All Heavenly destiny reduced to ashes
Chapter 173 - 33 Demon Disciple Lu Jin

Chapter 173: Chapter 33 Demon Disciple Lu Jin

Kanming City, Chongyi Building.

The lights outside the window were bright; the nightlife of Kanming City was also quite rich. The noisy voices of people were like steaming heat, mingling with the severe cold of the winter night, infusing this frontier metropolis with vigorous vitality.

Unlike the bustling sounds outside, the top floor of the Chongyi Building was completely unlit, a piece of stark silence and darkness, save for a wisp of faint blue candlelight flickering slightly on the incense platform, serving as the sole source of light.

Lu Jin. Tower Master of Chongyi Building in Kanming City, was now over the age of sixty.

However, unlike the majority of old people who have started to decline, because of his martial arts practice and Qi nourishing, he had a rather robust body. Only the grey hair and the wrinkles on his forehead revealed his age.

Chongyi Building was one of the well-known large business associations in Wild State, with its main business being waterway transportation, timber, and the cultivation of some medicinal herbs in the northwest region.

As the head of the Kanming City branch, Lu Jin’s main responsibility was to transport trade goods from Kanming City to Dust Li and onto the south. Overall, a position that values loyalty and meticulousness over capability.

Lu Jin was certainly loyal... at least, he had been until his martial arts had hit an impasse and his life was nearing its end.

At this moment, the old man was sitting in meditation with his eyes closed, breathing deeply to nourish his Qi.

He had no children, only a few lovers; the Chongyi Building was his home, and he was accustomed to retreating to his study in the attic after handling daily affairs to meditate and advance his cultivation.

All of Lu Jin’s subordinates were well aware that he detested being disturbed at this time, unless there was truly an urgent matter, so generally, no one would bother him now.

There was a talisman on the old man’s forehead emitting a faint luminescent glow.

It appeared to be the Heart-cohering Talisman that An Jing had sold before.

In the darkness, the clear sound of knocking emanated distinctly.

"...Come in."

Lu Jin opened his eyes; he furrowed his brows but did not get angry.

"My lord," a martial artist dressed like a ruffian walked respectfully into the tower, reporting the day’s activity.

"That Dust Li kid, didn’t they say he was just a wastrel who knew how to burn through money?"

Lu Jin’s eyes narrowed as his expression turned slightly grave, "He could easily sell the highest quality Heart-cohering Talisman, I thought he was just a young wastrel who didn’t take cultivation seriously. Could it be that he is actually a genius who really has no use for a Heart-cohering Talisman?"

"...Subordinate is not sure."

The martial artist, having seemingly botched his instructions and feeling a bit scared, hastily revealed new information, "However, it may be a blessing in disguise — that kid has been tormented by us to the point where he doesn’t dare to stay in an inn anymore. He’s now taking his luggage and seeking refuge with that old lady in the earth vein Yin land."

"With the two targets gathered in one place, in a few days we will gather people and catch them all in one swoop!"

"Indeed, not bad."

Hearing this, Lu Jin could not help but nod, letting the minor oversight that An Jing was not captured slide, "Whether he’s a wastrel or a genius, he ultimately is garbage that’s hindering us."

"I had wanted to give those country folk from Dust Li some dignity; since they don’t want it, in a few days, I’ll send that kid’s corpse back."

"No..."

Suddenly thinking of something, the original somewhat scholarly-looking face of Lu Jin also revealed a bloody smile, "Better capture him instead."

"If he really is a genius, then his life may have better uses."

Feeling the surging bloody murderous intent, the martial artist shivered and said with a forced smile, "Then, my lord, I shall continue with the mission..."

"Wait a moment."

As Lu Jin, who was about to close his eyes once more, raised his eyelids, he spoke in a heavy tone, "Is that really all? Are you lying to me?"

"No, no, no!"

Upon hearing this, the martial artist’s hair stood on end, and he immediately knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "I would never dare to hide anything from my lord. It’s just that the other situations are too bizarre, and seeing as it is not my place to investigate those matters, nor do I have the time to verify them, I can only choose not to discuss them for the time being and wait until the situation is clear..."

"Speak, now."

