Everyone turned to look at the person sitting at the head of the table.
No sadness or joy could be seen on her exquisite face at all. She raised her head before she asked, “Where’s Ning Wanqing?”
“Judge Ning went to the golden lotus domain to investigate the deaths of the whiteguards. He said he’ll be going to the Southern Kingdom as well…”
“Hmm…” The woman glanced at the people around the table before she said, “Bring back Ying Zhao’s life heart no matter what.”
“Understood.”
The woman did not continue speaking. She slowly rose to her feet, revealing her slender figure. Her figure and her long silky blue hair added to her charm. She walked out of the hall that was located in a white tower that was 10,000 feet tall.
The tower was so tall that it pierced through the clouds and into the sky. If one looked down from the very top, the land looked as though they were covered in snow.
…
Three days passed in just a blink of an eye.
The weather was as gloomy as usual in the red lotus domain’s Southern Kingdom. No one knew why the sun was hidden by the gray clouds all year round.
At this time, Lu Zhou had already completely recovered his supreme mystic power.
Suddenly, he smelled a faint fragrance.
“Did my sense of smell really grow so strong?”
He rose to his feet and left the rundown house, following the trail of the fragrance. Soon enough, he saw a few blackguards sitting around a fire, eating and barbecuing. It did not take a genius to figure out that the fragrant came from here.
At this moment, Xiao Yunhe walked over and greeted Lu Zhou. “Brother Lu…”
A sour and rotten smell assaulted Lu Zhou’s nose immediately. ‘How long has it been since he last took a bath? So this is the effect of the seventh Heavenly Writing Power? Heightened sense of smell?’
Initially, Lu Zhou thought this power was incredibly useless, but he was slowly changing his mind when he wondered if he could smell auras and energies as well. In the cultivation world, many people would try to hide their auras to deceive others. However, it was impossible to conceal the smell of auras. He wondered if he could distinguish a person’s cultivation base through smell? Currently, he was not actively using the power of smell, and his sense of smell was just heightened due to the after-effect. Without using the power of smell, everything he smelled was categorized as fragrant or smelly. If he used the power of smell, would he be able to smell auras and energies?
With this, Lu Zhou silently recited the mantra for the new Heavenly Writing Power.
‘From a hundred fragrances of dawn, one can discern Qi and the difference in its viscosity. Even the slightest detail will not be missed. One can detect the smell, from any city or realm, as though one is there.’
In just a blink of an eye, a cooling sensation like that of mint rushed into his nose. Following that, he smelled the fragrance of cold wine from Xiao Yunhe.
‘Is this the smell of his cultivation base?’
Every cultivator was unique in the cultivation world. Even if two people learned from the same master and cultivated the same cultivation method, the results would still be different in the end. Therefore, every cultivator’s aura was unique as well.
“Brother Lu?” Xiao Yun called out when he saw Lu Zhou lost in his thoughts.
Lu Zhou snapped back to his senses and asked, “Xiao Yunher, you’re the former Tower Master of the Black Tower Council?”
Xiao Yunhe was slightly startled. The old man in front of him finally remembered to ask this question! He nodded with a hint of pride as he said, “However, that’s all in the past. There’s no need to mention it.”
“Alright. Then, I won’t mention it anymore,” Lu Zhou said as he turned around after placing his hands on his back. After all, Xiao Yunhe had lost five Birth Charts; it was not appropriate to rub salt in Xiao Yunhe’s wound. He walked away, intending to check Yu Zhenghai and Yu Shangrong’s auras.
Xiao Yunhe. “…”
…
Lu Zhou hovered in the air as he looked at Yu Zhenghai and Yu Shangrong.
As he looked at Yu Shangrong’s avatar absorbing the life heart, he silently recited the incantations for the new Heavenly Writing Power again.
He smelled something mysterious and indescribably from Yu Shangrong, and his heart skipped a beat. “Is this the smell of the Great Void?”
Lu Zhou wondered what he would discover if he used both the power of smell and the power of sight from the Heavenly Writing at the same time. Previously, he had only used the power of sight to observe Yu Shangrong and Yu Zhenghai from afar; he had never used the power of sight to study them in person.
Lu Zhou did not hesitate and hurriedly recited the mantra for the power of sight. The blue energy that shone in his eyes seemed even more distinct against the gloomy backdrop of the Southern Kingdom.
He noticed that Yu Shangrong and Yu Zhenghai’s auras were rather similar with just slight differences.
Yu Shangrong’s aura was gentle and elegant like a breeze.
On the other hand, Yu Zhenghai’s aura circulated churned tyrannically like a storm.
His two disciples’ auras had one thing in common: their auras churned around their bodies in harmony with the heaven and earth’s essence in the surroundings. When the heaven and earth’s energy flowed into their Dantians’ seas of Qi, it fused perfectly with their Primal Qis.
‘No wonder so many people covet the Great Void energy.’
Lu Zhou cut off the Heavenly Writing Powers. The only use he could think of the new power for now was for tracking and to distinguish cultivation bases.
