Chapter 24
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Outside the capital of the Illusive empire, a large farmland covered the area, having been cleared of any trees and animals thousands of years ago.
The roads were straight and stone-paved, heading towards the other major cities of the empire. These paved roads made travel much more comfortable and it was something easy for the empire to achieve.
The sound of horses galloping could be heard as they dragged a carriage at a moderate speed.
The driver seemed to be in his fifties and seemed pretty used to riding it, feeling absolutely no discomfort from the ceaseless shaking of the carriage as he slightly whipped the horses to change direction every once in a while.
He was currently escorting a family who had rune masters accompanying them.
He couldn't help but glance to his left and right once in a while, witnessing the two young men who were running at the speed of horses with ease, even sometimes going up ahead and returning as if it was nothing.
The middle-aged driver couldn't help but sigh at the absurd difference rune masters and mortals had.
Of course, not all rune masters were as strong as these two youths, since he had many encounters with them. Most of them didn't have that sort of progress in such a short amount of time.
Some acted as body guards of rich mortal families, while others became mercenaries to earn money by hunting and completing missions.
On the other hand those who had even the slightest bit of talent joined immortal sects to cultivate. It wouldn't be that rare of a phenomenon to see scholars flying on swords or other things once in a while.
As someone who had lived over half a century, he had seen many things, but he had never seen such a weird family.
Inside the carriage were two men in their thirties, along with a woman and a child. The weird thing was not the two rune masters protecting them, but the appearance they all possessed.
It was clear that one of the young rune masters, along with the child and the two men were related due to their creepily similar appearance. Thankfully they all had unique qualities, otherwise he would have thought that they were clones.
When he asked for their names, he remembered about the rumors in the countryside, about a family of farmers who had a large area all to themselves, with unique architectures and many legends. The main thing everyone mentioned however was the creepily similar appearance all of them possessed.
They said that they were a clan of man-eating monsters.
"The Guang family…" said the middle-aged man while pulling out an weirdly shaped ornate pipe and smoking it.
He smiled mischievously, clearly not believing the bullshit rumors people spread about them.
It was not the first time he had heard of them, but seeing them in person, he was sure that those rumors were but fairy tales to scare off children.
Especially towards the young rune master who he chatted the most on their way there.
He was so kind and specifically asked about the comfort and the time it took to get to their destination, making sure that his family would have a good trip. He was a young man with filial piety, unlike his own damned son who would just waste his money to buy drinks, getting piss drunk everyday.
He sighed and displeasure just remembering his son, but he smiled bitterly, since it was the only thing his wife had left behind.
If he didn't care for his useless son, who would?
"Mister Mao, can we take a break in the next stop?"
The middle-aged man, Yu Mao nodded at the young man and proceeded to pull over in the next stop.
Rui took a deep breath as he smelled the fresh air.
It had been a few years since he went to the family building, so he enjoyed his time here, continuously exploring his area with the system map, making sure to cover as much area as possible.
Thankfully they found a great driver with a reasonable price and they had the protection of his uncle, so he was not worried about anything.
After what had happened yesterday, his uncle decided to take everyone to the ancestral home, just to make sure everything was alright.
Rui had explained that both his mother and brother were alright, but he didn't say anything about his brother possessing the ability to awaken, since he would awaken in a year if everything was alright.
Restricting his brother's freedom was not something he wanted to do.
They still had around two hours of travel time left, since it took two days by foot and four hours by a fast horse carriage.
Of course, for rune masters of Rui's and Liliang's level it only took around three hours at most, while for his uncle, Rui had no idea how long it would take him.
After entering the [Perfect man and earth as one] and using [Parallel thinking] Rui was able to absorb energy even while doing any action, so even while running Rui was continuously absorbing energy with the [Heavenly Runic Mantra]. Sadly, the mantra's stages would stop after he entered the second tier of rune masters and he would have to find a new method to cultivate with.
He was hopeful that the family would have cultivation methods tailored to his physique, otherwise he would have to search for the second part of the [Heavenly Demon Mantra], which he didn't want to do.
After the system had activated its artificial intelligence, Yue had basically become slightly obsolete. Thankfully it had recorded all of the academy books that he could access, so he had a wide range on knowledge for his needs.
