Chapter 328 – No Path to Heaven, No Door to Earth
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“You think I can’t stop you?” The corners of Lin Ming’s lips lifted in a faint smile, revealing a thoughtful expression.
Seeing Lin Ming’s smile, Bi Luo’s heart inexplicably went cold. This boy, did he have some plan?
Bi Luo had always treasured his own life beyond all else. He was an expert in many different kinds of escaping techniques, and the Mirage Faction was originally a sect that specialized in camouflage and escape.
Bi Luo was absolutely confident in his own methods and techniques to escape, unless he ran into a Xiantian realm powerhouse. Otherwise, even if he was up against a top half-step Houtian master, he had faith he would be able to run away.
“Lin Ming, you are still so confident! Then why don’t you try and stop me!”
As Bi Luo spoke, his entire body began to shake, and his complexion instantly turned bone-white. A mass of bloody fog spurted from his body, soaring around him in the wind. Bi Luo’s body turned into a flash of blood-colored light as he soared like an arrow in the opposite direction, his speed reaching an inconceivable degree!
Illusionary Blood Escape Technique!
The Illusionary Blood Escape Technique was a skill that required one to damage one’s blood essence and life. They could use this escaping technique to multiply their speed by 10 for a short period of time. This was a speed that not even a Xiantian realm martial artist would be able to catch up to, even if they tried their hardest.
This was also the reason that Bi Luo was so confident in himself. Of course, he could only maintain this extreme speed for an incense stick of time, but that was more than enough time to lose Lin Ming or any Houtian master. He could look for a safe place to hide and restore himself.
Using the Illusionary Blood Escape Technique was the final reserve move of an illusionist. After using it, it would be difficult to recover to one’s peak condition even in half a year. Bi Luo was compelled to do this; otherwise, he would never have used such a drastic technique.
You want to run away?
Lin Ming sneered, and didn’t even move or attack. In truth, he really didn’t have time to attack – Bi Luo was that quick.
The air trembled, wind whistled; Bi Luo was like a bloody meteor that impacted into the horizon.
Peng!!!
There was a muffled smashing sound as the blood fog surrounding Bi Luo suddenly smacked into an invisible barrier. In that instant, his flesh and blood burst apart, and fresh red blood spewed into the sky.
This was just like an overly ripe tomato that was thrown against a glass window with full force; it was directly turned to pulp.
The spatial light screen suddenly shook fiercely for a brief moment, then… the blood-covered Bi Luo, who looked like a lump of rotten meat, slowly slid down from the air.
From start to finish, Lin Ming hadn’t even moved.
Bi Luo’s entire body was covered in blood, almost every single bone of his body had been shattered. “I… I…”
As soon as Bi Luo opened his big mouth, blood and chunks of organs poured up from within him like a geyser.
He stretched out his broken and trembling arm; he was soaked in blood, his face full of unwillingness and utter disbelief.
“Martial House Master Bi, you spent your blood essence to reach an extreme speed, and yet you actually ran so brutally into an invisible dream world enchantment that you couldn’t see. In the mortal commoner world, there is a saying where people kill themselves by smashing their heads against a wall. But I never expected that it was the same for martial artists…” As Lin Ming drawled on, Bi Luo was angry to the point of almost fainting.
“When you were struck by my Thunderfire Annihilation, I had already laid down a dream world enchantment all around us. I was told that this enchantment could only be broken by a Xiantian master, and would isolate all information within and without. Did Martial House Master Bi panic and just flee anywhere, not even noticing the enchantment that was laid down?”
With Bi Luo’s cultivation, if he was even the least bit alert, he would have been able to discover the energy fluctuations of the enchantment world. It could only be said that he was too frightened of Lin Ming, and had panicked in trying to escape.
“En… enchantment world…” Bi Luo’s lips trembled as he watched Lin Ming’s Purple Comet Spear come closer and closer, his face incomparably pale. When a man who was afraid of death approached their time of death, they would fear even more. “Lin Ming… please… don’t kill me. I am Sky Fortune Kingdom’s Seven Profound Martial House Deputy House Master. For better or for worse, I am still your teacher. In the future you will become a Peerless Emperor. For a worthless person like me, don’t gain the title of being a person who killed their teacher…”
Lin Ming paused, somewhat surprised. Then he began to laugh. This was absolutely the most mentally challenged joke he had heard in his life. “You think you are my teacher? Haha… I have seen shameless people, but never one as shameless as you. You used your illusions to deceive me into walking in a trap; when have you ever once thought of me as your student?”
“I was wrong. I was possessed by my own obsessions. If you let me live, I can help you testify against Ouyang Boyan and reveal everything. With your current status, as long as you can prove that Ouyang Boyan has tried to harm you, then Shi Zongtian will absolutely help you deal with Ouyang Boyan… he might even kill him!” Before Bi Luo died, his mind suddenly sobered, and everything became clear. This was the final straw he had left to grasp.
He was only an unimportant figure. Ouyang Boyan was Lin Ming’s true threat. In Bi Luo’s mind, it was impossible for Lin Ming’s power to surpass Ouyang Boyan in a short time.
“Testify against Ouyang Boyan?” Lin Ming hesitated, thinking about it. This didn’t sound like a horrible plan.
“…Yes, yes! As long as I testify and lay the blame on him, even if there is no evidence, Shi Zongtian will be suspicious of him. As long as he suspects Ouyang Boyan, he will send people to monitor him. When that time comes…”
It was like the drowning Bi Luo had finally found a piece of driftwood. He clung to it, speaking more and more excitedly, trying to straighten himself on the ground. But at this time, a cold bright light suddenly flashed; the Purple Comet Spear instantly pierced through Bi Luo’s throat.
