Chapter 633: Brahma Demon True Form and the Xu Family’s Affairs

Time in cultivation passed without notice. In the blink of an eye, more than a year had gone by.

For ordinary mortals, a year might feel long.

But for a Core Formation cultivator with a lifespan of five hundred years, it was merely a brief session of cultivation.

Within the Hall of Everlasting Life in Sumeru Cave Heaven, Lu Changsheng sat cross-legged, his appearance solemn and dignified. His body was enveloped in a radiant golden light mixed with demonic energy, swirling like the forces of yin and yang.

Upon closer inspection, his body, shrouded in golden light and demonic energy, seemed to reveal figures of Buddhas, demon gods, and celestial beasts. These phantoms guarded his form, their presence eternal.

As the apertures in his body intertwined, releasing a dazzling glow, the three-headed, six-armed shadow behind Lu Changsheng grew more distinct, especially the six muscular arms.

Each pair of arms had a unique appearance.

One pair was covered in intricate golden Sanskrit, exuding a sense of immortality and indestructibility; another pair was sheathed in purple-gold scales, brimming with raw power and primal energy;

The final pair was a deep, abyssal black, marked with demonic patterns, like swirling hellish vortices, radiating an aura of destruction capable of annihilating all things.

These three pairs of arms embodied the energies of Buddha, demon, and beast, perfectly fused together, emanating an ancient, mysterious aura.

At that moment, Lu Changsheng opened his eyes. His pupils shone brilliantly with golden light, as two ‘卍’ symbols slowly rotated within them, filled with boundless Buddhist intent. However, the black demonic flames at the corners of his eyes blazed fiercely, giving him a terrifying, murderous aura.

“Finally, I’ve mastered the introductory stage of the Brahma Demon True Form,” Lu Changsheng muttered.

He exhaled softly, and the Buddhist intent and demonic flames in his eyes gradually faded.

Even with the system’s assistance, bypassing the need for comprehension, refining this Brahma Demon True Form had been extremely difficult, requiring the consumption of over a hundred high-grade spirit stones.

In over a year, he had barely refined a third of his apertures.

The remaining two-thirds would only grow more challenging, even with abundant spirit stone resources. It would take at least another three to five years.

However, completing a third meant he had reached the entry stage and could now wield this supreme divine ability.

“Let’s see its power first.”

Lu Changsheng stood up and walked out of the Hall of Everlasting Life, activating the Brahma Demon True Form.

The shadow behind him, originally only a single zhang tall, began to rise, eventually towering at three zhang.

At this moment, the figure was indistinct, almost transparent, with only the six arms clearly visible.

“Boom!”

With a thought, Lu Changsheng directed the Brahma Demon True Form, and the three pairs of arms radiated ancient and profound light, striking forward.

“Boom, boom, boom—”

The void trembled, ripples spreading out layer upon layer.

Even though Sumeru Cave Heaven could withstand Core Formation-level attacks, the impact was still significant.

“Damn, this Brahma Demon True Form is something else!”

Lu Changsheng was genuinely surprised.

His Brahma Demon True Form had only just reached the entry level, producing six arms, yet its attack power was already equivalent to his full strength.

Without continuing to test it in the cave, he silently left Bihu Mountain, soaring into the sky and heading toward the Layer of Nine Heavens’ Gale.

“Whssshhh—”

The ordinary winds of the Nine Heavens no longer fazed Lu Changsheng; he could now ignore them entirely with just his physical body.

He continued to ascend, as if aiming to break through the heavens themselves.

Only when the winds grew so fierce that even Core Formation cultivators would struggle to endure did Lu Changsheng stop and activate the Brahma Demon True Form again.

“Boom, boom, boom—”

The six massive arms, each a zhang long, punched out, shattering the howling heavenly winds into pieces. Even distant meteors were reduced to dust under their strikes.

“This Brahma Demon True Form is truly remarkable. With just the preliminary refinement, it’s already comparable to a top-level Core Formation cultivator! If I fully refine it or even perfect it, how much stronger could I become?”

After a moment, Lu Changsheng glanced at the now faintly translucent six arms and sighed.

