Cleaning Up the Mess (Seeking Follow-ups)

BOOM!!!

The violent explosion echoed through the cave, and smoke instantly filled the air.

Out in the open, a grenade blast would never have hurt Zheng Zibu or Lu Jin, but inside the cave, they could only endure it head-on.

The hastily drawn "Spirit Turtle Talisman" had only been enough to protect Lu Jin alone.

Lu Jin activated the first stage of Reverse Birth and tried to pull Zheng Zibu behind him to shield him, but he was still a step too slow.

When the smoke and dust cleared, Lu Jin saw Zheng Zibu beside him, his flesh mangled beyond recognition.

His left arm and right leg had both been caught in the blast, leaving only his torso relatively intact.

"Zibu!!"

Lu Jin cried out his best friend's name in panic and pulled him into his arms.

Hearing the commotion, the people outside immediately rushed into the cave in delight.

"There was a sound—we found the right place!"

"Cough, cough... Lu Jin, remember the Heavenly Register I taught you, but don't study it too deeply..."

Zheng Zibu clutched Lu Jin's clothes tightly with his right hand, speaking his final words one word at a time.

He had finally understood that the power of [Heavenly Register], which prayed to Heaven and Earth, came with an enormous flaw.

Before this, he had made two wishes.

[Escape alive with Lu Jin] and [Let Lu Jin learn the Heavenly Register].

Both prayers had come true, but the price had been his life.

Zheng Zibu decided to use his last bit of strength to pray once more.

"Leave here safely... Lu Jin..." Zheng Zibu coughed up blood as he made his prayer.

"At a time like this, you're still saying that? Save your strength and try to keep your eyes open!"

Lu Jin anxiously used qi to seal Zheng Zibu's wounds, stopping the blood loss and preserving as much of his life force as possible.

But the increasingly hurried footsteps outside the cave threw Lu Jin into a panic.

"Leave safely, my ass! We're both going to die here!"

Lu Jin cursed loudly, but Zheng Zibu smiled and replied, "No, we won't..."

At that moment, the pursuers had already arrived outside, surrounding the two of them completely.

"Hahaha! We finally caught you two! Zheng Zibu, hand over the extraordinary technique you comprehended like a good—"

Before the leading outsider could finish speaking, a scorching laser beam shot in from behind and pierced straight through his torso.

Under Lu Jin's stunned gaze, the terrifying orange-yellow beam swept from side to side. More than a dozen pursuing outsiders either had their heads blasted apart or were severed at the waist!

For a moment, foul-smelling organs spilled all over the ground, turning the entire cave into a scene from hell.

Indra slowly walked over, his gaze burning with golden flames as it swept across the cave.

"Hiss!!!"

Lu Jin sucked in a breath and was so frightened that he instantly burst into tears.

Was this person even human, or was he a ghost?!

Seeing Lu Jin hugging Zheng Zibu while trembling all over as he wept for his friend, Indra could not help but sigh. "What a pair of star-crossed lovers!"

That familiar voice made Lu Jin raise his head.

Once he saw Indra clearly, tears shimmered in Lu Jin's eyes. So terrified that he had even pissed himself a little, he was overwhelmed with excitement.

"S-Senior Brother!!!"

"Stop crying. You're acting like such a girl. Anyone who didn't know better would think I'm the one about to die!" Indra lowered his head to look at Zheng Zibu in Lu Jin's arms.

The dying Zheng Zibu smiled in relief. "I told you... you could leave safely... You should go now..."

"Zibu, we're leaving together!"

Lu Jin cried as he picked Zheng Zibu up. "Senior Brother, let's hurry to a nearby clinic! Zibu can still be saved!"

"We're out in the middle of nowhere. Where are you going to find a clinic?"

Indra rolled his eyes at Lu Jin. He had panicked so badly that he was starting to talk nonsense.

Zheng Zibu silently shook his head and chose to close his eyes.

Now that all his prayers had been fulfilled, and he had passed down the Heavenly Register, he had no regrets.

