Cult of the Sacred Runes

Chapter 80 – Mirages

The moment the scroll was torn, hundreds of runes rained down, and the light it generated was blinding. The stance summoned a spectral bull in front of everyone.

This bull was ten meters tall, and its green skin had a metallic texture. It was surrounded by furious flames that came off it like stars shooting in the sky, an immense and fearsome pressure spread as the bull appeared.

Forbidden Spirit stance, Starry Bull!

“These treasures are all mine! don’t you dare move an inch!” There was a bloodthirsty smile on Lu Chao’s grim face. His crazed eyes stared at the swarm of Warriors.

“Kill!” With Lu Chao’s scream, the enormous bull howled and warmed up his muscular legs then charged mercilessly at the crowd.

“Roar!” The Starry Bull rushed out crashing into the crowd. It sent fifteen Warriors who stood at the front directly into the air. The Starry Bull’s fearsome power immediately shattered their bones to pieces, and some of the Warrior’s even had their organs torn apart.

“Lu Chao, I will haunt you!” Sorrowful cries echoed throughout the passageway.

The fifteen Warriors who took the impact were all on the floor, and their bodies were paralyzed and shaking. Everyone could hear their horrifying cries as pieces of their organs were spit up as they coughed and tried to clear their airways. It was obvious they didn’t have long to live!

With one charge the Starry Bull took more than ten lives!

Seeing this bloody scene, everyone was stunned and started shivering with fear. They widened their eyes, and their pupils dilated as if someone emptied a bucket of icy cold water over their heads. A cold sweat ran down their backs and within moments they were drenched in sweat.

Moments ago these fifteen Warriors were lively and collided with the rest of the crowd, but now they were lying on the ground lifelessly; this bone-chilling scene woke everyone up from their crazed state.

“Retreat!”

“Retreat, retreat!” There was horror in everyone’s eyes while they watched the rampaging Starry Bull. They turned around and retreated together; nobody dared to take one step forward.

“Lu Chao!”

“Have you lost your bloody mind?” The crowd backed off twenty meters to make sure they were not in the range of the Starry Bull. They stared angrily at the bloodthirsty Lu Chao who was standing behind the Bull.

“Forbidden Spirit stance!” Hong Xun and Xue Yao who were guarding Ye Wei glared at the Starry Bull cautiously.

Nobody expected Lu Chao would have this kind of scrolls on him!

While everyone had been putting their lives on the line to fight the stone giants, Lu Chao did not make a move. Who would have thought he was hiding this kind of trump card?

Now that he had a chance to get his hands on the treasures he finally showed his true colors.

Although Lu Chao was controlling a forbidden level Spirit stance, he was looking at Ye Wei with fear in his eyes. He was ready to use all the other scrolls if Ye Wei joined the fight.

According to his plan, if he could stop Ye Wei, he would have a chance to get all these treasures. He could then use some of the weapons in this mountain of treasures to fight the crowd.

“Lu Chao, do you not plan on sharing?” Hong Xun’s face went black, his cold glare penetrated the semi-transparent bull and landed on Lu Chao.

“Lu Chao, there are a lot of treasures here, can you take them all? You will choke on them!” Xue Yao’s pretty face was ice cold, and her slender hands were clenched. She started to channel her Qi and was ready for a fight.

When they fought the stone puppets, Lu Chao was hiding in the back, and now he turned against everyone when there were rare treasures to be obtained. He even dared to use a mystic scroll and kill fifteen Warriors; this kind of selfish, uncaring behavior enraged the crowd, everyone was fired up!

‘Idiot!’ Ye Wei shouted in his mind. His face was also ashened as he never thought the friendly man who had welcomed him could be so vicious.

‘All these scrolls, mystic arms, pills, rare metals, and herbs are all mirages, and you were stupid enough to enrage everyone and even kill for what’s not real. I would like to see how you get yourself out of this mess!’

“Well, Lu Chao even if you can collect all the treasures here, do you think you can get out of this labyrinth?” Hong Xun angrily shouted with a voice as clear as a church bell while he stared straight at Lu Chao.

“Lu Chao, you should think twice before making any more stupid decisions!”

“Are you really this selfish? Even Jin Yan and Mo Ya, strong as they are, had the courtesy to leave seven mystic arms for us to contest over. Who do you think you are?” Everyone’s cold gaze was pointed at Lu Chao through the fading Starry Bull.

“I, Lu Chao, do whatever I want, and you have no grounds to boss me around! If you think you can stop me then step forward. If you don’t have the guts to actually do something about it, shut up!” Lu Chao held the four shiny scrolls tight and sneered at the crowd as he shouted disdainfully.

“You!” Everyone angrily pointed their fingers at Lu Chao as their bodies shivered in anger, but although they were extremely crossed, nobody dared to move an inch.

