Chapter 204: Kill First, Talk Later.
Translator: Lam Editor: Hitesh
Lin Fan was a little tense. After all, this was his first exploration expedition, and he didn’t know what to expect within the ruins.
He looked around at those desolated stupas which were filled with algae and moss all over them. They looked old. In fact, there were even some black dried up blood stains on them.
"Sir, this place gives off an uncomfortable vibe." Sha Dulong stood closely behind Lin Fan, examining the surroundings warily. Even before he entered that gate, which looked like Hell’s entrance, he was already feeling goosebumps all over his body.
"Hmm." Lin Fan did not say much. He too was feeling pretty nervous and tense. These types of eerie scenarios were those that Lin Fan hated the most. If it were just a ferocious beast, Lin Fan wouldn’t feel much about it. Worst come worst, he would just fight it to his death.
But things like these were extremely creepy. If a bloody hand were to appear beneath his feet right now along with a ghastly face, he would break down immediately on the spot.
The torch sizzled, illuminating the entrance of the shrine. But the darkness was so deep that the torch could only illuminate a small distance ahead of him, a few paths at a time.
There was not a single spark of light within. Pitch. Black. Darkness.
"You stay outside as well." Lin Fan had intended to bring Sha Dulong with him. But now that things were like this, he was helpless as well.
If anything bad were to happen inside, at least Lin Fan had ways of protecting himself. But as for Sha Dulong, he would probably be useless. He might not even know how he died if he died within.
"Sir…this…!"
"I’ll be okay. Your cultivation base is too low. If anything were to happen within, I might not be able to protect you."
Sha Dulong held back an urge to cry. How was his cultivation base low? He was at least a pericelestial master, and he was proud of it. But now that the sir had said it as such, he could only obey and stand back.
Even though the environment outside was still creepy as ever, compared to the darkness within, Sha Dulong would rather stay outside as well.
After Sha Dulong retreated, Lin Fan continued on his own. Indeed, he affirmed his suspicions that the Tuodi Shrine lied underground. The stairways within extended all the way downwards. Even though Lin Fan did not know the breadth of the passageway, he could easily feel the other end of the wall with a stretch of his hands.
The walls were lined with thick layers of dust. As Lin Fan continued feeling his way down, he felt some concave holes within the walls as well, as though something had bumped into them.
Lin Fan did not know how long or far he had walked down, but the lower he got, the lower the temperature dipped as well.
Poof! Poof!
Just then, the sounds of fire being lit passed through the entire passageway. The torches on both walls started lighting up, illuminating the path forward.
This was the first time Lin Fan could clearly see what was ahead of him.
Lin Fan extinguished his own torch and checked everything out carefully. It was a long tunnel ahead of him, both sides lined with human skeletons. Due to the time that had passed, some of these bones had already turned black. Poisonous snakes coiled around these skeletons as well.
Lin Fan took in a deep breath and gripped the Eternal Axe tightly as he pushed forth.
He wondered who the f*cktard who built this what the f*ck Tuodi Shrine was. Bl*ody hell. Why did he have to make it so creepy?
When he reached the end of the tunnel, his vision widened. The small, cramped tunnel widened into a great, grand hall.
Lin Fan observed the hall. On all three sides of the walls of the hall were gigantic statues erected upright.
Each of these statues had their palms together in front of them, as though they were praying. On top of their ten fingers was each a single altar, carved with etchings and runic marks. Where these runes should have been glowing when they were new, they were now dim and dull with the passage of time.
Just as Lin Fan was about to step forth to check it out, he realized that there were a bunch of dead bodies before him.
When he took a closer inspection, he was shocked. The clothing these bodies wore, weren’t these from those of the Huodao Sect?!?
Lin Fan went and turned these bodies upright. He was stunned at the sight before him. These bodies had long turned into dried up corpses, as though all their essence energy had been sucked out of them. The sight had Lin Fan sweating in his palms as well.
How bl*ody dangerous was this place?
One by one, Lin Fan searched the corpses. There was a total of six of them.
Lin Fan recalled upon the happenings in Mo City. Back then, there were more than ten of these disciples. What happened to the rest of them?
Where was Liu Yiyuan?
Lin Fan raised his head, looking at the statues. He suddenly realized that all of the altars on the statues were open!
Looking around carefully, all of them except for the statue right before him, which looked extremely imposing, had their altars opened up.
Lin Fan garnered that Liu Yiyuan and gang must have arrived before him at this location. They must have opened the altars and released something horrible within, hence the dead bodies lying all around.
At that very moment, Lin Fan felt a chill down his spine. He felt as though there were countless pairs of eyes staring at him from all around the darkness.
"Who’s there!" Lin Fan shouted, surveying his surroundings carefully.
Step, step, step, step.
The sounds of footsteps echoed softly within the chambers of the hall, but they were quick. When Lin Fan made out who it was, he heaved a sigh of relief. One of them was Liu Yiyuan.
"Oh, so it’s you guys. Yours Truly nearly struck out and killed all of you instantly." Lin Fan chuckled.
But that was when Lin Fan realized that something was amiss.
A dark aura was being emitted from Liu Yiyuan and the other figures’ bodies. This dark aura danced around their bodies, as though a consciousness was residing within them.
Lin Fan checked the system immediately, and his face grew pale.
‘Liu Yiyuan (Dead), Possessed by spirits.’
Lin Fan did a headcount. The number of people present matched the number of altars that were opened up.
But what Lin Fan could not understand was…why wasn’t the altar on the statue right before him open yet?
‘Die…!’
Liu Yiyuan, whose eyes were pitch black, cried out in a hoarse and ghastly voice.
Lin Fan took a step back, cursing within his heart. Bl*ody hell! Liu Yiyuan and his bunch of morons, what had they done to cause this to happen?
"Motherf*cker. You really think that Yours Truly is afraid of you?" Without another word, Lin Fan raised his Eternal Axe. The void around him tremored. Activating Firmament Sword immediately, a long sword formed from his Sword Will appeared behind him.
Sword and Axe, he had them both out, ready to duke it out with these pieces of sh*t.
‘Dragon King’s Hegemony.’
Lin Fan’s body glowed brightly as a golden dragon coiled around his body.
"Eat your granddaddy’s ax!" Lin Fan did not wish to say anything more. First things first, time to chop them up and talk later.
The Huodao Sect disciples who were possessed by the spirit emitted an extremely dark aura, as though they were demonic beings not of this world. With a malevolent force, they burst towards Lin Fan.
"All of you, begone!"
Lin Fan swung his ax heavily towards the black mist approaching him. As the Eternal Axe was flying towards them, Lin Fan did not take a break either.
‘Nirvana Finger.’
The void before him began tearing apart as the black mist began clearing along with it.
During a war, one had to use his full strength. Even a duel between a tiger and a lion would see both sides baring their fangs, let alone against humans.
Kill first, talk later.
...