Chapter 13 – A Millennium of Solitude, Drawing to a Close

“Roar!”

Beneath the thunderclouds, Lu Chen’s body was enveloped in a water-blue spiritual power, transforming into a ferocious semi-illusory flood dragon.

The flood dragon was not only lifelike, but its scales also emitted faint golden lights, as if a real flood dragon was emerging from the sea.

Lu Chen’s true form was positioned at the head of the flood dragon, holding his sword while harnessing the flood dragon’s might to confront the thunderclouds above.

Almost simultaneously with the flood dragon’s shadow soaring into the sky, the accumulated thunder power within the clouds descended with a resounding crash.

Boom!

The violent thunder collided with Lu Chen’s water-blue flood dragon, only to be instantly dispersed by the dragon’s charge.

The explosion’s brilliance illuminated the underground tomb as bright as daylight, intensely glaring.

As the light faded, the water-blue flood dragon had already broken through the thunderclouds and was charging toward Ye Chenglin below with an invincible stance.

Faced with this, Ye Chenglin did not choose to surrender but instead began drawing talismans again.

These talismans circled in front of him, quickly forming layers of black-gold talisman barriers.

Yet these talisman barriers could not withstand the fierce water-blue flood dragon.

The moment they collided, the barriers shattered like glass upon impact.

Watching Lu Chen break through the shields and fiercely assault him,

Ye Chenglin’s eyes held no fear of death, but rather an indescribable sense of liberation.

As if he had been intentionally waiting for this day.

Thud!

As the dust settled, the magic sword in Lu Chen’s hand pierced through Ye Chenglin’s chest, puncturing his heart.

The copper-skinned, iron-boned body of the Foundation Establishment Stage corpse ultimately could not withstand Lu Chen’s sword technique that broke through realms.

Ye Chenglin looked down at the magic sword impaling his chest, his gaze gradually dimming.

Feeling the life qi slowly fading from his body…

After what seemed like an eternity, Ye Chenglin suddenly heard a long-unheard voice by his ear.

“Xiao Lin, I always told you to cultivate properly, but you never listened, always sneaking down the mountain to drink. Now you’ve learned your lesson, haven’t you?”

Ye Chenglin looked up to find his master, Daoist Duofu, along with many senior brothers and sisters, silently appearing around him.

“Master, say less. Junior Brother has been struck down by a sword, and you’re still gloating. Is that any way for a master to act?”

The honest and warm-hearted Great Senior Brother of Ten Thousand Talisman Peak stepped forward, speaking a few good words for Ye Chenglin.

When Ye Chenglin first entered the sect, it was the Great Senior Brother who taught him many principles of cultivation.

“Alright, alright. Although Xiao Lin was playful, he worked hard later on. He lost this time, but he can win next time, can’t he?”

The Second Senior Sister of Ten Thousand Talisman Peak tucked her long hair behind her ear and spoke softly.

In response, Daoist Duofu laughed and scolded, “You all spoil him. If this boy had tempered his nature back then, he wouldn’t have died so early without even achieving Core Formation.”

“It’s truly embarrassing to say—a Direct Lineage Disciple of Ten Thousand Talisman Peak, buried alongside ordinary disciples in the end. You’ve really brought honor to your master.”

Faced with Daoist Duofu’s reprimand, Ye Chenglin wasn’t angered but instead laughed joyfully.

Yet as he laughed, his eyes gradually moistened.

He looked at Daoist Duofu, his voice hoarse, and said, “Master, it is I, your disciple… who has brought you shame.”Hearing this, Daoist Duofu—who had been scolding him moments earlier—immediately tapped his head with the horsetail whisk in hand and said discontentedly, “Shame? This master doesn’t think it’s shameful.”

“Besides you, who could endure a millennium of solitude, silently guarding this place all along?”

As he spoke, Daoist Duofu crouched down and affectionately patted his head.

“You haven’t brought shame upon our Ten Thousand Talisman Peak. You’ve made this master prouder than anyone else.”

Upon hearing this, Ye Chenglin felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted, and the words accumulated in his heart over a thousand years finally spilled out.

“Master, I’m sorry. I’m too tired, truly too tired.”

“Next time… next time I’ll listen to you, cultivate properly, and never anger you again.”

“But this time, please allow my willfulness. I truly… can’t persevere any longer.”

“Master, I’m sorry, truly sorry…”

Ye Chenglin’s voice gradually faded, his head slowly lowering.

Myriad Talismans Daoist looked at him and whispered softly, “Sleep now, have a good rest. All these years… you’ve suffered.”

Ye Chenglin didn’t respond, for he had already completely ceased breathing.

The millennium-long solitude finally came to an end today.

Ye Chenglin, the True Disciple of the Ten Thousand Talisman Peak, seventieth generation of the Azure Cloud Sect, has passed away.

“Congratulations on your ascension, Fellow Daoist.”

Lu Chen looked at the deceased Ye Chenglin and respectfully performed a Daoist salute.

By now, Lu Chen no longer regarded “True Immortal Cultivation” as merely a game.

Whether it was the near-realistic experience or the fact that cultivation progress in the game correlated with reality—it felt less like a game and more like a genuine world.

Somewhere unknown to him, the Azure Cloud Sect and Ye Chenglin must have truly existed.

Therefore, facing someone who, even after death, upheld his vow and guarded the sect’s tomb, Lu Chen felt genuine admiration, worthy of his salute.

As the battle concluded, the entire underground tomb fell into complete silence.

Lu Chen glanced at his blood-stained arm and the incessant, excruciating pain coursing through his body, murmuring softly, “The Dragon’s Roar Sky-Piercing Strike is still somewhat beyond my current capabilities.”

“After that single sword strike, not only are over half my meridians damaged, but my spiritual power is completely depleted.”

“Unless absolutely necessary, I should refrain from using this divine ability in the future. Water Dragon’s Roar should suffice for most situations.”

Indeed, although Lu Chen had fused Water Dragon’s Roar and the Sharpness Art into a new divine ability, that didn’t mean the original skills had vanished.

In a sense, Dragon’s Roar Sky-Piercing Strike could be understood as a combined technique of Water Dragon’s Roar and the Sharpness Art.

He could still employ the individual skills of Water Dragon’s Roar and the Sharpness Art normally.

After all, he had cultivated these two abilities step by step himself.

Even though they had merged into a new skill, Lu Chen’s comprehension of them remained intact.

Naturally, he could wield them freely.

[You have defeated the Foundation Establishment Stage Corpse · Ye Chenglin. You have obtained 3000 experience points. You have obtained Soul Crystal Shard (Green)1. You have obtained Myriad Talisman True Explanation Fragment1. You have obtained Special Tomb Key*1.]

[Current Experience: 12150]

Gazing at the game interface, Lu Chen felt as if the clouds had parted to reveal the moon—a sense of hard-won clarity after enduring so much hardship and dying repeatedly.He finally managed to push his experience points past the ten thousand mark.

It was time to raise the Rank of the Purple Haze Nourishing Art.

True Immortal Cultivation, allocate points!

【You consumed 9,999 experience points, Purple Haze Nourishing Art has been upgraded to ‘Breakthrough’…】

【Purple Haze Nourishing Art (Max): Breakthrough】

【Effect: Purple Haze Body Tempering, extends lifespan by five hundred years, increases Spiritual Power limit by ten thousand points, grants Purple Dawn Divine Fire】

(End of Chapter)