Chapter 421: The Death of Lu Jin

Memories surfaced in my mind out of nowhere. It was like piecing torn photographs back together, the images growing clearer and clearer. Shock slowly crept across my face. "Are these sudden scenes things I actually experienced? Why couldn't I remember them before?"

My consciousness sank into my spirit platform. The figure in my mind—neither monk nor Daoist—grew increasingly clear. He looked exactly like the man I had seen in Huang Xue's Deep Dream Layer.

'Is he the Two-Faced Buddha?'

In my memory, he stood right in front of me with a smile. He spoke seven words: "Do you dare to gamble against heaven?"

The image faded. My consciousness returned, and a look of suspicion crossed my face. "I actually knew the Two-Faced Buddha! And it seems I even made some sort of bet with him!"

Sitting on the ground, I felt utterly shocked. It wasn't that I was underestimating myself; objectively speaking, I knew there was a massive gap between me and the Two-Faced Buddha. It should have been completely impossible for me to ever interact with a figure of his caliber.

'I can recall everything from the past five years perfectly fine. Was my memory tampered with?' The hypothesis was so bizarre that I couldn't even convince myself. 'One of the Nine Locks opened, and memories resurfaced. If I want to find out more, I'm afraid I'll have to break open more Life Locks.'

Pressing my hands against the ground, I stood up with just a slight push. My injuries had eased. The Yin energy moved like an extension of my own body, flowing even more smoothly than when a ghost controlled it.

'The Kidney Aperture belongs to water. It governs storage and is the Yin within Yin. By opening the Life Lock of the Kidney Aperture, not only have I gained a trace of Yin-natured Pre-Heaven True Qi, but my deterrence against nether ghosts has also drastically increased.' Within my body, aside from the hair-thin Pre-Heaven True Qi cultivated through the Profound Truth Mental Method, there was now an extra stream of Yin-natured True Qi as thick as a chopstick. Even though this True Qi had appeared out of nowhere, it felt as though it had been nurtured in my Kidney Aperture since birth, possessing absolute affinity with me.

'The heart and lungs reside in the upper body and belong to Yang: the heart belongs to fire, governing warmth and circulation as the Yang organ within Yang; the lungs belong to metal, governing purification and descent as the Yin organ within Yang. The liver, spleen, and kidneys reside in the lower body and belong to Yin: the liver belongs to wood, governing growth and dispersion as the Yang within Yin; the kidneys belong to water, governing storage as the Yin within Yin; the spleen belongs to earth, residing in the middle burner as the absolute Yin within Yin.'

By opening the Life Lock of the Kidney Aperture this time, my liver and spleen had also grown active. The harvest was unimaginably great.

Still smiling, I opened my eyes, only to find the Ghost Mother staring at me icily. Her gaze felt exactly like she was examining a corpse.

I let out a dry cough and wiped the blood from my face, shifting my tone to one of sorrow. "You destroyed the foundation of the Three Yin Sect. They definitely won't let you off. Wang Yu's kidnapping is a wake-up call. Moreover, given your sensitive identity, righteous cultivators won't tolerate you either. There are Celestial Masters from the Profound Truth Dao right inside that Laboratory Building. They were the ones who attacked Wang Yu in the first place."

Most of what I stated was a fact, though I conveniently omitted the true reason behind Wang Yu's kidnapping.

The Wheel Turning Grand Formation had been broken. Yin energy rampaged, and black clouds bore down from above. Inside the Laboratory Building, Lu Jin and Lu Chen also realized the situation was dire. They had intended to use the chaos to slip away secretly, but I had exposed their presence. Hundreds of infant spirits blockaded the two martial brothers at the entrance of the Laboratory Building.

"A gentleman always takes his revenge. Lu Jin, I said I would take your miserable life today!" I cursed in a low voice through gritted teeth. I wasn't as ostentatious as him. After leaking this information to the Ghost Mother, I simply sat where I was and used my Judging Eye to watch the scene at the Laboratory Building.

Ever since the Wheel Turning Grand Formation appeared, the Yin energy inside the Laboratory Building had spun completely out of control. In the lobby, Lu Jin hid behind Lu Chen, his legs turning to jelly. Facing the Ghost Mother, Lu Chen didn't dare show the slightest bit of carelessness. His eyes shone like stars as he raised his guard to the absolute limit.

I had never been able to see through Lu Chen's realm; he gave me an unfathomable feeling. Since my body was rapidly recovering right now, I didn't expect the Ghost Mother to kill both Lu Jin and Lu Chen at the same time. I only needed her to stall Lu Chen for me.

'Once I find an opening, I'll slaughter Lu Jin with my own hands.' I was no longer the timid private detective I used to be. After being wanted across the entire city, I had learned many harsh truths and grown immensely.

With the infant spirits blocking the way, Lu Jin was the one backed into a desperate corner. He cowered behind his senior brother in panic. Not a single trace of arrogance remained on his face; there was only boundless terror.

The sheer number of infant spirits was simply too much. Lu Chen frowned, his face turning slightly pale. This was the first time he had lost his composure since arriving in Jiangcheng.