"Zibu!!!"

Lu Jin cried out his best friend's name in heart-wrenching grief, sobbing as he held him tightly in his arms.

"This is no time to get lovey-dovey. I can treat his injuries."

Indra stared at them with dead-fish eyes, directly shattering the mournful atmosphere surrounding the pair of star-crossed lovers.

He reached out and tapped Zheng Zibu. The Horse Talisman's magic took effect, instantly restoring his grievously injured body.

When Zheng Zibu opened his eyes again, he blankly looked up at the tear-streaked Lu Jin, then at Indra standing nearby with the expression of someone watching an idiot.

"Little Lu, get the hell out of here. If you want to cry, don't do it here."

Indra kicked the endlessly sobbing Lu Jin aside, then crouched before Zheng Zibu. "Pass your [Heavenly Register] on to me, and I'll get you out safely afterward. How does that deal sound?"

"Deal!"

Zheng Zibu agreed without hesitation. Having just been given a new lease on life, he had no desire to die again so carelessly.

Besides, Indra was Lu Jin's senior brother and someone he could trust.

Lu Jin wiped away his tears, still covering his face, and complained from the side, "Senior Brother, I never thought you'd covet the [Heavenly Register] too. Our sect's Reverse Birth Triple Layer is the true path to heaven, all right!"

Though Zuo Ruotong had personally admitted that Reverse Birth Triple Layer could not reach heaven, Lu Jin simply refused to believe it.

He could still vividly recall Zuo Ruotong's figure standing in midair, shaping energy into form.

That [Heavenly Register] was complete bullshit. If it were really as powerful as Zheng Zibu claimed, would the two of them have been hunted down?

"I think the move you used just now, Senior Brother, was much more powerful than this [Heavenly Register]."

Lu Jin continued muttering, but Indra paid no attention to the fool.

After obtaining the complete cultivation method for the [Heavenly Register] from Zheng Zibu, Indra began dealing with the aftermath.

He took out the Monkey Talisman and aimed it at Zheng Zibu. A beam of light shot out and struck him instantly.

Under Lu Jin's shocked gaze, Zheng Zibu's face and build changed drastically, transforming him completely into an unfamiliar man.

"Th-What's going on!?"

"My face... my voice..."

The moment Zheng Zibu spoke, he immediately noticed something was wrong.

After getting to his feet, he felt over his entire body and realized that he had changed completely.

Indra said casually, "From now on, you're no longer Zheng Zibu. Call yourself Li Zibu, Wang Zibu, whatever you like. Just change your name, and don't go around showing your face and shouting it."

"And it... is Zheng Zibu now."

His telekinesis formed an invisible giant hand that flew outside, snatched up a sparrow, and placed it before Indra.

Monkey Talisman: Power of Transformation!

Transformative magic blasted out and struck the sparrow head-on, turning it into "Zheng Zibu" in an instant.

The "Zheng Zibu," whose clothes were identical in every way, flailed madly on the ground with its arms spread wide.

Indra stepped forward and crushed both of its arms, then broke one of its legs. Now, "Zheng Zibu" could only chirp and roll around on the ground.

"Lu Jin, clean up the mess you caused yourself. Take this thing to the Lu Family, then hand it over to those otherworlders pursuing you and settle this matter."

"O-Okay, Senior Brother."

Lu Jin answered weakly, not daring to voice the slightest objection.

He finally understood Indra's plan. His senior brother intended to use a fake in place of Zheng Zibu!

What a brilliant idea!

The only problem was, what if they saw through it?

Seeing Lu Jin's hesitant expression, Zheng Zibu, who understood him perfectly, immediately grasped what he was thinking.

"This transformation differs from the strange arts found in the world. My meridians and bones have all been reshaped, so this substitute must be the same."

As Zheng Zibu explained, he cautiously stole several glances at Indra.

Such a terrifying method was even more terrifying than the [Heavenly Register] he had comprehended!