Chapter 919: Chapter 641: Red Dust Great Snake
A few days later, Lu Chenzhou took the time to inventory the spoils of war from Fang Xingyu and Yin Jiujiao.
"Eighth Rank Spiritual Weapon – Flame Giant Blade, a replica of the Bi Fang Divine Sword. Its quality is about the same as the Chasing Wind Bow, roughly equivalent to an Eighth Rank Mid-grade Spiritual Weapon. But since it needs Divine Blood to unleash its full power, for ordinary Cultivators it’s only as useful as an Eighth Rank Low-grade Spiritual Weapon—not much use to me."
"Seventh Rank Top Grade Spiritual Weapon – Molten Rock Divine Armor. Though I cracked it, with a bit of reforging, it’s still an excellent Treasure Armor for protecting one’s Dao."
Lu Chenzhou found Wang Changming and smiled: "Master, you can refine this blade and armor."
Wang Changming’s expression was full of joy.
A moment later, however, he kept shaking his head.
"Disciple, this is far too precious."
"You nearly lost your life to save me—what of it? Not to mention, whatever I have today, I owe to the sect’s help."
"I just feel these treasures would be even more valuable in the hands of a stronger Seventh Realm Cultivator."
Old Wang still refused to accept.
Lu Chenzhou pressed them into his hands and left.
"Master, don’t worry about it. The coming battle with the Divine Alliance will yield plenty of treasures."
The Divine Alliance rules thousands upon thousands of Worlds, has Divine foundations—they have treasures galore. Even a Realm King’s spoils could easily contain a Seventh Rank High Grade Spiritual Weapon; as for Great Commander Level, each of them has an Eighth Rank Spiritual Weapon. How rich must the Four World Venerables be?
Lu Chenzhou could scarcely imagine.
Besides Spiritual Weapons, Lu Chenzhou had also accumulated quite a few Seventh Rank Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures in recent battles. He kept a portion for himself, planning to give them to those closest to him, such as Wang Xian and Lin Xia. The rest were distributed among those Tianxia Cultivators who fought in the Mystic Sky Battle, their rewards based on merit.
Then there were the Primordial Stones: in the Storage Bags of these Great Commanders and Realm Kings, he obtained 320 High Grade Primordial Stones and over ten million Mid-grade Primordial Stones.
For some leftover odds and ends of little use, he had someone take them to the Mountain and Sea Tower for sale, exchanging them for another forty High Grade Primordial Stones, for a total of 360.
Previously, to break through, he had borrowed quite a few Primordial Stones from various Seventh Realm Cultivators, even Emperor Shitian.
Though they didn’t ask him to pay them back,
he still repaid every last one.
"A hundred million Mid-grade, over three hundred High Grade—this fortune is enough for me to use after my Breakthrough to the Eighth, but to go further I’ll need a lot more. Just the Enlightenment Stele alone is a huge expense."
Eighth Rank Enlightenment Stele—very expensive.
One is worth a hundred High Grade Primordial Stones—enough to buy an Eighth Rank Mid-grade Spiritual Weapon. Of course, its effects far surpass those of the Seventh Rank. To quickly raise a Dao to the Seventh Rank, this is an essential Cultivation tool.
...
A certain World.
The Heavenly Gu Daoist perused intelligence from his subordinates across the Three Thousand Worlds. When he saw the latest on Lu Chenzhou, his eyes couldn’t help but widen, his face changing.
"Achilles is dead, Fang Xingyu and Yin Jiujiao are dead, the Divine Alliance has withdrawn... This guy isn’t even Eighth Realm yet and already has such strength; once he reaches Eighth, I’ll be no match for him at all. But there’s nothing I can do—can only watch him grow stronger and hope he gets too busy with the war to remember me. Besides, I’ve already apologized and compensated him. He shouldn’t be looking to wipe me out, right?"
Suddenly, the Heavenly Gu Daoist’s expression shifted slightly, only to see the sky split open—a black ancient vessel filled with the aura of destruction and doom emerged from the Ruins Sea.
Atop the Black Boat, a black-veiled woman gazed down at him with a soft laugh and said, "Who would’ve thought there’d still be a Gu Diao descendant left in today’s Three Thousand Worlds. Little fellow, you’ve offended Lu Chenzhou—must be shaking with fear, right? Don’t worry. If you become my pet, this Ancestor will guarantee your safety."
