Lu Zhou did not know how much time he had spent in the darkness. The long period of flying and ascending had numbed his senses. In any case, the appearance of the moon in the skies undoubtedly invigorated him, and he felt relieved.
He gauged his remaining Primal Qi. There was not much left. However, it was still sufficient for him to continue flying. The pulling force had long disappeared.
Lu Zhou raised a hand and launched a palm seal.
The golden palm seal illuminated the area before him. He saw the familiar rock face of the abyss.
Shortly after, he felt a gust of cold wind blowing against him.
Swoosh!
Lu Zhou emerged from the 100,000-foot-deep abyss! His vision instantly widened, and the claustrophobic sensation had disappeared.
He flew up into the sky and surveyed his surroundings; his disciples were nowhere in sight. Then, he looked at the seemingly endless darkness below him. Although his appearance was calm, his skin broke out in goosebumps.
Soon after, he descended near the edge of the abyss. Although it was dark, he could still see his surroundings.
Lu Zhou left the abyss and walked forward. After a short while, he realized that the group had grown slightly steep. After skirting around a huge boulder, he discovered that it was a crater that resembled a bowl.
The entrance of the 100,000-foot-abyss was at the bottom of the crater.
Swoosh!
He continued flying.
The roar of the wind rang in his ears.
Lu Zhou looked up and saw snow all around him.
“Heaven’s Moat?!” He realized he had already arrived at Heaven’s Moat. There was an empty region where the abyss and Heaven’s Moat overlapped.
He flew higher.
He was now at the peak of Heaven’s Moat.
This was the southernmost part of Heaven’s Moat, the highest mountain in the world, a place where nobody could reach.
He did not expect this.
He took in his surroundings, confirming it was the highest point of Heaven’s Moat. It was not snowing here. The snow on the ground must have been blown here from somewhere else.
The wind here varied in intensity.
He removed his sack. He rewrapped it in more layers to cover the red glow. Then, he slung it on his back again as he prepared to descend Heaven’s Moat.
After some time, he was at the edge of Heaven’s Moat. He was about to launch himself into the air when a weathered and gruff voice rang amidst the roaring wind.
“You survived.”
If it were anyone else, they would have jumped in shock.
However, after experiencing the darkness of the abyss, Lu Zhou was delighted to hear another person’s voice. He turned around and scanned his surroundings. “Who’s there?”
He walked along the edge of the land and saw a hidden small rock cave. The voice had come from the cave.
At this moment, a figure made of smoke emerged from the cave. It billowed for a moment before gradually taking form under the moonlight.
The moon shone on him, revealing his appearance. He seemed like an old man older than 60 years. His eyes were dark, and he had a dark beard. Despite his emaciated appearance, there was an unmistakably noble air about him.
Three feet of ice would not form overnight… For someone to be at the peak of Heaven’s Moat, he was surely someone with high status.
“I’m Jiang Wenxu… We meet again.”
‘We meet again?’ Lu Zhou studied the person before him and asked in confusion, “I’ve never met you before. Why did you call out to me?”
Jiang Wenxu shook his head. He said slowly and with certainty in a gruff voice, “I’ve met you thrice, sir.”
“Hm?”
“Our first encounter was when I just arrived on this land and discovered that you were the greatest Eight-leaf cultivator. Hence, I requested an audience…” Jiang Wenxu said, “During our second encounter, we talked through the night. I told you about the Nine-leaf stage and the calamity that it would bring. You promised you’ll never attempt the Nine-leaf stage. Then, you sealed your memories. I wonder why you went back on your words and tried to reach the Nine-leaf stage by force?”
Then, he continued to say, “Our third encounter was when you were assaulted by the ten great elites. You were gravely injured. You didn’t see me, but I saw you…”
Lu Zhou guessed his identity immediately. He said, “Imperial tutor?”
“They call me Grand Duke Jiang,” Jiang Wenxu said.
“So, it’s you.”
The wind roared and raged, and yet, Jiang Wenxu remained unaffected.
