Chapter 451: Yun Wanshang: Is This Sword Cultivator Lu Changsheng?

Northern Region of Jiang Kingdom, Da Mengze.

Da Mengze is a vast body of water, endless and covered by a perpetual layer of mist that not only hinders vision but also obstructs the Divine Sense of cultivators.

Despite rumors that the depths of Da Mengze are extremely dangerous, an absolute forbidden zone, many cultivators still come here.

One reason is that Da Mengze is rich in aquatic resources. Both cultivators and mortals alike can make a living by fishing.

Additionally, besides Immortal City, one of the three great Immortal Cities of Jiang Kingdom, Da Mengze is also home to countless islands.

Some of these islands even possess spiritual veins.

Even if they are just first-rank or unremarkable spiritual veins, they are incredibly valuable to solitary cultivators.

If one can find an unclaimed spiritual island, they can become its owner, establish a family, a force, and settle down.

However, after so many years, most of the decent spiritual islands in Da Mengze have already been claimed.

At this moment, night had fallen, and the moonlight was as clear as water.

The bright moonlight gently spilled over the vast, shimmering lake surface.

Beside a pitch-black giant reef, a pure, flawless, and brilliantly green lotus, glowing with a crystalline sheen, slowly drifted out.

This lotus seemed to be without roots or stems, drifting aimlessly in the lake’s current.

If an experienced cultivator saw this lotus, they would recognize it as the incredibly precious Heavenly Yuan Imperial Lotus from the cultivation world!

At this moment, within the Heavenly Yuan Imperial Lotus.

A man and a woman were entwined tightly together, surrounded by a flow of five-colored radiance.

Above the man’s head, a blazing sun shone brightly.

Above the woman’s head, there was only a faint, ethereal moon.

The two formed an invisible cauldron, with the sun and moon rotating in harmony and merging together seamlessly.

Pure and dense spiritual energy from heaven and earth poured like rain over Lu Changsheng’s strong and well-sculpted body, brimming with beauty.

“Boom, boom, boom—”

Besides the external spiritual energy, Lu Changsheng’s Nascent Soul essence, along with the Yin essence obtained from his Dual Cultivation with Chu Qingyi, filled his sea of qi and dantian, causing his Golden Core to burst with radiant light, forming a terrifying spiritual pressure.

“Boom!”

Four months ago, Lu Changsheng had just broken through to the second layer of Golden Core.

Now, with the support of these two essence forces, he directly broke through to the third layer of the Golden Core!

However, it didn’t stop there.

The surging power continued to flow wildly through his body, limbs, and bones, causing his Yin-Yang Creation Sutra to automatically operate at full force.

“It hurts,”

A hoarse and weak voice suddenly sounded.

Lu Changsheng saw the disheveled hair and pale face of the beauty before him, her brows tightly furrowed, and realized that he hadn’t controlled his strength properly during his breakthrough.

Having cultivated the Hundred Refined Body Technique, Lu Changsheng’s physique was as strong as a demon king’s. Even though he was gentle throughout, Chu Qingyi still suffered significantly.

Otherwise, why would this normally silent sword fairy suddenly cry out in pain?

“Sorry.”

Lu Changsheng softly comforted the beauty, his Nine Treasures Dao Bone emitting radiant light to ease Chu Qingyi’s pain as he continued circulating the Sun and Moon Reincarnation Sutra.

“Mm~”

The pale beauty wrinkled her nose and brows, letting out a soft hum.

Her pair of snow-white, delicately carved feet tensed up, her toes curling, almost aligning perfectly with her smooth, slender calves.

After a moment, her brows relaxed, and her slightly opened eyes sparkled with a hint of charm.

Upon returning to the Azure Cloud Sect, Yun Wanshang immediately headed to the ancestral hall of the sect.

Once a disciple of the sect enters the inner sect or breaks through to Foundation Establishment, they must leave a life tablet or Soul Lamp in the sect.