He discovered the consumption of supreme mystic power for the power of smell was not as exaggerated compared to the power of sight. This meant he could use the power of smell for a longer time.
…
In the evening.
Yu Shangrong reported to Si Wuya that they were safe and sound, telling him not to worry.
Si Wuya and the people from the Evil Sky Pavilion continued staying in the capital while no one knew where Mingshi Yin was at the moment since he had left for the Southern Kingdom.
…
A month passed in just a blink of an eye.
The tranquility in the Southern Kingdom was finally broken.
Xiao Yunhe and Wu Chao appeared outside the rundown house that Lu Zhou had been staying in at this moment. During the past month, the duo had been busy moving around the area to investigate while the others cultivated.
“Brother Lu, there are movements about a hundred miles southwest of the Southern Kingdom.”
Upon hearing these words, Lu Zhou emerged from the rundown house. “Is it Ying Zhao?”
Wu Chao replied, “I’m not sure if it’s Ying Zhao. I can only confirm that the Black Tower Council and the White Tower Council have sent a large number of cultivators here. Apart from that, the people from Great Yuan’s royal court and the Dark and Light Alliance are here as well…”
“Your black lotus domain is sure enthusiastic,” Lu Zhou remarked casually.
“The turnout isn’t surprising since it’s related to Ying Zhao,” Xiao Yunhe said. “To tell you the truth, I also want Ying Zhao’s life heart. After all, it can help me regain my Birth Charts.”
‘Do you think I don’t know you want Ying Zhao’s life heart?’ Despite his thought, Lu Zhou’s expression remained the same as he asked, “It has such miraculous effects?”
“That’s right.” Xiao Yunhe nodded. Then, he said with a sigh, “Initially, I plan to use the conflict between the Black Tower Council and the White Tower Council to my advantage and obtain Ying Zhao’s life heart. However… I think it’d be difficult now. Brother Lu, I’m afraid that you and I have no fate with this life heart.”
Lu Zhou nodded. “That’s right. You don’t have fate with the life heart.”
“…”
At this moment, in the distant horizon, cultivators, numbering in the thousands, appeared one after another.
Xiao Yunhe pointed and said, “They’re from the Humble White Sect…”
“The Humble White Sect?”
“The white lotus domain isn’t like the black lotus domain. The forces in the black lotus domain are divided, and each of them has internal strife. On the other hand, white lotus cultivators are more united. After the White Tower Council, the Humble White Sect has the highest number of members. As its name suggests, the cultivators were mostly born in poverty. Due to the members’ similar backgrounds, they’re very united. Unfortunately, despite the high number of members, there are very few experts among them. Perhaps, it’s due to their humble beginnings. After all, those who were born in privilege would have a head start. The Black Tower Council thinks of them as a rag-tag bunch.”
The white figures continued to flash in the sky toward the southwest.
“What other factions are here? Who has the highest cultivation base?” Lu Zhou asked.
Wu Chao shook his head and said, “The judges from the Black Tower Council and the White Tower Council must have come as well. A small number of sectless cultivators are probably here as well. Apart from that, a group of red lotus cultivators who don’t know the immensity of heaven and earth came as well, but I scared them away. They were really blindly courting death by coming here. As for the person with the highest cultivation base… If the Tower Masters of the Black Tower Council and the White Tower Council come as well, they’ll surely have no less than 12 Birth Charts.”
Lu Zhou nodded and looked in the southwest direction. “I’m determined to obtain Ying Zhao’s life heart. Di Jiang.”
Squawk!
Di Jiang ran out of the house and came to a stop in front of Lu Zhou. It lowered its wings respectfully, allowing its master to climb on its back.
At this time, Yu Shangrong and Yu Zhenghai who had heard the commotion rushed over.
“Master.”
Lu Zhou glanced at Yu Zhenghai and Yu Shangrong. He discovered Yu Shangrong’s aura had gotten much stronger. He asked, “Did you use up all the life hearts?”
Yu Shangrong nodded and was about to apologize when Lu Zhou said, “There’s no need for that. The life hearts were meant for your use anyway.”
Xiao Yunhe looked at Yu Shangrong in surprise and asked, “You can really absorb the life hearts?”
“It’s just luck,” Yu Shangrong replied.
“Strange. I’ve tried this method before, but I can’t absorb it.” Xiao Yunhe was puzzled.
“Since you have more Birth Charts, it’s much more difficult for your Birth Palace to absorb it,” Yu Zhenghai said.
“Perhaps.” Xiao Yunhe sighed.
Lu Zhou leaped onto Di Jiang’s back and looked in the southwest direction before he looked at everyone and said, “The path ahead is fraught with danger. There are many experts. Those who are afraid can choose not to come. I won’t force you…”
Yu Zhenghai and Yu Shangrong did not hesitate and flew up into the sky immediately.
Xiao Yunhe said, “Since Brother Lu is determined, I’ll accompany you to the end.”