It made sense. Out of all the cultivators in the world, the Imperial tutor who had knowledge of the red lotus domain was the only one who would appear here and guard the abyss. Well, it was either him or the adventurous Luo woman.
“Although I was attacked by the ten great elites, I didn’t die. Were you the one who snuck up on me?” Lu Zhou asked.
“I had no other choice,” Jiang Wenxu placed his hands on his back and said, “Since you’ve sealed your memories and given up leveling up, why did you suddenly change your mind?”
Lu Zhou shook his head. He asked, “Will the Nine-leaf stage truly bring about a disaster?”
When he heard this, Jiang Wenxu looked at the night skies, seemingly lost in thoughts. He muttered to himself for some time. He turned and looked at the abyss and said, “Chi Yao is but the tip of the iceberg. To them, humans are only a delicacy. Beasts are easy to deal with, but the hearts of men are unpredictable.”
“You’re from the red lotus world. Are you worried they’ll destroy this place?” Lu Zhou asked.
Jiang Wenxu did not seem surprised by Lu Zhou’s question. His expression remained calm. He did not answer Lu Zhou’s question. Instead, he asked, “How did you survive the coordinated attack?”
“By sheer luck,” Lu Zhou replied, giving an ambiguous answer.
“Did you see Chi Yao?” Jiang Wenxu asked.
“I didn’t only see it, but I killed it as well,” Lu Zhou replied.
Jiang Wenxu was shocked. His brows were tightly knitted together. Under the moonlight, one could see the expression of incredulity on his face.
“I’ve told you there’s no need to answer this question. Let me ask you this: I’m already at the Nine-leaf stage… Where is this so-called disaster that you talked about?” Lu Zhou asked.
“…” Jiang Wenxu stepped forward, slightly surprised. He appraised Lu Zhou again. “Nine-leaf? I won’t be convinced until I’ve seen it myself.” He was certain in his belief that the Nine-leaf stage would bring forth disaster.
Lu Zhou would not simply summon his avatar. Even if he had the Disguise Card, he would not use it without due cause.
Since Jiang Wenxu liked guessing, Lu Zhou decided to let him guess. He deftly avoided the topic and said, “Although the red lotus doesn’t limit one’s life, it’s still bound by heaven and earth’s shackle. Can you stop people from trying to break heaven and earth’s shackle?”
Jiang Wenxu sighed and said, “So, you’ve met Luo Shiyin.”
“Luo… Shi… Yin…” Lu Zhou repeated the name.
Jiang Wenxu turned around. He walked toward the cave and said, “She’s a lunatic, just like you.”
“Where’s she now?”
Jiang Wenxu remained silent.
Lu Zhou added, “She supported the idea of improving people’s strength, in contrast to you. You’re both from the same place, but you hold different views.”
“No…” Jiang Wenxu had his back against Lu Zhou as he said, “She doesn’t know how foolish her actions are. Since you encountered Chi Yao, you should understand how powerful Chi Yao is. Even a powerful red lotus cultivator wouldn’t take Chi Yao lightly.”
“And?”
“Please show me your avatar.” Jiang Wenxu stopped at the cave’s entrance and turned around to look at Lu Zhou.
Lu Zhou shook his head. ‘Why should I show you just because you asked me to? Who do you take me for?’
Jiang Wenxu’s face was weathered. He said slowly, “You have many secrets. Unfortunately, I don’t have much time. I wish that you’d lower your cultivation base…”
“What if I refuse?”
“I’ll just have to do it myself, then.”
“You?” Lu Zhou was puzzled.
“Don’t question my ability.” After saying this, Jiang Wenxu raised a hand and struck.
An almost-translucent palm seal sailed forth.
Lu Zhou raised his palm as well. A blue palm seal shot out…
When Jiang Wenxu saw the blue palm seal, an expression of shock appeared on his face. “Blue palm seal?!”
Boom!
The blue palm seal collided with Jiang Wenxu’s palm seal.
