Chapter 2228.2: Return

Lu Yun relinquished his claim over those storage rings naturally in pursuit of goodwill and the human heart. Jade Ruins Realm was his first target. While the cultivators who emerged from the formation array subsequently lost their fortuitous opportunities, they would surely achieve great things in the future. Thus, this was the best opportunity to win them over.

However, he didn’t reveal his identity—remaining anonymous was better in this situation.

“Terra Demon.” Lu Yun ignored the developing mess of cultivators squabbling over treasure. With the two of them here, nothing serious would develop. While heated, the cultivators kept to taking what they needed.

“Young master!” Terra Demon bowed when he reached Lu Yun. He suddenly felt that the northern immortal emperor of yesteryear had returned.

That year, when he’d just taken his throne, the central immortal emperor sent a chaos immortal to the northern domain of the world of immortals. The chaos immortal was a terror through the land and caused endless suffering and misery.

The northern immortal emperor had flown into a rage and chased the chaos immortal through the world, immortal sword in hand and the Reincarnation Disk as his image of heaven and earth. He’d kept up such a dogged chase that there was no where the immortal could run to.

Eventually, the chaos immortal of long-standing reputation fled to the domain of the central immortal emperor. The latter had appeared to protect the immortal’s life, but Lu Yun killed the chaos immortal in front of the strongest of his colleagues. Not only that, but he refined the immortal’s soul alive.

“Keep a close eye on your dogs. If they run through my territory again, this emperor will beat even the master.” The northern immortal emperor drifted away with these words.

After that, his fame was known throughout the lands and his authority unquestionable. Lu Yun had shown hints of that bearing just moments ago—he knew that he shouldn’t undertake those actions, but did so regardless.

“Handle this and survey Jade Ruins Realm after a day has passed. Kill any outsider you come across, no matter who they are,” Lu Yun commanded coolly and then paused, “Remember anyone that you cannot defeat. We’ll come for them later, but leave the ones in Fallen Leaf City alone.”

He transmitted the last sentence, then brought the Tai Sui Immortal King out of the sword pagoda and threw him at Terra Demon.

“Understood!” Terra Demon shook when he saw the immortal soul. Although it was polluted by the vicious spirits, the core essence of the immortal soul was still there. This was incredible nutrition for Terra Demon in his current state!

He ignored Tai Sui’s piteous gaze and vanished with the immortal soul.

“Everyone, make the best of your lives. The Jade Ruins Realms belongs to Jade Ruins denizens.” Lu Yun left with Bloodbath and Gui Xie.

All immortals within five hundred kilometers had long been scared off—who dared remain? Given Terra Demon’s presence, they didn’t even dare linger in the world, but returned straight to Great Xia.

......

“Young master, Bloodbath and I will undergo our heavenly tribulations soon.” Gui Xie and Bloodbath paused when they were several hundred meters out from Dark City.

Tribulation stage cultivators underwent three heavenly tribulations, one storm tribulation, one lightning tribulation, and one thunder tribulation. Gui Xie had already weathered his storm tribulation. Being in the formation array all this time, Bloodbath had been isolated from his trial despite his cultivation reaching tribulation stage.

Gui Xie was now strong enough to undergo his lightning and thunder tribulations; the same went for Bloodbath.

Lu Yun nodded and took out two purple pills from his storage ring, tossing them at the two.

“Refine this pill after you reach awakened stage.”

Bloodbath and Gui Xie brightened—they were very familiar with the Dao Rune Pill. It was only available to the core of nobility even in Great Xia.

Yun Shuige was Marquis Skycloud’s youngest and most beloved son. It was quite a feat that the Yun Shuige possessed Dao Rune Pills—Yan Beifei hadn’t owned any. Just one of the pills was of pivotal importance to awakened cultivators. It would prove extremely useful at critical moments.

“Our greatest thanks to the young master!” Bloodbath and Gui Xie hesitated briefly before carefully putting their pill away. Two enormous surges of goodwill rose from their bodies and melded into the Seal of the Multitude.

What a pity that it didn’t form faith... but that’s not far off now. Lu Yun inclined his head at the two. “Go on, then.”

“Understood!” They raised cupped fists and vanished from sight.

......

Lu Yun swiftly returned to Dark City after Gui Xie and Bloodbath departed. Trepidation had draped around the city as everyone readied for war. Troops of cultivators wielding strength beyond the capabilities of a third rank world of cultivation patrolled throughout the capital.

Several massive armies gathered outside Dark City, poised to march into battle at any time.

All these years, the Lu Clan bided their time and concealed their strength in the shadows. Lu Tianling even raised many powerhouses that’d become local titans in other higher ranked cultivation empires. The Lu patriarch himself never dared truly show off his strength as Darklake Empire teemed with Origin Sect spies.

