Chapter 148 – The Covenant, Will You Intervene?

The rain poured down in torrents.

Lu Yuan walked silently along the roadside.

At this moment, his body had returned to its normal size. His large raincoat was soaked through and clung damply to his frame.

Rainwater dripped from the brim of his hat, flowing slowly down his smooth, stern face.

A crow landed in front of him, blocking his path.

A large truck tore through the rain curtain, roaring as it passed by.

Under the orange streetlights, the crow flapped its wings and took off, casting a cold glance back at Lu Yuan before it left.

It was as if it was reminding him of something.

Lu Yuan stood still, squinting as he watched the crow fly away, letting the heavy rain pour down on him.

Occasional flashes of lightning cast shifting shadows across his face.

He felt a slight sense of being “targeted.”

It was from the Powerful Divine Servant of the Crow Deity sect he had killed earlier.

Before dying, the servant had placed some kind of “curse” on him.

Calling it a curse might not be entirely accurate.

Because Lu Yuan hadn’t suffered any harm, though it could be that some unknown reason had exempted him from the damage.

But the Powerful Divine Servant had succeeded in one thing.

He had connected Lu Yuan to another powerful consciousness, or rather, he had provided another powerful entity with clues about Lu Yuan’s identity.

“It’s more like some kind of duel covenant within the Crow Deity sect… I was forced to accept it.”

The crow that had just flown away seemed to be…

“Reminding” him of the proper execution of this duel.

“Monitoring” him to prevent him from “avoiding the fight.”

It had also become a representative of some will, acting as the referee and notary of this “covenant duel.”

“So, the one targeting me… is likely someone in the Crow Deity sect more powerful than the Powerful Divine Servant, their backer? Superior?”

Lu Yuan’s mind raced as he sorted out most of his thoughts.

He exhaled lightly and continued walking forward.

“These formally trained Crow Deity sect servants sure have a lot of tricks up their sleeves, even techniques like this…”

Lu Yuan surprisingly didn’t feel any nervousness or fear about the upcoming duel.

Instead, he felt a sense of eager anticipation.

With the continuous improvement of his Four Attributes and the constant unlocking of skills on his [Martial Artist] panel, Lu Yuan could clearly feel his growth and transformation at all times.

Physically and mentally.

He was gradually realizing the core spirit of being a martial artist•pushing beyond his limits and yearning to conquer every unknown challenge!

Lu Yuan pulled up his professional panel to review his gains for the night.

The improvements on his [Death Messenger (Extraordinary)] panel needed no mention.

His [Martial Artist] professional experience points had increased by over 700, bringing his total to more than 3,500, halfway through level 7.

The experience points for Crane Step had also increased and were about to break through to level 4.

The three core martial arts of the crane style were like branches on the trunk of a tree for his current power system, making his moves more refined and his combat techniques more diverse.

They were also prerequisites for comprehending the three ultimate true skills.

“[Death Messenger (Extraordinary)] leveled up, and I gained 1 attribute point and 1 skill point…”

Lu Yuan hesitated between the Four Basic Attributes and several panels, finally deciding to hold off on allocating the points for now.

He hadn’t yet decided which to enhance.

After returning home in the pouring rain and taking a shower, Lu Yuan sat in front of his computer. Relying on his memory of the syllables spoken by the Crow Deity sect’s Powerful Divine Servant, he began searching online for related ancient languages.

His [Ancient Language Expert] profession had been on hold for quite some time and he had only recently picked it up again.

Previously, he had mainly explored the backgrounds of the Cavern Sect and the Elephant Deity sect, but he knew little about the Crow Deity sect.

This was actually quite odd since the Crow Deity sect was the Evil Deity Sect he had encountered the most. It was a classic case of being blind to what was right in front of him.

The search process went smoothly, and there was no shortage of information available online.

The language spoken by the Crow Deity sect’s Divine Servant was an extremely niche Ancient Language known as “Ancient Spirit Language.”

It was also referred to as “Black Crow Language,” “Underworld Language,” and “Whisper of the Dead,” among other names.

In Javier, a small number of people still learn and use this language.

These individuals usually have only one profession—Medium.

Also known as “Spirit Medium.”

It is essentially a professional jargon. In Javier’s folklore, only those proficient in Ancient Spirit Language are qualified to communicate with the Underworld and converse with the deceased.

If you don’t know this language, you can’t even work as a shaman in Javier. By the second day of opening, you’d be pelted with rotten eggs and scorned as a “fraud.”

Lu Yuan had an intelligence score of 17, and in the level 3 [Absolute Concentration] state, his learning ability was maximized.

In less than half an hour, relying solely on some fragmented information about the Ancient Spirit Language he found online, he successfully deciphered the few sentences spoken by the Divine Servant.

The first sentence spoken upon their meeting meant—[The King of Black Crows watches over each of her servants…]

It was likely some kind of secret code among the Divine Servants.

Lu Yuan repeated it once, obviously answering incorrectly, but not entirely wrong, causing the other to pause.

The second sentence was spoken after the Divine Servant was kicked by Lu Yuan—[The crows will peck your flesh, suck your marrow, imprison your soul in a bottle, and brew it into a liquor of death and suffering…]

This sentence was purely a curse and didn’t warrant much study.

The crucial part was the last sentence—[The Goddess of the Styx will observe all that transpires. You, the skin-thief hiding under the crow’s feathers… Lord Karofis will avenge me, and under the great Crow Deity’s witness, will personally seize your filthy and despicable rotting soul! Praise the Crow Deity, offer my body, the covenant… has come into effect!]

