Lu Yun didn’t think further on the mysterious Cicada Sovereign. Somehow, he felt that she was the most suitable expert to cultivate formula dao and disseminate it across the realm.
However, he didn’t intend to ask her to emerge from seclusion and focus on researching formula dao just yet. He trusted Yun Zhongzi, the Formation Sovereign, and the others. They had their own thoughts, and no matter where formula dao evolved to, the first beneficiaries would always be Lu Yun and Qing Yu.
……
As a Nihil World Sovereign, Brightheart was now titled the Heart Sovereign. Her cultivation level was yet to fully stabilize, so her battle strength wasn’t much different from before. That was fine as Lu Yun’s calculations indicated it was enough for her to be a Nihil World Sovereign.
The Southwest Cluster was extraordinarily far from the Eastern Cluster. The known expanses of the Boundless Planes were divided into nine clusters named after the cardinal directions. There were the Central, North, South, East, West, Southeast, Southwest, Northeast, and Northwest Clusters.
Apart from the Central Cluster, the other eight spanned the border of the known expanses. Anything beyond was part of the unknown expanses.
Lu Yun and his companions quickly rushed to the Eastern Cluster.
“Something’s off.” Jian Juexian unsheathed his sword as soon as they arrived at the Eastern Cluster, scanning the premises with a wary expression.
“Indeed… has the guy in the Tomb of the Hallowed Emperor made his move and begun to encroach on the Eastern Cluster?” Lu Yun’s heart skipped a beat as well.
The Eastern Cluster was a destitute backwater compared to the other clusters. There were few inhabitants and its presence of order wasn’t as apparent. Lu Yun had arrived in this cluster on his first visit to the fourth realm, thereby mistaking the entire fourth realm to be an empty void.
Something had changed in the Eastern Cluster, something that made him shake with fury.
“Someone’s built an enormous tomb over the entire cluster, using it for the foundations. Does he plan to bury everyone alive?!” Brightheart inhaled sharply. Though she didn’t train in supplemental dao, she knew enough to recognize what she was seeing. The Eastern Cluster—all of its planes and worlds—had been reconfigured into the layout of a grand tomb. It was the same layout as the Tomb of the Hallowed Emperor they’d once visited.
No, it would be more proper to say the Tomb of the Original Emperor.
Lu Yun didn’t know what this would do to the original Hongmeng, but it boded nothing good for the overlord of Ice. The overlord sat in the center of the plane of Ice and oversaw the entire plane, safeguarding the Central Hongmeng. But now that the plane cluster was a tomb, he would be the first to be buried within.
The order of life and death wasn’t very clearly defined in the fourth realm—zombies were also a form of life. Anyone could transform themselves into a zombie if they so desired, something that the Bridge of Forgetfulness had once done for self protection.
But zombies were dead things at the end of the day and they eroded the soul. The longer one maintained the status of a zombie, the weaker their soul grew and eventually, one would forever be a zombie.
Although they counted as a form of life, they were regarded as evil spirits.
Zombies were already observable in the Eastern Cluster. Since their environment had changed into a layout of burial, local denizens had to transform themselves into zombies if they wished to survive.
“Too far, this goes too far!” Lu Yun gnashed his teeth; Di Yin was behind this.
He’d recently assumed control over the Tomb of the Original Emperor and its three experts. However, the Fog, Corpse, and Shadow Sovereigns couldn’t leave the tomb. Thus, Di Yin had decided to assimilate the entire plane cluster as part of the tomb in order to expand his territory and lay claim to the Eastern Cluster.
This crossed Lu Yun’s bottom line. His home, the Central Hongmeng, was in the plane of Fire.
He took a step forward when his thoughts traveled here, his eyes burning with six colors.
“Don’t be brash!” Jian Juexian and Brightheart hastily pulled Lu Yun back. As impoverished as the Eastern Cluster was, someone who could rearrange it into a tomb was absolutely terrifying.
“Who goes there!” rang out a cold voice the second Lu Yun stepped into the tomb of the Eastern Cluster. “It’s you!” The challenger’s expression changed when he saw Lu Yun. “Greetings to the honorable world sovereign!”
“Longshan Yan.” Lu Yun frowned slightly to see the other.
“It’s me!” Longshan Yan was the one who’d brought Lu Yun to Dragonmountain Clime, Di Yin’s second son. If Lu Yun’s guess was correct, however, Longshan Yan now went by Di Yan.
Di Yan was now peak Void World King and very close to Nihil World Sovereign. It was clear to see that Di Yin highly valued his second son and had used certain methods to raise his cultivation. Despite that, it was still up to himself to see if he made it to Nihil World Sovereign.
“Should I call you Di Yan now?” Lu Yun looked coldly at him.
The young man remained silent.
“You should hurry and leave, milord,” he said apologetically after a long moment. “My father has killed three Nihil World Sovereigns already and the Eastern Cluster is now Di Clan territory. With the clan’s revival, all external Nihil World Sovereigns are forbidden from entering.”
His presence here wasn’t an indication that he’d fallen out of favor. On the contrary, he was entrusted with the important task of guarding the borders. He wielded great authority and commanded a number of powerhouses.
“Where is the overlord of Ice?” Lu Yun stared fixedly at Di Yan.
“The overlord…” The young man’s face spasmed to hear the question. He didn’t know how to respond.
“If something has happened to him, there will be no point in your Di Clan existing further!” Lu Yun flew into a rage.
The Luminaries had sealed the overlord into his plane due to him sheltering the Central Hongmeng. He’d also taught Lu Yun the method of nothing so he could temporarily access sequence and resolve various crises. Lu Yun owed him a great debt of gratitude.
If the Di Clan had done anything to him, Lu Yun wouldn’t care whose bloodline they were. Since the Central Hongmeng seemed fine for the moment, that meant Di Yin didn’t have the courage to march on it yet.
“You talk a big talk.” An enormous shadow loomed out of the void as a mammoth figure seemed to extend from it.
“Shadow Sovereign!” shrieked Jian Juexian before Lu Yun could act. “I was bound by the tomb’s rules last time and couldn’t bring my full strength to bear. I was humiliated by your shadows, so I will kill you no matter what this time!”
Whoosh!
Crimson sword intent rose from his hands and formed a massive sword of crimson light that cut down on the shadow.
