Chapter 145: Lin Chong Slays His Sworn Brother (Part II)

Bleeding from the seven orifices and devoid of all breath—if this was not death, Lin Chong had no idea what state death could possibly be.

At that moment, the stone tablet suspended in mid-air suddenly flared with intense light, enveloping Lin Chong. He felt the radiance bind his body and internal energy; he could not even utter a sound, able only to blink his eyes. Just as Lin Chong feared he had fallen victim to some malevolent sorcery, his vision went black. The next instant, he found himself in a space resembling a starry sky.

"Where is this place?" Lin Chong looked around and realized he could move, yet the sensation was peculiar, as if he were not in his true body.

"This is the space within the stone tablet, the heart of the Star Inheritance!" a voice declared.

Lin Chong looked over, and it was none other than Lin Zhong.

"How did we end up here? How do we leave? Are you alright?" Despite the many things he had intended to say, seeing Lin Zhong, his brother's safety was paramount in his mind.

Lin Zhong smiled. "If you hadn't come in, I would have been able to leave safely before long. But now..." He looked at the concern in Lin Chong's eyes, and without a moment's hesitation, he struck.

Lin Chong was sent flying by a palm strike. In this space, gravity seemed negligible, and the blow propelled him a great distance until he managed to stabilize his form.

"Indeed! The destinies of our brothers are opposing yet complementary. Once I completely devour your fate and luck, I will be the sole inheritor of the Heavenly Valiant Star..." The internal energy radiating from Lin Zhong had turned pitch black.

"Brother, fulfill me. Sacrifice yourself! I will rule Liangshan, conquer the world, and eventually ascend the throne. Your name shall endure alongside mine!" As he spoke, his body was encased in armor formed of black energy, from which a spear materialized.

"You've lost your mind!" Lin Chong watched Lin Zhong charge, realizing his brother was gone; before him stood only a puppet consumed by the demonic will of the stars!

"Die! Give everything you are to me!" Lin Zhong's voice had fundamentally changed.

"I will never allow you to bring harm to the world!" Lin Chong roared, his own internal energy manifesting as armor and weapons.

The two spears collided, followed by a flurry of strikes that looked like intersecting starlight.

"Heh, I’ve been lectured by you for so many years since we were children. Now, witness the true extent of my spearmanship!" The corrupted Lin Zhong shifted his style.

Lin Chong was forced into a defensive stance, suppressed time and again. Fortunately, the space had no boundaries, allowing him to retreat indefinitely.

"Hmph! Your spearmanship is just like you—cowardly and weak, which is why you’ve been bullied time and again!" Lin Zhong’s assault grew more ferocious.

From an observer's perspective, the black energy representing Lin Zhong gradually overwhelmed the white energy of Lin Chong. Yet, in terms of technique, Lin Chong’s defense was airtight.

"The Lin family spear style was never known for its brute offense. And I, Lin Chong, have never been a coward!" With a thunderous shout, he thrust his spear directly at Lin Zhong’s chest.

The white light acted like a lightning bolt cleaving through storm clouds, tearing through Lin Zhong’s energy defenses and piercing his armor. Lin Chong clearly felt his attack shatter the outer defense; logically, such a strike should have been fatal. Yet, he felt no resistance, as if his opponent were no longer human.

"My dear brother, I never imagined you kept such a trick up your sleeve. But I am still superior. Here, we are but combinations of destiny and consciousness; we have no such weakness as a heart! Now, surrender everything to me!"

Lin Chong felt a massive suction force, as if something within him was being drained away, followed by an overwhelming sense of weakness. If this continued, he would meet the same end as Yang Zhi!

The realization struck him—this was why Yang Zhi had died bleeding from his seven orifices. He looked at Lin Zhong, stunned that his brother had already slain Yang Zhi before this.

"What, in the end, are you doing this for?!" A rage unlike any he had ever known erupted from Lin Chong’s chest. It was the same fury he had felt upon learning that the man who had framed him was his lifelong friend—a rage that demanded death or reconciliation!

"Anger? It is rare to see such an expression on you, brother! If you had always been this way, I wouldn't have reached this point. Say goodbye to the world!" Lin Zhong’s visor opened, revealing a twisted, demonic face.

"I will tell you one last thing: a warrior’s conviction cannot be defiled, and human conviction even less so!"

Flames ignited within the space, and on the star map etched into the stone tablet outside, the point representing the Heavenly Valiant Star flared with blinding brilliance.

Lin Zhong’s body dissolved into motes of light. Lin Chong slowly opened his eyes, staring at the stone tablet. He now understood what it was, but he also knew it was not the time for it to be revealed to the world. Carrying Yang Zhi’s body, he flew out of the space and destroyed the wellhead.

At that moment, the people on Liangshan felt the aura radiating from Lin Chong and emerged from their quarters, gazing up at him in the sky.

Sun Meng and Pix, hidden in the shadows, also took note of Lin Chong. His strength had reached the peak of the second tier; they could feel he was only a step away from the third.

Sun Meng was even more delighted than Pix. Only after entering the third tier could Lin Chong’s cultivation method be of use to him and Earth’s civilization. He himself was stuck at the early stage of the third tier—not for lack of power, but for lack of insight; he knew the *how* but not the *why*. Without a guiding framework, Earth’s inhabitants would have to fumble in the dark, wasting precious time.

He had not forgotten that in just over four years, Earth would participate in a minor civilization war.

Thinking of this, Sun Meng decided he might need to be more proactive in his future missions.

Below, despite Lin Chong’s peak-second-tier status, he remained unaware of the two observers. His mind was preoccupied with his brother’s actions and the death of Yang Zhi. However, seeing Song Jiang step forward and calm the crowd, Sun Meng knew no further chaos would ensue. This meant the era of Lin Zhong had passed. Whether Lin Chong, Chao Gai, or Song Jiang ultimately led, it would not shatter the harmony of Liangshan, though Sun Meng suspected it would eventually fall to Song Jiang.

"Will you continue to watch here?" Sun Meng asked Pix. "Can that stone tablet be studied?"

"I intend to continue analyzing the differences between this cultivation civilization and my own path," Pix replied. "I believe it will be useful in the coming war."

Sun Meng nodded. "Very well. I have tasks of my own." As Liangshan entered a period of frequent warfare, it was on the right track. He didn't need to intervene further until the first phase of his mission was complete. Before leaving, he instructed Pix to ensure Chao Gai survived if he were ever in mortal danger.

Upon arriving at Daming Prefecture, Li Qingmeng had already broken through her bottleneck. However, she sensed that this breakthrough was not entirely her own.

"I must now stand on the side of the Great Song and fight against the Liao Empire, or I will suffer a backlash," Li Qingmeng remarked. "Furthermore, the path for subsequent cultivation remains unclear."