122: Zhuge Heting!

The further down he went, the darker the light became.

Visibility by the naked eye was less than ten meters.

He could only barely perceive a hundred zhang by expanding his Divine Thought.

Lin You couldn't help but frown; he could sense a vague, ethereal pressure.

Mixed within it was a faint aura of the Zhuge Family.

"It looks like this is the place..."

Lin You muttered.

Soon, he landed at the bottom of the valley.

This was a dried-up riverbed, desolate, withered, and ravaged.

Lin You slowly advanced in the direction from which the aura emanated.

A straight and narrow path appeared before his eyes.

The air contained a faint scent of blood... it was very rich.

It seemed slightly different from the blood scent he usually encountered.

Lin You secretly tightened his grip on the white tiger golden light sword. He could sense that the Zhuge Family's Great Expert was nearby.

—Crack... The branch beneath his foot snapped instantly, issuing a crisp echo.

Beneath this Abyss of Heaven, it sounded particularly jarring.

Lin You subconsciously halted his steps.

The wind... seemed to have silently calmed down.

The surrounding silence was palpable, suffocating like a pool of stagnant water.

Immediately after... Lin You tilted his head, his gaze fixed on a corner in the darkness.

Someone seemed to be breathing there... fingernails scraped against the wall, creating a grating, acid-like screech... again and again... again and again... This movement grew louder, resembling some strange curse.

Sounds began to emerge from the surrounding darkness.

Countless sharp claws continuously scraped against the walls.

—Snap... Suddenly,

something seemed to break.

Almost instantly, Lin You was enveloped by overwhelming killing intent.

Figures roared as they charged out of the darkness; they were burly and looked deranged!

Like barbarians, they brandished the swords and blades in their hands.

There was no technique, and absolutely no Spiritual Qi fluctuation!

Only pure killing intent and savagery!

—Clang.

Sword light swept out beneath the Abyss of Heaven.

Illuminating the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths!

Lin You clearly saw their faces: on those zombie-like countenances were extremely hideous wounds!

With a single sword strike, dozens of heads flew into the air!

"What is going on!"

"How can there be so many... Mortals here?"

"Wait!"

"Calling them Mortals doesn't seem quite right; their Physical Bodies are far stronger than Mortals."

"They look more like... Cultivators specializing in Body Refining?"

"But besides the Longevity Family, who else can enter the Dragon Court!"

Surprise flashed in Lin You's eyes.

The figures rushed toward him as if they didn't value their lives, seemingly intent on devouring him alive.

The sword light flared up again.

The Heaven-Grade Perfection Cultivation Technique was fully unleashed.

The weak 'Mortals,' who possessed only a Physical Body but no cultivation, instantly turned into ash!

Faintly... Lin You seemed to hear the roar of some unknown creature.

It was a mournful cry... yet also like anger... He pricked up his ears and listened carefully. Only an extremely faint voice came from the end of the path.

"Is it... someone from the Zhuge Family?"

"I am Zhuge Heting."

The voice was tiny, but Lin You's heart trembled wildly!

Still alive?

How is that possible!

According to the accounts within the Dragon Court, the Dao Fruit here are blessings left behind by Great Experts after their death.

How could a living person remain beneath the Abyss of Heaven!

He quickly stepped forward, heading toward the depths of the Abyss of Heaven. The boundless black mist seemed intent on swallowing him whole.

It wasn't until he walked through this main path,

that Lin You's vision suddenly cleared!

A withered old man sat upright before a stone wall, bearing indelible marks of the passage of time.

Ancient, heavy.

His head full of white hair was sparse and dry, as if all moisture had been sucked out.

And before him... was a Void Realm rift where chilling winds incessantly howled.

Endless, mighty power erupted from his body, submerging into the rift to fill the void.

Immediately after... darkness surged forth again, swallowing the light.

This cycle repeated... visibly...

The old man's aura grew weaker, his entire face tortured and bloodless, his lips black and purple.

It was as if the thing before him wasn't a Void Realm rift, but an unspeakable vampire constantly draining the essence from his body!

Hearing the sound,

Zhuge Heting struggled to turn his neck. He looked at Lin You, a hint of confusion in his eyes.

"You..."

"You are not a disciple of my Zhuge Family..."

"Why have you found this place?"

Lin You instinctively tightened his grip on the white tiger golden light sword. Although the other party's aura was on the verge of collapsing,

he could still feel the heavy, ocean-like pressure.

This was definitely a powerhouse above the Great Saint Realm!

Lin You said solemnly, "Zhuge Changqing sent me."

Zhuge Heting muttered a few words upon hearing this. "Zhuge Changqing? That name... this old man doesn't seem to have heard of it."

Immediately after,

he struggled to raise his left hand. A faint blue halo emerged on his fingertip, as if he were calculating something.

After a long while, he opened his eyes, looking utterly exhausted.

"So, he is the future Helmsman of my Zhuge Family."

"Good, very good..."

Lin You's pupils couldn't help but widen.

Holy crap?

Fortune telling!

No... in this world, 'fortune telling' probably isn't the right word.

But what kind of vast Divine Power was this?

To be able to calculate someone's background just from a single name.

Are you kidding me!

After speaking, Zhuge Heting seemed unsatisfied and continued calculating with his fingers, tiny blue halos flowing at his fingertips.

His aura visibly weakened at a terrifying rate.

"My Zhuge Family..."

"How could it have come to this!"

"To actually let a young man, Pfft—"

Zhuge Heting spat out scarlet blood, his entire person like a flickering candle in the wind, ready to collapse at any moment.

Yet, he still struggled to continuously send Spiritual Qi into the Void Realm rift.

Seeing that the other party might croak at any second, Lin You quickly stated his purpose, looking at the black mist surging in the Void Realm rift.

"Senior, Zhuge Changqing sent me to bring back the Zhuge Family Legacy."

"But I have searched the entire Dragon Court, and besides you, there is no other Zhuge Family Legacy."

Zhuge Heting was clearly stunned upon hearing this.

He stared at Lin You, seemingly trying to discern the truth from his face.

After a long while, he spoke, as if having accepted something.

"So that's how it is..."

"This Helmsman of my Zhuge Family..."

"Is indeed... formidable."

Immediately after, Zhuge Heting stopped sitting cross-legged and slowly stood up. The spot where he had been sitting was starkly distinct from the surrounding dust.

"Then do you know what place this is?"

Lin You shook his head.

Zhuge Heting asked again, "Then do you know how this Legacy is to be taken away?"

Lin You shook his head again.

This was also the doubt in his heart: this great Senior of the Zhuge Family was still alive, so why bring back a Legacy?

If the person just went back, wouldn't everything be solved?

Zhuge Heting suddenly laughed, a laugh filled with relief.

As if he had shed all his shackles.

He stared at Lin You, "Then you don't want to know?"

Lin You shook his head for the third time.

Yes, although he was extremely curious, he understood one principle: the more you know, the more trouble you invite.

Coming to the Dragon Court was merely to repay the Zhuge Family's favor and complete the mission.

If the other party doesn't volunteer the information, just don't ask!

Seeing him shake his head, Zhuge Heting was exasperated into laughter and cursed jokingly.

"You fellow."

"You clearly know that this old man is a flickering candle in the wind, about to die, making this the best time to resolve your doubts."

"You have ten thousand questions in your heart, yet you suppress them and refuse to ask."

"To have such deep reserve at this age..."

"Tsk."

"Your future is truly promising."