Chapter 837: Chapter 561: The Whereabouts of the Red Lotus
Lu Chenzhou said:
"Since that’s the case, let my avatar accompany Alcohol King’s avatar for a trip. Let’s first confirm the location of the Red Lotus."
The group nodded.
"You two, be careful."
Northern Guardian King added:
"There is one more thing. A few years ago, Bai Feng, in order to rescue our forces in the Mystic Sky Realm, used Divine Skills nine times in succession, resulting in a massive depletion of his vitality and lifespan. Now he’s recuperating in the Mystic Sky Realm and unable to use Divine Skills. After President Wan found out, he gave Bai Feng the only drop of Heavenly Immortal Dew from the treasure vault. But the injury is far worse than expected; another drop is needed. Fellow Daoists, if anyone has some Heavenly Immortal Dew, the council can exchange it for High Grade Primordial Stones, Spiritual Weapons, or other treasures."
Li Xiuying’s expression changed slightly.
"One drop isn’t enough? I’m afraid Fellow Bai has harmed his very foundation this time. Heavenly Escape Mysterious Light is one of Da Xia’s top-tier Escape Skills—its consumption is not something ordinary Divine Skills can match."
She had just entered the Seventh Realm. If the Extinction Divine Sword was used even once, she could barely withstand it. If it were nine times in a row?
She might be completely drained, her Qi-Blood utterly depleted.
It would seriously endanger her life.
The might of Divine Skills always demands a price, so in most Seventh Realm battles, if you don’t need to use them, you don’t.
Yellow River Old Ghost muttered:
"Heavenly Immortal Dew? Such a thing can only possibly be born within untapped High Grade Ore Veins. Its value is among the very top among Seventh Rank Heaven and Earth Treasures. I’ve never seen one myself, and to get one in a short time—it’s hard."
Alcohol King said:
"Isn’t the World’s First Tower about to open?"
Northern Guardian King nodded: "We’d best prepare on three fronts: First, have the Absolute Peak search their respective worlds. Second, issue a worldwide public bounty. If these two yield nothing, we’ll have to wait for the Mountain and Sea Tower to open."
Transactions at the World’s First Tower.
Come in two forms.
First, the Mountain and Sea Auction House.
Second, free trade among attendees.
But now that all the Great Powers have fallen, no one knows what the situation is inside the World’s First Tower anymore.
Lu Chenzhou said:
"I’ll ask Eldest Senior Brother."
Northern Guardian King shook his head.
"I’ve asked before. Primordial Mountain Cave Heaven once had some, but the Seven Saints took them to the battlefield and used them up."
After the meeting.
Lu Chenzhou contacted Bai Feng.
Bai Feng was seated cross-legged in the void, looking much better than before, but still emanating weakness.
"Senior, how are you doing?"
Bai Feng smiled faintly.
"It’s nothing serious. I’ve lost some of my primordial Qi-Blood—the Acupoints are a bit damaged. You must take care: when you use Divine Skills, don’t exceed three times in a short period! Divine Skills consume the Spirit the most. Once you go over, you’ll start burning your very source—even with an Undying Body, you can’t avoid it."
"I know a place that might have Heavenly Immortal Dew. Senior, please try not to use Divine Skills again until you’re healed."
"We’re currently hiding at the Star Dome Sea, having already yielded the home ground to the Divine Race—it’s relatively safe for now. We’ll wait for the main force to arrive and reclaim the Mystic Domain. What I’m worried about is if the Divine Race takes the Eastern Extreme Border Tower."
"Eastern Extreme Border Tower?"
"According to Lufang’s research, apart from building Teleportation Arrays on the continent, the Mystic Heaven Sect also built four Boundary Tower hubs each in the Mystic Domain and Divine Domain. Within the Boundary Towers are backup Transmission Arrays leading to the universe’s Four Great Realms. There might be one for our Xia Realm. If the Divine Race takes control, they’d have a stable invasion route."
