69novels Chapter 91: The heart is broken, but the spirit remains.
Chapter 91: The heart is broken, but the spirit remains.
Chapter 91: The heart is broken, but the spirit remains.
Lu Lin's mind was instantly swept away by the sword technique she used when she ascended to immortality after slaying demons and monsters; her consciousness seemed to be thrown into an endless expanse, where only...
The sea of nothingness, characterized by "annihilation" and "emptiness".
He was stripped of control over his body and the sense of true mastery in an instant, leaving him like an observer, trapped inside his own shell.
However, the hard-won physical body and the deep-rooted, almost instinctive fighting imprint erupted with astonishing autonomy at this moment of consciousness sinking!
His body trembled violently, as if he had been pulled hard by an invisible giant hand. His feet defied the restraint of his rigid will and, relying on muscle memory and feedback from the ground, unleashed terrifying power, rapidly retreating backward!
To the audience, the scene was bizarre: Lu Lin groaned inexplicably, her face turned pale, and then she was shot backward as if she had been hit in the chest by an invisible giant hammer, in a slightly stiff but fast-moving manner!
Immediately afterwards—
Boom!!!
A deafening roar, like an earthquake, shook the entire area, sending dust and debris billowing into the sky!
His body, as solid as a dragon or elephant, slammed heavily into the rune-reinforced edge of the arena like a cannonball.
On top of a massive bluestone wall, over ten feet thick!
The sturdy wall, which was strong enough to withstand the bombardment of ordinary spells, was actually smashed by him, leaving a shocking spiderweb-like crater nearly ten feet in diameter!
The dense cracks spread wildly in all directions like lightning, large chunks of rubble crumbled down, and dust filled the air, almost swallowing his figure.
"What's going on?!"
"Did Lu Lin run into a wall herself?!"
"What did Lu Linglong just do? She just made a slash?!"
"Is it a mental attack?! Or an illusion?!"
The audience erupted in a frenzy, with exclamations, doubts, and discussions filling the air.
Most people simply couldn't see or understand the essence of that invisible confrontation; they only felt that the scene before them was absurd and terrifying.
A few individuals with keen senses and profound cultivation, such as the elders of various sects, members of the Ten Elders, and young talents like Wang Ye and Zhuge Qing, had extremely solemn expressions, their pupils contracted, and a chill suddenly rose in their hearts.
Although they were unable to fully comprehend all the mysteries of that "sword," they roughly understood what kind of technique it was.
Mental attacks are not extinct in the world of supernatural beings; they are involved in Zen Buddhism, Southern School, and even some secret schools. However, such terrifying power and such rapid effect are unheard of!
Amidst the smoke and dust, the milky white light did not dim; instead, like an enraged moon, it pierced through the dust and grew ever brighter!
A figure shrouded in an even denser, almost liquid-like milky-white aura slowly and steadily straightened up from the ruins of the walls and the billowing dust.
Lu Lin swung her arm, shaking off the rubble that was pressing down on her, and dusted off her Taoist robe.
Those eyes, now completely pure white and seemingly containing the swirling stars, pierced through all barriers and locked onto Lu Linglong, who was leaning on an umbrella in the distance, panting heavily.
The white aura surrounding him was now like a tangible cold flame, rising and dancing silently yet violently, emanating a pressure several times stronger than before!
In the critical moment, his body instinctively chose to retreat and absorb the force. Under the shock of the impact and the life-or-death crisis, he forcibly broke through the aftershocks of the "Severing" intent and completely completed the transformation of "Water and Fire Immortal Robe - True Form"!
"—So that's how it is." Lu Lin's voice came through the flowing, milky-white true qi, calm yet carrying a hint of sudden enlightenment and a deep-seated fear. "The way to suppress and even shatter the essence of Lingyu Zhenren's Golden Light Mantra—it turns out to be such a miraculous method. I really underestimated everyone in the world. I wonder what kind of amazing senior created this method. Lu Lin admires you."
If it weren't for this honed physical body reacting to the extreme before his scattered consciousness could, awakening his stunned mind in the most brutal and direct way, he would probably be standing there like a puppet with its spine removed, the outcome already decided.
Thinking of this, even with Lu Lin's rock-solid resolve, a chill ran down her spine.
Such a move is a nightmare for all practitioners who seek to strengthen themselves!
No matter how much one tempers their physical body or how many layers of defense one builds with the Golden Light Mantra, the Vajra of No Leakage, or even their own "Water and Fire Immortal Robe," once the "mind" that sustains all of this is shaken or stripped away, even the strongest fortress will collapse from within.
What's even more terrifying is that this move is formless and intangible, it strikes before the mind, and directly attacks the sea of consciousness, making it almost impossible to predict or block using the conventional five senses.
