30 miles were nothing to cultivators, especially to those in the Thousand Realms Whirling stage. It was not different from sticking together.
Lu Zhou recalled the scene when he saw Princess Mulberry again. It was hard to imagine she was one of the ten zombie kings. He could not even smell a hint of a zombie from her with the power of smell. Was there such a difference between the zombie kings? Princess Mulberry and Ying Gou were completely different.
It was abnormally quiet at the ring-shaped lake.
White cranes hovered above the surface of the lake near the giant mulberry tree. They looked scattered, but in fact, with a discerning eye, one would be able to see they were incredibly organized.
The ring-shaped lake was not big and was not particularly remarkable. In contrast, the beautiful and ancient giant mulberry tree was rather eye-catching. It did not look like it belonged in the Unknown Land.
Driven by his strong curiosity, Lu Zhou used the power of hearing and the power of smell. With the combination of these two abilities, he could cover a wide range with his senses.
The wind and grass in a radius of 1,000 meters were all within his perception.
‘Where’s she?’ Lu Zhou was puzzled.
The faint fragrance from the mulberry tree was similar to that of Princess Mulberry.
Lu Zhou continued searching for her, hoping to find his target as soon as possible. Alas, he did not find anything. There was no strange movement or smell in the vicinity of the mulberry tree.
‘No one? She’s really not here?’ Lu Zhou was further puzzled. When he thought about Princess Mulberry’s action back then, he thought she looked as though she had something to attend to.
Lu Zhou cut off the power of smell and the power of hearing before he turned to look at the Pillar of Destruction again.
At this moment…
Splash!
A figure broke through the surface of the sea, stirring up waves that reached the sky.
Lu Zhou turned around and saw the slender figure of Princess Mulberry.
Swoosh!
Her long dress, pale yellow and white, was like the bright moon. Her dress swirled before it turned into feathers in just an instant.
“…”
When she tucked them away, the feathers disappeared, returning to the unassuming form of a dress that fluttered in the wind.
The lake water decreased significantly.
Lu Zhou frowned as he thought to himself, ‘Even if she’s not a zombie, she’s not completely human.’
His frown deepened when he realized the system did not show her information.
After a moment, he looked up at the black fog. It was time to leave. Now that he had confirmed Princess Mulberry was here, he now had to think of a way to bring his disciples here to obtain the recognition from the Pillar of Destruction and activate the Great Void Seed.
Just as he was about to leave, a voice that contained a hint of a smile rang from the mulberry tree. The voice was calm but contained a hint of playfulness.
“Since you’re here, why don’t you come over and have a chat?”
“…”
Lu Zhou frowned. He was discovered in the end. Indeed, her cultivation base was not simple.
Under such circumstances, he did not have to use the power of concealment. After all, his disciples and the others from the Evil Sky Pavilion were not around. Even if he fought, he did not have to worry about hurting them.
Lu Zhou turned around and looked at the mulberry tree.
Princess Mulberry sat on a branch elegantly as she looked at Lu Zhou with a smile. She swayed her feet gently as she occasionally plucked the flowers from the tree.
Lu Zhou leaped on Whitzard’s back and flew toward the ring-shaped lake before coming to a stop about 100 meters away. Then, he calmly said, “Princess Mulberry?”
Princess Mulberry asked, “Were you the one hiding near the rift valley?”
“Hmm?”
“One of the white cranes smelled the scent of humans, but it couldn’t find anyone. You’re quite powerful,” Princess Mulberry said.
‘Is this how a zombie king should behave?’
Although Lu Zhou did not sense any hostility from her, he did not let his guard down. The more harmless a person looked, the more likely they were hiding something terrifying.
Lu Zhou asked, “You discovered me a long time ago?”
“Yes,” Princess Mulberry said with a smile, “I was in a hurry to return so I didn’t disturb you. Where are your companions?”
Lu Zhou asked, puzzled, “Why?”
Princess Mulberry let out a long sigh before she said, “I’m bored and lonely. I haven’t seen a living human being in a very, very long time…”
“….”
These words really sent chills up people’s spines.
“Is it true that you’re the daughter of the Red Emperor?” Lu Zhou asked.
Princess Mulberry’s smile vanished immediately as soon as Lu Zhou’s voice fell. Then, she stood up on the branch. Although the branch was very slender, it strangely could bear her weight. After a brief moment, she smiled again and said, “I hate this topic. Anyway, what’s your name?”
“My surname is Lu,” Lu Zhou replied.
“Oh,” Princess Mulberry asked again, “Why are you here?”
