Chapter 812: Blood Lessons and Family Legacies

Even though the terrifying reputation of Talisman Lu Family’s True Lords Lu Changsheng and Master Miaoge, who had slain three Core Formation cultivators, had already spread throughout the Jiang, Yue, and Liang regions.

With the family also boasting Lu Ping’an the Blue Lake True Lord and the Third-Rank Demon King Nine Nether Hound at their post, he felt no fear at all.

Firstly, his faction was known as the Qisha Sect.

The insignificant Talisman Lu Family was nothing more than an ant before the Qisha Sect.

They dared not dispatch their great True Lords to Jiang Kingdom during the Liang-Yue War, so as to avoid a full-scale annihilation of the Talisman Lu Family.

A mere Core Formation cultivator had the gall to humiliate the Qisha Sect—utterly ungrateful and presumptuous!

Secondly, his mission wasn’t to target Lu Changsheng or Master Miaoge.

His goal was to dole out a bloody, mournful lesson to the Talisman Lu Family! As a Core Formation cultivator skilled in the Art of Assassination, unless he engaged them head-on at Bihu Mountain, what could Lu Changsheng and Master Miaoge do?

Besides, Lu Changsheng—a talisman cultivator, and Master Miaoge—a practitioner of water-based healing arts, feared none more than stealthy assassins like those of the Qisha Sect.

Unprepared, he was confident he could finish them with a single blow!

Although his sect’s mission was merely to teach the Talisman Lu Family a lesson filled with blood and tears to deter both Jiang and Yue kingdoms,

if Lu Changsheng and Master Miaoge were caught alone, he wouldn’t hesitate to kill them outright!

Weak defeating the strong—that was the creed of the Qisha Sect!

If he could assassinate Lu Changsheng and bring back his head, the rewards from his sect would far surpass those of ordinary assassination tasks!

“Lu Changsheng, as a clan cultivator with countless offspring, will surely be thrown into disarray when his family is decimated,” he thought, certain that the sight of so many slain would drive him to a breaking point!

Before his arrival, Jue Wusheng had already studied detailed intelligence on Lu Changsheng and Master Miaoge, and was well aware of the Talisman Lu Family.

This family was no ordinary one; in just a hundred years, they had grown to an astonishing level.

But how could they know their place? They dared to conspire with the high authorities of Yue to humiliate the Qisha Sect! Did they really think that withdrawing their clan members from the Yue frontline to Jiang would prevent the Qisha Sect from arriving from the Yuan or Liang battlefields?

Keep in mind, the Qisha Sect’s grudge was one of blood; every insult demanded a head for recompense! At that moment, Jue Wusheng suddenly felt a chill—as if someone were silently watching him.

His expression darkened as he suspected that a patrolling cultivator from Jiang, using a Dao-Comprehending Artifact to sense demonic energy, had passed by.

He immediately set his cultivation method into full motion, his body coiling like a venomous snake in winter hibernation, all energy seemingly drained.

But the next instant, he sensed the air around him stiffen as it pressed in from all directions with unyielding force.

“This is bad!” Realizing the peril, he abandoned his stealth and activated his secret technique, attempting a swift escape over a thousand miles.

Yet the very heavens and earth around him seemed to freeze, rendering him immobile as his magical energy began to falter.

“You little rat, still trying to flee?”

At that moment, a ripple in space appeared, and a youth in a flowing blue robe—handsome, pale, and holding a vibrant, multicolored banner—slowly emerged before him.

“Lu Changsheng…”

Jue Wusheng’s eyes widened in terrified disbelief at the figure before him.

With merely his energy stifled, his magical power failing and escape nearly impossible while his mastery of spatial force went null,

he recognized the presence of a Nascent Soul True Lord!

Here stood a Nascent Soul True Lord! Yet when he had reviewed the intelligence on the Talisman Lu Family before his mission,

the Nascent Soul True Lord before him looked exactly like the patriarch of the Talisman Lu Family, True Lord Lu Changsheng! Before Jue Wusheng could recover from his shock and wonder what was happening, the frozen heavens and earth felt as though gripped by an invisible giant hand.

In an instant, all his energy, magical power, and divine sense were stripped away, plunging him into endless darkness and void.

