NOVEL NEXT Chapter 27: Taking Action
Yang Wen, having exhausted all his mana, was suppressing the bizarre curse and could no longer block the old man's attack. Mo Chou, still but a youth with weak mana, and the girl from the Southern Borderlands, grievously injured and unable to fight, left only Lu Yu standing in his original place, seemingly petrified, unmoving.
"Do not display such a look of despair. It is an honor for you to merge with my master," the old man said, walking toward them.
When he reached Lu Yu's side, he couldn't help but exclaim, "To think there is such a perfect vessel for my master in this world—could this be what they call Divine Revelation?"
The more he observed Lu Yu, the more satisfied he became. Lu Yu's spiritual nature was strong, and his aura was akin to that of a great Divine Spirit.
"Too bad I don't want to be any Divine Spirit's vessel," Lu Yu said calmly, smiling.
Lu Yu's words seemed to greatly surprise the old man, not because Lu Yu refused to be a vessel for the Divine Spirit, but because Lu Yu faced the situation so calmly and composedly, seemingly without any fear in his heart.
At that moment, alarm bells rang in the old man's mind, and his soul involuntarily trembled, as if he was not facing a powerless scholar but a prehistoric giant beast, staring at him with its eyes wide open.
Immense fear filled his mind, causing him to let out a terrified scream. The fear drove him to unleash the strongest strike of his life, using all the power bestowed by his own Divine Spirit against Lu Yu before he turned tail and ran without pausing for a moment.
However, the power that Yang Wen found very troublesome had no effect on Lu Yu at all. Lu Yu simply smiled gently, a mysterious aura swirling out from his body, which he grasped firmly in his hand and carefully played with.
The others' eyes nearly popped out. The bizarre and unpredictable curse power was actually being handled and played with like an ordinary toy; they felt as if they were dreaming.
With a light wave of his sleeve, the curse aura entwining the others was drawn into Lu Yu's hand, further strengthening the aura he held. Lu Yu looked at the mysterious aura in his hand and smirked, "Indeed, it's power from the same source. It seems this matter cannot be disconnected from the Underworld."
After speaking, he turned his gaze to the old man frantically running away. The old man, feeling Lu Yu's gaze, turned his head in terror only to find his body completely immobile, his thoughts seemingly frozen as well.
Lu Yu slowly walked up to the old man, looked at him still wearing an expression of terror, and smiled, "It seems your master's revelation was a bit off."
In the terrified gaze of the old man, Lu Yu gently squeezed the bizarre power, turning it into a strange Talisman, completely black with unusual patterns unlike those of any Talisman from the Taoist Sect.
The Talisman was affixed to the old man's forehead, and with a gentle tug by Lu Yu, the old man's soul was ripped out amid the shocked expressions of the onlookers, as easily as if he were a Soul-Reaping Messenger.
Even at this moment, both the old man's body and soul were still immobile, this eerie scene causing everyone to inhale sharply. They had never heard of such divine skills before.
Lu Yu gave a slight smile and lifted the Freezing Curse on the old man, only to see the old man's body instantly fall to the ground, thoroughly void of life.
His soul, staring wide-eyed at his body falling down and ceasing to breathe, trembled uncontrollably with fear.
"Speak, why have you captured us? Otherwise, I'll scatter your soul and spirit, leaving you with no chance for reincarnation," Lu Yu asked, his face wearing a gentle smile.
However, to the old man, this smile bore no difference from that of demons and monsters. His soul trembled as he spoke, "My lord is about to awaken and requires a vast blood sacrifice. By the order of my lord, we capture those in the Southern Borderlands with powerful spiritual natures to use as offerings."
"A blood sacrifice? It has been a long while since Divine Spirits have done such a thing; only the ancient gods are adept at blood sacrifices," Lu Yu thought to himself. He reviewed what he knew about these ancient gods, but still had no clue. This ancient history was virtually hidden in the river of time, with only a few knowing the full accounts.
"May I know the name of this Divine Spirit you worship?" Lu Yu asked, trying to find useful information.
"I do not know. Only the Great Elder knows our lord's name. We know him as the master of fate, the origin of all things, and the lord of this land," confessed the old man, who now had his life and death controlled by Lu Yu, thus he held nothing back.
"Where is the altar?" Lu Yu posed another question.
"Deep within a cave in Curse Mountain, where the Divine Statue of our lord is located. The blood sacrifice will also be held there," the old man replied truthfully.
"Curse Mountain?" Lu Yu muttered the name to himself.
"Curse Mountain is our Sacred Mountain in the Southern Borderlands and the birthplace of the Curse Masters. Every Curse Master must go to Curse Mountain to receive their heritage. It is said that the original Curse Master received the method of cultivation there," explained a girl from the Southern Borderlands eagerly to Lu Yu.
"So you know how to get to Curse Mountain?" Lu Yu asked with a smile.
The girl from the Southern Borderlands quickly nodded and said, "We go on a pilgrimage to Curse Mountain every year. Of course, I know the way."
Happy with her answer, Lu Yu smiled and nodded, "That's good." After saying that, he carefully examined the soul and spirit of the old man he was holding. In the blink of an eye, he had transformed into the appearance of the old man.
He cleared his throat and tested his voice, producing a sound identical to that of the old man. Then, in the terrified gaze of the old man, he opened a gateway to the Underworld and threw him in.
As a Divine Enthronee of the Underworld, he had a close relationship with the Underworld, already having privileges similar to a membership. With a mark left in the Underworld, he could easily open a channel to travel between the realms of Yin and Yang—a truly VIP treatment.
Picking up the staff and headgear beside the old man and dressing himself, he turned and asked Yang Wen and the others, "How does it look? Any difference?"
By this point, Yang Wen and the others were already stunned by the series of actions performed by Lu Yu. They felt as though all the experiences of their lives combined were not as remarkable as these moments, witnessing various Divine Skills that had only been mentioned in legends.
"It resembles him exactly, as if it were the legendary Art of Transformation," exclaimed Yang Wen, who now lacked any of the imposing aura of a senior from Mount Shu, and instead was like a child full of curiosity as he observed Lu Yu after the transformation.