Chapter 803: Chapter 527: Gift from the Yaochi Immortal
Yaochi Immortal gazed at Lu Chenzhou with a smile. "Little Lu is someone who achieved the Immaculate State of Mind back when he was just a Great Grandmaster. No exaggeration, his heart realm now is no weaker than any of us here. So, both in strength and in character, he absolutely passes the tests. With him in the Xia Realm, I am very much at ease."
All the Absolute Peak experts praised him in succession.
Bai Feng said, "To be honest, when I first heard this from Chen Beiming, I was shocked. After all, even an accomplishment such as this was something even the Cangtian Dragon King never achieved."
Hui Kong Abbot laughed and said, "I said long ago, Chenzhou has deep Buddhist affinity—he’s a natural Refining Heart prodigy."
As they chatted, it turned into an awards ceremony for Lu Chenzhou. Lu Chenzhou was embarrassed. Looks like when the seniors were out roaming the world, they still paid attention to news from back here every now and then.
Northern Guardian King was responsible for "filing the little reports."
Most of what he did, the elders already knew.
The bystander Lufang’s eyes grew more and more shocked.
Good kid, and here he was worrying every day if Lu Chenzhou had finished cultivating the Ghost Tiger Domineering Body—turns out that was totally unnecessary.
In the years of his absence, Lu Chenzhou had already risen from a pretty good Martial Arts Genius to become the number one Genius in the Xia Realm. And with the events from Kun Gu Realm spreading, he would probably become famous in a small circle across the Three Thousand Worlds.
Catching this opportunity.
Lu Chenzhou chatted with the Heavenly Realm powerhouses about Martial Arts cultivation. The big shots shared freely, imparting their insights from before reaching the Heavenly Realm, including their experience in Breaking Through Seven.
Time passed by.
The Aurora Palace gradually vanished into the Ruins Sea.
...
Ancient Plain World.
A sixteen-winged figure wreathed in gale winds descended, gazing at the battered heavens and earth after the great battle.
"The Demon Energy ends here... A Demon Saint of this level, just fell like this? Who on earth was it? The Dao Essence lingering here is extremely complex, there are also traces of arrays, and, above all, a terrifying blade intention remains."
This blade intention carried the momentum to change the heavens and earth, to reshape mountains and rivers. The Gale World Venerable instinctively felt apprehensive.
"Rumor has it that the Xia Realm had a top-tier expert, the Eternal Immortal, who was a blade cultivator. Could it be this person broke through to the Eighth Realm?"
The Gale World Venerable sobered inwardly.
The Divine Alliance’s crusade was about to begin.
He couldn’t help but question if this was the right move. If he faced the owner of that blade intention, could he win?
Suddenly, he felt it might be best to discuss with Yan Ming Realm Venerable.
...
"Postpone the expedition?"
Yan Ming Realm Venerable’s brow was tightly furrowed.
"Before, it was assumed Xia Realm hadn’t produced an Eighth Realm, but now, it’s possible there’s an Eternal Immortal. We have to be cautious,"
said the Gale World Venerable.
"So what if there actually is an Eternal Immortal? The four of us are all established Eight Realms, with at least one at Middle Stage Eighth Realm. If we join forces, you think we can’t take down a newly-advanced Eighth Realm? Gale, are you regretting this? Don’t forget, we’ve sworn the Divine Blood Oath. We are Divine Descendants!"
Yan Ming Realm Venerable’s temperament was as fiery as raging flames.
The Gale World Venerable said no more.
He pondered inwardly.
"It’s true, the advantage is ours."
This was the objective reality right now.
But why did he still feel uneasy?
Yan Ming Realm Venerable said coldly, "I advise you to abandon unrealistic fantasies. Never forget how deep the grudge between the Divine Court and humankind goes. Even if, by some miracle, humans become strong enough to prop up the skies, becoming masters of the Three Thousand Worlds... do you really think they will spare us Divine Race?
Right now humans can’t make a move simply because they don’t have the strength to deal with us. But what about when the Human Clan grows in power?
