Traversing BTTH with the Devouring Ancestral Symbol

Chapter 1: The Handsome Little White-Faced Youth

In the northwest of the Dou Qi Continent, within the Jia Ma Empire.

Tonight, the moon was hidden, the wind was howling, and the darkness was so thick one couldn't see their fingers—a perfect night for murder and disposing of a body.

Jia Ma Holy City... also known as the imperial capital.

Outside the city, in a desolate mountain range, two young servants dressed in green carried a tightly rolled-up straw mat. With light steps, they moved quickly, weaving and darting through the rugged terrain.

The howling mountain wind, sharp as blades, and the steep, treacherous paths did not seem to affect them at all.

These were no ordinary servants. Their strength was considerable, and anyone wealthy enough to afford such capable subordinates had to be someone of significant status.

After a short while, the two stopped in a clearing. They took out shovels and began to dig.

Swish, swish, swish!

The shovels gleamed faintly with white light, moving swiftly. Within just a few breaths, a rectangular pit appeared before them.

"Tsk tsk, poor 9527. To think Young Master Yun Yu killed him just like that," the servant on the left remarked, sticking his shovel into the ground as he clicked his tongue in mock pity. He even gave the thick straw mat a kick with his foot.

"Heh, this is good news for us," the servant on the right said with a sinister grin. "Everything he saved is ours now."

"We're all orphans, yet that guy didn't even know how to enjoy himself. Saved up all those gold coins for years, and now they're ours. Hahaha…"

"Exactly!" The servant on the left eagerly rubbed his hands together, his face alight with excitement. "Brother, let's bury him quickly so we can go back and clean out his stash before anyone else gets to it!"

"Right, that makes sense," the other servant agreed readily. He hoisted the straw mat over his shoulder and aligned it with the pit.

"Hey, hey, headfirst! Headfirst!" the servant on the left suddenly interjected. "They say if you bury someone headfirst, their soul disperses faster and won't come back to haunt us."

"Are you out of your mind?" The servant on the right shot him a glance. "We're Dou Practitioners! You're afraid of something like that?"

Despite his words, the servant on the right followed the suggestion, positioning the straw mat so the head faced downward into the pit.

"Hmm…"

Suddenly, a faint groan emerged from within the straw mat. The servant on the right felt it tremble slightly in his hands.

"He's still alive?!"

The two servants exchanged shocked glances, their eyes full of fear.

"Kill him!" The servant on the left's eyes gleamed coldly as he grabbed his shovel. A pale blue Dou Qi coiled around it as he swung the blade down fiercely toward the head inside the straw mat.

The sharp edge of the shovel sliced through the air with a whistle, descending toward the target with deadly force.

Clang!

Just as the shovel was about to strike, a pale, delicate hand shot out from the straw mat, firmly catching the sharp edge in its grasp.

The servant on the right was stunned, his face twisting with fear. But his eyes flashed with malice as he reached behind his waist, pulling out a horn-handled dagger. With a sudden leap, he lunged forward, thrusting the blade downward with all his might.

But then—buzz!—a faint hum rang out. The dagger stopped midair, just inches away from the straw mat. A gentle ripple spread outward, as though it had struck the surface of water. The blade couldn't move an inch further, as if blocked by an invisible force.

"What... what's going on here?"

The two servants were horrified. They were certain this was 9527, the same man they had wrapped in the straw mat with their own hands. He was a mere one-star Dou Practitioner like them—how could he possibly wield such power?

Snap!

With a light sound, the straw mat burst apart, scattering in all directions. Amid the flying fragments, a young man in a green robe slowly stood up.

His features were delicate and handsome, his lips a striking red against his pearly white teeth. His sharp eyebrows framed a pair of starry eyes, making him almost unbearably good-looking. Yet, there was an air of frailty about him, as though he could be easily bullied.

This type of person was often called a "little white-faced youth."

Indeed, his face was unnaturally pale, devoid of any color—a sickly, deathly white.

The cause of this was the deep wound on his chest. His green robe was soaked with dark red blood, now dried and congealed.

"Damn it…"

Lü Bu lightly touched his chest, his lips twitching in pain. The heart of this body had already been pierced, its weak beating barely audible. It was a fatal wound. Without his arrival, this body would have been beyond saving.

Lü Bu tried moving his body slightly and discovered, to his surprise, that it felt remarkably compatible with him, though a bit stiff.

"Hm? That's strange…" Lü Bu murmured in curiosity. Deep within his soul, he could feel a faint will resisting him—weak, but undeniably present.

The original soul?

Raising an eyebrow, Lü Bu wondered if the original owner of this body wasn't completely gone yet. After a moment of thought, he raised his hand. A faint mist condensed in his palm, forming a thin water mirror. He could clearly see his current appearance—his delicate, handsome "little white face."

"Damn, this face… it really draws you in." Lü Bu gasped softly, marveling at it. With a face like this, half the battle in life was already won.

