boyutpedia Chapter 127 Altar Standoff: Years of Grudges
Chapter 127 Altar Standoff: Years of Grudges
Lin Chen stopped halfway down the steps of the altar, panting heavily.
He didn't know how he got here. The distance from the battlefield to the altar was only a few hundred feet, yet every step felt like walking on a knife's edge. The Star Martial Core in his dantian was still spinning, but its rotation was as slow as a clock about to stop, each tick accompanied by a sharp pain. Three of his twelve meridians had developed cracks, and stellar energy was leaking from the fissures, like holes punched in a water pipe—the flow wasn't large, but it was constant. The muscles in his arms were twitching slightly, and his hand gripping the sword was trembling.
But he still gripped the sword tightly.
The continuous activation of the Martial Emperor's phantom and the relentless battles had already left him utterly exhausted. From the moment he stepped into the secret realm, he had been fighting non-stop—the wild boars on the outer perimeter, the Wang family's ambush, Qin Hao's provocations, the ambushes in the canyon, the chaotic battles among the allied forces, and the constant activation of the Martial Emperor's phantom. His body was like a machine running at maximum power, every part operating beyond its limits. The radiator was already smoking, but the machine kept running because he dared not stop.
His gaze remained sharp. Through the weariness, through the pain, the light in his eyes did not fade.
"The Qin family has been protected by the Martial Emperor for generations, yet they secretly colluded with the evil race to steal the secret realm's opportunities and harm their own kind." His voice wasn't loud, and his breathing was unsteady, but every word was enunciated clearly. "This thousand-year path of betrayal should finally come to an end today."
Qin Hao's laughter stopped abruptly.
His expression shifted from maniacal to sinister, and the curve of his lips changed from an upward smile to a downward smirk. He stopped forming hand seals and stared directly at Lin Chen, his gaze like a poisoned dagger.
"Sanctuary? It's nothing but shackles!"
His voice suddenly rose, sharp and piercing, like fingernails scraping against an iron plate.
"A thousand years ago, my Qin family ancestors followed Emperor Wu in his campaigns, achieving great feats! Countless times they risked their lives, countless times they fought bloody battles! And what did they get in return? They were suspected, ostracized, and sidelined! They could only hide behind the scenes, serving as errand boys, messengers, and servants who had to be subservient to others!"
His finger pointed to the four stone pillars at the top of the altar, his finger trembling and his voice trembling.
"If we hadn't secretly befriended the evil race and accumulated power, the Qin family would have been wiped out by them long ago and erased from history! Collusion? Yes, we colluded! But you forced us to! Now I will break these shackles, seize the inheritance, and take control of the entire human martial arts! No one can stop me!"
His voice echoed above the altar, striking the stone pillars, bouncing back, and striking again, layer upon layer, until it became a buzzing echo.
Lin Chen slowly raised his sword. The light of the Star Sword dimmed considerably, and the silver luster on its blade turned into a thin layer, like frost or mist, which could dissipate at any moment. But the sword remained straight, neither crooked nor tilted, pointing directly in Qin Hao's direction.
"Ambitiousness blinds the mind, and one remains oblivious until death."
The Star Essence Fluid trembled slightly in the center of the altar, and its shimmering white light flickered in response to his words.
"Star Marrow Liquid is formed from the essence of the secret realm, used to heal the wounded and nurture geniuses. It is not a tool for you to satisfy your personal desires. Stop the blood sacrifice, and I will spare your life."
"My life? I don't need your charity!"
Qin Hao abruptly increased the intensity of the incantation. Dark red blood energy gushed out from the jade pendant, spreading in all directions like a flood bursting its banks. The star marrow liquid was entangled and enveloped by the blood energy, its shimmering white light struggling within it, flickering like a firefly trapped in a net.
"Today, either I reach the summit, or we perish together!"
He practically screamed his last few words, his voice hoarse and strained, as if his throat had cracked.
The ground beneath the altar began to crack. Not the fine cracks that appeared when the evil elder detonated the array, but massive, bottomless fissures, like wounds in the earth, spreading outwards from the altar's base. Dense black evil energy spewed from the fissures, mixed with white mist—the earth's spiritual energy corrupted by the evil energy. The two extreme energies mingled, hissing like boiling oil poured into cold water.
For a thousand years, the Qin family had concealed their evil power beneath the foundation of the altar. The most dangerous place was also the safest—the righteous energy of the Martial Emperor's altar was so intense that no one would suspect that beneath it lay the power of the evil race. They had endured for a thousand years, waited for a thousand years, all for this moment. The blood sacrifice ritual began, and the evil power beneath the earth leaked out completely. The entire altar trembled slightly under the impact of the two opposing forces. The inscriptions on the four stone pillars flickered, as if struggling, as if resisting.
Lin Chen knew he couldn't delay any longer.
He took a deep breath, drawing upon the last remaining stellar energy within his dantian. Not much, but still there. At the same time, he activated the Martial Emperor's aura that lingered in the core of his Star Martial Arts—not an illusion, not a summoning, but simply that wisp of energy, like a match, being struck and lit deep within his body. The fire wasn't large, but it was enough.
He didn't rush forward. He didn't use any deadly moves. He didn't even quicken his pace. He simply climbed the steps one by one. The Starry Sky Sword Technique was slowly executed, not with fierce attacks, but with a slow, quiet swordplay, like practicing Tai Chi. Wherever the sword light passed, the black evil energy curled, turned black, and crumbled like paper burned by fire, dissipating into ashes. Each sword strike precisely targeted the leaking evil energy around him, not breaking it with brute force, but purifying it with the evil-dispelling properties of star power. The tremors of the altar subsided, and the inscriptions on the stone pillars lit up again.
"Still doing useless work!"
Qin Hao was enraged at the sight. His face turned from pale to ashen, his lips turned purple, and he looked like a corpse that had crawled out of a grave. He separated a portion of his blood energy—not drawn from the jade pendant, but forcibly extracted from his own body—and transformed it into several blood-red claws, attacking Lin Chen from the side.
The claws were as large as an adult's palm, with five distinct fingers and sharp, knife-like tips. They were not physical entities, but rather energy bodies formed from the condensation of blood and evil power. However, the bone-corroding evil aura was real. Being touched by it would not be as simple as just tearing flesh; one's true energy and meridians would be eroded, corroded, and contaminated by the evil power.
The crimson claws were incredibly fast, too fast for Lin Chen to dodge. His internal star power was insufficient, his movements sluggish, and in his haste, he could only parry with his sword.
clang!
A sharp, deafening crack echoed. The impact from the sword felt like a heavy hammer slamming into his chest, sending Lin Chen staggering backward. Fine cracks appeared on the stone steps beneath his feet, spreading outwards from the point of impact like a spiderweb. A metallic, sweet taste rose in his throat, salty and hot. He swallowed hard, his throat stinging as if slashed by a blade. But he didn't vomit blood—not because his injury wasn't serious, but because he dared not. Vomiting it would dissipate the breath.
His injuries worsened again. His hand gripping the sword trembled slightly more, and the starlight on the blade dimmed a little more.