This Soul Lamp can be used to sense the disciple’s condition and approximate location if they encounter danger.

If a disciple betrays the sect, the sect can perform a secret technique on the life tablet or Soul Lamp to capture or kill them.

“Junior Sister Caiyun, what’s the matter?”

The Azure Cloud Sect master hurried over after hearing the report.

The ancestral hall is a sacred area of the sect. Even though Yun Wanshang is the Master of Caiyun Peak and the head of the Enforcement Palace, she cannot enter without permission.

“Something has happened in the Heavenly Yuan Secret Realm. Qingyi’s life is uncertain. I must enter the ancestral hall to check her Soul Lamp!”

Yun Wanshang’s voice was cold as she lightly parted her lips.

“What!?”

The Azure Cloud Sect master was shocked upon hearing this.

He knew that Chu Qingyi was brought into the sect by Yun Wanshang when she was young and was raised by her. Although they were master and disciple, they were like mother and daughter.

Now, if something were to happen to Chu Qingyi under the sect’s arrangements, Yun Wanshang might harbor resentment.

Moreover, Chu Qingyi was born with a Sword Heart and had advanced rapidly in her cultivation. She broke through to the Golden Core stage before she was a hundred years old and had a boundless future.

If something really happened, it would be a great loss to the Azure Cloud Sect.

Without hesitation, he took out his sect master’s token and, together with Yun Wanshang’s peak master’s token, opened the formation of the ancestral hall, entering the Great Hall.

The outermost layer contains the life tablets or Soul Lamps of inner sect disciples or sect officials.

Further inside are the life tablets and Soul Lamps of core disciples and Foundation Establishment officials.

Entering the innermost part of the hall, here is where the Soul Lamps of Golden Core cultivators are placed.

Moments later, Yun Wanshang and the Azure Cloud Sect master saw a dim, flickering Soul Lamp, like a candle in the wind.

This was precisely Chu Qingyi’s Soul Lamp!

“This…”

The Azure Cloud Sect master immediately realized that Chu Qingyi was in grave danger, her life hanging by a thread.

He turned to Yun Wanshang and said, “Junior Sister Caiyun, I will inform Junior Brother Du right away and ask him to calculate Qingyi’s location.”

“Thank you, Sect Master.”

Yun Wanshang lightened her bite on her crimson lips, her slender, jade-like fingers clenching tightly.

At this moment, as if something had occurred to her, she walked out of the ancestral hall and headed to Caiyun Peak. There, she sent a voice transmission to Xiao Xiyue at Mingyue Pavilion, saying, “Xiyue, come see me.”

Moments later, Xiao Xiyue, dressed in a pure white dress, with a cold and aloof demeanor that was like the bright moon, arrived at the peak.

She bowed slightly toward the woman in front of her, who was dressed in colorful palace robes, possessed peerless grace, and carried an air of nobility, “Master.”

“Xiyue, Lu Changsheng encountered an accident in the Heavenly Yuan Secret Realm. I need you to go to Bihu Mountain to check if he has left behind a Soul Lamp or life tablet.”

Yun Wanshang sighed slightly, her voice gentle as she looked at Xiao Xiyue.

“What!?”

Xiao Xiyue’s delicate body trembled at her master’s words, the detachment cultivated from practicing the Supreme Forgetting Emotions Technique instantly failing.

With an expression filled with disbelief, she asked, “Master, are you saying that Changsheng encountered an accident in the Heavenly Yuan Secret Realm?”

“Sigh.”

Seeing her disciple like this, Yun Wanshang sighed deeply in her heart.

The Supreme Forgetting Emotions Technique places great emphasis on one’s mental state.

Her disciple, Xiao Xiyue, who had been practicing this technique, usually remained emotionally unaffected and unperturbed by feelings.

