Chapter 375 – The New Disciple

“Whoosh–“

The sound of an aircraft cutting through the air came from above the deep pit.

The dense gray fog lingering over the swamp was forcefully parted, and several fully armed figures emerged from the mist.

“This is the place.”

The leader opened the protective mask on his face, revealing a mature, handsome face brimming with masculinity.

With short gray hair and calm eyes, he emanated a sense of reliability and determination.

The short-haired man squinted and glanced down into the deep pit. He quickly issued an order to one of his companions beside him: “X and I will go down and take a look. The rest of you stay put and be ready to provide support.”

“Yes.”

The short-haired man’s protective mask snapped shut again. He gestured to his designated companion, and together they began to descend into the pit.

The rest stood at the edge of the pit, watching as the two figures were gradually swallowed by the gray fog.

Time ticked by, second by second.

Suddenly.

A muffled sound echoed from the bottom of the pit.

The signal from the two descending figures was cut off simultaneously.

The people waiting at the pit’s edge tensed and exchanged quick glances, preparing to go down and investigate.

Just then, the interrupted signal reconnected.

A low voice came through the communicator.

“Send… one more… to help.”

Perhaps due to some unknown magnetic interference, the voice sounded strange and the words were slurred.

But it was still identifiable as the voice of the short-haired man who had gone down earlier.

The people on standby relaxed slightly. After a brief discussion, they quickly made a decision.

“I’ll go down and check.”

One of the team members activated their gear, the light blue lines on their suit flowing as they gently descended into the pit.

Just as the figure was about to be swallowed by the swirling gray fog inside the pit…

“Whoosh–“

Countless torrents of black liquid suddenly surged out from the pit.

The liquid formed enormous, powerful tentacles in mid-air, lashing out like lightning to ensnare the bodies of those at the pit’s edge.

The ensnared individuals didn’t even have time to react before being dragged into the pit.

The fog in the pit churned violently, as if brewing something incredibly terrifying.

Moments later, everything fell silent.

The gray fog parted slowly from bottom to top, and three figures stepped up into the air.

“Inferior and poor-quality genes… all that’s left is flesh, barely enough to stave off hunger…”

The leading figure among the three was the short-haired man who had first descended into the pit.

However, his eyes now were entirely black, and his demeanor had turned mysterious and sinister.

“The civilization on this planet is so backward. Are these weapons and equipment really meant to aid in combat? It feels like they belong in a Museum instead…”

One of the figures behind the short-haired man complained while mechanical armor outlines started to bulge on his skin. These alloy equipment pieces seemed to have been absorbed into his flesh, becoming part of his body.

“It doesn’t matter, we’ll make do with what we have.

First, we need to find the powerful life forms on this planet and devour them to regain some strength.

Then, we need to find a way to leave here and find a suitable planet to establish will merge…”

A gleam flashed in the short-haired man’s pure black eyes, and he squinted as he scanned the surroundings. He spoke in a low voice, “The will of this planet is ancient; I suspect it could be one of the origin planets of a star area.

The life forms on this planet might be domesticated.

There might occasionally be a higher-tier gaze watching over this place; it’s not safe to stay long…”

The two figures behind him nodded thoughtfully.

Just then, a rustling sound came from the gray fog nearby, suggesting that someone was approaching.

One of the figures following the short-haired man showed a cruel glint in his eyes and moved to intercept.

But he was stopped by the short-haired man’s outstretched hand.

The short-haired man gave him a look, then his pure black eyes instantly reverted to their original color, and his sinister aura vanished.

Instantly, all three figures’ appearances and demeanors returned to their original states, making it nearly impossible to notice any difference.

Soon, someone walked briskly out of the gray fog.

“Griffin, what happened? Why did everyone’s signals cut off?”

The short-haired man took a solemn step forward and answered in a deep voice, “Just a minor issue, but… I made a significant discovery. I need to report to… our superior immediately!”

A clear winter day in the south.

The sunlight spread warmly across the courtyard like a golden blanket.

In front of the wooden fence, two people were speaking in low voices.

One had a tall, slender figure and a very youthful appearance. His hair, however, was a striking snow-white, parted simply in the middle, complementing his pale and delicate features, making him look like a fragile yet beautiful boy straight out of a comic book.

The person talking to the boy had a far less impressive demeanor.

His skin was rough and dark, and he had a horse-like face. In his forties, he was bent over in a submissive manner, resembling an old servant.

“We got the item, but had a bit of trouble on the way back… nothing major, we can handle it.”

“Oh?”

Lu Yuan listened to Lin Protector’s report, a hint of mild surprise flickering across his face.

He took out his mobile phone and casually opened the photos Lin Protector had just sent.

The photo showed a deep green, heart-shaped polyhedral object about the size of a clenched fist.

It looked like a valuable crystal ornament.

Lu Yuan recalled for a moment. The object’s appearance matched the description on the Stone slab that had the information about the “heart of the feathered serpent deity.”

He felt both surprised and delighted.

When he first obtained the clue about the “heart of the feathered serpent deity,” he had sent out his protectors from the evil martial alliance merely to find the hidden entrance to the “Sky Wrath” legendary level secret realm.

He planned to conduct the exploration personally once they had pinpointed the entrance.

