Although his plundering of the North Sea court had made him probably the richest man in the world, his wealth was a far cry from any one of the leading races or factions’. The North Sea court was a relatively young faction, barely ten thousand years old, and its accumulated fortune simply wasn’t comparable to its older, more illustrious peers.
Plus, Lu Yun would never complain about having too much money. If he didn’t figure out how to generate revenue, his two trillion crystals would still eventually be exhausted. Dusk Province’s development demanded investment everywhere.
The poison Qing Han was afflicted with had distracted him from these considerations, but now that the thought struck him, it couldn’t be dismissed.
Indeed, Situ Yun’s words had inspired him with even more ideas. It wasn’t just the Principal Nineheavens Talisman; the Weaponry, Yu, and Tai Talismans he’d used before were also good candidates for a line of merchandise. Add some combat art talismans to the mix, and he’d have quite a lineup.
Lu Yun dared not undertake such a venture alone; certain ancient factions wouldn’t take the disruption of their monopoly well. However, having the Skandha Range and Panorama Pavilion as backers permitted him to be a bit more daring.
Formations and layouts aside, the most fearsome features in an ancient tomb were its immortal ghosts and zombies. If he could market and distribute a product designed to counteract them…
Every immortal everywhere would remember his name. He would harvest an endless amount of goodwill!
No, it went even beyond that; such a gesture would grant him considerable virtuous merit!
He’d only been a guardian of the Dao Flower’s bloom, which meant the incredible amount of virtuous merit generated from that event had largely passed him by. There was more to the idea than simple profit, too. Lu Yun’s greatest dream was for his tomb raiding sect to flourish in this world. His forebears’ knowledge deserved prestige, renown, and the greatest of glory.
……
What he heard flabbergasted Situ Yun. He couldn’t understand the young lord at all. Sell… the Principal Nineheavens Talisman… for money?
They were talking about the same thing, right? A treasure that could suppress immortal ghosts? Having something like that when delving tombs increased one’s survival rate by at least thirty percent. In other words, it was priceless!
Whoever owned such a technique would keep it to themselves, no doubt, and use it to develop a new faction worthy of competing at the very top.
Hum.
The barrier shimmered, opening to accommodate the entry of a dozen harried individuals from the outside.
An old man in red led the pack. Blood trickled down the corner of his mouth, and he had a few rather prominent holes in him. Evidently, he’d been ferociously assaulted before fleeing here. The others behind him were also injured to varying degrees.
“Master!” Situ Yun’s expression changed drastically and he rushed forward to support the elder.
“Don’t touch him!” Tensing, Lu Yun jumped between Situ Yun and the old man.
“Out!” The black embers in his eyes and the verbal command combined to send a rattle through space.
A pack of fearful wills beat a hasty retreat as they scrambled in the other direction through the barrier. Clearly, the dozen cultivators here had borne the same ghostly dragon whelps from earlier.
Lu Yun produced a jade bottle in his hand and crushed it, filling the entirety of the barrier’s interior with an emerald light filled the entirety and bringing color back to the harassed refugees’ faces.
It was healing mist Su Xiaoxiao had left behind before her departure. Far more potent than most pills, it had the additional advantage of not requiring oral consumption. Instead, it acted instantly upon the wounded’s injuries.
“Thank you for saving my life, young lord… but, if I may ask, why are you here?” Situ Yun’s master’s expression shifted in an inexplicable way. Without Lu Yun’s intervention, he would’ve died within the hour.
Alas, the young man’s presence was also cause for a different concern. Multiple great clans—Dongling, Qing, Feng, and Ling among them—were baying for his blood. The Ling Clan had even put a dao-grade treasure as a bounty on his head. The Exalted Immortal Clan could also be added to that list.
For Lu Yun to come here, into the skydragon tomb, was tantamount to suicide. The tomb alone held dangers that were lethal to any cultivator, and Lu Yun and Qing Han’s status as infamous celebrities meant they’d be recognized on sight.
“Heh heh heh… so the Star Demon Sect has a hideout here, eh? Shatter that barrier!” A smug laugh sounded outside, followed by an intense barrage of blows. The barrier began to crack and quaver under the stress.
“Give up the Cosmic Skycarver! If you relinquish that connate treasure, I’ll consider letting you go once.” After a brief pause, the same voice uttered an ultimatum.
