Chapter 359: Killing with a Heart-Piercing Strike

Chapter 359: Killing with a Heart-Piercing Strike

"Die, you old man!" Lu Wu roared, and with that, the Celestial Gathering Cloud Sword was unsheathed.

The Divine Sword Technique was unleashed, and in that instant, dark clouds gathered above the Tsukimaki residence, creating an apocalyptic scene. As the heavens and earth changed color, Lu Wu's sword descended upon Tsukimaki Kouraku.

The power of the Celestial Gathering Cloud Sword, combined with Lu Wu's strength, which was almost on par with an Archmage, erupted with terrifying force. This strike was even more formidable than the one from half a month ago.

As the sword fell, Tsukimaki Kouraku's heart trembled. His face revealed a hint of terror, but it wasn't the power of Lu Wu's strike that frightened him. Although the attack was strong, it was only at the Archmage level, which meant little to someone like Kouraku, who surpassed that level.

What truly shocked Kouraku was the essence within Lu Wu's strike—a special realm and power that even those above the Archmage level craved.

This realization caused Kouraku, who was about to slap Lu Wu away, to hold back. He abandoned his counter and chose to endure Lu Wu's attack.

The Divine Sword Technique landed on Kouraku, but the terrifying attack caused no harm. The sword light vanished before Kouraku, emitting an ear-piercing sound.

At that moment, Kouraku closed his eyes, and a look of ecstasy appeared on his face. It was clear that he had gained some profound insight from Lu Wu's strike.

When Kouraku opened his eyes again, his gaze towards Lu Wu held not only hatred and murderous intent but also a deeper covetousness.

At this moment, Lu Wu, who had just launched an attack, should have clearly understood the power of his opponent. Undoubtedly, even if he might not be as strong as Feng Xiu, Kouraku's terrifying abilities were beyond Lu Wu's ability to contend with.

Given Lu Wu's usual personality, he should have turned and fled. However, in this moment, Lu Wu clenched the longsword in his hand, making a choice completely contrary to his usual behavior.

Although Lu Wu couldn't fathom why the brutal Tsuki Akari had seemingly transformed into a different person and why she would go to such lengths for him, the recent scene was too much for him to bear.

Even Lu Wu, known for his survival instincts, became completely enraged. Despite knowing he was no match for his opponent, he still wanted to kill him.

As Lu Wu charged forward again, someone grabbed him, stopping him in his tracks. Granny's heart was filled with complex emotions as Lu Wu suddenly appeared. On one hand, she was furious, believing that Lu Wu had indirectly harmed Akari. But even so, she chose to protect him. She grabbed Lu Wu, who was in a frenzy, and placed Akari's battered body in his arms.

"Take Miss Akari and leave!" Granny said, then rushed towards Kouraku. As she pounced, a giant beast's mournful roar emanated from within her, indicating the release of her Beast Soul as she prepared to block Kouraku at all costs.

Meanwhile, Lu Wu, consumed by rage, was about to charge again when his expression suddenly changed. As he held Akari, he noticed something peculiar about her attributes.

...

Name: Tsuki Akari

Power: Archmage (1-star)



Summoned Beast: Onikiri (Evil Artifact) (Archmage 1-star) (Severely Wounded, in Deep Slumber)



Skills: Omitted

Summoner Talent: Life from Death (When receiving a fatal attack, force a temporary lock on health. If sufficient energy is replenished within a certain time, there's a chance of revival.)



...

Lu Wu was taken aback by Akari's attributes. Was she still alive?

Indeed, thanks to Akari's talent, she was still alive, albeit in a pitiful state. Her life force was rapidly diminishing, but she hadn't perished yet.

This realization calmed Lu Wu's fury, and his attention shifted from the impossible task of killing Kouraku to finding a way to save Akari. Fortunately, Lu Wu had an ace up his sleeve.

He immediately took out the random teleportation item given to him by Zhang Yuni and prepared to escape. However, Kouraku wasn't one to be trifled with.

As Lu Wu pulled out the item, Kouraku unleashed his domain once more. The moment the domain expanded, Lu Wu encountered a problem with the item. He could use it, but the casting time increased, and Kouraku clearly sensed what Lu Wu was attempting.

