Immortal Divine Tribulation

Chapter 138: The Terrifying Old Man

Tian Fan and the Lich were both utterly shocked. A chilling sense of dread ran down their spines. To hear someone coughing in this place—it was as surreal as seeing a fish swimming through the sky.

They turned around at the same time, their pupils contracting sharply. 

In their line of sight stood a figure, leaning on a cane, slowly hobbling toward them with trembling steps.

It was an elderly man, frail and withered like a stalk of dry straw. He wore a tattered beast-skin robe. His sallow, lifeless skin was devoid of any color, looking like an ancient zombie that had just crawled out of a grave. His sparse, grayish-white hair fluttered like weeds in the wind. His eyes were sunken like those of a dried corpse, his nose nearly collapsed, his lips shriveled, and the deep wrinkles on his face resembled the cracked bark of a thousand-year-old pine tree—dry and brittle, completely devoid of moisture.

No matter how you looked at him, he didn’t resemble a living person. To be exact, he looked more like a desiccated corpse. And to come across such an old figure in this sacred land was enough to send shivers down their spines.

“Who… are you?”

Even the mighty Lich felt creeped out. Despite his strength, fear still crept into his voice. He asked in a trembling tone, clearly lacking confidence.

“Cough, cough…”

The old man continued to shuffle forward unsteadily, looking as if he might collapse at any moment. 

Even Tian Fan felt nervous watching him—until the very next second, his eyes flew wide open, and his jaw dropped so far it could fit an egg.

The nearly bald old man took a light step forward. He looked like he was about to fall, but the moment his right foot touched the ground, a ripple of energy surged outward like waves across a still pond.

Boom!

There was no ferocious attack, no terrifying divine power released—just that simple step. Yet it made their hearts race in terror. 

The powerful Lich was sent flying like a straw dummy, crashing into the distance, shattering a massive boulder and spitting out a mouthful of black liquid.

Tian Fan was filled with dread. This wretched old man looked like he was on the verge of death, yet he was terrifying beyond words. Tian Fan knew how powerful Lich was—at the very least, at the peak of the Primordial Unity—yet now, he was tossed around like a helpless child.

“You…”

Lich’s expression changed drastically. He was horrified, pale-faced, and too scared to speak a single word.

“You want to leave this place…cough! You want the ancient script on that child’s forehead…cough! Cough! You want to bathe the world in blood?”

Each cough that punctuated the old man’s speech made it sound like he was about to die.

Tian Fan’s heart skipped a beat when he heard this. He quickly distanced himself from Lich, twin beams of cold light flashing in his eyes. He nearly helped unleash a disaster upon the world. Cold sweat began dripping down his back.

“No! That’s not true! Don’t slander me! I just want to get out of here!”

Lich tried to argue, but his eyes flickered uneasily, unable to meet the old man’s gaze.

The old man squinted at him, saying nothing. He raised a withered hand—dry and wooden—and made a simple motion through the air. Instantly, a beam of demonic light emerged from Lich’s forehead and projected onto the sky above. 

Lich’s form appeared crystal clear in that image.

[Heh heh… the Wind Spirit Orb has finally disappeared. I can finally leave. The thing on this kid is definitely a priceless treasure. If I can get that Script, even if the Ancient Demon Emperor returns in ten thousand years, I can still stand against him. The endless beings of the outside world will be the perfect nourishment for me…]

“You… you…”

Lich was terrified, as if he’d seen a ghost. This frail old man had somehow projected the deepest thoughts in his heart into the sky. The method was so horrifying it made him tremble uncontrollably.

Bang!

The old man’s sparse hair was a wild mess, nearly all gone. He shuffled toward Lich again.

“You old thing—what… what are you trying to do?”

Lich backed away, trembling, pointing at the old man.

“If you truly wish to be reborn, you would have to devour countless living beings. I cannot bear to witness such a sight… so, please, stay here.”

The old man raised his hand—dry and gnarled like deadwood, yet brimming with undying spiritual energy. That shriveled hand instantly expanded a thousandfold, like a miracle from the heavens. 

Even Tian Fan’s eyes nearly popped out at the sight.

“No! You can’t do this!”

Lich screamed in terror, struggling with all his might. But he was suppressed so thoroughly he couldn’t move. That enormous hand was like a divine seal, completely cutting off any chance of escape. No terrifying energy waves surged from it, yet Lich’s voice grew weaker and weaker—until with a final flash of light, his body disappeared.

“You… did you kill him?”

Tian Fan felt icy cold from head to toe. This seemingly half-dead old man was terrifying beyond belief. Even someone like Shangguan Yuntian might not be his match.

“No. Hm… my old bones aren’t that nimble anymore, and I rarely take lives. I merely sealed him.”

The old man replied casually, as if describing something completely trivial. Tian Fan broke into a cold sweat and cursed silently to himself. ‘You just sealed a primordial demon like it was nothing, and you’re out here talking about your hands and feet being slow?’

“Who exactly are you? Why are you here?” Tian Fan asked cautiously, nerves stretched tight.

“Young man, you cannot take the Wind Spirit Orb with you.”

The old man didn’t answer the question, his eyes half-closed as he looked at Tian Fan.

“No way. I have to take it!” Tian Fan’s expression darkened immediately. 

The old man actually wanted to keep the Wind Spirit Orb in his body—unacceptable!

“Young man, don’t force this old man’s hand. I don’t want to hurt you. No matter how important the person you’re trying to save is, even if the matter is world-shaking, you cannot take the Wind Spirit Orb with you.”

“Impossible. Don’t even think about it!”

Tian Fan’s gaze turned cold. He knew this old man was terrifying beyond reason, but there was no way he was handing over the Wind Spirit Orb. He needed it to save Zi Ying—someone more important than his own life.

“Child, even with that protective item on you, your cultivation is too weak. You can’t bring out its true power. You won’t be able to stop me.”

The old man spoke calmly as he stepped forward. An overwhelming divine might began pouring from him. Clearly, he remained wary of the ancient divine script and dared not be careless.

Boom!

Tian Fan was immediately forced to the ground, unable to move. Even the divine power in his body was suppressed. He could only watch as the old man’s hand reached slowly toward him. Cold sweat drenched his body.

But just before the old man’s hand touched him, he suddenly paused and glanced behind him.

“Young man… you may leave.”

The terrifying pressure receded like a tidal wave. The old man withdrew his hand and once again became the feeble, flickering figure from before. He pointed forward with a finger, and a divine light entered Tian Fan’s body.

“Senior, you…”

“Don’t speak. Go quickly.”

Tian Fan didn’t understand why the old man had changed his mind, but he didn’t dwell on it. He bowed deeply, paid his respects once more to the Nuwa statue behind him, and then activated his Divine Cloud Step, vanishing into the distance in the blink of an eye.