Chapter 70: The First Appearance of the Ancient Grand Shaman

As expected, after Master delivered his final ultimatum, Lu Tangjun’s expression darkened considerably. He frowned and said, “Tan Boqing, you go too far.”

“Oh? I go too far? I’ll only count to three.”

Master spoke and raised his hand, lowering one finger after another as he counted. Lu Tangjun’s face turned deathly pale, watching Master’s impassive expression.

“Three…”

“Two…”

“One…”

As Master’s final word fell, Lu Tangjun still did not react. Master said nothing more, but in a flash, charged forward. Lu Tangjun furrowed his brow, swung his wide sleeve, and sent a jet of inky black energy toward Master. Master dodged with a swift movement, leaped high over Lu Tangjun’s head, and struck downward with his palm. Lu Tangjun retreated hastily, blocking the blow with his hands, but the force sent him staggering back several dozen steps. When he finally steadied himself, he looked at Master and said, “Tan Boqing, you—”

But Master interrupted him again, appearing suddenly at Lu Tangjun’s side. Lu Tangjun reacted quickly enough, leaping back and sweeping his sleeves; a swarm of scorpions burst from the ground. At this, Master sneered, beckoned, and summoned a golden sword that materialized in his hand. He drove the sword into the ground and uttered a brief incantation. Instantly, a golden light radiated outward from Master as its center, forming a barrier that repelled the scorpions, keeping them from approaching.

Lu Tangjun’s frown deepened. He turned to the people of the Miao village around them and shouted, “What are you waiting for? Attack!”

At his command, the villagers snapped from their stupor, raising all manner of strange magical implements and hurling their spells at Master. Master spun the golden sword in the earth, raising a circular shield that enclosed him. Every attack was deflected by the barrier. Yet, even someone as powerful as Master, who seemed capable of blotting out the heavens, could not endure forever against the sheer numbers of the Miao villagers.

Soon, the golden shield around Master began to falter. Master frowned slightly, stamped his foot, and the shield rippled with waves of energy before exploding in a thunderous blast that radiated outward. The villagers were thrown back by the shockwave; even a dozen houses collapsed. The pressure on Master eased a little, but he had shown restraint, merely injuring them rather than striking fatal blows.

Lu Tangjun grew enraged, glaring at Master and grinding his teeth. “You… Tan Boqing, how dare you destroy my village! Damn you!”

Master looked at him coldly. “I told you—will you hand over the hand bone yourself, or must I take it by force?”

“You… This hand bone of Li Guang is an artifact of the ancient Miao village! All my people are descendants of Li Guang—why should I give it up? Tan Boqing, you’re a respected figure—how can you not understand something so simple?”

Standing to the side, I understood a little of what was happening. But Master only sneered. “One thing has nothing to do with the other. That hand bone came from the corpse-herding secret realm. You stole it from the corpse-herders, and now you claim it as your own? Lu Tangjun, I don’t like to repeat myself a third time.”

Lu Tangjun’s face was ashen, nearly contorted. Master made it clear he intended to seize the bone by force. Clenching his teeth, Lu Tangjun said, “By what right, Tan Boqing? So you say possession should return to the original owner?”

Master said nothing, merely fixing him with a cold stare. Lu Tangjun, unnerved by the gaze, deliberated for some time, then seemed to reach a decision. From his wide sleeve, he drew forth a white arm bone streaked with black. Cheng Quanguang, upon seeing it, shuddered and wanted to rush forward but was held back by Master. Lu Tangjun gripped the bone and said, “Here is the hand bone, Tan Boqing. If you want it, come and take it.”

Master gave another cold laugh. “Are you provoking me?”

Without waiting for a reply, Master dashed forward like an arrow, sweeping his golden sword. Lu Tangjun held the hand bone before his chest. With a bang, the sword’s energy struck the bone, but it remained unscathed; instead, the sword energy split cleanly in two. Lu Tangjun finally smiled. Master, his face unreadable, struck again with even more powerful sword energy, but the result was the same—the energy was cleaved apart. Lu Tangjun beamed, while Master ceased his attack and stood tall. Lu Tangjun stared at the bone, exclaiming wildly, “What a treasure! Ha ha ha!”

Master only said, “A treasure indeed, but wasted in your hands.”