The True Saint Skill of Brahma and Demons truly lived up to its reputation as a supreme battle technique. Once fully mastered, even a Core Formation cultivator could challenge a Nascent Soul expert.

“Unfortunately, my Brahma Demon True Form is still in its early stages. I can’t fully utilize its divine abilities yet. Otherwise, my combat strength would increase even more.”

The Brahma Demon True Form could serve as an avatar, capable of using various divine abilities.

But for now, it was only at the entry level, unable to sustain prolonged combat, let alone activate any divine abilities.

“But…”

Lu Changsheng tapped his storage belt, releasing a sword case. The Da Luo Sword Embryo flew out, expanding to five or six zhang, gripped tightly by the six arms of the Brahma Demon True Form.

“Buzz, buzz, buzz—”

The six arms infused the sword embryo with boundless energy, causing it to radiate dazzling divine light that illuminated the Nine Heavens and tore through the violent currents of gale wind.

“Clang!”

In the next instant, the six arms swung the sword embryo downward, unleashing a brilliant sword light that cascaded like a river from the heavens.

The sword energy pierced through the void, sweeping across the skies. The surging sword waves rolled and churned like a vast ocean.

Ahead, the void was split open, revealing inky black space currents that intertwined with the Nine Heavens’ gale, creating a terrifying cacophony of ghostly wails.

At the same time, the six arms of the Brahma Demon True Form completely dissipated.

Although using the Brahma Demon True Form only consumed a small amount of Lu Changsheng’s mental and magical energy,

once the form’s energy was depleted, it required a significant amount of time to replenish.

“This is the proper way to use the Brahma Demon True Form. When wielding something like the Da Luo Sword Embryo, the cost of using it with my own power is too high. It’s much more efficient to have the Brahma Demon True Form handle it. In fact, I could use this form to control other spirit treasures in the future!”

That single sword strike had been terrifyingly powerful, surpassing the one he had used to kill Tu Yuan.

If he could fully master the Brahma Demon True Form, he would undoubtedly push the Da Luo Sword Embryo’s power to its absolute limit, unleashing sword lights capable of destroying the heavens and earth!

“With the Brahma Demon True Form and my Three Treasure Incarnation, I’ll be able to take on three opponents at once. Wait, there’s also the Golden-Winged Roc.”

“In that case, once I further refine the Brahma Demon True Form, I’ll be ready to head to the Jin Kingdom.”

Aside from the Brahma Demon True Form, Lu Changsheng also had the Three Treasure Incarnation.

Although this incarnation wasn’t as strong as his true form or the Brahma Demon True Form, it was still more powerful than many late-stage Core Formation cultivators.

With all of these working together, Lu Changsheng was confident he could take on the Five Poisons Sect Master!

Besides, at the Nascent Soul level, who would really want to fight to the death? There was no deep hatred between him and the Five Poisons Sect Master.

As long as he had the power to contend with a Nascent Soul expert, they could likely sit down and negotiate—there was no need to resort to fighting.

After testing out the divine ability, Lu Changsheng returned home in high spirits to spend time with his wives and children.

This had been one of his longest secluded cultivation sessions since becoming a cultivator.

In the past, even when cultivating in seclusion, he would regularly come out every few days to spend time with his family.

But the Brahma Demon True Form wasn’t suited for stop-and-start cultivation, so he had decided to complete it in one go.

“Husband, you’re finally out of seclusion?”

Lu Miaoyun exclaimed with joy hen she saw him and began recounting the family’s happenings over the past year.

There wasn’t much—just small things.

With both Lu Changsheng and Lu Miaoge as Core Formation ccltivators, and with the backing of Azure Cloud Sect and the Immortal City of Da Mengze, who would dare mess with the Lu Family? The only significant event was that Lu Yuanzhong had passed away six months ago.

He had been living on borrowed time for a while, only surviving thanks to Lu Changsheng’s use of spirit medicine to prolong his life.

After Lu Miaoge’s Core Formation ceeemony, he had no more regrets and quietly awaited death.

His funeral was a low-key affair, held privately at Qingzhu Mountain without much fanfare.

“We should pay our respects later.”

Lu Changsheng sighed lightly.

If he had been around, he would have visited the grave to show his respects, as was customary.