[You have learned a new skill—[Ancient Spirit Language lv1]]

[You have focused on studying for twenty minutes, improving your understanding of the new skill, experience points +13]

…

Lu Yuan calmly looked at the translated phrases he had written down on the paper.

He scrutinized them for a while.

Then he ripped the paper off, crumpled it, and casually threw it into the trash can at his feet.

It was pretty much as he had expected.

He had indeed been targeted by a certain “Lord” of the Crow Deity sect.

Lu Yuan stood up from his desk and walked over to the window.

He opened the window, and the torrential rain outside continued to pour down.

There were no pedestrians on the street below, only the dim, hazy glow of the streetlights illuminating the rain.

Two crows perched on the lamp post, allowing the rain to soak their feathers, yet they refused to leave, staring fixedly at Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan quietly returned their gaze.

Soon, his eyes shifted to the distant, dark night sky.

“Crow Deity sect… Karofis, is it…”

…

Full moon.

Styx.

Red Spider Lily.

Lu Yuan stood calmly, not at all surprised by the scene before him.

Every time he made a breakthrough on his [Death Messenger (Extraordinary)] panel, it inevitably triggered the arrival of the Crow Dreamscape.

Sometimes he wondered if this was some kind of inherent “recruitment method” of the Crow Deity.

In the Crow Deity sect, would this be called•an oracle? A divine dream? The favor and revelation of the Crow Deity?

He didn’t know.

By the quietly flowing Styx, his “old friend,” the Woman in Black Dress, sat silently.

Her long black hair flowed into the river as she gazed in the direction of the enormous full moon, her posture elegant.

Lu Yuan’s eyes flickered, and suddenly, he strode toward the woman.

“Hey!”

Lu Yuan shouted at the woman.

“Someone under your command is causing me trouble… are you going to do something about it?”

Lu Yuan had already come to regard the woman as the Death Goddess Lamashtu from Crow Deity sect legends.

He didn’t understand what this dreamscape signified or what it would bring him.

In this dreamscape, he couldn’t accomplish anything.

It was like being stuck at a level in a game, unable to progress and finding no clues.

So he gradually let go of himself.

Lu Yuan had no hope of getting a response from the Woman in Black Dress.

However, this time…

The woman, hearing Lu Yuan’s shout…

Slowly, bit by bit, turned her head.

Lu Yuan was stunned. For the first time, he saw the woman’s appearance. Although it was only a profile.

Her white, porcelain-like face was interlaced with black and red patterns of the Red Spider Lily.

Lu Yuan couldn’t describe the beauty of her profile, as if he were sinking into a deeper layer of the dreamscape.

He was in a daze.

Mumbling dreamily.

“If you don’t do something… then I’ll just kill him…”

“Knock, knock, knock.”

The not-too-light, not-too-heavy knocking sound woke Lu Yuan from his sleep.

Bright sunlight streamed in through the window, spilling onto the small bed.

Lu Yuan squinted and glanced outside. The sky, partially obscured by the residential building, was as blue as if it had been washed with water.

He picked up his mobile phone and checked the time.

It was already half-past eight in the morning.

He had never gotten up this late before.

“It seems like school starts today. Are you going?”

The door opened, and Lu Jing, with a face mask still on, curiously asked Lu Yuan.

“Yes.”

Lu Yuan nodded.

At this stage, he hadn’t completely given up on his studies.

Although it wasn’t realistic for him to attend school every day, he couldn’t completely cut off this path.

“Breakfast is on the table. I got up early to buy it for you.”

Lu Jing lightly patted both sides of her face with her hands, then gracefully walked to the sofa in the living room, where she began to absentmindedly scroll through her phone.

Lu Yuan went to the bathroom for a quick wash and then returned to the living room.

The table was filled with breakfast items; Lu Jing knew his appetite well.

As he filled his stomach, he asked Lu Jing, “What’s the situation with the archaeological team? Have they found the missing archaeology professor?”

Xia Weimin was already dead, so Lu Yuan asked casually.

“Not yet…”

Lu Jing shook her head, her mood seeming to drop instantly.

“I heard that the most mysterious stone balls they dug up from the Xixu Elephant Deity sect temple this time… there seem to be more than just eight…”

Lu Yuan paused, his chopsticks hovering in mid-air, and turned to look at Lu Jing.

“What do you mean?”

Lu Jing spoke in a low voice: “Some say they dug up more than a dozen stone balls, but because of the monster incident, it drew the attention of the Xia State military. Several archaeology professors were worried that after getting involved in such a mysterious event, the authorities wouldn’t let them continue their research and would confiscate all the excavated items. So, they secretly hid a few. Professor Xia was specifically responsible for bringing those extra stone balls back… Now… both he and the stone balls… have completely disappeared.”

Lu Jing gradually became more anxious, her voice trembling slightly.

“Xiao Yuan… do you think there really is a curse?”

Lu Yuan was silent for a while, then spoke: “I don’t know.

But even if a curse does exist, it would only target the archaeology professors who had the most contact with the stone balls.

You’re just a minor player in this; the curse probably wouldn’t even remember your role.”

“…”

“Alright, I’m off to report in. Remember to go to the martial arts gym. The yang energy there is strong, so even if there are any evil entities, they wouldn’t dare to come after you.”

Lu Yuan put down his chopsticks, picked up the backpack he had thrown on the sofa, and spoke to Lu Jing.

Perhaps his words of comfort had some effect, as Lu Jing’s face didn’t look as pale anymore.

“Should I go to the martial arts gym for lunch?”

“We’ll see.”