Chapter 70: Epilogue

Chapter 70: Epilogue

Recently, a major news story hit the forums, becoming the top headline.

"Shocking! Shangqing Town hit by an earthquake, Dragon Tiger Mountain experiences a once-in-a-century downpour."

I Don't Eat Beef: Invited to comment, I was on the scene and faced off against a top-tier opponent. The Great Heavenly Master's Golden Light Spell is indeed powerful, but I'm not to be underestimated. I managed to escape unscathed from his grasp. Who understands the true value of that?

Faker: Wasn't it a gas explosion?

Northeast Native King: This matter is deep, those who understand it know, and those who don't won't understand even if told. Don't ask, the stakes are too high, and it won't benefit you to know.

Little Crow's Monocle: The Aurora Society has announced full responsibility for the incident.

Hebei Pengyu Banquet: Is anyone else curious about what happened to the Great Celestial Sacrifice?

Mop with Shit, Lu Bu Reborn: To the floor above, it's said they stopped fighting. The venue collapsed, and the Great Heavenly Master has announced the postponement of the Great Celestial Sacrifice.

...

Three days ago.

Knowing time was running out, Zhuge Liang abandoned his indirect methods and directly mobilized all the spiritual energy within the array to cooperate with the Eight Deceptions God and Lu Ke for a direct confrontation.

The clash between the mechanical and the physical was predictable.

A punch that pierced heaven and earth destroyed the untested Eight Deceptions God and knocked Zhuge Liang back to his original state, his feather fan and Eight Trigram Robe vanishing.

"Timing and fate."

Zhuge Liang sighed, once again failing in the race against time, unable to achieve his goal.

The jade slowly shattered and dissipated into the air, this ancestor of the Wu Hou clan passing away with remarkable clarity and decisiveness.

As for the slowly awakening descendant, Zhuge Qing, things were a bit more complicated. He opened his eyes to a pair of malicious eyes and a slap across the face.

...

The Great Heavenly Master and his companions returned to the scene half a day after the battle, their faces as black as the bottom of a pot upon seeing the almost completely destroyed back mountain.

He lightly slapped Lu Ke, his own family member, and then addressed the twice-awakened Zhuge Qing.

"You Wu Hou sect is fully responsible!"

With that, he presented a sky-high bill, causing Zhuge Qing to faint for the third time.

Chen Jinkui of the Talisman Gate woke up and wailed, shouting that the Great Heavenly Master had ruined his path and that the Talisman Gate and the Heavenly Master's Mansion would be eternal enemies.

But when he saw the Great Heavenly Master's grim face, Chen Jinkui's anger faltered. He stammered a greeting and then slunk off to ask Zhuge Qing for details of the battle.

Audiences eager to know what happened were left in suspense, informed that the Great Celestial Sacrifice was canceled due to the destruction of the venue and that the Heavenly Master's Mansion would not be receiving visitors in the near future.

Except for high-ranking officials.

...

"Has the Wang family been dealt with? I haven't even made a move yet."

Lu Ke's face showed a hint of surprise. He was lying in a recliner, looking as relaxed as a retired old man.

After throwing Gong Qing's body to the ground, Lu Ci spoke solemnly, "After learning what you and that person did to Dragon Tiger Mountain, the company began actively collecting evidence of the Wang family's crimes."

It wasn't that the company was opportunistic; their goal was to maintain stability in the entire supernatural world, and absolute fairness and justice were not always feasible.

"I submitted the evidence of their crimes, and after the trial, Wang Ai was stripped of his position among the Ten Elders."

Over the years, the Wang family had been arrogant and overbearing, offending many people. They weren't touched before because the Wang family had substantial resources, no one wanted to be the first to act, and the Ten Elders' title still held weight.

Now, with the walls falling, some unnamed "good Samaritans" worked with the company to take down the Wang family. It was said that the Wang family's ancestral home was mysteriously set on fire and burned to the ground.

There was one thing Lu Ci didn't mention: the shadow of the Heaven Society seemed to be behind this, but they were very cautious and left no evidence.

