Chapter 707: Failure
Translated by Jouissance of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
After the Qilin Clan withdrew, Black Spider became nothing more than a paper tiger. Lin Ming left Black Spider to the six great powers. With their current strength and numbers, Black Spider’s defeat was merely a matter of time. He and Lin Gu, on the other hand, headed for the central peak.
The two soon arrived at the palace on the peak. Lin Ming had lived in this palace for several thousand years, so he knew the place like the back of his hand. It didn’t take him long to figure out where Lin ShaoYi would choose to undergo secluded cultivation.
Apart from being where the Qilin Lord traditionally lived, the central peak was also where their ancestors were buried. The Qilin Clan was the emperor among emperor beasts, and even after death, their bodies still contained huge amounts of power. Thus, the place where they were buried was also abundant with power.
If Lin ShaoYi wanted to ascend to the Almighty, then the best place for secluded cultivation was the burial place behind the palace. At this thought, Lin Ming’s expression darkened. Considering how power crazy Lin ShaoYi was, who knows what he might do to the bones of their ancestors.
The two sped over. From afar, they could see a dense miasma behind the palace. The burial place of their ancestors was now enveloped in malignant energy.
Lin Ming raised his head, looking at the sky. Though it was a rather clear day, he could just about feel that the spiritual energy that made up the heavens and the earth was restless, the clouds seemed distorted and the wind brought with it gusts of heat. It was as if the entire world had somehow changed. That wasn’t the only thing. He also saw countless barely visible white threads interlacing in the air, like a massive spider web.
Seeing this, Lin Ming could help the shock that arose in him. Remembering what he had heard before, he deduced that these thin white lines were probably the rules. Once a new Almighty was born, the rules would be remade. Since he had never seen it before, he hadn’t been sure. But it seemed that it was actually true.
Was Lin ShaoYi really about to succeed?
“We have to go and stop him!” Lin Gu, like him, felt a deep sense of worry. His cultivation level was lower than Lin Ming’s so he couldn’t see the white lines of the rules, but he could feel a sense of foreboding. His instincts told him that he had to stop Lin ShaoYi.
The two immediately ran over. There were no barriers around the Qilin Clan’s burial place, so the two kicked the door open and dashed in, onl to be shocked by the sight they were met with.
Lin ShaoYi sat, legs folded, in the middle of a magic array, dark red energy swirling around him. The magic array had already stopped what it had been doing, because the TongTian Emperor had become no more than a pile of bones in front of him. Though his recognizable features were all gone, it was easy to guess his identity. To think that high and mighty TongTian Emperor would fall so low!
Glancing at the magic array, Lin Ming’s gaze turned to ice. He was very familiar with this magic array because he had seen it before in the Qilin Clan’s forbidden grounds. It was banned by the Qilin Clan because it was too evil. It had to absorb another’s cultivation base to activate.
The Qilin Clan’s ancestors were buried under here, where Lin ShaoYi had set his magic array. He was clearly using the energy left here by their ancestors to activate the magic array. In the Qilin Clan, this sort of behavior was basically high treason and perpetrators would usually be banished.
That was when Lin ShaoYi opened his eyes, his black irises had turned blood red, staring directly at Lin Ming and Lin Gu. A malicious smile appeared on his handsome face, like the devil, and he suddenly began to laugh uproariously, “Lin Ming, you were pretty quick in getting here, but too bad, you’re still too late!”
“We won’t know that for sure until we try!” Lin Ming intoned as he raised a hand. A glowing orb of spiritual energy formed on his palm, expanding until it was the size of his fist. He curled his fingers and flung it at Lin ShaoYi, yet the other remained confident and calm.
When the ball of light was within range, Lin ShaoYi suddenly opened his mouth. The orb was immediately grasped by some sort of energy, being pulled into Lin ShaoYi’s body uncontrollably and disappearing without a trace or sound.
Lin ShaoYi laughed wildly. “I already told you, you’re too late! Your attacks are nothing to me. Just give up. If you beg now, I might even let you live.”
He sounded wild and handsomely arrogant, but neither of the two there to witness this scene held any admiration for him.
Lin Gu directly suggested to Lin Ming, “Ming, try a physical attack.”
Lin Ming had also thought of this. If attacks with spiritual energy had no use and would instead strengthen the other, then maybe physical attacks would work. Plus, he had a good weapon on him. A silver longsword appeared in his hands soon after.
This longsword had a story behind it, too. The feat of You XiaoMo had used a spade as a weapon at the Mage Assemblage, whacking Zu Ma into defeat, had long since spread far and wide. Even Lin Ming had heard of it.
