Chapter 709: The Six Paths Demon Concubine and the Third-Tier Divination!

On the sheer cliffs, there stood a massive ancient bird’s nest.

At first glance, this nest appeared plain and unremarkable, like an ordinary beast’s lair.

Yet through Lu Quanzhen’s spiritual eye technique, he could see threads of chaotic energy weaving within it, resembling the shimmering phantom of a Kunpeng, dazzling and blinding, making it hard for him to discern reality.

“Kunpeng Nest.”

Gazing at the intertwined chaotic energies of the nest ahead, Lu Quanzhen felt his “Kunpeng Swallowing Heaven Demon Art” stir with vitality.

Even being near the Kunpeng Nest would greatly benefit his practice!

Unfortunately, around the Kunpeng Nest stood unparalleled figures, towering giant pythons, and sun-blocking divine eagles, leaving him too intimidated to approach.

He could only observe from afar, waiting for the Kunpeng Nest to open so he could attempt to get closer after these beings entered and exited.

“Roar!!!”

Just then, the sea suddenly cracked open as a fourth-tier demon king, as massive as a mountain, emerged, stirring up tremendous waves as it charged toward the ancient nest, trying to break through the entrance to the secret realm.

In an instant, it felt as if the heavens and earth exploded; the entire sea roared and boiled, terrifying energy waves radiating from the ancient bird’s nest, scattering the clouds above.

“Not good!”

Witnessing such a horrifying scene, cultivators below the Nascent Soul stage quickly retreated, summoning their treasures to resist the massive surge of terrifying waves.

Even Lu Quanzhen, who was quite some distance away, felt an overwhelming pressure and hurriedly stepped back, his cloak shimmering a deep black as his Core Formation magical energy surged around him.

Despite the monumental uproar, everyone could see that the fourth-tier demon king had not broken through the secret realm’s entrance; instead, its massive body was pierced by a divine light from the ancient bird’s nest, splattering blood into the sea.

“Roar!!!”

It howled in pain, suddenly opening its great mouth wide like a black hole, creating a massive suction that drew countless beings into its maw to replenish its blood.

“Jin Mang, how dare you kill my descendant!”

At that moment, a Nascent Soul true lord, bearing a grudge against it, coldly shouted, preparing to seize this opportunity to strike it down.

The terrifying battle between Nascent Soul cultivators was about to erupt! Despite the severe injury of the demon king, its combat power remained alarmingly strong, fiercely countering the Nascent Soul true lord, with energy waves from their clashes being absolutely extraordinary.

Each collision seemed to unleash an oceanic disaster, endless tides erupting as water splashed like cannon fire, violently crashing in all directions, leaving the surrounding sea in chaos.

Some Nascent Soul cultivators and fourth-tier demon kings observed this situation, opting to avoid getting too close to prevent any impact on themselves.

Only the rocky cliffs of the Kunpeng Nest remained unmoved, occasionally glimmering with a faint light, creating ripples.

After a long while, the severely injured fourth-tier demon king sank into the deep sea, fleeing by using the Starry Sea.

Although the Nascent Soul cultivator that engaged it wanted to pursue, seeing the intertwined energy of the Kunpeng Nest and the surrounding other cultivators, they chose to withdraw.

“When a Nascent Soul is enraged, a hundred thousand will fall.”

Lu Quanzhen, watching from afar, couldn’t help but feel a surge of emotions as he gazed at the blood-red and corpse-laden sea before him.

The Kunpeng Nest emanated a vast aura, causing the sea beasts to instinctively rush toward it.

However, the residual magical energy from the clashes between the Nascent Soul true lord and the fourth-tier demon king was enough to obliterate hundreds of sea beasts.

Any Foundation Establishment cultivators daring to edge closer would likely meet the same fate.

Even as a Core Formation cultivator, he could only watch from a distance. Time slipped by.

More cultivators continued to arrive in this region of the sea, checking on the situation of the Kunpeng Nest.

During this time, a series of battles broke out among cultivators and demon kings.

Whether due to grudges or for an advantage against the enemy, they fought fiercely.

In short, before the secret realm even opened, this area had already transformed into a tragic and bloody slaughterhouse.

“I wonder when this Kunpeng Nest will open.”

Lu Quanzhen had already given up on his hopes of entering the Kunpeng Nest.

He only wanted to wait for the other cultivators to enter the secret realm and use the ancient nest to comprehend his own skills and divine abilities.

