Artifact Chapter 61: A Familiar Face

 

Chapter 61: A Familiar Face

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

 

Zé Yù smiled and nodded, then lightly waved his hand toward Lù Míng. Immediately, Lù Míng felt his limbs lighten. Looking down, he saw that the pair of shackles made of dark iron had loosened and fallen to the ground.

Lù Míng moved his wrists and then asked, “Will Fú Shū and Shào Jí be…?”

Zé Yù smiled slightly and replied, “You underestimate Shào Jí. His abilities are quite impressive. He has already taken Fú Shū and fled east. They are now hiding in the Hongliu Ridge.”

Lù Míng let out a breath of relief, but then his worry resurfaced. The terrain of Hongliu Ridge was complex and dangerous, with illusionary formations naturally blending in, each hiding its own secrets. While it might provide temporary refuge from pursuit, it was also a risky place for them. This meant that Lù Míng needed to escape quickly and find them.

Zé Yù spoke to Lù Míng, “I came to help you escape on someone else’s request. As for what happens next, I can no longer interfere. The rest is up to you. Just remember, follow your heart in everything.”

As soon as Zé Yù finished speaking, his figure disappeared once again into the darkness and was gone.

Lù Míng was left puzzled. Zé Yù had said that he had come to help him at someone else’s request. Lù Míng thought about it but couldn’t figure out who it could be. The only one who could have asked someone like the Immortal Emperor to help him… was probably him.

Lù Míng sighed softly, clearing his mind. He circulated his spiritual energy and found that it had returned. His gaze turned to the nearby Sāng Wusheng, who was still staring at him. Suddenly, a sharp glint appeared in Lù Míng’s eyes, and a surge of terrifying killing intent was channeled into his spiritual energy. In an instant, it transformed into a gleaming blade of cold light, shooting toward Sāng Wusheng’s chest before he could even react.

Sāng Wusheng’s face changed drastically. He was about to release his demonic energy and raise his hand to block, but he was afraid that if his demonic energy collided with Lù Míng’s spiritual energy, the terrifying shockwave might harm the person standing right in front of him. Sāng Wusheng let out a faint sigh in his heart, his eyes darkened slightly, and the hand that had been raised to defend was quietly lowered again.

The blade of spiritual energy quickly shot towards Sāng Wusheng. The powerful impact knocked him forcefully to the ground, and blood immediately poured from his mouth, dripping onto the smooth white stone slabs, its vibrant color appearing all the more glaring against the pristine surface. Sāng Wusheng’s eyes turned bloodshot as he stared unblinkingly at Lù Míng, his gaze calm without a trace of fluctuation, not even a hint of pain or shock.

Lù Míng had seen the hand that Sāng Wusheng had raised. Though he could have dodged the attack, Sāng Wusheng had stubbornly taken the blow. Lù Míng couldn’t bring himself to think about what this gesture truly meant, but a sudden chill passed through his heart. Despite the warm March day, he couldn’t help but feel a coldness creeping into his limbs, as though he had plunged into an icy river. He clenched his teeth tightly, the taste of blood filling his mouth, which momentarily cleared his mind. His expression remained unchanged as he cast a glance at Sāng Wusheng, deliberately ignoring the blood staining the ground, which nearly stung his eyes. Then, he unleashed a surge of spiritual energy and turned, flying off in the direction ahead.

Sāng Wusheng’s lips trembled, and his eyes reddened. He watched Lù Míng’s retreating figure, his heart in a panic. He hoarsely shouted at Lù Míng, his voice full of pleading and pain, “Brother, you can’t leave!”

Lù Míng paused for a moment, his face slightly turned, and a few rays of bright sunlight suddenly filtered through the darkness. The light bathed his pale skin, giving him the appearance of being encased in a translucent halo.

Sāng Wusheng looked at his handsome profile, trembling as he begged, “Brother, you can’t leave… I’ll go mad.”

But Lù Míng never turned around. After a long silence, he finally spoke in a low voice, “From today onward, we are forever severed. This enmity will never be forgotten.”

With that, Lù Míng turned his back and left.

Sāng Wusheng watched the figure slowly vanish into the darkness, his chest heaving violently. In the end, he couldn’t hold back a mouthful of blood. It trickled down his pale neck, and his eyes, glowing with a sinister red hue, gave him a terrifying, otherworldly appearance.

Sāng Wusheng curled the corner of his lips into a bitter smile and, without a word, gazed in the direction Lù Míng had vanished. After a long pause, he suddenly burst into loud, bitter laughter. His laughter was filled with helplessness and sorrow, more heart-wrenching than any tears.

When this person left, he hadn’t even looked back, leaving without any attachment. He watched as Sāng Wusheng collapsed on the ground, blood spilling everywhere, yet not a trace of concern or pain had reached him. He had cast aside his dignity, lay on the ground pleading desperately, and still, Lù Míng had coldly walked away.

This was his brother—willing to risk his life for him when he was regarded as an ally, but when seen as an enemy, he would crush him into dust without a second thought. In just a few days, the brother whom he loved so deeply, the one who would have given his life for him, now saw him as nothing more than a foe.

This enmity would never be forgotten.

A bitter smile curled on Sāng Wusheng’s lips as he recalled Lù Míng’s cold, resolute words. Only by gaining absolute power and making this world his own would his brother no longer be able to escape him.

“Brother, I won’t stop. I will never stop.”

Sāng Wusheng pushed himself to his feet, his demonic energy swirling around him, enveloping his body. The dark clouds that had previously filled the sky slowly dispersed, and bright light once again illuminated Kunlai Mountain.

