Artifact Chapter 52: Fireflies

Chapter 52: Fireflies

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

 

Yun Luan’s soul slowly dissipated in the air, tiny golden lights floating around, as if countless fireflies were swirling around Kunlai Mountain, stunning everyone.

Countless disciples of Kunlai fell to their knees, tears streaming down their cheeks, mourning sounds echoing one after another. No one could accept this pain.

One of the disciples, crying and angry, shouted at Ming Duo, “It’s all your fault! If it weren’t for you, Master wouldn’t have left us like this! Even his soul was shattered by your hands. Rebirth has become a luxury. The failure of Ming House is not solely Master’s fault. How could you be so ruthless?”

Ming Duo’s eyes became hollow, as if he had lost the last straw. He stared blankly at the spot where Yun Luan had disappeared, his face expressionless.

The disciples poured all their grief for their lost Master onto Ming Duo, standing up one after another, wanting to step forward and kill him. Lu Ming used his spiritual energy to push them back several meters and then said coldly, “Did you forget what Master said before his passing? No one is allowed to harm Ming Duo. Anyone who dares to disobey will be killed.”

The disciples still couldn’t accept it, saying, “But…”

“No buts.” Fu Chen immediately interrupted, his eyes as cold as ice, devoid of any warmth. He said coldly, “By the order of the Sect Leader, who dares not to comply? If anyone dares to mention this matter again, they will be punished for defying the master’s command.”

The crowd fell silent at his words, not daring to say anything more, only withdrawing their gazes, standing still with sorrowful expressions, evidently still immersed in the pain of losing their Sect Leader.

At this moment, Ming Duo, who had been standing still and unresponsive for a long time, suddenly burst into laughter. His laughter contained too many emotions, making everyone feel a chill, exchanging puzzled glances.

Ming Duo suddenly stopped laughing, and a strange black mist began to emanate from him. The mist grew thicker, enveloping him entirely, obscuring his expression.

Ming Duo smirked, extending his hand as the black mist flowed from his palm towards the sky, quickly covering the entire area, appearing eerie and mysterious. He chuckled and said, “Do you think your death can resolve the centuries of hatred I hold? You’re gravely mistaken.”

Ming Duo’s voice became even colder, his face devoid of color, blood tears streaming from his eyes at some point, contrasting against his pale cheeks, a horrifying sight. The golden light transformed from Yun Luan’s soul was gradually consumed by the terrifying black mist, dragging the entire Kunlai into boundless darkness. Even the birds and beasts seemed to be deterred by the black mist, retreating to their nests like frightened birds, not daring to come out again.

“You once predicted that the Ming family would destroy the world. If I don’t make this prophecy come true, wouldn’t it be a betrayal to the hundreds of lost souls who died under the saber of the Ming family?” Ming Duo’s voice, like a ghost from hell, drifted in the dark night, low but seemingly omnipresent. “If I don’t let this prophecy become reality, wouldn’t it be a betrayal to the Ming family who perished under the saber?”

As the golden light was completely absorbed by the black mist, Ming Duo retracted the mist and chuckled softly, “I will let you witness with your own eyes how the entire Cultivation World will perish because of my efforts alone.”

With that, a violent surge of spiritual energy rushed towards everyone from Ming Duo. Caught off guard, everyone involuntarily took several steps back. When they looked again, Ming Duo had disappeared into thin air, as if no one had been there from the beginning.

Lu Ming shouted angrily at where Ming Duo had been, “Ming Duo, how far are you going to go before you’re satisfied?”

The only response to Lu Ming was a faint breeze that swept toward him and soon quieted down.

Fu Chen, sensing the situation, infused his surroundings with spiritual energy to search for Ming Duo’s presence. However, in the next moment, his face changed drastically. “Not good! Ming Duo has absorbed all the thousands of scattered souls of the Sect Leader.”

Lu Ming was shocked and asked, “What does that mean?”

Fu Chen’s expression was grave. “When the Sect Leader passed away, he turned his soul into thousands of pieces, scattered all over Kunlai. Not only could it make the spiritual energy of Immortal Mountain more abundant, but it could also form a huge protective barrier to block demons and monsters. It seems the Sect Leader was worried about Kunlai’s safety after his departure, so he chose this method. But just now, Ming Duo destroyed centuries of cultivation with the Ghost Technique, absorbing all these thousands of souls.”

Lu Ming asked, “So you mean all the Sect Leader’s cultivation and merits have been transferred to Ming Duo’s body?”

Fu Chen frowned. “That’s what I can’t figure out. Ming Duo is a ghost cultivator, while the Sect Leader is an orthodox cultivator. Their cultivation not only cannot be converted, but it will also clash and cancel out within the body, and it’s possible for the soul to scatter. The chance of compatibility is probably only one in ten thousand. I don’t know why he did this.”

Lu Ming’s eyes flickered, then shook his head. “No wonder he said such things before escaping. Obsession is truly a terrible thing. Perhaps Ming Duo will indeed have the power to destroy the world in the future.”

Fu Chen said solemnly, “If that’s the case, I’m afraid the entire Cultivation World will be turned upside down. That prophecy might not be false.”