He had a feeling that his family would also possess a large library, so he was getting excited to absorb that knowledge.
After resting, the carriage resumed its journey, arriving at its destination after two more hours.
Paying the other half of the promised amount to the driver, they thanked him and waved goodbye, as he departed with a gratified look.
Standing outside the family gates, Liliang gulped, instantly feeling intimidated.
Unlike the academy gates, who were big and stronger looking, the architecture and the way the gate was designed put an unparalleled pressure to any individuals outside of the clan.
Seeing this scene, Daito laughed and patted him on the back and whispered to his ear.
"Don't worry about it, our gates have been designed with arrays, so that anyone outside the family would feel pressured to even approach. This is why many of the nearby villages are scared of us and create such baseless rumors."
Seeing the terrified reaction on Liliang's face, he burst out laughing, clearly teasing him.
Rui along with Ryuji couldn't help but sigh at the childish way Daito acted.
Who would believe that such a man was a ruthless assassin?
Feeling bad for Liliang, Rui pushed open the family gates, getting greeted by a massive courtyard, lined up by dozens of great buildings. It was like a few pagodas were placed right next to each-other.
Rui didn't realize it the last time he came, but the family grounds were full of signs of ware and tare, as if continuously used for training.
Even in a corner, dummies were thrown haphazardly, being completely torn apart by sword cuts.
Suddenly, he felt countless gazes falling upon him, making his blood run cold.
[Warning!]
[Warning!]
[Host has been completely seen through]
╓ Calculating ╖
╓ Calculating ╖
╓ Since Host is currently inside his family building and data has shown that the individuals inspecting have an at least 80% similarity in appearance, and display no hostility towards the user, system counter-measures will not be deployed for the time being. ╖
Rui looked at the system window and smiled bitterly.
His family was after all, a hidden clan who did the dirty work for the empire.
Slowly, many figures came out of their buildings and headed towards their direction.
Around fifty percent of them wore bandannas on their heads, which made Rui have goosebumps.
"If it isn't Rui! I heard you awakened as a rune master and seeing you now, I can say I'm impressed. That's what you would expect from my cousin!"
The first one to speak was a girl a year older than Rui.
This was Daito's only child, Guang Mei, Rui's and Jian's cousin.
Looking at her, Rui could see a bandanna covering her forehead and laughed. Since she was being sarcastic, Rui decided to be sarcastic as well.
"Sister Mei, how long has it been. I hope you don't request to fight against me in a sword duel, right? Since I'm a rune master, I don't know if I can hold back my strength."
This was a bluff, made to tease her back.
Hearing his response, her face turned red and she pouted, instantly heading to her dad to complain about Rui bullying her.
Seeing this scene, all of the family members present laughed.
Guang Ryuji along with Guang Ya came forward to greet them all one by one, as the father and the main visitor this time.
"Uncle Kai, little Lao, aunt Mia, grandpa Xin…"
They went on and on, greeting them all with respect.
Rui and the rest felt exhausted just looking at them, who had to go through such formalities each time they came.
After reaching the final person who came to greet them, Daito asked.
"Is father and grandmother waiting for us inside?"
The old grandpa Xin nodded, the bandanna covering his forehead shinning lightly.
Although he was already an old man, one could not assume so by his posture and physique alone. He stood straight and a sword hilt could be vaguely seen under his robe.
Seeing him nod, Daito brought Rui, Ryuji and Liliang inside, leaving Jian and Ya to chat with the family.
Guang Ya chatted with the other house wives while Jian helped carry off their luggage and sparred with the other teens.
Rui entered the main clan building with high expectations.
The architecture inside was similar to the outside, having wooden boards and beautifully painted walls.
Since he had never been here, he was a bit anxious. Meeting his grandfather and great-grandmother after learning the truth made him uncomfortable.
After walking for a while, they reached an ornate door, inscribed with countless runes.
Daito went ahead and knocked in a certain rhythm, which after a few seconds made the door open on its own.
Behind the door a staircase leading down could be seen.
The chilly air that came from below made Rui frown in discomfort.
He glance at his uncle, who shrugged in response.