Lu Changsheng then hurled Jue Wusheng into the Inconceivable Treasure Wheel—not to kill him outright, but to use him as bait and a medium for divination.

The Qisha Sect repays every slight!

And Lu Changsheng was no saint!

To those who had shown him kindness, even a slight favor would be repaid manifold!

Yet towards his enemies, he would never show mercy! Were it not for the near Nascent Soul stage and trivial matters keeping him occupied, he might have directly marched into the Qisha Sect! He’d drag the fool to a remote place and, using the Six Desire Heart Demon Technique, extract every bit of information from him.

One had to admit, the cultivators of the Qisha Sect were like death warriors—steadfast and unyielding—making it nearly impossible to force out any meaningful intelligence from them.

However, with the help of a Soul-Taking Beast, Lu Changsheng managed to extract some details.

He learned that apart from this man, there were two other fake Core Formation assassins—little rats, if you will.

Unlike most factions, the Qisha Sect had not acted in unison but instead carried out their orders separately, leaving them with little mutual knowledge.

Without many words, Lu Changsheng tossed a Divination Copper Coin, draining his vital essence and lifespan to roughly pinpoint the location of the other two fake Core Formation killers, and then used the Sun-Moon Yin-Yang Mirror to search.

Under such measures, the two Qisha Sect assassins were utterly powerless, just like Jue Wusheng before them—sealed off, their energy, magical power, and senses all cut off, confined within the Inconceivable Realm.

“Qisha Sect!”

Through his divination, sensing the fading omen, Lu Changsheng gave a steely glance toward Yue.

He knew that the feud with the Qisha Sect had to be proactively resolved.

Otherwise, remaining passive would only worsen matters.

After settling the dispute with the Qisha Sect, Lu Changsheng did not rush back to the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range.

He had arranged the formation with Hong Lian and Ling Zixiao, and with combat forces like the Golden-Winged Roc and Qian Zhuyan, he had little need to worry.

In recent days, to quickly track down the Qisha Sect’s vermin, Lu Changsheng had expended a great deal of his vital essence and lifespan on divination. He decided it was time to retreat and recuperate.

“Once I break through to Nascent Soul, I must resolve the issue of the Divination Tools as soon as possible.”

The recent onslaught by three Qisha Sect members had left Lu Changsheng increasingly anxious about his divination methods.

If only he had a few Fourth-Rank Divination Tools, estimating the situation with these three would be much simpler.

Moreover, unlike most sects, the Qisha Sect’s operations weren’t centrally coordinated.

Their Mountain Gate was merely for show, while their many elders, administrators, and hall masters had already established strongholds elsewhere.

Even if he were to annihilate their main gate, it wouldn’t uproot them completely!

This realization underlined that to thoroughly vanquish the Qisha Sect, he’d have to employ divination—and that came at a cost.

At that moment, he lamented, “But without any resident diviners at home, things will always be a bit shaky…”

This ordeal taught Lu Changsheng why most sects would station several diviners—so that even a faint sense of impending danger could warn them in time.

Even if they weren’t sure of the source, merely sensing danger allowed for adequate preparation.

Unfortunately, his own family had no talent in divination.

His son, Lu Qingxian, though a Second-Rank Diviner, had only advanced through the Core Formation stage thanks to the Taiyi Spirit; his divination aptitude was mediocre at best, making it nearly impossible to become a Third-Rank Diviner without an enormous investment of time and effort.

“I wonder if the system can pull a miraculous item that senses omens or even a demonic beast or Dao seed,” Lu Changsheng mused, his thoughts tinged with cautious hope.

After all, relying on himself alone was far too overwhelming.

Being in Jiang this time, with his family’s future at stake, allowed him to sense subtle omens.

But if he were in remote places like the Starry Sea or the Forbidden Sea, even if his family were in danger, it would be nearly impossible to truly divine the situation.

Thus, aside from himself, it was best that his family had some means—a diviner who could sense omens and impending crises!

Back at Bihu Mountain, when Lu Miaoyun and Master Miaoge saw the pale, weary look on Lu Changsheng’s face, they immediately expressed their concern.

“It’s nothing—I was merely using divination to deal with a few rats.”

Lu Changsheng waved them off and murmured softly.

Ever since he mastered divination, he found himself periodically weakened.