Normal steel wouldn’t be able to hold up against Zu Ma’s soul weapon, so afterwards he had found out that the spade was spat out by the Metal Swallowing Beast. Something created by the Metal Swallowing Beast was definitely made out of the strongest metal to exist. Coincidentally, he had been missing a blade, so he shamelessly asked for one from his son-in-law.
The Metal Swallowing Beast was very reluctant. It was only after You XiaoMo bribed him with metal elemental liquid that the beast agreed.
Seeing them unwilling to accept defeat, Lin ShaoYi’s face darkened. “If you want to die so badly, then I’ll take you as my first sacrifices as the Almighty.”
As he finished speaking, Lin Ming’s longsword had already struck.
The miasma above Lin ShaoYi immediately formed into a formidable shield, but it only managed to last a few moments. With a clank, the shield was destroyed by the longsword, returning to its original form. The blade continued to strike downwards at Lin ShaoYi’s head.
Lin ShaoYi’s head snapped up, light flashing through his blood red eyes. The longsword immediately stopped, hovering a mere ten centimeters away and unable to progress any further.
Lin Ming roared, his spiritual energy whirling into action within him. He pressed down as hard as he could, finally advancing a few centimeters more. On the other hand, Lin Gu also took out his own weapon. Though it wasn’t made out of the Metal Swallowing Beast’s metal, it was pretty good quality. While the two were at a deadlock, he charged, stabbing forth.
When the sword was about to strike him, Lin ShaoYi suddenly roared in rage. The miasma around him began to swirl rapidly, and the magic array under him erupted in red light. An overwhelming power exploded from his body, sweeping outwards and throwing Lin Ming and Lin Gu back several feet.
“Hahaha!” When they were about to charge again, Lin ShaoYi suddenly started laughing like a crazy person, his laugh grating, growing louder and louder. Even those outside the central peak heard him. Those who were relatively weaker covered their ears in discomfort.
As he laughed, the magic array began to siphon the energy in the earth under them into Lin ShaoYi’s body. Suddenly it was like they could see the blood in his body on the surface of his skin, but his blood was no longer red. After taking the power of belief that belonged to the TongTian Emperor, his blood had turned gold.
Lin Ming and Lin Gu paled as one. He succeeded?
Lin ShaoYi had become abnormally terrifying. The aura he emitted was no longer something that a practitioner at the peak of seven stars could, but a pressure that made even Lin Ming feel like he was suffocating.
“Run!” Lin Ming immediately grabbed Lin Gu and ran for it.
“Run? It’s too late for that!” A bloodthirsty and cruel smile appeared on Lin ShaoYi’s face. He felt great right now, to the point where he wanted to do nothing more than kill someone. The power in his body was restless, it made him feel too full. He wanted to vent, so the two in front of him became his first prey. He wanted to know what expression Ling Xiao would make when he realized that Lin ShaoYi had killed his kin. It would look great, he was sure.
Then, he flicked his hand gently and a terrible power erupted, flying forth. This casual attack was shockingly fast, reaching them in the blink of an eye. This was the disparity between levels. He didn’t need to prepare or put any effort into it.
Lin Ming immediately pushed Lin Gu behind him, his spiritual energy erupting like a fountain and lunging at the attack like a fearsome tiger. Yet in the next moment, he coughed out blood. This disparity in power meant that he was nothing in front of even a casual attack of Lin ShaoYi’s. Lin Ming swallowed down the pain that lanced through his body and fled with Lin Gu.
Outside, everyone was struck dumb by the sheer pressure of this powerful aura.
This energy was very foreign, but it pressed down on them, caused their hearts to tremble. It made them feel like they would kneel.
Unlike the other people of the seven great powers, Zu Ma’s expression changed from shock to delight. The moment she had been waiting for was finally here. Then, they saw two streaks of light escape from the central peak. Behind them, the palace was also beginning to collapse. The building representative of the Qilin Clan, the home of generations of Qilin Lords, was now destroyed.
The two streaks of light stopped before Tian Ming and Tian Hen. Before they could speak, Lin Gu immediately said, “The plan failed, retreat at once!”
Hearing this, everyone instantly realized the severity of the situation. It was good that they had already discussed the consequences of failure. Seeing Lin Ming injured, they had already begun retreating.
That was when a bloodthirsty voice echoed from the central peak. “Since you’ve all came here, then don’t even think about leaving. All of you will become my sacrifices!”