Artifact Chapter 74: Don’t Die

Chapter 74: Don’t Die

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

 

Ming Duo stared at Lu Ming with lifeless eyes for a long while before forcing a stiff smile, as though he hadn’t made that gesture in ages.

He spoke softly, “Long time no see.”

Lu Ming said in a deep voice, “Your body…”

Ming Duo smiled slightly, his long nails dragging across his skin, leaving red marks. He spoke lightly, “This body is very real, you know.”

Lu Ming asked, “So, you’ve repaired your body?”

Ming Duo nodded, and his expression twisted for a moment. He said, “It’s all thanks to Yun Luan. He’s inside my body right now. He’ll watch me as I destroy this world, destroy everyone.”

Lu Ming took a deep breath and lowered his voice, “I think you’ve completely lost your mind.”

Ming Duo laughed loudly, “It seems that prophecy from back then was true. Yun Luan, you were right.”

Lu Ming said coldly, “I won’t let you succeed.”

Ming Duo’s pitch-black pupils revealed no emotion, and he simply smiled, saying, “Then we’ll see if you can stop me.”

Lu Ming raised his long sword, and bright white light began to radiate from it. Ming Duo’s smile faded slowly as he drew an ancient flute from his waist and brought it to his lips.

The light grew brighter, and a strange, eerie tune from the flute echoed through the air.

In an instant, the entire world seemed to change color. It was as though everyone was submerged in chaos. Before anyone could even feel the pain, their bodies swayed and collapsed to the ground.

Standing to the side, He Yuanqi looked on with a sinister gaze at the battle between the two and secretly extended his hand. Black mist seemed to move of its own accord, drifting toward Lu Ming’s surroundings. But before the mist could even reach him, it dissipated completely. He Yuanqi frowned, confused as he glanced forward.

“Your opponent is me.” A cold voice suddenly came from behind him.

He Yuanqi was shocked, hurriedly retreating a few meters, but it was too late. A strand of his hair had already been sliced off by the sword aura. He secretly marveled, wondering when Sang Wusheng had appeared behind him.

Sang Wusheng looked at him coldly, raising his sword and swinging it toward him without saying a word. He Yuanqi quickly dodged, sneering, “Demon King, back then, you forced my soul to scatter. Now, you don’t even dare show your true face.”

Sang Wusheng didn’t respond. His focus was entirely on taking He Yuanqi’s life, attacking with brutal, deadly force. Although He Yuanqi had gained the power of the demon clan in the Zen Mountain cave, he was still struggling against Sang Wusheng. However, he showed no fear and secretly smirked. Since this person was hiding his true identity and appearance, he couldn’t use his full demon power, which meant He Yuanqi had a chance to defeat him.

The battle between the various factions turned into a chaotic mess. The earth shook, and the area around the He family estate was almost barren, destroyed as if by a passing storm. In the heat of battle, everyone seemed unable to distinguish enemy from ally, swinging their swords recklessly. The air grew thick with the scent of blood, like an endless battlefield, a scene straight out of a hellish nightmare, terrifying to the extreme.

Lu Ming’s cultivation had once far surpassed Ming Duo’s, so dealing with him should have been easy. However, now that Ming Duo had the power of Yun Luan and was a ghost cultivator himself, it became increasingly difficult to handle. Yun Luan had already reached the middle stage of the Great Ascension, and though Lu Ming had many magical artifacts, his spiritual energy was steadily depleting, making it harder to use his treasures effectively.

The eerie music grew more shrill, and Lu Ming felt a sour taste in his mouth. He fought to suppress the burning sensation in his throat and wiped away the blood at the corner of his mouth, continuing his struggle with Ming Duo. Meanwhile, Sang Wusheng, who had deliberately suppressed his demon power, could barely manage to get the upper hand over He Yuanqi. But He Yuanqi was treacherous and crafty, full of schemes, and Sang Wusheng’s mind was distracted by his brother, so the fight remained unresolved.

When the song ended, Ming Duo withdrew the flute and said coldly, “Qingci, you’ve lost.”

Lu Ming panted heavily, his hand shaking as he held his sword. His legs felt weak, but he pushed himself to stay upright. The difference between the Foundation Establishment and Great Ascension stages was simply too vast. Despite using all his strength, he couldn’t make a dent. The music had stopped, but its residual power still lingered, as though only seconds had passed before a tremendous force gathered, forming a beam of light that shot straight at Lu Ming.

Lu Ming watched the beam approaching, letting out a soft sigh.

He couldn’t dodge in time.

His time was up.

Lu Ming closed his eyes, awaiting the moment when he would be pierced through completely.

A loud crash rang out, but the imagined pain never came. Lu Ming opened his eyes, and a figure suddenly blocked all the light.

Lu Ming felt like his breath was about to stop. He looked at the man in front of him, who stood unwaveringly before him, shielding him from all the suffering. He was dressed in a black long robe, and although Lu Ming couldn’t see any visible injuries, the growing scent of blood that reached his nose nearly made him lose his balance.

The man turned around, his deep eyes gazing at Lu Ming with an overwhelming affection. He smiled faintly, his gaze tinged with sorrow and a sense of release. He said, “Brother, I’m afraid I can’t…”

Before he finished speaking, Sang Wusheng’s face turned pale, and his body collapsed, unable to hold itself up any longer, falling to the ground in front of Lu Ming.