Truly, possessing the means to seek auspicious omens and divine the future was a double-edged sword—most diviners ended up with tragically shortened lives even if used sparingly.

Moreover, not everyone was as resilient as Lu Changsheng, blessed with the Taiyi Spirit and a robust body and vitality.

Thanks to his Chaos Body, Lu Changsheng recovered in no time after each setback.

Considering that more than half a year had passed since Yun Wanshang’s declaration, and with the Golden-Winged Roc still in the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range, Lu Changsheng resolved to continue preparing for his own Nascent Soul breakthrough at home.

But as for his Dao-Comprehending Artifacts, he already owned his life-bound treasure “Yin-Yang Diagram”, the armor “Nine Abyss Black Tortoise Armor”, the tribulation-transcending treasure “Yuan Magnetic Five Elements Mountain”, and the restorative spirit item “Healing Bone Talisman”; his pill inventory included his core breakthrough aids—the Huaying Pill and the Demon Breaking Life Saving Pill—plus a few rare healing pills and recovery elixirs obtained from kind souls in his youth.

For Nascent Soul spirit items, he had the Infant Nurturing Flower, Nine Heavens Pure Spiritual Energy, Taiyi Dao Seed, Sun Essence, and Moon Essence. Lu Changsheng felt he was well-prepared.

If there was any shortcoming, it was that Sun and Moon Essence were Third-Rank, not Fourth-Rank.

After all, it took a full jiazi cycle using the Sun-Moon Yin-Yang Mirror to condense a single portion of Sun or Moon Essence—something he simply could not afford to wait for.

Though investing in sun-based artifacts and essences could accelerate the process, the cost outweighed the output.

Condensing even one portion of Fourth-Rank Sun or Moon Essence remained incredibly challenging.

“Forget it—I should just focus on practicing my secret technique.”

After a moment’s thought, Lu Changsheng decided to resume cultivation of his Nascent Soul secret technique.

Yet, staring at the batch of Yin-Yang Golden Cores in his Qi Sea Dantian, he suddenly felt it unnecessary.

“Maybe I should try the Five Organs Nurturing Technique.”

Lu Changsheng recalled his family’s breakthrough secret—a technique that had become standard among the Lu Family disciples, almost everyone practiced it as a supplementary method.

But he, as the patriarch, had never bothered with it.

The reason was simple:

Unless one reached the Fifth Layer of great attainment, it wouldn’t benefit him much.

And reaching the Fifth Layer required an enormous expenditure of time and effort.

In past years, he had been preoccupied in the Starry Sea and hadn’t had time for practice.

Now that he had a little time, Lu Changsheng decided to give it a try.

Even if the improvements were modest, at least it would deepen his understanding, and that might help him instruct his children in the future.

Barely had he begun his trial when, as he circulated his inner organs and completed one cycle of energy, the Five Organs Nurturing Technique abruptly broke through its first layer.

Lu Changsheng was taken aback.

He knew the previous layers were trivial and posed no challenge—but this was too simple.

Then again, he possessed a Chaos Body and a Fourth-Rank physique; his physical channels, organs, and internal systems were already phenomenal.

And with his system-bestowed initiation, he needed little contemplation.

If there was still difficulty at this stage, then there was truly a problem.

After briefly experiencing the first layer, Lu Changsheng continued his cultivation.

The second and third layers were the same—almost one full cycle and each was suddenly surpassed.

Thankfully, when he reached the fourth layer, there was no sudden breakthrough, suggesting that the advancement did confer some benefit.

After one and a half months, his Five Organs Nurturing Technique broke through the fourth layer, and he began to feel a slight, ticklish sensation in his organs.

He sat quietly, deeply meditating, yet felt that the improvement was minimal—a mere three to five years’ worth of extension in lifespan.

“It seems that my body’s potential in a Fourth-Rank breakthrough has been fully unlocked.”

Though his Fourth-Rank Body Refinement was only a supplementary cultivation and couldn’t compare to the thousand-year lifespans of Nascent Soul True Lords,

thanks to his Chaos Body, breaking through Fourth-Rank Body Refinement still pushed his lifespan past the thousand mark.

Yet, past traumatic injuries or taxing divinations had cut a thousand years off his life.

At least there was some improvement.

