NIP Chapter 124 The Chains of Life Stealing, Absolute Submission of Power
Chapter 124 The Chains of Life Stealing, Absolute Submission of Power
The night wind in Beijing carried a strong smell of gunpowder and burnt earth.
Lu Yuan walked out into the dark alley without streetlights. His leather shoes made a rough, scraping sound as they stepped on the cracked asphalt.
His current physical condition is very strange.
His dantian was so empty that not even a trace of true essence could be squeezed out. Deep within his sea of consciousness, the black chain representing the "Heavenly Dao Life-Stealing Curse" tightly bound his soul. With every step he took, the sickening sound of the chain being dragged echoed in his mind.
The curse seal cast by the nine Immortal Emperors, combined with the extreme backlash of the nuclear explosion, forcefully suppressed his cultivation back to the mortal realm.
Lu Yuan stopped in his tracks.
He looked down at his palm. The lines on his palm were distinct, but the flowing jade-like light that used to shimmer on his skin was gone, making him look no different from an ordinary high school boy.
He clenched his fist suddenly.
Snapped.
The air was violently crushed by this pure physical force, producing a crisp sonic boom.
His physical body, honed through countless trials during the Mahayana stage, remained intact. Even without the protection of true essence, the density of this body far exceeded that of any known alloy on Earth. The high temperature of a nuclear bomb could only burn his clothes, but it couldn't even singe a single hair on his body.
"Losing true essence has actually made the body's senses more acute."
Lu Yuan tore off the tattered strips of his shirt and casually threw them into the nearby trash can.
At the end of the alley, a black Hongqi sedan with military license plates was parked.
The headlights were off. The engine was idling with a low hum.
Shen Qingci stood by the car door. The deputy director of the Jiangnan office of the Astronomical Bureau was barely breathing. She wore a smart black trench coat and held a briefcase with a combination lock in her hands.
Lu Yuan stopped three meters away from her.
Shen Qingci's back tensed up uncontrollably.
Before she arrived, Elder Li of the defense zone gave a strict order: satisfy all of Lu Yuan's demands at all costs. Even if Lu Yuan wanted to demolish the Forbidden City now, the Astronomical Bureau would still be responsible for laying the bricks properly.
"Mr. Lu."
Shen Qingci lowered her head slightly, her gaze fixed on the tips of Lu Yuan's shoes, not daring to look into his eyes at all.
"Old Li sent me to pick you up. The Beijing Defense District has taken full control of the ruins of the Wang Family Manor, and is publicly stating that a massive series of explosions occurred in the underground natural gas pipelines. All satellite images and network data were cleared within five minutes."
Lu Yuan didn't reply.
He reached into his pocket and touched the bronze fragment. The jagged edges of the fragment were a little rough to the touch.
"Long Yuan's leg is broken, aren't you going to seek justice for him?"
Lu Yuan's voice was very calm.
Shen Qingci swallowed hard, her throat bobbing.
"Director Long disobeyed the highest orders and arbitrarily used heavy firepower against you. Elder Li has already signed the document stripping him of his position as director of the Bureau of Extraordinary Immortals. His life or death now rests entirely in your hands."
Lu Yuan looked at Shen Qingci's face, which was trying to appear calm.
These high-ranking officials have finally learned their lesson. Even a nuclear bombing campaign couldn't kill him; instead, it shattered the last shred of hope the authorities had.
From this moment on, the secular imperial power of China was reduced to nothing but endless compromise before him.
"I have no interest in your internal squabbles."
Lu Yuan extended his hand.
"Where is what I want?"
Shen Qingci quickly handed over the combination lock box she was holding. She entered the combination, and the lid popped open.
Inside, ten pieces of top-quality Hetian jade, each about the size of a baby's fist, were neatly arranged. Each piece radiated a warm, lustrous sheen; these were the most prized possessions in the Heavenly Bureau's treasure trove.
Lu Yuan picked up a piece of chalcedony.
He couldn't forcefully break open the Nine Heavens Storage Ring with his divine sense, so he could only rely on this jade containing a trace of spiritual energy to slowly nourish the Xuanhuang Mother Qi Cauldron sleeping between his brows. As long as the Mother Qi Cauldron recovered even a trace of its original energy, it could help him pry open the tip of the iceberg of the Heavenly Dao Life-Stealing Curse.
Click.
Lu Yuan clenched his five fingers, and the hard jade marrow was crushed into powder.
The meager spiritual energy contained within the jade disappeared without a trace, disappearing into his meridians without even causing a ripple.
"That's too little."
Lu Yuan threw the remaining jade marrow, along with the box, back into Shen Qingci's arms.
"Tell your people to load all the spiritual stones and medicinal herbs from the Jiangnan warehouse onto the carts. I'm going to Kunlun."
Shen Qingci, holding the box, paused for a moment.
"Kunlun? Mr. Lu, the magnetic field in Kunlun Death Valley has been fluctuating recently, and..."
"I'm not asking for your opinion."
Lu Yuan interrupted her.
"Arrange a high-speed train for me to go west. I want the whole train. Don't send anyone to follow me, and don't test my limits."
Shen Qingci immediately shut up.
"Understood. The special train will be waiting for you at Beijing West Station in half an hour. The supplies will be loaded onto the train at various stops along the route."
Lu Yuan opened the car door and sat in the back seat.
Shen Qingci closed the car door, walked around to the driver's seat, and started the car.
The carriage was eerily quiet. Shen Qingci glanced at the man in the back seat through the rearview mirror.
Lu Yuan leaned back in his chair, eyes closed, breathing evenly. If one hadn't personally witnessed the top-secret battle report, who would believe that this seemingly exhausted young man had just withstood a tactical nuclear bomb underground?
Shen Qingci withdrew her gaze and stepped on the gas.
Unbeknownst to her, Lu Yuan was already plotting something else.
The interstellar teleportation array in the Kunlun Mountains requires a fragment of a coordinate scroll from the Sirius star system to activate. Since the Wang family was able to obtain the scroll, it means the people on the other end of the teleportation array had already begun their preparations on Earth.
Even... they've already arrived.
"Using blood to feed the remnants of the scrolls, these demonic cultivators' methods are still so crude."
Lu Yuan sneered inwardly.
Once he reaches Kunlun, he can dig out those rats hiding in the gutter and drain their cultivation to break through this damned life-stealing chain.