Chương 9: EVIL GRANDPA
A while ago.
In the endless darkness, everything was engulfed in pitch-black shadows.
Only a few heaps of spiritual materials were scattered around, sealed away in separate rooms like an array.
The formations coiled around them like chains, each one layered with eerie restrictions, making the whole place feel suffocating and sinister.
Deep in one of these hidden spaces, a faint golden light flickered, barely holding on.
When said, It sounded like some kind of forbidden land, but in reality, this was the sealed space of Yu Shangrong's spatial ring.
A place so tightly sealed that his consciousness couldn't break through, nor did Xue Lian's, nor Zhao Yumu noticed it, neither the Ye Clan nor the Long Wei.
It was shrouded in such secrecy, but at this moment...
A pair of ghostly white eyes, empty and lifeless, snapped open...
"Ahah… Hahaha! Whahaha! Huhaahaahaa!!!"
Then, a bone-chilling laugh tore through the silence.
The figure of an old man gradually emerged from the darkness.
He was withered, nothing more than a translucent silhouette of a soul body. Strands of white hair framed his gaunt, nonexistent face.
"After all these years… All these wretched, god-forsaken years, I'm free! Free to avenge the shame… and settle the blood debts of a lifetime!"
"Hahahaha!! Ahaha! Whahaaaha!!"
He laughed again, like a madman lost in a moment of twisted ecstasy.
He floated back and forth, confined within his tiny prison, his body flickering as he struggled to keep his shape intact.
It was clear, this man was nothing more than a dying remnant of a fearsome soul.
Even in his decrepit state, his eyes gleamed like a beast that had just tasted freedom once more.
"Righteous dogs… None of you could've imagined this! That I, the Poison God, Je Ming, have survived through the ages! I'll return to this world…"
"And one day, I'll watch your miserable sects and holy lands burn in my Four Cobra Poison Art!"
Poison Heaven, better known as Poison God Je Ming, was the former third elder of the Extreme Demon Sect.
His name was no stranger---it had once struck fear throughout the western wilderness like a plague.
From the Glory Mountain Range in the west to the Chaos Star Sea in the east, and from the Frozen Palace in the north to the Heaven Swallowing Pavilion in the south, there wasn't a monk in the western wilderness who didn't know the calamity he had brought upon the world.
There were countless human cities he had refined in his Chaos Bell, and many souls he had slaughtered to fuel his power.
Ask any monk, even children who've heard the old tales, and they'd speak of the terror Poison God Je Ming unleashed a thousand years ago.
Back then, his cultivation was only at the Transformation Stage, but his true weapon was poison.
Deadly poisons---each more terrifying than the last.
His most infamous creations were the Four Cobra and the dreaded Red Chaos Poison, concoctions so potent that he used them to kill a Saint-level powerhouse through sheer scheming, a feat that shocked the entire world.
Now, after centuries of silence, the master of poisons was returning to the mainland.
But soon, his laughter ceased when he sensed something, a presence so powerful that he couldn't confront it in his current form.
'What is this presence…?!'
He thought, a chill creeping through him.
Then he recalled that his spatial ring was no ordinary artifact.
It was the treasure he had discovered long ago, paired with his Soul Refining Chao Bell.
This emperor-grade weapon was designed for concealment, making it extraordinarily difficult for anyone below emperor realm to detect.
Reassured, he dared to expand his consciousness outward, his vision sweeping through the endless void around him.
Outside, a young man stood on the deck of a magnificent flying boat.
Yu Shangrong was pale, his demeanor calm, but a hidden bitterness still lurked in his eyes.
Beside him stood two ethereal beauties clad in blue and white robes.
One of them, a peerless woman with crystalline eyes, was Elder Xue Lian.
"Ye Chen, it may not seem fitting for a sect as prestigious as ours to act this way, but now that it has come to this, we also feel guilty for breaking our vows."
Je Ming watched the scene unfold.
'So, the boy's name is Ye Chen… and she...her aura even makes me feel threatened. Who is she…?.
"However, because of your noble character, I won't send you away empty-handed. Take this fragment of the God-Killing Knife as compensation."