The Heavenly Gu Daoist’s face changed dramatically.
"Black Boat Ancestor?"
This woman was the number one of West River Territory, a Third Step powerhouse, notorious for her cruel and eccentric nature, in possession of many Supreme Treasures. She also had a particular hobby: she liked to keep exotic pets. Apparently, she could wipe out entire Worlds with her pets without lifting a finger herself.
"Hmph, I am a True Spirit Descendant, born free and proud—how could I ever become someone’s pet?"
The Daoist’s aura erupted as he revealed his Gu Diao true form. With a Seventh Rank Dao as sword, he slashed at the Black Boat Ancestor.
"To follow me is good fortune! Don’t fail to appreciate it!" The black-veiled woman didn’t dodge. She merely stretched out a jade-like, slender, white arm from her sleeve. In her palm, a Divine Talisman flickered.
The Divine Talisman ignited, blue smoke turning into the illusory shadow of a colossal beast—part whale, part bird—spanning a thousand li, exuding the power of the Third Step, suppressing all beneath it.
"Kunpeng?!"
The Heavenly Gu Daoist’s vision went black.
The Kunpeng was the ancestor of Gu Diao, Wind Thunder Golden Peng and other fierce True Spirits, no weaker than the Phoenix Ancestor.
This was a Top Level True Spirit, comparable to a Divine.
The Kunpeng swatted the Heavenly Gu Daoist nearly dead with a single claw, then opened its great maw and sucked him into its belly.
"Overreaching."
The Black Boat Ancestor sat in meditation, chanting a complicated Spell, taking out her Talisman Pen and Talisman Paper to draw. In the end, a Divine Talisman inscribed with a Gu Diao was completed.
"Not bad. With this Gu Diao under control, my True Spirit Talismans grow more complete. But to reliably capture that kid alive—it’s still tough. How did he suddenly break through to Undying Realm?"
When she learned of Achilles’ death, Black Boat Ancestor was also shocked. She had once been confident of handling Lu Chenzhou, but now that confidence had vanished.
She was Eighth Rank Late Stage, with an Eighth Rank Dao—a true Third Step powerhouse. With so many treasures, she had even dared challenge the East Pole’s number one, Kunxu Ancestor, but to kill an Undying Realm? Near impossible.
"At the rate this kid’s advancing, he’s close to Eighth Realm. I’ll have to strike before his tribulation, or else once he’s Eighth Realm, I might only be able to win by a hair."
The Black Boat ripped through the void and departed.
"What is it that lets a human brat become a top Great Universe powerhouse in less than a hundred years? If I could get this fortune, becoming Great Power would be trivial—maybe even becoming a Divine isn’t impossible."
...
"Damn it! Stole my Ancestor’s relic, destroyed my true body, robbed me of Supreme Treasure, annihilated the Shadow Kill Clan—if I’d known today would come, I’d never have sided with the Forbidden Zone. Got nothing, and lost my future!"
In a Nameless World, Achilles’ Peak Seventh Realm Clone awoke from slumber, already knowing his true body’s fate—helplessly cursing in rage.
"Alas, revenge is hopeless. By the time I return to Eighth Realm, Lu Chenzhou will probably be Third Step—killing me will be as easy as flipping his hand... At least with my true body gone, I no longer need to serve the Forbidden Zone.
From now on, I’ll just hide here and quietly grow stronger. Martial Artists have short lifespans—if I outlast Lu Chenzhou, Achilles will rise again!"
...
Inside the Mountain and Sea Tower.
Kunxu Ancestor’s slightly trembling hands cupped a wisp of flame exuding dense fate-altering Qi.
"Heavenly Origin Primordial Fire, said to be a rare Dao Treasure born at the dawn of the Universe’s creation, nurtured only within Heavenly Yuan Divine Mountain, innately containing a branching thread of the Fire Dao. If refined, it would let a Fire Dao Cultivator directly step into Master Dao Realm.
Even for those of other Daos, it allows early glimpses into the secrets of controlling Dao branches. All Daos lead to the same place—useful for Third Steps of other Dao paths as well. I, Kunxu, have cultivated for ten thousand years and finally waited for this day... Succeed or fail, it all hangs on this attempt!"
Kunxu Ancestor sighed. Before him, countless Third Step powerhouses born of endless ages had already fallen; the closest was Han Zhenjun.