"I know it looks creepy, but its the safest area inside the clan and no one will be able to know or learn anything. It was constructed when our ancestor first came here, so please be careful of your steps, since they are a bit moldy."
The three of them looked at him like he was leading them to their deaths, but they didn't say anything and just headed down one by one.
Unlike what Daito had described, the stairs were fine, in fact they were incredibly sturdy and clean, plus wide and tall enough for someone to walk comfortably.
After walking for a few minutes, they were greeted by a wide hall.
At the center of the hall, a man and a woman were seated on the floor, meditating.
The ground was inscribed with countless runes, clearly forming multiple formations and arrays.
Rui used [understanding] and [identify] on the floor.
[Host's understanding is lacking, unable to display any data]
Seeing the result, he was surprised. His family was truly powerful.
He then took a peak at the appearance of his elders. From what he could remember, his grandfather was a sturdy old man, but he was shocked from what he saw.
The man standing there seemed younger than even Daito, having extremely sharp features with short black hair. His eyes resembled a deep blue see, as they were a darker shade of blue than the rest. A scar ran the lower half of his face, but it didn't depreciate his beautiful appearance, but rather enhanced it. A majestic sword floated by his side.
On the other hand, the wrinkly great-grandma he was expecting to see was non-existent and a peerless beauty stood there, her her tied and decorated with pure gold ornaments. Her eyes had a deep purple color and a black great-sword floated behind her back.
However what caught Rui's eyes the most weren't their appearance, but the runes shinning in their foreheads. They both had the symbol of a rune resembling a sword.
Glancing at the dazed Rui, Daito shook his head and headed towards the duo.
Bowing he spoke.
"Father, Grandmother, I've brought Rui along with Xiong Liliang who has signed the contract."
The two glanced at Rui and Liliang and nodded, but looking at Ryuji, the frowned slightly.
"Why is Ryuji here?"
Hearing his father's question, Daito scowled in resentment, instantly decreasing the temperature and placing pressure on everyone except Ryuji.
"Father, grandmother, please help my dear brother from this injustice. I, as the older brother, am ashamed to bring up the matter, so the one to explain the situation will be Rui."
Hearing his words, they frowned and glanced at the prepubescent cultivator. For him, Rui was just a fledgling and they still weren't informed about his accomplishments.
Seeing that his uncle felt ashamed of being unable to see such a curse on his dear brother, he didn't say anything and spoke to his grandfather and great-grandma like how a grandchild would speak.
"Grandpa Tian, grandma Zhe, I will first explain my accomplishments in cultivation and then get into the matter pertaining to my father, if that is alright with the two of you."
"We were going to ask you why you were only at the initial energy gatherings stage as well, so this is great. Go ahead little Rui, explain."
Said grandma Zhe, with a relaxed expression. While Guang Tian just nodded.
"The reason my cultivation is lacking, despite my talent, is due to the fact that I refined my foundation to the best of my abilities."
"Hoho, a youth with ambition I see. So how many body refinements did you perform. From what I can see with my eye, it should be at least eight? How about your bowl?"
Asked Guang Tian, with interest shinning in his eyes.
All of them had done similar things in the foundation establishment stage, but they had clear limits in their determination and potential, being satisfied with what they had achieved.
Having ambition was something a rune master needed, without it, what was the point of cultivation?
"Grandpa isn't far off. I have completed nine body refinements and achieved a supreme bowl, as well as upgrading my physique to the perfect heavenly rune physique."
"Haha! I knew my grandson would not disappoint us, see old hag, I told you he had the bloodline of our ancestors! Nine body refin-."
He suddenly stopped and looked in stupor, along with grandma Zhe, who he had called an old hag.
"Wait little Rui, did you just say nine body refinements and a supreme bowl?! Did I hear that right?"
Grandma Zhe said with a fervent gaze, froth threatening to spill out of her mouth.
Rui took a step back and nodded in fear.
"HAHAHAHAHA, FINALLY A WORTHY DISCIPLE FOR THIS OLD WOMAN!"
"Grandmother, this is not the matter we should focus on right now, please listen what Rui has to say about Ryuji."
Said Daito while sighing.
He knew that his grandmother was in desperate need of a successor but the matter with Ryuji was more important at the moment.
