare him the moment he entered the demon tower’s territory.
"I have to admit, I wasn’t expecting such a warm welcome," Lin Tian said, stamping his foot down and unleashing his cultivation pressure.
The effect hit them instantly. Heads bowed, breathing turned ragged, even the monstrous octopus tentacles reeled from the pressure.
But the old man standing at the front slammed his staff down onto the sky floor, neutralizing the cultivation pressure and freeing the elders from its grip.
"Thank you, Grand Elder Mo Shu."
Lin Tian was caught slightly off guard. The old man, Mo Shu, had actually managed to neutralize his cultivation pressure.
When he focused his qi sense forward, he could tell Mo Shu’s aura pressure matched that of a Soul Formation cultivator.
"Only a Soul Formation cultivator could take down a demon tower. Bringing out your grand elder just proves you couldn’t handle me on your own."
"Isn’t that a little pathetic?"
"Boy!" Mo Shu said, stepping forward. "Your strength is impressive. Our Sect Leader has taken quite an interest in you."
"You’re the only person who’s managed to bring down one of our five towers."
"Why not join us instead? You’d become a grand elder immediately, gain access to boundless cultivation resources, and hold power over countless sects."
Lin Tian gave a faint smile, stepping forward as golden qi gathered in his hand. Moments later, runes formed behind his back, accompanied by a swarm of golden swords.
"Tempting... but I’m not interested."
"I didn’t come here to join forces with you. I came here to destroy you!"
He moved his hand in a pointing gesture toward them. A barrage of golden swords shot forward, aimed straight at their protective array dome.
Mo Shu let out a short breath. "Too bad. Then you’ll die right here."
The old man aimed his staff forward, meeting Lin Tian’s barrage of golden sword qi with the lake’s octopus tentacles.
The clash between blade energy and tentacles erupted. Lin Tian narrowed his eyes sharply, realizing Mo Shu’s strength was nothing to underestimate.
BLAST!
The explosion rang out, and Lin Tian paused for a moment, still watching intently.
He saw the tentacles regenerating, drawing in demonic qi radiating from the tower’s crimson pillar. Things had just gotten a little trickier.
Not only did he have to face a cultivator on par with his own strength, they also had access to a virtually unlimited supply of spiritual energy from the tower’s demonic qi.
If I don’t destroy that tower fast, this fight is going to turn against me.
Looks like this one’s going to be a lot harder than the last.