Chapter 1053 - Locked Up
Chapter 1053: Locked Up
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Cultivators of the Heavenly Demonic Power often changed their appearances and it was difficult to know their true nature. One could only tell the cultivators apart based on their cultivation level and aura. Moreover, when the cultivators reached the seventh level, they could alter their aura, which made it even more challenging to determine their true selves.
However, fellow cultivators of the Heavenly Demonic Power would be able to recognize each other. This was because the Heavenly Demonic Power had an innate and unique aura that only cultivators of this technique could sense it on other cultivators. They would know the real identity of the other person and did not have to depend on looks.
Chu Li sensed that this young man’s appearance was real; he did not alter it using the Heavenly Demonic Power. It was rare for him to have such good looks, but unfortunately, he was seriously injured and seemed like a frail candle that would get snuffed out by the wind.
Ignoring the young man, Chu Li appeared in front of the Heavenly Demon Statue.
As he stood before the gigantic statue, he frowned in a contemplative manner.
The Heavenly Demon Statue which he saw before his eyes were different from the one he saw through the Omniscient Mirror.
The statue that he saw right now was a mere stone sculpture, but it was lifelike and its diamond-encrusted eyes glittered brilliantly.
Still, it was an inanimate object and it would not intimidate anyone despite its overbearing appearance.
On the contrary, the Heavenly Demon Statue seen through the Omniscient Mirror was completely different. It was as if a living Heavenly Demon was standing in the void with furiously blazing flames enveloping its body, threatening to engulf and destroy the minds of the people that looked at it.
What shocked him further was that the Heavenly Demon seemed to absorb the invisible energy around it, accumulating it in its body before transforming it into the smoldering flames. This caused the fires to burn even more intensely.
Chu Li could see that the aura of the entire valley has seeped towards the Heavenly Demon Statue. The Four Elders, and each and every disciple in the valley continuously imbued the Heavenly Demon Statue with their aura, strengthening the Heavenly Demon’s flames and increasing its might.
This worried Chu Li and he did not dare to approach the Heavenly Demon Statue.
Nonetheless, when he thought of how the Four Elders had pressed against the Heavenly Demon Statue and nothing happened to them, he assumed that nothing would happen to him too.
As he thought of this, he took a deep breath. He then levitated and pressed himself against the Heavenly Demon Statue’s shoulders and its forehead.
“Bang!” He flew backward without warning and darkness engulfed his vision. He laid unconscious on the ground.
The Four Elders who were busy treating the injured young man shifted their expressions and glanced at each other.
Elder Bai and another Elder levitated and glided towards the basilica swiftly like two flashing silhouettes. Then, they noticed Chu Li who was lying on the ground.
However, Chu Li did not change his appearance at all and still bore the face of Du Feng.
Elder Bai glared at Chu Li with a stern look before he stole a glance at the Heavenly Demon Statue and heaved a sigh of relief.
The other Elder had a stocky build, big eyes, and bushy eyebrows. He let out a cold laugh. “Daring fellow!”
Elder Bai remarked, “We were too careless!”
The basilica was always guarded by one of the Four Elders. However, they were caught off guard by the injured disciple. This cunning fellow had taken advantage of this opportunity, which was a huge embarrassment to the Four Elders.
What was even more shocking was the fact that he could return and find the Heavenly Demonic Sect!
Apart from the disciples, no outsider knew of the whereabouts of the Heavenly Demonic Sect, thus the sect could remain standing until today. If anyone was aware of its location, the sect would face the risk of destruction in spite of the formation’s protection.
“How do we deal with this fellow?” the other Elder asked. “Let’s kill him and be done with it!”
“Sigh… It’ll be a shame if we kill him.” Elder Bai shook his head disapprovingly.
“Are we supposed to recruit him then?”
“Senior Brother Du, technically, both of you are from the same family.” A smile appeared on Elder Bai’s face. “Don’t you want to take him in?”
