Chapter 911: Yuan Kingdom’s Stance, Lu Baixi Sets Out

“Husband, Zhenzhen, you’re back.”

Through the grand array, Lu Miaoyun learned the moment Lu Changsheng and Qu Zhenzhen returned and hurried over to greet them.

“Yun’er, Sister Miaoyun,” the two called out.

Qu Zhenzhen and Lu Miaoyun were as close as sisters. Beaming, she stepped up and took her arm.

Compared to the Yin Ghost Sect, she liked Bihu Mountain more; the mountains and streams felt right.

“Yun’er, has anything happened at home these days?”

Lu Changsheng used his immense magical power to take the Auspicious Tree out of the Heavenly Yuan Lotus and replanted it beside the Sumeru Tree King.

Although it had been forcibly transplanted into the Heavenly Yuan Lotus for so long, a single drop of Wuling Heaven Dew was enough to keep it unharmed.

“Husband, Sister Miaoge came back some time ago,” Lu Miaoyun said.

She added, “Right, Senior Hong Lian also sent a message, asking after you and whether you’ve returned.”

“Oh?” On hearing that, Lu Changsheng entered the Sumeru Cave Heaven with his two wives and tossed out the Sun-Moon Yin-Yang Mirror.

In earlier years he had always kept the Sun-Moon Yin-Yang Mirror at Bihu Mountain as a communications relay.

After breaking through to Nascent Soul he could barely use this Celestial Treasure, so he carried it with him.

Mainly because the Sun-Moon Yin-Yang Mirror was just too useful.

Not only was its might astonishing, it could also act like a surveillance radar that kept an eye on the surroundings for any stealth or lurking cultivators.

A moment later, the mirror’s surface reflected Hong Lian herself—flawless face, clad in a red and gold vermilion bird dress.

“Hong Lian, is there something you needed me for?”

Lu Changsheng knew Hong Lian rarely reached out just to ask how he was.

If she’d inquired with Lu Miaoyun, then something had to be up.

“Husband, you’re back.” Poised and elegant, Hong Lian’s bright eyes seemed to peer past the mirror straight at Lu Changsheng.

“The Xu girl has returned and wants to discuss something with you.”

“Also, a female cultivator named Qin Yuning claims she’s from the Starry Sea, Penglai Island’s Divine Maiden Palace. She’s here to pay respects to the Changsheng True Lord.”

Hong Lian didn’t say she was visiting Lu Changsheng, but the Changsheng True Lord, to distinguish the two identities.

After all, she was puzzled too.

People from the Starry Sea—why would they seek the Changsheng True Lord?

By rights they should be visiting the Lord of Dameng City.

Yet after Ling Zixiao met with her, the visitor insisted it was the Changsheng True Lord and that she’d come under orders.

“Pay respects to the Changsheng True Lord?!” Lu Changsheng was taken aback.

He had no idea why Qin Yuning would come to the Immortal City of Damengze.

And to ask for his identity as the Changsheng True Lord.

In a flash he realized his “Xuamu Daoist” alias had likely slipped.

Qin Yuning was the Great Palace Master of the Divine Maiden Palace and Shen Jianjia’s disciple.

Back at White Dew Palace, when he was hit by Tears of the Fairy and crossed hands with Shen Jianjia, he’d already gone all out; his disguise was hard to maintain.

With someone as formidable as mid-Nascent Soul Shen Jianjia, of course she could see through his true face with ease.

In that case, with the Divine Maiden Palace’s reach, as long as they spent the time, they could trace his information by matching face and clues.

Especially with True Lord Pinghai and the others stirring things up, Da Mengze and its Immortal City had made some waves at the Starry Sea.

“If so, I should head to the Divine Maiden Palace soon.”

A thought flickered through Lu Changsheng. He wanted to know why Shen Jianjia had sent Qin Yuning to see him.

Was it about Shen Yiren and his son Shen Yuanming?

Or about Shen Baishuang?

“Alright, I’ll come to the Immortal City of Damengze later.”

Lu Changsheng answered Hong Lian at once.

After asking about her situation, he ended the call and looked toward Lu Miaoge who was walking out of the Hall of Everlasting Life.

“Sister Miaoge.”

