Chapter 55
Lin Queli returned to the altar.
Lin Luo was a little surprised to see Lin Queli. “You… how did you come back?”
The System had told him that Lin Queli had a repair system, not a combat system? How did he manage to escape from Helan Xue’s hands and come back!
Lin Queli said with a grin, “It’s okay. I won’t hold it against you.”
Anyway, after what I’ve done, Helan Xue and the others will probably lead their troops to break in.
After I subdue the Demon Sword, how will these people fight against Helan Xue! Helan Xue can then settle the score with them properly!
Now, because he had completed the dual cultivation, besides his legs being a little weak and his butt a little sore, his condition was much better. He stood on the altar and took a deep breath, summoning all the Demon Sword fragments.
Five fragments surrounded Lin Queli. In an instant, the sky darkened, and the thick demonic energy even formed a black mist, spreading out from Lin Queli’s side.
The fragments on the torches of the altar began to tremble, wanting to escape the fire’s melting and come to Lin Queli’s side.
“What is he doing…!” The arriving Elder Jin’s eyes widened. He said anxiously, “Is he trying to snatch the Demon Sword?! Quick, stop him!”
Lin Luo gritted his teeth. “You go if you have the guts.”
Elder Jin looked at the scene before him and swallowed hard.
He saw a flock of crows circling above, and the dark clouds did not disperse, instantly blocking all the light, and together with the black mist, plunging the surroundings into darkness.
Dark thunder streaked across the dark clouds in the sky, making a dull sound, while a fierce wind shuttled on the ground, blowing the trees to and fro.
The thick demonic energy almost crushed people.
With all ten Demon Sword fragments gathered, the commotion would naturally not be small.
Lin Queli took a deep breath and opened his hands, feeling the flow of demonic energy. His whole body was slightly lifted up, and the whites of his eyes were completely blackened.
With his repeated summons, the fragments on the torches finally began to loosen and wanted to go to him.
At this moment, Lin Queli no longer had a trace of naivety or vigor. The demonic energy of the Demon Sword, thousands of years old, was on him. His soul and body were so entangled by the demonic energy that he could barely breathe, but it also made people feel oppressed and terrified. Even his delicate features had become sinister.
Lin Luo reminded, “After he successfully merges with the Demon Sword, he can make you and me disappear with a flick of his finger. Don’t even think about becoming the Demon Lord. I’m afraid you won’t even be able to protect your Yuan Soul.”
Elder Jin threw caution to the wind, gritted his teeth, and rushed forward with his weapon.
Lin Queli saw Elder Jin summon his demon soldiers and attack him together. He threw out the wooden bird, and a huge formation immediately rose. The red light was extremely obvious in the thick fog, almost illuminating half the sky. After the light dissipated, all the Demon Palace shadow guards appeared.
They surrounded Lin Queli, protecting him tightly.
Elder Jin’s eyes widened. “You… I am now the master of the Demon Palace. You should obey my orders! Do you want to be traitors to the Demon Clan?!”
Tingfeng said with a cold face, “We are loyal to His Highness.”
Zhuiying also sneered. “Just you? The master of the Demon Palace? What you care about is your own power, not the safety and interests of all the demons! You are the traitors. His Highness should kill you!”
The shadow guards and Elder Jin’s men from the Demon Palace began to fight.
The Demon Palace now had a large number of people, while the shadow guards only had fifty. Although each of them was a high-level cultivator, they ultimately could not gain the upper hand. Fortunately, it was still possible to protect Lin Queli.
“Buzz, buzz—”
The Demon Sword fragments finally loosened and were about to fly towards Lin Queli, but they were entangled by the flames. Now that the Demon Sword was being forged, it could not be easily interrupted.
Seeing this, Elder Jin and the others became even more anxious. They launched a more ferocious attack. Seeing this, Lin Luo also joined the battle. His strength was high, even stronger than Elder Jin’s, and for a time, he turned the tide.
