“I hear and obey!” Yuchi Hanxing’s affirmative reply rang out. Soon after, the formation in Sword Pavilion of southern Dusk Province lit up as a million soldiers stepped inside. Even the giant Black Tortoise followed the soldiers into Witherdew Major’s Serenity Province.
In fact, the divine beast had been drafted into the Dusk Phalanx by now. The current Dusk Phalanx was quite different from what it’d once been. Instead of cultivators, every soldier was an immortal, all of whom… bore a formation of heaven and earth!
Additionally, Dusk Phalanx’s combat prowess had grown exponentially after undergoing Lu Feng’s training. In particular, Yuchi Hanxing’s constitution had been awakened with Lu Feng’s help, which quickly increased her cultivation to arcane dao immortal realm. This was before taking into account two even more fearsome monsters, namely Yuchi Hanxing’s parents, Yuchi Tianhuang and Xuan Yu, as well as Xuan Yu’s almost two hundred thousand primordial soldiers.
By now, they’d all become Lu Yun’s Infernum and Xuan Yu’s name had been written in the Tome of Life and Death. As long as she existed, the ghostly soldiers would never die.
This was merely the force’s internal strength. What the world at large dreaded most were the ten lord-grade ships. Each of them equipped with a main cannon and thirty-six immortal crystal cannons, they were simply flying citadels of war.
While quite a few factions had ordered lord-grade ships of their own, each one came at an exorbitant price, so those factions could afford one at most, even if they were to empty their coffers.
And though crystal cannons could be bought, the ones Lu Yun sold were auxiliary grade with a maximum output of three billion crystals. Ones that could fire off ten billion crystals weren’t up for sale.
……
Those most excited about Dusk Phalanx’s expedition into Witherdew Major were the members of the Xue Clan. Serenity Province had been the clan’s former domain, so there were still quite a few clansmen there reluctant to leave.
Not to mention, an important part of the clan’s wealth was hidden somewhere in the province, riches they hadn’t had time to retrieve when disaster struck. So, with Lu Yun’s tacit agreement, Xue Chujiu tagged along behind the soldiers. [1]
In any event, the Dusk Phalanx incursion into Serenity Province was a major event that shook the world.
Exalted Major had dispatched troops to the province to vie for control with other factions. By now, the area was almost entirely theirs. But now, Lu Yun was suddenly trying to wrest it away from them! And more importantly, he’d accepted the Exalted Emperor’s summons for an audience three days hence!
Lu Yun had never been the sort to back down. Unyielding and unbending, such was his nature.
For their part, the other eight parties involved fell silent. All eight emissaries took their edicts with them and left with their tails between their legs. None of them were certain that Lu Yun wouldn’t suddenly arrest them and burn them at the stake.
The man was mad, purely and simply insane! No one could predict what he would do next, especially since his actions clearly bespoke a lack of respect for the nine celestial emperors. By using the Exalted Emperor, he was face-slapping all nine of them.
He entertained Exalted Major’s emissary over the next three days. When time came for them to travel, the apprehensive and overwrought peerless immortal declined to travel with Lu Yun and hastily took his leave.
“What a coward.” Lu Yun chuckled and grabbed Qing Yu’s hand. “Let’s go together. I’m curious to see if the Exalted Immortal Sect will dare try anything when we bring the Scroll of Shepherding Immortals with us.”
This time, he needed Qing Yu with him to strike fear into the Exalted Immortal Sect and deter them once and for all, as their continued little machinations were proving quite the irritation.
“I’m going with you.” Holy Lord Ashu suddenly appeared in front of Lu Yun.
“You’re back! Did you win or lose?” Lu Yun hastened to ask, his eyes bright.
“Yin Jiuying is no ordinary existence. As a primeval divine beast of extreme yin, a jiuying, he’s almost impossible for someone of the same level to defeat.” Ashu shook his head. “That being said, he’s now become a corpse beast.”
“Didn’t you say you wouldn’t do anything to help us?” Long aware of Ashu’s existence, Qing Yu looked at the holy lord with confusion.
“If you were to die, my dear, I’d have no choice but to go back to the underworld and give up resurrecting my body.” Ashu’s eyes were filled with powerlessness as he muttered to himself, “But who would’ve thought you’d stir up so much unholy trouble? First the emphasis on supplemental paths, then the establishment of your sacred land, and now you’re sticking out your tongue at the entire world… Be certain that I’m going to stay far, far away from all this nonsense as soon as you perfect that breathing method!
“Also, be aware that the Exalted Major isn’t so harmless a place!” Ashu’s expression suddenly turned incomparably grave. “It’s where the Exalted Divines’ emperor fell! The tribe’s former divine court is in Exalted Major, and I suspect that the current Exalted Major’s Zhao Clan possesses the bloodline of the Exalted Divines.”
The resting place of an emperor!
When the great emperors died during the war of Emperors Fall, wherever their final resting place was came to be known as a Last Repose.
Dusk Province was the human emperor’s Last Repose, and Exalted Major was the Exalted Divine emperor’s Last Repose. According to Ashu’s calculations, the specific position was the Exalted Immortal Sect’s ‘Mount Exalted’.
“Is there anything you don’t know?” the astounded Qing Yu asked.
“Once you’ve lived as long as I have, you too will know everything.” Ashu glanced at her and fidgeted a little awkwardly.
As a dao sovereign of the Dao Flower, Qing Yu exuded the aura of the immortal dao, and there was another Dao Flower inside her nascent spirit that overflowed with exuberant life force.
