Chapter 135: This Disciple Put Him to Rest

The Fox Master let out a roar toward the heavens, but what came out was the squeal of a pig.

She could hardly bear such a massive humiliation. Her rage turned the wild boar’s beastly pupils as red as blood. She charged frantically through the mountain forest until she stumbled into a place permeated by a crimson mist.

“Hmm?”

A field of blood-colored skeletons appeared before her eyes.

It was impossible to tell how many people had died tragically here, their remains piled up like mountains. Every skeleton looked as if it had been soaked in a pool of blood before being tossed here. They had likely been discarded for a long time, as a layer of blood-red mist drifted over them.

It was an intense, concentrated Baleful Qi.

Vague streaks of blood-colored light flickered within the mist. It seemed that after years of brewing, this dense Baleful Qi had gradually birthed a consciousness, manifesting as something akin to an evil spirit.

“I didn’t expect to find such a wonderful thing! It’s all mine… every bit of it belongs to This Seat!”

Roar!

The Fox Master’s wild boar body charged directly into the mountain of skeletons, frantically absorbing the Baleful Qi. She did not consider that the Baleful Qi was too heavy and her current physical vessel was too weak. Very quickly, she lost consciousness and collapsed.

Inside the Sanctuary Tower.

Qin Jiuhuang did not continue his cultivation within the tower.

Having broken his shackles with Lu Jin’s help, he had intimidated the crowd and forbidden them from spreading word of the event, but he knew the truth would eventually come to light. Thus, he decisively left the Sanctuary Tower.

The region behind the Blood Moon Holy Land was filled with numerous mountains, their peaks standing tall like torches. As the Holy Lord, he had hidden many treasures deep within those forests. As long as he could find them, he would be able to rapidly restore his cultivation and even take it a step further. All of it was for the sake of revenge.

After flying for nearly a hundred li across the Outer Sects territory, Lu Jin was finally brought into the Inner Sects.

The Blood Moon Holy Land was vast, so large that it exceeded Lu Jin’s imagination.

Previously, he had always stayed within the Ten Thousand Swords Sects. Even when he went out for experience, he had never seen such a massive sect. Today was truly an eye-opening experience.

Because Outer Sects Master Lu Xingdao personally escorted him, the Inner Sects Elders took the matter seriously. They quickly arranged the necessary procedures for Lu Jin’s entry into the Inner Sects.

The Inner Sects was different from the Outer Sects. In the Outer Sects, disciples were chosen by the nine halls. In the Inner Sects, it depended on a disciple’s elemental talent.

The Five Elements of Heaven and Earth—Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. Every person’s cultivation corresponded to one of these attributes. The Inner Sects was also named after these Five Elements, divided into the Gold Hall, Wood Hall, Water Hall, Fire Hall, and Earth Hall.

Because the disciples of these five halls practiced martial arts corresponding to their attributes, they could develop their potential to the maximum. Form this reason, the cultivation levels of Inner Sects disciples were far higher than those of the Outer Sects.

The Five Elements Hall.

This was the place where the five halls of the Inner Sects selected their disciples.

Normally, the Hall Masters of the five halls were not present here; they remained in their respective cultivation dwellings. When Lu Jin entered the Five Elements Hall, he saw several Elders from the five halls.

However, something puzzled him. As he scanned the room, he noticed five distinct camps, but one of them was completely empty. He didn’t know why they were absent.

“Sects Master Lu, for you to personally escort a disciple here, it seems our Blood Moon Holy Land is about to gain another genius?”

Seeing Lu Xingdao lead Lu Jin inside, a group of Elders in the Five Elements Hall looked over. Their gazes swept over Lu Jin, seemingly trying to see right through him.

Lu Jin simply hid his aura within the Heaven Burial Coffin, making it impossible for this group to probe him.

Keeping the opponent in the dark was the wisest course of action. Only a fool would let others see their trump cards the moment they met.

“Elders, this disciple is named Lu Jin. He earned the opportunity to enter the Inner Sects directly by challenging the Sanctuary Tower,” Lu Xingdao said. As he spoke, his eyes flickered with a hint of complexity.

Indeed, some disciples could enter the Inner Sects directly by clearing the tower, but Lu Jin’s performance had been far too monstrous. Even now, Lu Xingdao didn’t actually know which floor Lu Jin had reached.

Furthermore, Lu Jin had received the protection of that mysterious powerhouse within the Sanctuary Tower. That powerhouse had forbidden him from speaking of it, so he was conflicted and extremely nervous.

