Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension Chapter 1468 - 794: Where Lies the Other Shore, Mastering the Game (Part 2)
Previously on Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension...
Yet, just a mile short of the Divine Temple, the young woman's frame went rigid all at once, her foot halting sharply in the air like that of a stone carving.
A soft gust swept across the frightened child's cheek, and moments later, the mother and child plunged straight into the earth, vanishing utterly from the world.
No, that's incorrect!
Once "tomorrow" finally came, the mother and child went on living peacefully, while the sole disappearance was that of an Immortal Ruins Guest who perished unrestfully.
Grasping the "killing to unseal" mechanism, Zhao Sheng fully appreciated the idea of "one step first, every step ahead."
As fellow Immortal Ruins Guests remained lost in bewilderment, Zhao Sheng had already unlocked close to ten percent of his Will Heart Light, stretching its influence beyond two hundred zhang.
Should Lin Heng learn of how swiftly his strength surged, regret would surely consume him deeply.
One must remember that amid sprawling Mingxi Town, locating other Immortal Ruins Guests rapidly posed the biggest hurdle for Zhao Sheng and the rest.
Lin Heng never imagined anyone could slay four "Immortal Ruins Guests" in under an hour.
No, not merely four, but five.
Shortly after, an elderly man clad in rough hemp robes rushed over, aiming to slip into the Ten Kings Temple, only to find his body locked motionless in the sky.
This fellow had slain another Immortal Ruins Guest earlier and unlocked a bit of Will, but fate dealt him a cruel hand against a born trickster.
With boundless remorse, he transformed into yet another specter within the Hell Creatures Painting.
After this latest kill, the Will's scope widened further, now spanning five hundred zhang and swallowing up the bulk of Mingxi Town.
Without question, Zhao Sheng stood unchallenged now, barring anyone who might surpass his kill count.
Still, such odds hovered near nothing.
...
With a mere thought, Zhao Sheng soared upward, darting swiftly toward Mingxi Town.
The ten-mile stretch blurred by in an instant.
In a blink, Zhao Sheng materialized high above Mingxi Town, gazing down at the compact settlement beneath, with its streams, curved bridges, narrow lanes, timber homes, and walled yards all laid bare.
As he unleashed his Will Heart Light, an unseen wave rippled out like rippling water in every direction.
Instantly, Su Heihu, a scholarly middle-aged man, a firewood gatherer, a reclusive maiden, a shop-owning middle-ager, and a handful of shady locals all entered his awareness.
Right then, Su Heihu lounged in the main hall, awaiting reports from his underlings. The firewood gatherer stacked logs in the storage, blind to the peril drawing near.
The scholarly man sat in a teahouse, pretending to sip brew and hear tales, while covertly watching those around.
The reclusive maiden lingered in a southwestern alley of the town, stretching to grab a hefty yellow hound.
The hefty yellow hound proved nimble beyond normal, dodging and weaving to slip away time and again.
The shop-owning middle-ager and the other "folks" remained indoors, mimicking flawless townspeople, all while hunting quietly for "tools of death."
Zhao Sheng arched a brow, drifting soundlessly above the Chen Mansion to watch the stirrings below.
At that time, Lin Heng conferred in the study alongside Old Shopkeeper Chen.
Lin Heng kept a polite and friendly air, chatting lightly without a shred of ill will.
Witnessing this, a flicker of murderous resolve sparked in Zhao Sheng's gaze.
Right as he prepared to strike, a strange spiritual flash crossed his thoughts.
Pulling back the deadly glint from his eyes, Zhao Sheng settled in to watch the scene play out quietly.
As expected, soon enough, Old Shopkeeper Chen went still abruptly, his form locked to the seat, breath ceasing forever.
Lin Heng rose, scanned the room, then pulled a Five-Colored Stone, a golden writing brush, and a small bronze bell from the shelf of curios.
Next, he paced around the desk several times, reached the wall, gazed at the artwork mounted there, lifted it off, and rolled the Ancient Painting before slipping it under his arm.
Finishing these steps, Lin Heng strolled leisurely from the study and boldly exited the Chen Mansion.
Servants of the Chen Mansion he passed by en route paid him no mind, oblivious to the live soul brushing right past.