Clearing her throat, she glanced around and coughed a few times.
"Sorry for my previous image. Rui please go on."
Both Guang Zhe and Guang Tian looked at Rui like there were looking at a precious gem.
Seeing their wolf like stares, Rui gulped but still continued.
"Ever since I awakened, I possessed an ability to see through and understand things with just a glance and after reaching a supreme bowl and refining my physique nine times, it has gotten stronger."
Hearing him explain, they were not surprised by his skill. After all he was an Ansuz rune user who possessed the Perfect Heavenly Rune physique. They knew the fact that this physique was able to see the energy of the world with just their eyes, while being able to consume pills like they were candy.
Being born with an innate identification skill was not impossible with all the things he had done so far.
"Go on, what does this have to do with Ryuji?"
"After returning and using it, I found that my father's spiritual roots were cursed."
The two frowned as soon as they heard the word curse.
"How is that possible? Especially in this domain, no curse should be able to escape our supervision, so how did it go unnoticed? What else did you observe?"
"Father's physique is the Demon Refining Physique and the curse is a fate sealing one."
The atmosphere suddenly got heavy as grandma Zhe got up and approached Ryuji, placing her hand on his back.
After inspecting for a while, her eyes became bloodshot as she expelled all the demonic energy from him, causing him to subsequently awaken his runic energy in an instant.
The Fehu rune slowly appeared on his forehead.
"This is a low ranking demon's curse, that is unable to be seen by any individual below the third tier of rune masters. I don't know how it did it, but it probably sense Ryuji's physique and just like that sealed a catastrophe for the demon race. Since we use elders of the second stage and below to awaken our individuals, they were unable to sense the seal, and Daito achieved the third tier not to long ago, previously being unable to sense it. If not for Rui being able to see it, Ryuji would still be a mortal till death."
"All of the demonic energy has been dispelled and the curse has been lifted. Although he has lost his golden age of cultivation, since he possesses the Demon Refining Physique the clan will assist him in the future. After all its never too late to cultivate."