During the ticklish process, Lu Changsheng sensed that his internal organs could now store a hint of magical energy—his life’s very essence.

Taking a deep breath, he sat cross-legged and resumed his cultivation, determined to see if he could break through to the Fifth Layer.

He believed that the Fifth Layer would offer him significant benefits.

Two months later, a letter from his wife, Lu Miaoyun, arrived.

His son, Lu Qingxian, was ready to break through to Core Formation.

“Since he’s ready, let him form his Core! Let him form it atop Biyun Peak and announce to the world that the Talisman Lu Family has produced another Qilin Child!” declared Lu Changsheng.

When it came to his son Lu Qingxian and daughter Lu Wangshu forming their Core, he made no secret of his ideas.

He boldly announced it to the world.

Even if it attracted the scrutiny of other clans and made them think his family was odd, after a hundred years, everyone knew something was amiss with the Lu Family. Concealing it only to have Core Formation emerge sporadically would have been even worse.

Moreover, with Azure Cloud Sect’s Yun Wanshang watching over, if his Nascent Soul were in jeopardy, so be it.

Lu Qingxian ascended Biyun Peak, gazing out over Bihu Mountain, taking in every view of the land.

Core Formation!

He was finally about to form his Core.

Though he had long been capable of breaking through, at this moment his emotions still churned.

“Mother, you won’t get to see this day,” he murmured as he looked toward a small peak by Lingcui Cliff.

This was originally just a small hill, but as Biyun Peak’s spiritual vein ascended to the Third Rank, it gradually transformed into a revered vein known as Jingyou Peak.

Jingyou Peak wasn’t meant for dwelling—it was the Lu Family Cemetery, where deceased family members, spouses, and concubines lay to rest.

Nine years ago, his mother, Shao Yunyao, was also laid to rest here.

“Mother, once I condense a top-grade Golden Core, I’ll speak with you again! Even in the heavens, your spirit shall witness my breakthrough!”

After a moment’s silent contemplation, Lu Qingxian pulled his gaze back with firm determination and resumed his meditative posture.

He arranged before him his Storage Pouch containing a Condensing Crystal Pill, a Five Elements Spirit Fruit, Sun Essence, Thunderstruck Fusang Wood shavings, a Fire Marrow Jujube he had found, and Purple Thunder Liquid; then he slowly closed his eyes.

After so much preparation, his cultivation had stabilized at the peak of Foundation Establishment—his magical energy surged like celestial thunder and earthly fire.

He quietly activated his technique, “Thunderfire Nine Techniques”, constantly adjusting his magical energy, divine sense, and state of mind, seeking that fleeting moment when the spiritual inspiration of heaven and earth would spark.

During this process, memories of a hundred years of cultivation and countless experiences flooded his mind.

Time became a blur until, suddenly, his eyes snapped open, his pupils a fiery interlace as he raised his hand and swallowed a Condensing Crystal Pill from a porcelain vial.

At that very moment, after a hundred years of cultivation, his Core Formation day had arrived!

Three months later,

thunderous winds and swirling clouds burst over Biyun Peak, as the very hues of heaven and earth shifted.

The spiritual energy of Bihu Mountain roiled like a tidal wave, gathering toward Biyun Peak to form a colossal vortex.

“Brother Qingxuan has passed the three trials of Core Formation!”

“This Core Formation omen is every bit as magnificent as the one our eldest sister once displayed!”

“Bihu Mountain is about to welcome another Core Formation True Lord!”

Regarding Lu Qingxian’s Core Formation, Lu Miaoyun had already issued a notice instructing everyone to refrain from secluding themselves, lest his breakthrough inadvertently affect others.

Moreover, two months earlier, Bihu Mountain had activated its formation and entered a sealed state.

Thus, every Lu Family disciple knew that Lu Qingxian was on the verge of breaking through to Core Formation.

Even so, the scene at Biyun Peak filled the disciples with electrifying excitement and inspiration.

Many Lu Family disciples wore expressions of envy, admiration, and awe in their eyes.

Lu Qingxian was one of Bihu Mountain’s most outstanding disciples.

His mother was merely a concubine with inferior spiritual roots, incapable of offering him help.

Though his own spiritual root—which was a Fourth-Rank Spirit Root—was decent, it was hardly exceptional.

