Chapter 149 The Extermination of the Lü Family in the Dark Corner Region
Is spacetime turbulence something that occurs easily? The answer is no, otherwise Gu Tongguang wouldn't have searched for it for two hundred years.
However, Song Yin and Shi Heming had only been in the Nine Spirits Realm for a few days when they encountered a small spacetime turbulence. It wasn't large, but it was enough to send them away.
Song Yin transmitted her voice: "You can't leave yet. It's not too late to leave after you've finished what you promised."
Shi Heming transmitted his voice: "Isn't this too much of a coincidence? It's like it's aimed at us. If it were on the same scale as those in the cultivation world, we wouldn't be able to avoid it. Of course, it's also possible that I'm overthinking it."
"Wait, your very first sentence sounded like it was aimed at us?" Song Yin seemed to have grasped a hidden thread, the ends of which were unseen. "Where did you get that feeling?"
When you encounter something like this, shouldn't your first instinct be to think it's an accident?
"Yes, why would I have such a thought?" Shi Heming pondered. "The thought suddenly popped into my head, without any reason."
The two stared at each other, wide-eyed.
After a long while, Song Yin blinked her dry eyes.
"I'll stop thinking about it now and just go join the fun."
The square was packed with people, all eager to seek immortality and enlightenment. It was evident that each person who tested positive for spiritual roots would choose the sect they wished to join, while those who tested positive for three or even two spiritual roots would be fiercely sought after by various sects.
The two Nascent Soul stage cultivators blended into the crowd unnoticed, except perhaps for their striking appearances that drew a few extra glances.
Gu Tongguang set off overnight and rushed to the Lü family as quickly as possible.
The Lü family of today is not the same as it once was. Even the gatekeepers are Qi Refining stage cultivators, and the entire Lü family compound is protected by array formations. The arrogant and domineering Lü family even forbids outsiders from entering this street, allowing only members of the Lü family and their guests to pass through.
Rumble!
The gatekeeper looked up, stretched out his hand, and said to the person beside him, "The world has changed."
"The rain just started out of nowhere, ugh, this awful weather."
"Young Master is returning from Taiqing Sect today. I hope the weather will clear up when he returns."
Gu Tongguang, who was standing across the street, strolled over. The Qi Refining cultivator guarding the gate stopped him, saying, "This is the Lü residence. Unauthorized personnel are not allowed to enter at will."
"The Lü family mansion?" Gu Tongguang continued walking, swaggering into the main gate of the Lü family mansion. "From this day forward, there will be no more Lü family mansions."
The two guards lay dead on the ground, their two heads rolling down the steps. One of them was mixed in with the rest of the body on the street, its eyes empty and lifeless, its death unfulfilled.
The rain quickly began to fall, wetting the ground. Before long, small streams of water hung from the eaves, trickling down and splashing on the ground.
The splashing water was stained crimson with blood, reflecting the fallen corpses.
On rainy days, pedestrians on the street are heading home.
Lu Junxuan, the current young master of the Lu family, is currently heading towards Huifei.
Inside the flying boat, different maids served him, some massaging his shoulders, others pounding his legs, while musicians played instruments and sang. A young and beautiful woman knelt before him.
Lü Junxuan: "What if you don't want to? Anyway, your family can't protect you, so you might as well submit to this young master."
The young and beautiful woman stubbornly turned her head away, the handprint still visible on her face.
"Unwilling?" Lu Junxuan spat out the fruit pit in his mouth, and the maid beside him immediately knelt down, caught it in her hands, and then withdrew.
Lu Junxuan was about to say something more when someone came in from outside.
"Young Master, the Lü family has arrived, but..."
"What do you mean, 'just say what'? Speak up if you have something to say, or shut up if you have something to say," Lü Junxuan said impatiently.
"However, there was no one to greet us at the door this time. I guess it's because of the rain, which is why no one came to greet us."
"Not a single person?"
There wasn't a single person there.
Lu Junxuan stood up from his seat. "Let's go back to the Lu family first. We'll talk after we get inside." He glanced at the people kneeling on the ground and said to the other servants, "Force them to take the medicine, then lock them in the room. No one is allowed to visit them or give them any more medicine."
The woman kneeling on the ground turned pale and collapsed to the ground.
The culprit has already left the airship with the others.
Lü Junxuan: "Did you bring everything?"
"Young Master, everything you brought back from the Youluo Black Corner Region has been collected together."
Lü Junxuan: "The things I brought back this time are quite varied, and I haven't even been able to count many of them. I'll take them back for the old men to study slowly."
"Young Master's filial piety will surely move the family head and others deeply."