The immense strain from his recent use of power and internal injuries had prevented him from stopping Lù Míng earlier, but next time, he wouldn’t make such a mistake. With his face expressionless, he turned and walked toward the cave, his body slightly trembling, a clear indication of the immense pain he was enduring.

At that moment, a man in black suddenly appeared at the cave entrance. Sāng Wusheng paused, and the man knelt respectfully. “Demon’s Envoy, we’ve just received word that Fú Shū and Shào Jí have escaped.”

Sāng Wusheng’s gaze darkened, and a cold, venomous aura began to spread from him. The man in black, standing closest to him, was immediately sent flying several meters by the murderous energy, spitting blood, but he quickly suppressed his discomfort and fear, kneeling once more, trembling uncontrollably, and dared not speak.

Sāng Wusheng’s eyes flashed coldly, and his voice, deep and icy like the voice of a demon, echoed, “Send more people. Find these two. The assassins we sent earlier were insufficient, ineffective. There’s no need to keep them.”

The man in black trembled in fear, his body chilled. He forced himself to calm down, cupped his fists, and replied, “Understood.”

After the man in black withdrew, Sāng Wusheng turned toward the direction in which Lù Míng had fled, a strange smile curling on his lips.

It seemed his plans would have to be carried out earlier than expected.

At that moment, 233, with its excellent vision, looked from afar at the bloodied young man, whose face now resembled that of a corpse. After a long while, it retracted its gaze, reaching out a paw to carefully wipe the cold tear stains on Lù Míng’s cheek. Its large, jet-black eyes shimmered faintly with unshed tears.

“Fate… oh, fate,” 233 thought sadly.

***

In the sky, a man was riding the wind.

His gaze was cold, and his black robe hung loosely around his body, but it did not diminish his charm. In fact, the casual attire made his originally aloof and indifferent demeanor seem even more free-spirited and unruly, like a natural black jade, dazzling and captivating, impossible to look away from.

A chubby little blue dragon lay on his shoulder, yawning in boredom and complaining, “Master, you’ve been flying for three days. Aren’t you tired?”

Lù Míng shook his head and said, “Fú Shū and the others are at Red Willow Ridge. I must find them quickly.”

233 looked at Lù Míng’s fatigued expression and the faint dark circles under his eyes, realizing that he was pushing himself, but his stubborn nature made 233 understand that he wouldn’t listen to advice. Reluctantly, it changed the subject, saying, “Sāng Wusheng didn’t catch up?”

Lù Míng’s eyes flashed with cold light as he replied in a low voice, “He placed a Soul Tracking Curse on me.”

233 was surprised. “When did this happen?”

Lù Míng said, “When I left. But I discovered it three days ago, so I captured a spirit bird and placed the curse on it. The bird flies very fast, so it can take him in a large circle.”

233 clicked its tongue. “A Soul Tracking Curse… That curse needs to be fed with blood for several days to succeed. For Sāng Wusheng to secretly place it on you so quickly, it seems he anticipated this. His schemes are deep. But Master, you detected it instantly and came up with a countermeasure. Seems your schemes are even deeper…”

Lù Míng said indifferently, “You talk too much.”

233 shuddered, quickly changing the topic. “But didn’t he place several binding curses on you? If you act recklessly with your spiritual energy, won’t he detect it?”

Lù Míng glanced at 233 before replying, “I’ve brought many spiritual storage tools with me.”

233 tilted its little head, thinking for a while, but still didn’t quite understand. Lù Míng had to explain, “Spiritual storage tools can store spiritual energy in magical instruments. If the energy runs out, I just need to release a tiny bit of spiritual energy to activate the tool to carry me through the wind. Sāng Wusheng will follow the curse and track me, but by the time he realizes it’s a trap, I’ll be far away. With his injuries and depleted spiritual energy, he shouldn’t be able to notice such faint spiritual fluctuations for at least a month.”

233 looked at Lù Míng in admiration. “Master is amazing, to have made such a convenient magical tool.”

Lù Míng smiled helplessly. “I saw a blueprint in an ancient book by chance. It seemed interesting and useful, so I decided to make it as a gift for Jǐng Mò…”

Lù Míng’s voice trailed off, and silence spread through the air. 233 swallowed and didn’t dare speak again. It quietly withdrew into the space, curling up. It thought to itself that Jǐng Mò—or rather, Sāng Wusheng—had long since become a part of its master’s daily life. It was ingrained in his thoughts in every situation. If he wanted to forget, he probably couldn’t in this lifetime.

Lù Míng had been flying for ten full days. When he grew tired, he would rest in the space, but whenever it came to matters concerning his own people, he became a little impatient. He didn’t rest properly and soon resumed flying. Every time the energy in the spiritual storage tools ran out, he would retreat into the space, replenish the energy, and continue.

After several days, there was still no sign of Sāng Wusheng pursuing him.

233, with a paw, kindly wiped the sweat off Lù Míng’s forehead and said, “Master, we’re only three days away from Red Willow Ridge.”

Lù Míng nodded, smiling. “That means I’ll soon reunite with them.”

233 was about to say something when suddenly its expression changed. It shouted at Lù Míng, “Master, there’s a strange aura below!”

Lù Míng furrowed his brow and looked down. A black smoke was rising slowly from the dense forest below. Not daring to rashly use his spiritual sense to investigate, he had 233 sense the situation.

233 frowned. “How could it be him…”

“Him?” Lù Míng repeated, “A familiar face?”

233 glanced at Lù Míng and said, “Not just familiar, Master. Go down and see. His aura is almost nonexistent now, so he poses no threat to you.”

Lù Míng, curious, slowly descended toward the black smoke. He saw a huge black pit ahead, clearly caused by a tremendous force, and in the middle of the pit lay a person, completely scorched and blackened.

 

 

 

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