With Elder Jin’s summons, more and more demons joined the battle. Just as the shadow guards were about to be unable to hold on, the sound of a horn came from the surroundings.
Not far away, a wisp of white smoke came from the city wall gate.
“Is this… a signal of an enemy attack?!” Elder Jin felt a chill all over his body. Could it be that Helan Xue had attacked at this time?
Impossible! He clearly promised to retreat! They had signed a life-and-death contract. No cultivator could break their oath!
Lin Luo said coldly, “The Demon Lord has already escaped back. That contract is no longer valid!”
Elder Jin “tsked” and then said, “It’s fine. The city wall’s defense is tight. He…”
Rumble—!
With a burst of spiritual energy rushing towards them, the surroundings were filled with frost and snow.
—The members of the Myriad Sword Sect had already rushed to the altar.
The demon guarding the gate stumbled and ran to Elder Jin’s side. “It-it was the people of the Tiandi tribe who opened the gate for those righteous dogs!”
“Bastards!! Traitors! They’re all traitors!!”
At the same time, the entire altar rumbled and trembled violently. All the fragments flew up from the torches, carrying sparks as they rushed to the sky, and then came to Lin Queli’s side.
One, two, three…
All ten fragments entered Lin Queli’s body!
The runes on the altar were so red they were almost dripping with blood, and the dark thunder in the sky was densely churning in the clouds, with the momentum of a storm coming.
And the huge impact made Lin Queli vomit a mouthful of black blood. He knelt on the ground and closed his eyes, enduring the pain of his body almost being torn apart.
“Your Highness…!”
Tingfeng and Zhuiying quickly helped him up. “Your Highness, now that the ceremony is complete… shall we take you away?”
“N-no…” Lin Queli panted, “I must… be on the altar.”
They only thought that Lin Queli was here to snatch the Demon Sword. No one knew that Lin Queli was going to… destroy the Demon Sword.
If he wanted to destroy the Demon Sword, he could only use the heavenly thunder to self-destruct on top of the altar!
Lin Queli smiled bitterly. Destroying the Demon Sword was not as simple as just breaking it. How could the Demon Sword be so easily destroyed? He could only take the Demon Sword with him.
But the so-called “taking the Demon Sword with him” was to let his physical body merge with the power of the Demon Sword, attract the heavenly thunder, and let the heavenly thunder destroy his physical body and the Demon Sword together, his soul scattered, and leave this small world.
“Okay…!” Tingfeng thought that Lin Queli still needed to use the spiritual energy of heaven and earth from the altar. “We will protect you!”
Lin Queli sat cross-legged and began to enter a deep meditative state, wanting to let his body digest the tyrannical demonic energy of the Demon Sword. His face was pale, and blood was still overflowing from the corner of his mouth. He only felt as if a giant beast was rampaging in his body.
And the red light of the runes on the altar all flowed towards Lin Queli, and the demonic energy of heaven and earth seemed to be going towards him.
At the same time, the Myriad Sword Sect had already rushed up and was fighting with the demons. The altar had become a battlefield.
The shadow guards surrounded Lin Queli, watching the battle from the sidelines.
Not far away, Shouyang and Elder Jin were fighting, causing the heavens and earth to shake. Qiansui and other disciples were also fighting with the demons. The clash of weapons, the sound of spiritual energy breaking through the air, and the wails were endless.
The snow around them was falling heavier and heavier. The snow fell on the members of the Myriad Sword Sect and became a protective shield, and it also added spiritual energy to them.
Not only was the entire Myriad Sword Sect mobilized, but many people from the Changming Clan had also come.
“Xiao Luo…?”
A familiar voice came from behind. Lin Luo’s whole body stiffened, and he pulled back the sword in his hand.
The sword was pulled out from the waist of the Myriad Sword Sect member before him, bringing out flesh and blood. The member swayed and fell, losing consciousness.
“Xiao Luo!”
