Chapter 157: Ill-Starred Lone Star

"Learned instantly, mastered effortlessly. This Li Tiancai really is a genius!"

Looking at the evaluation of Li Tiancai on the Heavenly Rankings, Lu Sheng remarked.

"Learned instantly, mastered effortlessly"—though the description sounded simple, it was the highest praise a martial artist could receive. Lu Sheng had only ever known himself to possess such a talent.

"It seems rather similar to my own!" Lu Sheng muttered under his breath.

"Pfft!" Hearing Lu Sheng's words, Tian Manyin let out a soft laugh and said, "Could any so-called genius possibly compare to you?"

"Besides, Li Tiancai's ability to learn and master things instantly refers solely to martial arts techniques."

"Compared to how you not only instantly learn and master cultivation techniques upon seeing them, but also innovate and surpass them, he is light-years behind!"

With a chuckle, Lu Sheng did not dwell on the matter. Instead, he asked, "Do you think that when Prince Gaoyang recalls Lu Yun'geng, the two of them will show up for the ancestor-worship ceremony?"

"And if he comes, will Li Tiancai follow?"

Frowning in thought, Tian Manyin replied, "Lu Anchen and Lu Yun'geng originate from the Bingzhou Lu Clan. Regardless of any grievances between them and you, they will definitely attend the ancestor-worship ceremony!"

"As for Li Tiancai... that is uncertain. After all, he is not a member of the Great Jing Lu Clan, and there is no way to force him to participate in the ceremony."

Sensing Lu Sheng's underlying worry, Tian Manyin added, "Even if Li Tiancai comes, you can rest completely easy."

"Lu Anyong, the Governor of Bingzhou, is not only of Lu Clan descent but also possesses the cultivation of a Martial Ancestor. If Li Tiancai comes, he certainly will not sit idly by."

"Therefore, you need not worry about Lu Anchen using Li Tiancai's prestige to run amok here!"

"Hmm!" Lu Sheng nodded and was about to speak when his brows suddenly furrowed. He turned to Tian Manyin and said, "Someone is coming, and it appears to be that Hu Wanhai!"

"Hu Wanhai!"

Startled, Tian Manyin lowered her voice and asked, "Can you sense him? Is he at the Martial Ancestor realm?"

"Not a Martial Ancestor, merely an ordinary Great Martial Master!" Lu Sheng replied, observing Hu Wanhai tunneling through the earth several miles away with his Divine Insight.

"Jing: 11.22, Qi: 10.36, Shen: 6.36; Fortune: 660 (32), Merit: 553,123, Karmic Retribution: 217,162."

From Hu Wanhai's attribute data, Lu Sheng could already tell that the other party was not a Martial Ancestor as he had suspected, nor had he even reached the peak of the Great Martial Master realm.

Furthermore, judging by the merit radiating from him, he did not seem to be a wicked person at all.

"If Hu Wanhai is not a bad person, why would he harbor such intense negative emotions toward me?"

"And why is he secretly lurking in Jinling County to begin with?"

As these thoughts crossed his mind, Lu Sheng was about to go capture the man and question him when he suddenly noticed two figures trailing closely behind Hu Wanhai through the underground tunnel: a young man of about twenty, and a youth who looked to be around fifteen or sixteen.

"Interesting, truly interesting. Two people have just appeared whose depths I cannot fathom!"

Watching the pair, Lu Sheng stroked his chin and murmured softly.

His Divine Insight could see through anyone whose realm was not higher than his own. The fact that these two individuals were impenetrable to his gaze meant either their realms surpassed his, or they possessed magical treasures capable of blocking his Divine Insight.

"My Divine Insight pierces straight to the origin of living beings. Only those whose origins are stronger than mine, or who possess treasures that influence the origin, can remain unreadable."

"Which of the two categories do these people fall under?"

