Chapter 155: He was Still Cultivating
Lordi didn’t falter. His figure, cloaked in the crimson afterglow of his Blood Spectre Footwork Art, surged forward with relentless purpose. He charged toward the ancient tree, his steps silent yet forceful. The mountain’s oppressive aura meant nothing to him; he moved as if he owned its secrets, as if the array’s illusions were mere parlor tricks.
Ruru pushed herself to match his pace, her Cloud Walking Rain Step carrying her like a wisp of mist over the uneven terrain. Her lungs burned, sweat slicking her brow, but her eyes stayed locked on Lordi’s back, his silhouette a beacon in the dark. "Lordi-kun," she whispered under her breath, her voice a mix of awe and desperation, "you knew all along, didn’t you?" Her trust in him burned fiercer with every step, a flame that drowned out her doubts.
They reached the shadow of the ancient tree, its vast canopy swallowing them in a pool of deeper darkness. Lordi halted abruptly, his body still under the AllFullOS System’s iron grip, his face a mask of unshakable calm. The crimson energy that had trailed him dissipated, leaving only the faint hum of the mountain’s magic in the air.
Ruru skidded to a stop beside him, her breath ragged, her heart pounding like a war drum. She gazed up at the tree, its towering presence almost suffocating, and then at Lordi, whose sharp features betrayed nothing but quiet certainty. Her voice trembled with a mix of trust and anticipation as she spoke, her words soft but heavy with hope. "Lo... Lordi-kun, is this it? Is the true exit of the array here?" Her beautiful eyes searched his face, wide and earnest.
The air around the Ancient Stone Well thickened, heavy with the cloying stench of rotting earth, a sickly sweetness that coated Ruru’s throat and made her stomach churn. The forest had fallen into an unnatural hush—no insects chirped, no leaves stirred, only the slow, mournful creak of the ancient tree’s branches swaying under the mountain’s cold breeze. Moonlight filtered through the canopy, casting jagged shadows that danced like specters across the ground. The massive tree loomed over them, its gnarled silhouette a silent guardian of secrets too old and too dark to name. Its bark, etched with centuries of scars, seemed to pulse faintly, as if the tree itself were breathing, watching, waiting.
Ruru thought Lordi was leading her to freedom, to the exit of the Gloomwater Phantom Lily Array, but the truth?
Lordi’s heart was heavy with uncertainty and doubt. Yet despite his inner turmoil, he noticed this Senior Sister Ruru’s unwavering trust in him remained steadfast. Her faith in him was unshakable—so much so that he didn’t know whether to feel grateful or utterly speechless. Ruru’s wide, trusting eyes bored into him, her faith a weight he wasn’t sure he could bear.
Things hadn’t gone as planned. Not only had the AllFullOS failed to escape this cursed place—somehow, Lordi was back inside the Hanz Estate. Before, he had merely been unable to break free from the Gloomwater Phantom Lily array’s illusions. But now, the situation was far worse. He was trapped in the deadliest depths of Twin Peak Mountain, with no way out.
If the system’s cultivation session was interrupted, if it faltered for even a moment, there would be no running, no hiding.
Silently, Lordi cursed the AllFullOS with every vile word his mind could conjure, damning its recklessness to the abyss. "You glitchy, soul-sucking piece of motherfucker junk—why in the hell here?" But his body, still a puppet to the system’s will, betrayed no trace of his dread.
Yet, to Ruru Rosa, this Junior Brother Lordi Payne appeared utterly unshaken—his demeanor calm, his expression unreadable, as if the surrounding dangers meant nothing to him. With steady, deliberate steps, he approached the ancient tree, his posture composed. His steps were measured, his posture radiating a quiet arrogance, as if the mountain’s terrors were beneath him. Without hesitation, he pressed his left palm against the gnarled bark and resumed cultivating the Spirit Swallowing Technique, as though the world around him had faded into silence.
Ruru’s breath hitched, her heart swelling with awe despite the creeping unease. "Lordi-kun," she whispered, her voice trembling with hope, "you’ve found it, haven’t you? The way... out?"