Chapter Fifty-Six: Frenzied by Loss (Part Two)

"Who exactly are you?" Lu Li couldn't explain why, but he suddenly felt an inexplicable terror toward the young man before him, whose cultivation was only at the Spirit Gathering Realm.

A Spirit Gathering cultivator, shattering the arcane arts of a Form Shaping cultivator with sheer physical strength—who would believe such a thing?

"I am the one who will kill you. When you reach the underworld, remember to tell the King of Hell: the man who killed you is called Night Without End," the young man declared in a deep voice, charging straight at Lu Li.

"Courting death!" Although Lu Li sensed that Night Without End was not ordinary, he was, after all, a Form Shaping cultivator and had never taken Spirit Gathering cultivators seriously.

He too rushed at Night Without End, intending to deal with him before Shadowfiend returned, then escape quickly and, if possible, take those three women along as well.

He was confident he could handle Night Without End, but he was not so certain about his chances against Shadowfiend, who could stand toe-to-toe with his own master.

Up to now, his master had yet to appear—though Lu Li was reluctant to admit it, the fact remained: Shadowfiend had returned, but his master had not.

Three chains snaked toward Night Without End, but he responded with a flurry of sword strikes, severing the chains as they approached—without even channeling his spiritual energy, for he was not adept at its use.

He trusted his own body, empowered with the might of the Flood Dragon and Elephant. As long as he could get close, Lu Li would surely suffer.

Lu Li was a disciple of a major sect, with access to arcane arts and mystical power. Night Without End, a newcomer, had never seen arcane arts—only ordinary martial techniques.

He had a bit of cultivation, having stumbled by chance to the third level of the Spirit Gathering Realm, but he barely knew how to use it. Against mundane cultivators, he could still summon spiritual energy to enhance his body, gaining a slight edge, but against those trained in arcane arts, it seemed pointless.

His physical strength was more reliable.

The essence Snowy Dawn had given him contained overwhelming energy; not only had it rejuvenated his aged body, but it had also endowed him with the power of the Flood Dragon and Elephant.

He even regretted, at times, having touched the Blood Demon's corpse after he awoke!

When he had awoken, the woman in red had poured hundreds of ancient texts into his mind—texts he couldn't comprehend—which carved out a space within his consciousness.

The impact of those texts had left him dazed, his head splitting as if it would explode, and he had blacked out. When he awoke again, the woman in red was gone, and he found himself in the same ancient tomb. In the tomb's center lay a withered skeleton.

Though it had been dead for countless years, an evil aura still clung to the bones, and a chill wind howled about.

Carved into the stone before the skeleton's feet were three inscriptions:

"In my life, I wrought endless slaughter—wherever I went, rivers of blood flowed and corpses littered the land. Of the three battles I fought, these I boast of most: the Battle to Shatter the Heavens, the Battle of Mad Demons, and the Dusk of the Emperors. In this chaotic era, with no ancient emperors left and only the saints vying for supremacy, of those three, the Dusk of the Emperors is my proudest feat! With the power of the Saint Realm, I fought alone against more than twenty half-emperor powerhouses of the heavens, sending those insects fleeing for their lives!"

"Yet, I encountered an ancient emperor—terrifying beyond imagination, who suppressed us single-handedly! My pride knew no bounds, unbending before heaven and earth, refusing to kneel! I rose with demonic might against the world, but fell with a single blow, gravely wounded. Fleeing to this place, I cast a peerless formation, blocking all foes, and here I sat in meditation, seeking a fated heir to inherit my strength, to continue my legacy!"

"When the Nine Spirits appear and the Demon Heart is revealed: battle the heavens, dance across the universe, stir the winds and clouds, shatter the firmament, crush the path of immortals, and suppress all laws!"

These words set Night Without End's blood surging. Unable to resist, he stepped forward and touched the skeleton.

At the touch, a vision burst before his eyes—a prehistoric world of grandeur: flood dragons, golden-winged rocs spanning ten thousand miles, the massive golden body of a Buddha, monstrous beasts roaring at the sky, phantoms of gods and demons, and a white-haired figure unafraid of heaven or earth, fighting until the sky collapsed and seas of blood and mountains of corpses arose. In the end, only a black-robed, white-haired silhouette remained, standing atop the mountain of corpses, gazing over the endless river of blood, desolation and loneliness in his bearing...

In the vision, that figure seemed to sense something and turned to glance in Night Without End's direction. The next instant, everything went black and he fainted.

When he awoke, his hands and feet felt withered and ancient, his voice aged as well.

He fled the tomb in a frenzy, wandering in a single direction for three days and nights. Along the way, he saw no insects, no birds, not a single living creature—the tomb seemed to have rendered the land for a hundred miles around a forbidden zone, devoid of life.

Then, exhausted, he collapsed by the roadside, and when he awoke, he met a kind-hearted girl—Ye Ruyue.

It was Ye Ruyue who saved him.

