ryethenovel Chapter 40 Half-step Earth Immortal? Does he even deserve to be called an immortal?
Chapter 40 Half-step Earth Immortal? Does he even deserve to be called an immortal?
"Click—"
The sound of bones snapping pierced the deathly silence of Cloud Peak Villa, more chilling than the mountain wind and more deafening than thunder.
The cold smile on Ye Tiannan's face froze on his lips, then instantly turned into utter terror. His mouth was half-open, and a strange "clucking" sound escaped his throat, like a duck being strangled, his breath trembling with despair. He stared intently at the withered old man beside the pile of scrap metal in the center of the courtyard, his pupils shrinking to pinpoints—that was the pillar of their Ye family, the one they had worshipped for 113 years, their ancestor known as a half-step immortal, invincible throughout the world!
But now, this patriarch, whom the entire Ye family was so proud of, had his right arm twisted at an eerie angle, blood splattering from his fingertips onto the bluestone slab, creating a horrifying sight. In that last attack, the patriarch hadn't even touched the hem of his opponent's clothes, yet an invisible force had snapped his arm!
"Ancestor... Ancestor!" Ye Tiannan was terrified and scrambled over, his knees hitting the stone slabs, the pain excruciating, but he was oblivious to it, only wanting to help the ancestor up and stabilize the situation.
"Get out of here!"
A furious roar, laced with chilling ferocity, exploded as the patriarch swung his left palm, sending Ye Tiannan flying. Ye Tiannan braced himself with his remaining left hand, his withered fingers digging into the cracks of the stone slabs until his knuckles turned white. His muscles convulsed wildly from the excruciating pain and humiliation. His wrinkled, orange-peel-like face was now twisted like a demon's, his bloodshot, cloudy eyes fixed on Lu Yuan on the steps. His breathing was heavy and labored, like a broken bellows, each breath a tearing pain.
"A formation...it's a mountain-protecting formation!" The patriarch roared through gritted teeth, each word uttered as if he wanted to crush his teeth. "It must have been you, brat, who set up this formation in the courtyard. Not only can it gather spiritual energy, but it can also reflect damage!"
He absolutely refused to believe that this was Lu Yuan's true strength! Earth's laws were locked, and spiritual energy was scarce. How could someone possibly break his bones, a half-step Earth Immortal, with just their physical body? This was impossible! The only explanation was that this kid had deliberately set a trap, lured him into the formation, and used the formation's power to trick him!
"What a ruthless scheme!" The old ancestor exerted his strength, forcefully snapping the dislocated bone back into place with a crisp "crack." The pain made him break out in a cold sweat, but he still forced a sinister smile. "You deliberately provoked me, luring me into this trap, thinking that hiding in this tortoise shell would make you untouchable?"
On the steps, Lu Yuan stood with his hands behind his back, dressed in white, his expression as indifferent as a deep pool of ice. Watching the Ye family patriarch's wild speculations, he didn't even bother to lift an eyelid, nor did he have any interest in explaining.
Just now, he didn't even move a finger; it was merely a slight rebound instinctively generated by his protective inner energy sensing an external attack. It was like a fully grown elephant being bumped by a buzzing mosquito—the mosquito was pulverized, but the elephant wasn't even scratched, and didn't even feel a tickle.
"You talk too much nonsense." Lu Yuan finally spoke, his voice soft yet sharp like an icy blade, each word carrying a chilling edge that instantly drowned out the old man's breathing. "Back then, the young master of the Ye family who ran over and killed my mother was your great-grandson, wasn't he?"
Ye Tiannan shuddered and collapsed to the ground, unable to move. The old ancestor's sinister smile froze instantly, a hint of panic flashing in his eyes, which was then replaced by rage.
Lu Yuan raised his hand, casually brushing off non-existent dust from his sleeve. His tone was calm, yet it carried a devastating killing intent: "I originally planned to go to the capital myself and crush the heads of every single one of your hundreds of Ye family members, making you pay for your blood debts. Since you've delivered yourself to my doorstep, I'll start by collecting some interest."
"Arrogant!" The patriarch laughed in fury, his laughter hoarse and maniacal. "You little brat, how dare you spout such nonsense! Today I'll show you that the power of a half-step Earth Immortal is beyond your comprehension!"
Before he could finish speaking, the old ancestor stomped his foot on the ground!
"boom--!"
A deafening roar erupted, causing the entire mountainside of Cloud Peak Manor to tremble violently, as if it were about to collapse. Centered on the patriarch, the bluestone slabs within a radius of several meters instantly shattered into dust, sending fragments flying and filling the air with smoke and dust. A visible stream of grayish-white energy surged wildly from his withered body, sweeping in all directions like a tsunami, condensing in mid-air into a gigantic weapon several meters long, its cold light chilling and its malevolent aura overwhelming.
The moment the qi weapon took shape, the surrounding temperature plummeted by more than ten degrees Celsius, and fine ice shards floated in the air, making even breathing feel bone-chillingly cold. The special operations team members at the foot of the mountain were terrified, collapsing to the ground, their hands and feet ice-cold, too weak to even flee—this was a power beyond human control, a battle between gods and demons!
