After reading that, Lu Zhou found the Luo woman’s emotions were easily swayed. She seemed young, but she seemed to know how to manage her emotions. She would often motivate herself in her diary. It was clear she held herself to a certain standard.
Lu Zhou wondered if she was the mad person the Great Yan’s Imperial tutor had mentioned? Why did their opinions differ so much?
Lu Zhou continued reading: I bought a crude map from a stall. The strange thing is, apart from the difference in details, its outline is similar to my hometown. Sometimes, I wonder if I’m dreaming. However, I have sufficient methods to differentiate the real thing from the fake one.
The next few pages were filled with symbols Lu Zhou could not understand. ‘These must be the symbols she frequently uses.’
He continued to read: I’m lacking information on younger Eight-leaf cultivators to determine how many years of life the Golden Lotus takes… This is a difficult question to tackle. The Eight-leaf cultivators here only live up to 1,000 years. The Golden Lotus absorbs more than 900 years of life.
The next entry read: I thought about a new method today. The red runes can be used to prolong a person’s life. The remaining runes will easily expose my identity. I hid them in the ancient tomb.
What followed was a series of dates without context.
After that, Lu Zhou discovered there was a considerable number of pages that had been torn away.
The second last page read: The method to replenish one’s life can be applied while attempting the breakthrough. However, the requirements are very strict. My experiments show that the red runes can’t be used while the method in the day is more suitable. Based on my estimation, the Golden Lotus should take about 1,100 to 1,200 years of life. Although the problem of the Golden Lotus is solved, this method is demanding… Is there some other method that’s more suitable for the masses? If only everyone has the same exploratory spirit as I have. Alas, most people here aren’t interested in the Nine-leaf stage. It’s unfortunate that I still don’t have an answer for the heaven-and-earth shackle problem. Luckily, the people here aren’t troubled by it.
The final page read: I’m not the only one who has come here…
The handwriting on the final page was messy and looked like it was written in haste.
Based on the diary, Lu Zhou concluded that the Luo woman had vast knowledge and powers she could not stably control. He was inclined to agree with Yun Tianluo that the woman was most likely a Nine-leaf or Ten-leaf expert.
If the contents of the diary were true, that there were more than or two people with profound cultivation bases and red lotuses here, why was there no disaster like the Great Yan’s Imperial tutor had predicted?
The surviving pages contained detailed records of her works. They did not seem like the meaningless scribblings of a lunatic. This was especially true about the amount of life taken by the Golden Lotus. She came to the conclusion that it took between 1,100 to 1,200 years of life. Could a lunatic come up with an answer like that?
Lu Zhou wondered if the Luo woman was still alive, and if so, where was she? Could she still be alive after all these years? What would she think about the problems being solved by severing one’s Golden Lotus?
He closed the old notebook. Part of the book’s corner fell off due to its old age.
He continued thinking to himself in silence. He was slightly disappointed there was no mention of her hometown in the diary. He was curious if everyone from her hometown cultivated a red lotus.
Red lotus…
Lu Zhou was reminded of Conch. Perhaps, he could learn something about the red lotus cultivation from Conch.
After that, he closed his eyes and meditated on the When he thought about this, Lu Zhou closed his eyes and meditated on the Heavenly Writing scrolls.
…
The next morning, Lu Zhou summoned Conch to Dazheng Palace and sent the others away.
Conch did not know what her master wanted. She bowed, curious. “Master.”
Lu Zhou appraised Conch. “Show me your avatar.”
“Oh.” Conch opened her fair little hand. With just a thought, she summoned an avatar that resembled a little red statue that hovered above her palm.
Indeed, the avatar was red, but there was no red lotus.
Was he mistaken? Did he see the reflection from the golden mirror wrongly?
Lu Zhou flipped his palm. The Golden Taixu Mirror appeared in his hand. With a surge of Primal Qi, the golden mirror shone brightly and illuminated Conch. Shortly after, the reflection showed a red lotus under the red avatar.
“A red lotus…” Lu Zhou put the golden mirror away and asked, “Are you nearing a breakthrough?”
Conch did not understand her master. She asked excitedly, “Master, am I going to have another breakthrough again?”
Again…
What would the others feel if they heard this?
Lu Zhou gauged her cultivation base. Indeed, she was in the late stage of the Divine Court realm. However, she was still some ways away from Hundred Tribulations Insight. As a unique treasure, the golden mirror could verify an object’s authenticity. It was unlikely for it to be mistaken. This meant that Conch’s actual potential was most probably already at the Hundred Tribulations Insight stage. This was not cultivation. It was a kind of… awakening.
“Conch, have you seen a red lotus before?” Lu Zhou asked.
Conch nodded. “Mhm.”
“Where?”
“I don’t remember.”
“Do you remember how you came here?”
“I don’t.”
Lu Zhou wondered if Conch had lost her memories, just like he did?
“That’s all for now. Go and cultivate.”
“Yes, master.” Conch turned around and skipped out of Dazheng Palace.
As Lu Zhou looked at her retreating back, he wondered if red lotus cultivators were like giants next to ants.
The diary stated that red lotus would not absorb life. This meant that red lotus cultivators were not subject to the life limit between the Eight-leaf and Nine-leaf stage.
The tides of the times were turning. Nobody knew what the future held.
…
Ten days later.
Under the moonlight…
At the end of the Land of Buried Bones, Yu Shangrong was lying on a tree branch of a towering tree near the quagmire with the Longevity Sword in his hand. His eyes were tightly shut.
Neigh!
Ji Liang circled back toward him from afar. Then, it flew in a circle above the quagmire before flying off into the distance. Was it searching for food or for a female horse?
At this moment, Yu Shangrong opened his eyes. His ears twitched. He moved and leaped off the branch. Like seeds of willow, he adjusted his body’s angle and flew toward the quagmire. He looked down. He heard a gurgling sound.
Yu Shangrong smiled faintly. “You’re a lucky one.”
These were signs that Yu Zhenghai managed to cling to his life.
Wuqians lived in caves and ate dirt. When they died, their hearts remained uneroded. When they were buried, they could be reborn.
Yu Shangrong could feel the Primal Qi in the surroundings being drawn to the quagmire. He could also feel the density of the sun and moon essence inside the pool of water. He had been keeping an eye on the minute changes of the quagmire over the past ten days. In the beginning, it was deathly still; the quagmire was devoid of movements. For a time, he was worried and disappointed. Even then, he did not give up. This was Yu Zhenghai’s final chance; the only chance he had to live. He wanted to do everything he could so he waited patiently.
Yu Shangrong circulated some Primal Qi and sent it toward the quagmire. He attempted to sense what was happening under the surface. Perhaps, it was due to the natural terrain and the wonderful surroundings, his Primal Qi scattered and returned to the natural world when it drew close to the pool of water and mud.
The heavens taught humans cultivation, enabling them to control Primal Qi from the natural environment. It was a power to protect themselves, and a power to destroy the world. Sometimes, even a powerful Eight-leaf expert seemed as insignificant as a grain of sand in the vast and mysterious world of nature.
“Oh, well, I’ve never been short of patience… I just hope you don’t disappoint me.” Yu Shangrong shrugged as he hovered in the air.
The night grew darker. The stars sparkled brilliantly in the sky.
Yu Shangrong rose higher than the tree as he attempted to find Ji Liang. He did not see Ji Liang’s shadow, but he saw a procession of cultivators flying slowly toward him under the moonlight.
Yu Shangrong frowned slightly and entered the forest.
