Chapter 149

"Who?" Tang Yun and Leng Yue asked at the same time.

"Antique collector—Sima Nan."

"Sima Nan? He understands Ancient Divine Script?" Tang Yun asked doubtfully.

Tianji Old Man stroked his beard, "This Sima Nan has traveled to many countries and collected countless rare antiques; it is said that he has an incomplete dictionary of Ancient Divine Script."

Leng Yue frowned, "Just a legend? That's too unreliable."

"For now, we can only treat a dead horse as a living one," Tianji Old Man sighed, "It's better than us just staring at each other."

Tang Yun nodded in agreement. After the three discussed it, they decided to set off immediately for Sima Nan's residence.

Sima Nan's residence was located in a quiet villa on the outskirts of the city.

When Tang Yun and the others arrived, it was already evening. The setting sun dyed the entire villa a golden red, making it appear exceptionally mysterious.

An old man who looked like a butler welcomed them into the villa.

The interior of the villa was luxuriously decorated in an antique style, with all kinds of rare antiques on display, making one's head spin.

"Mr. Sima is waiting for you all in the study."

The old man led them through a long corridor to a simple study.

The study door was ajar; Tang Yun gently pushed it open to see a thin old man wearing gold-rimmed glasses sitting at a desk, reading an ancient book.

"Mr. Sima, we've arrived," Tianji Old Man spoke first.

Sima Nan looked up, sized the three of them up, and his gaze finally fell on the cloth fragment in Tang Yun's hand, a flash of brilliance in his eyes.

"Is this the Ancient Divine Script fragment you spoke of?" Sima Nan's voice was somewhat hoarse.

Tang Yun handed over the fragment, "That's right."

Sima Nan took the fragment, put on a magnifying glass, and began to observe it carefully.

The study was silent for a while, with only the rustling sound of Sima Nan turning the pages.

After a long while, Sima Nan put down the fragment, took off his glasses, and sighed, "This is indeed Ancient Divine Script, but unfortunately, it's only a fragment, and I cannot interpret the complete meaning."

Tang Yun's heart sank; it seemed this trip was in vain.

"However..." Sima Nan changed the subject, "I can infer some information based on the writing on this fragment."

Tang Yun's spirits lifted, "What information?"

"What is recorded on this fragment should be a kind of ancient forbidden technique."

Sima Nan said slowly, "This forbidden technique can manipulate people's minds and is extremely dangerous."

"Manipulate minds?"

Tang Yun's heart tightened, and the image of the controlled martial artists he had encountered earlier involuntarily surfaced in his mind.

Could they also have been controlled by this forbidden technique?

Leng Yue also realized the seriousness of the problem, her expression becoming grave.

"Mr. Sima, is there a way to break it?"

Sima Nan shook his head, "This forbidden technique is too ancient; I am powerless to help."

Tang Yun felt a wave of irritation; he had finally found a clue, only for it to be broken again.

Just then, Leng Yue suddenly let out a cry of surprise, "Tang Yun, look!"

Tang Yun followed Leng Yue's gaze and saw that she was staring at the Ancient Divine Script fragment in her hand, her eyes glowing with golden light.

And the fragment began to emit a faint golden light.

The previously blurry writing actually seemed to come alive, slowly flowing and forming dynamic runes.

The viewers in the live stream room also saw this scene, and the barrage instantly exploded.

"Holy crap! What's going on?"

"Goddess Leng Yue has awakened?"

"This fragment must be a divine artifact!"

"!"

Tang Yun was about to ask Leng Yue when he suddenly felt a burning pain in his body.

He groaned, his face instantly turning pale.

He looked down and discovered that the golden patterns on his body had turned dark gold at some point, and were continuing to spread, as if they wanted to devour him.

"Pfft!"

A mouthful of black blood spilled from the corner of Tang Yun's mouth.

Tianji Old Man's expression changed drastically, "Although the Chaos Dao Body is strong, your forced fusion has led to instability in your source; every time you use your power, it deepens the erosion of your physical body!"

Leng Yue hurriedly supported the swaying Tang Yun, her eyes full of heartache, "Why didn't you say so earlier?"

Tang Yun managed to pull out a smile, "It's a small matter, let's solve the issue with the fragment first..."

The viewers in the live stream room saw Tang Yun's trembling fingertips and the pain he was enduring on his face clearly through the close-up shots.

The words "Cloud God, hold on" flooded the barrage.

Sima Nan frowned, staring at the dark golden patterns spreading on Tang Yun's body, and pondered.

"This... looks like some kind of ancient seal... that has been triggered."

Tianji Old Man's expression was as gloomy as if water were about to drip from it.

"I said, the Chaos Dao Body is not something an ordinary person can control! Now that the seal has loosened, I fear it will bring even greater trouble!"

Leng Yue held Tang Yun's hand tightly, her fingertips cold; feeling the cold sweat on his palm, she held back the tears in her eyes, "What do we do now?"

Tang Yun took a deep breath, suppressing the surging Qi and blood in his body, his voice hoarse: "Mr. Sima, the writing on this fragment... can you understand it now?"

Sima Nan's gaze returned to the fragment emitting golden light, and the previously blurry writing was now crystal clear in his eyes.

He read it out word by word: "Twilight of the Gods... heaven and earth crack... chaos opens... all spirits perish..."

As Sima Nan recited, the golden light on the fragment became even more dazzling, and an ancient and vicissitudinous aura permeated the air, making it hard for everyone to breathe.

The viewers in the live stream room also felt this sense of oppression.

The barrage was filled with "scared," "don't dare to watch," and "suffocating."

"This... what does this mean?" Leng Yue's voice was somewhat trembling.

Sima Nan's expression was grave, "This is... a prophecy... a prophecy about the end of the world!"

"End of the world?" Tang Yun's pupils shrank, and a stormy sea surged in his heart.

Tianji Old Man stroked his beard, his tone heavy, "It seems... we have been drawn into a huge conspiracy..."

Tang Yun braced his body and walked to Sima Nan, "Senior, is there a way to break it?"

Sima Nan shook his head, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness, "Prophecy... cannot be reversed... all we can do... is... do our best... and leave the rest to heaven..."

Tang Yun's heart sank; was there really no way?

Just then, the tightly closed study door was suddenly "bang" kicked open.

A man in black tight-fitting clothes stumbled in, covered in blood.

"Mr. Sima... it's bad... someone... is attacking the Cang Zhen Ge..." After the man finished this sentence, he collapsed to the ground and stopped breathing.

Sima Nan's expression changed drastically, "Bad! Someone wants to snatch the prophecy fragment!"

As soon as he finished speaking, sounds of shouting and killing came from outside the Cang Zhen Ge, the sound of swords clashing, and people's screams clearly reached the study.

Tang Yun gritted his teeth, "It seems... we have no time for sadness..."