Once the opponent successfully unleashes their power, one can only rely on their own temperament and will to withstand the onslaught of that torrent of artistic conception.
However, Lu Lin also keenly realized that such extraordinary abilities would inevitably come at a huge price.
The conservation of energy is one of the fundamental laws governing the world. Even in the mysterious world of supernatural beings, it is only manifested in a different way and can never be truly exempted.
He didn't believe that Lu Linglong, with her current age and cultivation level, could unleash the same level of "Sword of Intent" twice in a short period of time.
His judgment was correct.
In the arena, after Lu Linglong unleashed that decisive "sword," she had already put down the "Longevity Flower Support" in her hand. Her left hand gripped the umbrella handle tightly to support her body, while her right hand pressed hard on her throbbing temples. Her brows were furrowed, and the color drained from her face, revealing an undisguised exhaustion and pain.
This move does not consume ordinary magical power, but rather the more fundamental "mind" and "intention".
Given her current level of cultivation, she can indeed only unleash a move of similar intensity, like "I am the only one who reigns supreme in heaven and earth," once in a short period of time.
But... it was clear that this attack did not completely disrupt Lu Lin's state as expected, but only caused a brief shock and hindrance, which made her somewhat disappointed.
And then, without further ado, the battle situation changed again in an instant!
Lu Lin is like a raging dragon emerging from the sea!
In his true form, he seemed to have broken free of his final shackles!
His figure swayed slightly, leaving only a slowly dissipating milky-white afterimage and a shockwave that suddenly exploded, sending shards of stone flying everywhere!
His true form had transformed into a milky-white bolt of lightning that tore through vision and cleaved the air! Its speed exceeded the dynamic visual perception capabilities of most spectators!
Almost in the blink of an eye, the white lightning bolt containing destructive energy had already traversed dozens of meters, carrying a violent momentum like a landslide and a tsunami, and appeared in front of Lu Linglong, who had not yet fully recovered from her mental exhaustion!
The immense pressure, like tangible seawater, pressed in from all directions, instantly engulfing Lu Linglong!
Oops!
Alarm bells rang wildly in Lu Linglong's mind. An unprecedented sense of crisis made the hairs on her body stand on end, and a chill ran from her tailbone straight to the top of her head!
There's no escaping it!
At this distance and at this speed, in her current state, she simply doesn't have time to use "Swift Shadow"!
Driven almost by the instinct for survival, she forcefully raised the "Eternal Life Support" that was blocking her way!
Thump—! ! ! !
A deafening roar, far deeper and heavier than any of the previous collisions, like two bronze bells colliding, exploded out! The sound waves spread visibly, making the eardrums of nearby audience members ache!
Lu Lin's seemingly simple but actually powerful straight punch, which contained the immense force of her true form, landed squarely and without any fancy moves in the center of the umbrella pole that was blocking the way!
"Ugh—!"
Lu Linglong's arms trembled violently, instantly losing all sensation, as if they weren't her own limbs. An indescribable, utterly savage, terrifying force, like a torrent bursting its banks, surged into her body through the incredibly sturdy umbrella!
It felt as if an invisible giant hand was gripping, kneading, and shifting my internal organs! My blood and qi surged wildly in reverse, and I felt a sweet taste in my throat!
Her delicate body was completely unable to resist this enormous force. Like a leaf swept up by a gale, her feet left the ground and she was thrown backward violently!
It drew a tragic arc in the air, blood already spilling from the corner of its mouth.
However, Lu Lin's offensive had only just begun! He was well aware of the trouble and threat of Lu Linglong's strange "slow" technique, and therefore, he did not give her any breathing room or any time to concentrate on chanting the incantation!
The offensive must be like a raging storm, relentless and continuous, until the opponent is completely crushed!
Before Lu Linglong's body reached the apex of its trajectory, the milky-white lightning bolt followed closely, catching up with her in mid-air at an even faster speed!
Lu Lin leaped into the air, twisting her waist and hips in mid-air. Her right leg, like a battle axe released after being stretched to its limit, or a thunder hammer wielded by a god, was accompanied by a shrill whistle like the advance of wind and thunder and an indomitable will. It slashed fiercely down at Lu Linglong's waist and abdomen, who had no way to gain leverage in the air and whose old strength had been exhausted and new strength had not yet been generated!
That kick is enough to split mountains and shatter rocks!
Lu Linglong's pupils shrank to pinpoints. She endured the excruciating pain that seemed to tear her consciousness apart and the churning agony of her internal organs. With her unwavering will and remaining instincts, she suddenly contracted her core just before the battle axe was about to strike. Her body shrank and rolled to the side like a startled cat!
boom! ! !
