Chapter 640: Guardian Puppet? (II)
As time passed, one breath, two breaths, three breaths... Lin Zheyu's aura rose at an astonishing rate. Within him, the immense reserves of essence, qi, and spirit stored in his three great divine repositories poured forth like mighty rivers flowing into the sea. Since this energy was originally his own, it shared the same source.
Absorbing it was completely effortless. There was not the slightest sense of incompatibility, and his aura continued climbing at a frightening pace. The giant hand gripping the purple ring tightened with ever-increasing strength. Woo Yiyan watched as the 'Guardian Puppet' under Xiao Yu's control, whose hand had been stripped to the bone moments ago, was gradually covered once more with robust crimson flesh. Soon, the exposed bones were no longer visible.
Clearly, the Guardian Puppet had paid a tremendous price to forcibly kill Woo Shuo. But as time passed, that price was steadily disappearing.
This isn't good! The Guardian Puppet's recovery speed is terrifying! Is it because we're inside the secret realm, giving it the home-field advantage? Woo Yiyan's heart sank.
The Guardian Puppet's enormous hand clamped tightly around the purple ring. His overwhelming grip held the treasure fast, and no matter how desperately Woo Yiyan struggled, he could not break free.
"Not interested. So what if you're from the Woo Family? They're nothing special. If you want me to let you go, what are you willing to offer in return?" Lin Zheyu replied with a cold sneer.
His gigantic hand remained tightly wrapped around the purple ring as he casually exchanged words with Woo Yiyan to stall for time. Lin Zheyu could already feel himself nearing full recovery. However, he realized that he might not even need to unleash Gods and Demons Extinguished a second time to break through the ring's defenses. Woo Yiyan would likely run out of strength first.
Woo Yiyan looked at Lin Zheyu and shook his head calmly. "Your strength is impressive, and your talent truly is extraordinary. But martial cultivation is a path of no return. Don't think that obtaining part of the Shamanic Clan's inheritance means you can simply switch to shamanic cultivation and live without worries from now on."
His mind raced as he continued to stall for time, searching for a way to escape his predicament.
"Oh?" Lin Zheyu let out a quiet sound of interest, a hint of curiosity appearing on his face.
There was definitely something wrong with the Shamanic Clan's cultivation path. Otherwise, so many powerful Shamanic Clan experts would never have vanished from history. As for what exactly the problem was, Lin Zheyu did not know. He had not yet had the chance to study the ancient records his master, Qiong Yun, had left behind.
"Whether martial cultivation is truly a dead end remains uncertain. But in this world, everyone agrees that the Shamanic Clan's cultivation path is a dead end. The world no longer possesses the same environment it did in ancient times. However, if you're willing to join the Woo Family, I can promise to help you reach a realm comparable to the Deity Transformation realm. Once you join the Woo Family, you'll be one of us, and every grievance between us will be erased." Woo Yiyan narrowed his eyes and spoke with absolute confidence.
As an ancient martial clan whose inheritance stretched back to antiquity, the Woo Family possessed countless secrets regarding both martial cultivation and shamanic arts.
Moreover, over more than ten thousand years, the Woo Family had genuinely discovered certain methods of their own. Otherwise, they could never have continuously maintained experts comparable to the Deity Transformation realm within the family. That alone was an extraordinary achievement. Drawing upon the secrets he knew, Woo Yiyan mixed truth with falsehood. To any martial artist, his offer was immensely tempting. He refused to believe Xiao Yu would not take the bait.
"Is that so? Then tell me how to break through to a realm comparable to the Deity Transformation realm first. If what you say checks out, I'll let you leave afterward," Lin Zheyu replied with a faint smile.
Within his sea of consciousness, the Heavenly Eye's emotionless golden pupil remained fixed on Woo Yiyan, searching for flaws in the purple ring.
Lin Zheyu mused inwardly, Interesting. So this guy really does have another trick up his sleeve. What could it be?
Just moments earlier, the Heavenly Eye had noticed Woo Yiyan making a subtle move. However, with the purple ring concealing him, Lin Zheyu could not see it clearly. He could only vaguely sense that something was off.
"And how am I supposed to trust you?" Woo Yiyan asked expressionlessly.
With a flick of his right hand, an ancient parchment flew out of the purple ring, radiating a mysterious, powerful aura. It was an ancient contract, one that possessed formidable binding power.
"As long as you sign this contract, I'll tell you the method," Woo Yiyan said calmly.
Here it comes! The instant the parchment appeared, a glint flashed through Lin Zheyu's eyes. The Heavenly Eye immediately detected something suspicious hidden within it. Yet he revealed nothing, maintaining a perfectly composed expression.
Lin Zheyu smiled. "Sure."
As he spoke, he casually reached out with his left hand. Just as he was about to grasp the parchment, his figure suddenly flickered, and a long saber appeared in his hand. A blade of light instantly slashed through the void toward the parchment.
Slash! Boom!
The razor-sharp blade split the parchment cleanly in two. In the next instant, an immense surge of terrifying energy erupted from within it.
"It seems, fellow friend, that you're not interested in making peace after all," Lin Zheyu said with a faint smile.
His figure flickered and slipped into the void, avoiding the terrifying shockwave from the exploding parchment. Woo Yiyan watched Lin Zheyu closely. Even though his scheme had been exposed, he showed no sign of panic. Instead, a strange smile spread across his lips.