He had taken on thousands of Mountain and Sea Tower missions to finally save up enough to exchange for one of these Dao fortunes.
He gazed at the heart of the Treasure Pavilion. There lay another object: a strange scale-shaped fossil, glowing faintly with an enigmatic aura. Its surface bore Mysterious Causality Dao markings; just a glance made Kunxu Ancestor lose himself.
The Mountain and Sea Tower contained two Dao fortunes.
The Heavenly Origin Primordial Fire was the cheaper one. This nameless scale, they said, was left behind by a powerful being born as a Causality Dao master.
The Mountain and Sea Tower Master called it:
Red Dust Great Snake.
Within the scale was a complete Causality Dao branch. If a Third Step of Causality Dao refined it, they could directly raise the Causality Dao to Ninth Rank!
Alas, throughout history, no one has ever managed to refine it—so it remains here to this day.
"Causality? Too difficult."
Kunxu Ancestor shook his head and left.
The wisp of [Heavenly Origin Primordial Fire] required only 30,000 High Grade Primordial Stones, and the slaying of any sealed Demigod to exchange for it, but the scale required 120,000 High Grade Primordial Stones, and the defeat of the [Heavenly Disaster Demon Lord] of Heavenly Pond Great World to obtain it.
Consider,
the entire Mountain and Sea Tower itself was only worth 100,000.
The Heavenly Disaster Demon Lord was the leader of the Demigod horde that once wrought havoc across the Three Thousand Realms, their peak was nearly equal to the Four Emperors, and once fought Yuan Mountain’s Master to a draw.
Even after being suppressed for endless ages, he doubtless still had Nine Realms strength. To kill the Quasi-Ninth Realm Demigod above Third Step in Kunxu Realm, he’d plotted for thousands of years—and nearly lost his life.
Heavenly Disaster Demon Lord?
He dared not dream.
An impossible task: to get that scale, one must slay a Demigod with an Eighth Realm body.
Long ago, the Four Emperors had pulled it off with treasures. Aside from them, no one else had ever done it.
"Causality..."
Kunxu Ancestor left the Mountain and Sea Tower and returned to Kunxu Realm. He gazed toward the direction of Mystic Sky Realm.
"I wonder if that youngster can endure this tribulation. If he can, perhaps there is hope."
But only perhaps...
The road ahead—far too difficult.
...
Mystic Sky Realm.
Mine.
The Tianxia’s guardians stationed here opened their eyes and, seeing the return of the Aurora Palace, revealed looks of joy.
"The Military Leader has returned."
"Yin Jiujiao is dead, all four Great Commanders are finished—next, it’s the Four World Venerables’ turn to die."
"Hahaha, delightful!"
Suddenly, everyone’s expressions shifted as an incomparably unfathomable middle-aged man flew out from within the Aurora Palace, giving an impression no weaker than Emperor Shitian.
"Military Leader, this is...?"
Prince Northern Guardian asked.
Lu Chenzhou smiled: "This is Hanhai Sect Lord Li Minghe. Hanhai Sect had long been in seclusion, but recently joined our Tianxia Alliance."
All rushed to salute.
"Greetings, Senior Li."
The middle-aged man smiled and said:
"I must thank Military Leader Lu for taking us in."
Lu Chenzhou also introduced the Hanhai Six Sons and Long Yue to everyone, raising the group’s spirits even higher.
"Our ranks grow ever stronger."
A hunched elder with a fishing rod and an air of solitude across the ages stroked his beard and smiled.
He was Old Man Fishing Mountain, a mighty figure who shook all of the Eastern Extreme Territory, his strength no less than Yin Jiujiao.
Back when Lu Chenzhou slew Lei Wanliu and made his mark, he had already voiced his support for the Tianxia Alliance.
But had not yet joined.
Once Achilles died, he quickly came to join the Tianxia Alliance and was now a senior Elder of the alliance.
Old Man Fishing Mountain knew this was only the beginning. After all, Tianxia Alliance had yet to cross swords with the Four World Venerables. If Military Leader Lu could win another great victory and dispel people’s doubts, then the Divine Alliance would truly be outnumbered and besieged by the Three Thousand Realms.
The Divine Race’s legacy of fear was far too deep; to erase the multitudes’ terror of the Divine was no easy task.