A heavy, axe-like leg swept past her waist, tearing her clothes apart with a sharp gust of wind!
Even so, the lingering force from the brush still caused her excruciating pain in her lower back.
She narrowly avoided the fatal blow, tumbling and falling to her side.
The moment her feet touched the ground, before she could even regain her footing, Lu Lin's right foot stomped down with the force of a savage elephant, crashing down on the spot where she landed!
"slow!"
At the critical moment of life and death, Lu Linglong screamed out that life-saving syllable to Lu Lin, who was charging at her like a cannonball again!
A strange fluctuation rippled out again, and Lu Lin's ferocious figure suddenly stopped, her speed visibly slowing down, as if she had sunk into an invisible swamp.
Lu Linglong used the same trick again, taking a deep breath to suppress the metallic taste rising in her throat.
The longevity-suppressing flower in his hand transformed once again into a deadly sword, with sword energy condensing fiercely at the tip of the umbrella, making it incomparably sharp!
She moved her sword with her body, aiming at Lu Lin's chest, whose body was slightly leaning forward due to the "slowing" of her momentum and whose center was somewhat empty. She used all the strength she could muster at that moment to thrust forward!
Try to force him to defend or dodge, so as to buy yourself even a moment to adjust!
This sword strike was fast, accurate, and ruthless!
however--
Just as the flow of time returned to normal, a sudden change occurred!
The calm light in Lu Lin's jade-white eyes remained unwavering.
He seemed to have anticipated Lu Linglong's reaction.
The moment the violent momentum and fist force that had been slowed down returned to normal speed, it not only did not show any intention of defending or blocking, but instead continued to blast towards its original target—Lu Linglong's chest—with an even more violent, more resolute, and even tragic aura of "mutual destruction" attitude, without shifting or slowing down!
He actually chose to—take the sword head-on! To trade injury for injury! No, to trade his life for—victory?!
puff!
Bang! ! !
Two chilling sounds, almost simultaneous, pierced the deathly silence of the entire arena with a subtle and terrifying time difference due to their different nature of attack!
The first sound was a wet, dull cracking sound, like a sharp blade piercing flesh and bone!
The tip of the umbrella in Lu Linglong's "Seize the Moment of Longevity and Support the Flower" technique, which was imbued with sword energy, pierced through Lu Lin's left chest without any hindrance!
Its location is perfect, right where the heart is!
Viewers standing at a specific angle could clearly see the tip of the umbrella protruding through her body, as well as Lu Lin's shattered heart!
His heart was pierced!
For any living being, this is undoubtedly a fatal blow!
Almost at the same instant, an extremely heavy sound of flesh colliding exploded!
Lu Lin's fully charged punch landed squarely and completely on Lu Linglong's cheek, who was slightly stunned by the impact of the punch!
Lu Linglong's head suddenly swung to the side and back, her neck bending unnaturally!
She felt as if she had been hit head-on by a speeding steel train; her consciousness was instantly swallowed up by boundless darkness and excruciating pain, and her vision went completely blank.
Blood gushed from her mouth and nose like a fountain, and her body flew backward at high speed again in a miserable posture, faster and more powerless than ever before.
But before she flew away, a glimpse she caught out of the corner of her eye made her feel as if she had fallen into an icy abyss, her soul almost leaving her body. She saw it!
He pierced Lu Lin's heart!
I—I killed my cousin? I killed Lu Lin?!
No! This can't be done!
Just before her body was about to crash heavily to the ground and completely lose the ability to move, she used her last bit of strength to forcefully shove the Longevity Flower into the ground!
Sizzle—!
The umbrella tip scraped against the bluestone, producing a piercing sound and a series of sparks. It forcibly dragged her out-of-control body, carving a deep trench several meters long in the ground, before finally coming to a stop.
Lu Linglong knelt on one knee, supporting herself with an umbrella, and didn't even dare to look up at Lu Lin's miserable state.
Save him! We must save him! Master—Master must have a way!
Then Lu Linglong began digging at the ground beneath her feet, hoping to find the powerful magical talisman left by Zhou Yi to heal Lu Lin.
But to her horror, she still couldn't find the so-called great supernatural talisman, even after digging herself upside down.
"No—how could there be no—I will definitely ask my master to bury a way to cure my cousin here in the future! But how could there be no way?! How could there be?!" She dug frantically while muttering incoherently to herself, tears mixed with blood streaming down her cheeks, her mind on the verge of collapse.
She didn't even dare to look up at Lu Lin's "corpse" anymore; the immense guilt and fear almost consumed her.
"Could it be that even my master couldn't save me? It was me—I did it myself—" The thought of collapse was about to completely overwhelm her.
