Immortality begins with Swallowing the Stars.

Chapter 81 Murder on a Rainy Night

For the first time, Lu Jing felt a sense of "every sip and every bite is preordained".

He killed the Ying clan members in Qin King City and obtained the human skin cloth that carried the true meaning of the "Heavenly Emperor's Divine Mirror".

Because the twelve illustrations of the "Heavenly Emperor's Divine Mirror" were too profound for Lu Jing at the time, he could not fully comprehend them all at once, so he buried them underground before returning.

However, someone unearthed it ahead of time, and a genius learned profound swordsmanship from it, establishing the Ten Thousand Swords Tower.

When Lu Jing returned to the Nine Cauldrons Chronicles for the second time, the body he possessed was that of the successor of the Master of Ten Thousand Swords Pavilion.

Lu Jing was at a loss for words, feeling both amused and exasperated.

"Fate... or the mysterious gate..."

As Lu Jing lamented the unpredictability of fate, Elder Mei was already preparing to ignite the "Ten Thousand Swords Diagram".

"All of you, leave the temple! Retreat at least ten miles away. I will leave the 'Ten Thousand Swords Diagram' here before I leave with my disciples. Otherwise, I will burn the diagram, and none of you will get a single fragment!"

"You can only retreat one mile at most! Go ahead and burn the Ten Thousand Swords Diagram if you dare!"

Cao Shilong, the burly deputy leader of the Wood Dragon Gang, sneered, while giving Han Tongming a wink.

Although the gang leader speculated that the "Ten Thousand Swords Diagram" was a rare treasure, what if it could be ignited? Even if this guy surnamed Mei was torn to pieces, all the hard work and deaths of the Wood Dragon Gang would be in vain.

Of course, in addition to obtaining the "Ten Thousand Swords Diagram" intact, these remnants of the Ten Thousand Swords Pavilion must also not be let go.

Especially that boy named Zhou Yao.

They are born with all their meridians open; if they are let go, it's like releasing a tiger back into the mountains.

Whether one can become a master of innate strength is uncertain, but given time, there is a great possibility that one will be renowned on the list of powerful figures.

Ideally, you should snatch them away, brainwash them, and then train them after they return to the Heartwood Dragon Gang.

If we cannot capture them alive, we must eliminate them completely.

"I said ten miles, so it's ten miles!" Mei Changhu's eyes widened, and the lit fire was only a hair's breadth away from the Ten Thousand Swords Diagram.

The more assertive and forceful Elder Mei became, the more desperate he felt, his heart aching as if it were being torn apart.

"As long as I live, the legacy of the Ten Thousand Swords Pavilion must never be broken. If it really comes to the worst... Zhou Yao must be saved. Ying'er... Grandpa is sorry for you..."

Elder Mei had already prepared to flee with Zhou Yao if the situation turned bad.

"Alas, Elder Mei, the Ten Thousand Swords Diagram cannot be ignited by ordinary flames."

A voice echoed in Elder Mei's ears, as if someone were whispering in his ear.

"Nonsense! How could I not know?!" Elder Mei roared inwardly, then was suddenly filled with horror.

"Who?!" Elder Mei turned around and met Lu Jing's eyes, which shone like stars in the dim firelight.

Transmitting sound and hearing sounds from miles away are just minor tricks for Lu Jing. His "god" can manipulate the power of heaven and earth to simulate the vibrations of sound into other people's ears.

Amid Elder Mei's shock, Lu Jing stepped out and with a flick of his wrist drew a three-foot-long sword from his waist.

"Was I too shocked and careless to react?" Elder Mei's pupils dilated.

For a swordsman like him, who had wielded the sword for decades and almost regarded it as part of his body, it was simply unimaginable that his sword had been snatched away by this young man.

Lu Jing, carrying a three-foot-long sword, walked lazily to the center of the temple, dragging it diagonally across the ground without any discernible gait.

It's like a child who has never practiced martial arts before, holding a sword for the first time.