“Hmph, I knew this fellow would be up to no good the first time I met him. He’s full of cunning ideas!” Elder Du said coldly, “I was right. A scheming fellow like him must not be taken in!”
“It’ll be a shame if we kill him. We’d better think of some other plan.” Elder Bai frowned. “He has innate talent.”
“We can’t keep a cunning person like him, no matter how talented he is,” Elder Du argued. “Have you forgotten about what happened last time, Junior Brother Bai?”
Elder Bai’s expression shifted and he inhaled a deep breath. He nodded slowly.
“Lock him up first, then,” Elder Bai finally shook his head and spoke, “We need to discuss how we’re going to deal with him. The majority shall decide on whether he will be killed or spared.”
“Agreed!” Elder Du said in a deep voice.
…
When Chu Li regained consciousness, he realized that he was restrained on an iron bed. Both of his hands and feet were shackled by iron cuffs. He struggled but nothing budged. His Dantian’s location, precordium, and seven other acupuncture points were jabbed respectively by needles. The nine thin needles were like strands of hair that pierced his body.
Chu Li’s Dantian felt empty. The needle had burst his Dantian and his inner energy seeped out. The eight remaining needles were like dams that blocked his meridians and locked his acupuncture points firmly.
He attempted to channel his spiritual energy but it refused to obey his command. He did not even feel the presence of spiritual energy within himself.
Chu Li frowned and concluded that something was wrong. The Life and Death Scripture had stopped working!
Thus, he struggled with all his might. His current physique was tough and he was stronger than the regular Grandmaster without using any inner strength, but he had failed to break out of the iron cuffs.
The iron cuffs which restrained him were not ordinary iron. A wave of chilly energy emanated from the cuffs and penetrated his pores. The hardness and mass of the iron cuffs were far greater than those of regular iron and Chu Li could not remove them.
With furrowed brows, he recalled what happened earlier.
The moment he came into contact with the Heavenly Demon Statue’s forehead, a violent surge of energy rushed towards him like a tsunami and crashed through the void in his mind.
As he thought of this, he began to look into the void in his mind. His face went pale without warning and a layer of cold sweat appeared on his forehead.
Chu Li felt that his head was suddenly pricked by steel needles and the intense pain had nearly caused him to faint. Darkness began to appear before his eyes.
He immediately stopped looking into his mind and his heart sank.
The void of his mind had indeed been broken. This had obliterated everything he had. Without the four scriptures and the Omniscient Mirror, he was almost devoid of everything. Moreover, his martial arts prowess had already been crippled. He was a cripple now!
What was worse was that the Life and Death Scripture had lost its effect. If he died, he would be dead for real!
He sucked in a deep breath to calm himself down. Various thoughts raced through his mind and he remembered that he still had an ability which could save him —— the Limb of God.
So, Chu Li decided to activate the Limb of God when he felt another surge of intense pain in his mind and nearly fainted. The Limb of God could not be used too!
He grimaced and shook his head. ‘Has my time come? Am I really going to die here?’
He refused to give up and instead, he began to scrutinize his own body.
Fortunately, he was able to observe the condition of his body. The location of the Heavenly Demonic Orb was pierced by a needle which seemed to lock the orb in place. He could see it but he could not command it, as if the orb no longer belonged to him.
The void of his mind could not be used and all of his divine powers could not be activated. He felt like a blind man as he was unable to see what was happening around him without the Omniscient Mirror.
Hearing footsteps, Chu Li peered across the room.
A handsome young man in a blue outfit walked towards him and stood by his side.
Chu Li looked up at him.
The young man gazed at Chu Li, smiled and cupped his fists. “Greetings, it’s my first time getting to know you. I am Zhe Ying.”
Chu Li replied in a husky voice, “Du Feng.”
“It’s impressive that you’ve managed to locate the Heavenly Demonic Sect, Brother Du.” Zhe Ying had soft features and possessed a hint of feminine beauty. He looked at Chu Li lazily. “And how daring of you too!”
Chu Li asked, “How will the Heavenly Demonic Sect deal with me?”