Nan Li would rather be tortured than watch the platforms on Southern Split Mountain fall. They were the symbols of Southern Split Mountain and key structures of the place. Many cultivators liked to discuss the Dao here, and they liked the platforms. Without the platforms, it was no different from Southern Split Mountain collapsing.
Lu Zhou looked at the horizon. Then, he said, “We have an agreement. The true fire has been subdued by me. How can I return it to you?”
“This…” Nan Li could only say pleadingly, “Without the true fire, Southern Split Mountain will probably… I know I’ve made a promise, but I only wish Brother Lu will help me.”
“I didn’t say I won’t help you,” Lu Zhou said.
Nan Li was overjoyed. He nodded and said excitedly, “Good, very good! The true fire, true fire…”
Xuanyi frowned. “Divine King Nan Li, I think you’ve inhaled too much of the fumes from the true fire. Pavilion Master Lu agreed to help you, but he didn’t say he’ll return the true fire to you.”
“Uh… I misunderstood.” Nan Li looked embarrassed.
Lu Zhou looked at the converging clouds in the sky and explained, “It’s the effect of the temperature change.”
“What?” Nan Li was perplexed.
“I can’t explain. Just watch patiently,” Lu Zhou said.
After transmigrating, Lu Zhou would sometimes lose himself and forget where he came from. Sometimes, he would be very clear-headed. From time to time, familiar images would appear in his mind. As time passed, the images gradually turned blurry until he could no longer remember much of the past. All that was left was regret.
Swoosh!
Torrential rain fell from the sky.
Xuanyi and Nan Li looked surprised.
“It’s been many years since it last rained. I didn’t expect it to rain as soon as the southern true fire leaves. Is this going to destroy my Southern Split Mountain?”
Rain was expected under extreme temperature change.
The flowers, plants, and trees that lived in summer all year round were almost destroyed by the cold torrential rain.
When Nan Li saw this, his expression was naturally bad.
When Lu Zhou saw this, he asked, “Why worry about the auspicious rain?”
“Auspicious rain?” Nan Li swore he really did not see what was so auspicious about this rain. Everything was clearly battered beyond recognition by the rain. It was not an exaggeration to say that hundred flowers were withering.
“How can one see the rainbow without the wind and the rain?” Lu Zhou said. His protective energy kept the rain at bay as he looked up at the sky with his hands on his back. He sighed emotionally at this sentence that he heard often when he was a child.
“Well said!” Xuanyi, the loyal fan, said, “It’s only natural that the disappearance of the true fire will disrupt things here for a while. However, new things won’t come if the old things are around. Don’t feel nostalgic about the past; you must look to the future. After the rain, you will see the sun again!”
Nan Li looked at the sky as well.
The rain continued to fall.
Zhang He and the others, who were standing behind, were shocked by the rain as well.
The formations continued to flicker. The platforms looked as though they were on the verge of collapse.
Zhang He, who saw this, added fuel to the fire. “Are they going to fall?”
Nan Li said, “They’re not going to fall.”
“The fluctuations of the formations are very intense. Under these circumstances, it’s hard not to fall. Divine King Nan Li, you’re truly very optimistic,” Zhang He continued to say.
Nan Li coughed twice. ‘Steady! Keep your state of mind steady!’
Nan Li said, filled with forced conviction, “A rainbow will appear after the rain!”
Zhang He said, “A great flood can also come after the rain.”
“…”
Lu Zhou turned around to look at Zhang He with a complicated expression. Then, he turned to look at Xuanyi. His expression seemed to say, ‘This is your subordinate, the Commander of Xuanyi Hall? With a friend like this, do you even need enemies?’
Xuanyi hurriedly said, “Don’t talk nonsense.”
Zhang He came to his senses and bowed. “I was just speaking nonsense. I hope Divine King Nan Li won’t take offense. You’re right. After the rain, there’ll always be a rainbow.”
It was unknown how much time had passed. The group stood at the mountain pass for a long time.
