Chapter 486: Immortals
The Path to Godhood
That evening, at the best hotel in Ten-Mile City.
After settlingJiu, Luke came into the living room.
"What's wrong? Still thinking about what happened today?"
Linda sighed softly. "Master will be heartbroken if he finds out the current state of the Spirit Void Sect."
"Heartbroken, absolutely. The Spirit Void Sect is what he cares about most," Luke said. He paused, then added helplessly, "But he's heartbroken, so why are you looking like this?"
"Mind your own business," the girl rolled her eyes, then changed the subject. "What are we going to do about Jiu?"
She sympathized with the boy, but sympathy and adoption were two different things. She was only twenty-one and had no interest in looking after a child.
"Take him back and give him to the old man. The mess he made, he has to clean up himself."
This was the most suitable solution. Linda breathed a sigh of relief and asked,
"Luke, tell me, what really happened back then? Why did Master flee overseas and not dare to return for decades?"
"He didn't tell you?"
"No."
"The old man hasn't gotten over that mental hurdle yet."
Luke poured a glass of cold water and drank it as he spoke. "It all goes back to the Tiger Fiend Scripture. When the Scripture appeared, the old man, confident in his martial prowess, went to fight for it, and he actually got his hands on it. Unfortunately, things were far more complicated than he imagined. He killed people during the fighting, more than just one."
"Those opponents, fearing his martial strength, secretly collected criminal evidence and used official power to deal with him. Some factions even pulled strings and spread rumors in the newspapers, solidifying his crimes. China has the death penalty. With the old man's crimes, once he fell into the hands of the police, his head would roll, and the stolen Tiger Fiend Scripture would fall into other hands. He didn't want to die, nor did he want to give up the technique, so he had no choice but to run."
Linda said angrily, "Those people are too shameless. If they couldn't beat him, they resorted to dirty tricks!"
Luke chuckled.
"You can't say that. Strategy is also a form of combat, especially when what they were fighting for was the Tiger Fiend Scripture!"
The girl asked doubtfully, "Is the Tiger Fiend Scripture really that powerful?"
"Of course it's powerful. It's rumored to be a technique that can lead to godhood. You tell me if it's powerful."
"Godhood?"
Linda frowned, completely puzzled.
"What does that have to do with gods?"
Luke explained, "Earth is different from Krypton. Any culture that has existed for a long time has its own pantheon of gods. Most of the figures etched in their myths are fake, but a few are real, such as the Olympian Gods in the West, the Sun God and Feathered Serpent God in the Americas, the African Voodoo Ancient Gods, and the Immortals of China."
"The Chinese divine system is different from other civilizations. It emphasizes the relationship between man and heaven and earth. There are no inherent gods; everyone can become a god. Take True Master of the White Cloud Temple—that old Daoist is not simple. He has already broken away from his physical form and materialized his soul. If he takes another step, he can become the legendary Immortal."
"To become an Immortal, luck, talent, opportunity, and effort are all indispensable. But the most crucial thing is the cultivation technique. Without a technique, no amount of effort will succeed." He paused, his eyes hinting at something.
"You must understand now, right?"
The girl's eyes widened. "Are you saying the Tiger Fiend Scripture is the technique that can turn one into an Immortal?"
"That's the rumor in the martial world. I don't know the specifics. I only know one thing: the Tiger Fiend Scripture is not a good thing."
"How so?"
Luke's smile vanished, and he said solemnly,
"You've been practicing it for so long; you should be able to feel it. This technique is not a Buddhist scripture meant to guide people toward goodness. The deeper you practice, the greater your killing intent becomes. You will slowly lose control of yourself and turn into a fierce tiger that only knows slaughter."
Linda lowered her head, silent. She had indeed felt it. Whenever she used the technique, her eyes would turn blood-red, and an uncontrollable surge of killing intent would erupt from within her.
After a moment of silence, she said in a low voice,
"Since you knew it was wrong, why didn't you stop me?"
Luke smiled and shook his head.
"There was no need for that. You are Kara Zor-El, the girl who once vowed to become the strongest in the universe. If you can't even control the Tiger Fiend Scripture, how can you achieve your wish? I believe in you. You will definitely succeed."
His casual words stirred her emotions. The girl's face flushed crimson, as delicate and charming as a peach blossom.
Luke's eyes were hot, but remembering his "condition," he silently picked up a blanket and covered his legs.
Linda, with her microscopic vision, saw his action instantly. Her face turned even redder, and she fled the living room as if running away.
Luke sighed quietly, walked up to the window, and asked,
"Did you find anything?"
A familiar electronic synthesized voice sounded in his ear—it was A.V.A., whom he hadn't spoken to in a while.
"I have found it."
A virtual screen appeared, showing the scene outside Qiu Yuan's house. Two shadowy figures were stealthily moving into the yard. They talked to Qiu Yuan about something and then left. Ten minutes later, these two appeared outside the hotel, seemingly observing the building's situation.
"So many years have passed, and they still won't give up. Is a technique for achieving immortality really that important?"
As he spoke, a bird descended from the sky, brushed past the necks of the two men, and vanished into the night. The night was seductive, and no one noticed the bodies lying in the grass.
The Unlucky Follower
The next morning, the three left Ten-Mile City and returned to Shanghai. Because of Jiu, Linda couldn't fly back with Luke, so they took a train to the provincial capital and then transferred to a passenger plane.
Shortly after they left, a strongly built, fierce-looking bald man arrived at the food processing plant. Seeing him, Qiu Yuan couldn't help but tremble.
"Brother Qi... Qi... Brother Qi, are you looking for me?"
"Old Lian and Xiao Dong are dead."
"Dead?"
Qiu Yuan's face went white. Old Lian and Xiao Dong were the two men who had asked him about Luke yesterday.
"No way. They were fine when they left yesterday."
"See for yourself."
The bald man pulled out two photos and slapped them onto Qiu Yuan's face. The latter nervously picked up the photos. When he saw the two corpses with their throats slit, his face turned ash-white.
"How is this possible? It wasn't me... really, I didn't do it. I... I really don't know anything about them, Brother Qi. You have to believe me, I have nothing to do with this!"
Qiu Yuan was incoherent, completely panicked.
The bald man knew his character and didn't believe he had the guts for murder.
"Old Lian and Xiao Dong died in the grass outside the hotel. Someone slit their throats with a single cut; they didn't even have a chance to resist. I think you definitely know something."
The bald man stared into his eyes, demanding every word,
"Tell me, who did it?"
Qiu Yuan gave a bitter smile, unsure how to answer. Seeing the bald man's gaze growing fiercer, he could only whisper,
"A pair of young people came to me yesterday. They were from a big city. After they left, Old Lian and Xiao Dong came. I didn't dare hide it, so I told them what happened, and then... and then this happened. Really, I didn't do anything."
The bald man said coldly, "Why did they look for you?"
"That..."
Qiu Yuan hesitated for a moment, then gave a wry smile. "The girl is Lingxu Zi's disciple. She was looking for information about the Spirit Void Sect."
"I knew it!"
The bald man kicked him to the ground. "I knew you were dishonest, kid! Where are they? What are their names?"
"I don't know! They didn't tell me their names. They found out about the Spirit Void Sect and left. They never came back."
The bald man snorted.
"Remember what you said today. If you dare lie to me, I'll break your legs."
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