Lin Luo turned around and saw Immortal Lord Changming, Ming Zhen.
—His clan leader, adoptive father, and Shizun.
Ming Zhen stared at Lin Luo in a daze.
Now he had also seen with his own eyes the “Lin Luo” who had been rumored for the past year—sinister, cunning, and cruel.
He had traveled far with his sickly body, only to see Lin Luo with the demons, killing the Righteous Path with a swing of his sword.
There was no light in Lin Luo’s eyes when he saw him, only coldness. His expression was also not the pure and good-natured one he had in the Changming Clan, but full of killing intent.
Is this… really Lin Luo?
But he wouldn’t be mistaken about the child he had raised since he was young.
Even if Lin Luo was already… completely different.
Lin Luo was also looking at Ming Zhen. He was stunned for a moment, and a hint of panic flashed in his eyes, but then he sneered. “Forget it…”
He murmured in a low voice, “This day… was bound to come.”
Ming Zhen said in a hoarse voice, “What are you doing! Why… why have you become like this!”
After speaking, he choked and coughed nonstop, almost unable to stand. His originally pale face was now even paler.
He had already reached the end of his lifespan, and the rumors and disappearance of “Lin Luo” this year had made him unable to sleep at night, his heart burning day after day. Now his cultivation was still high, but his body could no longer support it.
“Shizun, go back…” Lin Luo stepped forward, wanting to help him up. “It’s dangerous here. You…”
“Don’t call me Shizun!” Ming Zhen said sternly, “When did I ever teach you to associate with demons and harm the innocent?!”
“…” A hint of gloom appeared in Ming Zhen’s eyes. He said with a low laugh, “But Shizun promised me before that you would never abandon me no matter what happened, didn’t you?”
“You…”
Ming Zhen took a deep breath. He drew his Changming Sword and stared at Lin Luo. “Come back with me. We’ll talk when we get back… Don’t make the same mistake again.”
“Then this disciple finds it difficult to obey.” Lin Luo also raised his sword, but he sheathed it and faced Ming Zhen.
Ming Zhen leaped towards Lin Luo, his swordsmanship sharp. Lin Luo defended with his scabbard.
The two began to fight at the edge of the altar.
Ming Zhen’s cultivation was not low, but his heart was willing but his strength was not enough. And Lin Luo had cultivated the demonic path and had the system’s support, so he was even more powerful than his Shizun. But he only defended and did not attack from beginning to end, sheathing his sword for fear of accidentally hurting him.
Elder Jin was so anxious he was about to die. “Lin Luo! What are you still dawdling for? The Demon Lord is about to successfully refine the Demon Sword. We’ll all be dead then! Aren’t you going to come and help?!”
Lin Luo turned to run, but he was blocked by Ming Zhen.
Elder Jin: “If you can’t do it, I will!”
Elder Jin went for Ming Zhen.
“Who told you to meddle!” Lin Luo angrily drew his sword and knocked Elder Jin away, shouting, “Did I let you touch my Shizun?!”
Elder Jin fell to the ground and looked at the two, feeling twisted. He said to Ming Zhen, “Why are you blocking his way? Your disciple, whether he fell to the demonic path or cooperated with me, was all to find a way to delay your lifespan. If you block him, you are harming yourself! Now only by cooperating with us and killing the Demon Lord can we… ah!!”
—This was Lin Luo’s obsession.
If Lin Queli’s binding with the System, the final reward was to return to his original world with money, then Lin Luo’s reward was an item that could prolong his life.
Lin Queli’s rescue system did not require obsession, but Lin Luo’s destruction system was driven by obsession.
Lin Luo resented, why was it that after Ming Zhen had brought him into this world, he had reached the end of his lifespan.
It was not fair.
In this world, only Ming Zhen was good to him. Then if the price of letting Ming Zhen live was the lives of others… what was wrong with that?
Lin Luo’s eyes were red. He used all his strength to strike Elder Jin with his spiritual energy, almost seriously injuring him.