She waved her hand, and a jagged black shard appeared, its dark aura radiating waves of malevolent power. Even from his hidden vantage point, Je Ming shuddered involuntarily.
'The God-Killing Knife… what is this...'
He narrowed his eyes, focusing on the boy they called Ye Chen. The lad looked pitiful, barely able to stand on the boat. This was clearly his prey, and witnessing his weakness brought a twisted sense of satisfaction to the old monster.
"Elder Xue… there's no need for such a gift. I—"
"Nonsense!"
The woman's gaze sharpened, cutting off his protest. "You'll accept it, whether you want to or not. And… you can leave now."
"Leave?!"
The boy's eyes widened in shock, but before he could voice another word, Zhao Yumu, the maiden of the Frozen Palace, flicked her sleeve dismissively.
"Ye Chen, Aunt Xue and I are not going to Red Squirrel City. Also....don't worry; you won't die just from this…"
And then, a blast of wind erupted, sending Ye Chen hurtling off the deck like a discarded piece of trash.
"Ahh! You… You… You beautiful women!"
Soon, His voice faded as he plummeting through the sky, the world spinning aroud him.
When the boy was falling, the old man inside the ring was equally bewildered.
That...
How could?
A strange flying knife had managed to penetrate an emperor-grade weapon and reach its deepest core, not far from where he was hiding.
'What kind of artifact is this?! It breached my ring without my permission…'
He gritted his teeth, eyes flaring with a venomous glint.
If not for the restrictions he had imposed on himself, the broken knife would be able to sense him, which was strange.
Because of this, even though the woman and her group had left, he still dared not act recklessly.
But the most shocking thing was when the fragment of the unknown knife reacted, and the ring began to draw droplets of blood from the boy, resonating with something deep within him, siphoning his golden blood.
"That bloodline… It can't be!"
A wave of shock coursed through Je Ming.
"This… the bloodline of the human Emperor… excellent. Hahaha! What a delightful discovery! A boy like him would surely crumble under such heavy burdens at this tender age."
"Whhahaha! Whahahah!"
"I must not allow this to happen before my eyes. As an elder, it is my duty to free him from this weight… saving the world? Let that folly fall to grandpa."
"This responsibility belongs to me alone, for that, I will seize control of his body. I shall claim the blood of the human Emperor as my own."
."
While the old figure in the room reveled in ecstasy, the boy continued to plummet.
The man inside the ring could have saved him, but he deemed it unwise.
He believed that only by giving charcoal in the snow could he gain the boy's trust, and it was a crucial step for what he intended to do next.
At present…
"But on one condition--- that you must accept to become my disciple."
The sky above was clear, but the atmosphere had long turned darker and oppressive.
Three bald-headed figures in black robes....
Elder Pun Zi...
Junior Huang Fa...
And junior Lao Gu..
Circled Yu Shangrong in an instant...
Even though...
With their strength, killing him outright wouldn't be difficult...
But as the Abbot had always preached...
Be humble...
And never overestimate oneself...
And obviously never underestimate someone who appears weak.
Nevertheless, the monks glared at Yu Shangrong with burning intensity, their hands itching to tear him apart.
Their stances projected only one intent: to kill the bastard who dared refuse their demand for donations.
"Grandpa, grandpa! You're here! Hahaha… You really need to raise your standards for picking me."
Finally, the grandfather in the ring had woken up.
He had been searching for something to lean on for so long, but this time, the old man looked a bit darker, and that worried him.
Unlike the stories he had read, this man wasn't the cheerful, middle-aged figure betrayed by a colleague.
He seemed like someone who had betrayed countless innocents.
There was something creepy about him that as a former spy he couldn't ignore, but even if Yu Shangrong knew he had to play along.
Even so, for now, he felt grateful to be rescued.
The monks exchanged confused glances, watching the young man babble like a madman.
On the other hand, Yu Shangrong's smile widened as if everything was unfolding according to plan.
"I'm willing to become your disciple! No, let's not stop there. If you help me out of this mess, I'll even call you my godfather!"