Just then, a strong, calm voice, as if nothing had happened, pierced through her chaotic thoughts and rang out clearly from not far away: "Linglong, what are you doing?"
Lu Linglong trembled violently, abruptly raising her head. Blood and tears blurred her vision. She blinked hard, looking incredulously at the source of the sound.
Lu Lin stood perfectly fine in the spot. His white Taoist robe had only a small hole pierced at the chest, and the skin beneath it was completely intact, smooth as jade, without even a trace of redness! His milky-white true qi flowed steadily around him, his breath long and deep; there was no sign of a pierced heart or impending death.
"Cousin?! You—you're not dead?!" Lu Linglong's voice was hoarse and trembling, filled with extreme shock and unbelievable ecstasy.
"Of course I'm not dead." Lu Lin's tone even carried a hint of helplessness, as if stating an obvious fact, "You did pierce my heart."
He paused, and under Lu Linglong's wide-eyed gaze, he made a gesture that instantly sent gasps of shock and utter horror through the entire room.
He raised his left arm, grasped it with his right hand, and then, under the watchful eyes of countless people, he twisted and pulled it gently, as if disassembling a minor part!
Click.
He easily "removed" his left arm!
There was no blood dripping from the broken surface, but it was enveloped by a layer of rich and soft milky white true qi. The bones and muscles on the broken surface were clearly visible, but it seemed to be in a strange state of "active stagnation".
"But so what?" Lu Lin asked calmly, while casually putting her left arm back in place after it had been "removed".
A milky white liquid flowed through the wound, and the flesh and bones at the break point seemed to come alive, rapidly wriggling, connecting, and healing. In just two or three breaths, the arm was restored to its original state and could move freely again.
He looked at the completely stunned Lu Linglong, and the audience who were equally petrified, and in an incredibly clear voice announced a fact that overturned everyone's understanding: "Limb regeneration, shattered heart survival, and three core reshaping—these are merely the most basic abilities possessed by the first realm of 'Ascension to Immortality'."
hiss-!!!!
After a brief silence, there was a unified, sharp gasp that seemed to lift the clouds above Longhu Mountain!
Immediately following was a volcanic eruption of shouts and screams!
"Me!!! Me!!!" Zhang Chulan was the first to jump up, completely losing his composure. He pointed at Lu Lin, who looked like a monster in the arena, and tugged at Xu San's sleeve. His voice was distorted. "Third Brother! Third Brother, did you hear that?!"
"Huh?! Did you hear what he said?! Is he even human?! Huh?!"
He was so excited he was incoherent: "What a load of rubbish about Body Source Flow! What a load of rubbish about the Eight Extraordinary Techniques! How can it be so heaven-defying?! Regenerating a severed arm?! Undying from a broken heart?! This is godlike! Are you guys mistaken? What you should be fighting over isn't my Body Source Flow, it's this thing!"
Xu San was also utterly shocked by the unimaginable scene before him. He had only heard of the mystique of "feathered bones" before, but seeing it with his own eyes today was far more impactful than any written description.
He adjusted his slightly slipped glasses, suppressing the turmoil in his heart, and hissed at the distraught Zhang Chulan, "Chulan! Calm down!"
He glanced at the jade-white figure in the arena, and continued in a complex tone, "Why do you think it is? It's because the 'Ascension Dao Bone' is so ridiculously powerful, almost like a celestial technique, that no one in the world dares to easily covet the Three Truths Sect! Lu Lin is nothing compared to him! He's just a member of the younger generation of the Three Truths Sect. The methods of his truly accomplished masters are even more heaven-defying and inconceivable! Faced with such a lineage and power, ordinary people would run away as fast as they can. Who would be so foolish as to provoke them?"
He paused, then sneered meaningfully, "As for the Quanxing Sect? Hmph, they're nothing but a bunch of bullies who prey on the weak and fear the strong. Do you think they'd dare to harbor any wicked thoughts towards the people of the Three Truths Sect?"
Zhang Chulan opened his mouth, looked at Lu Lin who was slowly calming down and returning to normal, and then looked at Lu Linglong kneeling on the ground, who seemed to have survived a disaster but was also confused and helpless. In the end, all his words turned into a powerless sigh, and he slumped back into his seat.
Monster — a real monster.
Compared to them, my own secrets and struggles seem like child's play.
Please vote with your monthly tickets and give me a reward!
I visited the graves yesterday morning and went out for a while in the afternoon.
It was already 10 o'clock when I got back.
I was very tired, but I forced myself to write this chapter.
I'll update during the day later; I'll write more then.
At least 20,000 per day on average.
There's not much water, but there's plenty to fill you up.
They can earn 30,000 to 50,000 a day.
>