Chapter 88: Death News

Chapter 88 - Death News In simple terms, the Withered Heart Technique is a way to fake death. Withered Heart Technique [Type]: Deception Martial Spell [Description]: A desperate gambit—by stilling the heart, halting the breath, and freezing the blood, the user becomes indistinguishable from a corpse. For a quarter of an hour, even the keenest spiritual sense will pass over them as carrion. But beware: this art does not protect, only deceives. Indistinguishable from a true cadaver, this technique is a masterful ploy to evade pursuit or ambush foes, yet it offers no shield against a fatal strike. Usable only once per hour, its overuse brings dire consequences: sluggish blood and stiff joints in milder cases, recoverable with rest, but rampant abuse risks partial bodily necrosis. Left unchecked, this decay festers, transforming the practitioner into a half-dead husk—a shambling mockery of life, neither living nor truly gone. [Reminder]: Many think this art a perfect escape. But the dead do not wake. And neither, in time, will you. [Price]: 800 D$t "Which one should I pick?" Lordi Payne counted his spirit stones, his gaze lingering on the Blood Boiling Technique before dismissing it outright. 6,800 D$t was far beyond his means—no matter how tempting the technique seemed. "Maybe later," he thought. "When I've gathered enough stones, I'll return to the Pavilion of Myriad Arts." Next, he considered the Life Seize Art, but a cold shiver ran down his spine. The cost wasn't in spirit stones—it was in lives. Knowing the AllFullOS System's brain dead erratic nature, it might decide his surroundings lacked sufficient vitality and "Generously" walk him to a forbidden zone for FREE—some death-ridden wasteland where he'd perish before he could blink. No thanks. That left the Withered Heart Technique. Unlike the others, it had no cultivation restrictions or special requirements. Its essence lay in absolute control—over spiritual power, breath, vitality, and even his own organs. Mastering it was a grueling trial. There were no elixir pills to ease the way, no shortcuts to spare the effort—only unwavering precision and relentless dedication. Most Foundation Stage cultivators would toil for months just to grasp the basics, let alone Qi Refiners. But Lordi Payne wasn't most cultivators. With the AllFullOS System, the usual barriers didn't apply. And the best part? This martial art only cost 800 spirit $tones. A grin spread across his face. Decision made. He fed the stones into the skull's right eye, watching as they vanished into the dark hollow. "Mm...kay. Like this. So... ?" Two breaths later, he retrieved his sect nameplate from the skull's left eye. A faint light spot pulsed on its surface. He pressed the nameplate to his forehead— And the mantra of the Withered Heart Technique unfolded in his mind. At the same time, the system chimed. ~ Ding! *System Notification Chime* [AllFullOS: Version 1.0.0] > Detected external data. > Analyzing... > Pattern identified: [External Martial Art Technique] > Technique Recording initiated... > Progress: 10%... ... ~ Ding! *System Notification Chime* [AllFullOS: Version 1.0.0] > Progress: ... 50%... 100% > New cultivation technique added to database: [Untitled Technique #0005] > Recording complete. > Please rename the technique! "Call it the Withered Heart Technique," Lordi Payne murmured, relief washing over him. A final scan of the technique's details confirmed his choice—no hidden costs, no external pills or rare materials needed. Just pure, unadulterated spiritual power manipulation. "Damn you, AllFullOS System." A smirk tugged at his lips. "This time, you can't screw me over with some 'Generous FREE' cultivation surprise, right?" Tucking his sect nameplate away, his gaze flickered warily around the Open Square of Martial Spell Arts. The last time—when Woods Tinshee had showed him that jade slip—the AllFullOS System had immediately snatched the nameless technique remotely without his consent. Yet here, in the Pavilion of Myriad Arts, it could only claim purchased martial spells. This place has ward defenses... some kind of unknown protection or something deeper. A prickle of unease crawled up his spine. No point sticking around. He moved swiftly, descending the stairs without a backward glance. The grand hall below was doorless—four walls, no exits. Following the instructions etched into the stone stele, he pressed a palm against its surface— A lurch. His vision blurred, the world twisting around him—fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm Then, silence. Cool air brushed his skin. The