Ashu’s soul was very attracted to this life force, but his body was uncomfortably repulsed by it. For him, it was a very contradictory and confusing sensation.
“Alright, we’re heading out. Let’s not make the Exalted emperor wait.” Lu Yun smiled.
……
Tranquility reigned in Exalted Major.
The word exalted hinted at time without end and space without borders, at the eternal and the everlasting; that the Exalted Divines had named themselves after such a word bore witness to its strength.
On their journey to Exalted Major, the rotund Li Youcai traveled with Lu Yun, Qing Yu, and Ashu. While he was a court official, as before, he now worked for Dusk Province. He possessed no real authority, but his life was peaceful and carefree.
In fact, he’d thought of fleeing Dusk Province many times, but every single miserable attempt had ended with him being hauled back.
Dusk Province might look rich and powerful on the surface, but for many, it tottered on the verge of collapse, like a great edifice without foundations that might collapse at the slightest gust of wind. Therefore, it was no wonder that someone as craven as Li Youcai wanted to leave.
But Lu Yun had expressly ordered a tight watch be kept on him. The man possessed a special constitution that made his body perfect for an immortal ghost to possess. Some yin creatures were troublesome for Lu Yun to deal with in person, without exposing his methods or trump cards. Having Yueshen act instead made things much easier for him.
However, an immortal ghost like her setting foot inside someone else’s tomb would bring terrible misfortune… Therefore, Li Youcai was a crucial piece. By entering a living body, an immortal ghost could fully utilize its full power. It could also use the body’s yang energy to conceal its ghostly aura.
To date, Lu Yun had yet to determine the exact nature of the fat man’s constitution. After being possessed by an immortal ghost, he remained as lively as ever, as if nothing had happened. In fact, Yueshen had once expressed that her power somehow grew when she possessed Li Youcai’s body!
Therefore, Lu Yun now looked after him with great care. The man’s cultivation had long broken through to the golden immortal realm, and he’d been granted a formation of heaven and earth.
Apart from Li Youcai, Lu Yun had also dragged along the little fox and the two Lin brothers, Lin Yu and Lin Xuan, on this adventure. The little fox had, of course, been more than unwilling, but the creature carried too many secrets on her. Throwing her into a divine tomb might yield unexpected gains.
As for Lin Yu and Lin Xuan, they were experts at formations. They’d recovered from the injuries sustained against Lu Feng and used the opportunity to comprehend formations without foundation, becoming formation grandmasters in one fell swoop.
Lu Yun brought them along this time so that he could teach them the ways of feng shui and raise them as future pillars of his sect. To that end, simply imparting secret methods and ancient records was far from enough. He had to teach by example and let them apply theory to practice.
By the same token, when he’d taught Zou Longxiu the Dragonshift Method, he’d had his disciple personally subjugate a yin dragon vein. More importantly, he wanted to bring the Lin Clan over to his side.
Supporting a sacred land required more personnel than he had at his disposal. At first, he’d planned on persuading Yellow Springs Land, but given the Yellow Springs emperor’s attitude, he had no choice but to set his sights on the Lin Clan.
He made no secret of his intentions to the two brothers. They’d proved extremely receptive to the idea, so much so they immediately decided to act on behalf of their clan and join the future sacred land.
Now that they’d become formation grandmasters and reached the extraordinary realm of creating formations without foundation, their voices carried extreme weight in the clan. Of course, the clan itself also made its stance clear: it was perfectly willing to join Dusk Sacred Land… provided that Lu Yun successfully established his dao, at least.
The restoration of the Dao Flower most likely entailed a great tribulation, and the timing was very likely to coincide with Lu Yun’s own immortal tribulation.
……
As its name implied, Center Province was Exalted Major’s most central province. In the middle of this province sat Mount Exalted, known as the foremost mountain in the world of immortals.
Legend had it that Exalted Major was named after the mountain. At its foot were located both the Exalted Immortal Sect and the Exalted Celestial Court. At the same time, it was also where the Exalted Divine emperor had fallen, according to Ashu’s calculations.
Center Province’s territory stretched over several hundred thousand kilometers, and its teleportation formation was located close to the border. But as soon as the group stepped out of the teleportation formation, they immediately spotted a tall mountain piercing through the clouds.
“Mount Exalted, the greatest mountain in the world… Every time one sees its peaks, one gains a different insight,” Lin Yu couldn’t help but exclaim at the faraway sight. Clearly, it wasn’t their first visit.
“This mountain is simply a mountain of dao.” There was a hint of bespelled reverence in Lin Xuan’s eyes.
“It would be best if you refrained from losing yourselves in the mountain’s dao.” Ashu interrupted the two brothers with a harrumph. He’d altered his appearance and masked his ghostly energy for the trip.
The two brothers looked at the holy lord in confusion.
“This mountain nurtures divine dao, the dao of the ancient divine court.” Ashu fixed the mountain with a stare and licked his lips. “If it ever crumbles, the primordial divine court’s final hope will be forever extinguished.”
With a fierce shudder, Lin Yu and Lin Xuan no longer dared look at the peaks in the distance. Before Lu Yun could comment, Exalted Major’s emissary walked up to them. But this time around, there was a hint of condescension on the emissary’s face.
“Are you the one called Lu Yun?” Hands clasped behind his back, a dao immortal floating in the sky looked down at the young man. “Since you’ve here, follow this seat to meet His Celestial Majesty.”
1. Xue Chujiu is the surviving Xue genius from now-destroyed Witherdew Major who LY protected during his tribulation.
