Chapter 519: Chapter 53: Obtaining the Inheritance
The room was a complete mess.
Xiao’e, her clothes in disarray, was curled up in a corner, sobbing. Lu Dingkui had a rag stuffed in his mouth and was struggling, whimpering incessantly.
Lu Yifei’s eyes were bloodshot and his body trembled as he stared daggers at a smug-looking Zhang Luo.
“If I hand over the Giant Spirit Divine Skill, you’ll let us go?”
“Of course!”
Zhang Luo said:
“I understand the principle of ‘an innocent man gets into trouble for possessing a treasure.’ With a legacy like this, of course you have to hide away somewhere unknown and cultivate diligently until you achieve Great Success with the Divine Skill and can re-emerge.”
“Master taught me for so many years. I still remember his kindness, so I don’t want to go too far.”
“Hah…” A disdainful sneer crossed Lu Yifei’s face. He gritted his teeth and spoke in a low voice:
“In the bundle we prepared, there’s a golden Token. The Cultivation Technique is inside.”
Oh!
Zhang Luo’s eyes lit up, and he hastily pulled out the bundle to rummage through it.
At the side, despair washed over Lu Dingkui’s face. His body went limp, and he collapsed to the floor as if all his strength had vanished.
He knew it all too well.
‘If they don’t hand over the Cultivation Technique, they still have a chance to live.’
‘Hand it over…’
‘And it’s a dead end!’
Lu Yifei was ultimately too young, too naive, and couldn’t bear to see Xiao’e suffer.
“Found it!”
Zhang Luo’s ecstatic voice rang out. Holding the golden Token, he asked:
“Where is it?”
“There’s a piece of jade on it you can press. Once you press it, you’ll see the Cultivation Technique’s legacy.”
“Oh!”
His eyes darted about. Instead of pressing the switch, Zhang Luo placed the Token to the side and flicked a copper coin at it with his Qi.
“CLICK!”
The Token sprang open.
“PFFT!”
A cloud of black mist shot out, enveloping an area of about a meter. The desk began to dissolve at a visible rate.
Poison!
And a poison that corroded everything.
If someone had been holding the Token and pressed the switch, one could only imagine the consequences.
“Tsk, tsk…”
Zhang Luo slowly turned to face the deathly pale Lu Yifei, a vicious look spreading across his face.
“Junior Brother, what a venomous mind. I really underestimated you.”
“BAM!”
He flashed forward, filled with rage, and kicked out. The immense force sent Lu Yifei spitting blood as he rolled across the ground for more than ten rotations before stopping.
“Mmph… mmph…”
Lu Dingkui’s eyes flew wide as he struggled desperately.
“Ptooey!”
“You’re courting death!”
Glancing at the barely breathing Lu Yifei, Zhang Luo spat on the ground and then cautiously approached the Token.
The Token now revealed its true contents: a palm-sized Jade Scroll covered in script.
“The Giant Spirit Divine Skill!”
Staring at the four words at the start of the Jade Scroll, Zhang Luo’s voice trembled, unable to hide the excitement on his face:
“A Third-Grade legacy…”
“Oh?”
A familiar voice sounded from behind him:
“The complete Giant Spirit Divine Skill?”
Hm?
The hair on Zhang Luo’s body stood on end. His Skin and Flesh tightened instantly, and he swung his arm back like an axe.
Dragon Elephant Force!
Mountain Opening!
“BAM!”
He felt his attack land on something as hard as steel, and the mere rebound force sent a sharp pain through the bones of his hand.
“Zhu Ju?”
Zhang Luo’s eyes widened, and he roared:
“Ada! Aer! What are you waiting for? Attack!”
Hearing this, the two in the back exchanged a glance and lunged forward without a sound, sharp claws extending from their ten fingers.
“Half-Demons?”
Zhu Ju’s eyebrow twitched slightly. His figure remained motionless as he slowly raised his hands.
In an instant, violent Qi Blood converged in his palms. They became engorged and crimson, and his fingers grew thick and powerful.
He clapped lightly.
A sudden gust of wind erupted out of nowhere.
“BOOM!”
The two figures were sent flying backward, their lives extinguished before they even hit the ground.
“Impossible!”
Zhang Luo, who had been about to pounce, looked on in astonishment.
‘Ada and Aer couldn’t practice martial arts due to their bloodline, but as Half-Demons with manifested Demon Race blood, their bodies were naturally stronger than humans, no weaker than a Ninth-Grade Martial Artist.’
‘Even I wasn’t completely confident of victory against the two of them working together.’
‘And I… I’m already a low Eighth Grade!’
‘Zhu Ju has only been practicing martial arts for three years and was rumored to have just reached low Eighth Grade. How could his strength be this terrifying?’
‘Low Eighth Grade?’
‘You could probably say he’s a high Eighth Grade and no one would question it.’
These thoughts flashed through his mind, but they didn’t stop Zhu Ju. With a flicker, he was already right in front of him.
In that moment, his unassuming body seemed like a towering mountain, its immense pressure making it hard to breathe.
“THWACK!”