scent of mountain pine filled his lungs. Lordi Payne blinked. He was standing outside. The Pavilion of Myriad Arts loomed behind him, its presence now distant, almost dreamlike. Alright! No time to dwell. Lordi Payne scanned the area, then slipped into a secluded corner of the mountain peak—somewhere forgotten, where few cultivators wandered. A quick check confirmed it: no threats, no prying eyes. Perfect. Steadying his breath, he focused inward. "System, I want to cultivate! Select the Withered Heart Technique, Smart Duration! One-Click-Cultivation!" ~ Ding! *System Notification Chime* [AllFullOS: Version 1.0.0] > All-Smart Full-Host Cultivation SystemTM is at your service! > [OCC] - One-Click-Cultivation activated. > Features: Temporary practice, smart duration, and questionable decision-making. ... —— Meanwhile, at Ghost Shade Peak. Within a flower-wreathed courtyard. The courtyard bloomed with serenity, its pond shimmering with violet lilies and crimson lotuses. Sun Elaine stood at the center, her silk robe pristine but her delicate face a mask of barely veiled suspicion, the bruises from Luca Dawnwick's assault hidden beneath powder. A male cultivator, one of her fawning lackeys, knelt before her, voice deferential as he delivered his report. "Elaine-chan, I've dug into Chen Huant's crew as you asked," he said, head bowed. "They took several missions and headed to Lothgar City days ago. Bad luck—an unexpected Foundation Stage Demon Beast, a Man-faced Spider, ambushed them. All dead—wiped out." He hesitated, then added, "But the new disciple they lured out to refine their Summon Soul Banner—Hugo Payne's clan brother, Lordi Payne—he survived by chance, somehow." "After Lordi Payne returned to the holy sect, he reported this issue to the Punishment Crypt. The Sect Crypt had sent enforcers to investigate into this case. It is estimated that the enforcer squad would come back to sect with results in the next two days." "If Junior sister you wants to know more details, I will go find—" Sun Elaine's eyes flashed, shock cutting through her composure. "What did you just say?" Her voice was a whip, sharp enough to make the cultivator flinch. "Chen Huant's whole crew—dead? And Lordi Payne, that fourth-layer runt, walked away? How?" The male cultivator hesitated and then replied. "It's... unclear, Elaine-chan. Rumors say he got lucky—fled into Lothgar City first, got the City Jarl's protection." Sun Elaine's mind raced. Lordi Payne—lowborn, weak, a nobody. Survives from a Foundation Stage beast when Chen Huant's squad didn't? Suspicion coiled, cold and sharp. She leaned closer, voice honed to a razor. "Then where is the Summon Soul Banner? Did that Lordi Payne claim this Dao Artifact?" "No, probably not," the male cultivator replied, shaking his head. "Word is, the City Jarl of Lothgar tried to save Chen Huant's crew but unfortunately he was a step too late. He retrieved the Banner and some remain scraps, nothing else. The Summon Soul Banner's with him now—waiting for the Crypt's enforcers to investigate before deciding its fate." Sun Elaine's lips curled into a cold, knowing smile, her eyes glinting like a predator scenting blood. "A step too late?" she murmured, voice dripping with scorn. Inwardly, she snorted, "Hmph, 'too late' my ass. I'm afraid that City Jarl of Lothgar didn't fail to save Chen Huant. Instead he ensured the whole squad would never need saving." Her thoughts spun, piecing together a darker truth. "Chen Huant's crew meets a Man-faced Spider, and only Lordi survives? How convenient. Hell, that city jarl might've lured the spider himself." The truth crystallized in Sun Elaine's mind. So that's how it was. No wonder Lordi Payne—a mere lamb led to slaughter by Chen Huant's crew—had returned alive while the others lay rotting in some demon beast's gullet. The pieces fit together with ruthless precision: The City Jarl of Lothgar had orchestrated it all. Lured the Man-Faced Spider to wipe out Chen Huant's squad, stolen their treasures, and then—knowing the Holy Sect would demand answers—spared Lordi Payne as a convenient witness. A living shield against suspicion. Sun Elaine felt that she had understood the detail thoroughly. Clever. A Foundation Stage cultivator scheming against Qi Refinement disciples? The sect fines alone would beggar this city jarl. But with a "survivor" to vouch for the tragedy, the Jarl could claim innocence while pocketing the spoils. Sun Elaine's lips curled in cold approval. Yet— A flicker of unease doubt cut through her satisfaction. Why now? "If the investigators were due back in days, why push me to pit Hugo