His loose-fitting clothes, somewhat messy hair, exposed skin, mud and dust on his face—his disheveled appearance made people laugh.

But those bright, star-like eyes made Cao Shilong and Han Tongming momentarily dazed.

It was as if they saw the stars in the night sky, an endless maze, a terrifying vortex, making it impossible for the two to look away once their eyes met.

Lu Jing ran his finger along the blade.

"It's a fine sword..."

"What kind of sorcery!" Cao Shilong was the first to snap out of his daze and shouted coldly, "Attack!"

Lu Jing sighed. He had simply failed to control the overflowing power of his 'divine' energy.

"Looks like I should really work on my concealment techniques..."

As Lu Jing muttered to himself, he loosely thrust his sword forward.

"Watch out!" Elder Mei drew a sword from behind his granddaughter Mei Xiaoying and was about to step forward to block Cao Shilong.

"What kind of moves are they? Does this kid even know how to use a sword...?"

Just as Cao Shilong was about to laugh at himself for making such a big fuss, he was horrified to find that the sword tip, which seemed slow, had already eerily pierced right in front of him the moment he had the thought that it was laughable.

Cao Shilong only had time to hold the back of his knife in front of him.

The tip of the sword seemed to be trembling, as if it were clumsily bearing some enormous weight.

But then a tremendous force came from the back of the blade, which horrified Cao Shilong.

"Such immense power..."

The force transmitted from the tip of the sword was even stronger than the force of his full-force internal energy release!

Taking advantage of the momentum from being knocked back by that powerful force, Cao Shilong retreated repeatedly, and in the blink of an eye, he had retreated all the way to the temple gate.

But the sword tip followed him like a shadow, like a leech clinging to his bone, making it difficult for him to shake off his disadvantage and regain the initiative.

"Damn it! How could I let this kid..."

Cao Shilong was already a first-class martial artist ten years ago, and even had the potential to be ranked on the Earthly Ranking in the future. However, he was forced to this point by a boy who was only ten years old. His vicious thoughts erupted from the bottom of his heart, and he was about to forcefully unleash his ultimate move to kill him.

Although the boy's explosive power was slightly stronger than his, it wasn't overwhelming. His techniques and combat experience were definitely not as good as his.

But it was this barely perceptible pause.

A gentle breeze brushed past his throat.

The longsword, gleaming coldly, pierced his throat completely.

"How could it be so fast..." Cao Shilong collapsed to the ground, clutching his bleeding throat.

In the blink of an eye, Cao Shilong, the vice leader of the Wood Dragon Gang and a first-rate martial artist, lost his life.

Han Tongming, who was only a fraction of a second later than Cao Shilong, had just drawn his sword when he saw Cao Shilong fall to the ground. Then a cold light flashed before his eyes, and his throat went cold.

After dealing with Han Tongming, who was momentarily stunned by his awe, Lu Jing finally breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Although Han Tongming is not as good as Cao Shilong, he is still a first-class martial artist who has acquired his skills.

Then, Lu Jing watched as dozens of members of the Wooden Dragon Gang, startled by the sudden and unexpected turn of events outside the temple gate, angrily rushed in.

He held the sword horizontally across his chest and flicked it lightly with his index finger.

A clear, sharp sword cry swept across the area with the howling wind outside.

Dozens of people were stunned and somewhat lost in thought.

Lu Jing burst forth like a dragon, reaping lives amidst the night's wind and rain with streaks of lightning-like cold light.

"Run!"

"Don't kill me..."

In an instant, dozens of members of the Wood Dragon Gang lost their will to fight and scattered and fled.

Lu Jing suddenly frowned, as if he had run out of strength and stopped, using his sword to support his body and wiping away the blood that had spilled from the corner of his mouth.

"Manipulating the power of heaven and earth does indeed have a significant backlash..."

"Stop chasing!"

Elder Mei glanced at the seven or eight swordsmen fleeing in the rainy night and asked with concern, "Ah...Ah Yao, are you injured?"