"Are you leaving? Can you really leave now?" With a cold harrumph from Tsukimaki Kouraku, his domain trembled, interrupting Li Wu's skill activation.

At that moment, Tsukimaki Kouraku slapped away Granny, who was entangled with him, and freed his hand to reach out and grab Li Wu.

The overwhelming might of an Archmage-level expert unleashed, even without the intent to kill Li Wu, was still terrifying.

Li Wu felt as if the air around him had solidified. He tried his best to resist, only to find himself completely unable to move.

Granny, however, still had the strength to struggle.

A more pitiful beastly roar sounded, and Granny's aura surged wildly, reaching the peak of Archmage-level, almost touching the realm above it.

"Open!"

Granny exerted all her strength to break free from Tsukimaki Kouraku's domain, but to no avail.

A being below Archmage could never be a match for one above, no matter how hard they tried.

Granny's all-out burst ended with Tsukimaki Kouraku's palm suppressing her.

Not only was Granny suppressed, but Li Wu was also caught by Tsukimaki Kouraku."

As Tsukimaki Kouraku grabbed Li Wu, his gaze immediately fixed on the Celestial Cloud Sword in Li Wu's hand.

With a flick of his wrist, the Celestial Cloud Sword left Li Wu's grasp and flew into his own.

At this moment, it seemed as if he had forgotten his grandson and the 65 members of the Tsuki Clan. His eyes only focused on the Celestial Cloud Sword.

Tsukimaki Kouraku had advanced beyond the Archmage level eighty years ago.

Eighty years ago, he had a fortuitous encounter that allowed him to break through. At that time, he was ambitious and wanted to take another step beyond the Archmage level, reaching the legendary realm.

However, he soon discovered that the path beyond Archmage was much more challenging than he had anticipated.

Since his advancement, he had made almost no progress in several decades.

But just now, when Li Wu unleashed the Divine Sword Technique towards him, he felt a glimmer of improvement in his decades-stagnant strength, giving him hope for advancement.

Overjoyed, he momentarily set aside his hatred for his beloved grandson's death and refrained from killing Li Wu.

At this moment, Li Wu observed Tsukimaki Kouraku's expression and, without hesitation, unleashed the Beast Soul Burst, not on himself but on the Celestial Cloud Sword.

"Clang!"

The sword emitted a mournful cry, trembling in Tsukimaki Kouraku's grasp, causing him immense pain.

"Stop this instant! Do you want to die?!"

Enraged, Tsukimaki Kouraku grabbed Li Wu by the neck, and the more he struggled, the more Li Wu felt at ease.

It seemed he wasn't going to die just yet.

Li Wu halted the Beast Soul Burst and stared at the old man before him.

"Regardless of your demands, I will cooperate, but before that, can you please save Akari first? It's the premise of our cooperation."

Tsukimaki Kouraku narrowed his eyes and asked coldly, "Are you threatening me?"

In the 1619th chapter, a glance at the book revealed no errors!

"Yes!" Li Wu nodded.

Tsukimaki Kouraku stared at Li Wu, hesitated for a moment, and finally extended his hand to withdraw the energy belonging to him from Akari's injuries and poured a bottle of green potion onto her wounds.

Li Wu glanced at the green potion, which was not of low grade. After pouring it, he could clearly sense Akari's vitality recovering significantly, and her wounds slowly healing.

The other party's straightforwardness and generosity were unexpected.

But their actions didn't stop there. After treating Akari, they slapped Granny, causing her frail body to collapse and half of her body to crumble.

This move caused Li Wu's pupils to contract.

At this moment, Tsukimaki Kouraku spoke again, his voice echoing, "I hear that you have a close relationship with the Sakura Clan."

Li Wu's face turned ashen at these words.

Tsukimaki Kouraku, the true master behind the Tsuki Clan, was now displaying the strength and means he should possess.

Helping Akari was a way to hold Li Wu's bottom line, ensuring he wouldn't take extreme actions that Tsukimaki Kouraku didn't want to see.

Attacking Granny was a warning that threats came with a price, and mentioning the Sakura Clan was to make clear who held the absolute initiative.

