Qin Moshang inhaled deeply and suppressed his anger before he said, “I’ll do as you said and blame the death of the ghost servant on the fierce beasts. This matter must be kept a secret…”
The man in elegant robes said with a smile, “Young Master Qin, don’t worry. You can look for Daoist Master Qin in a few days…”
“It’s highly difficult to recover a Birth Chart; I’m just worried I won’t be able to recover it,” Qin Moshang said, slightly worried.
“Daoist Master Qin is very skilled; he’ll definitely be able to help you recover your Birth Chart. There’s no need for you to worry. You’re the future of the Qin clan after all. Even if Daoist Master Qin rarely shows his face, he still cares about the younger generation. Let me give you a small reminder; Daoist Master Qi values a person’s character the most. Therefore, even that secret about the ghost servant rots in your stomach, you can’t reveal it at all!”
Qin Moshang frowned. He raised his hand and smashed the table in front of him. He felt his Qi and blood surging in his body as he said, “Fortunately, you reminded me. Otherwise, I would’ve ruined the big picture.”
“That’s right. The big picture is the most important. Among the younger generation, your cultivation base is the highest. If you perform better, in a few hundred years, your wings will be fully grown.”
Qin Moshang nodded. With this, most of his anger had vanished.
…
In the royal palace of the capital in the red lotus domain.
The Preservation Hall.
Lu Zhou looked at the merit points on the system panel and shook his head.
Merit Points: 523, 610
During the battle with the ghost servant, he had lost merit points. Fortunately, the loss was not too big. Moreover, he managed to obtain some information and the jade disk from the ghost servant.
Following that, he brought out the ghost servant’s jade disk and studied it.
“Ding! Eight Trigrams Jade Disk. Grade: Flood. Status: Damaged.”
The jade disk was only the size of a palm now. It looked exquisite. It was unexpected that the small jade disk contained power almost comparable to fusion-grade items. However, there was a possibility the jade disk was so powerful because the ghost servant had 13 Birth Charts.
“What a pity.”
The jade disk could withstand the sharp Unnamed and was damaged by Unnamed. Apart from a few cracks, there was also a hole on the jade disk.
After a moment, Lu Zhou noticed there was a ‘Deconstruct’ option for the Eight Trigrams Jade Disk.
” Since it’s broken, I might as well deconstruct it…”
“Deconstruct.”
“Ding! Deconstructed the Eight Trigrams Jade Disk. Obtained: Obsidian essence x5.”
“My luck’s not bad. I have another five obsidian essences on top of the 51 in my possession…”
Lu Zhou thought if Gongsun Yuanxuan could send him 100 obsidian essences, it would be quite good. He could immediately upgrade an item to the fusion grade. Nevertheless, he wanted the blue crystal more.
Lu Zhou looked at the status of the Purple Glazed Ceramic and saw that it was in recovery mode.
With that, he could only rely on himself to comprehend the Heavenly Writing.
…
After five days…
Lu Zhou had recovered almost all of his supreme mystic power.
The moment he decided to stop meditating on the Heavenly Writing, a voice promptly rang from the outside of the hall.
“Master, Gongsun Yuanxuan requests to see you,” Si Wuya said.
“Bring him in.”
Gongsun Yuanxuan walked in respectfully with two guards trailing behind him. When he saw Lu Zhou, he greeted Lu Zhou with a faint but confident smile on his face, “Pavilion Master Lu, we meet again.”
Upon seeing Gongsun Yuanxuan’s attitude, Lu Zhou thought to himself, ‘Is he here to pick a fight? I just fought with the ghost servant so I don’t have many item cards left. If we fight, I’ll have to waste merit points again…”
Lu Zhou asked bluntly, “Did you bring the blue crystal?”
Gongsun Yuanxuan waved his hand.
The two guards carried a box to the front before they opened it.
The box was not big, but it was filled with obsidian essences. There had to be at least 100 of them.
‘Great Ming’s royal family is so generous?’
Even the top forces in the black lotus domain would not be able to produce so many obsidian essences. For the Black Tower Council that had been squeezed dry, it would be difficult for them to even bring out ten obsidian essences now. Where did Great Ming get the obsidian essences? Were the obsidian essences not monopolized by the White Tower Council?
“Pavilion Master Lu, to express my apologies, I hope you’ll accept these 100 obsidian essences as a compensation from Great Ming’s royal court…” Gongsun Yuanxuan said.