Lu Tangjun lifted his head and laughed maniacally. “You mean I’m unworthy? Tan Boqing, you said you’d take it—here it is, so why not come get it? Or are you just boasting? Ha ha ha!”

He laughed louder, flaunting the bone before Master. Master frowned, took a step forward, and vanished from sight. Lu Tangjun’s laughter died as he glanced around warily. “Tan Boqing, using the same old trick? How tedious!” He drew a circle around himself with the bone, and a jet of black light appeared. Master emerged behind him, flipping his palm to send a golden light that punched a hole in the black aura, but Master himself was bounced back by the force. He spun nimbly in the air and landed steadily on the ground.

Patting the dust from his robes, Master said, “To withstand so many of my attacks—not surprising for a relic of antiquity.”

“Hmph! Tan Boqing, you trespassed in our ancient Miao village, crippled my clansmen, and now want to steal our ancestral treasure! If you don’t give me an explanation, none of you will leave here alive!”

Having seen Master’s repeated failures, Lu Tangjun became emboldened and spoke with greater confidence. But Master showed no fear—instead, he smiled and said, “An explanation? Laughable. First, your people harmed innocent villagers; I am righting a wrong. Second, for my brother Sun Tianyu’s death, you cannot escape blame today. Third—if it’s a fight you want, let’s fight. Spare me your nonsense.”

Master’s domineering words left the once-cocky Lu Tangjun speechless. His expression turned grim. “Fine, fine… you brought this on yourself.”

He fell silent, raised the hand bone, and began to chant. Soon, an invisible wind swept the area. The already gloomy sky darkened further, and within the clouds, a vague shadow began to take shape.

Master frowned at the sky. The shadow grew clearer as it broke through the black clouds, drawing nearer. The wind howled ever fiercer, whipping leaves and dust into the air. Even in the distant woods, birds shrieked and fled in terror.

The wind was so strong I shielded my brow, squinting to see. The figure was not only colossal but also fiercely intimidating, with a visage that inspired awe and a mysterious, suffocating pressure that made it hard to breathe.

Master saw the face as well, and his expression changed with disbelief. “The Great Shaman Li Guang? So there’s still a fragment of Li Guang’s consciousness in this hand bone—remarkable!”

The giant shadow in the sky glanced at us, then at Lu Tangjun. A deep, imperious voice rumbled, “Why have you summoned me?”

At that voice, all the villagers of the Miao tribe were pressed to their knees by an unseen force. Only Lu Tangjun, straining to remain upright, bowed with the hand bone and said, “Ancestor, our clan has worshipped you through the ages. Today, we face a dire enemy—this man has destroyed our village, harmed our people, and now seeks to wipe us out. Ancestor, please deliver us!”

The shadow turned its gaze to Master, who stood his ground. The specter spoke: “Lowly human, why do you not kneel?”

With a thought, the shadow sent a beam of black light—not at Master, but at Lu Tangjun, forcing him to his knees with a thud. Only then did the shadow relent. Master shot Lu Tangjun a cold glance and sneered, “Why should I kneel?”

The specter’s eyes blazed. “Insolent mortal! You dare speak so rudely and harm my descendants? Today I will erase you!”

Without another word, Master readied himself. The shadow attacked, its massive hand wreathed in black light, striking at Master. Master leapt aside, dodging the blow, but then a giant palm closed around him. The shadow sneered, “Human! Still so pitifully weak.”

But just as he finished, pain flashed in the shadow’s palm as a golden light burst forth. Frowning in surprise, he saw blue-white lotus blossoms surrounding Master, their edges sharp as blades, slicing a gash in the spectral hand. Black mist oozed from the wound but healed quickly.

Now enraged, the shadow bellowed, “Human, you dare wound me? Die!”

With a furious roar, the very earth shook, houses trembled, and thunder rolled across the sky. I looked up to see bolts of lightning tear through the clouds. The shadow shouted again, sending the lightning crashing toward Master.

While bracing himself against the shade’s massive arm, Master chanted, “Divine head flees the darkness, the spirit transcends the void!”

At his words, a huge black stone gate manifested in midair, instantly dispersing the falling lightning. But it was not over. The shadow withdrew his arm, and a torrent of black energy swirled in his palm, gradually coalescing into countless robed, faceless figures who shrieked as they charged at Master from all directions.