Chapter 378

Chapter 378: The Terrifying Little Thief

"What are you going to do, lad?!"

Chang Xiang urgently questioned him upon seeing this move. They had come here to find someone, not to get into fights. Lou Yun suddenly drew the Dream Emperor Sword, its blade imbued with Heavenly Fire energy. This was clearly preparation for an attack, and an incredibly powerful one at that!

"Wen Zhi Lao Ren is dying! I have to get to him quickly! Little Lan, hide behind me!"

Though Xia Zhilan didn’t understand what was happening, seeing Lou Yun’s expression told her the situation was dire. She hastily moved behind him.

Lou Yun took a deep breath, lifting the Dream Emperor Sword in his hand, then brought it down in a sharp, straight chop towards a spot a meter in front of him.

Had Tie Sha been present and watching, he would have recognized a certain resemblance between this straight chop and the technique he himself specialized in. However, Lou Yun’s execution seemed far more natural and fluid!

Indeed, Lou Yun was consciously imitating Tie Sha’s move. Back when Tie Sha, wielding the giant sword Lou Yun had forged for him, stood over the ocean and exerted his full strength in a single devastating downward chop, Lou Yun had closed his eyes, instinctively sensing the fluctuations in the surrounding spiritual energy.

Whether it was Tie Sha drawing the sword, gathering strength, or unleashing the final blow, the energies of heaven and earth shifted differently throughout the process. Lou Yun captured those changes, imprinting them on his mind. Essentially, he memorized the very method and application of force behind Tie Sha’s signature straight chop. That was why he could perform it now.

Furthermore, thanks to his deep understanding of the energies of heaven and earth, his execution of this straight chop, both in form and the application of force, was even more natural and fluid than Tie Sha’s own!

However, the Dream Emperor Sword wasn’t a heavy, purely offensive broadsword like Tie Sha’s; it was significantly smaller and lighter. Thus, the sheer destructive power of this straight chop still fell short of what the giant sword could unleash.

The sword descended. Fireballs erupted. Thunder crashed. A cloud of accumulated snow exploded upwards as if a fresh blizzard had started, flakes swirling chaotically through the air.

Lou Yun abruptly grabbed Xia Zhilan’s hand. Ignoring the blinding flurry of snow, he charged straight into the tumultuous cloud she was suddenly shielded in. It was then that Xia Zhilan saw it – Lou Yun’s strike had cleaved a hole in the ground, a trench about a meter wide and three to four meters deep.

They plunged into the hole. Inside, a set of steps descended into increasingly expansive, yet deepening, darkness. Xia Zhilan’s modest cultivation level couldn’t penetrate the gloom, and soon she could see nothing at all. Yet Lou Yun’s grip remained firm on her hand, anchoring her and banishing any trace of fear.

Using his Spirit Vision, Lou Yun had located Wen Zhi Lao Ren’s hidden refuge. Though he hadn’t found the actual entrance mechanism, he pinpointed the structurally weakest link connecting the surface to the sanctuary below. That one powerful chop blasted open the ground directly above it, creating a makeshift entrance to the old sage’s retreat.

Lou Yun descended the steps at breakneck speed, like a whirlwind. At the base of the stairway, prostrate on the last step, lay a figure – Wen Zhi Lao Ren!

Knowing Xia Zhilan was sightless in the darkness, Lou Yun immediately summoned the Illusory Wolf Heavenly Fire. Crimson light instantly flooded the surroundings, illuminating the scene. Xia Zhilan experienced another fleeting jolt of surprise, wondering how this flame-wreathed wolf was another spiritual entity inhabiting Lou Yun alongside Chang Xiang.

But her astonishment quickly faded. Accompanying Lou Yun meant witnessing the impossible became the norm.

This was precisely the scene Lou Yun had glimpsed through Spirit Vision: Wen Zhi Lao Ren lay motionless, seemingly lifeless, yet emanating a faint, fading thread of vitality. That thin thread of lingering life force was the source of Lou Yun’s desperate urgency, the reason he had breached the sanctuary with such brute force.

