Chapter 36: Immortal Script

Chen Luo wouldn’t fall for this old man’s nonsense. With a swift motion, he scooped up a handful of dusty pebbles from the ground and flung them behind him.

“Childish tricks.”

Old Daoist Li Chen lightly stamped his foot, waiting until the dust settled before resuming pursuit. Confidently, he had no fear that the insignificant bug, Chen Luo, could cause any real trouble. Absolute power rendered any schemes or tricks inconsequential. If Chen Luo were a Zongshi, perhaps he would have taken him more seriously, but as a mere novice in the early stages of the Bone Tempering Realm, there was nothing to warrant caution.

Chen Luo’s face paled; he had anticipated encountering Zongshi and even planned strategies to confront the burly swordsman head-on, but never expected danger to strike so swiftly. There was barely any time to react.

The sudden appearance of an adversary like Old Daoist Li Chen caught him completely off guard, leaving even General Fan bewildered. Shouldn’t Prince Ning’s reinforcements take some time to arrive?

Unfortunately, there was no one to explain the situation. The deceased travelers had similar questions lingering in their minds:

Why did they die? How did these jianghu experts just happen to cross paths with them?

Clutching his hand tightly, Chen Luo’s mind raced at full speed. Simultaneously, over a hundred brains hidden within his body began offering suggestions.

‘Dead end.’

‘Get down and beg for mercy.’

‘Scream “Grandpa”!’

Suggestion after suggestion poured in from various brains, but they were overwhelmingly desperate, with some even suggesting to kneel and cry out “Grandpa.” Seeing this feedback infuriated Chen Luo, causing veins to bulge in anger. He resolved that if he managed to escape this predicament, he would discard these ‘brains’ immediately.

“No solutions at all?” Chen Luo focused his attention on the Royal Family member’s and General Fan’s ‘brains,’ as they were currently his most influential advisors. Unfortunately, even their minds offered no viable strategies. The power disparity was too vast; engaging directly would likely result in defeat within a single move.

‘Survival often comes through facing insurmountable odds. Time is running out—dive into the mine! If truly cornered, take him down with you. If I can’t have it, neither shall anyone else! Death must claim its companions.’ An unexpected suggestion came from a traveler’s brain that Chen Luo had never paid much heed to before.

This individual was undoubtedly ruthless beyond measure.

Upon reading this message, Chen Luo decisively activated this particular brain.

Instantly, he felt an unparalleled calmness enveloping his thoughts. All emotions seemed to dissipate; fear and helplessness vanished, leaving only one clear idea—to enter the mine shaft.

With the aid of this traveler’s external mind, Chen Luo moved swiftly like the wind, successfully evading several attacks from behind. After a few leaps, he reached the entrance of the mine shaft just as Old Daoist Li Chen closed the gap, his chilling killing intent palpable on Chen Luo’s skin.

“It’s time.”

Chen Luo glanced sideways at the distant horizon, where the sun was setting and the moon beginning to rise.

At the edge of the sky,

Yin and Yang divided, the celestial bodies taking their turns.

“Open!”

Standing at the cave mouth, Chen Luo felt the familiar sensation of detachment sweep through his body. The energy accumulated over the past days instantly activated, serving as the key. With a flicker, his figure seemed to melt away, effortlessly passing through the stone and descending below.

“Hmm?”

This sight momentarily stunned Old Daoist Li Chen, but then a look of ecstatic delight spread across his face.

“So it was here all along. Fortune favors this old Daoist, claiming such serendipity without effort.”

Without hesitation, he stepped onto the same spot, following suit.

Chen Luo opened his eyes, noticing an extraordinary brightness around him, with the mysterious and unpredictable force even more active than before. During previous sunrises and sunsets, he had absorbed several energies using the jade booklet, which now allowed him to perceive these forces clearly.

Just moments ago, these energies had helped him open the entrance to the mine.

‘Hurry, move quickly.’

The urgent thought resonated, instantly alerting Chen Luo. He swiftly activated his inner qi and fled deeper into the cave.

Behind him, another wave of energy surged as Old Daoist Li Chen burst through the entrance. Upon seeing the situation inside, he couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

“Excellent! Just when all hope seemed lost, fortune strikes without effort.”

Scanning the area, Old Daoist Li Chen noticed Chen Luo’s retreating figure ahead. Immediately, he raised his hand and unleashed a powerful blast of qi.

“As a reward for leading the way, this old daoist will grant you a swift end.”

With his hand like a blade, he struck downward.

The Zongshi’s qi materialized, coalescing into a sharp aura resembling a gleaming sword edge, hurtling towards Chen Luo.

‘Left, roll now!’ The calm voice of the traveler echoed in Chen Luo’s mind.

Without hesitation, Chen Luo rolled to the left, narrowly evading the blast, and continued his escape with relentless speed.

“Hm? Quite fortunate indeed.” Old Daoist Li Chen frowned, attributing Chen Luo’s evasion to luck rather than skill. How could such a mere ant, several realms below himself, possibly dodge based on ability alone?

Having evaded this attack, Chen Luo completely disappeared from Old Daoist Li Chen’s sight.

Realizing this, Li Chen swiftly activated his movement technique to give chase.

As one pursued and the other fled, they quickly ventured deep into the mine shafts.

Soon, both reached the bottom of the mines, where their attention was instantly captivated by a gemstone at the far end. The gem glowed with a deep blue hue, emitting a soft radiance akin to a charged crystal, exuding an enchanting brilliance.

“A spirit gem!” Behind them, Old Daoist Li Chen became visibly excited. However, Chen Luo moved faster, reaching out first towards the blue gemstone.

“Stop!” In fury, Li Chen could no longer contain himself. He kicked off the nearby stone wall, sending a shower of debris hurtling like projectiles towards Chen Luo ahead. With such dense onslaught, there seemed no room to evade.

This time, Old Daoist Li Chen resolved to unleash his full power, aiming for a decisive kill.

Sensing the intensifying killing intent approaching from behind, Chen Luo steeled himself. Ignoring all else, he grasped firmly onto the blue gemstone.

“I must not let that old thief claim it!”

An eerie scene unfolded: Instead of destroying the gemstone with his desperate grasp, it seemed to activate some mechanism. The moment his palm touched the blue gem, a brilliant azure light flared, releasing a mysterious energy that brought the entire cave to life.

From Chen Luo’s chest, a bamboo scroll spontaneously flew out and formed a pale-blue protective shield around him.

Boom, boom, boom!

A series of deep resonating sounds echoed as Old Daoist Li Chen’s lethal attack was effortlessly repelled by the blue light barrier.

“Immortal script?!” Witnessing this, Old Daoist Li Chen’s face drastically changed, as if recalling something terrifying. He abruptly turned mid-air and fled without looking back.

However, swift as he was, how could he outrun light?

Hum!!

The blue light surged like a tidal wave, swiftly enveloping Old Daoist Li Chen within its embrace.

Everything in the cave became engulfed by this peculiar energy. Instantly, the once-empty mine transformed as if into a vast oceanic abyss, filled with overwhelming hydrostatic pressure.

As Old Daoist Li Chen attempted to escape, he let out a muffled groan before the immense force crushed him like a mere insect.

His ribs shattered audibly, snapping like twigs.

Blood gushed from his mouth, followed by a chilling silence.