But because he had been in seclusion cultivating the Brahma Demon True Form, he had left all decisions to Lu Miaoge and hadn’t been dissurbed.

However, since he hadn’t come out of seclusion, Lu Miaoyun and Lu Miaohuan, wh were cultivating the ‘Heaven and Earth Everlasting Method,’ had been unable to visit Bihu Mountain to pay their respects either.

Now, most of the children of the Lu family had left Bihu Mountain, with only Lu Yun, Lu Xingyang, and Lu Xingchen still around.

Some had gone to other spiritual lands and market towns, while others had ventured to Da Mengze or Qingluan Immortal City.

It could be said that the Lu family’s descendants had spread beyond the Azure Cloud Sect’s territory, now scattered across the Jiang Kingdom.

At the lakeside pavilion, Meng Xiaochan and Bai Ling were sitting with Lu Mengchan and Lu Baixi, reading books.

“Lu Lang! Brother!”

“Daddy!”

Aside from a trip to Qingluan Immortal City to buy poison, Meng Xiaochan had mostly stayed at Bihu Mountain.

She had been carefully teaching and raising their daughter, Lu Mengchan, who now even drank medicinal soups and ate pastries laced with small amounts of poison.

Of course, the poison levels were low; otherwise, Lu Linghe wouldn’t be able to share the food so freely with her.

Lu Changsheng used his Fiery Eyes of Truth to inspect Lu Mengchan. She was only at the fourth level of Qi Refining.

Given her natural talent, this cultivation was lower than expected.

But considering her personality and the time she had spent training in the ‘Ten Thousand Calamities Toxic Spirit Codex,’ which had caused her to disperse her previous cultivation, it was understandable.

“Xiaochan, Ling’er.”

Lu Changsheng sat down and picked up a pastry to taste.

It wasn’t bad. It seemed Meng Xiaochan had put in a lot of effort, going to great lengths for their daughter.

He then asked Meng Xiaochan about her cultivation and any issues she was facing.

Three years had passed, and she still hadn’t fully transitioned her cultivation method to the ‘Ten Thousand Calamities Toxic Spirit Codex.’

Upon hearing his question, Meng Xiaochan softly explained her cultivation issues, her daughter’s situation, and her own thoughts on the matter.

In this way, Lu Changsheng enjoyed the peace and tranquility of family life, feeling a sense of relief.

Half a month later, Xu Ruoyin arrived at Bihu Mountain.

She had been waiting nearby for a while, but since Lu Changsheng had been in seclusion, she hadn’t been able to visit.

“Husband…”

Xu Ruoyin was the only one who called him ‘husband’ with a mixture of respect and fear, her tone strangely complicated and somewhat distant.

“Ruoyin.”

Lu Changsheng didn’t mind, speaking to her kindly as he inquired about her situation over the years.

Xu Ruoyin, dressed in a red phoenix robe, looked stunning with her exquisite features and noble air, yet she sat beside him with her head lowered, clearly uncomfortable.

It wasn’t that she hadn’t grown accustomed to being around him, but every time she did, they would inevitably be separated for long periods.

Outside, she was a proud daughter of the Xu family, like a lofty phoenix who despised most men. This made it hard for her to quickly switch gears when it came to Lu Changsheng.

“The Xu family recently exchanged for a Condensing Crystal Pill. Do you have any hope of obtaining it?”

Lu Changsheng noticed that she was already at the ninth level of Foundation Establishment and asked.

Xu Ruoyin’s spirit root was only of the fourth grade, but her beast-taming talent far surpassed that of their son, Lu Chensha.

Had she not been imprisoned by Lu Changsheng in the past, losing eight years due to the Beast Taming Ancient Talisman being taken from her, she might already be preparing to break through to Core Formation.

Of course, Lu Changsheng had compensated her with a Heavenly Phoenix Beast.

Still, after a conversation with Hong Lian, Lu Changsheng began to suspect that Xu Ruoyin might possess some hidden talent or other special circumstance.

On one hand, Xu Ruoyin had found the Beast Taming Ancient Talisman and awakened Hong Lian.

On the other hand, there was the ‘Beast Art.’

No one in the Lu family had successfully cultivated this technique, aside from their son, Lu Chensha.

