Chapter 52: Peaceful Tribulation

That same evening.

Luo Residence, an elegantly furnished side room.

Bang!

A teacup shattered on the floor, tea splashing, porcelain scattering.

Luo Chen stood in the room, his expression dark, chest heaving.

“That damned guy, a discarded nobody—how dare he trample over me!”

He slammed his fist on the table, teeth grinding audibly.

This trip to the Qingyun Secret Realm was supposed to be his chance to eliminate Luo Jiutian and seize those legendary persimmons.

But things spiraled out of control, and he ended up the fool.

Back at the Luo Clan, he could clearly feel the strange looks from others.

On the surface, no one spoke, but whispers stirred in the shadows.

What gnawed at him most was that, to appease the other clans, the family not only paid a hefty sum of resources but also confined him to his quarters.

“Hahaha… the grand Young Master of the Luo Clan, and now I can’t even step outside.”

Luo Chen laughed bitterly, pouring tea into another cup.

He lifted it, staring at his blurred reflection in the tea, motionless for a long while.

“Damn it—!”

The innocent teacup met the same fate, shattering as tea splattered everywhere.

He ran a hand through his hair in frustration, turning to the window, breathing heavily.

Only when the cool breeze hit did his anger subside slightly.

Closing his eyes, he forced himself to calm down, replaying his failures.

After a moment, he opened his eyes.

Yes.

He’d been too hasty, too eager to stand out, to soar in one leap.

Luo Jiutian was no longer the pushover he once was, yet he’d still used petty tricks, unaware that it only worsened the situation.

He steadied his emotions, clenching his fists.

“No more of this…” he muttered.

He had the Star-Plucking Sacred Body, the Luo Clan’s recognized genius. If he focused on cultivation, even without the Tempering Origin Persimmon, he could break through to Golden Core swiftly.

Once his cultivation advanced, all the disdain and doubts would vanish.

A crooked smile, more twisted than a dragon king’s, spread across his face.

Then—

Knock, knock, knock!

A knock at the door.

Luo Chen composed himself and opened it.

Luo Yuanshan stood outside, holding a storage bag.

“Young Master, the Clan Head asked me to give you this,” he said directly. “He said to focus on cultivating in your room these days to calm your mind.”

Luo Chen took the bag, his heart stirring.

Though confined, his father still cared, easing his frustration a bit.

“Thank you.”

As he spoke, he noticed Luo Yuanshan holding a fruit in his other hand, taking a big bite.

The fruit was glossy and red, its skin faintly glowing gold, striking in the sunset.

Luo Chen frowned, finding it familiar. “What’s that in your hand?”

Luo Yuanshan took another bite, mumbling, “An apple. Pretty sweet.”

“Apples glow?”

“Young Master, don’t sweat the details.”

He took another huge bite, chewing with juice dripping, looking content.

Luo Chen shook his head at his silly grin. “Alright, you’re done here. Go on.”

“Sure thing.”

Luo Yuanshan turned, still munching on the fruit as he walked away.

Luo Chen stood at the door, watching his retreating figure, still bothered by that “apple.”

“Forget it, cultivation comes first.”

He shut the door and returned to his room.

…

Elsewhere.

Hundreds of miles from Tianyuan Kingdom’s border, in a mysterious underground structure.

The air reeked of blood and decay, pungent and nauseating.

Flickering candlelight cast twisted shadows on the walls.

A circle of seats held several black-robed figures, each distinct but radiating oppressive auras.

They wore white masks, featureless except for a single slit-like “eye seam,” as if it could pierce hearts.

Before them, Li Clan Head Li Yunzheng knelt, his eyes burning with near-mad fervor.

“So…” a black-robed figure on the left spoke, voice cold, “your Li Clan didn’t even act, and the Luo Clan tore itself apart, dragging the Su Clan down too?”

Li Yunzheng nodded. “Yes, and afterward, the Luo Clan paid a fortune in resources, severely weakening themselves.”

“No!” another black-robed figure on the right snorted, voice old and low. “This doesn’t match the Nether Lord’s predictions at all!”

The air grew tense.

The candle flames flickered violently, shadows trembling.

Li Yunzheng kept his head down, silent.

As the atmosphere stiffened, a strange laugh—dry and shrill, like nails on a coffin—came from the far left.

“The Nether Lord’s predictions… were wrong?”

The leftmost black-robed figure spoke, voice raspy and chilling. “Let me calculate… see where the heavens went astray!”

“Hmph,” the older-voiced figure scoffed. “Even the Nether Lord couldn’t foresee this. What are you? Will your calculations matter?”

But the other ignored him, as if deaf, pulling out blood-stained beast bones from his robe, fingers trembling with growing excitement.

“Hehe… death is but a destination… all things return to eternal darkness…”

Muttering, he scattered the dark red-stained bones on the ground.

Clatter—!

The bones struck the stone floor, ringing sharply.

He began chanting, fingers tracing the air, initiating a divination ritual.

The black-robed figures didn’t stop him, watching silently.

Suddenly, a wisp of black mist rose from the bones, forming a faintly red eyeball shadow, hovering unsteadily.

The raspy-voiced figure’s expression changed, as if sensing something.

The next moment, he threw his head back, laughing maniacally. “Hahaha… the Anomaly, the Anomaly is here!”

His words shook the black-robed figures, their emotions palpable despite their masks.

The older-voiced one asked gravely, “The Anomaly? You mean the… variable the Nether Lord spoke of?”

But the raspy-voiced figure seemed deaf to him, rocking back and forth, hands clawing the air.

“It’s here… hahaha, it’s really here!”

“The Anomaly arrives, fate falls; orthodoxy crumbles, chaos rises.”

“A thousand years of glory turn to dust, ten thousand years of legacy—buried in ash!”

His voice grew louder, like singing or howling.

“Our chance has come!!!”

He threw his head back, a eerie bloodlight flashing in the mask’s “eye seam,” then his body shook, collapsing like a puppet with cut strings.

Thud!

His mask shattered, revealing a bloodless face, eyes wide, throat caught on his final, unfinished words—

“Eternal Darkness descends.”