Alright then, he thought. Since this body fits him so well, he'd keep it. No need to switch.

"You… you… 9527, are you human or ghost?" The servant on the left stammered, his lips trembling as he broke Lü Bu out of his self-admiration.

"9529, 9530…" Lü Bu looked at them and unconsciously uttered the numbers aloud. In the next moment, countless memories flooded into his mind like a tidal wave.

Narrowing his eyes slightly, Lü Bu absorbed the impact of the memories in his brain. To him, this so-called "impact" was no more than an ant trying to shake a tree—not worth mentioning.

From these memories, he learned that the original owner of this body had come from a slave market in Jia Ma Holy City. Sixteen years old, with no parents, no name, and only a number for identification, his life had been pitiful—worse than a dog's.

At the age of ten, he was sold and assigned to serve someone called "Young Master Yun Yu." But for some unknown reason, just two hours ago, that very young master stabbed his heart, intending to dump his body in the wilderness.

"So, this is the Dou Qi Continent… No wonder it's so brutal."

Lü Bu smacked his lips, feeling a pang of sorrow for the original owner's plight. It was just too tragic.

"You two, tell me, why did Young Master Yun Yu want to kill me?" Lü Bu flicked his fingers lightly, and an invisible force emanated from him, completely immobilizing 9529 and 9530.

"Gulp…" The two swallowed hard. They didn't know what had happened, but 9527 suddenly seemed like a completely different person.

His gaze was terrifying, his presence oppressive—stronger even than Lord Yun Ling!

"You… you defiled Miss Nalan Yanran, and 9528 reported you. You deserved to die…" 9529 mumbled softly.

"I defiled Nalan Yanran?" Lü Bu tilted his head, puzzled. Was there really such a thing?

Before the thought even faded, a memory surfaced in his mind. Lü Bu's deathly pale face immediately turned dark with embarrassment. This memory… was hard to put into words.

It was nothing more than the impulsive thoughts of a sixteen-year-old boy. After seeing Nalan Yanran's unparalleled beauty, he couldn't stop thinking about her. Later, while lying in bed, he…

Lü Bu's mouth twitched, and his toes curled in his shoes. How humiliating!

Of course, that wasn't the real issue. The problem was that the original owner had been betrayed!

The betrayer, 9528, was someone who had grown up with him, someone who had once shared a bed with him.

Young Master Yun Yu, enamored with Nalan Yanran, might have let other offenses slide, but he could not tolerate a lowly servant defiling the goddess he adored. On the Dou Qi Continent, where human lives were worth less than grass, what other outcome could there be?

Thus, his heart was pierced, and leaving an intact corpse was already a generous gesture.

At the same time, a strange surge of hatred emerged from the depths of Lü Bu's soul. He hated the traitor who had sold him out—it was his betrayal that had led to this fate. He hated Young Master Yun Yu for treating him like an ant. If he had the strength, he would kill them both!

Lü Bu smiled faintly. Not bad. At least the original soul had some backbone. "Alright then, I'll help you settle this grudge, so you can rest in peace."

Yes… that's right. I'm doing this for the original soul, not for any other reason, Lü Bu thought to himself.

"Y-you… what do you mean by that?"

Hearing this, the two servants' faces filled with terror. Who was this person? What was his connection to 9527?

Lü Bu raised his eyes slightly, and invisible flames of spiritual energy began to flicker from them. The two servants' faces instantly turned deathly pale.

They didn't know what was happening, but a powerful sense of impending doom enveloped them. All they knew was that disaster was upon them.

"9527, wait! We never wronged you! We were just following orders! Please don't kill us!" The two began to scream, their shrill voices piercing through the night sky.

"Never wronged me? Heh…"

But no matter how they screamed, Lü Bu's expression remained indifferent. The invisible spiritual flames pierced their heads, and their souls were instantly annihilated.

"What a pity… The authority of a Heaven Talisman Master to command the power of heaven and earth is useless here on the Dou Qi Continent…"

Lü Bu sighed softly, clenching his fist in the air. Without access to the power of heaven and earth, a Heaven Talisman Master was like a bird with clipped wings. Still, it would suffice to deal with Dou Kings or Dou Emperors in the Jia Ma Empire.

"Forget it. I'd better focus on condensing my Life Talisman first." Lü Bu floated into the air, his eyes closing slowly.

Lü Bu, as a man, was never one for vengeance… he preferred settling debts.

As long as he killed "Young Master Yun Yu," the original soul's grudge would be resolved. What a perfect way to tie up loose ends—another good deed done.

However, Lü Bu suddenly opened his eyes, his expression one of utter disbelief.

A rune slowly emerged from the center of his brow, floating faintly in the air. It was an ancient rune, eternal and unyielding. It hovered in the air, twisting and spinning, until it formed a tiny black hole…

"The… Devouring Ancient Talisman!?"

Lü Bu's face was filled with shock, but even more so, with unparalleled joy.

(End of Chapter)