“Fine, you can have it!” The master named Situ Zong glanced worriedly at Lu Yun, then clenched his teeth in resignation.
“Hahaha… I changed my mind again. Every criminal from the Star Demon Sect deserves to be exterminated. You’re going to die here no matter what you do!” The arrogant voice grew to a maddening crescendo as despair crept onto Situ Zong’s face.
“Cover the young lord’s retreat at all costs!” The old man’s order was a little impotent. There were two arcane dao immortals outside! He’d managed to safeguard these disciples’ previous flight only by using everything at his disposal. There was no more he could do.
“Hold on,” Lu Yun shook his head in disapproval. “Show me that Cosmic Skycarver.”
He ignored the immortals outside. There were two arcane dao immortals of his own in hell, and the two outside had only plucked one fruit each and were no match for Bing Ling and Bing Xuan.
Although he was momentarily taken aback, Situ Zong did as Lu Yun asked and handed over an odd-looking sword. Precisely one-and-one-tenth meters long, the sword glittered with sparkling starlight. It was as if the blade had been forged from pure star stuff.
“That is the real Cosmic Skycarver! The divine sword formed from the limitless power of the cosmos!” Empress Myrtlestar and the Azure Dragon King shouted in unison from inside the Scroll of Shepherding Immortals.
The connate divine sword was well known even in the ancient world. Wherever it went, a trail of blood was sure to follow.
“Young lord….” Situ Zong was rather upset with the young man’s fixation on treasure. This really wasn’t the time for that, was it?
“Don’t worry. I didn’t come here to be scared of a few pieces of trash.” Lu Yun handed the Skycarver to Qing Han. “Take the sword for now. Give the Pelagic Orb from before to Situ Zong. It matches his constitution well, so it’ll be strongest in his hands.”
Qing Han’s eyes had been glued to the Cosmic Skycarver as soon as the starry sword appeared, and he was overjoyed to be given something he liked so much.
The Star Demon Sect’s other members shared in their senior’s visible displeasure.
Although Lu Yun and Qing Han were the sect’s young lords in name, its ordinary immortals didn’t particularly respect them. If not for the five ancestors’ orders, those outside the inner circle would pay no heed to the two youths.
Watching the treasure they’d risked life and limb for being given to someone they had nothing to do with… it just didn’t feel right. The Pelagic Orb? What the heck was that? How could it be more precious than a connate-grade treasure?
Situ Zong smiled weakly.
“This is the Pelagic Orb, a connate-grade treasure good for both offense and defense. It’s no match for the Cosmic Skycarver, but it suits you the best.” Qing Han handed over a greyish-looking orb.
“This! This is a water-attribute treasure! And connate-grade, did you say?!” Situ Zong’s pupils dilated in shock.
Despite having a rather unassuming color and appearance, the Pelagic Orb contained intensely concentrated water energy. To wield it was to command the power of connate water.
Situ Zong’s spirit root and methods were uniformly of the water attribute. Skycarver had been far too unique for him to communicate with, despite trying with everything he had, but using the Pelagic Orb came naturally to him.
“Hahahaha!” The old man roared with unbridled laughter. “With this treasure, what do I have to fear from the Witherdew rabble? Situ thanks the young lord!”
His fingers practically scrabbled for the orb. As soon as he had it in his hands, he began refining it—the mild annoyance from earlier had vanished without a trace.
The more junior members traded confused glances with each other.
“Ingrates, the lot of you! The treasure the young lord used to save your lives just now was worth at least ten thousand times as much as your worthless hides!” Situ Yun snorted.
The other immortals reddened with awkward embarrassment.
Outside the barrier, the Witherdew immortals’ attacks grew ever fiercer. By then, the two arcane dao immortals had joined the fray.
Boom!
Roughly a hundred breaths later, the previously sturdy barrier was finally shattered.
“Hahaha—demon leaders, prepare to die!” A group of uniformed immortals charged in.
“Hmm? What is this place?” An immortal clad in gold armor paled. He swiveled his head at his surroundings in bewildered disbelief. They’d entered a world of endless water. Its elemental purity was stretched in every direction they could see.
“This is the Pelagic World.” Situ Zong’s voice echoed slowly through the void.