Lu Junxuan was still fantasizing about being fawned over when he got home, receiving praise from the old men, and maybe even getting some small favors from a few people he liked. But when he landed at the Lu family's doorstep, his once arrogant and domineering expression changed drastically, and blood welled up in his eyes.
The accompanying man's legs went weak. "Young Master! This! This! How could this be? Doesn't the Lü family have a defensive formation? That formation was set up by a Golden Core expert!"
Lu Junxuan lowered his eyebrows and gritted his teeth: "There are spiritual energy fluctuations inside. I, the young master, want to see who dares to lay a hand on my Lu family!"
Inside the Lü family compound, Lü Junxuan and one of his companions witnessed the murderer grabbing the head of their Lü family patriarch and crushing it with his bare hands.
"Who dares to touch my Lü family? Do they think I, Lü Junxuan, don't exist?!"
Gu Tongguang merely raised a protective aura, which made it difficult for Lü Junxuan's magical artifact to advance.
Gu Tongguang casually discarded the corpses of the Lü family members, and a powerful energy erupted from his body, blasting Lü Junxuan and his lackeys several meters away.
Gu Tongguang slowly turned around, "You little brat in the late Foundation Establishment stage, how dare you yell at me?"
Upon hearing this, the accompanying person trembled, "Young...Young Master, he...he seems to be at the Nascent Soul stage!"
Gu Tongguang: "Young Master? You've come at the perfect time. I don't need to go to the Taiqing Sect to ask for people."
"No! No! Don't come any closer!" Lu Junxuan was terrified when he realized the person in front of him was a Nascent Soul cultivator. He had no idea when the Lu family had offended a Nascent Soul cultivator. "I don't know where the Lu family has offended you, senior. I have been cultivating in the Taiqing Sect and don't know much about the Lu family. Please, senior, spare my life!"
As he spoke, Lü Junxuan moved backward while sitting in the rain.
With each step Gu Tongguang took, Lü Junxuan shuffled backward on the ground without any regard for his image, a warm flow gushing from beneath him, mingling with blood. The young master of the Lü family was so terrified he wet himself.
Gu Tongguang approached step by step, like a vengeful ghost crawling out of hell to claim lives.
"Rest assured, I will not let any member of the Lü family go."
Master Shangci Zhenren, Lu Junxuan's master, who was far away in the Taiqing Sect, felt a pang of fear. He casually made a calculation and memorized it. Then he rushed to the secret room next door, where his disciple's soul lamp had already been extinguished.
"Ah—! Who killed my disciple?!"
The town of Xunxian was only lively for two days when various sects came to recruit disciples, and then it returned to calm.
Families whose children were found to have spiritual potential were filled with joy, while those who were not selected continued their lives as usual.
News spread quickly in the Nine Spirit Realms; the news of the murder of the Taiqing Sect's patriarch's personal disciple and the extermination of the Lü family had already reached Xunxian Town.
After the rain stopped that day, some people saw red on the street in front of the Lü family's house in the distance. Some of the bolder people mustered up their courage and went to investigate. What they saw was that the entire Lü family had been wiped out and their property had been looted.
Those who had come to investigate fled the street from the Lü family's residence, shouting loudly. Everyone who heard them rushed over to see what was happening, only to be met with a horrific sight. Those who disliked or had a grudge against the Lü family cheered, while those unaware of the truth either felt sympathy or remained indifferent. Soon, the aura of a Nascent Soul cultivator enveloped the area around the Lü family's residence. Upon arriving and seeing the horrific scene, Master Shangci found his disciple's unrecognizable corpse.
Immediately afterwards, the city where the Lü family lived was sealed off, and no one was allowed to enter or leave. Every household was questioned, especially those residents who lived close to the Lü family.
With a loud slam, the waiter slammed his hand on the table, mimicking a storyteller, "And so began the story of the Supreme Immortal of the Taiqing Sect seeking revenge for his disciple!"
Song Yin transmitted her voice: "Gu Tongguang is fast enough. I wonder if the entire Lü family is dead. There should be some Lü family members who weren't home who escaped, right?"
Shi Heming transmitted his voice: "The Nine Spirit Realm is not like our Xuantian Immortal Cultivation Realm. The Nascent Soul stage is basically invincible here. No one can stop Gu Tongguang from seeking revenge."
Song Yin then asked the waiter, "Waiter, why didn't the neighbors know about the incident involving the Lü family?"
The boy said, "Sir, you've hit the nail on the head! The Lü family is a powerful clan in their area that no one dares to offend. It's quite normal that the neighbors don't know that the entire Lü family has set up a formation."
Song Yin: "Shouldn't the formation be for protecting the Lü family? What does it have to do with the neighbors not knowing about it at the time of the incident?"
