Chapter 745: Qin Yuan is Dead?
High in the heavens, the bright moon was devoured by black clouds that swirled and layered upon one another like the scales of a colossal dragon. Thick bolts of lightning, like incandescent veins, pulsed and flashed within the oppressive darkness, momentarily illuminating the night with the brilliance of day.
An aura of terrifying and majestic power descended, blanketing the main altar of the Shaman God Cult. It felt as if the world was ending, and a primal panic seized the hearts of nearly everyone present.
"What… what's happening?"
"The heavens are about to unleash their fury! My gods, is this the apocalypse?"
"What's there to be afraid of? We're all martial arts powerhouses! It's just a bit of lightning, isn't it? A bigger thunderstorm, that's all!"
"This isn't just lightning. Look—the Cult Master and that beautiful girl… their expressions have changed."
The disciples of the Shaman God Cult were not the only ones gripped by fear.
Even Yaoyao, the peerless Xiantian Spiritual Corpse, whose beautiful eyes were usually a vacant, unintelligent void, trembled uncontrollably. It was a deep, instinctual fear that connected within her very being.
For a cultivator at the peak of the False Core realm to condense a true Golden Core, they must endure a Lightning Tribulation. Only by undergoing this baptism of heavenly might could they achieve true transformation.
This Xiantian Spiritual Corpse's foundation was a gift from the heavens, sealed in a bronze coffin by the Ancient Corpse Refining Sect and nourished by countless celestial treasures for over a millennium. Her reserves of power were deep, perhaps a hundred times greater than any ordinary False Core cultivator.
With such an astonishing foundation, she would undoubtedly become an invincible existence among her peers should she successfully break through to the Golden Core realm.
However, fortune and misfortune were two sides of the same coin. The Lightning Tribulation she had to overcome was, in turn, terrifying beyond all measure.
A typical Golden Core Lightning Tribulation might cover an area of ten li. But at this moment, the layered black clouds roiling high above stretched for at least a hundred li.
"Such overwhelming heavenly might…" Wu Shenyun's peerlessly beautiful face was turned toward the sky, her phoenix eyes narrowed with extreme solemnity. "I fear that when this lightning falls, no living creature will survive within a hundred-li radius."
Within the churning cloud cover, the bolts of lightning grew thicker and brighter, twisting and coiling like nascent purple flood dragons. If they were to strike, the devastating power they would unleash was impossible to imagine.
Wu Shenyun's first instinct was to flee, to escape the oppressive shadow of the black clouds. This terrifying lightning was even more dreadful than the beautiful, empty-eyed girl who had emerged from the bronze coffin.
But!
Wu Shenyun's gaze fell upon Shen Anyu, who stood not far away. Biting her red lip, she clutched her bamboo flute tighter, her jade-like hand trembling slightly, and remained rooted to the spot.
If Shen Anyu wasn't leaving, then neither would she.
'If this Xiantian Spiritual Corpse, Yaoyao, passes her tribulation, she might just be invincible in the Golden Core realm,' Shen Anyu mused, a flicker of interest in his eyes as he watched the terrifying storm clouds gather. 'But it's highly unlikely she'll be able to pass a tribulation of this magnitude.'
"This lightning is quite the spectacle, don't you think?" Shen Anyu's voice was slow and casual as he turned to Qin Yuan, a faint smile playing on his lips. He spoke as if they were two old friends enjoying a pleasant chat.
Meanwhile, Qin Yuan stood frozen, a gaping, hollow wound blasted through his chest. No blood flowed from the cauterized, scab-like flesh. The edges were scorched black, and his internal organs were utterly shattered.
He stared blankly at Shen Anyu's handsome, smiling face, his own expression one of pure, uncomprehending shock.
How is this possible?
How could Shen Anyu be here?
How could he have seized such a perfect opportunity to deliver a fatal blow?
[Ding! The Child of Destiny, Qin Yuan, has suffered a massive mental shock. Plundering +99,999 Destiny Value!]
[Ding! The Child of Destiny, Qin Yuan, is doubting his own existence. Plundering +99,999 Destiny Value!]
[Ding! The Child of Destiny, Qin Yuan, has suffered grievous injuries and his physical body has been destroyed. Plundering +1,000,000 Destiny Value!]
…
Qin Yuan simply could not believe his eyes.
How could it be Shen Anyu?
He had imagined his attacker might be one of Wu Shenyun's hidden allies, or perhaps some passing powerhouse—which was already an incredible thought. After all, how many Land Immortals could there possibly be?
But he had never, not even in his wildest nightmares, expected it to be Shen Anyu.
