Chapter 102: Lifebound Supreme Treasure

“Good lad, your strike is vicious indeed. Truly worthy as a descendant of Jiang Chen; you show no restraint, even giving me a thousand pounds of interest!” No sooner had Light finished speaking than my foot landed squarely on his chest.

I had expected the old Light to be sent flying backward a dozen meters just as I had been, yet he merely retreated five or six steps before steadying himself—a sight that startled me.

“How is it possible? How can you be immune to my strength?” I exclaimed, gazing in surprise at Light, who stood firmly several meters away.

“Have you forgotten? Combat is honed through actual battle. You’re a newly promoted King of the Demon Corpses—how could you possibly understand veterans like us who have fought for thousands of years? Still, your performance is impressive, you show great potential!”

Light continued gathering his supernatural power, but no longer the force of lightning. This time, he drew energy from the space around him, just as I did, then raised his broad sword and swung it at me.

“You old scoundrel, shameless as ever! Just because you have actual combat experience, you think you’re unbeatable? Watch me teach you a lesson today!”

I raised my blade to meet Light’s broad sword. Two dazzling beams collided, their brilliance illuminating the underground world, causing the Kuiba tribesmen to open their eyes wide in astonishment, staring at the radiant spheres of light without blinking. This was true battle between masters.

The clash of blade and sword produced a massive pillar of energy that slammed into the surrounding stone walls, making the entire underground world tremble. The people below cried out in fright, fearing the collapse of their subterranean home.

“Kid, you’re strong. We can’t continue fighting or this place will collapse. Let’s say you’ve won. I’ll take you and Buck to see something—perhaps it will be useful to you both!” With that, Light withdrew his power and descended.

“Wow, did Grandpa Light win?” Voices began to murmur in the crowd.

“Perhaps. Maybe they fought to a draw.”

...

I watched Light drift down, let out a long sigh, and followed him. To be honest, I never thought I could defeat him. If he hadn’t held back, I’d likely have been flattened by the old Light.

Buck still stood atop the ruins of Light’s former home; I signaled for him to hurry over, and together we followed Light into a subterranean cavern.

Humans walk their path, ghosts theirs; it turned out this underground cave was like a footpath for the Kuiba tribe, and some scattered members still lived here. What’s more, all the households present were humanoid Kuiba—no lower-level tribesmen, aside from old Buck, the green giant.

“Greetings, Grand Elder Light!” Occasionally, people would address him this way. I hadn’t expected Light to be the Grand Elder of the Kuiba tribe. Since there’s a Grand Elder, there must surely be a Second Elder and so on.

“Hey, Uncle Light, where are you leading us? What treasures lie there? And what did you mean by ‘fated ones’?” I asked, looking at Light.

“‘Fated one’ was what Prince Brute said before his death. He claimed that only the fated one who survives to this place can retrieve his life-bound treasures from his body. I estimate there are at least three such treasures sealed within him. If you can extract them, I’ll gift you one and grant you a wish.” Light pointed toward a distant cavern a hundred meters away, ablaze with flames. “That’s the place!”

I saw an expanse of underground caverns, perhaps several acres in size, with roughly ten Kuiba tribesmen guarding it, as if worried it might be stolen. I supposed this must be where the tribe’s upper echelon reside.

As soon as we arrived, ten elders approached, addressing Light, “Brother, is this the one thousand and first fated one?” One elder looked me over.

“Yes. Go in ahead—time is of the essence, let’s not waste it!” Light signaled the ten elders to enter the guarded cavern.

“Uh… Grandpa Light, can I go in with you?” Buck asked, fingers twisting childishly, his voice uncertain.

Despite his appearance, Buck wasn’t truly old—only a few hundred years, a mere child compared to Light and the other elders who spanned millennia.

“No problem, you can come in too. Let’s hope this extraction will enhance your strength so you don’t keep mixing with troublemakers and calling yourself a king!” With that, Light kicked Buck into the cavern, then entered with me.

This cave was like the veins of a body, and we, red blood cells weaving through them. We walked for quite some time before reaching our destination.

It was a square stone chamber, simply furnished, but at its center stood several half-meter-long natural five-colored crystals—enough to fetch millions if sold. A white jade stairway led through the crystals to a colorless, transparent crystal coffin, within which lay a resolute Western man. Though lifeless, his presence still pressed heavily upon my chest.

The ten elders formed a circle around the coffin, with Light at one end, addressing them: “Let’s begin. May he truly be the fated one!” He joined the circle, chanting ancient incantations I couldn’t comprehend.

Though I didn’t understand the words, I could see changes. The five-colored crystals around the coffin began to glow, gradually lifting the coffin half a meter into the air. Inside, Brute’s body slowly emerged, floating twenty centimeters above the coffin. The scene was wondrous—once I would never have believed such supernatural phenomena existed.

“Boy, wrap your hands in supernatural energy, reach through Prince Brute’s body, and feel around. See if you can find anything!”

Grand Elder Light glanced at me, nodding toward Brute’s body, signaling me to try.

I took cautious steps toward Brute’s corpse, wary not of him but of the ten terrifying elders who might suddenly turn on me. If ten Kuiba level-seven abilities joined forces, they could wipe out all of City Z.

The Kuiba tribe, like others, had their hierarchy—from low-level up to level seven, and above that, the prince tier. My Demon Corpse clan, by contrast, went from the final generation to the first, then to the progenitor.

...

Carefully, I approached Brute, looked at my hands wrapped in supernatural energy, and slowly inserted them into his body. To my surprise, Brute’s body did not split open as I had imagined.

After a bit of searching, a miracle occurred—I found something resembling a curved blade. I was astonished that a human body could conceal a weapon.

In truth, this was a life-bound treasure of the prince tier. When such a master dies, the spiritual artifact naturally forms within the body. If a fated one can extract it, he will surely rise to supremacy.

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