Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension Chapter 1468 - 794: Where Lies the Other Shore, Mastering the Game (Part 2)

Yet as they remained just a mile from the Divine Temple, the young woman's frame abruptly went rigid, her foot halting sharply in the air like that of a lifeless statue.

A gentle gust grazed the face of the frightened boy, and in the very next moment, both mother and child plunged beneath the earth, vanishing utterly from this realm.

No, that's incorrect!

Once "tomorrow" dawned, the mother and child thrived without harm, while the only one to vanish was an Immortal Ruins Guest who met a restless end.

Grasping the "killing to unseal" mechanism, Zhao Sheng fully embraced the idea of "one step early leads to endless leads ahead."

While fellow Immortal Ruins Guests lingered in bewilderment, Zhao Sheng had already unlocked close to ten percent of his Will Heart Light, stretching its influence beyond two hundred zhang.

Should Lin Heng learn of the rapid surge in his abilities, he'd plunge into profound remorse without question.

One must realize that across the sprawling Mingxi Town, the biggest hurdle for Zhao Sheng and the rest was swiftly locating additional Immortal Ruins Guests.

Lin Heng never imagined anyone could slay four "Immortal Ruins Guests" in under an hour.

No, not four, but five.

Shortly after, an elderly man clad in rough hemp robes rushed over, aiming to slip into the Ten Kings Temple, only to find himself locked motionless in the sky.

This fellow had slain another Immortal Ruins Guest earlier and unlocked a bit of Will, but sadly, he crossed paths with a born trickster.

With boundless remorse, he transformed into yet another specter within the Hell Creatures Painting.

After this fresh kill, the Will's scope grew further, now spanning five hundred zhang and swallowing up the bulk of Mingxi Town.

Without a doubt, Zhao Sheng stood unchallenged by now, save for anyone who might outkill him.

But such odds hovered near nothing.

...

A single notion stirred, and Zhao Sheng soared upward, hurtling toward Mingxi Town.

The ten-mile stretch blurred by in moments.

With a sudden shift, Zhao Sheng materialized high above Mingxi Town, gazing down at the modest settlement below—its streams, curved bridges, narrow lanes, timber homes, and gardens all laid bare.

As he unleashed his Will Heart Light, an unseen wave rippled out like rippling water in every direction.

In that instant, Su Heihu, a scholarly middle-aged man, a simple woodcutter, a reclusive young woman, a stout shopkeeper in his forties, and a handful of shady locals all entered his awareness.

Right then, Su Heihu lounged in the main hall, awaiting reports from his underlings. The woodcutter stacked his logs in the storage hut, blind to the peril drawing near.

The scholarly middle-aged man sat in the teahouse, pretending to sip brew and hear tales, yet covertly scanning the room.

The reclusive young woman lingered in a southwestern alley of the town, extending her hand to snag a hefty yellow hound.

The massive yellow dog, startlingly nimble, twisted and slipped away time and again, always dodging her grasp.

The middle-aged shopkeeper and the other "figures" remained indoors, mimicking flawless townsfolk in their routines, all while furtively hunting for assorted "tools of death."

Zhao Sheng arched a brow, stealthily drifting to loom over the Chen Mansion, watching the stirrings below in quiet focus.

At that time, Lin Heng conferred in the study alongside Old Shopkeeper Chen.

Lin Heng appeared polite and warm, chatting lightly with no hint of ill will.

Witnessing this, a flicker of murderous resolve sparked in Zhao Sheng's gaze.

Just as he prepared to strike, a strange spiritual gleam ignited in his thoughts.

Pulling back the lethal glint from his eyes, Zhao Sheng opted to watch the scene play out in silence.

True enough, soon after, Old Shopkeeper Chen went still, his form locked against the seat, breath ceasing forever.

Lin Heng rose, swept his eyes around, then plucked a Five-Colored Stone, a golden brush, and a tiny bronze bell from the shelf of curios.

Next, he paced around the desk several times before reaching the wall, where he paused to gaze at the artwork displayed there, then lifted it free and rolled the Ancient Painting, slipping it beneath his arm.

With these deeds done, Lin Heng strolled leisurely from the study and boldly departed the Chen Mansion.

The household staff he passed by on the way paid him no mind at all, oblivious to the live soul striding right through their midst.