The spear went in, and the spear went out; it was all finished in a moment, as if nothing had happened except a gaping crimson hole had appeared in Bi Luo’s neck…
Bi Luo’s eyes looked as if he had lost his spirit. He reached out his hand, as if he were trying to grab something. “…Why…” Because his vocal cords had been torn, Bi Luo’s voice was completely hoarse.
“I apologize, but I don’t believe you. And most importantly… if I don’t kill you here, my thoughts won’t be clear.” Lin Ming indifferently said as he withdrew his Purple Comet Spear.
“Thoughts… won’t be… clear… because of… this… haha…” Bi Luo laughed, and then tumbled onto the floor, lifeless.
Although Lin Ming knew that if he listened to Bi Luo’s words, he might have a 70 to 80% chance of resolving the crisis caused by Ouyang Boyan, Bi Luo was someone who held a grudge against him, and Bi Luo was also someone that Lin Ming was disgusted with. Lin Ming’s martial arts path was to act in accordance with his thoughts and his nature. He didn’t want to endure Bi Luo’s miserable life continuing in this world just because he was afraid of potential dangers.
And if Bi Luo really were to testify against Ouyang Boyan in the future, he would make Lin Ming take an oath on his heart of martial artist that Lin Ming wouldn’t kill him later.
Lin Ming would not compromise like that with a villain.
Moreover, Lin Ming had a crazy plan in his mind. He wanted to kill Ouyang Boyan and test out the hypothesis he had.
Lin Ming looked at Bi Luo’s corpse, then took out a dagger from his spatial ring. He cut out some of Bi Luo’s blood essence and tried to have the Magic Cube absorb it. The result was disappointing. It was as if after the second time the Magic Cube had opened, it had lost all interest in a Houtian master’s blood essence.
Bi Luo was the second Houtian master that Lin Ming had killed. He was able to confirm that a Houtian master’s blood essence was no longer useful to the Magic Cube.
“My guess isn’t wrong, I just don’t know if a Xiantian master’s blood essence can open the Magic Cube again…” Lin Ming muttered to himself.
After he killed Ouyang Boyan and took his blood essence, he would try to open the Magic Cube again…
This was Lin Ming’s plan.
The Magic Cube was from the Realm of the Gods. In the Realm of the Gods, Houtian masters and Xiantian masters were the same as ants. If the Magic Cube was a divine object that countless Supreme Elders would fight over, how could it be content with the blood essence of a mere Houtian master?
Maybe only blood essence on the level of the reverse scale blood could arouse the Magic Cube’s interest?
Lin Ming still remembered when he had first absorbed the reverse scale blood. At that time, his cultivation was insufficient, and Yan Mo’s intention was to seal the reverse scale blood in his body and wait for his cultivation to reach a sufficient level, then slowly absorb it.
As soon as the reverse scale blood had entered Lin Ming’s body, the Magic Cube had become restless, sending out a strong suppressive power and nearly taking the reverse scale blood from Lin Ming’s hands.
When the reverse scale blood had almost been swallowed by the Magic Cube, it had panicked and decided it would prefer to fuse with Lin Ming.
After his accident, the Magic Cube had actually stopped trying to absorb the reverse scale blood, but instead helped Lin Ming fuse with the reverse scale blood by its own initiative.
Because of this, Lin Ming was able to reach a conclusion.
The Magic Cube was intelligent, and was not some dead object.
Then Lin Ming had a faint guess. What the Magic Cube wanted was not the blood essence of a Houtian master, Xiantian master, or even a Revolving Core master; it couldn’t take a liking to the blood essence of such low-level existences. What it wanted was the blood essence of a true powerhouse; for instance, Supreme Elders from the Realm of the Gods.
The reason it had absorbed a Houtian master’s blood essence was only to send a signal – that it needed blood essence!
But for what reason was it absorbing blood essence?
Lin Ming always thought that the Magic Cube had a somewhat strange nature.
When it was in its own world, it had swallowed the souls of so many Supreme Elders from the Realm of the Gods, causing a catastrophic calamity within the Realm of the Gods. Now that it was in Lin Ming’s hands, it began to absorb blood!
Eat souls!
Absorb blood!
These were concepts only found within the cultivation methods of demonic beings. Was it possible that the person who created the Magic Cube was a Demon God?
Lin Ming was not opposed to demonic ways. Any strength – as long as it was powerful – could be used by him as long as it didn’t betray his own consciousness.
After there weren’t any results for a long time, Lin Ming put away Bi Luo’s corpse and quickly returned to the frontline of the army compound.
After he made his way back, Lin Ming found that not only had the beast tide not stopped yet, but it was becoming increasingly violent and dangerous. More and more high-grade vicious beasts were joining the fray, pouring in!
“Fourth-level vicious beasts, and also two of them?” Lin Ming furrowed his eyebrows. If fourth-level vicious beasts kept appearing, sooner or later fifth-level vicious beasts would appear!
Even if it were Lin Ming, dealing with a fifth-level vicious beast would be extremely difficult!
“This is a bit troublesome…” Lin Ming’s complexion became solemn.
These weren’t just Lin Ming’s thoughts, but also the thoughts of all the high-level characters in Green Mulberry City. The waves of vicious beasts this night was much more terrifying than during the day. More and more vicious beasts appeared; over half the army had become casualties.
This was because of the support from the yellow-clothed youth. Otherwise, the beast tide would have already broken into the city.
“This Lin Ming, the city is almost broken into, so where did he go? If he can’t be counted on in a critical moment, he might as well be an outsider!”
Zhu Ping put on a haughty air and coldly humphed. Out of all the people present, he was the only one who knew of Bi Luo, and he was also extremely anxious. He didn’t know if Bi Luo had succeeded in killing Lin Ming. If he was successful, then why hadn’t he come back? To defend Green Mulberry City, he was also counting on Bi Luo’s strength.