However, upon hearing about Lu Changsheng, her calmness was immediately shattered, and her Dao Heart trembled. This indicated that her feelings for him were already deep, likely beyond saving.

If something really happened to Lu Changsheng, if his life came to an end, then her disciple’s path might also be completely cut off.

However, thinking that if Lu Changsheng truly died in the secret realm, her own emotions couldn’t help but churn, a nameless sorrow rising within her.

“The Heavenly Yuan Secret Realm underwent an anomaly, and Lu Changsheng’s fate remains unknown as he did not exit the realm. That’s why I need you to go to Bihu Mountain and check.”

“Afterward, I will ask Elder Du to calculate Lu Changsheng’s condition.”

Yun Wanshang’s noble and graceful demeanor remained, her voice soft.

“An anomaly in the Secret Realm, he didn’t exit the realm…”

Xiao Xiyue felt somewhat relieved when she heard this.

If he is alive, I want to see him. If he is dead, I want to see his body!

As long as she hadn’t seen his body, she refused to believe that Lu Changsheng had perished!

At first, her master’s words that Lu Changsheng encountered an accident and instructed her to go to Bihu Mountain to check his Soul Lamp or life tablet had made her think something major had happened.

“Master, what kind of anomaly occurred in the secret realm? What kind of accident did Changsheng encounter?”

Xiao Xiyue bit her lips lightly, her voice questioning.

Dressed in her white skirt, her black hair flowing, her unparalleled face was bare of makeup, yet her beauty was unparalleled.

Her usually serene and indifferent eyes, which always seemed as calm as a mountain spring, were now filled with waves of emotions.

If the disciples of the Azure Cloud Sect saw the normally cold and aloof Xiyue Fairy concerned about a man, their hearts would likely be crushed, thinking they were seeing things.

Even Yun Wanshang, as her master, couldn’t help but feel a bit emotional. She wondered what kind of charm Lu Changsheng possessed that had entranced her disciple to such an extent.

“The Heavenly Yuan Secret Realm collapsed. An evil corpse, comparable to a Nascent Soul, appeared. Lu Changsheng was hunted by a Golden Core cultivator while escaping to the exit, and now his whereabouts are unknown. He did not exit the secret realm.”

Yun Wanshang didn’t hide the truth. Her lips parted slightly as she spoke.

“Hunted by a Golden Core cultivator!?”

Xiao Xiyue frowned slightly, finding it inexplicable, and continued to ask, “Master, why would Changsheng be hunted by a Golden Core cultivator? Did this Golden Core cultivator leave the secret realm? What is their situation?”

“I’m not clear on the specifics.”

“This Golden Core cultivator didn’t exit the secret realm either, but it’s possible he has some means to hide and escape.”

Yun Wanshang spoke.

Although they had set up an inescapable net outside the secret realm,

Due to the appearance of a Nascent Soul True Lord, both sides engaged in a fierce battle, causing many of their methods to be damaged, allowing some to take advantage of the chaos and leave.

“Understood.”

Xiao Xiyue bit her lips slightly, thinking that Lu Changsheng should be fine.

One reason was her long-standing trust in Lu Changsheng.

Another reason was her belief in Lu Changsheng’s strength.

She believed that even though Lu Changsheng had only broken through to the Golden Core stage for a few years, he could never be easily bullied by an ordinary Golden Core cultivator!

“Master, is Senior Sister alright?”

At this moment, Xiao Xiyue recalled that the secret realm had undergone an anomaly. Since her Senior Sister was responsible for guarding the secret realm, she couldn’t help but voice her concern.

“Your Senior Sister also encountered an accident. She is in danger and her whereabouts are unknown.”

Yun Wanshang sighed as she spoke.

“How could this be!?”

Xiao Xiyue was shocked.

She hadn’t expected that not only was Lu Changsheng missing,

even her Senior Sister, Chu Qingyi, was missing.

If Lu Changsheng had been hunted by a Golden Core cultivator and his life was uncertain, his whereabouts unknown, that would be understandable.