In just a few moments, Li Wu found himself completely at Tsukimaki Kouraku's mercy.

And after grasping control, Tsukimaki Kouraku's gaze remained fixed on the Celestial Cloud Sword.

High above.

"This sword only erupted once half a month ago, right?

How can it erupt again so soon?

Moreover, it erupted with a power and might it didn't possess half a month ago."

This was what Tsukimaki Kouraku was most curious about. He had witnessed the eruption of the Celestial Cloud Sword half a month ago, and while it was powerful and had a formidable aura, it lacked the divine essence that could enhance his strength.

"It can absorb the power of other divine artifacts to enhance its own strength!"

Li Wu didn't hide anything regarding this aspect and answered honestly.

"How does it absorb them? Are there any restrictions?"

"It absorbs them directly. Once a week, and it can't absorb more than its own power level."

Tsukimaki Kouraku asked detailed questions about the Celestial Cloud Sword, and Li Wu answered earnestly.

The two conversed back and forth, and it was hard to believe that they were enemies who had just been trying to kill each other.

It could only be said that in this absurd world, anything was possible.

After Tsukimaki Kouraku had a general understanding of the Celestial Cloud Sword, he found a Lord-level divine artifact among the still-warm corpses of the Tsuki Clan and handed it to Li Wu, asking him to demonstrate how the Celestial Cloud Sword absorbed energy.

Li Wu obediently activated the talent 'Sovereign of Artifacts' and spent half an hour absorbing the energy from the Lord-level divine artifact, leaving it completely drained.

Tsukimaki Kouraku watched as the Celestial Cloud Sword's state gradually recovered with each absorption, eventually surpassing its condition before using the Wrath of the Gods, and even improving further.

After witnessing the Celestial Cloud Sword's recovery, Tsukimaki Kouraku eagerly asked Li Wu to use the Wrath of the Gods on him again.

Another moment of heaven and earth turning upside down followed.

Tsukimaki Kouraku obtained what he desired.

This time, he clearly felt his strength increase.

The Wrath of the Gods from the Celestial Cloud Sword could indeed enhance his power.

With this effect confirmed, it meant that Li Wu's life and Tsuki Akari's life were temporarily spared.

Tsukimaki Kouraku wouldn't let Li Wu die until he had squeezed out all his value.

But not letting Li Wu die didn't mean he would let him off easy.

After Li Wu used the second Wrath of the Gods, Tsukimaki Kouraku took away the Celestial Cloud Sword and everything Li Wu had on him.

Then, he sealed Li Wu's power and brought him to the Tsuki Clan's dungeon.

"Give him the Tsuki Clan's harshest punishment every day, but don't let him die!"

With these words, Li Wu was thrown into the Tsuki Clan's dungeon.

On his first day in the Tsuki Clan, Li Wu experienced their most brutal punishment.

It was a seemingly gentle punishment.

A punishment that left no visible scars.

They injected a special liquid into the blood vessels of the punished, and as the liquid flowed through the body, it caused unimaginable pain.

Even Li Wu and Han Han, who experienced it for the first time, couldn't bear the pain.

Li Wu only lasted half an hour before falling into a coma.

When he did, the executioner would wake him up to ensure he endured the entire punishment while conscious.

Tsukimaki Kouraku wanted Li Wu to endure this punishment to break his spirit, and then use various means to tame him into a obedient dog.

This process wouldn't be long.

Even the strongest person could only endure for seven days, and Tsukimaki Kouraku didn't think Li Wu would last longer than the previous one. It didn't matter if Li Wu endured longer; he had all the time in the world.

Seven days, fourteen days, or even twenty-eight days.

Tsukimaki Kouraku believed that one day, he would tame Li Wu into the most obedient dog.

While tormenting Li Wu, he was also doing his best to treat Tsuki Akari.

He wasn't doing this because Tsuki Akari was the last direct descendant of the Tsuki Clan.

He just suddenly felt that letting Tsuki Akari die would be too easy on her.

Killing should be done with a vengeance!

Didn't she slaughter the entire Tsuki Clan for Li Wu? Tsukimaki Kouraku planned to bring her back to health and then let her kill Li Wu, or have Li Wu kill her.

In any case, he would make them suffer.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end