Heaven’s Shadow

“What’s the matter with the Descending God Spell?” Lu Chen asked.

Master Tianlan looked at him and shook his head, “There are countless cultivators in this world. Nine out of ten spend their entire lives blocked from reaching the Golden Core stage; of the remaining, less than one in ten can courageously advance to the Nascent Soul stage. As for those who reach the Transformation stage, they are revered by the world, akin to deities.”

Lu Chen smiled and said, “Are you considering yourself a god?”

“I am certainly not a god. At best, I’m just a somewhat skilled cultivator,” Master Tianlan replied with a smile, “But those who haven’t reached this level wouldn’t think like this.”

Lu Chen suddenly fell silent.

“I have met many people in this world, but over the years, only one type of person has shown no fear towards me.”

“What kind of person?” Lu Chen couldn’t help but ask.

“Someone who is at the same cultivation level as me—a Transformation Stage True Lord.”

※※※

“Your words are becoming more and more outrageous!” Lu Chen forced a smile, looked down at his own body, and said, “A Transformation Stage True Lord? Do I look like one?”

“Of course not.” Master Tianlan’s smile gradually faded, and he looked at Lu Chen meaningfully, “Precisely because of this, I am very curious and puzzled. What is it? Or what have you seen or experienced that allows you to let go of your fear towards someone at the Transformation stage?”

Lu Chen’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly. Under Master Tianlan’s bright gaze, he suddenly felt a chill permeate his entire body.

Master Tianlan continued speaking, “So I thought back carefully, considering what you’ve encountered in the past ten years. I realized that in the last decade, you’ve been in that small village, with your cultivation ruined, living in obscurity, and nothing unusual happened… So the anomaly must have occurred before you went into seclusion.”

He stared into Lu Chen’s eyes for a long time and then said gently, “Therefore, it must be the Descending God Spell, right?”

“That secret spell is a closely guarded secret of the demonic sect, known only to a few elders. But given the circumstances of the Battle of the Wild Valley, and some things you mentioned to me recently, I think those people were trying to use the secret spell to draw down vast divine power and forcibly advance their cultivation.”

“They failed,” Lu Chen said coldly.

“They failed because of you.”

The atmosphere in the courtyard suddenly turned cold.

Lu Chen remained silent, but his breathing seemed somewhat unsteady, growing slightly heavier.

Master Tianlan, however, continued as if nothing mattered to him, “So I was thinking, it must have been something that happened when the Descending God Spell was activated, something unknown to me.”

“These events are crucial—they even allowed you to let go of your fear of Transformation Stage True Lords.”

“Look… yes, it’s that look in your eyes.” Master Tianlan gently observed Lu Chen’s eyes, “You clearly know you are no match for me, you know your cultivation is worlds apart from mine. But when I revealed the secret hidden deep within your heart, your first reaction was not to seek a way out, not to be afraid and beg for mercy…”

Lu Chen’s eyelid twitched slightly, and he said coldly, “So what do you think I was doing?”

Master Tianlan said softly, “You were looking at me. When your eyes glanced at my body, they instinctively evaluated something, as if… thinking about… how this person could be killed.”

“Isn’t that right?” Master Tianlan asked Lu Chen.

※※※

The courtyard was deadly silent. After a while, the bird that had been perched on the bald head suddenly flew away, flapping its wings towards the sky.

Both of them looked up, watching the small silhouette disappear into the distance. After a while, they lowered their gazes and looked at each other again.

“That’s the funniest joke I’ve ever heard in my life,” Lu Chen said, expressionless.

Master Tianlan thought for a moment and said, “It is quite funny.” After he finished, he really opened his mouth and laughed “haha” three times at Lu Chen.

Lu Chen lowered his head slightly, then slowly, once again sat down on the stone steps. After a while, he suddenly said, “Baldy, if you no longer trust me, I can’t do this anymore.”

A cold breeze blew through the courtyard, seeming to penetrate deep into their hearts.

After a long while, Master Tianlan gently shook his head and said, “Of course, I still trust you, Xiao Lu. Just like I told you in the Wild Valley, the person I trust most in this world is you.”

Lu Chen looked up and saw the gentle eyes of the extraordinarily large man gazing deeply at him.