Hearing his grandmother's words Ryuji felt the power surging through him.
Tears continuously poured from his eyes, as he had finally achieved part of his dream.
Daito clenched his fists tightly and spoke.
"I swear I will bring that demon here for you to consume him. I wont let that rat bastard get away with this…"
Guang Tian shook his head and spoke.
"Daito, you should not bother yourself with this matter. Since it dared to perform such actions inside our clan, it should not think of living longer."
Killing intent had filled the room, as Liliang stood in the corner, wondering if he had made the right choice in coming here.
In the academy library, an elderly figure was sweeping the pristinely clean floor in silence.
Suddenly, an outburst of black flames came rushing out from his body, as countless faces warped and faded in an out of his skin.
He grunted in pain, as the faces constantly gnawed at him.
"̶̛̞̽̚͘͝͝H̴͈̰̰͙̀̑̆̀̅́͌̚ͅǪ̶̛͍͈͌͒̔́́͋̏̊̀W̵̙͔͖̤͖̝̟̗͙͓̎̏̈́͌̃̚ ̵̢̮̤̺͇̺̭̗̲̏̐͌̚͜Ḑ̵̪͎̦̦̲̭̫̫̅̐A̷̳̋R̶̟̺͒Ẽ̵̡̛̞͇̹̰̟̀̔̏͗̈́ ̶̢͖̭̺̰̼̅̒̽̉̎̽̎͘Ṱ̶̭́͐͜Ḩ̴̩̬̞̞̙̐͌͊̍͑͘Ḛ̷̡̥͕̖̪̹͙͔̞͆͂̔́̅͘̕͝͝͝Ỹ̷̹͍̭̠̝̜͚̌̀̾͒̋͌̀̌̌͜"̶̻̙͕̭̯̌̄̄̒́̉͊
̷̢̙͍͓̋̈̊̓͌͊̋̍̏͝"̶̘̱͌͑̓̚̕H̸̠̯̩̜͎̼͔̠̐O̷͇̟͊̇͌̽͆̊̈̍̚͜͠W̴͓̲̙̻͖͈̠͑̀͑͌̑̑̂̕ ̴̛̜̒̈͊̈́̐̕͝D̵̺̫͓̱͖͉͈̆̈́̄̀̑̿͜ͅͅA̵̢̯͖͖̼̭̥͒̽́̾͜ͅŖ̵͇͇̜̜̺̰͇̜̊͐̈́͐̾́͝ͅE̵̻̯̰̮̰̬̖̮͂͂̅̀͑͌ ̵̨̡͚͈̝͖͒͑͛͑T̴͚͙͒H̶̡͚̻̤̫̥͆̋̋̃̓̈́̃̐͆̏͜Ë̸̡̧͓̞̲͚̗̟̞́͋̉͊Y̷̝̘̯͈̖̑̇͊̉̌͌̚͜͠"̷͓͈̦͑̅̋̽̾̀̏̉̓͘
̸̨͎̯̀͆͒̌"̸̡̖̻̰̈́͛̍͘Ĥ̸͔͓͓̃̑͑͋͗͝Ǫ̶̲͙̭̘̩͔͎̅͂̐́W̸̏̈͝ͅ ̴̻͎͈̳̱̼͚̝̓̈́̔̀̑͛̒͘D̸̰̼͚̮͔̈́̄Ą̵̤̺̔͌R̶̡̬̙̝̹͋̎Ę̶̡̛͎͙̄̈ ̵̡̢̯͖̤̳̣̑̅͜ͅT̸̯̲̤͙͕̪̯̰͌̋̎͊̔̉̇̄͋̚H̶̩̓̍͒̂́͘͜E̵͉̿̊̅̓̽͐̃̊͠Y̴̜̘͉͈̐̉̈́̀͑̍͒̀͜"̸̤̟͎̝̯̈́̀͐̽̑͌͗̽
̸̪͈͋͘"̷̦̻̭̩̪̼͐͠ͅH̴͙̼̗͕͉̟̫̗͗̀̆̏O̸͔͇̱̊̈́͊̈́̈́͂͘W̵̭̮̘͎̺̐̊ ̸̫̬̫̯̰̟͚̖͛D̷̡̗̣̬̰̘̝̮͎̜̓̎̔̿̔̎́͘͝A̶̮͚͎̺͎͐́͊͑͂̍͠R̸̹̈́̈́͊͂̀̄̀́̀E̸̛̞͎̞̪̣̤̗͒͝ ̷̪͎̳͖͈̀̐͐͛̇̀͝T̴̟͖̦͕̩̳͎͈̀͆͋̌͆͜H̵͍̫̜̪̀̋͗͐͌̈́͝Ĕ̵̹͠Y̷̬͌ͅ"̷̛̭̂͂̈́̃̐̚͠
̶̧̫͈͇̤̞͎̊̿̅̉"̶̤̣̈́̿̀̇̏̕̕̚H̷̺̻̤͇̥͗̾́̈́͐͌̄̂̚O̴͙̐̃̂ͅW̶̡̨̨͖̺̲͖͕̟͔͐̍̇̓̈́̑̌͝ ̸̢̯̤͇͍̯̯̽́̈́̀͝D̷̡͍̠͍̓͋͗̿̆́̚͝Ǎ̵̢̨̧̛͚̠̟̳̲̟̀͌͛͠R̴̪̖̟̝͖͉̘̣̞͆͘Ȩ̷̢̩̤̪͙͔͎̅̀̍̎͌̉͂̕͜ ̴̭̈́̔̿̈́̒̆̇̚̚̕T̷̼̝̙͚͛ͅͅḪ̵̨̱͈̮̬̤̪̌͋̍̊̏ͅͅE̵̟͆́͛̎͛͗̐͘Ŷ̷̻̩̠͉͋"̴̛͈̭̟͉͐͐̂̂͒͝
The countless mouths spoke out, making an eerie scene.
The elderly didn't say anything and just continued sweeping the floor.
This was the fourth time this month since the demon had an outburst.
Zhang Yun's body was already used to the ceaseless and torturous pain the demon had to put him through daily, so his body being turned into pieces was not a new phenomenon, however he couldn't help but grunt in pain.
The times he had tried to commit suicide and destroy his spiritual root were countless, going through horrible pain.
