With that in mind, Lin Qiuhan decided to turn around and question Lin Tian. After Gu Changge's incidental mention of Lin Tian's oddness, she had been pondering for the entire day, thinking that the issue was graver than she imagined.
[Some time ago, Tian hadn't the slightest interest in training. Forget training on his own, he wouldn't even do it despite my advice. So what exactly happened? What made him so rebellious and arrogant? And he even knows alchemy now. He'd even teach the elders multiple Techniques. Has he perhaps found himself an excellent mentor? Or…] Restless, Lin Qiuhan didn't dare to contemplate the final possibility.
Nonetheless, when she turned to Lin Tian, the boy was no longer present. Slightly surprised, she heaved a sigh.
[Nevermind, he must have been upset that I lectured him again. He must have returned to his courtyard. Guess I'll talk to him about it tomorrow. Still, what precisely happened to him?]
Shaking her head, Lin Qiuhan dropped the thought and turned around to return to her courtyard since she had matters including her daily training assignment to tend to.
However, when Gu Changge's face popped up in her mind, she suddenly felt eager for the next day to come as her pretty eyes shone like the stars in the sky. [Ah, wouldn't it be so nice if time passes faster and tomorrow comes sooner?]
Right as conflict occurred between Lin Tian and Lin Qiuhan, Gu Changge received an expected notification from his system.
<*Ding!* Lin Qiuhan grows skeptical of Lin Tian. Lin Tian loses 50 Fortuity. User is rewarded with 250 Fatums.>
As anticipated, things were developing as Gu Changge had foreseen, all thanks to the countless web novels and the underlying plotlines within them. Of course, he had also read numerous antagonist stories. Hence, under such a circumstance, Gu Changge naturally knew how to trump over the possessed Fortuitous One, which was to start by getting close to his close ones and his family, and ultimately, exposing the God King that was possessing him.
With everything under Gu Changge's grasp, there was no way Lin Tian could detect any oddities. If he guessed right, Lin Tian wouldn't sit idly and was probably getting ready to engage him.
Regardless, Gu Changge was curious as to what measures Lin Tian might resort to. [Since assassination backfires and poisoning is improbable, it seems his last shall be a Cursed Hidden Technique.]
…
Donning a gloomy face, Lin Tian walked back to his courtyard, enraged by what Lin Qiuhan said to him. As the God King of the Sky who dominated the world in his previous life, he never expected such humiliation coming his way. [How dare she belittle me? 'I'd be glad if you're at least a hundredth of what Prince Gu is?' Ridiculous!]
Lin Tian was disaffected and exasperated, and a God King's vexation meant only one thing—massacre.
"Good that I gathered the materials earlier this afternoon. Although I'm now barely a fragment of my former self, I doubt the young man would be much of an obstacle. Oh, dear Gu Changge, know that you brought this upon yourself!" Lin Tian's face grew cold.
Gu Changge came from the Beyond and with the Lin Family's Prime Ancestor protection, ordinary means wouldn't be of any use. Moreover, combating Gu Changge with Lin Tian's current power level wasn't exactly practical, which was why Lin Tian chose to turn to Cursed Hidden Techniques.
The reason he was so confident was because he mastered an ancient technique. The ancient technique was rather tricky as it involved the Otherworldly Sky Demon and could kill a person without the victim knowing. He even used the ancient technique for a surprise attack and fatally injured a God King of the same Realm. Given his current situation, although it was hard for him to exert his true power, it was enough for him to deal with a mere young man.
Indubitably, using the Cursed Hidden technique required a big price—offering a fraction of the user's lifespan to the Otherworldly Sky Demon, but that wasn't a concern to Lin Tian. Above all, Lin Tian could easily regain his longevity once he increased his power level.
"With the Ninety-Nine Ecstacy brewed with a combination of eight types of poison and lighting up three Beast Bone Wax to summon the power of the world to trigger the force of the outerworld. Then, Human Skin Ghost Money for communication and connection…"
Earlier in the afternoon, Lin Tian went to prepare the materials, which was why Lin Qiuhan wasn't able to locate him. As a disciple of the Lin Family, it was rather easy for him to gather the materials. With that, Lin Tian recalled the necessary steps and placed the items on appropriate spots in the courtyard and began summoning the force from the outerworld.
Accordingly, he shut his eyes and sat with his legs crossed in the center before he started chanting. The materials he used were no ordinary ones, some of them were forged with human skin and bone marrow of other races, contained unique essences and had to be acquired from the underground market. Fortunately, Lin Tian had been saving for the past few years and was able to purchase those materials.
*Whoosh!* Very soon, runes began to glow and illuminated the dim, terrifying darkness in the courtyard. If someone were to barge in, they would surely be horrified as the scene was truly spine-chilling.
*Whoosh!* As Lin Tian voiced his chants, a crimson ominous whirlwind instantly surged on the ground as numerous red feathers wafted in the air along with a dark, icy aura.
Strangely, such an anomaly occurred only in the courtyard while the outside, under the hazy moonlight, remained engulfed in darkness, as if the courtyard was in a territory of its own.
"It seems using this technique is still too strenuous for my body…" Huge drops of sweat surged on Lin Tian's face. Although his eyes were as resolute as ever, it was obvious that it took a great deal of effort for him to use the Cursed Hidden Technique. The next second, under an inexplicable, chilling atmosphere, the runes turned dark as it floated around as a shadow as subtle as the mist appeared in the air.
"Kill him and devastate his soul," Lin Tian enunciated his command to the air while bearing Gu Changge's face in his mind.
"I offer fifteen years of my lifespan." Following this, he could feel a part of his lifespan being drained away and a faint sensation tethering his mind. All of a sudden, his body felt weak, to which he subconsciously shook his head.
Swiftly, he revealed a cold smirk, immeasurably confident. "Even if you dodge this, the damage will still be critical."
After all, the Otherworldly Sky Demon was the most devious creature. In short, one attack from it would undoubtedly result in thorough annihilation to the mind and the body. Even if one survived the strike, they would only remain with an unsound mind and an unfunctional body.
At that moment, the icy wind blew and dispersed instantaneously.