When she said, “Oh”, it reminded Lu Zhou of Little Yuan’er.
He answered truthfully, “The Pillar of Destruction.”
Princess Mulberry looked at the Pillar of Destruction and said, “It’s been a long, long time since a human was able to come close to this place. Why did you come to the Pillar of Destruction?”
It felt like she was interrogating him so he asked cautiously, “Are you a guardian of the Pillar of Destruction?”
“I’ve never cared about the Pillar of Destruction. Why do humans like creating and spreading rumors?”
“You don’t care about it?” Lu Zhou asked.
“I’ve never been a guardian of the pillar,” Princess Mulberry said.
“If you’re not a guardian of the pillar, then why are you here?” Lu Zhou asked.
A hint of melancholy appeared on Princess Mulberry’s face as she said, “I can’t leave this place; I can’t leave the Unknown Land. I’m really afraid of becoming old. I’m afraid one day I’ll become an old woman.”
As she spoke, she raised her hand to touch her jade-like cheek.
“…”
“Forget it. You should go your way, and I’ll go mine,” Lu Zhou said. When he was about to leave…
Swoosh!
The water in the lake soared into the sky before turning into pillars of ice that blocked Lu Zhou’s path.
“???”
Lu Zhou frowned.
Princess Mulberry leaped off the branch of the mulberry tree into the air with nimble movements. Then, she asked, “Do you want to live forever?”
Lu Zhou asked in confusion, “What do you mean?”
“Well, I think you’re a good person. Why don’t you stay here and be the master of this lake?”
“…”
“With a human around, I’ll have someone to talk to. My future days won’t be so boring anymore,” Princess Mulberry said. Then, she flew higher into the air before she continued to say, “Why don’t you think about it?”
Lu Zhou glanced at the ice pillars and said, “There’s no need to think about it. I’m not interested.”
“Not interested?” A disappointed expression appeared on Princess Mulberry’s face when she heard Lu Zhou’s words. She did not move for a long time as though she had been frozen.
“I still have many important matters to attend to. Moreover, it’s not possible to live forever,” Lu Zhou said.
“Who said that?!” Princess Mulberry shook her head vehemently. “I can!”
“You?”
“That’s right. Me!”
“Heaven and earth are eternal; time is endless. How can you be sure that you’ll live forever?” Lu Zhou asked.
Princess Mulberry waved her hand. The hem of her dress slowly fell into the lake. She said, “But I’ve been here for 100,000 years! 100,000 years! Isn’t that immortality?”
Lu Zhou looked at Princess Mulberry skeptically. He felt like he was talking to a little girl. Then, he said, “If you can answer a few questions, then I’ll admit it’s possible to live forever.”
“Ask then.”
“How long has the world existed?” Lu Zhou asked.
“This…” Princess Mulberry shook her head, indicating she did not know.
“Alright. Then, how high is the sky?”
“…” Princess Mulberry shook her head again.
“How deep is the land?”
“…”
Princess Mulberry was stumped by all three questions. She could only shake her head helplessly.
Lu Zhou said, “You’ve been here for 100,000 years. However, are you sure you’ll still be alive after 200,000, 300,000, or even 400,000 years later?”
Princess Mulberry was speechless. Her mood gradually sank. Like her mood, the lake roiled uneasily, and the ice pillars barring Lu Zhou’s path shattered.
Lu Zhou did not ask any more questions. Instead, he patted Whitzard.
Whitzard understood Lu Zhou’s intention and began to return to the way they came.
Lu Zhou thought to himself, ‘She’s just a gullible little girl. From this, it’s obvious that age and wisdom aren’t always directly proportional…’
“Wait a minute,” Princess Mulberry suddenly called out.
“Don’t stop,” Lu Zhou said to Whitzard in a low voice.
Whitzard increased its speed.
Princess Mulberry flew out, and her dress turned into wings in just an instant. She smiled happily as she said, “I’ve figured it out! You can stay here with me to verify the matter of my immortality!”
“…”
Swoosh!
Lu Zhou asked Whitzard to speed up. Just as he was about to leave the range of the lake…
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Icicles shot up into the sky.
Lu Zhou leaped off Whitzard’s back and flew into the sky.
Princess Mulberry arrived in front of Lu Zhou in just a blink of an eye. With a smile on her face, she reached out to grab Lu Zhou.
Lu Zhou pushed a hand out.
Bang!
A palm seal as big as the sky shot out, breaking the icicles before it crashed against Princess Mulberry’s small and exquisite hands. She flew back 100 meters immediately as she flipped in the air.
