Traversing BTTH with the Devouring Ancestral Symbol

Chapter 3: Jie Jie Jie!

Before Yun Yu could finish speaking, he suddenly felt a heavy pressure on his chest. Then—

Boom!

A violent surge of energy erupted, blasting the roof of the lakeside pavilion clean off. Fragments of stone flew in all directions, crashing onto the ground and splashing into the water.

Yun Yu's face changed drastically. Instinctively, he crossed his arms over his chest to shield himself. Only when the shockwave passed did he lower his arms.

But then…

"A… Dou Emperor?"

The old steward, his head firmly gripped by Lu Bu's hand, muttered in a daze, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"Jie…"

A faint chuckle escaped Lu Bu's lips as a small black hole appeared in his palm. The power of devouring erupted in an instant, and the once mighty Dou Ling expert turned into a withered corpse in the blink of an eye, his lifeless body falling to the ground.

The horrific wound on Lu Bu's chest began to heal at an astonishing rate. The powerful life force of a Dou Ling-level expert had completely restored his injuries.

"Perfect. Now then… it's your turn," Lu Bu said with a slight smile.

Yun Yu's previously calm demeanor began to crumble as his face turned pale. Damn it… this was a disaster!

…

About ten kilometers west of the imperial capital stood a majestic mountain range—the location of the Yun Lan Sect, also known as Yun Lan Mountain.

At the same moment Lu Bu's aura erupted, in a shadowy corner of the mountain's rear, a pair of glowing eyes opened in the darkness.

"Jie Jie Jie… such pure soul power. It seems like a fine prey… Jie Jie…"

A piercing, sinister laugh echoed faintly as black mist swirled in the corner. The sound of rattling chains accompanied the eerie scene.

In the next moment, the black mist and glowing eyes disappeared entirely, as though nothing had ever been there.

…

Back at the lakeside pavilion in the imperial capital.

Gurgle…

The old steward's withered body slipped into the water, sinking into the lake. Seeing this, both Yun Yu and Yun Chun were utterly shaken, their faces pale and their minds reeling.

"Impossible… impossible…" Yun Yu's complexion turned from ashen to a deep, iron-like hue. "How could you gain such power? You're nothing but a slave!"

"Jie…" Lu Bu let out a cold laugh, raising his right hand. A faint black hole flickered in his palm.

But before Lu Bu could make a move, Yun Yu suddenly flicked his fingers, producing a jade token in his hand. With a crack, he crushed it without hesitation.

With a sharp swish, gray-white Dou Qi wings sprouted from Yun Yu's back. He stepped lightly off the ground and shot into the air.

"You lowly slave, wait for the Yun Lan Sect to hunt you down!" Yun Yu sneered viciously, his Dou Qi wings flapping powerfully as he prepared to flee.

"Do you really think you can escape?" Lu Bu shook his head slightly. With a light step, a ripple of energy spread out from beneath his feet, instantly enveloping the entire lake.

"Imprison!" Lu Bu clasped his hands together, forming a seal.

The lake's surface, once rippling gently, froze solid. The wind stopped, the waves stilled, and Yun Yu, mid-flight, felt his body abruptly sink. He plummeted uncontrollably and landed on the pathway with a loud splat.

Although Lu Bu couldn't draw on the power of heaven and earth as a Heaven Talisman Master in this world, his abilities remained intact. Setting up a formation to trap his enemies was an effortless task.

"You… you…" Yun Yu began to sweat profusely, his lips trembling. His trump card, given to him by his father, had failed, his steward was dead, and there was no one to save him now.

"9527, don't kill me! It was him—he's the one who betrayed you! He's the reason you died!" Yun Yu screamed in desperation, pointing at Yun Chun, who was also immobilized by the formation. His face was pale, his robes disheveled—gone was the elegant young master from just moments before.

Lu Bu shook his head slightly. What a pathetic fool. Just a moment ago, he had been so composed, pretending to be a master. Lu Bu had almost been convinced he was a real expert.

"Don't worry. Neither of you will escape," Lu Bu said calmly, raising his left hand as golden-yellow Dou Qi surged upward, flickering like flames.

The original body's Dou Qi was of the fire attribute, with a faint trace of wood energy mixed in. This indicated that the original body had the potential to become an alchemist. Unfortunately, as a mere slave, even such rare talent went untrained.

Hearing Lu Bu's words, heavy with killing intent, Yun Yu's face twisted in panic. It was clear that the man before him had no intention of letting him go.

"9527, do you really want to go down with me?" Yun Yu snarled, gripping his longsword tightly. Blue-gray flames danced across his Dou Qi veil, flickering ominously.

"Such arrogance… You truly think you're superior, don't you?" Lu Bu said, his eyes glinting coldly. Even now, Yun Yu refused to humble himself.

"Azure Nether Flame Slash!" Yun Yu roared, the blue-gray flames on his longsword flaring brightly as he unleashed a powerful Dou Qi strike aimed directly at Lu Bu. He had chosen to strike first, hoping to seize the initiative!

"Oh?" Lu Bu raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "That blue-gray flame… interesting."