Just then, he suddenly felt the world darken, chilling a few degrees.

He looked up.

The thousand-mile clear sky turned dark for some unknown reason.

“Crack! Crack! Crack!”

A series of harsh cracking sounds echoed, causing discomfort in his chest, sending his blood energy and magical power into chaos.

Some lower-level cultivators even bled from their seven orifices, screaming in terror.

The Nascent Soul cultivators and fourth-tier demon king around the Kunpeng Nest also showed solemn expressions at the commotion.

In the murky skies, it seemed like a landscape painting, as a pair of gigantic ghostly hands appeared from nowhere, ripping the heavens apart to reveal an enormous dark void.

Following that, a palace seemingly built from bones floated out from the void, exuding a profound and chilling energy.

This palace was towering, constructed from ominous white bones, featuring thick bones as strong as pillars, slender long bird bones, and even the skulls of human cultivators.

Though these bones looked disorderly, randomly set and piled together, stained with dark blood, they still exuded a strangely beautiful, ancient, and majestic aura.

A faint ghostly glow flowed over the bone surface, resembling the passage of time carrying the aura of a bygone era, yet it also felt like countless vengeful spirits were trapped within, wailing continuously, sending a shiver down his spine.

“What is this!?”

Even though Lu Quanzhen had seen many demonic cultivators and their methods over the years, he still felt a chill run down his spine at the sight of this bone palace.

At the top of the palace, several banners stood tall, rustling ominously in the air and sounding like a soul-calling melody from the Nine Nether.

Lu Quanzhen instinctively looked over, bit his tongue in shock, and quickly turned his gaze away, fearing that his soul would be entranced by the rune-like eyes on the banners.

So terrifying!

This was definitely a top-tier Nascent Soul cultivator! Far beyond the likes of the Lord of Xuxuan Island or the Second Maid of the Divine Maiden!

Boom!

The doors of the bone palace slowly opened.

Though as a Core Formation cultivator, he could see inside with extraordinary eyesight, he simply dared not look at this bone palace.

“Welcome, Demon Concubine Wan An!!!”

“Welcome, Demon Concubine Wan An!!!”

Before the majestic palace, at the foot of the nine hundred and ninety-nine stairs made of skulls, many cultivators, ghosts, demon beasts, and Lu Family’s Spiritual Soldiers knelt on one knee, shouting in unison.

“We pay our respects to the Demon Concubine of the Six Paths!”

A Nascent Soul true lord, seeing this scene, peered through the opened doors, gazing at the intimidating skull stairs, the towering palace gates, and the deep interior, his eyes resting on the graceful figure lying on the throne, bowing deeply.

The Demon Concubine of the Six Paths!

The most powerful demonic cultivator in the Starry Sea, the Dao partner of the Demon Lord of the Six Paths!

However, her ability to instill such solemnity in many Nascent Soul cultivators didn’t solely come from her title as the Six Paths Demon Concubine; it derived from her individual strength!

After all, how could an ordinary female cultivator become the Dao partner of the most formidable demonic cultivator in the Starry Sea!

“I’ve heard the Kunpeng Nest has appeared. I’m here to see what’s going on now.”

The graceful figure in the palace spoke, her voice clear and pleasant, exuding an ethereal charm, yet also a chilling presence that was captivating and soul-binding.

“Now that this nest has autonomously manifested, the Dao rules and restrictions are gradually dissipating. It won’t be long, possibly half a year at most a year, before it opens.”

This Nascent Soul cultivator, recognizing the Six Paths Demon Concubine, relayed the situation here to her.

“A year, is it?”

The Six Paths Demon Concubine let out a faint, amused laugh, throwing countless cultivators’ blood energy and magical powers into disarray.

However, just at that moment, the heavens suddenly shone bright as day, and a handprint like a great sun descended from the skies, crashing down on the bone palace.

“Zhongli Ming, you are so bold!”

“Hmph, your Six Paths Palace has harmed the living; within this bone palace lies a disciple’s corpse. This debt must be settled with you!”

A tremendous roar erupted as if the entire Starry Sea trembled, an indescribable radiant brilliance collided with the bone palace, unleashing a grand spectacle.

“Aren’t these Nascent Soul cultivators ever done?”

When the bone palace appeared, Lu Quanzhen already felt his blood energy and magical power in disarray; now, with the clash of two terrifying auras, he directly felt unsteady and let out a low groan, as if both his eyes and ears would soon fail him.