Even though two other Lu family members with decent beast-taming talent had attempted it, they had been unable to make any progress.

Yet Xu Ruoyin seemed to be a perfect match for the technique. Their son, Lu Chensha, while not a perfect fit, had been able to cultivate it normally.

This made Lu Changsheng wonder if Xu Ruoyin was somehow connected to it all.

“I don’t think it’s likely,” Xu Ruoyin said, lightly pursing her crimson lips and shaking her head.

“Oh? Given your current talent and strength, isn’t the Xu family paying attention to you?”

Lu Changsheng raised an eyebrow. Even if her chances weren’t great, they couldn’t be nonexistent.

“The Xu family prioritizes their direct descendants when it comes to Core Formation. I’m just from a branch family…”

“Unless a top-tier genius from the main family is preparing for Core Formation, and I become their Dao companion, only then would I have a chance.”

Xu Ruoyin spoke softly.

In newly established families, the distinction between direct and branch bloodlines wasn’t always clear.

But in an ancient family like the Beast Taming Xu family, which had existed for thousands of years, the division between direct and branch bloodlines was heavily emphasized.

When it came to nurturing Core Formation cultivators, the Xu family always prioritized their direct descendants.

If they were to invest in a branch family member, it would be seen by the elders as a sign that the family was about to change hands.

Especially with the Xu Family’s Old Ancestor nearing the end of his lifespan, there was no way they would nurture someone like her from a branch line for Core Formation.

“From what I’ve heard, the Xu family has been pressured by Azure Cloud Sect more than once in the last century, and some of their main family talents have mysteriously disappeared after reaching mid or late Foundation Establishment.”

Xu Ruoyin continued.

She had learned this after keeping a close eye on a main family genius named Xu Tiandu.

After she reached late Foundation Establishment and wanted to challenge him, she found out that he had gone on a training journey and hadn’t returned.

As the years passed, and she learned more, she discovered that Xu Tiandu wasn’t the only one.

Many of the Xu family’s geniuses had vanished after reaching mid or late Foundation Establishment.

A few disappearing here and there could be considered normal.

After all, at that stage, it was common for cultivators to go on dangerous journeys in search of opportunities for Core Formation.

But in the past century, seven or eight top-tier talents like Xu Tiandu had disappeared.

This led her to suspect that the Xu family had hidden these geniuses elsewhere, like a rabbit with three burrows.

After all, the Xu family had reached the limits of what they could achieve under Azure Cloud Sect’s rule.

Unless they handed over their family’s Dao soldiers or guardian sacred beast to Azure Cloud Sect, the sect would never allow them to continue growing unchecked. From time to time, the sect would suppress them.

“A rabbit with three burrows.”

Lu Changsheng found her theory plausible.

The Xu family had once been the most powerful of the three great families in Jiang Kingdom.

Even though the Lu family had since risen in prominence, the Xu family remained the strongest on paper.

In such a situation, it made sense that the Xu family would want to break free from Azure Cloud Sect’s control and constraints.

It was the same for himself. If not for his connection to the Immortal City of Da Mengze and Xiao Xiyue, he would have been similarly restricted.

With that in mind, it was entirely reasonable for the Xu family to secretly send their talented descendants away.

“That explains why the Xu Family’s Old Ancestor, despite being over four hundred years old and nearing the end of his lifespan, still hasn’t nurtured a new Core Formation cultivator. I always found that strange.”

Lu Changsheng didn’t dwell on the matter.

The old feud between his family and the Xu family was from years ago, back when they had attacked the Lu family.

As long as they didn’t cause trouble for his family again, he had no interest in seeking revenge.

With the current turmoil in the kingdom, all he wanted was to develop his family in peace and avoid unnecessary conflict.

“What are your plans for Core Formation?”

Lu Changsheng asked.

He still had four Condensing Crystal Pills, but he was hesitant to give one to Xu Ruoyin.

After all, Condensing Crystal Pills were incredibly hard to come by.

His wife Ling Zixiao would need one for her Core Formation, and he also planned to give one to Bai Ling.

His son Lu Lingxiao had already reached the eighth level of Foundation Establishment. At his current pace, he would soon reach the peak and likely need one as well.