Zhang Luo felt a sharp pain in his neck, and then he blacked out.
“I had an appointment with Master Lu to see him before he left, and to have him help me mail a letter.”
Zhu Ju dusted off his hands and said unhurriedly:
“Since we already made plans, how could Master Lu leave without saying goodbye?”
“Just as I thought.”
He turned and spoke slowly:
“This man was harboring evil intentions. It seems I arrived just in time.”
Gratitude flickered in Lu Dingkui’s eyes, and he mumbled a “mmph” in agreement.
“Pfft!”
“Ptooey, ptooey!”
After Zhu Ju removed the rag from his mouth, he spat a few times.
“Young Master Zhu, thank you.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Zhu Ju waved his hand dismissively.
“Y-Young Master Zhu.” The girl on the floor shakily got to her feet, her tear-stained face a picture of misery as she spoke:
“Thank you.”
“You must be Xiao’e,” Zhu Ju said with a nod.
“Lu Yifei has mentioned you. You truly are a pitiable sight. That kid is quite lucky.”
“Let me untie Master Lu first.”
With that, he turned to untie the ropes on Lu Dingkui.
Behind him, Xiao’e stepped forward, pretending to help, but a dagger suddenly appeared in her hand.
“Look out!”
“CLANG…”
The dagger struck Zhu Ju’s back, right over his heart, tearing through his robes but ringing out with the sound of metal striking metal.
“BANG!”
Zhu Ju spun around, his Powerful Qi erupting outward. The violent force sent Xiao’e flying.
“Next time you attack, remember to aim for the back of the neck.”
He patted his robes and said expressionlessly:
“I’m wearing Protective Soft Armor.”
*
*
*
Deathly silence filled the room.
There were corpses.
There was the unconscious Zhang Luo.
And there was the softly sobbing, pitiful-looking girl.
The expressions on the faces of the Lu father and son were chilling.
Even Lu Yifei, after this life-and-death ordeal, now looked at the girl with eyes full of killing intent.
“Giant Spirit Divine Skill!”
Zhu Ju held the Jade Scroll, gave a faint smile, and placed it on the table.
“As expected of a legacy from the Divine Heaven Sect, it’s truly extraordinary. A pity… I’m afraid it’s not suitable for me.”
“Hm?” Lu Dingkui was taken aback. “What do you mean, Young Master Zhu?”
“I heard Miss Zhou mention once that the more extraordinary the Method, the more difficult it is to cultivate,” Zhu Ju said.
“A Third-Grade legacy… the Cultivation Technique is mystical and profound. Without guidance from a renowned master, even reaching the Entry Level is difficult, let alone achieving any real success.”
“Master Lu’s Talent for martial arts isn’t bad, and you possess a Third-Grade legacy, yet your Cultivation is only at the middle Eighth Grade. I imagine it’s because you went down the wrong path with the Giant Spirit Divine Skill. If you had cultivated a different Cultivation Technique, you might have already advanced to the Seventh Grade.”
Lu Dingkui’s expression changed.
“CLAP!”
Lu Yifei clapped his hands together, his face filled with regret.
“No wonder cultivating the Giant Spirit Divine Skill has been so strenuous! It’s because I didn’t understand the True Intent behind many of the incantations and could only cultivate blindly. After all these years and consuming so much Demon Blood Flesh, I’m still just a Ninth-Grade Martial Artist…”
“Sigh!”
“Young Master Zhu is indeed a discerning man.”
For an ordinary person, a Third-Grade Cultivation Technique not only meant danger, but it was also incredibly difficult to master.
It was a mixed blessing, at best.
Lu Dingkui had actually understood this as well, but who could resist cultivating a Third-Grade Cultivation Technique when it was right in front of them?
“Times are different now.”
Zhu Ju said with a smile:
“Once you two get to the Divine Capital, there will be no shortage of top-tier experts. A Third-Grade legacy won’t be considered that rare, and you’ll likely be able to receive guidance from a master.”
“Yes.”
Lu Dingkui nodded and sighed softly.
“I had the same plan, but I didn’t see things as clearly as you, Young Master Zhu. I’ve truly wasted all these years.”
“Young Master Zhu…”
“You may transcribe a copy of the Giant Spirit Divine Skill. I also have the Lu Family’s insights from over the years.”
“Thank you.” Zhu Ju clasped his hands.
“It would be rude of me to refuse.”
“It’s the least I can do.” Lu Dingkui waved his hand.
“If Young Master Zhu hadn’t saved us, my son and I would have been killed long ago, and the Cultivation Technique would have fallen into the hands of that villain.”
“Yifei.”
“I’m here, Father!”
“These two…” Glancing at the crying Xiao’e and the unconscious Zhang Luo, his voice grew heavy.
“Kill them!”
“…” Lu Yifei’s eyes narrowed, then he nodded grimly.
“Yes!”
After some interrogation, he had learned the truth.
Xiao’e had been taken by Zhang Luo long ago; even her getting close to him had been at Zhang Luo’s instruction.
The goal, as ever, was the Giant Spirit Divine Skill.