"Ah... well..." The waiter's face showed embarrassment and awkwardness. "I only heard about it secondhand and don't know the real story."
Someone came in through the door, relieving the waiter's embarrassment. He immediately went to greet him, "Oh! It's you, sir! I haven't seen you for the past few days. You must have been busy with important matters. Come upstairs and rest today."
Gu Tongguang silently walked over and sat down opposite Song Yin and Shi Heming, ignoring the enthusiastic waiter.
Song Yin: "They have been safe these past few days, and no one has come looking for them."
After avenging himself, Gu Tongguang became even more taciturn. "Thank you."
Gu Tongguang cleaned himself up and changed his clothes, but Shi Heming and Song Yin, who were sitting opposite him, still smelled a faint odor of blood.
Song Yin: "What are you planning to do next?"
Gu Tongguang replied with a blank expression, "I don't know."
Now that Gu Tongguang's revenge is over, all that remains is emptiness and exhaustion. He has no direction in life and no home to return to.
The Gu family became the Zhou family, and Gu Hongxin and the others were just strangers with the same bloodline, with nowhere to belong in this vast world.
“Now I understand why Changsun Li didn’t come back.” Gu Tongguang smiled self-deprecatingly. “Back then, in order to persuade her to come back, I even told her, how could the Nine Spirit Realm not have a place for you? This will always be your home.”
"Now that I'm in the same situation as her, I understand her state of mind back then. She was luckier than me; she found a new sect and a new path home there, while I have nothing."
Shi Heming asked, "Where is your fiancée?"
Gu Tongguang was silent for a moment, then shook his head, "He has already married into another family."
Shi Heming remained silent, then looked to Song Yin for help, as if he had asked the wrong question.
Song Yin: "How could you have nothing?"
Gu Tongguang: "What else do I have?"
“Cultivation level, youth, and a descendant of the same bloodline.” Song Yin listed his existing resources. “Didn’t you promise to personally teach Xiaoxiao? She’s a little genius. You’ve been to our side, so you must know the importance of acquired comprehension. I don’t think Xiaoxiao is stupid. With proper guidance, her achievements will be no less than those of a Heavenly Spirit Root.”
Song Yin's eyes darted around, noticing the waiter eavesdropping nearby. She flicked her fingertip, creating a protective barrier around the three of them, and then said, "If all else fails, you can come back to the cultivation world with us and join the Immortal Firmament Sect. Our sect's atmosphere isn't the best, but it's not bad either."
Gu Tongguang: "Thank you, but let me think about it some more."
Song Yin didn't pressure him to agree right now, but instead started talking about other things.
"Back then, the Lü family plundered the Gu family completely. Did you plunder the Lü family completely this time?"
Gu Tongguang: "Yes, I didn't leave anyone's storage bag or any spatial artifacts behind. Come upstairs, go to the room and pick something out. You can take anything you like as a token of my gratitude for secretly protecting Xiaoxiao's family these past few days."
The waiter had been eavesdropping, because the customers who arrived later seemed to have a story to tell, though he genuinely didn't understand their conversation. Later, he suddenly realized he couldn't hear them anymore; their mouths were moving, but he couldn't make a sound. Moreover, he couldn't recall the details of what he had overheard. Suddenly, a chill ran down the waiter's spine; he realized why he couldn't hear them.
The three of them were probably all cultivators, which is why they couldn't hear what the others were saying and couldn't remember what they had just heard.
The waiter was so frightened that he immediately went to inform the shopkeeper.
Song Yin and the other two went upstairs to Gu Tongguang's room.
Gu Tongguang first released the storage bags and spatial artifacts he had collected. These alone were not enough to fit on the entire table, and some were even piled up at his feet.
"These are all storage bags and spatial artifacts belonging to low-level cultivators. A quick scan with divine sense will reveal what's inside. Feel free to take any trinkets that interest you. If not, I'll put them away and then bring out the treasures from the Lü family's storeroom for you to choose from."
Song Yin did not refuse Gu Tongguang's kindness; she and Shi Heming both used their divine senses to scan the area.
Song Yin thought there wouldn't be anything good, but one of the storage rings caught her attention. "Hey? The contents of this storage ring seem quite special."
The storage ring wasn't very elaborate; it was just a circle with a gemstone set in it. Song Yin picked it out and erased the original contract mark on it.
Gu Tongguang: "If you find it interesting, it's yours."
Song Yin took out a large box that had attracted her from her storage ring. The box was one meter long and half a meter high, and it was sealed with a second-tier talisman.