Exiting the Chen Mansion, Lin Heng traversed a stone-arched bridge and stepped into a dwelling on the opposite riverbank.
He quickly located an empty chamber to occupy and set every treasure down on the tabletop.
Throughout this, Lin Heng felt a nagging unease, lifting his gaze multiple times to check the area, yet spotting no oddities.
"Taoist, since you're here, why conceal yourself? Show yourself! I've been waiting for you," Lin Heng snapped, his face clouding over in annoyance as he shouted.
Following his outburst, silence gripped the room; the "Taoist" he addressed gave no hint of emerging.
Lin Heng's doubt deepened; he warily circled the space twice, pushing his Will Heart Light to its limit, but detected zilch.
Only then did he breathe easy, swiveled toward the table, unfurled the Ancient Painting, and scrutinized it with care.
This Yellow Springs Other Shore Painting carried a chilling, somber vibe, portraying a gloomy, shadowed sky over boundless wasteland and deathly soil, a twisting yellow path stretching far off, flanked by bone piles where faint violet blooms sprouted, radiating an eerie essence.
Along the yellow path, throngs of spectral beings jammed the way, howling as they trudged slowly toward the horizon.
The path marked the Yellow Springs Road, the blooms were Other Shore Flowers, yet... where lay the real other shore?
Gazing fixedly, Zhao Sheng felt a wave of profound bewilderment.
Evidently, this riddle troubled Lin Heng too.
He pored over every inch of the painting's features, seeking hints to transcendence.
...
An hour passed, and more than twenty miles beyond the town, burial hills dotted the landscape in every direction, some tombs lacking signs with soil choked by tall weeds, others with weathered stones where etchings had faded, time wiping away names and legacies.
Lin Heng wove through the graves, drawing steadily closer to his goal.
However, he didn't realize another had beaten him to a certain earth hollow.
This spot was the old site of the Nameless tomb from over a millennium back.
Zhao Sheng extended his Will Heart Light, sweeping the hollow and the encircling hundreds of zhang over and over, even delving ten zhang into the soil below.
Yet he uncovered nothing!
For an instant, Zhao Sheng's mind stalled, pondering quietly: Two options exist—either this site's just mundane with zero mysteries, or it hides a profound secret too buried for him to detect.
The latter chance seemed slim, though not entirely ruled out.
With that in mind, Zhao Sheng's murderous urge flared; he yearned to wipe out the remaining Immortal Ruins Guests without mercy.
But in the following moment, he clamped down on the impulse hard.
Just then, Lin Heng reached the earth hollow too, starting to dig and explore.
By dusk's arrival, Lin Heng clambered out of the pit, dirt-caked and looking somewhat dejected.
He eyed the darkening sky, showed a flash of disappointment, then pivoted and departed.
At this sight, Zhao Sheng slipped away discreetly, hastening back to Mingxi Town.
Absent for half a day, the little town's mood had grown heavy and stifling, roads deserted, merchants' doors bolted, lamps few and dim, leaving much of the place in shadow.
It was obvious the string of killings had terrified the majority of locals.
Those deeds fell to none other than Zhao Sheng and the fellow "Immortal Ruins Guests."
Su Heihu, the scholarly middle-ager, the reclusive maiden, and the rest treated the situation like a dire battle, concealing their steps, dreading discovery by rivals.
They had no clue their true natures stood revealed long ago.
Zhao Sheng floated in the air, his Will Heart Light blanketing most of Mingxi Town, tracking every motion of the inhabitants in secret.
Before long, he spotted multiple treasures in their possession with ease.
That said, Zhao Sheng held back from intervening, allowing them to carry on unchecked.
Few could fathom his motives, but Lin Heng would grasp Zhao Sheng's scheme at once.
Mingxi Town gradually sank into night's embrace, its people drifting off to uneasy slumber amid dread.
Certain "individuals" seized the cover of dark to prowl the streets, hunting for leads.
In the process, some "figures" stumbled upon each other by chance, often clashing briefly with strikes, realizing quick kills lay out of reach, so they mutually backed off, resuming their hidden hunts.
None of this slipped past Zhao Sheng's watchful eye.