Lu Zhou waved his hand. The obsidian essences flew out in a row and landed neatly in front of him. When the time was right, he would choose a weapon to upgrade. Following that, he said, “I’ve always appreciated tactful people who know what’s good for them…”
Gongsun Yuanxuan sighed in relief before he added, “It’s not just that…”
“Oh?”
“There’s the blue crystal as well. Please accept it.” Gongsun Yuanxuan brought a brocade bag out from his sleeve before he brought the blue crystal out and respectfully presented it with both hands to Lu Zhou.
Lu Zhou looked at the blue crystal and nodded as he said, “I told you it’s fine to give me one or the other. Don’t you care that you’d suffer a great loss by giving me both of them?”
Gongsun Yuanxuan said, “As the saying goes, ‘Even an innocent man would be convicted for possessing a treasure’. The Great Void energy in the crystal is weak and can’t be absorbed. Rather than keeping it, I might as well do Pavilion Master Lu a favor. After discussing it with His Majesty, we decided to add the 100 obsidian essences as a sign of goodwill and friendship as well… I hope Pavilion Master Lu will accept them…”
Lu Zhou nodded and took the blue crystal.
“Second Avatar: collecting the blue crystals (4/9).”
There were still five blue crystals out there. Three of them were in Xiao Yunhe’s possession and two of them were in the purple lotus realm.
Lu Zhou felt more at ease sending Mingshi Yin to the purple lotus domain to retrieve the two crystals. He believed Mingshi Yin would have no problem bringing the two blue crystals back.
“Pavilion Master Lu, please take care of me in the future,” Gongsun Yuanxuan said.
“I will return the favor. The grudge between me and the Great Ming’s royal court is now written off,” Lu Zhou said. He was not a petty person, and there was no need to hold a grudge against Gongsun Yuanxuan. After all, it was a win-win situation for him.
“Thank you, Pavilion Master Lu. His Majesty has also asked me to convey a message. He wants me to invite Pavilion Master Lu to the capital for a gathering. I hope you don’t misunderstand His Majesty. Naturally, His Majesty should’ve come here to visit you, but His Majesty’s health isn’t very good so he can’t travel far. The closest runic passage to this place is also 1,000 meters away. I hope Pavilion Master Lu can forgive this transgression…”
“We’ll talk about this in the future…” Lu Zhou looked at the obsidian essence in front of him and asked, “Did Great Ming obtain an obsidian ore?”
Gongsun Yuanxuan revealed a sheepish expression on his face as he replied, “Over the past few years, we’ve been sending people to explore and excavate obsidian in the northern mountain range in Great Ming. These are all the obsidian essences that we refined over the past five years.”
“Aren’t obsidian ores and obsidian essences monopolized by the Black Tower Council?” Si Wuya asked.
“That was the case. Over the past few years, Tower Master Lan has focused more on finding a successor and rarely asked about the obsidian. Apart from that, the White Tower Council had been fighting the Black Tower Council as well. The royal court only took some obsidian essences from the Black Tower Council; they’re nothing to the Black Tower Council,” Gongsun Yuanxuan replied.
Lu Zhou nodded before he said, “I’m going to ask you a question, and you have to answer truthfully.”
“I’ll tell you everything I know. Pavilion Master Lu, please speak.”
Lu Zhou asked with a solemn expression. “You really don’t know the whereabouts of the other blue crystals?”
This matter was of great importance. Lu Zhou naturally treated it seriously.
Gongsun Yuanxuan did not dare to deceive Lu Zhou. He sighed before he said, “To tell you the truth, you should speak to the Black Emperor about this matter. In his early years, he searched everywhere for the blue crystals. Back then, among the survivors of the Great Void Expedition, most of them were from the black lotus domain. Apart from the red lotus domain, they implemented the captivity plan in another domain as well. However, this matter was kept confidential so no one knows which domain it is. We once sent powerful cultivators to the Endless Ocean to search for that domain, but they were lost at sea and could not be found. Humans are but a speck of dust in the vast world…”
Si Wuya said in surprise, “Even you don’t know which domain it was?”
Gongsun Yuanxuan shook his head.
Si Wuya smiled and said, “With Great Ming’s influence, I don’t believe you don’t have spies in Great Yuan.”