Meanwhile, The monks' confusion deepened as they looked at Yu Shangrong, as if he was spouting the ravings of a lunatic.
But Yu Shangrong wasn't done.
"If… If I had a mother, I'd betroth her to you! Make you my real daddy… Just save me this once, godfather!"
Huang Fa grimaced, his face contorting in disgust.
"What's wrong with this guy? Talking to thin air like a lunatic… and spouting such nonsense. Is he trying to summon some devil?"
"Delusional fool,"
Lao Gu sneered...
"There's no bigger devil than us. Fellow devotees, looks like the pressure finally broke him. He's trying to escape reality by pretending there's some savior out there."
But as they mocked and jeered, a faint, bone-chilling chuckle echoed through the air.
"Hahaha… this boy… so filial to the core," said the malevolent voice.
It seemed to come from nowhere, yet it resonated in the ears of everyone present. It was Je Ming, the Poison God.
The monks stiffened, eyes widening as they realized they weren't imagining things.
Je Ming's broken form flickered faintly, concealed within the spatial ring. His gaze locked onto Yu Shangrong, scrutinizing him with the patience of a predator.
"Such shamelessness… this brat really knows no bottom line. But I can't let this body perish. If I'm to seize him in the future, I'll have to ensure he survives---for now."
Pun Zi's expression hardened.
"Who—who's there? Show yourself!"
"Show myself? You insects dare demand such things?"
Then, a terrifying aura erupted around Yu Shangrong—an aura belonging to a powerful man at the peak of the Transformation Realm.
Unlike when the three monks released their pitiful auras, this time the impact was far greater, causing the forest for miles around to wither.
Every creature, even the leaves, turned black.
Je Ming had long achieved the state of the perfect Poison Body, which also affected his soul.
If not for the Human Emperor bloodline's natural resistance to evil, Yu Shangrong's soul would have vanished long ago.
Je Ming was using seventy percent of his soul power, wanting Yu Shangrong to understand just how powerful his master was, setting the stage to deceive him in the future.
Nonetheless, the aura crashed down on the monks like a mountain, forcing them to their knees, their bodies sinking into the mud despite the absence of rain.
"What—what is this?!"
"This aura… it's…!"
The monks' eyes widened in horror as a figure materialized behind Yu Shangrong.
Half-transparent, his body shrouded in a murky, greenish mist, stood the ghostly form of an ancient old man.
Je Ming, the Poison God, had revealed himself.
"You dare threaten my… disciple?" l
His mere words sent ripples of shockwave cascading through the surroundings, causing trees to tremble and the earth to crack.
"Impossible… This—this aura…!"
Pun Zi's face contorted in terror. He tried to rise, to flee, but found his body paralyzed under the sheer weight of Je Ming's killing intent.
"You worms dare lay a finger on what belongs to me?"
"Senior, we're also evil cultivators…"
"Senior, it was our mistake that made things difficult for us…"
"We're all demonic cultivators, so…"
The three monks had long lost their demeanor and were now begging frantically.
"Presumption! Who is a demonic cultivator? I have served righteousness for as long as I can remember!"
Je Ming's anger flared even more at their desperation.
With a wave of his hand, a surge of purple poisonous qi exploded outward, a torrent of venomous energy that swallowed the monks whole.
Their screams were cut off and their bodies disintegrated on the spot, turned to dust in an instant. Not even their souls escaped.
Yu Shangrong blinked, his face still frozen in the same smile.
"Uh… G-godfather?"
Je Ming's ghostly form hovered above him, flickering with an almost paternalistic pride.
"Brat, you're lucky I find you amusing. But remember… you owe me. One day, I'll collect."
"Of course, godfather! Whatever you say."
Je Ming's form faded as he sank back into the depths of the ring.
"Hmph. For now, just stay alive… brat. These people have many valuable things that can help you heal your meridians and spiritual roots. Take everything you see, especially that red rose."
"Yes, Grandpa… Do you know where the east is?"
With that, the forest returned to its calm state, and all the creatures that had been planning to attack Yu Shangrong now regarded him as a taboo existence that should not be touched.
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