She tore off the talisman and opened the box, which contained various mineral materials and the remains of various monsters that could be used as materials for refining weapons. However, none of these concerned Song Yin. What caught her attention was a palm-sized object in the corner of the box.
Song Yin picked it up and examined it from all angles. "There's no mistake, this is it."
Gu Tongguang: "A fragment? What use is it?"
Song Yin: "I don't know either, but I've encountered this in the cultivation world before. I didn't expect it to exist in the Nine Spirits Realm. But how did this thing end up on a member of the Lü family?"
Gu Tongguang recalled the origin of the ring: "At that time, the Lü family had been almost wiped out, but then two more people came. One was the young master of the Lü family, and the other was a follower who was following behind the young master. This ring seems to belong to that follower."
Speaking of murder, Song Yin asked, "Did you erase their souls?"
Gu Tongguang: "No."
Song Yin looked at him in shock, "No?"
Gu Tongguang was puzzled.
Song Yin: "Congratulations, you're in big trouble. You'd better hurry back to the Lü family and see if their souls are still wandering, especially the young master of the Lü family. Otherwise, once the young master's master finds his disciple's soul, you'll be in deep trouble."
Song Yin sighed, noting that Gu Tongguang didn't eliminate the enemy's soul in one fell swoop when killing them.
Shi Heming warned, "If what Yinyin said is true, Gu Hongxin's family may also face danger."
"I... I'm at a loss." Gu Tongguang was at a loss, not expecting that the danger of an undying soul was so great. "I'll go to the Lü family again right away. I'll trouble you two with Xiaoxiao and the others as well."
Gu Tongguang flew out of the window.
Song Yin: "Tsk tsk, killing someone without eliminating the root of the problem is a big no-no."
Just as Song Yin said, when the young master of the Lü family, Master Shangci, arrived at the Lü family, his first thing was to seal off the entire city, and his second thing was to find his disciple's still-dissipating soul in the Lü family.
Through his disciple's soul, Master Shangci directly pinpointed his enemy.
Lu Junxuan's divine sense: "Master, the other party is also a Nascent Soul stage cultivator."
Master Shangci paused, turning back in surprise: "When did your family offend a Nascent Soul cultivator?"
Lu Junxuan's spirit thought: "Disciple doesn't know, it must be someone from the Lu family who offended the other party, and disciple is suffering as a result!"
Master Shangci: "The best course of action now is to first identify who our enemy is, and then I will avenge you. So what if he is only at the Nascent Soul stage? My disciple is not someone he can bully!"
Lu Junxuan's soul exclaimed: "My father! My master is my father! My father must know something about the situation; nothing in the family, big or small, can escape his discerning eyes."
Master Shangci: "Alright, I'm going to find your father's soul."
When Master Shangci returned to the Lü family, all the Lü family's divine souls had vanished. Even though there were other wandering divine souls around when he was retrieving his disciple's soul, how could all the Lü family's divine souls have disappeared in such a short time?
There is only one truth: the murderer has returned and wiped out the entire Lü family's soul, leaving no trace of them!
Lu Junxuan's spirit followed, "Master, have you found it?"
Master Shangci: "The murderer has returned and erased the souls of everyone in your family. Junxuan, now only you know what the murderer looks like. Draw a portrait of the murderer first, and we'll wait, wait, and chase after him!"
Gu Tongguang ran back and forth at extreme speed, and it was already late at night when he returned to the inn.
He also realized his shortcomings; since the souls of those souls did not include the soul of the young master of the Lü family, he must have already been exposed.
However, this trip back wasn't without its rewards.
Gu Tongguang knocked on Song Yin's door.
Not only did Song Yin come out, but Shi Heming also came out after hearing the commotion.
Song Yin: "You're back. How did it go?"
Gu Tongguang: "Just as you said, I didn't see the soul of the young master of the Lü family among those souls. He must have been rescued by True Person Shangci. When I went there, I specifically searched the souls of the young master of the Lü family's followers. The fragment you care about comes from the Youluo Black Corner Region."
"The Dark Corner Region of Youluo, I didn't expect it to be here." Song Yin said thoughtfully, "Thank you, I understand."
Gu Tongguang: "Tomorrow I will first take Gu Hongxin's family to move to a safe place, and then I will wait for Master Shangci to come to our door. What are your plans?"
Being with him would inevitably attract the attention of Master Shangci. Although they had no reason to fear Master Shangci with their strength, they didn't need to get involved in this trouble in the first place.
Song Yin and Shi Heming are the only two close acquaintances that Gu Tongguang can confide in now, and he doesn't want to cause them any trouble.
Song Yin: "I want to go to the Youluo Black Corner Region to find out what the place where the fragments appear is like, and whether there are any new fragments there."
