Lu Yun tugged the little fox along in his wake and deployed the Wandering Step, stopping after several millions of kilometers in pursuit of the Treasurehunter Rat.
A barren landscape greeted the eye; there was no sign of habitation to be seen anywhere or anything that was worthy of extra scrutiny. The rat was crouched on a rock and completely still, his small, beady eyes widened extra large.
“Is the treasure below?” Lu Yun picked up the rat and was taken aback when the rat dug his claws into the rock and brought it up as well.
“…is it this rock?” Lu Yun swiftly calibrated his expectations.
The Treasurehunter Rat bobbed his head rapidly and offered up the rock with both foreclaws, somehow exuding the air that this was a momentous occasion. He squeaked loudly in incessant chatter.
“What’s he saying?” Lu Yun looked at the little fox.
The little fox took over the rock and squeezed it gently.
Crack!
The rock that was six meters wide immediately crumbled away, releasing a tiny point of purple light.
Brilliant iridescence shot for the firmament, but Lu Yun was prepared. A formation intercepted the explosion of light the moment it started to rise. However, it was so strong that it still flew dizzyingly upward for fifty kilometers.
Gradually, the purple brilliance gave way to a key that looked like it’d been carved out of premium purple crystal.
“What is this?” Lu Yun took the key with a slight frown.
“This is…” gasped the little fox and she goggled at the item. “This is the key to opening the Hongmeng Tower!”
She clapped her hands over her mouth when she said Hongmeng Tower and started shaking. The tower was the singular greatest treasure of the realm and the maker of kings in the Hongmeng! When one’s battle strength reached the level of a titled king, power from the Hongmeng Tower would descend from the sky to bestow a title upon the cultivator.
The tower’s origins were very mysterious and no one knew where it’d come from. It had existed for as long as the Hongmeng was old.
Premier kings in the realm sought to smash through the barrier around the Hongmeng so they could enter the fourth realm. As the stories went, the Hongmeng Tower was critical to piercing through the barrier.
“Possessing the key of the Hongmeng Tower means that we can open the tower and enter it!” The little fox trembled like a leaf. “If Lu Qing can enter the tower, his strength will undoubtedly leap forward into another level!”
“Another level?” Lu Yun looked at the little fox. She seemed to know a lot, and not all of her knowledge came from the memories that their son had returned to her.
“Do you remember the eleven creation seeds?” The little fox took a deep breath to regain her calm before continuing in an even pace, “The strongest eleven of the Hongmeng are behind those seeds. Whether it’s the rulers of the Ten Evils, the Enforcer Alliance, or someone like the Redbud King—none of them are even close to the eleven.
“If Lu Qing can enter the tower, then his strength will reach that level too!” Excitement brimmed in her eyes and now she shook from elation.
“What about Hong?” Lu Yun asked. “What level of being is he?”
“Hong?” The little fox paused, then shook her head. “I don’t know.”
Lu Yun nodded and put the key away. Suddenly, the Treasurehunter Rat’s fur stood on end and he darted into Lu Yun’s arms, shuddering from horror.
“That’s my territory,” the little fox remarked unpleasantly to the rat.
Lu Yun pulled on the little fox’s sleeve—a figure had appeared before them at some point. It was a young woman in a blue silk dress and a light face veil.
The Purecloud King.
“To think that you two would leave Ancient Beast City! If I kill you, that Immortal King or whatever will be very sad, won’t he?” Hatred burned in her eyes as she stared fixedly at Lu Yun and the little fox.
She’d been drawn here by the purple light that’d soared into the skies, but that wasn’t important anymore. Seeking vengeance for the Ancient Beast King was her most ardent desire. Now that Ancient Beast City had been renamed to the City of Immortals, everyone regarded the Meteorite King as the Immortal King.
“That’s right, the king will die if we die.” Lu Yun nodded. “But are you so sure that you can kill us?”
Whoosh!
The Purecloud King blurred into motion as soon as he responded. She raised a hand to slap down at the two, her speed unnaturally fast. Lu Yun didn’t even have time to complete a thought before the terrifying palm strike reached their heads.
Boom!
A mushroom cloud rose into the air and reached even the City of Immortals several millions of kilometers away. The Purecloud King grunted and quickly shuffled a few steps back, her mouth dropping with incredulous shock.
A willowy shape had appeared next to her two targets—an uncommonly beautiful woman dressed in purple chiffon.
“Oof, this is the Purecloud King of Ancient Beast City in the Kaleidoscopic Region. How did you guys get on her bad side? Thank goodness my primary body came again this time, or you two would be dead without a doubt.” The Redbud King shook out her right hand and turned her head to Lu Yun and the little fox.
She was feeling a bit of the blow as the Purecloud King had struck with almost full strength.
“The Redbud King!” gasped a dismayed Purecloud. Never in her wildest dreams would she have thought that this king would suddenly appear!
Naturally, she didn’t understand why Redbud had left her territory and traveled to the Kaleidoscopic Region.
Kaleidoscopic kings rarely paid attention to events outside of the territory. It was only because Redbud’s name was well known throughout the Kaleidoscopic Region that Purecloud knew of her. There’d once been Kaleidoscopic kings who challenged Redbud because they wanted her territory, but she’d beaten all of them to death.
With her strength, she had the right to own a city or two in the region.
“Run!” The Purecloud King vanished as a streak of light in the next second.
“Well, she’s fast.” The Redbud King wasn’t inclined to chase after Purecloud. Instead, she turned to Lu Yun and the little fox.
“We killed the Ancient Beast King and took over the city. I’m the city lord of Ancient Beast City now.” Lu Yun rubbed his nose with some embarrassment.
She stared at him for quite some time. “You… you two really are…” The proper description wasn’t forthcoming.
“Wait, there’s also some strange energy ripples lingering here.” She frowned and looked hesitantly at the two again.
Lu Yun’s heart skipped a beat. The key to the Hongmeng Tower!
She must’ve discovered it, and I can’t guarantee she’ll remain on our side when it comes to a treasure like this one!
“It’s a key to the Hongmeng Tower.” The Redbud King’s expression took a turn for the worse. “If I’d known that you’d gotten one of those, I would’ve chased down Purecloud and killed her.
“You need to protect that key well. There are eleven keys to the tower and only when all eleven appear at the same time can the tower be unlocked. Ah, don’t worry, I have one myself.
“There’s no difference between owning one and owning two.” Redbud stretched out her hand and opened it to show a key glowing with a purple haze.
Btw, juuuuust FYI Kaleidoscopic Region will be changed to Multitude Region sometime in a later chapter. I named the same thing twice *facepalm*. You’ll see me spazzing in one of the notes way later on.