"What happened again…"
He spoke with gritted teeth.
"̵̡̣̠̲̗̃̉̀̅͊́͛Ş̶͖̻́͂̓̈́͝H̷̡͖̪̳̬̤̘̮̘̺͗̊͑͛͛̾Ü̸̝̲̥͈͜Ť̷̨̠̘̘̥͋̀̾̊͆̀́̚ ̸̪̌̈́̓̉̈́̚ͅU̷̧̢̳̘̹̞̣͖̼̔͂͆̊̎͛̓̄͐P̵̨̼̺̰̹͇̤̳̒͊̇͠͠"̴̢̛̲̝̰̼͍̥̝̗̇̽̈͑̈͒ͅ
̴̨̲͍̱̻̝͗́̿"̶̗̣͔͎͙̥̀́̀͊̑͊̆̊͜͠͝S̷̖̳͚̑̓̃̅̓͋̕͠͝H̴̢̱̚Ú̶̬̦̟̱̼̼̈͒̓̄T̸̡̧͓͕͈̹̰̰̂̌̀͘ ̴͖̪͍̜̲̞̈͑̈́̉̐͂̉͒͠͝U̶̳̻̪͜͠P̷͍̦͎͖̿́̊́̌͑͒͆̀"̵̪̗̝̺̮̤͇̩͓̎̀̎͑̓͗
̵̖̉̋́́̄̕"̴̹͇̙̼͖͕̀͒͐̋̏̓̋̋̕S̴̛̫̜̻̙͚̥͍̄͆͊͐ͅͅḦ̵͙͑̓U̸̲̼̜͐̃̋̃̈́̅̆̀̈͝Ţ̶̛̘͉̼͋͑̋͊͐̊̓͘͠ ̵̖͉̜͐͑͂͒̀̊̍̃͘̚͜͜Ů̴̼̊̈́͘͝P̶̧̼̻͉̯̟̂͋ͅ"̴̺̜̞̘̩̼̻̟̉͜
̶̡̺̯͖͔̙̼͉̿̌̇̄͝"̴̩̥̦͉̤͋͋̿̋̒̐S̶̠̗̘͔̺̠̚H̷̰̤̒͝Ȗ̶̢̱̻͒̑͗̓͘T̴̡̗̐ ̴̡̲̯̻̰͈̼̤̥̀̍̅͑͠U̶̢̲̤̦̰̱̇̀̔̇̍̔̂͠P̴̨̨̪̭̘̍̔͆́̆̔̆"̴̧̋̍̑̔
̵̥̿̑̀͗̊̈́̚"̸͍̹͍̟̻̼̱͂̐̿̅͗̐́̕͜͜S̴̬̰̻̩̊͑̄H̷̢̡͓̤͖̟̬̋̔̅̓̔Ȗ̸͎̫̗̞̥̪̼̺̫̈̊̅̇͌͗͌͘̚͜Ṯ̵͈̠̻̣̭̣̰̐̆̉̀̑ ̸̗̟̈́̈͝U̸͕̯͚̹͉͐̊̏͛͝Ṗ̶̛͓̬̭͚͚͙̺͖͖̔̕͜"̵͈̗͍̭͐̆͗̓̋͝͝
Sighing he looked at the ceiling, thinking of what could possibly cause the demon to go off again.
"At first, you wished to harm the young man with the name of Rui, but too bad he actually belongs to the Guang clan who is good friends with the sage. You were unable to perform any actions due to the increased strength of the demon sealing array."
"When he left, you screamed for a few hours in hatred and yesterday you felt uncomfortable with something, like someone was messing up your plans."
"From today's reaction, the only thing I can think about is that your plans have been completely foiled."
The demon remained silent after hearing him out.
After a while he spoke up.
"𝕁𝕦𝕤𝕥 𝕨𝕒𝕚𝕥 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕓𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕣𝕕, 𝕀 𝕨𝕚𝕝𝕝 𝕔𝕠𝕟𝕤𝕦𝕞𝕖 𝕪𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕤𝕠𝕦𝕝 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕘𝕖𝕥 𝕠𝕦𝕥 𝕠𝕗 𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕖."
Zhang Yun laughed when he heard that so familiar line.