Yet, against all odds, he had clawed his way to this point, breaking through to Core Formation on his own.

Even though Bihu Mountain already boasted many Core Formation cultivators, throughout time and across lands, those who reached Core Formation always earned immense respect.

“If Lu Qingxian succeeds, Bihu Mountain might witness the unprecedented phenomenon of a five-Core Formation era,” someone remarked.

“They say that if you count True Lord Xi Yue of Azure Cloud Sect, the partner of the Blue Lake True Lord, and the clan’s Spirit Beast, Nine Nether King, it would total to seven Core Formation-level powers!”

“And I recall that True Lord Lu Changsheng and True Lord Xi Yue’s daughter, Immortal Wangshu, once obtained a Condensing Crystal Pill in the Secret Realm of Da Mengze within the Immortal City of Damengze.”

“Otherwise, how could every Lu Family member break through with a Condensing Crystal Pill?”

“If Lu Qingxian breaks through Core Formation and subsequently Lu Wangshu does as well, I dare say the family would witness a staggering four Core Formation cultivators!”

Not only the Lu Family disciples but also the apprentices at Bihu Mountain, the guest attendants, and even the devotees kept their eyes on Biyun Peak.

Some families, upon hearing the news, craned their necks from afar, straining to catch a glimpse of the commotion.

Despite the shielding formation around Bihu Mountain that obscured a full view, after the three trials of Core Formation, one could still detect subtle movements in the heavens.

“Core Formation.”

Atop Biyun Peak, Lu Wangshu and Wang Yanjing both watched the Core Formation omens with keen eyes.

In fact, Wang Yanjing had fully mastered the Five Organs Nurturing Technique to its Third-Rank pinnacle last year.

Yet, the complacency of recent years had left her anxious about Core Formation—her mind no longer as resolute as it once was.

Thus, aware that Lu Qingxian had nearly completed his preparations to break through, she opted to wait for his breakthrough first.

At that moment, watching the Core Formation omens on Biyun Peak, her heart surged with both excitement and longing.

She had once set her life’s goal on forming her Core as a seed of the Five Elements Wang Family—and Core Formation was her ultimate pursuit, a top-grade Golden Core.

Lu Wangshu understood that Lu Qingxian had prepared for so long only to break through to that top-grade Golden Core.

But her ambitions were even grander.

She aspired, like her brother Lu Lingxiao, to condense an Immortal Golden Core!

But an Immortal Golden Core was no easy feat.

Even though her parents had prepared perfectly matched Core Formation spirit items for her, she remained uncertain.

After acquiring the Dao Seed “Dao Heart Enlightenment”, she developed a new idea—to use the Dao Heart’s faint pulse combined with pure truth to perceive a heavenly opportunity for Core Formation through the Way.

With the aid of such a celestial boost, she might indeed have a chance to break through to an Immortal Golden Core.

Lost in thought for a while, she saw her elder brother channeling every bit of energy into the formation at Biyun Peak as the array concealed the heavenly omens, and she turned away to return to her practice room, entering a state of intense concentration as she refined her Life Talisman.

Two months later, news shook the entire Azure Cloud Domain and quickly spread through the Jiang Kingdom’s cultivation circles.

Talisman Lu Family’s True Lord Lu Changsheng’s son, Lu Qingxian, had returned from frontline battles in Yue; today, at Bihu Mountain, he successfully broke through to Core Formation, adopting the Dao name “Qingxuan”.

Half a year later, a Core Formation celebration would be held at Bihu Mountain!

“A family boasting five Core Formation cultivators—this is an unprecedented clan spectacle!”

“I heard that True Lords Lu Changsheng and Master Miaoge slaughtered three Core Formation True Lords on the Liang-Yue battlefield to exchange for a Condensing Crystal Pill—and now someone has broken through Core Formation so rapidly.”

“Damn it, you worthless wretch! When True Lord Lu Changsheng fathered so many children in just twenty years, I spent so much in dowries to secure these two wives—why did you only produce seven? Go on, keep begetting more!”

As the news spread, countless people outside erupted in lively discussions, shocked and full of comments.

Many family clans, witnessing these events, were filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred.

In earlier times, only the areas around Bihu Mountain had experienced a trend of marriage, childbirth, and even sons-in-law influenced by Lu Changsheng.