He swiftly activated his Kunpeng magical energy, propelling the shadow cloak to its maximum, quickly fleeing like a Kunpeng soaring away.

He could no longer afford to stay in this cursed place.

Who knew he might end up heavily injured by the residual magical power of those Nascent Soul cultivators before the secret realm even opened?

“Hmm?”

However, just as he was fleeing with all his might, a Nascent Soul cultivator in the distance suddenly turned his gaze toward Lu Quanzhen, who was soaring like a Peng bird.

One year later.

At Bihu Mountain in the Sumeru Cave Heaven, Hall of Everlasting Life.

Lu Changsheng sat cross-legged, his appearance majestic, as gold light and magical energy flowed like the dual energies of yin and yang within his body.

Behind him stood a three-headed, six-armed phantom.

Thanks to numerous heavenly herbs and earthly treasures, the Brahma Demon True Form he had painstakingly condensed over two years had now achieved minor success in just one year.

As for moving from minor to major success, that likely required decades.

So Lu Changsheng planned to finish refining the “Xuanhuang Essence” and consider it complete.

During his second retraining, the three-headed, six-armed phantom had slight differences from before.

Covered in purple-gold scales and brimming with boundless strength, its arms displayed a raw aura resembling a dragon and a phoenix entwined around them.

This was because during his cultivation, he had fused the primeval essences of the dragon and phoenix he had previously refined into this true form, slightly enhancing its power.

As for other aspects, there weren’t many drastic changes.

“It’s time to go out for a while.”

Lu Changsheng slowly opened his eyes and let out a breath of foul air.

Time flew by during cultivation.

Although he was immersed in training, Lu Changsheng had a rough idea of how much time had passed.

Calculating the time, his son Lu Lingxiao was about to undergo Core Formation.

The Abyssal Sea Dragon Whale should also be close to transcending tribulation and advancing to fourth-tier!

Once the Abyssal Sea Dragon Whale advanced to fourth-tier, he could travel to the Starry Sea and see if there were any Huaying Pills or unclaimed fourth-tier spiritual lands.

Even if there were no unclaimed fourth-tier spiritual lands, having a fourth-tier demon king with the bloodline of the Abyssal Sea Dragon Whale as protection would still allow him to burst through to Nascent Soul in a fourth-tier spiritual land.

“It’s a pity Qingluan Zhenren isn’t here; otherwise, with her and the Abyssal Sea Dragon Whale’s protection, even if a Heaven Dao Nascent Soul made a commotion, they could avoid being disturbed.”

Lu Changsheng thought of Qingluan Zhenren, who had gone off somewhere while pregnant and was unaware of her whereabouts.

If he had her help, he felt his chances of reaching Nascent Soul would be much more secure.

As for Ah Youduo, her combat strength was rather lacking.

“Once everything is prepared, if necessary, I might consider contacting her.”

Lu Changsheng thought that if he needed high-level combat power for protection, he could reach out to Qingluan Zhenren.

If that doesn’t work, he could take a trip to the Abyss of Ten Thousand Demons later to enhance the Soul-Taking Beast to fourth-tier!

“System, draw a lottery.”

Lu Changsheng stood up, brushed off his green robe, and silently recited.

During his period of closed-door cultivation, the Lu Family had acquired ten second-tier spiritual plant masters, and the total number of Lu family descendants had reached seven thousand, gaining two ordinary lottery draws.

Although he considered most rewards from ordinary lottery draws beneath him, he still had a significant demand for skills.

[Ding! Congratulations, host, you have obtained a third-tier Heaven Mending Pill!]

[Reward has been issued in the system space; the host can check at any time.]

A pill design appeared from the big spinning wheel, accompanied by a system prompt.

“Heaven Mending Pill?”

Upon seeing this pill reward, Lu Changsheng paused, then gently shook his head.

Years ago, he held great expectations for this pill.

But now, “I’d much prefer to have a piece of Heaven Mending Grass.”

Lu Changsheng glanced at the system space; there was only one of this level of pill.

For him, it was far inferior to drawing a piece of Heaven Mending Grass and gathering the herbs to refine it himself.

“Continue.”

With a thought, the system’s wheel continued to turn.

[Ding! Congratulations, host, you have obtained second-tier spiritual plant techniques!]

[Reward has been issued in the system space; the host can check at any time.]

“Techniques…”

Now that he had drawn techniques, Lu Changsheng naturally thought about upgrading his current ones.

“Which one should I upgrade?”