Lu Tianling had patiently borne his misfortunes in life, holding himself together even when his son and daughter-in-law were killed, when his foster son was crippled. He stalwartly endured it all because his grandson had been born.

If not for Lu Yun, the Lu patriarch would’ve lost his mind long ago and thrown caution to the wind. Instead, he pretended to have lost his morale so that Yan Guichi would relax his guard and only utilize the strength found in the world of cultivation. Otherwise, far more than previous levels of harassment would’ve arrived on his doorstep if he displayed anything unexpected.

The worlds of cultivation were protected by the heavenly book, after all. Although Yan Guichi was Great Xia nobility, he had to respect its rules. Punishment would swiftly descend if he violated them.

Yan Guichi held his reservations and didn’t wish for the situation to rage out of control, so he utilized his authority against Lu Tianling in ways that stayed within the bounds of the heavenly book.

With a temporary reprieve in the rules and open hostilities between the two sides, Lu Tianling thought nothing of his previous concerns and fully displayed his strength.

His current goal was as Lu Yun anticipated—the Lu patriarch sought to rule over Jade Ruins Realm as its only sovereign. Only then would he wield enough true power to face Yan Guichi.

Jade Ruins Realm was the only one out of Great Xia’s three thousand worlds of cultivation that lacked a ruler. Lu Tianling was going to take that seat.

......

“Grandfather, I’m back!” A dusty Lu Yun sought out Lu Tianling as soon as he returned home.

Wearing clean white robes, Lu Tianling was studying a map of Jade Ruins Realm in his study. He made the occasional mark on the diagram.

“You’ve come back?” Lu Tianling turned to his grandson and brightened. “Latter soul separation?”

“Just one step away from combination stage—I can break through at any time.” Lu Yun nodded.

“How is your comprehension of your cultivation stage?” Lu Tianling raised an eyebrow.

“I killed a few Great Xia immortals outside the place of burial,” the young man answered casually.

Lu Tianling shook as a piercing look shone out of his eyes. “Did you borrow the help of external objects?”

“Just destroyed a few immortal swords along the way,” Lu Yun chuckled.

“Very good! As expected of my grandson!” Lu Tianling laughed merrily. “I grow ever more curious about your master!”

“You’ll meet one day if there’s a chance to,” Lu Yun continued chuckling. His grandfather wouldn’t believe that his master was the heavenly dao if he said so now. “Ah, yes, I may have been tempering myself on my master’s orders, but I happened to come across something valuable.”

He flipped his hand over and revealed a red flame interspersed with gold—the Void Sacred Flame.

“This is...” Lu Tianling’s eyes fixed on the fire and he turned beet red. His true origin circulated furiously, almost exploding out of his body. The flaming halberd that’d become one with him also stirred to motion. It ardently desired the flame... No, it ardently desired what the flame contained.

“This is the Void Sacred Flame, third among the ranking of heavenly fires...” Lu Tianling forced down his agitating true origin. “No, there is more than that here...”

“Grandfather, this flame is for you.” Lu Yun grinned radiantly. “There’s something else beneath it that’s a connate treasure. I think second uncle lacks an image of heaven and earth, so please give it to him for me.”

Lu Yun handed over the Luminous Lotus Throne.

“Good, good, very good!” Lu Tianling was more than overjoyed!

His grandson had always been viewed as trash that could never be redeemed. But Lu Yun blazed with glory these days and easily killed empyrean immortals. He easily obtained even connate treasures. What more could the Lu patriarch want from life given a grandson like this??

Lu Tianling truly saw the hope for revenge in this moment. He’d planned to march into battle after the rules of the heavenly book returned in three days. But now, he called for a delay and entered seclusion.

The Void Sacred Flame contained the Crimson Emperor Chapter of Inception. It barrelled into his mind almost as soon as Lu Tianling received the flame. Thus, he had no choice but to focus on cultivation. After he gave the Luminous Lotus Throne to his foster son, the Lu patriarch entered a closed door cultivation that he would not emerge from until he succeeded or failed in death.

Likewise, Lu Xiaochi set everything aside and entered seclusion after asking Lu Yun for a few spirit crystals.

Darklake emperor Situ Wenxian didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Weren’t they just about to hoist the banners of war and conquer the realm? Who would’ve thought that Lu Yun’s return would immediately change these plans?

But Lu Tianling’s disciple wasn’t an ungrateful sort. Darklake Empire boasted of its current achievements solely because of Lu Tianling. Once the patriarch and his foster son emerged from closed door cultivation, their strength would undoubtedly have leapt forward again.