CH 2174.2

“How would I not know about the family’s enemy? I just don’t know where they’re from. Trust me, Ouyang Shengtian doesn’t know either.” Lu Yun rubbed his forehead with resignation. Weakness was the original sin. Although he’d been very powerful in the past, he was very weak now.

“The past Ouyang Shengtian didn’t know, but the present Ouyang Shengtian does,” the young man grinned.

“Who?” Lu Yun brightened.

“I can tell you,” Ouyang Shengtian raised a brow. “But you need to tell me who your master is.”

His expression turned solemn. He’d thought that Lu Yun was a simple genius, but the young man’s battle technique showed signs of being tempered and forged endless times. He was no different from the genius disciples of some of the most stunning clans or sects.

Lu Yun would not have this level of accomplishment if it wasn’t for a powerful master giving him pointers.

“My master?” Lu Yun’s lips turned upward and he pointed his right hand at the sky.

“As I thought, an immortal.” Ouyang Shengtian looked grave. “He must be an immortal from a domineering faction. In that case, I can tell you.”

Although he’d once been a wandering immortal, he hadn’t been a true immortal. He was stronger than awakened cultivators, but would be no match for a regular immortal. There was a wide chasm between immortals and mortals. Failing to reach true immortality meant that one could not vie with immortals, even if one was a wandering immortal.

“Great Xia, the Origin Sect,” Ouyang Shengtian uttered.

“Great Xia?!” Lu Yun trembled, a strange look appearing in his eyes.

“You know Great Xia?” Ouyang Shengtian remained calm. Since it was an immortal behind Lu Yun, it wasn’t that surprising that the young man knew about Great Xia.

“To think that it still exists!” A smile floated onto Lu Yun’s face.

“Great Xia has stood for one hundred thousand years and boasts of three thousand cultivation worlds beneath its banner. It rules over one hundred and eight thousand cultivation empires and dominates the four lands. How would it not exist?” Ouyang Shengtian spoke of Great Xia with immense reverence. That was the master of this land and the Jade Ruins Realm just one of its worlds.

Lu Yun nodded without protest.

“If my guess is right, the Miss Feng residing as your guest also hails from Great Xia. She looks to be a member of the royal family.” Ouyang Shengtian looked at Lu Yun again.

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“That’s my guess as well,” Lu Yun nodded. How else would he have been able to go head-to-head with the Nineheavens Pagoda if not for Fengxian Wu’s presence? One had to know that the Nineheavens Pagoda was more than what it seemed. The Origin Sect backed it.

Ouyang Shengtian couldn’t tell what the Lu young master was thinking.

“The Ouyang Clan has suffered significant blows in recent times,” he suddenly brought up. “I know it’s your people taking action from the shadows. Now that I’ve taken possession of Ouyang Shengtian, I will become him and the leader of the clan. I wish for you to stop targeting the Ouyangs.”

No matter who Ouyang Shengtian had once been, he’d formed a karmic tie to the boy after taking possession of him. He would be struck with future misfortune if he didn’t repay the debt. He had his own enemies as well and needed to hide from them with a new identity.

“That’s simple enough. I will not move against the Ouyangs so long so you are not my enemy.” Lu Yun nodded after thinking it over. Ouyang Shengtian was extremely frightening after being taken possession by a wandering immortal. It would be unwise to be enemies with him—it was always better to have an additional friend as opposed to an enemy.

“Be enemies with you?” Ouyang Shengtian shrugged. “It’s the Origin Sect on one side and an overwhelming immortal on the other. It would be very painful to be caught between the two of you, so I might as well stay out of it.”

Lu Yun could already match him at only mid foundation establishment. There weren’t many characters like him to be found in even Great Xia. Would an immortal not value a genius that they’d invested so much into developing?

As for the Origin Sect… Worlds of cultivation had their own rules. Any sect powerhouse that dared break the rules would have to endure Great Xia’s fury. Otherwise, the Origin Sect would’ve openly moved against Lu Tianling when they discovered where he was.

Lu Yun nodded and took out a transmission spirit stone from his storage ring, sending a message to Bloodbath. That finally set Ouyang Shengtian at ease. To be honest, he wasn’t very confident in his chances against Bloodbath.

The two conversed a while longer before Ouyang Shengtian left in a streak of sword light.

……

“Great Xia… so it’s still there! Grandfather comes from Great Xia too! But I’ve never heard of the Origin Sect—it’s probably a newly risen sect,” Lu Yun murmured to himself as he looked to the northern sky. That was one of the worlds that he’d been born into among the three thousand.

“I wonder if they’re still there… As for Ouyang Shengtian… heh.” Lu Yun sat quietly on the ground, a paramount spirit stone in his hand as he slowly recovered his Hongmeng qi.

Hongmeng qi was so pure that only thirty percent of it had been exhausted in his two hour battle with Ouyang Shengtian.

