Chapter 149: Dead Man Walking
Several hours later...
Far outside the city...
Beyond the mountain roads...
Beyond the hiking trails...
Beyond even the abandoned shrine where everything had gone wrong...
Yun Wanhe sat cross-legged inside a narrow cave.
Black mist slowly rolled across the stone floor.
The cave walls had been covered in strange red symbols.
Some had been carved directly into the rock.
Others had been written using condensed Demonic Qi.
At the center...
Yun Wanhe remained perfectly still.
The ring rested on his right hand.
His breathing had become slow.
Measured.
But unlike his old cultivation...
There was nothing peaceful about it.
Every inhale pulled spiritual energy into his body.
Every exhale released a faint trace of black mist.
His Inner Core rotated inside his dantian.
Golden Qi and Demonic Qi twisted around one another.
Fighting.
Merging.
Mutating.
Within the ring...
Mo Tianxue’s voice echoed.
[Again.]
Yun Wanhe circulated the technique.
Pain tore through his meridians.
He didn’t move.
[Again.]
Another circulation.
The black energy became denser.
[Again.]
Yun Wanhe’s fingers dug into his knees.
His expression twisted.
Still...
He continued.
Mo Tianxue laughed faintly.
[Good.]
[Your hatred remains strong.]
[Use it.]
Yun Wanhe’s thoughts immediately returned to Shen Tian.
The street race.
The tournament.
The Qi Stones.
Chi Lingxi.
The kiss.
His master’s body.
His aura became unstable.
The cave shook.
Small rocks fell from the ceiling.
Mo Tianxue smiled.
[Yes.]
[That’s it.]
[Do not suppress it.]
[Orthodox cultivators fear emotion because they are weak.]
[The Demonic Path does not fear anything.]
Yun Wanhe’s eyes slowly opened.
For half a second...
They glowed crimson.
Then returned to normal.
------------------
[Cultivation: Peak Inner Core Realm]
[Path: Corrupted Demonic Cultivation]
[Current Fate Value: 70,000]
------------------
The inheritance inside the ring had restored some of what Yun Wanhe lost.
Heaven had compensated him.
Again.
A new master.
A new cultivation method.
A new path.
A new opportunity to rise.
Normally...
That would have been terrifying.
But somewhere else...
Shen Tian smiled.
. . .
Inside the Shen Family mansion...
Shen Tian stood in front of a large window.
His expression was calm.
Too calm.
Xu Ning floated beside him.
A transparent map hovered between them.
A red point blinked deep within the mountains.
[Found him.]
Shen Tian didn’t immediately respond.
His eyes remained fixed on the red point.
Xu Ning glanced toward him.
[Host.]
[His Fate increased.]
"I expected that."
She enlarged the status panel.
[Current Fate Value: 70,000]
[Demonic inheritance compensation.]
[Heaven is once again attempting to stabilize his destiny after the losses he suffered.]
Shen Tian gave a quiet laugh.
"So even after everything... Heaven still wants to feed him."
Xu Ning folded her arms.
[He’s still considered a major Fate carrier.]
[Not as strong as before.]
[But strong enough.]
Shen Tian looked toward her.
"Can you tell where exactly he is?"
[Yes.]
A location appeared.
An abandoned mountain region.
A cave.
Approximately an hour from the city by normal vehicle.
Shen Tian stepped away from the window.
Xu Ning followed.
[You’re going now?]
"Yes."
[Alone?]
Shen Tian smiled.
"That’s the idea. I’ve already left Chi Lingxi alone for too long..."
Xu Ning hesitated.
[Host...]
Shen Tian stopped.
Her expression became more serious.
[He’s unstable.]
[I know.]
[And the ring contains something old.]
"I know."
[Potentially older than any cultivator we’ve encountered in this world.]
Shen Tian’s smile remained.
"Doesn’t matter. They are both a dead man walking. Just make sure to tell everyone..."
Xu Ning stared at him.
[You really are impossible.]
Shen Tian opened the balcony doors.
Wind rushed inside.
He stepped onto the railing.
Then...
Golden Qi gathered beneath his feet.
Xu Ning blinked.
[Host.]
"What?"
[You’re not taking a car?]
"No."
He looked toward the distant mountains.
"I’ve been wanting to try this."
His Domain expanded.
The air beneath him hardened.
Then...
Shen Tian stepped forward.
There was nothing beneath his foot.
Yet he didn’t fall.
A second step.
Then another.
Golden ripples appeared in the air with every movement.
Xu Ning’s eyes widened slightly.
[You’re using your Domain as footholds.]
Shen Tian smiled.
"Pretty cool, right?"
[Extremely inefficient.]
"Still cool."
[Unfortunately...]
[Yes.]
Shen Tian suddenly accelerated.
The air exploded behind him.
He shot across the night sky.
. . .
Inside the cave...
Yun Wanhe’s eyes suddenly opened.
Mo Tianxue became silent.
Then...
The spirit’s voice changed.
[Stop.]
Yun Wanhe frowned.
"What?"
[Someone is approaching.]
His body immediately became tense.
"Who?"
Mo Tianxue didn’t answer at first.
His spiritual perception spread beyond the cave.
Across the mountain.
Through the forest.
Then...
The old spirit’s tone became strange.
[Interesting.]
Yun Wanhe stood.
"Who is it?"
Mo Tianxue laughed softly.
[The one you’ve been thinking about.]
Yun Wanhe froze.
A second later...
His expression darkened.
"...Shen Tian."
[Indeed.]
Black Qi began leaking from Yun Wanhe’s body.
"Good."
Mo Tianxue noticed his reaction.
[You sound pleased.]
"I am."
Yun Wanhe slowly clenched his fist.
"I’ve been waiting."
[Careful.]
The warning surprised him.
Yun Wanhe looked toward the ring.
"You told me this path would make me stronger."
[It has.]
"Then why should I be careful?"
Mo Tianxue’s voice became colder.
[Because confidence without information is stupidity.]
Yun Wanhe’s expression stiffened.
The old spirit continued.
[I cannot sense his cultivation clearly.]
Yun Wanhe frowned.
"What?"
[Something around him interferes with my perception.]
"He’s Domain Initiation."
[Perhaps.]
Mo Tianxue sounded unconvinced.
[But there is more.]
Before Yun Wanhe could ask...
A faint sound echoed from outside.
Step.
Then another.
Step.
Someone was walking through the forest.
Slowly.
Casually.
No attempt at concealment.
Yun Wanhe’s eyes narrowed.
The sound stopped directly outside the cave.
Silence.
Then...
Shen Tian’s voice drifted inside.
"Yun Wanhe."
Yun Wanhe stepped out.
Moonlight covered the mountain clearing.
Shen Tian stood near the edge.
Hands in his pockets.
Golden hair moving gently in the wind.
Yun Wanhe emerged from the cave.
Black Qi rolled around his feet.
Neither spoke immediately.
For several seconds...
They simply looked at one another.
Then Shen Tian’s gaze dropped.
To the ring.
His expression hardened.
"So that’s it."
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(Author’s Note: IMPORTANT!)
SEND POWESTONES!!!
ALL SUPER GIFTS (Magic Castle, Space Ship, Golden Gachapon) = MORE ChapterS!