Currently, the techniques Lu Changsheng needed most were Talisman Making, Artifact Refining, Dragon Seeking, and Divination.

Talisman Making was self-explanatory.

With the “Nine-Nine Profound Talisman Sutra,” if he upgraded Talisman Making to fourth-tier, he could directly draw fourth-tier talismans.

Rather than relying on the usual method of nurturing the talismans, which consumed extensive time, he needed to draw talismans for his daughter Lu Wangshu.

As of now, it took until now to complete the nurturing of three fourth-tier talismans.

As for Artifact Refining, it needed no explanation.

Whether upgrading his Life-bound Treasure, the “Yin-Yang Chart,” or refining the “Yin-Yang Creation Gourd,” or reforging the Spirit Treasures of True Lord Loushan and True Lord Zicang, he would need higher Artifact Refining skills.

Dragon Seeking pertains to the family and the spirit veins of the cave heaven.

Currently, his Dragon Seeking techniques were only second-tier, making it wasteful to extract third-tier spirit veins; if raised to third-tier, he could greatly improve the spirit veins of the Sumeru Cave Heaven and the Immortal City of Damengze.

As for Divination, it’s a necessity for major forces!

Currently, the second-tier Divination’s efficacy was minimal.

However, once upgraded to third-tier, the effects would see a remarkable boost, and he would become a top diviner in Jiang Kingdom!

“Right now, I don’t urgently need fourth-tier talismans, and the experience conversion can only elevate a third-tier to a low-quality fourth-tier, which wouldn’t be of much help to me.”

“Even if I enhance my Artifact Refining to fourth-tier, given the current condition of the family, it’d be difficult to perfectly forge the Yin-Yang Creation Gourd, so I’ll prioritize upgrading Divination instead.”

“Enhancing Divination skills allows me to foresee auspiciousness and misfortunes, supporting the stable management of my family and aiding my expedition to the Starry Sea.”

Lu Changsheng pondered for a moment and decided to enhance his Divination skills.

He planned to travel to the Starry Sea to explore his Nascent Soul opportunities.

With top-tier third-tier Divination skills, he could anticipate smoother outcomes in whatever he pursued.

Lu Changsheng focused on the second-tier spiritual plant within the system space; with a thought, the knowledge of the Divination technique surged into his mind.

Instantly, a marvelously profound understanding of the Divination path flooded his mind.

“So this is third-tier Divination; it’s indeed subtle.”

Lu Changsheng felt the innate knowledge of the Divination path became instinctive, too complex to describe in words; he could only refer to it as ‘profound.’

Noting this, Lu Changsheng pinched his fingers to calculate, wanting to see his upcoming fortunes.

Suddenly, a whimsical notion washed over him.

Good! A great omen!

In the twilight of fate, he divined that great joy was approaching soon.

Lu Changsheng attempted to divine further, trying to determine the source of this auspicious sign, but met with immense resistance.

After a long time, his face turned pale, and fatigue lingered in his brow until he sensed where the good fortune originated.

The Abyssal Sea Dragon Whale! “Could this good omen concern the Abyssal Sea Dragon Whale’s advancement to fourth-tier?”

Lu Changsheng felt somewhat speechless.

After expending so much effort and focus, he received information that was so ambiguous.

The Abyssal Sea Dragon Whale’s promotion to fourth-tier was merely a matter of time—was there a need to divinate? However, thinking deeply, a spirit pet advancing to fourth-tier certainly qualified as a great omen.

“I must still forge some corresponding forecasting artifacts when I have time.”

Lu Changsheng shook his head slightly.

Talisman Masters possess respective talisman tools; Array Masters have array artifacts.

Likewise, Diviners should also have corresponding forecasting artifacts to improve the precision and success rate of their predictions.

If Lu Changsheng possessed several high-quality forecasting artifacts, his earlier divination would certainly have been much easier, saving him so much mental and physical exertion.

After swallowing a pill, he entered a meditative state for several days, recovering his mental state significantly before exiting the Hall of Everlasting Life.

“I almost forgot about her.”

Just after stepping out of the Hall of Everlasting Life, Lu Changsheng suddenly recalled Shadow within the Divine Maiden’s Furnace.

She had been trapped in the Divine Maiden’s Furnace before his closed-door retreat.

During this time, he had been preoccupied with cultivating the Brahma Demon True Form and hadn’t checked on her situation.

Immediately, Lu Changsheng returned to his cave abode, looking toward the jade furnace resembling a divine maiden lying beside the bed.