Lu Chenzhou’s expression turned grave.
The situation is indeed not favorable for Xia Realm.
The Great Wilderness divides this universe into Four Great Regions.
Eastern Extreme Territory, Southern Boundary Domain, Beiluo Region, West River Territory, also known by ancient cultivators as the "Four Great Continents"—each region contains many worlds.
The Xia Realm is within the Eastern Extreme Territory.
Bai Feng said:
"Of course, you don’t have to worry too much now. The worst-case scenario is the Divine Race using the Boundary Tower to invade Xia Realm, but the Grand Curtain’s rules can’t be bypassed—they can only send forces below Seventh Realm, unable to endanger the Xia Realm. When you Breakthrough Seven, relying on your speed with Escape Skills and cooperating with me, we’ll be able to wage guerrilla warfare in the Mystic Sky Realm against the Divine Race, buying as much time as possible for Tianxia’s human civilization to develop—until our seventh and eighth realm forces rival theirs."
"How many Seventh Realm does the Divine Alliance have?"
"The exact number is unclear—old-line top forces often have hidden depths. But currently, just the ones invading the Mystic Sky Realm, there are 57 Realm King-level experts, four at Absolute Peak. By normal estimates, the Divine Alliance has probably left at least half their strength in their homeworld Great Worlds."
"Meaning over a hundred Heavenly Realm experts."
"That’s a formidable force anywhere in the Great Wilderness, being an alliance of four Divine Races. Thankfully, for now, the Sea Dominating Royal Family, Ice Heart Spirit Clan, and Green Light Divine Race have chosen neutrality. If all seven Divine Races joined forces, the consequences would be unimaginable."
"We have allies too, right?"
"Yes—the Spirit Phoenix Clan and Golden Eye Human Clan have confirmed alliance and will support us in future. As Dragon and Phoenix descendants, they have Eighth Realm experts. Also there’s Beidou and Southern Heaven Realm, human civilizations not much weaker than Xia Realm, also with Eighth Realms; the rest are mostly small and medium civilizations, at most with a single Seventh Realm expert.
But these allies mainly cooperate against the Evil God; they have to protect their own homeworlds and can’t send many strong fighters. To oppose the Divine Alliance, it’s down to ourselves. If we can build enough momentum, let more civilizations see that the Divine Alliance is just a paper tiger, surely more will join us. The world has suffered under the Divine Race for too long."
Bai Feng discussed the current situation with Lu Chenzhou.
A sense of urgency welled up naturally.
Communication ended.
Lu Chenzhou began cultivating the Lantuo Heart Sutra.
His consciousness entered the Kun Gu Realm.
He needed to find that High Grade Ore Vein.
...
The next day.
Above Yun Meng Lake.
Lu Chenzhou turned into a streak of lightning, while Alcohol King was surrounded in flames, burrowing into the ground with his Escape Skill.
The closer they got to the Earth Core, the higher the pressure and temperature.
Until the two arrived in front of a "small sun" some hundred thousand miles in diameter, blazing with high-temperature gases, at times morphing into a Phoenix, at times into a Fire Dragon.
Alcohol King took out an abandoned Supreme Divine Weapon and tossed it in. The Divine Weapon instantly vaporized upon touching the sun’s surface.
This place was like an endlessly burning nuclear reactor.
"Young friend, is the clue pointing here?"
Alcohol King’s face was grave.
Lu Chenzhou nodded.
"It’s here."
"Sigh, the temperature here is even higher than when we last scouted a few years ago. By my estimate, this avatar of mine can only last an hour inside at most. You?"
"About the same for me."
"Let’s begin. We’ll leave within the hour, no matter what—we can’t linger too long. After all, condensing an avatar wastes quite a bit of energy too."
Plop!