"Tsk, tsk. Not doing it myself, it feels a bit lacking." Lu Ke shook his head, sighing regretfully. After all, he and the Wang family had a deep...

Um... grudge?

It seemed to have started with just supporting Zhang Chulan.

Whatever, it doesn't matter.

Lu Ke didn't bother thinking about it anymore. The Wang family was dead, and that was that.

"There's one more thing."

Lu Ci pulled a bell-like object from his pocket and handed it to Lu Ke.

"Someone sent this to Dragon Tiger Mountain, specifically for you."

Recognizing the object, Lu Ke accepted it and infused it with a bit of qi. The bell spat out two small booklets: The Divine Mechanism of a Hundred Forgings and The Two-Handed Technique.

Lu Ke was puzzled, "Who sent this?"

"A relatively unknown supernatural, implanted with the command to deliver it to you." A hint of ruthlessness flashed in Lu Ci's remaining eye. "That's the work of the Ming Soul Technique, or rather, the Two-Handed Technique."

"Probably because they knew you were collecting the Eight Extraordinary Skills and feared you would come after them, so they sent you what you wanted in advance."

After this battle, Lu Ke's true strength was revealed, shattering the traditional supernatural's imagination. The mastermind probably feared he could crush the fireball in the Inner View that no one could shake, and deduced her information.

Knowledge has both precious and cheap attributes. Handing over the Eight Extraordinary Skills cost them only a few pieces of paper, while provoking a powerful enemy would be counterproductive. So they decided to feed the lion a piece of meat to protect themselves.

Lu Ke weighed the two booklets in his hand, "I thought the Two-Handed Technique had no cultivation method. Why does your family rely on bloodline awakening for it?"

Lu Ci's expression turned nostalgic. After a moment, he replied, "Duanmu Ying refused to give it directly, no matter how severe the torture. So we thought, using the Two-Handed Technique to modify the bloodline, allowing our descendants to awaken their abilities directly. This way, we could avoid the stringent requirements and difficulty of learning the Eight Extraordinary Skills."

The result was no surprise. The Lu family had been obsessed with maintaining the purity of their bloodline, leading to countless marriages between close relatives. Any two people you picked at random could probably put on a show that rivaled a certain soap opera.

Looking back, it was clear that the Thirty-Six Thieves were no ordinary criminals. You might have thought you had them cornered and secured the Eight Extraordinary Skills, but in reality, your entire family was the one being confined.

"So that's how it is. Well, then, Master Tian will be in luck. Once I master the All-Round Hands, I'll head back to Longhu Mountain and help him restore his limbs."

"What do you mean by going back to Longhu Mountain? Are you planning to leave the mountain now?" Lu Ci was a bit surprised. After this battle, it seemed like Lu Ke was a shoo-in for the position of Celestial Master, yet he didn't seem to want it?

"What's so great about being a Celestial Master? The pay doesn't increase much, and there are a ton of trivial matters to deal with, not to mention that cursed Celestial Master's trial."

The old Celestial Master might have already transcended if not for the Celestial Master's trial.

Lu Ke had jokingly considered wearing the Celestial Master's robes and posting suggestive pictures, but he didn't want to be truly bound by the position. It was only natural for him to refuse such a laborious fate.

Zhang Chulang had no interest in the position of Celestial Master either. Zhang Lingyu, after recognizing his true nature, had decided to be with Xia He and had no intention of inheriting the position as a "married man."

With all three candidates backing out, the old Celestial Master's face alternated between red and green in frustration.

At this point, Lu Ke recommended his senior brother, Zhang Liang, to the old Celestial Master, who, exhausted, agreed to give it a try.

Zhang Liang, who had been knocked out by a falling pie, was completely stunned. He never imagined that just because he had watched a movie with Lu Ke and helped him a bit, he would suddenly become a candidate for the Celestial Master's position.

Lu Ke had mentioned to him that if he ever became the Celestial Master, he would designate Zhang Liang as the next one. But he never thought Lu Ke would actually do it, and the old Celestial Master hadn't even refused directly!