“Oh?”

Hearing this, the Elders from the five directions grew interested in Lu Jin.

“In the past, there have been disciples who entered the Inner Sects through the Sanctuary Tower’s test. Reaching the sixth floor grants the qualification to enter this place. I wonder which floor this disciple named Lu Jin reached?”

This was what everyone cared about.

“In my opinion, this lad has an extraordinary bearing. He likely reached the seventh floor,” one Elder said with a smile.

“Elder Zhang, you do love to joke. You can judge his talent just by his bearing?”

“Naturally! This Elder has seen countless people. With just one glance, I can tell what kind of figure a disciple will become in the future!”

“A disciple capable of entering the seventh floor of the Sanctuary Tower hasn’t appeared in many years. If he reached the sixth floor, he is already outstanding!”

“Sects Master Lu, exactly which floor did he reach?”

Faced with this question, Lu Xingdao became conflicted. He even glanced at Lu Jin, seemingly seeking his permission.

“The eighth floor,” Lu Jin spoke calmly, seeing Lu Xingdao’s hesitation.

“The… the eighth floor?”

“Pfft… Hahaha! This Elder is going to die laughing! Kid, you don’t look very old, but you certainly know how to brag! The eighth floor? Did you brag your way up there?”

“We have no need for such an arrogant disciple!”

The group of Elders immediately reached a conclusion. No one believed Lu Jin’s words.

Hearing Lu Jin say this, Lu Xingdao secretly gnashed his teeth.

It took courage to lie! Otherwise, if something happened later, he wouldn’t be able to take responsibility.

But he didn’t actually know which floor Lu Jin had entered. Since Lu Jin said he reached the eighth floor, he would follow the boy’s lead!

Thus, he spoke up, “Elders, to tell you the truth, Lu Jin did indeed reach the eighth floor!”

Hearing Lu Xingdao’s confirmation, the expressions of the crowd shifted instantly.

“What? Sects Master Lu, you cannot joke about such things!”

“It is no joke. Lu Jin truly entered the eighth floor!” Lu Xingdao said seriously. His attitude caused the originally skeptical Elders to feel a surge of internal shock.

“Is this true?” Elder Zhang of the Wood Hall asked, his eyes fixed on Lu Jin as he released a rolling pressure. He seemed intent on using force to coerce Lu Jin into telling the truth.

“It is true,” Lu Jin nodded, his expression indifferent.

“Then what exists on the eighth floor?”

The reason they were so shocked was that even as Inner Sects Elders, none of them had ever entered the eighth floor of the Sanctuary Tower!

“Inside the eighth floor was a warrior who was loyally protecting his master. His soul had been stripped away by a villain, yet he relied on a sliver of obsession to guard the person he wanted to protect. Unfortunately, in the end, this disciple put him to rest.”

As soon as these words were spoken, the crowd was shocked once again.

“Lu Jin, can you guarantee that every word you’ve said is the truth?”

“This disciple has no need to lie,” he replied, neither humble nor arrogant.

At this moment, an Elder attempted to learn the secret of the tower’s highest level. He asked, “Lu Jin, do you know what exists on the ninth floor?”

Lu Jin narrowed his eyes and smiled. “This disciple’s knowledge is shallow. The aura on the ninth floor was too powerful. If I had forced my way in, it would have been a narrow escape from death. Therefore, I decisively gave up.”

By saying this, he was undoubtedly looking out for Qin Jiuhuang.

Footnotes: 

TN1: “Put him to rest” (超度 – Chāodù): A Buddhist/Taoist term for performing ritual services to help a soul cross over to the next life or find peace. Lu Jin is using a polite way to say he “killed” the soulless guardian while framing it as an act of mercy.

Translator’s Note: Can we just take a second to appreciate the Fox Master’s life right now? From a high-level spiritual body to a wild boar that squeals when it tries to roar. That is some top-tier karma! Meanwhile, Lu Jin is out here playing 4D chess. He’s casually dropping “I reached the eighth floor” like he’s talking about the weather, and then he covers for the Holy Lord by pretending the ninth floor was too scary. He’s basically the ultimate wingman for a guy who could probably flatten the whole sect. Also, did you notice the empty camp in the Five Elements Hall? I have a feeling that’s the Fire Hall Lu Jin is destined for. What do you think is in that skeleton mountain the Fox Master found? Drop a comment, I’d love to hear your theories!