“I can help you,” Lu Yun sighed. “But I will immediately retreat if we run into insurmountable danger. I won’t lay down my life for you.”
“It’ll be enough for you to take me to Dragonhollow Mountain and help me get inside!” Dragon Butterfly quickly agreed.
“I was coming here to borrow some of your strength. But since you’ve broken free of your body, you won’t be able to do that anymore,” grumbled a glum Lu Yun while Dragon Butterfly smiled sheepishly.
“Ah right, Redbud King, the Moon King is causing some issues in Starspace Region. She’s already killed the Starspace King and is most likely coming for you.” He suddenly recalled why he was here.
“I know.” Gravity tinged Redbud’s expression when they spoke of the Moon King. “The Moon King possesses a terrifying weapon that makes me tremble when I’m close to her. If it wasn’t for your help last time, I might’ve truly died from her attacks.”
She was still afraid when they mentioned that particular king.
“The Moon King ran off too quickly. I would’ve smashed her flat with a claw otherwise,” Dragon Butterfly sidled up to them in a small voice.
Lu Yun shrugged and didn’t respond. What’d actually happened last time was that he’d called upon the dragon’s power to scare off the Moon King and the others.
“And, do you still mean what you said to me?” Dragon Butterfly continued in a tiny voice. “I can sense a certain… ahem on your body!”
She coughed dryly and threw him a knowing look. She’d been half asleep when Lu Yun displayed the power of the fourth realm to her, but she’d remembered it since. It was the reason for her lending her dragon strength and why she chose to have him accompany her to Dragonhollow Mountain. There was no doubt that this human was capable of doing so and help her gain the dragon ancestral blood as well.
Reaching the level of the fourth realm was no laughing matter.
Dragon Butterfly had managed to keep her cool during the conversation, but she could restrain herself no longer after Lu Yun mentioned the Moon King.
“Of course, my word is my bond.” Lu Yun nodded and looked back at her. “So how do we resolve the matter of the Moon King?”
“I’m just a puny seventh step king at the moment, what can I do?” Dragon Butterfly regarded the situation with helpless annoyance. Her primary body was very strong, but it was so strong that she couldn’t move it. With a certain Hongmeng rule constraining it, it now eluded her direct control.
She’d instantly become a seventh step king when her true spirit reincarnated into a Redbud Butterfly and subsequently received the title of Dragon King from the Hongmeng Tower. It was because of this title that her thoughts turned to the ancestral blood in Dragonhollow Mountain.
“The Moon King can crush me with a single finger if she uses her full strength against me. Well, no, she can’t do anything to me and Redbud while we remain in the Redbud Plains. That means we’ll be targeted as soon as we set foot outside the region!” Dragon Butterfly furrowed her brows, looking very much like a miniature adult.
She’d dominated the Hongmeng in the days before the Ten Valleys of Evil and Immortal Region. There was none older than her if one spoke of old freaks.
“Good thing that Redbud here was a silly one and never caused any karmic repercussions outside of Redbud Region. There’s nothing that the Moon King can use.” Dragon Butterfly stroked her tender chin. “Her only tie is to you! So actually, I think that the Moon King’s primary goal is you! If she can lure you to Starspace Region and capture you, she’ll be able to use you as bait for me and Redbud.”
“I do know a few people in Starspace Region, but I’m not great friends with any of them.” A few faces flashed through Lu Yun’s mind—Miao Qimiao, Luo Shanshan, and some others. If the Moon King really was overturning Starspace Region for him, then they should still be alive.
As an unparalleled ghost king, the Moon King had taken pains to conceal herself all this time and lay careful plans in Starspace Region. Her sudden flurry of activity, killing the Starspace King, and setting boundless vicious ghosts on the region must be the result of certain outside influences.
The tremendous treasure that the Redbud King sensed wasn’t an item, but the Moon King’s masked power.
“Alright, let me proceed to Starspace Region first and bring my people back. We’ll decide where to go from there.” After some consideration, Lu Yun felt that the Redbud King and Dragon Butterfly would be perfectly safe as long as they remained within Redbud Region.
The Redbud King commanded one hundred and eight thousand formations that called upon the big dragon in the mountain. She could easily slay ninth step kings in home territory.
“You must be careful…” Redbud looked at Lu Yun and bit back the rest of her words. Instead, she waved a hand. “Here are thirty million premium crystal veins. These are all the crystal veins that we can currently spare from the mountain.”
Her master stared at her with wide eyes, but couldn’t say anything to refute her actions. Dragon Butterfly had just promised the entire mountain in return for Lu Yun’s help. If she refused to give him even thirty million premium crystal veins now, then everything she’d said before would be a joke.
“Very well, I will accept this. We set out for Dragonhollow Mountain when I return from Starspace Region!” Lu Yun put away the crystal veins without hesitation. This was an unfathomable sum of wealth in the Hongmeng!
This wasn’t thirty million pieces or fifteen million kilograms, but thirty million crystal veins!
It wouldn’t be hyperbole to label him as the richest man in the realm now.
As wealthy as the Redbud King was, she couldn’t use any of her purple crystals and thus had never bothered to excavate the mines. Of course, she possessed far more than this, but the remainder was required to safeguard Redbud Mountain and power the formations that Lu Yun had set up.
This was all that she could do without.
……
“Autumn King, remain here to protect Redbud Region. Kill any suspicious character or powerhouse who comes.” Lu Yun summoned the Autumn King when he left the territory.
“Understood!” The Autumn King vanished into the void.
Dragon Butterfly and Redbud shared very similar personalities; peace of mind was impossible for Lu Yun when those two blithe characters roamed the land. Ninth step kings couldn’t break his formations directly, but if someone like the Wild Formation King slipped inside the region, then all of Lu Yun’s formations and layouts might as well not exist.
With the vastness of the realm, there was certainly more than one personage like the Wild Formation King around. He was also the Wild Formation King and not the general Formation King.
……
Cloudruin Region neighbored Starspace Region and was part of the route from Starspace to Redbud Region. Since vicious ghosts had overrun Starspace, those of Cloudruin spent their days in fear.
A massive wall had been built between the cities along Cloudruin’s border to defend against the enemy.
The vicious ghosts hadn’t fully conquered Starspace Region since there were still pockets of resistance, but the ghosts couldn’t be bothered with the handful of cultivators and turned to Cloudruin Region instead.
The first major city they would encounter—Cloudexit City—was ready for battle. Though its city lord was just a first step king, the Dawn King was wholly unafraid when facing the vicious ghosts; he often led skirmishes against the enemy.
Dressed in opulent robes, Lu Yun arrived at Cloudexit City with just his sword.