Lu Yun slowly opened his eyes after four hours. The sun hung in the west and dusk shrouded the land. An enormous aura suddenly descended from the sky and a figure of pale blue arrived over Lu Yun’s head.

“You’re finally here. You’re much slower than I expected.” Lu Yun remained cross-legged on the ground and didn’t lift his head.

“You knew I was going to come?” The newcomer blinked.

“Didn’t I do everything to ensure that you’d come?” Lu Yun raised his head with a radiant grin.

The newcomer was a middle-aged man in his thirties. Fair skinned and clean shaven, his aura was so domineering that the qi in the surroundings were forced away. He was a soul separation powerhouse.

Soul separation cultivators were also hailed as gods of the land. They were half step immortals and could split their consciousness into multiple strands, coalescing images of themselves to walk the land. They were heavyweights of fifth rank cultivation empires.

“A little boy at foundation establishment,” frowned the man. “Even geniuses need time to develop, but you don’t have any anymore.”

He sent a ray of sword light at Lu Yun’s head.

A casual blow from a soul separation powerhouse could obliterate ten Ouyang Shengtians after possession. Although what Lu Yun had done in the Beast Colosseum wasn’t widely known through Darklake, the Nineheavens Pagoda had reported it to the Origin Sect. Once the sect learned of everything, they set their sights on Lu Yun.

This soul separation powerhouse was from the origin Sect. He wasn’t a direct subordinate, but from a fifth rank empire.

“What a pity that they sent only a soul separation cultivator. It’d be more worth it if they sent an awakened cultivator or wandering immortal.” Reluctance shone in Lu Yun’s eyes. He’d put on such a heaven defying display—capturing nascent soul cultivators at foundation establishment—but attracted only a soul separation cultivator.”

That level might be enough to overwhelm most, but it was far from sufficient in his eyes.

Wham!

A blue wind gusted around Lu Yun’s body as a blue seal flickered in and out of sight. It crushed the domineering ray of sword light.

The Seal of the Multitude!

The enormous goodwill that he’d absorbed at the Lings was stored within the seal; he hadn’t used it to elevate his cultivation. It was also impossible for him to use a connate treasure at his current level.

But there were always exceptions. If he burned some of the goodwill and used it to compel the rest of the reserves, he was able to call upon part of that strength.

Everything he did was for this one blow.

Bam!

The Seal of the Multitude hovered over the powerhouse’s head after destroying his sword light.

“What is this?!” he gasped with horror. The suffocating feeling of death loomed over him and he couldn’t move. Never had he guessed that an ant he could’ve snuffed out with a finger would suddenly turn into a massive dragon!

The seal froze him in the sky, enabling Lu Yun to approach him.

“It doesn’t matter who you were before. From now on, you are Lu Yi,” Lu Yun cackled and sent a talisman into the center of the man’s forehead. Hand seals flying, Hongmeng qi streamed out of his body and into the runes etched into the powerhouse.

The soon-to-be Lu Yi stared with eyes wide open, terror filling them. His life force blazed vibrantly.

“Mm, initial soul separation. That’s sufficient.” When Lu Yun tapped the man’s forehead with his finger, Lu Yi’s eyes instantly dulled and he seemed to be more like a walking dead. “Not bad, not bad. The body of a soul separation cultivator retains some of its sentience when it’s turned into a talisman puppet! Now that’s a happy surprise.”

He drifted to the ground after withdrawing his hand seals. Up in the sky, the look in the soul separation cultivator’s eyes returned to normal and he landed expressionlessly next to Lu Yun. His runes vanished with a shimmer, making him appear the same as an ordinary person.

Talisman puppets were one of his most marvelous inventions as a talisman grandmaster. They refined the living alive, making them wish for death. It was a most cruel act that retained all of their cultivation, memories, and experience. The victim became an invincible pawn and did not know fear or pain.

While it was a heartless invention, Lu Yun never showed mercy to his enemies. Since the soul separation cultivator had decided to kill a stranger, he had to be ready to be killed at any time.

“That used up one third of the goodwill in the seal!” Lu Yun lamented. It’d been a slight waste to burn goodwill for a soul separation cultivator, but he hadn’t had any better options.

“I’m in no hurry to enhance my cultivation. Refining the five elements to consolidate my foundation is the most pressing task at hand. If my guess is right, part of the Mindful Immortal Potentate’s treasure is in Yong Heyu’s hands. The treasure of an immortal potentate is enough to send even immortals into a frenzy.” Lu Yun licked his lips.

The Mindful Immortal Potentate was a famous sword immortal in the world of immortals. His Eighteen Cerulean Sword Dragons had been unmatched. Additionally, Lu Yun somehow felt that the technique had a lot to do with him. He had to lay hands on it no matter what.

As for the dao weapon? Given enough time, he’d forge one for himself.

“Since Great Xia still exists, then what I’ve left there should also still remain.” The look in his eyes grew deep.