The two plunged into the sun to search, terrifying heat everywhere. The Protective True Gang on their surfaces burned a fiery red, even the invisible Telekinesis torn apart by the high-temperature field. Lu Chenzhou’s Sixth Realm Peak telekinesis could only extend ten thousand feet, far less than the outer diameter of a thousand miles.
Time ticked by.
The avatars’ energy rapidly drained as they withstood the extreme heat. Lu Chenzhou tightened his focus, perceiving the surroundings intently.
The causality line had already broken off at the Earth Core.
He and Alcohol King could only search grid by grid.
"Where is it?"
Lu Chenzhou swam agilely like a fish.
Meanwhile—
Elsewhere in the fire sea, a colossal four-legged beast, three thousand meters long, its body plated in house-sized magma scales, opened its eyes. A single horn on its brow gleamed dimly. Its wings curled around itself like infant arms, absorbing light and heat.
"As expected, they’ve come looking."
The beast’s abyssal jaws opened and closed, as if mocking humanity’s overconfidence and ignorance.
...
An hour later.
A burly figure emerged from the small sun.
Alcohol King’s beard and hair were flame-red, hot breath spewed from his mouth, and half his body seemed on the verge of dissolving, his form thin as paper.
Northern Guardian King’s projection appeared.
"How was it, Alcohol King?"
Alcohol King’s face was ugly.
"Damn it, the further in, the more terrifying the temperature gets. Even with my spiritual power, I could only probe out eight thousand feet—if we want to search the whole Earth Core, it’ll take many trips."
"And Lu Chenzhou?"
"Right, Lu Chenzhou? We agreed to meet back here an hour later."
Alcohol King now realized only he had come out.
Northern Guardian King waited silently.
At this moment—
In the depths of the Earth Core, Lu Chenzhou’s avatar was likewise faint, burning fiercely, barely hanging on.
He furrowed his brow and looked ahead.
There lay a giant elliptical asteroid, a kilometer in diameter, shaped like an egg. Its surface was layered upon layered, like countless Dragon Scales. The raging gas flames were absorbed by its surface. The heat was enough to instantly vaporize a Sixth Rank Spiritual Weapon, yet couldn’t melt the giant egg—obviously extraordinary.
Lu Chenzhou activated his Dharma Eye.
A causality line linked him and the asteroid.
"This should be it—still asleep? Why can’t I sense any signs of life?"
He used the Hidden Essence Technique to conceal his aura, approaching the giant egg, gently covering it with his telekinesis, but then paused in surprise.
There was a crack on the backside of the asteroid.
He peered through the crack—inside, it was empty except for a single blood-red umbilical cord coiling about. Within the eggshell, a pool of magma-like liquid radiated dense Demon Energy.
The causality line originated here.
"Lu Chenzhou, you have come after all."
It seemed a voice echoed within the eggshell.
"You knew all along?"
Lu Chenzhou’s expression was calm.
"We are destined enemies. Between us two, one must leave this world."
The voice was unruly.
Even a bit edgy.
Lu Chenzhou’s avatar could no longer hold on; it was burning away in the Earth’s core. A mocking voice came.
"You’re too weak—to even see me is beyond you."
"Where are you?"
"You’ll never find me."
"I guess... you’re in the sun."
After a moment’s silence, the voice snorted coldly.
"So what if I am? Do you dare come after me?"
"I’ll come find you. But you got one thing wrong. You’re not my fated enemy. You’re not worthy."
Boom! Lu Chenzhou’s avatar completely dissipated.
...
The fire sea expanded endlessly.
The perspective shifted to the boundless starry sky. A super-sized Great Sun, over ten million kilometers in diameter, hung in the void since time immemorial.
Sun Star.
Millions of miles deep in the radiation zone, the three-thousand-meter-long four-legged dragon-winged beast howled in rage.
"I’m not worthy??"
"I am the child of the Star-Devouring Evil Dragon! Born a Demigod, bearing flames and the godhood of Destruction! Lu Chenzhou—on the day I leave the sun, will be the day of your death!"