Chapter 13

Crimson blood droplets fell onto the paper, spreading into a red stain.

Buzz~

Suddenly, Lin Xun felt a blur before his eyes, his mind dazed as if he had entered another world.

The sky was vast, the mountains and rivers picturesque, and a towering figure stood alone atop a mountain peak. He had his hands behind his back, gazing into the azure sky.

The mountain wind howled, blowing his clothes and hair, making him seem as if he were detached from the world, about to ride the wind and return to the heavens.

Boom!

Suddenly, this figure moved, waving his sleeve, and a brilliant light column shot up into the sky, forcefully breaking through the azure sky and colliding with the vast void beyond the universe.

Thud~

The void in the universe was originally empty, but as this light column struck, it forcibly opened a portal shaped like a vortex!

The vortex was like a vast abyss devouring the stars, deep and terrifying, spinning wildly, releasing a fearsome power that tore the surrounding void, distorting and shattering it, creating a terrifying scene.

One could clearly see countless stars being drawn in, like a celestial congregation, rotating and roaring with the vortex, creating a shocking and awe-inspiring spectacle in the void above the azure sky.

One strike, breaking through the azure sky, shaking the universe, and opening the door to the void!

If not for witnessing it with his own eyes, who would believe that someone could produce such overwhelming divine power with just a wave of their sleeve?

Lin Xun was deeply shaken. This was the second time he had witnessed such a terrifying scene. The first time was when he was fleeing from the mine prison, where he saw a mysterious and ancient hand, enveloped in millions of purple flames, covering the sky and earth, possessing the power to destroy the heavens and the earth.

At that time, Lin Xun realized just how powerful cultivators could be, which only strengthened his resolve to cultivate.

But compared to the scene before him, that hand covering the sky seemed insignificant.

Boom!

Before Lin Xun could recover, a deafening sound echoed in his ears, making his blood surge and his mind tremble, almost causing him to cough up blood.

At that moment, he suddenly saw a massive beast claw emerge from the depths of the vortex-like portal opened in the void, tearing through the void and reaching down from the azure sky.

The claw was so large that the mountains of this world seemed like insignificant grains of sand in comparison. It was covered in cold scales, radiating a fierce and overwhelming power.

"The Gate of the Stars has been opened by me; who in this world can stop me from treading the eternal star path? Begone!"

With a cold snort, the towering figure standing atop the mountain peak flicked his finger, and a sudden light appeared.

Lin Xun couldn't even see clearly, but the terrifying and massive beast claw had already vanished, leaving only a torrent of blood pouring down, staining the earth, dark and terrifying!

But it wasn't over yet. Soon, a majestic figure, radiating a golden glow, suddenly emerged from the "Gate of the Stars" in the void of the universe.

The figure was so dazzling, like the sun, burning and illuminating the world, appearing incomparably sacred.

"Divine General of the Star Path? Ha ha ha, to block my path of seeking the Dao, even a divine general has been dispatched. What a grand gesture!"

The towering figure atop the mountain peak let out a long howl, bold and unrestrained, with a haughty air that looked down on all the heroes of the world.

Lin Xun was shaken by the sound, his blood in turmoil, his frail body trembling violently. Despite his efforts to hold on, his mind was already muddled, buzzing, and he could see nothing.

It was like a nightmare from which he couldn't wake up.

After an unknown amount of time, Lin Xun vaguely saw the sky shattering like a spider web, revealing one black hole after another. Blinding flames, like meteor showers, continuously descended from the heavens, burning the mountains and rivers, destroying the earth.

It was a scene of the end of the world, the sky had fallen, and the fires of destruction flooded like a tide, plunging the world into a chaotic furnace, leaving everything in ruins and the living in misery.

Mountains collapsed.

Tsunamis.

Grass and trees turned to ash.

All life perished!

It seemed that the end of the world had truly arrived.

Only on that mountain peak did the towering figure stand alone, hands behind his back, silently watching everything, with a sense of desolation and loneliness.

After a long time, a long sigh echoed through the heavens and earth— "Time is not on my side!"

At that moment, Lin Xun felt a wave of despair, dejection, unwillingness, and melancholy.

At the same time, beside the towering figure, a bronze coffin appeared, ten zhang long, with countless intricate and mysterious patterns engraved on its surface.

The towering figure walked forward and opened the bronze coffin.