“Get lost!!”
Ming Zhen stared at Lin Luo in a daze.
What?
Ming Zhen’s lips trembled. “What he said… is it true?”
“Shizun…” Lin Luo looked around, then at Ming Zhen’s almost collapsing expression, and immediately said, “Shizun, I promise to go back with you. We’ll talk when we get back?”
Ming Zhen said in a low voice, “I have lived a free and easy life. Although I am not cautious in my words and actions, I believe I have not made any major mistakes, and I have even fulfilled my duty as a cultivator to protect the common people. I have no attachments, and my only bond is you. But I never thought… that I would become your inner demon.”
Lin Luo sensed that something was wrong. He rushed towards Ming Zhen. “Shizun…!”
“I don’t have much time left now. It doesn’t matter if I live or not… but I have caused such a great disaster. It’s a sin…”
Ming Zhen placed the Changming Sword, which had accompanied him in many battles and had taken the lives of many evil people and demons, against his own neck, closed his eyes, and said, “Xiao Luo, don’t be obsessed anymore.”
Hiss—!
Lin Luo stared blankly at the person who had fallen before him. He only felt his mind explode with a “buzz,” and he opened his mouth wide but could not make a sound.
He stepped forward and caught Ming Zhen’s paper-like body, holding him with his eyes about to pop out.
“Shizun…”
The person in his arms had already lost his breath.
…
On the altar.
Lin Queli looked around with some confusion. Lin Luo seemed to be holding someone and had left, and Elder Jin was also seriously injured. What happened?
Could it be that they knew they were no match for the Righteous Path and Helan Xue, so they fled in panic?
With Taxue Xianzun here, the Demon Clan would indeed be defeated soon.
Seeing this, Zhuiying asked doubtfully, “Your Highness, why did you let the Tiandi tribe open the gate for the Righteous Path?”
Although Elder Jin was busy fighting with the Myriad Sword Sect and had no time to pay attention to them, the Myriad Sword Sect’s strength was too terrifying. He was afraid that after finishing off Elder Jin, they would be next.
They couldn’t escape either?
“Not so…” Lin Queli looked up, searching for Helan Xue’s figure.
He saw the person in white, whiter than snow, standing on his sword in mid-air, like a god. Behind him were thousands of flying swords forged from spiritual energy, which were now falling one by one, piercing into the bodies of the demons.
He met Helan Xue’s gaze.
Helan Xue glanced at Lin Queli, who was surrounded by demonic energy, then at the dark thunder in the sky, and a rare expression of surprise appeared on his face.
Lin Queli smiled and patted the two on the shoulder. He squeezed out a sound amidst his struggle with the demonic energy. “Immortal Venerable… cough, cough… will-will help me.”
Helan Xue would understand.
Before this, he hadn’t dared to be frank because he was worried that Helan Xue wouldn’t believe him. After all, he had a “criminal record” and had deceived Helan Xue too many times. But now that he had seen it with his own eyes, Helan Xue would definitely come and help him.
Sure enough, Helan Xue strode towards him, mercilessly killing all the demons who tried to block his way. With his sharp sword in hand, blood dripped all the way.
That fierce gaze and murderous aura made people not dare to get close at all.
Lin Queli thought to himself, with my one demon’s life in exchange for the destruction of the Demon Sword and peace in the three realms, Helan Xue will definitely come and help me.
Even if he is now a legitimate and upright disciple of the Myriad Sword Sect, compared to the common people, it is also a good deal!
Lin Queli had the shadow guards retreat. Zhuiying and Tingfeng looked at each other and obediently left with the shadow guards. They still had a mission—to escort and help the Tiandi tribe, who had opened the gate for the Myriad Sword Sect, to retreat safely.
After there was no one around Lin Queli, he actually felt more at ease. He stared at Helan Xue, waiting for him to arrive.
A snowflake fell on his shoulder.