An awkward expression appeared on Gongsun Yuanxuan’s face before he said, “In the past, both sides did plant spies, but this method is getting more and more difficult. Sending ordinary people there as spies was difficult since they would not be able to infiltrate the upper management due to them being non-cultivators. However, it was impossible to send cultivators since it’s impossible to change the color of one’s avatar. To change the color of one’s avatars would require more than ten years of assimilation…”
Si Wuya said, “I believe what you said.”
“Thank you,” Gongsun Yuanxuan said before he turned to Lu Zhou and cupped his fists as he said, “Pavilion Master Lu, why are you looking for the blue crystals?”
“It has nothing to do with you,” Lu Zhou calmly replied.
“I don’t have any other intentions. If Pavilion Master Lu wants to obtain the Great Void energy, you can go to the Unknown Land to have a look. Since you’re able to collectively destroy the towers in the Black Tower Council and defeat Tower Master Lan, it shouldn’t be dangerous for you to go there. At that time, you can look for the place where Great Void Seeds grow and obtain more blue crystals,” Gongsun Yuanxuan explained.
Lu Zhou thought that Gongsun Yuanxuan had a point. Since the blue crystals were the crystallized soil from the Unknown Land, he could obtain the blue crystals easily by bringing the soil out. Unfortunately, his true cultivation base was only that of a Six Chart cultivator; would he not be courting death if he went to the Unknown Land now?
In the end, Lu Zhou said, “The blue crystals only crystallized from the soil of matured Great Void Seeds. Moreover, the Unknown Land is incredibly dangerous; there’s no need for me to take unnecessary risks.”
Gongsun Yuanxuan bowed and said, “Pavilion Master Lu’s frank words truly impress me. Very few people can be as frank as you. Many cultivators claimed their cultivation base is high and that they weren’t afraid of fierce beasts. However, after halfway through their time in the Unknown Land, they had to return. During the Great Void Expedition, several thousand cultivators traveled together and worked together; even then, they could barely survive. If one were to go alone, I’m afraid it would be incredibly dangerous.”
Si Wuya. “…”
Si Wuya thought Gongsun Yuanxuan’s flattery skills were on par with the elders from the Evil Sky Pavilion.
“Have you been to the unknown land?”
“I only entered halfway before I left. The Unknown Land’s environment was harsh. It was dark, making it difficult to see. Fierce beasts that were 100 meters long were a dime in a dozen. If only I can see the Great Void once, even if I die, I’ll die in peace,” Gongsun Yuanxuan said.
“Do you really believe in the existence of the Great Void?” Lu Zhou asked.
“Yes,” Gongsun Yuanxuan said. After a beat, he changed the topic and said, “If possible, Great Ming would like to cooperate with the Evil Sky Pavilion for a huge cause.”
‘So he’s finally entering the main point now…’ Lu Zhou thought to himself. Outwardly, he remained silent.
Gongsun Yuanxuan continued to say, “The White Tower Council is declining day by day; Tower Master Lan only has less than five years to live. Once she leaves, the White Tower Council will lose power. If the Evil Sky Pavilion and Great Ming join forces, even Mu Ertie and the Black Tower Council will have to retreat. His Majesty has said in exchange for the Evil Sky Pavilion’s cooperation, he’s willing to give up half of the obsidian ore. Great Ming will also give half of the life hearts we have.” He stopped speaking and looked at Lu Zhou, trying to see if he could read anything from Lu Zhou’s expression. Alas, Lu Zhou’s expression was as calm as still water; nary a ripple could be seen.
“Continue,” Lu Zhou said.
‘There’s hope?’ Gongsun Yuanxuan perked up immediately. He said with renewed enthusiasm, “Apart from that, there’s the treasure land. Great Ming is willing to share it with Pavilion Master Lu as well.”
“Tell me about it.” Lu Zhou’s interest was slightly piqued.
Gongsun Yuanxuan said, “Since ancient times, countless sages had been studying the origins of the heaven and earth shackles. They came up with all kinds of theories. Some thought the domains were originally one but were separated for some unknown reasons. Humans continued to study and explore before they slowly learned about the World Beyond the Heavens. Whether it’s the black, white, red, or golden lotus domains, they were all the same. Anyway, apart from these things, Great Ming discovered another place…”
Gongsun Yuanxuan paused for dramatic effect, wearing a proud expression on his face, before he said, “It was difficult to find that place. Without directions, one would fly on and on above the Endless Ocean with no end in sight. Every year, a large number of cultivators die in the Endless Ocean. However, half a year ago, we discovered a new place…” At this point, his voice grew solemn, “The people there are weak; they’re weaker than the golden lotus domain. Their cultivation bases are at the Six-leaf stage at most. However, there have been changes recently. Great Ming is ready to make a move. Pavilion Master Lu, are you interested?”