Due to the interruption of the Roaring Heaven Great Sacrifice and the intimidation from the battle, the Quanxing on the mountain had retreated before they could meet their end. Only the acting leader, Gong Qing, was still hiding. Lu Ke, tired of waiting, asked Lu Ci to take care of him.

He had kept Gong Qing alive before because he was worried that the Quanxing would retreat without him. Now that they were gone, there was no reason to keep this ticking time bomb around.

With everything settled, Lu Ke stood up from his recliner and stretched.

It was time to leave the mountain.

...

At the foot of Longhu Mountain, Wang Ye and the others lined up to say their goodbyes to Lu Ke.

Zhang Chulang was the most reluctant to part, practically trying to cling to Lu Ke's leg, his affection so deep that Lu Ke thought he might have awakened some strange ability. But once he got a photo with Lu Ke, he left without a second thought, following Feng Baobao.

All his previous clinginess was just for the photo. With this proof of their relationship, Zhang Chulang could act however he wanted.

So what if he had the Qi Body Source Flow?

He had a powerful backer!

Zhang Liaoqing, on the other hand, had lost his usual calm and composure. This time, he wasn't fazed by the Eight Extraordinary Skills, but he was shocked by the astronomical bill for damages from Longhu Mountain.

If it weren't for this experience, which allowed him to master the Three Pure Fires, the Wu Hou Sect might have kicked him out to collect garbage.

"Who would have thought you could even beat that guy."

He carried his suitcase with a frown, his usually silent brother, Daifandan, standing quietly beside him.

"You have the nerve to mention it." Lu Ke said irritably.

Honestly, if it weren't for his kind heart, he would have sent Zhang Liaoqing on his way long ago.

"Ah, what can you do? Nine out of ten Eight Extraordinary Skills users are crazy. Taoists are all lunatics."

Wang Ye, standing nearby, seemed in much better spirits. The Eight Extraordinary Skills hadn't been exposed to the public, and with Lu Ke's intimidation, Zhang Chulang no longer had to worry about the troubles brought by the Qi Body Source Flow. The old Celestial Master's crisis was averted, and everything seemed perfect.

Except his heart felt a bit empty, like he had been about to embark on a grand plan but was suddenly thwarted. It was a feeling of defeat, of a dream cut short before it even began.

But, it was for the best.

Wang Ye smiled, the dark circles under his eyes fading slightly. After a moment of thought, he tossed a drawing he had made the night before to Lu Ke.

"The Eight Extraordinary Skills?" Lu Ke caught it, pinching the drawing as he asked.

"Since you're going to ask the Wudang Sect for it anyway, I might as well save my masters and seniors the trouble."

Wang Ye yawned, seemingly reminding him casually, "Just so you know, the more you try to learn it, the more elusive it becomes. It's easy to get lost in the inner landscape and never come back."

Zhang Liaoqing, hearing the name of the Eight Extraordinary Skills, glanced over curiously but was glared back by Wang Ye.

"What, you want it too?"

"No, I have enough things in my head to last a lifetime. I was just a bit curious about the Eight Extraordinary Skills."

"Since when did you become so nosy?"

"Isn't it natural for a Taoist to be curious about the Eight Extraordinary Skills?"

"..."

Damn it!

Wang Ye realized he had been convinced.

"So, what are you planning to do next, Lu Jushi?"

Lu Ke shrugged, "I still need two more of the Eight Extraordinary Skills. I'll just keep looking for them."

Wang Ye didn't need to calculate to know that the future with Lu Ke would be anything but quiet, but he didn't care about those trivial matters anymore.

After this incident, he realized what it meant to be overambitious. When the sky falls, there are always taller people to hold it up. It was just as well to not be one of those taller people.

In the distance, the bustling streets were filled with people, and the sunlight after the heavy rain was particularly brilliant.

After the farewells, everyone turned and walked in different directions.

It was time to enter the world.

...

Half an hour later, two figures with pinkish-purple and pink hair appeared, tugging at each other.

"This is the third time! How many more times do you plan to stop me, Lu Linglong!"

"As long as I'm here, you won't get away with it!"

"Listen up! If we keep arguing, we'll just be giving that scum an advantage. Let's catch up and see who can do it better."

"...Fine."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end