Since Lu Zhou had taken the true fire, he would not just leave. Although he had an agreement with Nan Li, he still did not want Southern Split Mountain to collapse because of the absence of the southern true fire. Moreover, if one showed respect to him, he would also respond in kind. It had always been his way of doing things.
“The rain has stopped.”
Everyone looked at the sky.
The platforms were still swaying. Although they did not fall, the promised rainbow did not appear as well. Southern Split Mountain was in a mess after the rain.
Zhang He could not help himself and poured another bucket of ice water on Nan Li. “The formations are weakening. I’m afraid the situation is not good.”
Nan Li turned to Lu Zhou again and said, “Pavilion Master Lu, please return the true fire.”
“It’s still too early to decide. Just watch carefully.”
Swoosh!
Lu Zhou flew to the center of the platforms between the south and north, hovering between heaven and earth.
Xuanyi, Nan Li, and Zhang He looked at Lu Zhou in confusion, not knowing what he was going to do.
Then, Lu Zhou brought out the Pillar of Impermanence.
Golden light flashed.
“Infinite-grade!” Nan Li exclaimed in surprise.
The Pillar of Impermanced, brimming with spirituality, was like a mountain-stabilizing pillar at this moment as it stabbed into the ground.
Boom!
Lu Zhou mobilized his Primal Qi and the divine power and imbued them into the Pillar of Impermanence. The power of healing from the Heavenly Writing and the surging vitality from the Pillar of Impermanence swept out in all directions rapidly. As golden lotuses bloomed, everything was brought back to life. The withered flowers bloomed, and the trees began to grow.
“What a good technique!” Xuanyi exclaimed.
“This….” A complicated expression flitted across Nan Li’s face as he said, “Why does it feel like he’s… he’s… Who is it?”
Xuanyi nodded. “That’s right. You have a discerning eye. Pavilion Master Lu is an expert I met while I traveled east of the Endless Ocean to the Lost Land.”
With this interruption, Nan Li nodded. “No wonder!”
‘No wonder Great Divine King Xuanyi treats him in such a manner!’
Realization also dawned on Zhang He. ‘No wonder! It seems like His Majesty has long known him!’
As the enormous vitality energy restored all things, Lu Zhou suddenly waved his hand.
Boom!
The Pillar of Impermanence dislodged itself from the ground and flew into the sky. Then, it began to spin. The divine power began to restore the formations, covering a radius of 30 miles.
Before long, the platforms stopped shaking as the formations stabilized.
After Lu Zhou put away the Pillar of Impermanence, the clouds had already begun to disperse. At the same time, sunlight shone from between the clouds as a dazzling rainbow appeared in the sky. The rainbow had emerged after the storm. Southern Split Mountain looked like a scene out of a painting.
Everyone watched in a daze.
Xuanyi flew up and looked down.
Nan Li, Zhang He, and the others flew up as well. They sighed emotionally as they took in the scenery before them.
It was just as Lu Zhou had said: After the rain, the rainbow would appear.
After losing the southern true fire, Southern Split Mountain had been reborn, and it was not inferior to the past.
What surprised Nan Li the most was the Primal Qi in Southern Split Mountain was even richer and purer than before. He greedily breathed in the fresh and Primal Qi. He could not help but mobilized his Primal Qi to cultivate. He felt as though his Eight Extraordinary Meridians had been refreshed.
Nan Li was a divine king. How could he not understand the negative effects of the southern true fire? However, he was also human. It was difficult for him to overcome human nature.
Lu Zhou asked, “Are you satisfied?”
“Yes, yes… I’m very satisfied.”
After the change, it was only a matter of time before Southern Split Mountain rose to a higher level.
Nan Li bowed to Lu Zhou and said, “Brother Lu, I don’t know what to say to express my gratitude.”
Xuanyi raised his hand and said, “Divine Lord Nan Li, even I am embarrassed to address Pavilion Master Lu as brother.”
“Yes, yes, yes. Please forgive me, Pavilion Master Lu,” Nan Li said. He was just trying to get close to Lu Zhou.
Lu Zhou said, “I’ll take the southern true fire.”
“May I ask what Pavilion Master Lu intends to do with the true fire?” Nan Li asked curiously.