Observing their appearances, Lu Sheng rapidly searched his memory. Before long, he identified one of them from the Prodigy Rankings and Earth Rankings:

"Little Rakshasa Li Mo, ranked third on the Prodigy Rankings and fiftieth on the Earth Rankings. Although he is already twenty-five years old, he attained the rank of Martial Master at a very young age, causing him to retain the physical appearance of a fifteen or sixteen-year-old."

"Why would someone like that be following another person here?"

Puzzled, Lu Sheng turned to Tian Manyin and asked, "How much do you know about the Little Rakshasa Li Mo? Is there a young man around twenty years of age by his side?"

"The Little Rakshasa Li Mo? He actually has someone with him?" Instead of inquiring about the other person's appearance, Tian Manyin asked in astonishment.

As one of the three major sects of the Demonic Path, the Yin-Yang Sect naturally possessed far more knowledge about the Seven Rakshasas Sect than outsiders did. Seeing Lu Sheng's confusion, Tian Manyin explained:

"The Little Rakshasa Li Mo belongs to the Heavenly Rakshasa Gate of the Seven Rakshasas Sect."

"That faction exclusively recruits those born under the baneful star of absolute isolation. Anyone who draws close to them is destined to suffer misfortune."

"Normally, it is impossible for anyone to be by the Little Rakshasa Li Mo's side!"

Then, recalling Lu Sheng's question, she asked, "Why did you suddenly bring him up? Could it be—"

"Could the Little Rakshasa Li Mo have come here?"

"Yes! He's here, accompanied by a young man of about twenty!" As Lu Sheng spoke, a glimmer of understanding began to dawn on him as to why his Divine Insight could not pierce through that person.

"The fate of the absolute isolation baneful star seems tied to the origin. It appears I underestimated the Heavenly Rakshasa Art—"

"Its effects are far more formidable than I imagined!"

With these thoughts, Lu Sheng became even more curious about the person accompanying Li Mo. Who on earth could be daring enough to associate with the Little Rakshasa Li Mo, and even hold the dominant position in their dynamic?

Consequently, while exchanging information about the Seven Rakshasas Sect with Tian Manyin, Lu Sheng kept his eyes fixed on the two figures, analyzing their conversation through lip-reading and his enhanced hearing.

"Little Mo, have you noticed that we are being watched?"

Stealthily tailing Hu Wanhai, Zhou Qingyu whispered to Li Mo.

Upon stepping into the domain of the Prince of Jin's mausoleum, he had developed a lingering sensation of being watched. Although he had yet to figure out the source of the surveillance, Zhou Qingyu trusted his intuition implicitly—

In the past, it was precisely this instinct that had allowed him to escape numerous crises!

"Yes! Brother Zhou, I've also sensed the surveillance you mentioned. We just haven't found the source yet," Li Mo replied in a low voice. As someone born under the baneful star and a practitioner of the Heavenly Rakshasa Art, his physical premonition was equally acute.

Hearing Li Mo validate his feelings, Zhou Qingyu felt a surge of additional goodwill toward this younger brother he had not known for long. "Then who do you think is watching us?" he asked.

"Could the guards of the Prince of Jin's mausoleum have already discovered us?"

Speechless, Li Mo retorted, "If the guards of the Prince of Jin's mausoleum failed to even notice Hu Wanhai walking right past them, how could they possibly notice us?"

"The vengeful spirits inside the Prince of Jin's mausoleum are far more likely to discover us than those guards!"

"Vengeful spirits!" Startled, Zhou Qingyu nearly cried out, then asked doubtfully, "Are you saying there are already vengeful spirits inside the Prince of Jin's mausoleum?"

"This burial site was supposedly chosen personally by Emperor Jing and sealed with formations. How could vengeful spirits appear here?"

Rolling his eyes, Li Mo said, "A thousand years have passed already. Just because Emperor Jing chose the burial site personally doesn't mean vengeful spirits can never emerge!"

"Besides, this tomb hasn't undergone major repairs in centuries. Even if formations were laid down, they would long since have fallen into utter ruin—"

"Otherwise, how could that fellow Hu Wanhai have managed to dig a tunnel and slip all the way through from underground?"