That’s why that old fool from the Sea King Clan is stupid. He doesn’t understand that his bloodline naturally determines which side he’s on. No matter what he does, it won’t change a thing.
Those not of our race, their hearts must differ.
That’s how we look at humans.
And that’s how they look at us.
If we fail to take back the initiative, whether or not we win this war, it won’t matter in the end. Rather than die at the hands of a bunch of lowly mortals, I’d rather fall before the Evil God. At least that would preserve the dignity of the Divine Race!"
The projection of Yan Ming Realm Venerable faded away.
...
Tower Forbidden Zone.
Four figures stood amidst earth fire, wind, and water.
The Fire Saint King was silent.
The Water Saint King said teasingly, "Got yourself killed by a bunch of Seventh Realms with their array—your avatar just wasn’t up to it. I told you, I should have been the first one out!"
"Let me have the next turn," said the Wind Saint King.
The Earth Saint King said confidently, "Let me do it. Back in the Divine War, my battle merits were clear for all to see."
All four Gods wanted to go out and see the world.
On top of the tower, an elderly face emerged.
"Stop wasting time and divine power. This operation can’t really be called a failure—at least, I achieved one of my goals... The Eternal Immortal has left the Xia Realm."
The Witch’s tone was still calm.
Of course, there was a bit of helplessness in his heart, too. The cost of stirring up the forbidden zone this time, in both resources and troops, was no less than launching a full-scale civilization war. What happened in the Kun Gu Realm was just the tip of the iceberg. Too bad, it missed the mark by a hair again.
But He never lamented the past.
The Witch said, "Compared to Lu Chenzhou, who may or may not make it to the Eighth Realm, the Eternal Immortal’s Breakthrough Eighth is a much greater impact on our coming plans. This means he can easily suppress any of our actions in Da Xia.
I suspected long ago that Da Xia had set a kill trap somewhere in the Three Thousand Worlds. Lu Chenzhou was used as bait to lure Black Mountain to bite. I didn’t stop it—one, because I held a sliver of hope Black Mountain could kill Lu Chenzhou; two, because I wanted to expose Da Xia’s trump cards using the Demon Saint’s entry. At least, I wanted to make sure whether the Eternal Immortal had reached the Eight Realms or not.
Now, I have my answer. The Eternal Immortal is Eighth Realm and has left the Xia Realm to rescue Lu Chenzhou.
Though he may have left some trump cards behind in Da Xia, for a certain period of time he shouldn’t be able to interfere with our moves. Since that’s the case, the cards we kept debating about playing—we can put them on the table now. I’m curious to see what the Eternal Immortal will do next."
...
In the blink of an eye, several months passed.
On this day, in the Mystic Sky Realm.
The boundary barrier was torn by a seven-colored radiance.
An aurora streaked across the night sky.
Inside the Aurora Palace.
Lufang clasped his fists to the crowd and said:
"Until we meet again."
The Eternal Immortal said:
"I wish you success ahead in Breaking Through Seven."
Lu Chenzhou smiled and said:
"Don’t worry, Daoist Lufang. As long as I, Lu Chenzhou, am in Su City, I won’t let anything happen to your family."
Lufang laughed, "Now that I have the Lighting Order, if I ever miss my family, I can contact them by projection. Besides, my daughter is already a Grandmaster, so the road ahead is hers to walk. Don’t protect her too much lest she miss out on the trials she needs."
Lu Chenzhou nodded in agreement.
"Amitabha. This humble monk will now resume his travels. May we all advance further by the time we meet again."
Hui Kong Abbot bowed deeply and left quietly.
"The Daoist is leaving too."
The Xuanwu Daoist bid farewell.
"Goodbye, Chenzhou, take care."
Bai Feng waved.
Xixiang Divine Nun, Eastern Yue Daoist, and Nanshan Sword also took their leave, each turning into streaks of light and vanishing between heaven and earth.
They all had Red Extreme Palace clearance, allowing them to randomly teleport and make names for themselves in the Three Thousand Worlds.
At last, Yaochi Immortal gave a slight smile.
"Do your best, kid. Working with you during this stretch has been delightful—hope that when we meet again, you’re already at the Heavenly Realm."