Medium-grade scrolls contained Myst stances; that was a known fact. There was a medium-grade scroll in Lu Chao’s hand, and the fifteen bodies on the floor was a horrifying example of how they might end up if they decided to fight Lu Chao. Even though they were angry, nobody wanted to end up losing their lives so horribly.

The treasures were alluring, but they won’t be able to enjoy any wealth or power if they were dead!

Although everyone was aware that the forbidden stance Lu Chao was in control of could only kill thirty of them at most before its power faded and that if they were to attack together, they would be able to take him down, nobody was willing to take that risk it. Especially when Lu Chao had four more scrolls in his hand.

“You!” Xue Yao’s knuckles were cracking from her fury, feeling furious and driven by her impulses, she started drawing a rune sequence in the air., She was ready to attack in despite the odds being stacked up against her.

Right as Xue Yao was about to launch herself towards Lu Chao, Ye Wei raised his arm and blocked her way.

“If he likes the treasure so much, we should just let him take all he wants!” Ye Wei casually glared at Lu Chao with a sarcastic smile on his face.

“Huh?” Xue Yao held her step, and she looked at Ye Wei confused. Ye Wei had used three medium-grade scrolls in total just to defeat the puppets, how could he be so calm? Isn’t he mad about possibilities of returning empty handed?

If Lu Chao gets ahold of the treasure, he will become even stronger and harder to deal with.

“Just leave him be. Just because you can see something doesn’t mean that it exists!” Ye Wei whispered to Xue Yao, who just looked even more confused after his explanation.

‘Doesn’t exist?’ Xue Yao’s clear eyes widened as she pointed at the levitating treasures and looked back at the indifferent Ye Wei. She hesitated and then stepped back to where Ye Wei stood.

“Ha! That’s what I’m talking about!” Lu Chao said dwelling in complacency he stared at the crowd and turned around to look at the mountain of treasures that waited for him. He licked his lips and couldn’t take his greedy eyes off what was his.

“It’s mine. It’s all mine! Hahaha!” Lu Chao laughed in his mind. He knew nobody here would be a threat if he was to use the scrolls he had been hiding from everyone’s sight this whole time!

When Lu Chao obtained these treasures, his strength would increase tenfold; he would be safe inside the labyrinth. When he stepped back into the outside world, he would be in even safer hands, his granddad. A condensed prime Warrior, who went by the name Lu Zhong Tian, was waiting for him to return.

Lu Zhong Tian was a four-star condensed prime Warrior, and being protected by granddad, even Jin Yan and Mo Ya would not be able to stop Lu Chao.

Lu Chao felt no fear as he enthusiastically looked a mystic arm close to himself. With a proud smile on his face, he reached out for the levitating axe.

The moment he extended his arm his proud smile disappeared and the fire in his eyes vanished only to be replaced by shock.

“How can this be?!” Lu Chao was startled by how his hand went right through the axe. He felt humiliated and screamed in disbelief.

A mirage!

The mystic arm was a mirage?

“No! No, No way, No way!” Lu Chao had wasted the Starry Bull scroll he treasured for years. He had offended and terrorized everyone, including Hong Xun and Xue Yao, who were his friends. Never did he imagine that everything was a mirage. He could not accept this ending, and he would not accept it.

Lu Chao started acting even crazier. He leaped around and tried to snatch all the scrolls, pills, and weapons in the air only to find out that they were all fakes.

Mirage, mirages, they are all mirages!

Everyone was at first shocked, and moments after gloating smiles appeared on their faces. Words could not describe the joy in their hearts. If the treasures were real and they fell into Lu Chao’s hands, the consequences would be disastrous!

In the end, Lu Chao got nothing but humiliation.

Even Hong Xun, who had an extremely dry sense of humor was wearing a sneer on his otherwise serious face. He enjoyed himself while watching Lu Chao frantic behavior.

“Little bro, how… how did you know that they were not real?” Xue Yao widened her adorable puppy eyes and asked Ye Wei in a surprised tone. She really couldn’t tell that the treasures were mirages before Lu Chao tried to grab them. They looked too realistic!

Her gorgeous eyes stared at Ye Wei, and she started to replay the scenes when Ye Wei defeated the stone giant. How he survived the blood cocoon without a scratch. She was getting increasingly curious about Ye Wei’s background and wanted explanations.

“About that… I will tell you later. We should get our hands on the real treasure for now; it is right in front of us!” Ye Wei smiled, and as he said that there was a golden flash in his eyes. He then looked beyond Lu Chao onto the four crystal pillars at the back of the chamber.

“Follow me, and keep your eyes on Lu Chao’s scrolls!” Ye Wei could not be bothered to explain everything at once as he whispered to Xue Yao and Hong Xun while leading them towards the back of the chamber.

“The real treasure?” Hong Xun, Xue Yao’s eyes brightened. They looked at each other and then turned their focus onto the four pillars Ye Wei was talking about.