Shen Anyu shouldn't be here!
According to the memories of his past life, Shen Anyu and Wu Shenyun weren't supposed to meet for another year. That was when the Shaman God Cult would undergo a massive expansion, clash with Yanxia's Shen Clan for some unknown reason, and Wu Shenyun would finally catch Shen Anyu's attention.
Could this be the butterfly effect? A change brought about by his rebirth?
That shouldn't be possible. Since his rebirth, Qin Yuan had gone straight to the inheritance grounds of the Ancient Corpse Refining Sect. He had used the elixirs there to cultivate, and only after achieving a measure of success did he venture out to secretly dig graves and steal corpses.
The sneak attack on Shen Anyu had been his very first move.
How could Shen Anyu have found him?
In Qin Yuan's mind, Shen Anyu shouldn't even know who had attacked him.
Could it be? During that single ambush, had Shen Anyu somehow uncovered a clue that led back to him?
An icy dread, colder than any winter, snaked its way up Qin Yuan's spine. He had already tried to overestimate Shen Anyu, but he now realized the man was far more terrifying than he had ever imagined.
He had struck at the most critical moment, just as Qin Yuan was focusing all his efforts on manipulating the Xiantian Spiritual Corpse, Yaoyao—the instant his guard was at its absolute lowest. The timing was flawless.
This was no recent arrival. Shen Anyu had been lurking here for a long time, patiently waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Was it possible? Even after reliving his life, was he still destined to be defeated and killed by Shen Anyu?
Qin Yuan had briefly considered the possibility that Shen Anyu was also a reincarnator, but he had dismissed it. If Shen Anyu had been reborn, he would have made a move against him long ago, not waited until today.
It had to be the last sneak attack. Shen Anyu must have found a thread to pull, or perhaps he had simply been too careless.
In a way, Qin Yuan's guess was correct. Shen Anyu was not a reincarnator. And he had indeed found clues from that last attack. Otherwise, just knowing the title of "Jing River Corpse Fisher" from Long Hao would have made it nearly impossible to find detailed information on Qin Yuan.
Regret, sharp and bitter, flooded Qin Yuan. If he had known, he would have risked Yaoyao being struck by lightning to kill Shen Anyu at any cost.
But now… there was still a chance to rectify his mistake.
Qin Yuan's eyes blazed with a ferocious light, filled with resentment and fury as he glared at Shen Anyu, who simply smiled back at him.
"Shen Anyu… even as a ghost, I will not let you go!"
His voice was a frigid rasp, seeming to crawl forth from the depths of the netherworld.
The next moment, Qin Yuan's body collapsed to the ground with a dull thud. His breath was gone.
He was dead.
He was a corpse.
After all, with a pierced heart and shattered organs, becoming a corpse was a perfectly normal outcome, wasn't it?
In reality, his soul lay dormant within the lifeless shell of his body, hidden from Shen Anyu's senses.
'Playing dead? This Qin Yuan is quite an interesting character…' Shen Anyu nearly laughed aloud.
This Child of Destiny was truly one of a kind.
"Yaoyao, kill him!" A flicker of hesitation crossed Qin Yuan's soul, but it was instantly replaced by ruthless resolve. He activated his art, his Divine Sense surging as he commanded the Xiantian Spiritual Corpse to attack Shen Anyu.
In just a few breaths, Yaoyao could tear Shen Anyu to shreds. There should be just enough time to recall her into the bronze coffin before the tribulation lightning struck.
Qin Yuan's spiritual form wore an expression of grim determination. He was deeply reluctant to let Yaoyao be struck by the tribulation; he hadn't even been willing to bring her out during his previous attack on Shen Anyu. But things had come to this. He had no other choice.
His physical body had been destroyed by Shen Anyu's ambush, but his soul was still that of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Though damaged, it retained a measure of its power.
Besides, this might even be a blessing in disguise. What if… what if he could kill Shen Anyu right here and now?
[Akarin's Note:
Enjoying the story? Dropping a quick review, comment, or Power Stone means the world to me and keeps these daily updates flowing!
Want to read 50 chapters ahead or just want to help keep a shameless translator alive? (My livelihood actually depends on this, haha 😭). You can support me directly here:
(P.S. Just remove the brackets and replace the [.] with a regular dot . to use the links!)
✨ Patreon (50 Advanced Chapters): patreon[.]com/AkarinTL
☕ Ko-fi (Support / Sponsor): ko-fi[.]com/AkarinTL
🔗 All My Links: linktr[.]ee/AkarinTL
Thank you so much for reading and keeping this project alive!]