The sea of ghostly infant spirits parted to both sides. Draped in a robe woven from black hair, the Ghost Mother walked toward the two of them like a queen holding the power of life and death.

Bead-sized drops of cold sweat rolled down his forehead. The Ghost Mother brought an immense, suffocating pressure down upon Lu Chen. Knowing he couldn't wait any longer, he reached both hands into his robes. His left hand scattered a handful of Five Emperors Copper Coins, while his right hand tossed out seven Lesser Vehicle Talismans in rapid succession.

Dividing his attention, he didn't even seem to chant an incantation. His pale hand merely grasped upward, and the coins linked together to form a Five Emperors Copper Coin Sword.

He swung the longsword, piercing through the seven talismans in one stroke. The yellow paper ignited, and a burst of awe-inspiring righteous energy erupted from his body.

His Daoist robes fluttered, the righteous energy shining like starlight. Unfortunately for him, what he faced was an endless, boundless night.

"Follow me!" Gripping the Copper Coin Sword, Lu Chen charged into the infant spirits. Forced to slay enemies while simultaneously protecting Lu Jin, he threw out a handful of talismans for every step or two he advanced.

The foundation of the Profound Truth Dao was truly formidable. Lu Chen carried nearly a hundred Lower Vehicle Talismans on him, and more Lesser Vehicle Talismans than one could count on one hand. Relying on his profound Daoist magic, he forcibly carved a path of survival through the horde of infant spirits.

Watching Lu Chen fight for his life, the Ghost Mother remained entirely unfazed. She continued her leisurely pace. Only when Lu Chen was on the verge of escaping did her black hair fan out, unleashing countless more infant spirits from beneath her feet.

This sight left even me a little shocked. I originally thought the Ghost Mother had exerted her full strength to break the Wheel Turning Grand Formation. I never expected her to still have energy to spare.

'The insufferably arrogant Lu Chen is running like a beaten dog in front of the Ghost Mother. Isn't her strength a bit too ridiculous?' I recalled Master Tianxin's evaluation of the Ghost Mother. Only now did I realize that not only had he not exaggerated, but he had actually put it somewhat mildly.

In the blink of an eye, the infant spirits surrounded Lu Chen and Lu Jin once again. The Ghost Mother was clearly trying to slowly toy them to death. Lu Chen realized this too. He knew that the longer this dragged on, the worse his disadvantage would become. After a brief moment of thought, he pulled a scroll from his robes.

This baffling action left me somewhat confused. I originally thought he was going to use some kind of Upper Vehicle Talisman.

"The Ghost Mother brings chaos! Your disciple, Lu Chen, cannot bear to see innocent lives plunged into misery. Master, please bestow your magic upon me!"

Lu Chen's voice echoed out from amidst the infant spirits. I figured he knew he was no match for the Ghost Mother and had finally drawn his life-saving trump card. This scroll functioned similarly to a Deity-Inviting Talisman. The only difference was that his master hadn't passed away into immortality yet, so the technique merely took a different form.

"My Dao is the supreme center, penetrating the heavens and earth, united as one!" The writing on the scroll slowly faded away. Lu Chen shut his eyes tightly. When he opened them again, his gaze was as sharp and piercing as an azure sword.

He stared fixedly at the Ghost Mother for a moment before throwing out all his remaining Lesser Vehicle Talismans to pinpoint the weakest spot in the infant spirits' encirclement. His sword struck like a meteor, its power boosted two or three times over, completely shattering the blockade.

Grabbing Lu Jin with one hand, he sprinted desperately toward the outer perimeter of Xinhu High School. The Ghost Mother let out a furious shriek. Thousands of feet of black hair lashed out like a frenzied monster from the deep abyss, surging to entangle the two of them.

"Vile ghost! Cease your arrogance!" Lu Chen used every ounce of his strength to hack apart the black hair, but there was simply too much of it. He could barely defend himself. As for Lu Jin, he was completely ensnared by the dark strands and forcibly dragged back into the school grounds.

Cold light flashed in Lu Chen's eyes. Staring a hole through the Ghost Mother, he vowed, "One day, I will definitely slay you under my sword!"

Flipping backward like a swallow, Lu Chen vaulted over the outer wall and swiftly made his escape.

"Senior Brother! Save me! Save me!"

Lu Jin wailed and cried to the heavens, but no one answered him. The black hair constricted tightly around his neck, and the infant spirits swarmed over him.

By the time the infant spirits scattered, Lu Jin's face was a withered, sickly yellow. Only the whites of his eyes remained visible. He had already stopped breathing.

"He's dead?" After the infant spirits cleared out, I climbed to my feet and walked over to his body. I patted him down from top to bottom, but I only found a few Suppression Talismans and a letter. It wasn't exactly a massive haul.

'This menace is finally dead. Lu Chen used the Heart-Slaying Dao Inquiry on me, so he should be convinced by now that I haven't cultivated the Profound Truth Mental Method. That means my grudge with the Profound Truth Dao is officially settled.' Smiling to myself, I suddenly remembered there was still a half-dead Zhong Jiu left inside the Laboratory Building. "Almost forgot. There's still one fish that slipped through the net."