against Lordi now?" She paced, robe swishing, her mind a storm of calculations. "The Jarl's got no ties to Wraithbone Bloodline—none I know. Luca Dawnwick, Enzo's cousin, wants me to seduce Lordi Payne, break Hugo. Why? To what end?" She stopped, eyes narrowing, and then fixed her gaze on the male cultivator, voice crisp and commanding: "Find Hugo Payne—now. Tell him to come to me, fast." —— After a short while. The courtyard's silence shattered as Hugo Payne stumbled in, breathless and grinning like a hound expecting praise. "Elaine-chan, sorry for the wait," Hugo babbled, unfazed by her glare, his voice dripping with apology. "I was caught up with—" "Where is your clan brother, Lordi Payne?" Sun Elaine snapped impatiently, interrupting. Heard the words, Hugo flinched, eyes widening. "Elaine-chan, you... you forgot?" he stammered, scrambling. "Last time, you said you hated him—told me to keep him away. I haven't seen him since. He came by once, but I chased him off, like you wanted." "Do I look like a woman who forgets her own words?" Sun Elaine's voice rose, furious. "Do I need your pathetic brain to remind me? I want to see him, bring your clan brother to me now!" "Why, Elaine-chan..." Hugo hesitated, suspicion flickering, but his words died as Elaine seized a porcelain tea bowl from the nearby table and hurled it at him. It shattered at his feet, shards scattering like her patience. "What are you waiting for? Get moving!" Hugo Payne yelped, hands raised as if to ward off her rage. "Aye, aye! I'm going, Elaine-chan, don't be mad! I'll find him right now, I swear!" His panic was almost comical, his fawning smile twitching as he backed toward the gate, desperate to please. Sun Elaine's lip curled, disgust coiling in her gut like a snake. Useless, spineless worm. She turned to the male cultivator lingering nearby, the one who'd fetched Hugo, and jerked her chin. "You too—out. Find Lordi Payne, or don't come back." Alone, Sun Elaine's expression softened, her eyes narrowing to slits of cold calculation. —— Meanwhile, in a secluded place on an unknown mountain peak. The AllFullOS system's one-click-cultivation session has just ended. ~ Ding! *System Notification Chime* [AllFullOS: Version 1.0.0] > Cultivation session status: COMPLETE > Host control: RESTORED > Thank you for using the All-Smart Full-Host Cultivation SystemTM (AllFullOS v1.0.0) > Feedback request: - We value your opinion! (No, really, we do.) - If you are satisfied with our service, please give us a five-star rating. > Tap to Rate: [☆☆☆☆☆] Lordi Payne smirked, selected three stars, and stretched. Then, with a slow, deliberate breath, he activated the Wither Heart Technique. [AllFullOS: Version 1.0.0] > [★★★☆☆] > Submitted. Thanks for your feedback. His aura snuffed out like a candle in a tomb. His skin drained to corpse-blue, his veins blackening beneath the surface. His limbs stiffened, his breath stilled. With a hollow thud, he collapsed—lifeless, perfect. For a moment, he lingered in that false death. And in that stillness... he felt peace. A terrible, creeping calm slithered into his mind. The world—its struggles, its ambitions—meant nothing. The weight of existence dissolved into silence. Life held no joy. Death held no fear. A whisper curled in the back of his skull: "Why not stay like this forever? Why not embrace it?" Horror snapped him back, a jolt of primal instinct. What the hell? Lordi Payne's fingers twitched. The spell unraveled. Air rushed back into his lungs, and he gasped—not in relief, but in horror. Sweat beading despite the cold. This isn't calm—it's a trap. Standing, he clutched his chest, heart pounding now, the technique's aftertaste lingering like a ghost's touch. He had just enjoyed the feeling of using this spell. The absence. The emptiness. The sweet, seductive lure of oblivion. The Wither Heart Technique—cheap, sure, but it warps the mind. Lordi Payne had always been a cautious, low-profile, so eager to survive cultivator. For the first time in his life, Lordi Payne understood true terror. Not of death. But of wanting it. Cause under this martial spell activated, he'd felt no fear of death anymore—worse, he'd enjoy it. This specific martial spell was a curse. The realization was a blade of ice down his spine, its horror sinking deep. "Damn this demonic sect! None of the martial spells or cultivation techniques here were benign." That feeling was really terrifying scary. Anyway, after mastering the Withered Heart Technique, Lordi Payne had nothing else to do on this mountain peak, so he rented a Corpse Cloud and soared toward Alchemy Peak with practiced calm.