And then there were his other children, like Lu Ping’an and Lu Wangshu, who might also need one.

When he did the math, even those four pills wouldn’t be enough.

“I came here this time to say goodbye to you and Senior Hong Lian. I’m planning to venture out and seek an opportunity for Core Formation.”

Xu Ruoyin replied softly.

The Xu family had offered her one or two Core Formation materials or even a chance at a False Core, but she had declined. Instead, she planned to head to Qingluan Immortal City or Yue Kingdom to try her luck.

Now that the war between Liang and Yue had erupted, Jiang Kingdom cultivators, as well as those from Yue, were allowed to participate and earn rewards in exchange for military merits.

“In that case, you should come with me to see Hong Lian later.”

For some reason, Lu Changsheng detected a hint of sadness in Xu Ruoyin’s words.

Thinking about it, she had once held the Beast Taming Ancient Talisman and received guidance from Hong Lian, with a bright future ahead of her.

Now, however, she had to rely on herself to fight for a chance at Core Formation.

“If Hong Lian sees her like this, she’ll probably find a way to get her a Condensing Crystal Pill,” Lu Changsheng thought to himself.

Hong Lian had been in seclusion for years, sitting in meditation at the Immortal City, unable to venture outside.

Otherwise, with her abilities, she could have easily obtained something valuable enough to help Xu Ruoyin.

“If Hong Lian does decide to help her, I could give her one of my pills as a favor.”

Although Hong Lian hadn’t done much in recent years,

she was invaluable. As the guardian of the Immortal City and a repository of knowledge, her assistance had been crucial to Lu Changsheng’s success, making her a top-tier partner.

So, he didn’t mind giving Hong Lian a Condensing Crystal Pill to repay her for her past kindness to Xu Ruoyin.

“Yes, husband.”

Xu Ruoyin, unaware of his thoughts, merely lowered her head and responded obediently.

The two then went to visit their son, Lu Chensha.

However, Xu Ruoyin and Lu Chensha could barely hold a conversation, and after a few exchanges, the room fell silent and awkward.

Lu Changsheng lightened the mood by talking about Lu Chensha’s progress and even obtained some ‘Refined Crystals’ from him before he and Xu Ruoyin left to reconnect.

A few days later, after spending time with Xu Ruoyin, Lu Changsheng sought out Chu Qingyi to catch up and discuss sword techniques.

Once he was done, he decided to make a trip to Yanyu Market.

He had been so busy over the years that he rarely visited, and now even his three children had grown up and seemed a bit distant.

Although they had occasionally visited Bihu Mountain with their mother, Yufei, after Lu Changsheng’s Core Formation ceremony, it was hard for them to fully integrate.

The Lu family was vast and diverse.

After so many years, both his wives and children had formed their own small circles within the family.

Although Lu Changsheng had forced his early prodigious children to unite, fostering familiarity among them, it was impossible for every descendant of the Lu family to be best friends with one another.

This applied not only to his children, but also to his wives.

For instance, Lu Miaoge, Lu Miaohuan, and LL Miaoge were close, but Lu Miaoge was actually closer to Qu Zhenzhen.

Ling Zixiao seemed to have integrated well, but she was only relatively close to Lu Miaoyun, Lu Miaoge, and BaiLing.

Xiao Xiyue had gotten along well with Lu Miaoge and was familiar wiih Lu Miaoyun and the others, butshe still felt like an outsider.

Hong Lian and Meng Xiaochan appeared to fit in, but they were also quite independent.

In this context, it was hard for later-arriving concubines like Yanlan and Yufei, who had spent long periods away, to fully integrate into the family.

Lu Changsheng had noticed all of this, but there wasn’t much he could do. He could only focus on fulfilling his responsibilities and ensuring each child received the proper training and resources.

Yanlan’s son, in particular, had a second-grade spirit root and seemed to have inherited some traits of the Chaos Body. His cultivation progressed much faster than usual, making him highly valuable to the family.

Although he wasn’t particularly close to his father, having grown up in Yanyu Market and being exposed to rogue cultivators, he had inherited some of Yanlan’s tenacity, which would serve him well in the future.