But her Senior Sister was a Golden Core cultivator of the Azure Cloud Sect. Even if she was severely injured or even perished, the disciples of the Azure Cloud Sect or other Golden Core cultivators from the other three sects would have brought her out of the secret realm.

“Your Senior Sister was in danger at the time and was saved by a sword cultivator.”

“However, this sword cultivator then took your Senior Sister into the depths of the secret realm. Even after the realm collapsed, they hadn’t emerged.”

Yun Wanshang’s beautiful eyes were sharp as she spoke.

If not for the fact that disciples of the Azure Cloud Sect had also seen this, she would have suspected that True Person Lingfeng was deceiving her.

“A sword cultivator, taking her into the depths of the secret realm?”

Xiao Xiyue’s usually clear and cold eyes showed a trace of something unusual.

Lu Changsheng had gone missing.

Her Senior Sister was missing.

The Golden Core cultivator who was hunting Lu Changsheng had vanished.

Her Senior Sister had been saved by a sword cultivator and was now missing.

“If that sword cultivator was actually Lu Changsheng…”

A thought emerged in Xiao Xiyue’s mind, and it seemed like things started to make sense.

After all, she knew that Lu Changsheng had practiced Sword Dao techniques in his early years.

Although he later switched to other techniques, pretending to be a sword cultivator shouldn’t be difficult, right?

She asked, “Master, is this sword cultivator also a Golden Core cultivator? Why did he save my Senior Sister?”

“Yes, he’s indeed a Golden Core cultivator. His methods suggest he might be a wandering cultivator from another kingdom. As for why he saved Qingyi, I’m not sure either.”

Yun Wanshang shook her head.

This was also something she couldn’t understand.

Why would a Golden Core sword cultivator appear in the secret realm and rescue Chu Qingyi?

The only possibility that she could think of was that the sword cultivator coveted her disciple’s sword cultivation inheritance.

“Hm!?”

At this moment, Yun Wanshang noticed that Xiao Xiyue didn’t seem as saddened.

Although Xiao Xiyue practiced the Supreme Forgetting Emotions Technique, which ensured her mindset remained calm and undisturbed,

but as her master, Yun Wanshang knew that whenever her disciple mentioned Lu Changsheng, it was as if she became a different person.

There’s no way she could calm down so quickly.

Could it be that Xiyue knows something?

Does she know that Lu Changsheng is unharmed?

A thought crossed Yun Wanshang’s mind, recalling something that happened years ago.

Chu Qingyi had been investigating matters related to the Xiahou family and ended up being pursued by Xiahou Wuwo, infected by corpse poison, and saved by a wandering cultivator named Han Li.

Later, she learned that this Han Li was actually Lu Changsheng in disguise.

Besides, she also remembered her disciple, Chu Qingyi, telling her that when this so-called Han Li was expelling the poison from her body using sword qi, her Sword Heart resonated with his, and she praised his extraordinary talent in Sword Dao.

A sword cultivator!

Lu Changsheng is a sword cultivator!?

Could it be…

“Xiyue, do you know something?”

Yun Wanshang stared at her disciple, asking.

Xiao Xiyue felt as though her master could see right through her, realizing that her master’s question might be based on some suspicion.

However, she wasn’t sure what her master knew.

Considering the importance of Lu Changsheng’s secret, she softly said, “Changsheng inherited a Sword Dao technique, so I was thinking that the sword cultivator who saved my Senior Sister might be related to him.”

“Related to Lu Changsheng…”

Yun Wanshang gazed at Xiao Xiyue, her eyes deep like a bottomless pool.

Could this Golden Core sword cultivator be connected to Lu Changsheng, or could he be Lu Changsheng himself?

If this person really was Lu Changsheng, that would be shocking…

She recalled how when she first met Lu Changsheng, he was just a small cultivator at the fourth layer of Qi Refining.