Now, facing the charging Lu Li, Night Without End's eyes blazed with murderous light.

He threw a punch.

Lu Li did not believe in superstition; as a dignified Form Shaping cultivator, why should he fear a contest of fists with a Spirit Gathering cultivator? The answer, of course, was that he would not.

Their fists collided with a deafening crash—neither man retreated a single step.

But a tremendous force erupted from Night Without End's fist, sending Lu Li flying.

Lu Li flipped in the air and landed, hands clasped behind his back in the manner of a worldly master.

Yet behind his back, his hands trembled uncontrollably, his arms numb and powerless.

Only by hastily channeling all his spiritual energy to his arms had he prevented them from being crippled on the spot!

"What kind of monster is this? A mere Spirit Gathering cultivator, yet possessing the strength of a Flood Dragon and Elephant!" Lu Li's heart was anything but calm. Even after using his full spiritual power, his arms had gone numb!

Was this fellow even human? He was more like a primordial beast.

Lu Li quickly drew a small bottle from his belt, tossing two pills into his mouth. The pills dissolved instantly, flooding him with pure energy and replenishing his depleted strength.

Night Without End shook his hand indifferently—he fought with nothing but flesh and blood, unlike Lu Li, who relied on spiritual energy at critical moments.

Though unscathed, it was akin to punching an iron wall; his fist tingled from the impact.

After this clash, Night Without End understood his own power more clearly—his physical strength could now contend with a newly advanced Form Shaping cultivator without falling behind.

Seeing Lu Li resort to pills, the ferocity in Night Without End's eyes grew.

He dashed toward Lu Li with such speed that Lu Li was taken aback.

Lu Li hurriedly leapt backward, simultaneously tossing out a set of four-or-five-meter-long chains of spiritual energy. After their earlier collision, Lu Li had resolved not to engage Night Without End in direct combat, having recognized the youth's monstrous physique.

A cultivator's true strength lay not in the body, but in cultivation and arcane arts!

Night Without End sidestepped the chain as it shot past like an arrow.

With a metallic twang, the chain pierced the tree behind him.

Lu Li was not surprised—he would have been, had Night Without End failed to dodge.

As the favorite disciple of the Elder of the Blazing Sun Sect, though newly accepted, he lacked for nothing—wealth and magical items were always at hand.

He smiled slyly, raising his palm toward Night Without End.

A talisman appeared in his hand, and Night Without End felt a surge of danger envelop him.

In an instant, a blinding light gathered in Lu Li’s palm. A bolt of lightning, a meter thick, crashed furiously toward Night Without End.

Night Without End sprang backward just in time, narrowly dodging the blazing lightning.

With a deafening explosion, the thunder struck where he had just stood, releasing a storm of energy. Within a five-meter radius, the earth erupted; trees and ground were blasted apart, the acrid smell of charred wood filling Night Without End's nostrils.

It infuriated him—relying on pills when overpowered, then talismans after that. How was this fair? Was he to be bullied for having nothing but his own fists? Where was the decency?

"Oh, sorry—my hand slipped. Missed," Lu Li said with a sly grin, pulling out another thick stack of talismans from his small pouch. Night Without End nearly cursed aloud. He had seen such palm-sized bags before—Shadowfiend owned one, likely a spatial pouch akin to a ring.

What kind of setup was this? As an old ancestor, he really should have taken Shadowfiend's pouch for himself; an assassin like him must have amassed a fortune. He'd have to hint at it later.

Lost in thought, he saw Lu Li throw out a red talisman.

A surge of fire shot forward like a flamethrower, forcing Night Without End to leap aside once more.

These talismans were powerful, but they had one flaw—they lacked precision and could not change direction.

Dodging ten or more talisman attacks in quick succession, Night Without End panted lightly.

Seeing the thick stack of talismans still in Lu Li’s hand, Night Without End’s eyes hardened. He could not allow this to continue, or he’d be worn down to death.

He dodged talisman after talisman, finally closing the distance to within five meters of Lu Li.

With a burst of speed, he lunged forward, punching at Lu Li.

Lu Li grinned, quickly slapping over a dozen talismans onto his own body—symbols Night Without End couldn't recognize.

In an instant, over a dozen layers of spiritual shields enveloped Lu Li.

With a thunderous crash, Night Without End’s fist struck as if against a wall.

The outermost spiritual shield, a meter thick, shattered instantly.

His momentum undiminished, he struck again—another shield broke with a roar.

After smashing through five layers of shields, his fist finally stopped.

Lu Li, seeing Night Without End’s fist halted at last, breathed a sigh of relief and, without hurry, pulled out dozens more talismans, covering himself from head to toe.

Dozens of spiritual shields activated at once.

Witnessing this, Night Without End’s mouth twitched uncontrollably. He could hold back no longer and cursed, "Damn it! How scared of death are you?"

Was there anything more exasperating?

At last, Night Without End understood: when a free-to-play player faces a pay-to-win player, the former gets no enjoyment from the game at all.