Lu Changsheng stayed at Yanyu Market for a month, then returned home and gave Lu Miaoyun some instructions bfore taking Xu Ruoyin to the Immortal City of Da Mengze.

“Screech!”

The Golden-Winged Roc let out a piercing cry, transforming into a streak of golden light as it tore through the gale winds, soaring through the sky.

“This…”

Xu Ruoyin’s beautiful eyes widened in shock at the sight of the Golden-Winged Roc. As her ‘Beast Art’ activated, she sensed an overwhelming aura from the creature.

She had always known that Lu Changsheng was extraordinary, far from what he appeared on the surface.

Otherwise, how could he have helped Senior Hong Lian reconstruct her physical body so early?

But after decades of being apart more than together, she wasn’t fully aware of the specifics. She only knew that his power ran deep.

Now, seeing the Golden-Winged Roc, a surge of reverence and submission welled up in her heart.

She realized that her husband’s true strength and capabilities far exceeded her imagination.

In fact, the golden roc reminded her of the legendary top-tier Core Formation cultivator, ‘Yangming Zhenren.’

It was said that Yangming Zhenren possessed terrifying battle prowess and commanded a late-stage third-tier golden roc, a truly fearsome combination.

But after a brief glance, she lowered her gaze and quietly sat beside Lu Changsheng, pretending she hadn’t noticed anything.

Ten days later, Lu Changsheng and Xu Ruoyin arrived at the Immortal City of Da Mengze.

He didn’t hide anything from Xu Ruoyin, openly bringing her to the City Lord’s Mansion.

Seeing the mansion, Xu Ruoyin was taken aback.

Even though Lu Changsheng was the Vice City Lord of the Immortal City, how could he come and go from the City Lord’s Mansion so casually?

When she saw Ling Zixiao and Hong Lian, she finally understood. Her heart was in turmoil, waves of shock crashing over her, leaving her unable to calm down.

There had long been rumors of a power shift within the Immortal City of Da Mengze.

She hadn’t known if they were true or not.

But now, she knew the truth—the city had indeed changed hands!

The new City Lords were none other than Lu Changsheng and Senior Hong Lian!

“Xu girl.”

Hong Lian greeted Xu Ruoyin warmly, like a kind elder, asking about her well-being.

Despite the years apart, Xu Ruoyin still felt a bit distant from Hong Lian, but the elder’s concern filled her with warmth as she opened up.

Ling Zixiao, standing nearby, didn’t join the conversation, knowing that Xu Ruoyin didn’t have a favorable opinion of her.

“Zixiao, have you decided when you’ll attempt Core Formation?”

Lu Changsheng had come to the Immortal City for two reasons: to find a few demon kings or heavenly treasures to help him further his cultivation of the Brahma Demon True Form,

and to check on Ling Zixiao’s progress toward Core Formation, hoping to help speed up the process.

After all, reaching Core Formation wasn’t just about increasing one’s magical power and lifespan—it was a fundamental transformation of life itself.

Especially in terms of the soul and divine sense, this breakthrough would greatly enhance her ability to comprehend techniques, divine abilities, and formations.

Ling Zixiao had already hit a bottleneck in her formation studies.

She had spent a long time studying Lu Changsheng’s Misty Dust Banner but hadn’t made much progress.

If she could break through to Core Formation, her skills in formations would surely advance to the next level.

“I want to take a few more years to solidify my foundation,” Ling Zixiao replied.

Although she had reached the peak of Foundation Establishment, she felt that she still needed more time. A breakthrough now would feel too rushed.

Sure, with Lu Changsheng’s help, she was guaranteed to succeed in breaking through.

But with Xiao Xiyue achieving a top-tier golden core, Lu Miaoge also reaching a topptier golden core, and Meng Xiaochan’s rushed Core Formation still resulting in a half-step golden core, Ling Zixiao couldn’t afford to fall too far behind.

If her Core Formation ended up being of the fourth or even fifth grade, even if Lu Changsheng could help her improve it later, she wouldn’t be satisfied.

“Alright, take your time. I’ll help you reforge your magic treasure later.”

Lu Changsheng didn’t push her, respecting her decision to wait and instead offering to upgrade her magic treasure.