Lu Ming stood frozen, unable to move, staring at him with an empty gaze, devoid of emotion. After a long while, he slowly knelt down and extended a finger toward his nose. A faint breath brushed against his finger, like a delicate kiss or a passing breeze.

Lu Ming touched his face softly, murmuring, “You’re not going to die.”

Lu Ming had never considered that Sang Wusheng might one day die before him. Sang Wusheng was the protagonist of this world, and if he died, the world would collapse and be destroyed. Yet, Lu Ming was still standing there, and everyone else was still standing. How could Sang Wusheng die? It was impossible!

Lu Ming’s body began to tremble uncontrollably. Even though he told himself over and over that he wouldn’t die, why was the body in his arms growing colder?

Lu Ming’s spiritual energy had been depleted. He clung to the last shred of his strength, holding Sang Wusheng’s cold hand and slowly channeling his spiritual energy into him. But it was like hitting a copper wall—nothing could penetrate his body.

Refusing to give up, Lu Ming continued to release his spiritual energy. His face grew paler, but he wouldn’t let go.

Ming Duo coldly said, “He’s already dead.”

“Shut up!” Lu Ming’s face twisted in anger. He reached out and slapped Sang Wusheng’s face several times, but the man remained with his eyes tightly shut, his face calm, as though he had fallen into a deep sleep.

Lu Ming muttered, “You won’t die. How could you die?”

Ming Duo watched Lu Ming, who seemed to have lost his sanity, and the madness in his eyes could no longer be concealed. He laughed bitterly, though his eyes remained lifeless, like a false smile. Without mercy, he continued to provoke Lu Ming, “What’s it like to watch the person you love die? My entire Ming family was wiped out in one night—who can understand my pain?!”

Lu Ming couldn’t hear what he was saying, but his vision blurred. He tightly held onto Sang Wusheng’s cold corpse, the indescribable pain hitting every nerve like a storm. His chest felt as if a huge stone had crushed it hundreds of times. A violent, chaotic energy rose within him, and his eyes began to bleed. Drops of blood fell onto Sang Wusheng’s face, looking like red plum blossoms, beautiful but heartbreaking.

Lu Ming sat frozen on the ground, the surrounding noise fading away as if it were becoming more distant. His mind was empty, only one voice repeating over and over in his ear, telling him that Sang Wusheng had died, that he had left him forever.

At that moment, a voice suddenly rang out in his mind.

“Master! Wake up! Sang Wusheng can still be saved!” The tone of 233 was urgent.

Lu Ming snapped back to reality, wiping his face and forcing himself to steady his mind, but his body still trembled uncontrollably. He asked, “What should I do?”

233 replied, “Sang Wusheng’s soul hasn’t dissipated. It seems he’s in a state of false death, possibly because he sealed away the demonic energy inside him. If you can remove the seal in his body, he should still be saved.”

Lu Ming took a deep breath, using his last bit of strength to bring himself and Sang Wusheng into the space. He then took a transparent pill from his ring and swallowed it.

Soon, a wave of heat began to rise in his lower abdomen, and his whole body started to warm up. His spiritual energy gradually returned. After a few minutes, Lu Ming silently checked his energy and found that it had fully restored, even more vigorous and pure than at his peak.

Lu Ming muttered a few incantations, and the black markings on Sang Wusheng’s face slowly began to show. The marks grew darker and larger, eventually covering half of his face.

Seeing that the time was right, Lu Ming poured all his remaining spiritual energy into him without hesitation. At first, the body rejected it fiercely, and Lu Ming wasted a third of his energy without any result. It wasn’t until half an hour later that the body began to accept a few faint traces of energy. Lu Ming’s heart leapt with joy, and he hurriedly continued to feed his energy into him. Sang Wusheng’s body temperature slowly returned, and the pallor on the other half of his face turned pink. The black markings gradually faded, and Lu Ming finally let out a sigh of relief, his legs collapsing as he sat on the ground.

Lu Ming withdrew his energy, gently patted Sang Wusheng’s cheek, and whispered, “Can you hear me?”

Sang Wusheng’s long eyelashes fluttered slightly. He opened his eyes, his blurred vision slowly clearing, and the person in front of him gradually came into focus.

Lu Ming softly asked, “How do you feel? Is anything uncomfortable?”

Sang Wusheng quietly stared at Lu Ming. His eyes suddenly darkened, and he reached out, forcefully pulling Lu Ming down on top of him.

A hot kiss descended recklessly, filled with brutality and madness, prying open Lu Ming’s lips and tongue, sweeping every inch of his mouth. His hands quickly began to remove Lu Ming’s clothes.

Lu Ming struggled to escape Sang Wusheng’s grip. His gaze suddenly met Sang Wusheng’s eyes, and the intense emotion there made his heart tremble. The look, full of despair, sadness, longing, and affection, made Lu Ming give in, pushing away Sang Wusheng’s hands but no longer having the strength to resist.

After a moment of inner struggle, he finally let go. He reached behind and gently embraced Sang Wusheng, murmuring, “If you choose me, then never leave me, and never die.”

Sang Wusheng froze, staring blankly at the person in front of him, and tears suddenly streamed uncontrollably down his face.

He had waited so long for these words, he had almost forgotten.

The person he loved most in this life, but who had always been out of reach, had finally come to him.

Sang Wusheng could no longer hold back the desire in his heart and kissed that soft lips urgently.

 

 

 

 

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