Gu Tongguang: "Then I wish you a safe journey, and I will also keep an eye out for news about the spacetime turbulence."
Shi Heming took out a stack of communication talismans, "Contact me directly if needed."
Gu Tongguang did not refuse his friend's kindness: "Thank you!"
The following day, the three split into two groups.
Gu Tongguang approached Gu Hongxin and briefly explained the whole story to them so they would have a clear understanding before proposing to take them away.
Gu Tongguang: "With me here, you don't need to worry or comfort me."
Gu Hongxin: "With the Ancestor here, we are not afraid." Gu Tongguang is their reassurance; in their eyes, the Nascent Soul Ancestor is omnipotent.
Xiaoxiao didn't quite understand what was happening, but she echoed her father, saying, "With the Ancestor here, there's nothing to fear."
These days, Gu Hongxin and his wife have been telling Xiaoxiao what an ancestor is and what a Nascent Soul cultivator is. In Xiaoxiao's mind, Gu Tongguang has already been considered a member of the family, and even the most powerful person in the family.
As Gu Tongguang listened to her unique childlike voice, he thought of his two younger sisters again. He rubbed Xiaoxiao's head, just like he would coax his own sisters, "The ancestor will protect you and lead you to rebuild the Gu family."
As soon as he finished speaking, Gu Tongguang stopped, his whole body seemingly frozen in place, his mind filled with only one thought: to revitalize the Gu family.
Gu Tongguang's uncertain future suddenly became clear again. One path in his life had suddenly ended, but a new path had appeared on the other side.
After buying a map and finding out the direction of the Youluo Black Corner Region, Song Yin and Shi Heming boarded a flying boat and flew there at a leisurely pace.
Song Yin now has five fragments in total. She takes out all the fragments on the flying boat and tries to piece them together.
Most of the content on the fragments can now be pieced together.
Shi Heming sat next to Song Yin, pressing close to her to examine the contents of the fragment: "It looks like a map? But it doesn't quite feel like one."
Song Yin rested her chin on her hand: "I'm thinking about a question right now. The day we went to the square to watch the excitement, you said that the small spacetime turbulence seemed to be heading straight for us. This fragment gives me the feeling that it's like something in the dark is pushing me to the Nine Spirit Realm. Perhaps from the moment I obtained the first fragment replica at the Alchemist Conference, I was already involved in this cause and effect."
Shi Heming: "So do you think this 'fruit' is good or bad?"
"How would I know if it's good or bad?" Song Yin glanced at him. "Besides, there's such a big seat next to me, is it really necessary to squeeze in with me?"
Shi Heming: ...
Shi Heming moved to the side.
The flying boat traveled into the Youluo Black Corner Region and landed in a spacious place. Then Shi Heming put away the flying boat.
Cultivators can be seen everywhere here, making it even more lively than the day when the sect in Xunxian Town recruited disciples. Different forces from the Nine Spirit Realms are stationed here, all for the sake of the elusive rumors of treasures.
"You two look unfamiliar. Are you here in the Netherworld Black Corner Region to search for treasures?" A male cultivator in the early Foundation Establishment stage, brimming with vitality, suddenly appeared.
Shi Heming reached out to block Song Yin, to prevent this impetuous male cultivator from bumping into her.
Song Yin: "I wouldn't call it treasure hunting, I just came to join in the fun."
The male cultivator's eyes lit up, and he enthusiastically invited, "That's perfect! Would you two like to join our treasure hunting team? Our team is quite strong, and we even have a powerful expert in the early Golden Core stage leading us!"
A bystander scoffed, "Early Golden Core stage? You mean someone who's injured and can't take care of themselves right now? You're just trying to trick people into joining your treasure-hunting team, aren't you?
Exposed, the male cultivator scratched his head awkwardly, "That's true, but we also have several Foundation Establishment cultivators in our team. If you join us, we can gather enough people to go treasure hunting directly."
Song Yin: "Do we need to gather enough people for a treasure hunt?"
Male cultivator: "Yes! At least five people! We have two injured people on our team right now, so we're short two."
Song Yin: "Alright, I'll join you."
Since they're new here, it would be good to have someone familiar with the place explain the local rules to them, and given their cultivation level, they don't need to worry about being scammed.
"Great! Welcome to the sect! Are you disciples?"
"no."
"A scion of a prestigious family?"
"No, we are independent cultivators..." Song Yin and Shi Heming followed the male cultivator to their treasure-hunting team's territory.
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Author's note: At first, the male cultivator only brought two other people along to make up the numbers.
As a result, they found two high-ranking officials [newbies].
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[Empty bowl]
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