Chapter Ninety-Three: Rebellion

According to the method Xiao Hao had described for claiming a divine weapon as one’s own, Li Ju mobilized the dark inner force within him and slowly poured it into the Long Soul Severer.

A low hum arose.

As his power flowed in, a faint, cool-white radiance began to emanate from the blade.

A pressure, born of the divine weapon itself, was released from the Long Soul Severer. General Wang, standing beside Li Ju, was driven back again and again by that crushing presence. It was not until he had retreated more than a hundred paces that he finally managed to shake free of its suppression.

“So this is the power of a divine weapon?”

General Wang stared at the Long Soul Severer in Li Ju’s hand, his eyes filled with shock. Even from afar, he could feel the extraordinary nature of the weapon, its… overwhelming strength.

Suddenly, just as Li Ju was gradually awakening the power within the Long Soul Severer, a black shadow emerged from it.

“I am the spirit of the Long Soul Severer. He who awakens me shall be granted the power of the divine weapon.”

The shadow’s voice was deep, carrying the weight of ancient ages.

With its appearance, an invisible shockwave spread outward.

General Wang, standing at the edge of the reach, had no time to react before he was struck unconscious by the force.

“Your junior pays respects to the spirit of the Long Soul Severer.”

Seeing the shadow appear, Li Ju immediately bowed with utmost deference.

“He who has awakened me, relax your spirit. Empty your mind. Pour all of your consciousness into the Long Soul Severer, and I shall bestow upon you supreme divine power.”

The shadow spoke slowly.

“Pour my consciousness into the Long Soul Severer…”

Li Ju closed his eyes, focused his mind, and followed the shadow’s instructions step by step.

“Good. Very good. You who have awakened me have done well.”

A smile seemed to appear upon the shadow’s blurred features.

“Next, it is time…”

“It is time for me to devour you!”

The shadow burst into wild laughter. Suddenly, a streak of black light shot out from the Long Soul Severer and merged into the shadow. Instantly, the shadow’s form grew clear.

Then, with vicious speed, it lunged at Li Ju.

“Ha!”

Just as the shadow reached him and was about to make contact, Li Ju suddenly opened his eyes.

Their gazes met.

“How did you break free of the Long Soul Severer’s deception?”

The shadow trembled.

“You were right. Next, it’s my turn to devour you.”

Li Ju’s lips curled upward, and the two pairs of canine teeth in his mouth lengthened at once, transforming into a pair of fangs.

“Hmph. Arrogant little whelp. A mere fellow in the Inner Energy realm dares to boast so shamelessly?”

“Even if you break free of the Long Soul Severer’s power, what of it? I’ll show you…”

The shadow grinned savagely.

“What absolute difference in realm means!”

A few seconds later.

“That is a demonic body!”

“No—!”

Crunch… crunch…

A demon, its body swollen to five meters in height, bat wings sprouting from its back, twin horns rising from its head, and black skin covering its entire form, slowly chewed the “food” in its mouth.

Burp.

“Not bad.”

Having finished eating, Li Ju let out a satisfied belch and slowly dispelled his demonic form.

“Xiao Hao, was it? A martial artist of the Lesser Three-Origins realm. Your vitality truly is stubborn.”

Li Ju could not help but sigh in genuine admiration.

The fellow who had just impersonated the spirit of the Long Soul Severer was none other than Xiao Hao, its former owner.

As a martial artist of the Lesser Three-Origins realm, he had already awakened and cultivated the thought origin among the three origins of the human body. That thought origin was far stronger than that of ordinary people, and it allowed him, after the death of his body, to use a secret art to bind his consciousness to the Long Soul Severer.

Li Ju had once heard that martial artists of the Lesser Three-Origins realm, because of the strength of their thought origin, could even, after death, seize another person’s body and continue living.

Clearly, Xiao Hao had anchored his consciousness within the Long Soul Severer in hopes of possessing the body of its next owner. Yet ordinary Lesser Three-Origins martial artists could keep their consciousness alive for only a few hours after bodily death. That Xiao Hao had remained conscious for more than a hundred years after death must have depended on the divine weapon’s aid.

Alas, after sleeping within the weapon for a hundred years, his first awakening brought him face to face with Li Ju. Though Li Ju’s own cultivation had only reached the Inner Energy realm, the power he wielded was the purest of the Dark Cult’s eight secret arts, and he himself had already forged a demonic body.

Within the Dark Cult’s system of power, the eight secret arts stood above all other techniques, and the demonic body stood above the eight secret arts. Higher-grade techniques possessed an absolute suppressive advantage over lower-grade ones, just as the Flying Sword Art of the Flying Sword Sect overpowered every other technique of that sect.

Though Xiao Hao’s realm surpassed Li Ju’s, and though he too had cultivated one of the Dark Cult’s eight secret arts, Li Ju had already formed a demonic body. Relying on the suppression the demonic body exerted over lower-grade Dark Cult arts, Li Ju had dispatched Xiao Hao’s lingering consciousness without expending much effort at all.

“Of course, the nourishment is quite abundant as well.”

Several seconds after swallowing Xiao Hao’s consciousness, Li Ju felt a mighty force surging up within his body.

That force came from the consciousness he had just devoured.

While Li Ju was digesting the nourishment of Xiao Hao’s remaining will, at the entrance to the ancient tomb—

The Prince of Water City used the blade in his hand to shovel away the soil on the ground, digging pit after pit.

After the pits were dug, he carefully placed each of the human remains scattered beside the tomb gate into the holes, then covered them with earth.

“Uncle Wang, all of you may rest in peace. I swear I will avenge you and restore the glory of Water City!”

The Prince of Water City knelt before those crude graves and bowed three times, his voice grinding out through clenched teeth.

“The Lin Kingdom—our blood debt is irreconcilable!”

“I will restore the royal bloodline of Water City, no matter what!”

He raised his sword to the sky, his eyes bloodshot.

It was as though he had returned once more to that tragic scene: the city fallen, the people slaughtered, his royal father sacrificed.

“Your Highness, I wonder what has caused you such grief?”

Suddenly, an unexpected voice interrupted the Prince of Water City’s painful memories.

Hearing the somewhat familiar voice, the prince looked toward the source.

“General Li, how are you here?”

Frowning, the Prince of Water City stared at the speaker. It was none other than the man he knew so well, the one he had entrusted with temporary command before departing for Water City.

“I am able to come here, of course, thanks to Your Highness leading the way. And, of course, most importantly, thanks to Your Highness opening the door.”

General Li smiled at the Prince of Water City.

“You…”

The prince was about to say something, but the moment he clearly saw the figures standing beside General Li, his eyes widened.

“You… you actually betrayed…”

The Prince of Water City pointed at General Li, his face full of disbelief.

Splat.

Blood sprayed.

A head fell to the ground.