"Absolutely!"
"Haha, by the way, once you reach Heavenly Realm, try to take on more Red Extreme Palace expedition tasks. Our experience shows that every time you complete a world-saving mission, you get a subtle favor from the World Will. This sort of favor can invisibly improve a person’s destiny—it’s a mysterious benefit. The reason us old folks can still improve quickly even post-Heavenly Realm is closely tied to this. Humanity’s destiny is now bound to the Three Thousand Worlds—we are the chosen ones!"
"Understood."
Lu Chenzhou was suddenly enlightened.
No wonder he felt Heavenly Realm cultivators in Da Xia were all advancing so fast. So there were real benefits to saving the world here! Suddenly he recalled: when communicating with the Will of the Vast Sea, it said at the end: [The World Will blesses you].
That sentence carried a lot of weight!
This must be the [World’s Favor].
Those favored are the [Chosen Ones].
The more World Will supports you, the greater your destiny—until, within the Three Thousand Worlds, it’s almost impossible for you to die.
Every time you face danger, you miraculously escape disaster.
It’s just like a protagonist’s aura.
Get a pillow when you’re sleepy, get a secret manual when you leap off a cliff.
All these things could happen.
Anyone who reaches Heavenly Realm already has outrageous destiny. If they also gain World’s Favor, their Dao journey will only be smoother.
"See you again, kid."
Yaochi Immortal reached out her hand.
Lu Chenzhou put an end to his fantasies of reaching the pinnacle of life.
He shook Yaochi Immortal’s cool hand.
Suddenly, the Sword Spirit’s voice popped up in his mind.
[Tsk tsk tsk...]
A storage ring floated up in Yaochi Immortal’s hand.
"This is a little welcome gift from us old-timers. After you get back, cultivate well. If you have questions, go find Shangguan Xue... at least for now, her strength is still just a bit above yours." As Yaochi Immortal spoke, her confidence faded—she had witnessed Lu Chenzhou’s legendary two years firsthand, and knew even someone as strong as herself would eventually get surpassed by Lu Chenzhou.
"Thank you, Senior!"
Lu Chenzhou accepted it solemnly.
In the hunt for the Demon Saint, he honestly hadn’t done much—the Aurora Palace handled the chaos, and he just watched from the sidelines.
"Call me Immortal."
Yaochi Immortal turned, waved, and left.
Wind Chime on her wrist rang crisply.
Off in a corner, the Eternal Immortal cracked his eyes open for a moment.
And quickly closed them, feigning sleep and cultivation.
The last to say goodbyes were the Three Suns Immortal and Cold Moon, who also joined the Red Extreme Palace and would embark on their journeys across the Realms.
As promised, the survivors of Kun Gu Realm would join Da Xia with the Aurora Palace and be managed by the Wanbang Council. In the foreseeable future, Da Xia would have more women than men—making it much easier for Martial Artists to find partners.
Lu Chenzhou was in great spirits.
This trip was a massive haul.
First, the Demon Saint’s soul. Absorbing it, as an Upper in the Destruction Dao’s [Revolving Dao], should give him a rocket boost, his strength going through a qualitative leap. The Revolving Dao had always been the hard part. For now, he’d barely reached Third Rank. To seamlessly blend and master such terrifying power with combat skills, he’d need at least Fourth Rank in Entering Dao. He still hadn’t solved the Taihang Mountain black hole problem.
Second, the [Eternal Immortal’s Sketchbook].
Third, the group gifts from all the Heavenly Realm experts.
The Eternal Immortal said:
"Although Mystic Sky Realm has many transmission arrays to other worlds, half have been destroyed. Repairing them will take some time—and the Xia Realm is one of them.
For the next leg of the journey, I’ll escort you to the Xia Realm’s coordinates, then you’ll use the Aurora Palace to break into the void to enter."
Lu Chenzhou was moved to tears.
"Thank you, Chairman."
Having an Eighth Realm bodyguard—now that’s style!
The Aurora Palace pierced the void, entering the Ruins Sea.
Lu Chenzhou gazed at the projections outside, full of emotion.
"Finally, I’m going home."