âAnd, Iâm not his crush. I wonât have anything to do with him before he becomes a Void World King.â The Brightheart World King still looked a little wan.
Xing Wuliang mouthed inaudible gibberish while Lu Yun nodded with a rueful smile. So the world king had heard what heâd said earlier!
Some inspiration had come from their conversation, however. Ancient sects often fell to corruption. Either the senior council rotted from within or genius disciples threw their weight around without cause, bullying others through status and influence.
A system like the Star Sectâs could not only maintain a steady source of new recruits, but could also prevent disciples from turning cocky and self assured, thereby staving off a gradual decline in the faction. There was likely also another system governing the senior council and core of the sect.
Brightheartâs wounds had taken a turn for the better, but hadnât fully healed. She sat down to continue recovering and Lu Yun returned his attention to The General Principles of the Star Sect Formations.
He fully read through it after a while and closed his eyes to digest his findings.
"Do you only have the general principles of formations?â Lu Yun suddenly asked Xing Wuliang.
âEh?â The man gaped with a lack of understanding.
âAre there only the principles of formations in the Star Sect?â The trio had retreated from the passageway and created a tiny pocket of space in the outer world. Too many people traveled through the tunnel at any given time and even Void World Kings appeared occasionally. It was too likely that someone would scheme against them there.
âThe Star Sect is inclusive of everything and naturally has other methods, but the basic soul force method is the Three Thousand Soul Daos that I sent to you earlier.â Xing Wuliang misunderstood that Lu Yun wanted more cultivation methods. âYouâll receive more advanced methods after you master that one. As for cultivation methods⊠you started off your path with supplemental dao, so you donât have the right to receive cultivation methods yet.â
Lu Yun shook his head. âThatâs not what I mean. Do you have any general principles of pills, talismans, or refinement, or the like?â
âOh, umâŠâ Xing Wuliang thought for a moment. âI have one of talismans as well. What do you want that for?â
âFor cultivation, of course,â Lu Yun responded matter-of-factly. âMy soul force may only be seventh step, but itâs so strong that itâs as vast as an ocean. I should be able to cultivate several supplemental daos at the same time and not have them interfere with each other, so Iâd like to give it a try.â
âHere you go!â Xing Wuliang didnât hesitate before handing over The General Principles of the Star Sect Talismans.
âIf you succeed, Iâm bringing you back to the sect as soon as we leave the tomb!â Xing Wuliang was reconsidering his new recruit in light of the latterâs immense consciousness.
Though Feng Feifanâs soul force wasnât advanced, it was so powerful that the sect would never relinquish a genius like him. As long as his new friend didnât betray the sect, the Star Sect would accept him even if he was one of the most evil villains in the Boundless Planes.
In a similar vein, no one had asked Xing Wuliang about his background when he joined the sect.
Delighted, Lu Yun quickly accepted this new overview and began studying it closely.
He opened his eyes again after an indeterminate period of time and heaved a long exhale. Heâd fully grasped the Star Sectâs basics in formations and talismans. Supplemental dao of the fourth realm was deployed via soul force, and the two that comprised of formations and talismans were starkly different.
It was very difficult for fourth realm denizens to practice multiple disciplines at the same time, but some peerless geniuses could manage it. The current Lu Yun could naturally do so as well.
Xing Wuliang also practiced formations and talismans concurrently, which was why he carried the general principles of both on him.
âWell?â he hastily asked when he saw Lu Yun open his eyes.
âSuccess!â Two types of soul force appeared over Lu Yunâs bodyâone of formations and one of talismans.
âWonderful, fantastic, perfect!â Xing Wuliang gushed with praise. âYou are my junior brother from henceforth and we go back to the sect as soon as this is over!â
Brightheart had fully recovered from her wounds and she smiled faintly as she looked at Xing Wuliang and Lu Yun. Though she wasnât of the Star Sect, she had a bit of a relationship with it.
Lu Yun didnât turn down his new acquaintance as he wouldnât return to the Hongmeng before the withered wood was taken care of. He also wouldnât be staying long in the Star Sect, just in case he brought trouble to them as well.
âWe can enter the Tomb of the Hallowed Emperor now.â Brigthheart stood up. âDonât worry, you two will be fine with me here.â
There werenât that many people outside of the tomb on their return trip. Most had taken the passageway inside.
There was still blood in the tunnel as the tomb wasnât a safe place. Everyone who entered it knew of this fact. It also looked different from when the trio first visited it.
The spatial fragments and storm had disappeared. It rang with emptiness, but gusts of chilly yin wind blew at any time. Lu Yun surreptitiously opened the Spectral Eye and discovered that there were many vicious ghosts wandering the premises. However, the ghosts only dared attack weaker beings. They scattered when Brightheart appeared.
Past the tunnel was an enormous black space. A dense trace of resentment and unwillingness still lingered in the air. This was plainly where the big hand had dwelled before. But since itâd been eliminated, the great danger in this area was no more.
âWhere should we go now?â Xing Wuliang remained at a loss after carefully observing the feng shui and terrain of the premises.
The space had changed into a world complete with its own laws, rules, and orders. But apart from the tunnel behind them, there was no other entrance or exit around.
This world had been scoured cleanâeven the dark red dirt beneath their feet had been turned over for several thousand kilometers, ensuring that there wasnât so much as a rock left.
âThere shouldâve been a doorway there, but someone destroyed it.â Lu Yun suddenly pointed ahead of them. âIt wasnât the earliest batch who did it, but the next batch. The one who entered just before us.
âCome with me, we should be able to repair the door if we work together.â
Brightheart looked at the young man with surprise. Both Xing Wuliang and her hadnât seen through the secrets of this place, but he had.
âYou want to fix the door? Youâll have to get through me first!â An angry shout rang out as a ray of light flashed in front of Lu Yunâs face.
âYou court death!â Brightheart stepped forward and crushed the light with her hand. She sent out a fearsome surge of strength from it and waved a man out of the void.
He was dressed in a combat uniform and wielding a sword.