Out of the ten surviving potentates, there were a few like the Ignis Potentate who hadn’t left for other lands. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to, but that it was too humiliating to flee at this time.
They were the pillars of their nations and worshiped on a daily basis by their citizens. Their people would sense it if they weren’t physically in the divine nation. Plus, hadn’t Lu Yun said that he would let bygones be bygones? They just needed to refrain from causing trouble for him in the future.
Thus, the Ignis Potentate never entertained the thought that Lu Yun would come for him first after the young man became a potentate. He suspected that the Immortal Potentate would be able to pierce through the Hongmeng barrier even without the two dragons in his current situation.
The new potentate just didn’t want to leave the third realm yet.
“Don’t be scared,” Lu Yun smiled in a friendly manner as he sat down across from the Ignis Potentate. “I’m not here to kill you.”
“Who said I’m scared?!” The potentate nearly spat out a mouthful of blood. How long had it been since someone dared talk to him like this?? Don’t be scared?! He was a noble and mighty potentate, the god of a divine nation!
“Right you are, you’re not scared. We both agree that you’re not scared,” Lu Yun chuckled.
Steam puffed out of the Ignis Potentate’s ears, but he remained cautious. He… really was a little scared.
Lu Yun had only mentioned it because he’d seen the trace of fear in the potentate’s emotions.
“Give me the Fire Virtue Orb that you received from the Starfire King.”
The potentate heaved a sigh of relief when he heard Lu Yun’s words. As lovely as treasures were, staying alive was the most important.
Still, this stung a bit.
There was already a budding life form in the Fire Virtue Orb. If he hatched it with his dao rules and refined it into his replica, he would be able to seize the fire virtue power within and have a chance of breaking through to the fourth realm.
As mild as Lu Yun seemed on the surface, the Ignis Potentate could clearly sense a hint of pressure hidden deep within the young man’s expression. If he dared say no, Lu Yun would immediately kill him and retrieve the orb.
The Ignis Potentate brought out the Fire Virtue Orb without another word.
Thanks to the True King Pact and what Lu Yun had done afterward, the Ignis Potentate hadn’t had time to do anything with the orb after receiving it.
Lu Yun waved the orb blazing with fire virtue power into his hands. The life form inside remained safe and sound, as quiet and peaceful like a sleeping baby. However, his expression changed drastically when he took a closer look.
“What is this? Why is there a true spirit in here?” He jerked his head up at the Ignis Potentate.
“I… I don’t know,” the potentate hastily responded. “The true spirit was already present when I received the orb. I haven’t had time to eliminate it yet.”
Lu Yun’s brows furrowed tightly. He hadn’t seen the true spirit inside when he first saw the Fire Spirit Orb. Perhaps he’d been too weak then to see it. He’d wanted to gift the fetus to the spirit of disorder to be its body, helping him slowly grow into an existence like the god of Mount Tai.
But it would seem that that wasn’t feasible anymore.
The Fire Virtue Orb was something nurtured by fire virtue of the fourth realm—a fairy of fire virtue. Once this life form was born, it would wield all fire virtue beneath the heavens.
Fire virtue was the starting point of civilization. Once this fire virtue spirit was born, it would be an emperor in the fourth realm. Though Lu Yun wouldn’t suffer any consequences for destroying it, it would still be an act of great evil in his eyes.
“It looks like my fifth disciple has been found.” He decided as he looked at the life form in the orb.
Something had always bothered him when it came to his disciples. His first disciple Liu Qingmiao was the reincarnation of one of the little fox’s soul parts. The little girl had eventually formed her own corporeal and ethereal souls, becoming an independent life form. Still, there seemed to be something unconventional about the relationship between Liu Qingmiao and the little fox.
And his fourth disciple Qing Han… While she didn’t have anything to do with Qing Yu, she bore the name that Qing Yu had used when she appeared as a young man.
Lu Yun shook his head, putting these random thoughts out of his mind and stowing the orb. The Ignis Potentate grew nervous again when he saw that the Immortal Potentate didn’t show signs of leaving.
He’d thought that his heart was as calm as still water, that the only goal of his life was to pierce through the realm’s barrier and enter the fourth realm. It wasn’t until now that he realized he still had the capacity to be afraid, that his mentality could fluctuate.
Though he strove mightily to conceal his emotional changes, Lu Yun could clearly sense his unease. He said nothing, just sat quietly unmoving in front of the potentate.
Tension built in the air, to the point where the citizens of Ignis picked up on something different with their nation’s god.
“Now you will tell me where the eleventh key of the Hongmeng Tower is,” Lu Yun finally broke the silence.
Sweat immediately beaded the Ignis Potentate’s forehead. As I thought!
The eleventh key to the Hongmeng Tower! The Immortal Potentate knew that they’d hidden the eleventh key!
“The potentates of the five elements hid the key, I don’t know where it is!” he quickly confessed.
“The potentates of the five elements…” Lu Yun frowned.
The Metal Potentate was the one who’d taken Jin Gushen away from Multitude City. Lu Yun didn’t know what their relationship was, but the potentate’s concern and attention for Jin Gushen seemed sincere. He might even be the reason behind Jin Gushen arriving in the Hongmeng.
Jin Gushen’s trials in the Colosseum were likely also a result of the Metal Potentate wanting to temper the young man. It was due to his relationships with Jin Gushen and Feng Qi that Lu Yun hadn’t simply killed all of the potentates at Azure Dragon Lake.
He nodded at the Ignis Potentate and slowly faded away.
The Ignis Potentate sagged to the ground with a darkened expression.
“I told you he wouldn’t do anything to you.” A person rotated into existence behind him. It was a man dressed in long muddy-brown robes with rough hewn features, but a surprising hint of delicate exquisiteness playing between his brows.
The Terra Potentate.
“He wants to be a saint of the realm and be worshiped by all. He would never run us into the ground.” He sat down where Lu Yun had just occupied.
“He’s already pierced through the barrier around the Hongmeng. What point is there in being a saint of the realm and being worshiped by all?” the Ignis Potentate said expressionlessly.
The Terra Potentate paused with shock.