Lou Yun didn’t immediately turn the old man over. First, he conducted a careful inspection. He found the elder’s body utterly drained, devoid of even a trace of spiritual energy. To his horror, a hairline fissure marred the surface of his magical weapon.

Lou Yun turned the elder’s body with the utmost care. Wen Zhi Lao Ren’s face was deathly pale, his hair brittle and dry, his skin cracked like parched earth. This state had clearly persisted for a long time.

Anyone else witnessing such a condition would deem any life-saving effort utterly futile. Though technically clinging to life, he was teetering on the precipice, a mere breath away from oblivion. Revival seemed an impossibility.

But the one seeing him was Lou Yun. Without the slightest hesitation, Lou Yun began channeling his own deep reserves of heaven and earth energy, infusing the life force steadily and gently into Wen Zhi Lao Ren’s withered form.

Simultaneously, from his three divine flames, Fusang Fire emerged. Guided by Lou Yun’s will, it streamed directly into the elder’s body, targeting the minute crack on his magical weapon, beginning the meticulous process of repair.

Lou Yun was neither an elixir refiner nor a healer. Yet, if the world’s most esteemed physicians had witnessed his efforts at that moment, they would have gaped in disbelief, humbled by what they saw. This was no feat for an ordinary man!

He was channeling pure life-giving energy while simultaneously performing intricate repairs on a spiritual weapon – a true feat of multitasking, two vital tasks worked hand in hand!

Under Lou Yun’s relentless efforts, the spark of life within Wen Zhi Lao Ren, which had been threatening to extinguish entirely, flickered more robustly. A faint groan escaped the old man’s lips. His eyes slowly opened.

Recognition flickered in those pale eyes when they focused on Lou Yun. Astonishment washed over Wen Zhi Lao Ren’s face. Lou Yun spoke first: "Don’t speak. Concentrate on absorbing the energy I’m giving you. Guide it. Nurture your dantian."

Wen Zhi Lao Ren, renowned throughout the land for his profound knowledge, understood his perilous state all too well. Lou Yun’s command was met with a faint, grateful nod. The elder closed his eyes again, dedicating every shred of focus to his own desperate recovery.

For nearly an hour, the quiet intensity persisted. Finally, a faint flush of pink began to return to Wen Zhi Lao Ren’s cheeks. Lou Yun retracted his palms and stepped back, allowing the elder space to adjust and complete his meditation and energy circulation.

However, Lou Yun used this interlude to sweep his gaze methodically around the hidden refuge Wen Zhi Lao Ren had used for secluded cultivation. A flicker of suspicion, then a sharp glint of something like anger or cold determination, passed through his eyes.

"Lad," Chang Xiang observed plainly, "you’re looking for that mute boy?"

"Yes. Logically, he should be here."

"You," Chang Xiang sighed, "you’re too soft-hearted. Didn’t you recognize it? Wen Zhi Lao Ren’s condition is exactly what you faced when you were last here. Without your Heavenly Fire, you’d be a dried-up husk long ago! So, can’t you guess what reduced him to this? And… this outcome is also tied to you."

Chang Xiang’s words silenced Lou Yun. Indeed, with his sharp intellect, the moment he discovered the elder’s injuries, the terrible possibility had surfaced. But, as Chang Xiang rightly noted, his inherent decency desperately resisted that conclusion.

During Lou Yun’s previous visit to the Great Snowfield, he first encountered the mute youth, Duan Wentian. Duan had spun a tale of his father being in mortal danger, pleading with Lou Yun for help. Lou Yun naturally rushed to aid without a second thought.

It was a trap. Duan Wentian’s "father" wasn’t ill at all; he used the ruse to greedily drain Lou Yun’s spiritual energy. Only Lou Yun’s Heavenly Fire, driven into the attacker’s body to burn him alive, saved Lou Yun.

Later, Duan Wentian confessed his life story. Touched by pity yet again, Lou Yun left him in Wen Zhi Lao Ren’s care.

Now, Wen Zhi Lao Ren, drained utterly, held nothing – not even the residual shreds of energy exhaustion should naturally leave. This could only be the work of deliberate, rapacious suction.

