Severing Ties: The Sect Regrets My Departure Chapter 99

"This... what in the world..."

"What kind of killing god is this?!"

Terror seized Lu Yutian, freezing the marrow in his bones. He could not summon even half an ounce of strength to resist.

Through the crimson filter of his Fiend Sight Technique, the room before him was no longer a room. It was a solid, impenetrable mass of black clouds. The Blood Fiend Qi was so condensed, so terrifyingly dense, that it had compressed from red into absolute, light-devouring black.

The ghostly hands he had seen earlier were merely the overflow—tentacles squeezed out simply because the room was too small to contain the monstrosity within.

Compared to the ocean of slaughter filling that space, those hands were but a drop in the bucket.

In Lu Yutian's vision, a tornado of pitch-black energy pierced through the roof of the Listening-to-Rain Pavilion, spiraling upward to puncture the very firmament. It was vast, boundless, and suffocating.

"I... what kind of existence... have I provoked?"

Lu Yutian’s jaw trembled. Every muscle in his body spasmed uncontrollably. He tried to mobilize his spiritual energy, but his Golden Core remained inert, suppressed into silence by the sheer weight of the aura before him.

In the face of this predator, he was no longer a powerful cultivator. He was a frail, sick mortal standing before a dragon.

He realized with dawning horror that the occupant of that room didn't even need to use a technique. A mere thought, a slight shift of that black pressure, would be enough to grind him into fine powder.

His own Blood Fiend Qi—his pride, his "three cities" of slaughter—was a joke. He had tried to use terror against the incarnation of terror itself. It was like teaching a fish to swim.

Creak...

The door, which had remained shut this whole time, swung open without the aid of wind.

Instantly, a horde of Blood Fiend Asuras rushed out from the darkness. Distorted, drooling faces gnashed their teeth, lunging straight for Lu Yutian.

He wanted to run. He wanted to scream. But he was paralyzed, forced to watch wide-eyed as his doom approached.

Just as the spectral claws were about to tear into his flesh, a voice drifted from the room.

"You destroyed one of my puppets. You owe me."

The voice was calm, indifferent, and utterly commanding.

"I will come to collect from you later. Go."

At the sound of that command, the horde of Asuras vanished like smoke in a gale. The crushing pressure lifted just enough for Lu Yutian to breathe.

Through the dissipating black mist, he caught a glimpse of the figure inside.

A white-haired cultivator sat with his back to the door.

Dressed in snow-white robes that matched his hair, the figure exuded an aura of profound loneliness. His presence was as tranquil as a still lake, seemingly detached from the mortal coil.

The contrast was maddening.

Surrounding him was a hellscape of condensed slaughter, enough to suggest a Ghost Emperor had descended. Yet the man himself carried not a trace of malice. He radiated a warmth akin to a gentle spring breeze.

That serenity terrified Lu Yutian more than the demons.

It implied absolute control.

Thud.

Lu Yutian collapsed to his knees and slammed his forehead against the stone pavement.

"Thank you, Senior, for sparing my life! Thank you!"

He kowtowed frantically, blood staining the stone. "This lowly one was blind! I failed to recognize Mount Tai and offended a supreme expert! I will leave! I am going now!"

Scrambling to his feet, the Golden Core expert didn't even dare to straighten his back. He fled the courtyard, practically crawling on all fours.

As he passed the army of wooden puppets, they no longer looked eerie. Compared to the monster inside the house, these wooden toys looked positively friendly.

Lu Yutian stumbled out of the Listening-to-Rain Pavilion’s main gate and collapsed into the dirt. He didn't care about the mud soiling his robes. He didn't care about his dignity.

He buried his face in his hands and began to wail.

On the balcony of the opposing building, Daoist Sanquan watched in stunned silence.

A Golden Core expert... squatting in the dirt, crying like a child?

"Fellow Daoist Lu...?" Sanquan called out hesitantly. "You... are you alright?"

Lu Yutian lifted his head. His face was streaked with tears and grime. His eyes, wide and trembling, held the look of a man who had seen the abyss and barely survived.

He had been scared out of his wits.

"Do not offend him," Lu Yutian sobbed, his voice cracking. "Daoist Sanquan, listen to me. Never, ever provoke that Senior. Absolutely never!"

Sanquan was bewildered. He couldn't understand.

What Sanquan didn't know—what only Lu Yutian had seen—was the nature of that fear. It wasn't just the quantity of the killing aura. It was the fact that the man inside showed no signs of madness. He hadn't fallen to the demonic path.

That meant two possibilities.

Either the man’s mastery over Blood Fiend Qi was divine.

Or... he had slaughtered so many entities that the universe itself had bowed to his killing intent.

Inside the pavilion, as Sanquan helped the weeping Lu Yutian away, Gu Xiu slowly opened his eyes.

He glanced at the swirling black chaos around him.

Under his gaze, the ferocious energy that had terrified a Golden Core expert suddenly went docile. It was as if the slaughter aura itself was afraid of him.

"Withdraw," Gu Xiu commanded softly.

The black tornado collapsed. It spiraled inward, compressing rapidly until it merged seamlessly into Gu Xiu’s shadow.

The room returned to normal. The shadow on the floor looked like any ordinary shadow, hiding the ocean of blood it contained.

The moment the technique ended, Gu Xiu’s brow furrowed. His face turned paper-white.

The Dao Injury. It had flared up again.

Gu Xiu gritted his teeth, forcing himself to remain in a meditative posture. His hands flew through a series of seals, utilizing his new Foundation Establishment cultivation to suppress the agony tearing at his soul.

He channeled the spiritual liquid from his platform, weaving it into a soothing balm. It helped, but the pain was visceral, causing cold sweat to pour down his face like rain.

"Squeak! Squeak!"

Haiqi, the black monkey, scrambled up to him. It circled him anxiously before pressing a small finger against Gu Xiu’s forehead.

A surge of pure, warm soul force flooded into Gu Xiu.

The external aid eased the sharpest edge of the pain. Even so, the sensation of his soul being shredded persisted. Gu Xiu held on, his will iron-clad, enduring the torture until the sky outside began to gray with the morning light.

Finally, the flare-up subsided.

Gu Xiu let out a long, shaky breath. He reached out and caught the small monkey as it slumped over, unconscious from the exertion.

He smoothed the fur on Haiqi’s furrowed brow.

"It is merely a little torment," Gu Xiu whispered, his voice hoarse but gentle. "Do not worry. It won't be long before this injury is healed for good."

As if hearing him in its sleep, Haiqi’s expression relaxed, though its small paw remained clenched tightly around Gu Xiu’s sleeve.

Meanwhile, at the gates of Cloud Firmament City.

The morning sun cast long shadows as a figure descended from the sky, landing gracefully before the city entrance.

The guards, initially stepping forward to intercept the newcomer, froze when they saw her face. They immediately bowed, clasping their fists in deep respect.

"We pay our respects to Immortal Qin!"

The woman was beautiful, her demeanor radiating a cold, high-born elegance. She nodded slightly.

"No need for formalities," she said, her voice cool and detached. "I have come to visit the City Lord and handle some private matters."

She walked past them, entering the city without breaking stride.

The guards did not dare to relax. The captain immediately rushed to the guardhouse and penned a secret missive, handing it to a fast runner.

The letter contained only nine words, but they were enough to shake the city's power structure:

Qingxuan, Qin Meran, has arrived at Cloud Firmament!