But as the Talisman Lu Family continuously rose in prominence and its members began to shine one after another, every clan in the Jiang Kingdom’s cultivation world realized the importance of having many offspring, trying to replicate the Lu Family’s rise.

For those with mediocre cultivation talent at home, early marriages and children were strongly encouraged.

Yet there were so few female cultivators with divine roots.

And among those willing to bear children, very few would go all out.

This also resulted in exorbitant dowries for female cultivators.

Many male cultivators cursed Lu Changsheng daily, claiming that the Talisman Lu Family was never short of money—there were female cultivators eager to marry, some even bringing their own dowries.

But for scattered cultivators like themselves, marrying a woman with divine roots became nearly impossible.

Even if one saved up spirit stones for decades working in the marketplace, it wouldn’t be enough to wed a female cultivator.

At that moment, at Bihu Mountain and Jingyou Peak,

“Mother, I have come to see you. I wonder if your spirit in heaven can witness that I have successfully broken through to a Second-Grade Core Formation!”

Lu Qingxian stood before his mother’s tomb, placing a jar of flower nectar down and murmuring softly.

His mother had been nothing more than a concubine to his father.

After he grew up, he learned that his mother, Shao Yunyao, had originally been a maid purchased from Baiyu Building by his father.

Thus, he had known from a young age that he was unlike Lu Yun, Lu Qingsong, Lu Wangshu, or Lu Lingxiao—he had no maternal clan backing.

Even though his mother couldn’t do much for him, she had been his sole source of truth about the cruel nature of this world, always encouraging him, never restraining him, and hoping he would soar freely without hindrance.

Before her death, she even told his elder brother not to call her back, so as not to delay his cultivation—even her final words were sparse.

“My son, do not worry. Your mother is proud of you. May your immortal path stretch on forever!”

Perhaps because of her early experiences, she believed that everything in life was of low quality except cultivation, and her only expectation for him was that he excelled in his practice and earned his father’s recognition.

It was for these two reasons that he, with a Fourth-Rank Spirit Root at a century-old age, managed to reach this point.

Even though his father favored many of his siblings, he at least gave every Lu Family disciple an equal chance—if one worked hard, rewards would follow. Just as when he broke through Foundation Establishment, his father gifted him a Divine Fruit, bestowing him with the Thunderfire Xuan Lotus ability.

Later, utilizing that divine ability, he dispatched two attacking Foundation Establishment cultivators on Flower-Fruit Mountain, repelled another, and earned his father’s praise.

Step by step, that was how he reached where he was.

Taking a sip of the flower nectar, Lu Qingxian found the taste rather plain.

When he first completed Qi Initiation, his elder sister Lu Caizhen had given him a bottle of this nectar, which he had found delicious.

Since then, during every festival, his mother would have Lu Caizhen buy him a bottle as a reward.

Though he had long grown tired of it, he could never refuse his mother’s good intentions.

Pouring the nectar over the pale orchid in front of his mother’s tomb, Lu Qingxian respectfully kowtowed.

The breeze stirred, making the orchid sway, and for a moment, he fancied he saw the ethereal outline of a woman brush her fingertips across his furrowed brow.

“Sigh…”

Not far off, clad in a long blue robe, Lu Changsheng observed the scene with a heavy heart.

Partings of life and death were an inescapable part of existence.

After a hundred years of cultivation, he had witnessed innumerable farewells.

Just as in the Lu Family Cemetery—not only were his many concubines buried there, but also his children.

Thus, every time he visited, his heart felt unbearably heavy.

After visiting his son and the young celebration at home, Lu Changsheng returned to Xumitu Cave Heaven to resume cultivation of the Five Organs Nurturing Technique.

His method had yet to break through to the Fifth Layer.

But he felt the time was ripe—his son was about to break through—and he planned to break isolation to check on him.

At the critical moment of his breakthrough, he even injected a dose of “Yin-Yang Origin” to lend a bit of extra support.

Even though his son was only at the Second-Grade Golden Core stage, with the aid of Thunderstruck Fusang Wood and a little extra from him, raising the Second-Grade Golden Core to First-Grade would be no difficulty.

While Lu Changsheng continued his secluded cultivation, news about the Kunpeng Egg quietly arrived from the Starry Sea.