“My earlier words were not meant to accuse you, nor to suggest that you really want to kill me. I just want to know, what did you see when the Descending God Spell was cast? What happened that suddenly changed your mindset… All these years, you’ve never kept secrets from me. I thought I knew everything about you, but now there’s something I don’t understand. I really want to know.” Master Tianlan smiled and said, “I think it shouldn’t be too difficult to tell.”

Lu Chen sat in silence, the light around him dimming slightly. After a while, he looked up at the sky, stood up, and said, “It’s getting late, I need to return to the mountain.”

Master Tianlan quietly watched him. After a moment, he nodded and said gently, “Then go ahead. I’ll be returning to the Immortal City tomorrow. Be careful here on Kunlun Mountain.”

Lu Chen nodded to him and then turned to walk back through the passage.

Master Tianlan seemed to sigh softly, closing his eyes as a complex expression flickered across his features.

As Lu Chen reached the entrance of the passage, he suddenly stopped and, without turning around, said in a tone almost devoid of emotion, “If I told you that I have already told you everything about what happened when the Descending God Spell was cast, including every tiny detail, without any concealment, would you believe me?”

Master Tianlan opened his eyes and looked at the young man’s back. After a while, he said, “I believe you.”

Lu Chen nodded and said nothing more as he left the courtyard.

※※※

When night fell, Lu Chen returned to his residence on Kunlun Mountain.

He walked in with an expressionless face, opened the door, and then locked it behind him. Once the walls and door had completely separated him from the outside world, he stood quietly.

For a long time.

The light and shadow subtly changed, with darkness gradually filling the space, blending his figure into the shadows. No one could see that his hands, hidden in his sleeves and under his collar, were trembling slightly, trying desperately to suppress it.

The darkness was very quiet, with no light, no wind, no sound. The night seemed like a swirling black tide, silently flowing and rolling in front of him.

He stared blankly, and suddenly, black flames ignited deep within his dark pupils.

The flames seemed to instantly transport him back to ten years ago.

“Boom!”

That earth-shattering roar, the magnificent pillar of light piercing through the darkness, and the rift tearing the sky!

Unimaginable and majestic power transformed into dazzling light, illuminating the figures of the four people, who let out cries of pain and joy. The fire blazed, and the strange seeds seemed to be reborn, growing, and blooming in the flames!

Heaven and Earth!

Descending God Spell!

Wild power tore apart the earth and sky, with only a dark shadow silently standing by, drawing out a black short sword behind the light.

The black flames in his pupils roared fiercely, burning as if trying to scorch the traces of time and erase everything.

It was a blade that cut through time, slicing through flesh and heart, causing blood to spray out like a torrent. The old, twisted, terrified, and angry face turned around and stared directly at him.

Black flames burned!

The soul howled!

The dark blade plunged into the light, and the surging power surged like a tide, finally finding a gap in the surrounding dam and crashing through everything.

Thus, light and darkness merged into one.

Thus, all cause and effect turned into fragments, scattered like a desolate night rain, falling and disappearing.

Only that power, immensely powerful, remained clearly engraved in his heart.

※※※

He lay on the cold ground in the darkness.

Slowly, he reopened his eyes, as if awakening painfully yet resolutely from the deepest and most inextricable nightmare.

He breathed slightly, and after a while, when everything had calmed down, he raised his right hand and quietly looked at the outline of his hand in the darkness.

That hand had once held a sword.

Had once killed people.

Had also felt that power descending from the heavens amidst blood and fire, light and dark.

People in the world revere heaven, earth, and deities.

That power was like a deity; the figures in the interplay of light and shadow seemed as powerful as gods at that final moment.

The black flames burned in his eyes and then slowly extinguished, finally returning everything to nothingness.

The darkness enveloped the room, and the surroundings were silent. He lay there quietly, suddenly remembering something, and then slowly sat up.

The surrounding quiet was as if the whole world had only him left.

It was at that moment that Lu Chen suddenly realized that he had not felt this sense of solitude for quite some time.

In every night that should have been lonely, every time he woke in the darkness, he would hear a faint and familiar breathing sound and feel a warm, beating body.

It was because of that presence that he no longer felt lonely.

In the darkness, Lu Chen sat for a moment, then looked around. The silent darkness was like rippling water, and he softly called out, “Ah Tu?”

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