Exiting the Chen Mansion, Lin Heng traversed a stone-arched bridge and stepped into a dwelling on the opposite bank.

He quickly located an empty chamber to occupy and set down all the valuables on the table.

In the midst of this, Lin Heng seemed to detect something off, lifting his gaze multiple times to scan about, yet spotting no oddities.

"Taoist, if you're here, why conceal yourself—show your face! I've been waiting for you," Lin Heng, growing irked, scowled abruptly and shouted aloud.

Following his outburst, silence gripped the room, with the "Taoist" he addressed giving no indication of emerging.

Lin Heng looked doubtful, warily circling the space twice while pushing his Will Heart Light to its limits, but still detecting zilch.

Only then did he breathe easy, swiveling toward the table to unfurl the Ancient Painting and inspect it with care.

This Yellow Springs Other Shore Painting brimmed with an ominous chill, portraying a bleak, shadowed heaven over an infinite wasteland of death, where a twisting path of yellow soil stretched onward, flanked by mounds of pale skeletons from which rare deep-violet blooms sprouted, radiating an uncanny vibe.

And along that yellow soil path, hordes of spectral beings thronged, their cries echoing as they trudged slowly toward the distant horizon.

The path marked the Yellow Springs Road, the blooms were Other Shore Flowers, but... where lay the real other shore?

Gazing fixedly, Zhao Sheng found himself gripped by profound bewilderment.

Evidently, this very puzzle troubled Lin Heng as well.

He scrutinized every inch of the artwork over and over, striving to unearth hints of transcendence.

...

An hour passed, and more than twenty miles beyond the town, burial hills dotted the landscape in every direction—some tombs unmarked, their soil choked with tall weeds; others with stones whose etchings had faded, time long since wiping away names and legacies.

Lin Heng wove through the graves, steadily closing in on his goal.

However, he remained ignorant that another had reached a certain excavation site ahead of him.

This spot was the long-forgotten Nameless tomb from over a millennium past.

Zhao Sheng deployed his Will Heart Light, sweeping the crater and the encircling hundreds of zhang again and again, even delving ten zhang into the soil below.

Yet he uncovered absolutely nothing!

For an instant, Zhao Sheng's mind stalled, pondering quietly: Two options exist—either this is a mundane place harboring no mysteries, or it conceals some truth, merely buried so profoundly that his probes fell short.

The latter chance was slim, though not entirely out of reach.

With that in mind, Zhao Sheng's slaying urge flared, compelling him to wipe out the remaining Immortal Ruins Guests without mercy.

But the instant after, he clamped down on the impulse hard.

Right at that moment, Lin Heng also drew up to the crater and started his own search and climb.

Until twilight descended, Lin Heng clambered out of the pit dusted in grime, his face tinged with letdown.

He cast a look at the heavens, showing clear disappointment, then pivoted and departed.

Observing this, Zhao Sheng slipped away unnoticed, hastening back to Mingxi Town.

Absent for half a day, the little town now brimmed with a heavy, stifling air—streets deserted, merchants' doors bolted, lamps few and dim, leaving much of the place shrouded in shadow.

It was plain that the string of brutal slayings had terrified the majority of locals.

These foul acts stemmed from none other than Zhao Sheng and the fellow "Immortal Ruins Guests."

Su Heihu, the scholarly middle-aged man, the reclusive young woman, and the rest treated the situation like a dire battle, concealing their steps while dreading discovery.

Unbeknownst to them, their true natures had been laid bare long ago.

Zhao Sheng floated in the air, his Will Heart Light blanketing the majority of Mingxi Town, covertly tracking each person's deeds.

It wasn't long before he effortlessly pinpointed multiple treasures in their possession.

Still, Zhao Sheng held back from any moves, allowing them to carry on with their schemes.

Ordinary folk couldn't fathom his motives, but Lin Heng would grasp Zhao Sheng's strategy in a heartbeat.

Mingxi Town gradually surrendered to the cloak of night, its inhabitants drifting into uneasy slumber amid dread.

Certain "individuals" seized the veil of dark to dart through the streets, hunting for any leads.

In these escapades, some "figures" chanced upon each other by mishap, often clashing briefly with strikes, only to sense the other's resilience to death, prompting a silent retreat as both pressed on with hidden hunts.

None of this eluded Zhao Sheng's watchful eye.