It was reported that the long-dormant Kunpeng Egg had already hatched.

Its hatchling, using some treasured artifact, had escaped to a fog-laden area known as Da Mengze.

Furthermore, rumors held that the Kunpeng hatchling had fallen into the clutches of the dominant force of Da Mengze—the Immortal City of Damengze.

Though the report was baffling,

many high-level cultivators and major factions sensed that someone was secretly stirring the pot.

Faced with such circumstances, adopting a stance of rather killing wrongly than letting the enemy escape, they dispatched people to probe the situation at Da Mengze and the Immortal City of Damengze.

In the obsidian palace of Fuhai Sect, which shimmered with an eerie orchid glow and in which a dragon-like phantom coiled around its inner corners,

a Core Formation cultivator clad in a dragon-patterned Dao robe sat across from the imposing True Lord Pinghai, who donned a blue sea-patterned brocade robe, and spoke gravely,

“Brother Pinghai, the word has spread. Now let’s watch and wait, and I’ll need you to keep a close eye on things.”

This Core Formation cultivator was none other than Fuhai True Lord—three years earlier, Lu Changsheng had shattered his body with Solar Profound Light and, relying on his Nascent Soul, barely escaped by seizing control of a top-tier prodigy from another sect for reconstruction.

Having had his body utterly shattered, unlike True Lord Lingbo who still had some hope for recovery, he chose the path of Nascent Soul possession without slow cultivation.

Thanks to Fuhai Sect’s deep legacy, he could solidify his cultivation to the Nascent Soul stage within ten years at most.

As for returning to his peak, that was nearly impossible.

After all, reoccupying one’s body through possession demanded expending one’s own Nascent Soul essence.

Had it not been for Fuhai Sect’s treasured artifact, his Nascent Soul would have barely remained at the human-tainted level.

Faced with this, after listening to True Lord Pinghai’s analysis and cross-checking the intelligence gathered by his agents who had traversed Da Mengze,

the two immediately released word, urging other sects in the Starry Sea to send lone cultivators to test Da Mengze and the Immortal City of Damengze.

If, as they suspected, the enemy’s resistance was merely bluster backed by a treasured item,

they would call upon the other seven sects to join them in storming the Immortal City of Damengze to seize the treasured opportunity.

Though his body had been shattered and his strength greatly diminished, making it unlikely for him to obtain such treasured opportunities,

if he could at least exact revenge and claim a share to recover his Nascent Soul essence, it would suffice.

Otherwise, his fate was sealed at no more than the Third Layer of Nascent Soul, with no hope of advancing.

“Fuhai, rest assured—I’ll keep a close eye on Da Mengze’s situation,” True Lord Pinghai assured him, planning to wait until the situation festered enough for the people from the Starry Sea to probe the Immortal City of Damengze, while he himself observed in secret.

After all, feigning might was one thing, but one could not replicate the true Solar Divine Light.

Even though the conditions to invoke the Solar Divine Light were extremely strict,

thanks to Fuhai True Lord’s previous misfortune, he wasn’t willing to bet his life on it.

And if someone else were killed by the Solar Divine Light, well, they’d have only themselves to blame.

Even if the news had been released by the Zhenhai Seven Sects, would the other party dare to cause any trouble?

At Bihu Mountain and Xumitu Cave Heaven,

in recent days, Lu Changsheng remained immersed in his cultivation of the Five Organs Nurturing Technique.

From the fourth to the fifth layer—even for him, it wasn’t something he could break through in mere months.

Yet, he grew increasingly fascinated and excited about the possibilities of the Fifth Layer of the Five Organs Nurturing Technique.

Moreover, with Yun Wanshang on the verge of giving birth at any moment, once the child was born, he would prepare to break through to Nascent Soul, leaving him little time for other matters.

Thus, time passed bit by bit.

Then, suddenly, three system alert tones jolted him awake from his cultivation, accompanied by a strange pulsation from his Spiritual Root!

“Congratulations, host, on the birth of your second Dao Body offspring. You have earned a rare lottery chance!”

“Your offspring’s Dao Body has been detected to be clashing with your own. Do you wish to fuse?”

“Congratulations, host. Your offspring count of Dao Bodies has reached 150. You’ve earned one advanced lottery chance!”