Lu Ming whispered, “In the dark, there is destiny. Without Master’s prediction back then, the major families wouldn’t have exterminated the Ming family, and Ming Duo might have lived an ordinary life as a young master of the Ming family, peacefully passing away in old age. But just because of that prophecy, the fate of the Ming family changed, and Ming Duo lived full of hatred, even possibly overturning the entire Cultivation World. Such matters, what is the cause, what is the effect, and what kind of reason leads to such results, the world is ever-changing, truly unpredictable.”

Fu Chen frowned slightly, then sighed, “You’re right. Some things are destined to be inescapable from the beginning. After all the twists and turns, we’re back to the starting point.”

Upon hearing these words, everyone felt deeply suppressed. Too much had happened tonight, leaving them all at a loss. Fu Chen instructed everyone to rest in their rooms and deal with the appropriate arrangements tomorrow. Slowly, everyone dispersed.

The news of Yunluan’s death quickly spread throughout the entire Cultivation World. In order to avoid unnecessary trouble, the entire Kunlai sect refused all sects and cultivators from coming to mourn. On one hand, there was concern that the demon realm might take advantage of the situation to invade Kunlai, and on the other hand, Ming Duo’s whereabouts were unknown. If one day Ming Duo had already merged with Yun Luan’s ghostly body, Cultivation World would surely be thrown into chaos. This was a result that no one wanted to see. Therefore, Fu Chen had to send out several disciples to search for Ming Duo’s whereabouts all over the Cultivation World.

Lu Ming was still immersed in the sorrow of losing Yun Luan. Although he had known Yun Luan for a short time, he was both a mentor and a friend. He had received much care from Yun Luan on Kunlai Mountain. Although Ming Duo’s affairs were intricately linked to him, the fault did not lie with him but with those aristocrats and families blinded by power and interests. Ming Duo and Yun Luan were both victims of this conspiracy.

“Shixiong, what are you thinking about?” A calm voice sounded beside him.

Lu Ming snapped out of his reverie and looked towards Jing Mo, his expression somewhat melancholic. “I don’t know where Ming Duo is now, whether he’s alive or dead.”

Jing Mo’s deep eyes showed no emotion as he walked over and placed a hand on Lu Ming’s shoulder, speaking in a deep voice, “Don’t worry too much. Ming Duo isn’t obsessed enough to just die like that.”

Lu Ming’s expression faltered slightly. He wanted to say something but ultimately remained silent, his myriad of emotions condensed into a sigh, appearing even more distant in the quiet night sky.

However, Lu Ming did not notice the person standing behind him, his own brother whom he regarded as dear. The complex gaze in his eyes, a mixture of madness and infatuation, the abyss-like darkness in his eyes, seemed capable of engulfing one’s soul, so similar to Mingduo that day.

At that moment, a faint sound came from behind them.

Jing Mo immediately withdrew his gaze, calmly looking towards the source of the sound, a hint of displeasure fleeting across his expression before disappearing.

Lu Ming saw that the newcomer was Shen Shuyan. His complexion wasn’t good; his two black eyes revealed deep exhaustion, obviously not having rested well.

Lu Ming approached and asked, “How are you doing, Ziyu?”

Shen Shuyan rubbed his temples, a hint of pain flashing in his eyes as he replied, “Although I managed to save his life, he still hasn’t woken up. Now, I can only use spiritual energy to keep him alive.”

Lu Ming felt a sinking feeling in his heart, unsure of how to comfort him. He could only pat his shoulder and say, “There will be a way. Don’t worry.”

Shen Shuyan nodded heavily, taking a deep breath, his expression looking somewhat better. Suddenly remembering the purpose of his visit, he turned to Jing Mo and said, “Almost forgot about the main thing. Sect Leader wants you to go to the Azure Spirit Cave.”

Jing Mo nodded, then turned to Lu Ming and said softly, “Shixiong, I’ll go to the Azure Spirit Cave first. I’ll come find you later.”

Lu Ming nodded and smiled faintly. “Go ahead, don’t keep Sect Leader waiting.”

Jing Mo smiled back at him and then flew off using his spiritual energy.

Shen Shuyan watched Jing Mo’s departing figure, a trace of unease flickering in his beautiful eyes. The way Jing Mo looked at Lu Ming just now didn’t seem like the gaze of a younger brother towards an elder brother. It was filled with an unfulfilled longing, even some indescribable pain and madness. It seemed that Jing Mo’s feelings towards Lu Ming weren’t as simple as they appeared on the surface.

Shen Shuyan looked at Lu Ming, wanting to say something but hesitated for a while. After a long time, he whispered, “Qingci, Jing Mo, he…”

Lu Ming was puzzled, looking at Shen Shuyan, not understanding what he meant.

Seeing Lu Ming’s expression, Shen Shuyan sighed helplessly. Some things were not convenient for him, an outsider, to mention. He couldn’t control what would happen in the future, so he abandoned the idea of revealing it and shook his head, saying, “It’s nothing, just feel like Jing Mo seems to care too much about you.” 

Lu Ming was stunned, unable to digest the meaning behind Shen Shuyan’s words for a long time. Suddenly, scenes from that day in the cave emerged in his mind—the rapid breaths, the frantic entanglement of lips and tongues, causing the warmth on his cheeks to rise, and the violent pounding of his heart in his chest.

 

 

 

 

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