The three helicopters in mid-air were tossed about by the terrifying airflow. The pilots used all their strength to pull up the altitude, but the fuselages shook violently and almost went out of control and crashed. They could only hide in the distance and dare not get any closer.
"I've been in seclusion for thirty years, comprehending the laws of heaven and earth. Today, I'll show you what true power of an Earth Immortal is!" The ancestor gripped the enormous weapon tightly with both hands, raising it high above his head. His aged body erupted with astonishing power. "Die!"
A roar shook the heavens. The ancestor exerted force with both hands, and a qi weapon more than ten meters long, with a shrill whistling sound that tore through the air, fell like a meteorite and slashed down fiercely towards Lu Yuan's head! This attack was unstoppable. Even the deck of an aircraft carrier could be split in two in an instant, and even a city wall made of steel would be blasted into ruins!
Zhao Tiancheng, hiding behind the door, trembled with fear and closed his eyes in despair. He thought it was all over—before this earth-shattering power, all formations and Mr. Lu would be crushed to ashes, leaving not even a trace.
But Lu Yuan remained standing in the same spot, not even lifting his eyelids.
He watched the whistling sword descend, his eyes completely unmoved, as if watching a child wielding a plastic toy sword—both laughable and pathetic.
"You call this borrowing the power of heaven and earth?" Lu Yuan suddenly spoke, his voice not loud, but clearly drowning out the shrill whistling of the qi weapon tearing through the air, piercing through the dust and smoke, carrying an arrogant air of looking down on the world.
Before he finished speaking, he slowly raised his right hand, extending one index finger, the tip of which gleamed with a faint golden light. His tone was calm yet carried an undeniable authority: "I'll teach you what the Way of Heaven is."
The next second, Lu Yuan's index finger gently touched the huge qi weapon that was more than ten meters long.
There was no earth-shattering explosion, no violent gusts of air, not even a sound; it was eerily quiet.
The instant the fingertips touched—
"Click..."
A faint, crisp sound rang out clearly in the deathly silent manor. A crack appeared silently from where Lu Yuan's fingertip had touched, and then, with incredible speed, the crack spread throughout the entire weapon, densely packed like a spider web.
"Splash—!"
The next second, the half-step Earth Immortal weapon, which gathered the ancestor of the Ye family's century-long cultivation and condensed his life's insights, shattered into countless points of light like a fragile piece of glass, dissipating into the air without even a ripple, as if it had never existed.
The Ye family patriarch remained frozen in place, his hands still raised in a downward chopping motion, like a statue. His cloudy eyes were fixed on Lu Yuan's index finger, which was still out of reach. His mind was blank, deathly still, and he even forgot to breathe.
His proud power as an Earth Immortal, the laws of heaven and earth he comprehended during his thirty years of seclusion, the capital that supported the Ye family's century-long status... all shattered with a single finger's gentle poke.
How is this possible?!
That's absolutely impossible!!
"You... what kind of monster are you..." The old ancestor's voice was dry and hoarse, like sandpaper being rubbed together. His body trembled violently uncontrollably, even his teeth chattered. He finally realized that he was wrong, terribly wrong—the young man standing in front of him was not some nouveau riche who relied on the formation to bully others, but a terrifying existence that exceeded the limits of his understanding and the scope allowed by the laws of Earth!
"Monster?" Lu Yuan withdrew his finger, took a step forward, his white robes fluttering, and the pressure around him suddenly dropped. An aura of dominance swept across the entire area. "In the cultivation world, they call me the Great Ascension Immortal Venerable."
Before he finished speaking, Lu Yuan spread his five fingers wide and pressed them down sharply in the direction of the Ye family patriarch!
"BOOM—!!"
A thunderous roar suddenly resounded in the sky, tearing the clouds apart instantly. A golden beam of light pierced the sky, and a golden handprint, the size of a basketball court and formed entirely from pure spiritual energy, descended from the heavens with an earth-shattering pressure!
On that palm print flowed intricate array patterns that were too dazzling to look at directly. Each array pattern exuded an ancient and majestic aura, and each array pattern represented a law of heaven and earth that Lu Yuan had completely trampled under his feet!
"No--!!"
The Ye family patriarch stared at the enormous golden hand overhead, feeling the terrifying pressure that could crush souls and tear flesh apart, and let out a desperate scream. He tried desperately to escape and resist, but found that the surrounding space was completely locked. He couldn't even move a little finger and could only watch helplessly as the golden hand slowly descended.
"Bang--!!"
The golden handprint landed squarely in the center of the courtyard without any doubt, and a deafening roar erupted once again. The entire Cloud Peak Manor shook violently, and the ground cracked open with jagged fissures, billowing smoke and dust that blotted out the sky.
As the dust settled, a massive, palm-shaped crater, several meters deep, appeared in the once smooth flagstone courtyard. The crater's edges were smooth, emanating a faint fluctuation of spiritual energy. The Ye family patriarch, hailed as invincible and having secluded himself for thirty years—the half-step Earth Immortal whom the Ye family had worshipped for a hundred years—was reduced to nothing, not even a bone fragment remaining. He was utterly annihilated by this single palm strike, reduced to the most basic atomic state, his body and soul completely destroyed!