Just as Lin Xun thought this person was about to bury himself, he saw the person take out a scroll and a brush, casually toss them into the bronze coffin, and then carry the entire bronze coffin on his shoulder, walking away.

Lin Xun's pupils suddenly constricted, realizing that the scroll and brush were exactly the treasures left to him by Mr. Lu!

Swish!

Almost simultaneously, the towering figure, who was walking away, seemed to sense something and suddenly stopped, turning his head.

Just that one glance, but the gaze seemed to traverse boundless time and space, reaching Lin Xun.

In that instant, Lin Xun felt as if he had been struck by lightning, a thunderous sound resonating deep within his soul. The scenes he had just witnessed shattered like glass, vanishing in an instant.

At the same time, he couldn't hold back a cough, spitting out a mouthful of blood. His already pale and youthful face turned even more ashen.

His body trembled violently, feeling as if his soul was being torn apart inch by inch, experiencing an indescribable pain.

The sensation was so intense that he felt he would die at any moment.

And all of this was caused by a single drop of blood he had placed on the last page of the mysterious scroll.

At that moment, the scroll on the desk was still open to the last page, and the dark gray brush lay beside it.

The blood Lin Xun had coughed up had smeared the last page of the scroll, leaving a dark red stain, a mess.

But Lin Xun couldn't care less about these things. He could feel his vital energy rapidly weakening, his soul on the verge of collapse, and he knew he would die soon.

Why is this happening?

Lin Xun's mind was in chaos. Mr. Lu had told him that the scroll and brush contained a shocking secret. If he could unravel it, even if he had lost his "Origin Spirit Meridian," he could reverse his fate and be reborn.

But Lin Xun never expected that when he tried to unravel the secret, such a disaster would occur.

He saw unimaginable scenes, the terrifying methods used by the towering figure to break through the "Gate of the Stars," the world's descent into chaos, and the apocalyptic destruction of all things...

But because of this, his blood was in turmoil, his soul struck by lightning, and he could no longer control the loss of his vital energy.

Why is this happening?

Is everyone who sees this doomed to die?

No!

Mr. Lu must have seen these things too, and since he survived, why can't I?

Thinking of this, Lin Xun suddenly understood why he was in this "near-death" state. It was all because his cultivation was too weak, and his body's endurance was too poor.

In fact, as Lin Xun had guessed, in the past, every person who obtained the scroll and brush was a powerful existence, with divine might and transcendent power.

Such people, when seeing those shocking scenes, would not be affected too much.

But Lin Xun was different. He was just a young man at the second level of True Martial "Internal Strength," with sluggish and weak meridians and acupoints, and a deep, unhealable wound. The shock and impact of witnessing those scenes were unimaginable.

If not for his extraordinary willpower, he would have already given up.

But even though he was still alive, he was not far from death...

Lin Xun did not panic. The habits he had formed since childhood quickly calmed him down, but his calm thinking also made him realize that with his current abilities, he could not stop the loss of his vital energy.

What should I do?

Lin Xun's gaze fell on the last page of the scroll, where the "strange pattern" had been stained red by his blood. He couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

This "strange pattern" was indeed unlike a spirit rune. It was incomplete, dim, chaotic, and intricate, making it difficult to describe its "strangeness."

Could the scenes he had just witnessed have been created by this "strange pattern"?

Lin Xun didn't know why, but even as he was on the brink of death, his mind was still drawn to this strange pattern.

"If this pattern is indeed an incomplete spirit rune that I don't understand, who could have drawn it?"

Lin Xun thought of the towering figure standing alone atop the mountain peak, then his gaze fell on the dark gray brush lying on the desk.

Was this brush used to draw the "strange pattern"?

Whether it was a sudden inspiration or a flash of insight, Lin Xun reached out and grabbed the dark gray brush, took a deep breath, and, despite the pain and discomfort, lifted the brush tip and placed it on the "strange pattern."

The brush tip was like a blade, dark and dull, and when it touched the "strange pattern," nothing noticeable happened.

Just as Lin Xun felt a bit disappointed, his pupils suddenly constricted. He saw the bloodstain on the page begin to move, quietly being absorbed by the dark gray brush tip...

Clang!

A clear sound, like a precious sword emerging from a deep abyss after a long silence.

Lin Xun felt his body stiffen, controlled by an irresistible force, unable to move.

The dark gray brush in his right hand, now seemingly alive, glowed with a mysterious and obscure light, guiding his wrist and fingers to begin writing and tracing the "strange pattern"...