92: Shen Tushi

As Xu Lihuang had said, they soon found traces of Otherworld architecture.

In the pitch-black darkness, a black stone stele abruptly appeared ahead.

It stood silently, its surface covered in mottled patterns, roughened by the erosion of time.

Behind the stele lay the broken remnants of buildings.

These ruins loomed faintly in the darkness, their former glory long gone, leaving only desolation and bleakness.

Shattered stone blocks piled together, forming heaps of rubble.

Standing beneath the black stele, they used Snow Feather's light to see the characters inscribed upon it.

The Otherworld script, resembling ghostly scribbles, left Lin Shu completely baffled, unable to decipher its meaning.

Even Xu Lihuang was at a loss, having never encountered these characters before.

Seeing this, Snow Feather, who had been standing to the side, stepped forward.

Lifting its left foot, it began to trace lines on the muddy ground.

Soon, three large characters appeared before their eyes.

Both were astonished; Snow Feather could actually understand the Otherworld script on the stele and even write out its meaning.

Snow Feather wore a look that said

no big deal

with a hint of pride on its face.

Looking at those three characters: Shen Tu Clan.

This name indicated that their identity was that of nobility.

Lin Shu's knowledge of the Otherworld was still too limited to grasp the significance.

Xu Lihuang, however, rested his chin on his hand and began to ponder.

After a long while, he shook his head, clearly having never heard of this Shen Tu Clan either.

This didn't really matter.

Seeing how this black stele had maintained its form despite the passage of such long years,

it likely wasn't anything ordinary and should be a good item.

Immediately, Lin Shu tried to claim it for himself.

Seeing this, Xu Lihuang couldn't help but laugh.

This stele seems like a good item.

If you can take it, go ahead and take it.

Lin Shu, of course, didn't stand on ceremony and directly stored it within Night's storage space.

Fortunately, his skill had improved somewhat, expanding the internal space just enough to fit it.

He then headed towards the ruins, hoping to see if there were any other good items.

But the result left him greatly disappointed; after searching the area thoroughly for a long time,

there wasn't a single thing to be found.

Disappointed, Lin Shu moved on elsewhere, beginning to search for Beasts to hunt.

...

Elsewhere, in a cave.

The gazes of three men were fixed on the stone stele before them and the green stone tea table beside it.

On the tea table lay a piece of jade, crystal clear and glowing with a warm, gentle luster.

Inside the jade, smoky veins seemed to flow slowly, dreamlike and illusory; a single glance revealed it as a rare treasure.

Their hearts filled with greed and desire, one of them spoke urgently.

Big Brother, Second Brother, what's recorded on this stele?

You've been muttering over it for ages.

What a waste of time! We should just take the jade and hurry to the next place!

The eldest brother paused his actions, glanced at this third brother, and revealed a look of utter short-sightedness.

Incredibly foolish. Do you know what's recorded here?

You have a mountain of treasure right before you and don't recognize it, obsessing over that broken piece of jade instead.

Second Brother, tell him!

Seeing this, the second brother smiled and began to explain.

The stele is mostly inscribed with a thousand-year Legacy evolution pathway of the Shen Tu Clan!

Brother and I have already deciphered most of the detailed text.

It's highly likely to be authentic.

Hearing this, the third brother gasped; this dilapidated stele actually recorded something like that.

He then began to laugh heartily, unable to stop the grin spreading across his face, mumbling to himself.

We're rich! We're rich!

Such good fortune has finally found us three brothers!

Seeing this, the eldest and second brothers also shared a knowing smile, clearly excited as well, though they restrained it for the moment.

After all, the contents of the stele weren't fully deciphered yet.

Alright, you stay put over there.

Stop hopping around.

Sure thing!

The third brother naturally agreed readily, his attitude changing with alarming speed.

The three brothers had grown up together since childhood, their bond naturally very strong; even when faced with such a treasure,

not one of them coveted it enough to try and claim it all for themselves.

Bored, the third brother went to the green stone table, intending to take a good look at the jade.

He reached out and grasped it directly; an icy, bone-chilling sensation shot through him, making him shiver.

Just as he was about to curse aloud,

a sudden change occurred.

A powerful mental impact erupted from within the jade.

A faint, lingering purple glow wavered in the air.

The invisible impact struck the minds of the three men like a giant hammer.

Utterly defenseless against this sudden assault, they collapsed straight to the ground, falling onto the green stone floor.

A crisp sound echoed; their fate, whether alive or dead, was unknown.

Then, from within the jade, a wisp of black shadow streamed out.

The shadow hovered in the air for a long while, as if considering something.

Finally, it plunged straight into the eldest brother's body and vanished.

A moment later, the eldest brother trembled as he slowly, bit by bit, rose from the ground.

His entire body shook violently, as if made of chaff.

His originally amiable and kind face turned pale and icy, a bizarre smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

How long has it been? I, Shen Tu Wu Hong, have finally returned...

His voice carried boundless desolation and teeth-grinding hatred.

He raised his hands, sensing the overall condition of the body he had seized.

He began to sort through the memories of the original eldest brother.

Otherworld? Great Xia? Fragment-level?

Interesting. I never thought the Dark Domain would...

His voice then cut off abruptly, not continuing.

Shen Tu Wu Hong perceived this new body, taking over its control.

The initially intense rejection reaction gradually subsided; he had now completely occupied this Physical Body.

Trash. Utter trash.

With talent and strength like this, you're not even qualified to be my servant.

Looking at the original eldest brother's strength, which didn't even reach the fifth rank, Shen Tu Wu Hong cursed angrily.

Someone like this, in the Dark Domain, would only be fit to be blood sustenance. As for becoming a Beastmaster?

That would be utterly impossible.

His cold gaze swept over the second and third brothers, whose fates were unknown.

Shen Tu Wu Hong revealed a satisfied smile.

Fresh blood sustenance. Although their strength is lacking, it will suffice for now.

It can also help me recover some of my power.

He then raised his hands high, fingers curled as if gripping something empty.

Wisps of blood-colored flame, conjured from mental energy, rose swirling.

The flames burned fiercely yet emitted no heat; though fire, they radiated a cold, eerie aura.

With a flick of his hands, two blood flames shot into the air, flying straight towards the two sides.

They covered the bodies' surfaces, forcibly extracting deep red blood.

The blood condensed into droplets, merging into the blood flames, becoming nourishment.

The once tall and robust bodies of the two men instantly transformed into desiccated corpses.

In the dim cave, the blood flames reflected in Shen Tu Wu Hong's pupils grew increasingly gorgeous and crimson.

...