"I'm fine."

Lu Jing shook his head, looking at Elder Mei, whose expression of shock had not yet faded, and the senior brothers and sisters who had chased after them with bewildered looks: "Elder Mei, let's go back."

"Go back? Go back where?"

"Ten Thousand Swords Tower!"

Lu Jing looked up at the crescent moon revealed by the wind blowing away the dark clouds, his eyes shining brightly.

"Ten Thousand Swords Tower... Interesting. Since it is fate, then I shall accept it."

……

The sun blazed overhead.

On the road leading to Huacheng in Xuyang County, a carriage bumped along.

A kind-hearted young man was driving two horses in front of the carriage.

Four people squeezed into the spacious carriage behind them, but it didn't feel crowded.

"This is the most prized possession of my Ten Thousand Swords Pavilion. The pavilion master said it was unearthed along with the Ten Thousand Swords Map."

Elder Mei carefully untied the wrapped strips of cloth, revealing an exquisite short sword hidden inside.

Although Lu Jing had expected this, he was still somewhat speechless.

This short sword was the spoils of war he obtained when he last traveled through the world of Nine Cauldrons and killed the Qin King's son of the Ying clan.

This sword can cut through iron like mud; it is definitely a top-quality sword.

If Lu Jing hadn't consumed the Black Fire Spirit Root, making his physical strength twice that of Ying Muyu, and hadn't been a master of internal martial arts, he might not have been able to kill Ying Muyu.

Lu Jing took the short sword and then threw the so-called "Ten Thousand Swords Diagram" in his hand to his senior sister Mei Xiaoying, who had been eyeing the "human skin" with longing.

Elder Mei couldn't control herself and glared at Lu Jing.

How could one treat such a treasured artifact so casually, and then give it away to another disciple... even one's own granddaughter?

Elder Mei judged that Lu Jing must have practiced other martial arts manuals before entering the Ten Thousand Swords Tower, and even unimaginable divine skills—although he had not detected any internal energy in Lu Jing's body before, and his body was not strong, but rather weak.

But he was, after all, just a martial artist who had acquired his skills later in life, and his knowledge was limited. There were so many divine skills and secret manuals in the world, and for a moment his mind couldn't quite grasp the idea of ​​"reincarnation" or "demonic arts."

They were even more convinced that Lu Jing was the future hope of Wan Jian Lou.

After all, they had already killed the deputy leader of the Wood Dragon Gang and so many of its members, so even if they wanted to sever ties with the Ten Thousand Swords Tower, it would be useless.

Lu Jing shook his head and said, "Ordinary people can't understand this Ten Thousand Swords Diagram."

To be precise, only those with innate strength can generally grasp the artistic conception from a picture.

It just goes to show how fast things change.

Lu Jing deliberately buried the "Heavenly Emperor's Divine Mirror" so that he could continue to study it if he had the chance to return.

But now he has returned to the world of Nine Cauldrons, and the Heavenly Emperor's Divine Mirror is now fully revealed to him through his "divine" power.

He could even tell that the twelve pictures on the cloth were not complete, and that the highest level was only the Void Realm.

At a higher level, the cultivation method of refining the power of heaven and earth to generate the power of the world is not included.

For him now, the "Heavenly Emperor's Divine Mirror" is just a reference. After all, Lu Jing's goal is to become the strongest, so he naturally cannot follow the divine secret manual to cultivate.

Lu Jing was suddenly startled, a sense of joy rising in his heart, as if the power of the Xun wind between heaven and earth was responding to him.

After these few days, his "spirit" has finally completely merged with the power of the Xun wind, and every strand of his "spirit" now contains the characteristics of the Xun wind.

He has truly reached the realm of "divine harmony with heaven and earth".

From then on, his "god" did not need to be consumed in the slightest, and he could maintain a domain that spanned fifty miles around him at any time.

Of course, the power he could use was much greater than it had been in the old locust temple the night before.

(End of this chapter)