Lu Jin said calmly, causing the martial artist to flinch, then quickly recounted, "The lads at our Flower Alley stronghold were robbed by someone. They lost everything they had, and Old Niu was killed on the spot — only the Earth Vein Compass was left behind ..."

"And Constable Chen from the authorities has suddenly gone missing. There were signs of a struggle in his home as well as bloodstains ... We found the teeth that were forcibly removed from Constable Chen, he..."

At this point, the martial artist swallowed and broke out into cold sweat.

Because he sensed it, the sudden surge of rage from the man in front of him, followed by a swiftly calming, sinister atmosphere.

"So that’s how it is."

Ultimately, Lu Jin didn’t say much, only speaking in a heavy tone, "Go down, there’s nothing more for you here."

Hearing this, the Martial Artist who had been reporting hurriedly retreated and left.

It wasn’t until the reporter had gone far that Lu Jin fell into deep thought.

"The plan targeting the Emperor’s Blood is backfiring this severely? We’ve just begun, and yet we’ve encountered so many unforeseen events, losing a few men?"

He murmured to himself, "Even though the master had bestowed the Heart-cohering Talisman to suppress destiny, could it really not suppress this backlash... But concerning old Chen’s death, that’s not surprising. I told him not to be arrogant long ago, if he provoked some tough nut, no one could save him."

"To just die like that, such a lack of responsibility, no wonder the master never blessed him."

Clicking his tongue, Lu Jin slightly shook his head, "But that’s that. A few deaths are not a big deal, the plan will soon succeed anyway."

With that thought in mind, he affixed another Heart-cohering Talisman to ward off the madness brought by the Blood Pill and the blessings, and he gradually slipped into meditation.

Some time passed, and when the night grew deep and quiet, with no sounds of activity throughout the building, the elderly white-haired merchant in the dark attic slowly opened his eyes again.

This time, his eyes flickered with a dark, blood-red color.

Standing up, Lu Jin looked around meticulously, making sure there was no surveillance, no close presence before he moved towards the bookshelf behind him.

Activating the mechanism, the bookcase slid to both sides, and the wall slowly sank down, forming a staircase leading downward.

The staircase was dark and deep, leading to a secret chamber below.

He stepped inside.

And a Lotus Seed Drone followed, silently trailing behind.

The chamber was simple, both sides lined with solid hollow rock walls, smeared with strange totemic patterns that prevented sounds from being conveyed outside.

Lu Jin activated the mechanism and dim cold lights in the four corners of the secret chamber lit up.

Everything became visible.

Blood.

The floor, the walls, the ceiling... traces of blood were everywhere.

The already dried and blackened bloodstains were drawn into strange patterns, lines, and symbols, resembling Demon Bones, where just looking at them would make one dizzy.

Layers of broken bones, teeth, fingernails, and hair filled the floor, creating a ground surface akin to sandy terrain.

The strange, pungent smell was confined within the chamber, but the greatest source of the stench was not the bloodstains but rather the four half-dead bodies hanging in the middle of the four walls.

These bodies were skewered and suspended by hooks, their skin completely flayed, revealing muscles and exposed organs.

But they were still alive, still shrieking, yet because of the Talisman on their foreheads, their screams could not make any sound, only accumulating unspeakable human agony and resentment in silence.

In the center of the chamber was a bizarre Divine Statue covered with yellow Talismans and tightly bound by Cold Iron Chains.

The statue had nine eyes and seven mouths, three heads and five arms, a belly like an abyss, and a face resembling a dark cavern, merely gazing at it instinctively filled one with an inexplicable, primal terror...

And reverence!

Live sacrifices and the Divine Statue—what was taking place in this chamber was the cruelest, most bloodthirsty, and evil sacrificial ritual in this world!

The elderly man lit Blood Incense, prostrating before the Divine Statue, "I, Lu Jin, a faithful disciple of Kanming and a servant to the unseen Youli and the souls without direction, herein offer the blood of four lives shadowed by Yin and the spirits of the lonely and forsaken as a bridge, humbly beseeching the grace of the Master, to descend upon this place..."

Behind him, the Lotus Seed shaped drone transmitted all images and sounds.

The teahouse private room.

An Jing almost crushed the drone’s remote control in his hand.

"Heavenly Demon!"

"It’s actually the Heavenly Demon!"