Chapter Sixty-Two: Lu Han

"Go!"
The man in the black robe sneered, star power swirling around him as he drove a spiritual weapon to strike the old woman. Not long ago, a fierce battle had raged here, leaving behind an array of spiritual arms and treasures scattered across the ground.

It was the perfect place for them to vent their malice.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Fresh blood burst from the old woman’s body, staining her robes crimson. Fury burned within her, but when she tried to move, the dark spear embedded in her shoulder glimmered with sinister lines, sealing off the last remnants of her spiritual energy.

"Old hag, your sharp tongue finally brought you trouble. We don’t know if the heavens will punish us, but you’ll certainly die first!"
The black-robed man’s voice was chillingly indifferent.

As he spoke, another spiritual weapon was hurled forth—a flawless long spear that pierced straight through the old woman’s wrist, causing blood to gush out in streams.

Her hair was as white as frost, her face growing ever more pallid and drawn.

These people were infamous star fiends, their wickedness well known. They burned, slaughtered, and plundered, leveling whole worlds, even trafficking mortal slaves. Killing and evil had long become second nature to them.

"Stop!"

A streak of radiant light blazed across the sky.

A young man appeared, his expression dark and brows tightly knit. His voice echoed, making the very air tremble with violent resonance.

The movements of the black-robed men froze abruptly, as if seized by an invisible force. Their pupils dilated in shock as they stared at the white-clad youth.

The central realm of the Flashcloud Star had just been laid to waste—how could reinforcements arrive so swiftly?

Then, an awe-inspiring sight made their breaths catch.

A magnificent golden Dao-vessel sliced through the sky, radiating dazzling light, rolling aside waves of golden clouds—like a deity descending to earth!

Atop the Dao-vessel stood a handsome youth, clouds swirling at his feet, his bearing lofty and imposing. His gaze was calm and distant as he looked down upon the Flashcloud Continent from on high.

The star fiends’ teeth chattered, cold sweat trickling down their backs.

What kind of prosperous star domain could produce such an extraordinary scion? This resplendent golden ship was ten times—no, a hundred, even a thousand times—more formidable than Lord Luhan’s pirate vessel.

It seemed that a single collision from it would tear a giant rift through both sky and earth.

"Who are you people…?"

A strange light flashed in the old woman’s eyes. Especially when she saw the golden Dao-vessel, she was even more astonished. She could immediately tell that the entire value of Flashcloud Continent could not compare to the worth of this one golden Dao-vessel.

---

The young man strode to the old woman’s side and, seeing the dark spear, his palm shone with a gentle, crystalline light. Pressing his hand forward, the radiance flowed down the spear and into her wound.

Hiss!

The dark spear was wrenched free, a trail of black smoke drifting away.

The old woman, her body swaying, nearly collapsed, but the young man steadied her.

"Thank you for saving my life," she said gratefully.

The young man’s palm emanated a soothing energy that seeped into her meridians, healing her wounds. The pallor on her face quickly faded, some color returning to her cheeks.

"I am a steward of the Holy Star Sea Palace. May I ask—what exactly happened here at the Flashcloud Star Core?" The young man bowed, his mind full of questions.

"Holy Star Sea Palace…"
The old woman’s eyes lit up. This palace was the protector of all star cores in the Grand Cultivation Realm.

For him to be a steward meant his strength was not inferior to her own as master of this star core.

"No need to ask—it’s obvious. Someone pillaged this place," Feng Shang said, descending from the Dao-vessel with three young girls. He walked straight up to the black-robed men and demanded, "Tell me, who ordered you to act so viciously? Was it the Divine Shrine?"

The black-robed men were seized by terror.

This noble and exceptional youth, descending from the heavens aboard a divine ship, seemed like the very son of the gods—so awe-inspiring that they had yet to recover from their shock.

"Oh? Not talking?"

Feng Shang smiled. "I’ve traveled far and wide and picked up some rather peculiar trinkets—just the thing for stubborn lips like yours."

Little Phoenix piped up in her childish voice, "Brother Feng Shang, they’re all terrible people! They killed so many, and bullied that old granny just now. They’re so wicked!"

"Yes, I agree. We can’t let them off so easily."

With that, Feng Shang produced a yellow box in his hand. When he opened it, two emerald-green scorpions slithered out, their eyes aglow with malefic light, barbed tails gleaming coldly—utterly terrifying to behold.

"These are called Pain Wraith Scorpions," Feng Shang said with a smile. "I got them in the Ancient Devil Realm. It’s said that a single sting can tear a soul apart hundreds of times over—an agony worse than death itself.

"And apparently, many who are stung would rather betray everything they have in exchange for a swift end. The cultivators of the Ancient Devil Realm just love using these to torment their prisoners.

"I’ve never tried them before. If you won’t talk, I’ll just have to use you as test subjects."

A cold, biting wind swept through at his words.

Phoenix, Qing, and Ying all retreated to a distance of thirty feet from the young man.

"Brother Feng Shang, why do you have such evil things?"

---

Little Phoenix hid behind Qing, her lips pouting as she eyed the two scorpions and crinkled her lovely little nose.

Feng Shang sighed helplessly. "I came by them by chance. I’m not going to sting you—why are you all standing so far away? Am I really that frightening?"

"But what if you lost control of them?"
Little Phoenix’s violet eyes were wide as saucers. "Brother Feng Shang, you’re not scary, but these scorpions are terrifying! Put them away, and I’ll come closer."

...

The black-robed men shivered all over.

From head to toe, they were seized by a bone-chilling cold. After hearing the young man’s explanation and seeing those two ghastly, green scorpions, their bodies tensed in terror, faces contorted with fear.

Their anxiety and dread overwhelmed everything else.

"Sir, we’ll talk! We’ll tell you everything—please, don’t use those things on us!" one of the men stammered, his trembling legs nearly giving way.

"That’s better," Feng Shang said with a smile.

"It was Lord Luhan. He ordered us to stay behind, to watch over the Flashcloud Core Master until she died."

"Luhan?"

"Lord Luhan is a great star fiend. He obtained a divine shrine in the Forbidden Starspace of Flashcloud, which greatly increased his power. Yesterday, he led us here and razed this place to the ground," the man confessed.

"A great star fiend?"

A huge question mark seemed to pop up on Little Phoenix’s forehead.

"In the Spiritual Qi Universe, evildoers are known as star fiends. Lesser fiends, greater fiends, and great star fiends—these terms distinguish their strength," Qing explained, patting her head and smoothing away her confusion.

"Luhan acquired a divine shrine?"

Feng Shang’s eyes brightened with interest. "Tell me, what powers does this so-called divine shrine possess?"

The black-robed man, both fearful and envious, replied, "I’m not entirely sure. Each divine shrine has a different power.

"Some can help cultivators break through their limits by blood-sacrificing living beings. Some grant unique talents. Some are like supreme treasures, their might increasing with the user’s strength.

"Lord Luhan’s shrine, as far as I know, can summon an ancient true spirit to possess him."

"Hmm..." Feng Shang fell into deep thought.

"The Spiritual Qi Universe does have naturally born treasures that defy creation, but divine shrines are not among them. The very act of blood sacrifice defies the heavens and conceals sinister secrets. Brother Feng Shang, you must always remember this," Qing cautioned him.