“…” Lu Zhou stared at Gongsun Yuanxuan and asked, “How many people know about this?”
“His Majesty, me, and the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets. Now, there are two additional people who are privy to this secret. This is also a show of our sincerity…”
Lu Zhou nodded inwardly. ‘Indeed. It’s very sincere. Unfortunately, you met the wrong person…’
Lu Zhou said, “I appreciate your sincerity, but… I have to tell you a cruel truth.”
“Please speak, Pavilion Master Lu.”
“The yellow lotus domain is my territory,” Lu Zhou said with a straight face.
“…”
Gongsun Yuanxuan’s expression stiffened. His brains were buzzing, and his fingers trembled uncontrollably. He wanted to refute Lu Zhou’s words, but when he heard the words ‘yellow lotus domain’, he knew Lu Zhou was telling the truth. After all, he did not mention the yellow lotus domain.
“This… This… This…” Gongsun Yuanxuan repeated this word thrice, not knowing what else to say.
Lu Zhou waved his sleeve and said, “I’ll take the obsidian essences and the blue crystal. I’m sure you know what to do about the yellow lotus domain. See the guest out.”
Si Wuya straightened his back and walked to Gongsun Yuanxuan, making an inviting gesture. “Please…”
Gongsun Yuanxuan shook his head and sighed. Did this mean Great Ming had to give up on the yellow lotus domain or go against the Evil Sky Pavilion? He could only turn around and leave.
After Gongsun Yuanxuan left, Lu Zhou frowned.
“The yellow lotus domain has been discovered. If Great Ming decides to make a move, it’ll be dangerous over there.”
Following that, Lu Zhou silently recited the mantra for the Heavenly Writing Power.
His eyes glowed blue, and the scene in front of him changed.
“Old Lu, do you think there’s something wrong with my cultivation? Why is there an extra leaf?” Zhu Honggong pointed at the avatar in front of him that had 11 leaves surrounding a halo at its back, clearly confused.
Lu Li said, “I don’t know, but I can sense that you’ve become stronger.”
“Stronger? I don’t feel it.”
“That’s because you’ve been eating every day and have gained weight. Unfortunately, my cultivation hasn’t recovered. Otherwise, I’d be able to spar with you. Without a strong opponent, you won’t be able to test the limit of your cultivation.”
Zhu Hong said with an unnatural expression, “Does this mean my avatar is deformed?”
Lu Li shook his head and thought about it before he said, “Don’t worry. According to the ancient books in the Lu clan, cultivators can sprout the eleventh leaf. However, only a few people know that they have to activate 12 Birth Charts first. However, it is strange that you’re able to sprout the eleventh leaf…”
Zhu Hong said with tears in his eyes, “If only my master is here!”
Lu Li frowned and said, “Hey, if I can’t figure this out, then your master has even less hope of figuring this out. Today, go to the forbidden ground to fight some powerful beasts. That way, we can figure out the limit of your strength!”
“You can go if you want, but I’m not going!” Zhu Honggong kept shaking his head.
“You must go.”
“I won’t go.”
“Your continuous breakthroughs have attracted the attention of the beasts. These changes increase the risk of the discovery of the yellow lotus domain. At that time, things will be out of your control,” Lu Li said.
As soon as Lu Li’s voice fell, Xu Wanqing ran in from outside. He fell on one knee and said, “Patriarch, His Majesty requests to see you.”
Zhu Honggong straightened his back immediately before he placed his hands on his back. Then, he cleared his throat and said in a dignified manner, “Request to see me?”
“His Majesty said that it’s important.”
“Who gave him the courage to order me around?” Zhu Honggong looked at Xu Wanqing.
“Well… I don’t know.”
Lu Li asked, “Did His Majesty say anything?”
“He said that’s an envoy from a foreign world, and his cultivation is profound…”
“Tell His Majesty the Patriarch will be there soon. You can leave now,” Lu Li said.
“Understood.”
After Xu Wanqing left, Zhu Honggong slumped against the chair immediately. “I’m so tired! I don’t know how senior brother is able to keep this up. I’m really tired!”