Lin Zheyu suddenly exclaimed in surprise. "Hm! Nicely done."
The gigantic hand that had been gripping the purple ring released it at once. Lin Zheyu took a single step, and his enormous figure vanished instantly. When he reappeared, he was already standing before the exit of the secret realm.
Holding his saber, Lin Zheyu sneered as he slashed into the empty space before him. The sharp blade's light split the void, sending invisible ripples of energy outward. Woo Yiyan's figure was abruptly forced into view. A streak of blood stained his left shoulder. His desperate attempt to evade the attack threw him completely off balance, and he stumbled before crashing to the ground.
"Impossible! How did you find me?" Woo Yiyan cried out in shock.
He had stalled for so long and used a feint to divert Lin Zheyu's attention, all to create this very opportunity. Yet Xiao Yu had seen through the entire scheme at a glance.
"Heh. Just a child's trick," Lin Zheyu replied dismissively.
Holding his saber, he walked toward Woo Yiyan one step at a time. With every step, his momentum grew heavier, placing overwhelming pressure upon Woo Yiyan. At the same time, the golden Heavenly Eye within his sea of consciousness watched Woo Yiyan's every move, ensuring he could not play any more tricks. As the future hope of the Woo Family, this man possessed no shortage of life-saving treasures.
Suddenly, a chilling silver-white blade flashed like lightning. With a wet slice, Woo Yiyan's left arm was severed cleanly at the shoulder.
"If you've got any more tricks, use them now. Otherwise, you won't get another chance," Lin Zheyu said calmly. His eyes narrowed slightly. He had spotted another subtle movement from Woo Yiyan.
Blade after blade swept through the air. In the blink of an eye, Woo Yiyan was hacked to pieces. His severed head rolled across the ground, his eyes wide open and filled with bitter unwillingness.
After confirming that Woo Yiyan was truly dead, Lin Zheyu let out a sigh. "As expected of the Woo Family's greatest genius. You really were carrying a lot of treasures."
Compared to this guy, he was practically penniless. Lin Zheyu stepped forward and collected the dharma treasures and storage pouch from Woo Yiyan's body. Then he lightly stamped his right foot. The earth churned violently, swallowing Woo Yiyan's remains and burying them deep underground in an instant.
Looking at the bloodline curse mark within his body, Lin Zheyu said with a hint of resignation, "The Woo Family's bloodline curse really is bizarre. Even that wasn't enough to stop it."
Before killing Woo Shuo and Woo Yiyan, he had deliberately enveloped his entire body in golden energy, yet he still failed to prevent the bloodline curse from taking hold. His sea of consciousness, however, remained protected by its vast ocean of golden energy and, just as before, successfully blocked the curse from invading.
Clearly, if Lin Zheyu wanted to stop the Woo Family's bloodline curse, he would have to surround his entire body with a shield of golden energy comparable to that within his sea of consciousness. That was obviously impossible.
"I've condensed my natal shamanic pattern and broken free of one shackle. I wonder if I can still transform into my yao form. If I can, it'll probably require an enormous amount of demonic qi. What a hassle..." Lin Zheyu muttered.
He quickly arrived beside Woo Shuo's corpse, collected his dharma treasures and storage pouch, then vanished from the secret realm in a flash. Woo Shuo and Woo Yiyan had only just died. It would take time for the Woo Family to receive the news, react, and dispatch experts to hunt him down. Lin Zheyu had to use that window to find the nearest space-time node and use his Yao Transformation to remove the bloodline curse.
The Woo Family was a family that possessed Deity Transformation realm experts. Forget Deity Transformation realm cultivators, even an expert comparable to the Nascent Soul realm was someone Lin Zheyu could not hope to contend with.
Outside the secret realm, three Woo Family experts stood guard in silence. The moment they sensed fluctuations in energy at the entrance, all three opened their eyes and went on alert.
None of them believed that Young Master Woo Yiyan and Lord Woo Shuo, working together, could possibly fail to deal with the Martial Alliance martial artist Xiao Yu. Even so, this was the discipline expected of them as martial artists. No matter how confident they were, they always prepared for the worst and remained vigilant.
"Something's wrong. It's the aura of the bloodline curse! Everyone, be ca—"
Before Lin Zheyu had even emerged, the Woo Family experts guarding outside sensed the aura of the bloodline curse, causing their bloodline power to boil instinctively. Yet before they could react, an icy, razor-sharp sensation swept across their necks.
In the blink of an eye, all three martial artists felt the world spin as their heads tumbled to the ground. Lin Zheyu glanced at the corpses. With a sweep of his spiritual sense, all of their dharma treasures and storage pouches flew into his hands.
After dealing with the guards, Lin Zheyu looked toward the entrance of the secret realm and said softly, "I'll be back soon."
With a flick of his right hand, the bone talisman Qiong Yun had given him appeared in his palm. As Earth Power flowed into it, the talisman glowed with an earthy yellow light, establishing a mysterious connection with the secret realm. Soon, ripples spread across the entrance. They rapidly shrank, the fluctuations grew weaker and weaker, and after a few breaths, they disappeared completely.
The entrance to the secret realm was now completely sealed. It could only be closed permanently after leaving the realm itself. With the matter of the secret realm settled, Lin Zheyu extended his spiritual sense into his storage pouch, accessed the Martial Alliance platform, and searched for the nearest space-time node. His figure gradually faded from view before vanishing without a trace.