Absorbing another cultivator’s spiritual energy for one’s own use wasn’t an entirely obscure practice, but masters of it were exceedingly rare. The man Lou Yun had incinerated knew how… but he was dead. Impossible to return. That left one glaring probability: Duan Wentian – the mute boy, this unknown’s "son" – he must know it too!

Lou Yun now waited for Wen Zhi Lao Ren to fully regain consciousness. He demanded the truth directly from the source.

Finally, after another half hour, Wen Zhi Lao Ren stood, his eyes open and clear. Without wasting a word, he bowed deeply, lower than etiquette ever demanded, to Lou Yun: "Brother Lou, your life-saving mercy… this old man will carry his debt to you to the grave!"

Lou Yun caught the elder’s arms firmly, stopping the bow. "Senior, no need for such formalities! Please. How did you come to be reduced to this state? Who did this to you?"

Agitation and bitter hatred twisted Wen Zhi Lao Ren’s weathered face. His next words came through clenched teeth, dripping with fury: "That little thief… Duan Wentian!"

Lou Yun’s heart plummeted like a stone into icy water. He couldn’t help but shut his eyes tightly. The image of Duan Wentian – that frail, delicate, unnervingly quiet youth – surfaced vividly. A bitter laugh churned within him. This seemingly pitiable boy has deceived me multiple times! The first time nearly cost me my life… and this final act nearly claimed Wen Zhi Lao Ren! If I had arrived just a few days later… The unspoken conclusion hung chillingly in the air: the old man would have perished without doubt.

"Duan Wentian!" His voice thick with regret and shame, Lou Yun turned to the elder: "Senior… I truly didn’t imagine he’d…"

Wen Zhi Lao Ren cut him off with a sharp wave of his hand. "It’s not your fault! Look at me – I’m known as ‘He Who Knows All’! Even I was thoroughly hoodwinked by him! That little wretch hid his true nature meticulously… he’s unnervingly clever!"

Without waiting for further questions, Wen Zhi Lao Ren launched into the account of what transpired.

After Lou Yun’s departure, the old man had taken Duan Wentian into seclusion here. Truth be told, Wen Zhi Lao Ren, despite his vast years, lived a solitary life and often felt profound loneliness. Duan Wentian’s presence changed that; the elder truly reveled in the boy’s company, treating him like a beloved grandson, showering him with care and affection.

In the beginning, Duan Wentian was the picture of obedience and diligence. He attended meticulously to the elder’s cultivation and daily needs. Master and youth found an easy harmony.

Gradually, Wen Zhi Lao Ren began taking Duan Wentian’s cultivation education in hand. Though not supremely powerful (only at Earth level five-star), the elder’s encyclopedic mind held countless techniques and insights. He personally selected a cultivation method tailored for Duan.

Then, only half a month ago, Wen Zhi Lao Ren felt his cultivation energy reach a critical peak at the pinnacle of Earth-level five-star rank. He resolved to undertake a long, deep seclusion, intending to break through to the Heaven-level realm. But at his advanced age, ascending a major realm came with immense peril. Anticipating the worst, he entrusted Duan Wentian with every artifact, treasure, and record he had collected over decades of travel across lands – a de facto bestowal of his worldly possessions.

Preparations complete, Wen Zhi Lao Ren began his seclusion. Yet, shockingly, the very next day, he suddenly felt the touch of hands gripping his shoulders. Before he could react, before a single defensive thought could crystallize, a colossal, irresistible suction took hold.

Like water from a breached dam, his spiritual energy drained out in torrents, streaming into whatever source wielded those dark hands.

Helpless, utterly immobilized by the overwhelming suction and sheer surprise, Wen Zhi Lao Ren realized with mounting horror the identity of his assailant must be Duan Wentian. Yet, he could offer no resistance.

The violation was thorough. When every last drop of his energy was consumed, a fresh surge of brutal force tore out from Duan Wentian’s hands. This violent energy wasn’t for absorption; it struck with destructive intent, inflicting a grievous crack upon Wen Zhi Lao Ren’s spiritual weapon core.

Then, the grip vanished. Wen Zhi Lao Ren slumped to the floor, a shattered husk. The traitorous youth fled without a backward glance.