Yet, within a few years, he had reached the peak of Qi Refining, cultivating both law and body.

The third time she saw him, he had already reached the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment.

Now, decades later, although there seemed to be no progress in his cultivation,

When she dual cultivated with him previously, she knew he was hiding his true strength and might have long since reached the later stage of Foundation Establishment.

But breaking through to Golden Core, that would be too astonishing…

Even if he had reached the peak of Foundation Establishment, that would be more understandable.

Besides, he was just a clan cultivator. How could he have the resources and place to form a Golden Core?

Unless Lu Changsheng possessed a Heavenly Spirit Root or some kind of supreme Dao Body…

“A supreme Dao Body…”

Yun Wanshang’s thoughts raced as she said to Xiao Xiyue. “Alright, you should head to Bihu Mountain.”

She knew that Xiao Xiyue probably knew something but didn’t elaborate, so Yun Wanshang didn’t ask further.

She planned to have someone calculate the situation first.

“Thank you, Master.”

Xiao Xiyue bit her lips gently, bowed, turned into a stream of light, and left Caiyun Peak, heading to Bihu Mountain.

“If this sword cultivator really is Lu Changsheng…”

Yun Wanshang watched Xiao Xiyue leave, recalling how she had been afflicted by the Red Luan Flame of Karma and was then saved by Lu Changsheng, leading to entanglements.

Her disciple, Xiao Xiyue, had been ambushed and was also saved by Lu Changsheng. To repay him for his help in cultivation and saving her life, she had offered her Spirit Body to assist him in Foundation Establishment, and then…

“If…”

Before Yun Wanshang could finish her thought, she shook her head and dismissed it.

Azure Cloud Sect, Ancestral Hall.

“Junior Brother Du, how is it?”

The Azure Cloud Sect Master and Yun Wanshang looked at the old man in purple robes in front of them, asking.

“Whew!”

The old man in purple robes looked a bit fatigued. After a long sigh, he cupped his hands slightly. “Master, there is a force blocking divine insight. Even though we have the Soul Lamp, I can’t calculate Chu Qingyi’s condition or location.”

“Blocking divine insight…”

The Azure Cloud Sect Master and Yun Wanshang exchanged glances, seeing the seriousness in each other’s eyes.

Neither of them understood the art of divination, but they knew that there were many methods in the world that could interfere with and disrupt insight.

The fact that divine insight was blocked indicated that the place where Chu Qingyi was now had a problem.

If she was swept into the Void by the collapse of the Heavenly Yuan Secret Realm,

the Void has a chaotic nature that can obscure divine insight.

“Thank you for your efforts, Junior Brother Du.”

The Azure Cloud Sect Master politely said to the old man in purple robes, knowing that divination took a toll.

The old man had already expended a great deal of energy trying to divine Chu Qingyi’s condition and would need a long time to recover.

“Master, you’re too kind.”

The old man in the purple robes cupped his hands and took his leave.

After the old man left, the Azure Cloud Sect Master continued, “Junior Sister Caiyun, don’t worry. I’ll go notify the Supreme Elder and ask Senior Diviner to make another attempt to calculate Qingyi’s situation.”

Divination naturally has different levels.

Although the purple-robed old man was the top diviner of the Azure Cloud Sect, his skills weren’t very profound.

“Sect Master, there’s no need for that. I’ll head to the Heavenly Sword Sect later.”

“If Qingyi was really swept into the Void, only a True Lord can save her.”

Yun Wanshang shook her head as she spoke.

“Understood.”

The Azure Cloud Sect Master nodded, knowing that the Heavenly Sword Sect was the one overseeing the Heavenly Yuan Secret Realm.

Now that something like this had occurred, the Heavenly Sword Sect was obligated to step in and offer assistance.

Moreover, True Lord Xuanjian of the Heavenly Sword Sect was not only a sword cultivator but also skilled in divination.