He hadn’t expected them to actually find the “heart of the feathered serpent deity” itself.

From what Lin Protector had said, they already had the item and were bringing it to Lu Yuan.

“Well done.”

Lu Yuan nodded with satisfaction, closed his mobile phone, and casually dangled a reward in front of Lin Protector.

“Tell them that after this mission, I will officially impart to them the secrets and methods to advance to the supreme deity martial path.”

“Sovereign Emperor, you are most generous.”

Lin Protector’s face was full of gratitude, and he fervently declared that serving Lu Yuan was their duty, and they would not hesitate to sacrifice everything. He assured that they sought no rewards.

After pledging his loyalty, he seriously mentioned that he would go immediately to meet the Protectors who retrieved the treasure. He suggested that since they were carrying such a valuable item, there might be a risk of them having second thoughts, so he needed to keep an eye on them to prevent any unforeseen issues.

Lu Yuan smiled and waved him off, not taking the concern to heart.

If it was indeed the “heart of the feathered serpent deity,” it wouldn’t be much use to ordinary Protector level individuals.

Firstly, the evil martial alliance’s Leading Protectors already had a set evil martial system, and transplanting a new power of the evil deity would be too risky for them.

Secondly, all eight of his Protectors weren’t “natural evil martial system” users, and their evil energy tolerance limit was inherently low.

Lu Yuan estimated that the second-stage, or at most the third-stage, would be their upper limit.

If anyone tried to keep the heart for themselves, the only outcome would be their death from the overwhelming power of evil energy.

These individuals probably understood this well.

Their prior obsession with the so-called “Evil Emperor’s treasure” was merely a faint hope for further advancement.

And now… only Lu Yuan could give them that hope.

As he watched Lin Protector leave, Lu Yuan strolled down from the corridor, basking in the sunlight and stepping on the fallen golden bamboo leaves.

Passing through two stone gates, he heard the faint sound of fists and feet cutting through the air ahead.

Soon, Lu Yuan arrived at a spacious open-air martial practice field.

On the field, two figures were sparring, both using martial arts from the sky water stream crane style.

Both were women; one moved with steadiness, while the other had a slender figure exuding youthful vitality.

Lu Yuan walked to the edge of the field and calmly sat down beside an old man with white hair who was drinking tea. The bamboo rocking chair creaked under him.

Liu Daoyuan put down his teacup, glanced at Lu Yuan indifferently, and snorted, “So young, with boundless potential, yet you insist on learning those messy and heretical cultivation techniques. Now, your vital source is depleted, and you’ve suffered innate damage. I wonder how you’ll recover from this…”

Lu Yuan reclined lazily on the rocking chair, listening to Liu Daoyuan’s words. He replied casually, “Oh, Old Liu, how many times have I told you? With today’s advanced technology, my little issues are nothing to worry about.”

“Don’t be fooled by my seemingly half-dead state. If it came to a real fight, you wouldn’t be able to match even my little finger…” As he spoke, Lu Yuan playfully lifted a little finger and wiggled it.

Liu Daoyuan, beside him, was so infuriated that he blew his mustache and rolled his eyes. He slammed his teacup down and angrily called Lu Yuan a “rebellious disciple!”

Lu Yuan pretended not to hear him. He looked at the young girl not far away who was practicing moves with Zhuang Xiujie and offhandedly asked, “Old Liu, is that your new disciple?”

“Yes,” Liu Daoyuan replied coolly. “You may not think much of my accomplishments, but someone has to carry on the legacy of the sky water stream crane style, don’t they?”

Lu Yuan was slightly surprised and couldn’t help but ask, “You plan to pass down all your knowledge to her? What potential does she have that makes you think so highly of her?”

Lifting his teacup, Liu Daoyuan took a sip and replied indifferently, “Her bone structure is average, but her innate talent is just like yours back then…”

“She possesses one of the five legendary level talents in Ancient Martial Arts. But instead of the Palace of Flesh, it’s the Brain Divinity.”

“Oh?!”

This genuinely surprised Lu Yuan.

No wonder he noticed an unusual mental power fluctuation when he first observed the unfamiliar girl. He thought she just had an exceptionally strong natural mental power, but it turned out to be the Brain Divinity.

“Have you verified it? How can you be so sure?”

“The Brain Divinity talent is notoriously hard to confirm.”

“Trust me, I’m more cautious than you in this regard,” Liu Daoyuan answered. “Even if she doesn’t have Brain Divinity, her martial arts comprehension is extraordinary, almost on par with yours back in the day…”

As he was speaking, Liu Daoyuan momentarily paused, as if realizing something.

He looked at Lu Yuan in astonishment.

“You…”

“Ha-” Lu Yuan laughed heartily and sighed, “You’re just realizing now that your only True Disciple, who’s been invincible in the martial arts world for so long, also has the Brain Divinity talent? It seems age is catching up with you, Old Liu. Your mind isn’t as sharp as it used to be…”

Liu Daoyuan stared at him for a long moment, surprisingly choosing not to argue back. Instead, he sighed deeply, his expression complicated.

At that moment, Liu Si approached with a bowl of hot, foul-smelling black soup. Liu Daoyuan sternly instructed Lu Yuan to drink it down.