With a flick of his finger, the formation beneath Lu Bu's feet lit up, and with a loud boom, a water column surged up from the lake, transforming into a massive water serpent as thick as a water barrel. Its mouth opened wide, and it lunged down.

With a soft splash, Yun Yu's blue-gray flame slash was extinguished like a candle plunged into water, vanishing instantly.

"W-what?!" Yun Yu's eyes widened in disbelief as he shouted.

"Give it up," Lu Bu said flatly. With a light step, the formation surged with power, and the water serpent split into countless water ropes that bound Yun Yu tightly, wrapping him up like a rice dumpling.

Lu Bu lightly tapped the water's surface with his toes, his figure blurring as he vanished. Yun Yu blinked, only to see Lu Bu suddenly standing right before him. This speed was beyond his comprehension.

"W-what are you doing?!" Yun Yu's voice rose into a panicked, sharp cry, trembling with terror.

Lu Bu didn't reply. His expression was indifferent as he raised his hand, fingers plunging into Yun Yu's abdomen and pulling out a ball of blue-gray flames.

Pfft!

"You bastard! That's my Azure Nether Flame! Give it back!" Yun Yu spat out a mouthful of blood. His once-rosy complexion turned deathly pale as the flame that fueled his strength was ripped from him.

Smack!

Lu Bu raised his foot and stomped Yun Yu to the ground.

"Jie… An ant like you dares to speak to me that way?" Lu Bu sneered. Deep in his soul, an inexplicable sense of satisfaction surged.

Yun Yu's face contorted, his flesh pressed together under the cold, muddy sole of Lu Bu's shoe. The humiliation burned through him, and his eyes filled with blood as he trembled with rage and hatred.

But Yun Yu had learned his lesson. He gritted his teeth and stayed silent, refusing to utter another word.

Just wait, he thought to himself. The strength of the Yun Lan Sect is far beyond this ant's understanding. When the time comes, I'll make him suffer the most excruciating torture imaginable! His bloodshot eyes gleamed with vengeful thoughts.

"Jie… Boring!"

Seeing Yun Yu remain silent, Lu Bu curled his lip in disdain. With a slight twist of his foot, a sickening crack echoed as Yun Yu's neck snapped. His lifeless eyes stared upward, unable to carry out his plans for revenge.

"Well, that's the end of that," Lu Bu muttered as he bent down to remove Yun Yu's storage ring. "Tsk, tsk, no wonder he's the young master—he had quite the stash."

Inside the ring, there was a mountain of gold coins, roughly estimated to be tens of thousands, along with several bottles of pills, a collection of techniques and skills, and even some clothes.

Turning his gaze to the corridor, Lu Bu spotted the green-robed servant Yun Chun. The little servant was much smarter than his master—he had been trying to crawl away quietly, but his weak strength made his progress painfully slow.

"9527, don't kill me!" Yun Chun screamed the moment he felt Lu Bu's eyes on him. Desperate, he cried out, "We're brothers! We grew up together, shared the same bed, ate from the same bowl—we're the best of brothers!"

"Oh, I see…" Lu Bu stroked his chin, his lips curling into a curious smile. "But if we were such good brothers, why didn't you think about that when you betrayed me?"

"I… I…" Yun Chun stammered, at a complete loss for words.

With a flick of Lu Bu's finger, an invisible flame of spiritual energy shot forward, instantly burning Yun Chun's soul to nothingness. He didn't even have time to scream.

Looking at the two lifeless bodies, Lu Bu felt his entire body lighten. It was as if a heavy burden had been lifted, giving him a sudden, exhilarating sense of freedom.

"Has the original soul finally dissipated?" Lu Bu muttered, rubbing his chin. He felt a newfound control over his body. "I suppose that's it…"

With a wave of his hand, the formation that had been locking down the entire lake contracted and dissolved, returning to his soul as pure energy.

"It's time to go. But before I leave…" Lu Bu's lips twisted into a sinister smile as he muttered, "Jie Jie Jie…"

He took a bit of Yun Yu's blood and wrote a line on the wall:

"The killer is Xiao Huohuo!"

The bold, blood-red characters exuded strength and vigor, their strokes as sharp as blade marks.

"Jie Jie Jie… Perfect. Cough, cough…" Lu Bu suddenly stopped himself, straightening his expression and rubbing his face. "Damn it, why am I laughing like that?"

Instantly, he reverted to his harmless, gentle demeanor. With a light step, he launched himself into the air and flew to a room in the estate, collecting the ten thousand gold coins the original body had left behind. Then, he departed toward the eastern side of the imperial capital.

Xiao Huohuo killed them. What does this have to do with me, Lu Bu? If you have the guts, go after him!

…

Half an hour later.

A black mist drifted silently into the lakeside pavilion.

"Late to the party… Jie Jie… Such skill, not even a trace of the soul remains!" The mist swirled, and within it, two glowing red eyes emerged, staring at Yun Chun's lifeless body.

Moments later, the mist quivered, and a tendril of it floated eastward.

"Jie Jie Jie… So that's where you went…"

The red light flared, and the black mist condensed into a streak of shadowy energy, speeding off in the direction Lu Bu had disappeared.

(End of Chapter)

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