Since Lu Zhou did not sense any killing intent or hostility from her, he looked at her strangely and asked, “What are you doing?”
Princess Mulberry looked slightly aggrieved as she said indignantly, “You’re too fierce!”
“I’ve already said that I have no interest in your suggestion,” Lu Zhou said.
“Well, interest can be cultivated!” Princess Mulberry said determinedly.
Lu Zhou understood now. The girl in front of him looked harmless and pitiful, but she was in fact a high-level obsessive and unpredictable person!
“Do unto others as you would have others do unto you,” Lu Zhou said lightly, “If you dare to pester me again, don’t blame me for being merciless.”
“Oh… Okay…” Princess Mulberry’s disappointment was palpable at this moment. Her entire person turned listless. However, all of sudden, she lifted her head, seeming to regain life again, as she asked, “You really want to go to the Pillar of Destruction?”
“That’s right. Are you going to stop me?”
Princess Mulberry shook her head and said, “I have no interest in doing that.”
“That’s good.” Lu Zhou leaped back onto Whitzard’s back. When he turned back, he saw Princess Mulberry rubbing her hands together as though she was in pain.
Then, she said, “Fine, you can go! But let me tell you, none of the humans who went to the Pillar of Destruction in the past had a good ending! I won’t care about you when you call for help later!”
Lu Zhou was even happier that she would not meddle. He urged Whitzard and flew back.
…
Lu Zhou leaped off Whitzard’s back once he returned to the others.
Kong Wen ran over and asked, “How’s it, Pavilion Master?”
Lu Zhou clasped his hands on his back and said, “It’s a little troublesome.”
“…”
“There’s a large number of Void Chest tribesmen about a close distance away from the Pillar of Destruction. I’m afraid they came to seek revenge. Let everyone know about this, and we come up with a plan over the next few days.
“Understood.”
…
After three days.
Everyone from the Evil Sky Pavilion gathered.
Zhao Hongfu stepped forward and said, “Pavilion Master, I’ve completed the construction of the runic passage. However, it can only transport three people at most.”
The runic passage had been concealed after its construction. It was for future preparations.
“Very good,” Lu Zhou said to Zhao Hongfu before he said to the others, “Follow me.”
With that, the members of the Evil Sky Pavilion marched forward in a grand fashion.
When they arrived near the Void Chest tribesmen’s hiding spot, Lu Zhou raised a hand and said, “There are a huge number of them up ahead. Yu Zhenghai, Yu Shangrong, both of you will flank them from both sides. Clean them up.”
“Understood.”
“Hua Yexing, coordinate with them up in the sky on the left.”
“Understood.” Hua Yuezing held the Wind Spirit Bow and flew to the top left.
Then, Lu Zhou continued to lead the others forward. When they had advanced about 1,000 meters forward, from up ahead, they saw a huge number of Void Chest tribesmen swarming over. There were far more people than they had imagined.
At this time, the high priest, dressed in a long robe, held his scepter and flew up with the momentum of a thousand warhorses. His skin was like that of the bark of a tree. Apart from his eyes, he did not resemble humans at all. At this time, he said, “I’ve been waiting for you for a long time.”
“You’ve been waiting for me?” Lu Zhou furrowed his brows.
The high priest’s eyes shone with killing intent as he said, “You stupid and ugly human! What happened in Transient City was your doing, right?”
“That’s right,” Lu Zhou replied honestly.
The high priest nodded slightly. “You dare to admit your mistakes. You are much smarter than the other humans.”
“Kill them!”
“Kill them!”
The other Void Chest tribesmen began to shout.
One Void Chest tribesman leaped up and shouted passionately, “I really don’t understand why the heavens created such ugly creatures like the humans! Look, their chests are without holes, and they’re so short! They’re an insult to my aesthetics!”
“…”
These words really made Lu Zhou and the others feel speechless. Indeed, it was difficult for different species to share common aesthetics.
At this time, Lu Wu stomped on the ground and leaped into the air. Its eyes flashed coldly and it bared its fangs before it said, “Lowly reptiles and ants! Face my wrath!”
Boom!
As soon as Lu Wu landed, thousands of Void Chest tribesmen were sent flying by the shockwave. It swept its body to the side, easily flattening everything within 1,000 meters.
The high priest flew higher into the sky. At this time, the scepter in his hand began to glow. Soon enough, the light turned into strands of light that shot into the holes in the chests of the Void Chest tribesmen who were sent flying. It was like he was threading a thread through a needle hole. With just a flick of his wrist, he pulled thousands of Void Chest tribesmen back up..