Lu Changsheng greeted her with a smile, took his wife’s jade-like hand, and asked if the Liang Kingdom had settled down.

Lu Miaoge told him the cleanup in Liang had mostly been handled.

So the Azure Cloud Sect had recalled part of its forces and armies from the front to the Jiang Kingdom.

Lu Miaoge and Qian Zhuyan, who was disguised as the Changsheng True Lord, came back aboard an Azure Cloud warship.

“Qingyi True Lord has returned as well. You should visit the Azure Cloud Sect later to see her and Shouzheng.”

Knowing about Lu Changsheng and Chu Qingyi, Lu Miaoge felt for the sword fairy and Lu Shouzheng and brought it up herself.

“Alright.” Lu Changsheng nodded. He knew he should go check on Chu Qingyi and her son.

“Have Lingxiao, Qingxian, and Wangshu not returned?” he asked.

With his Spirit-Soul Perception now, he only had to stir a thought to sense the auras of his wives, concubines, and children.

He already knew his sons Lu Lingxiao, Lu Qingxian, Lu Wangshu, and the rest weren’t at Bihu Mountain.

“Mm. The major powers haven’t fully withdrawn. Lingxiao and Wangshu are waiting for Liang to entirely stabilize. They’ll likely come back with Qingshan and Xiaozhu,” Lu Miaoge said.

If Lu Changsheng hadn’t left suddenly, she wouldn’t have hurried back with Qian Zhuyan posing as him. It was inconvenient.

Lu Changsheng nodded. He knew the Heavenly Sword Sect would need years to fully seize and digest Liang’s territory.

And during that process, they’d be relocating to Liang in waves and would need the Hunyuan Sect and Purple Light Sect to help.

“By the way, Changsheng, you rushed back in a hurry earlier. Did something happen? Is it resolved now?”

Lu Miaoge asked with concern.

She’d heard the gist from Lu Miaoyun.

But she knew Lu Changsheng had used the Misty Dust Banner to rush back to Bihu Mountain.

“Nothing serious. Zhenzhen’s elder brother showed up and made a bit of a scene,” Lu Changsheng said lightly.

“Husband, I’m sorry.” Qu Zhenzhen knew he’d hurried home because of her brother.

“You didn’t do anything wrong.” Lu Changsheng smiled warmly. How could he blame her?

As he spoke, he took the Heavenly Infant Tree out of the Heavenly Yuan Lotus and planted it in the Sumeru Cave Heaven.

“If not for my Zhenzhen, how would I have gotten such a tree and harvested a Heavenly Infant Fruit?”

Lu Changsheng laughed, calling Qu Zhenzhen his lucky star.

“The Heavenly Infant Tree?!”

Beside him, Lu Miaoge and Lu Miaoyun stared, startled, at the bare little tree with no branches or leaves.

They’d naturally heard of the Heavenly Infant Tree’s fame.

The fruit it formed was the main ingredient for refining the Huaying Pill.

“That’s right. This is the Heavenly Infant Tree that can bear Heavenly Infant Fruit. When you need to break through to Nascent Soul in the future, you won’t need to worry about Huaying Pills.”

As he spoke, Lu Changsheng took out the jade box holding the Heavenly Infant Fruit and let his two wives see it.

He said he’d already gathered a full set of materials for one Huaying Pill.

Later he’d head to the Starry Sea to find someone to refine a batch.

“Wow, congratulations, Sister Miaoge. You’ll become a Nascent Soul True Lord in the future.”

Lu Miaoyun congratulated her cousin at once, knowing her husband’s feelings for Lu Miaoge ran deep.

With the materials for a Huaying Pill ready, the future breakthrough to Nascent Soul was all but certain.

“I’m still far from Nascent Soul. Senior Hong Lian should be the one preparing to break through. If you refine Huaying Pills, give one to her.”

“And Qingyi True Lord has already reached late Core Formation. She’s more likely than me to form a Nascent Soul.”

Gentle and sensible, Lu Miaoge shook her head. She had no intention of contending for the pill.

She was only at the fifth layer of Core Formation. Talking Nascent Soul was premature.

She also knew her own aptitude and heart. They were average.

Reaching this point had been entirely thanks to Lu Changsheng’s resources and the Taiyi Water Technique.

Her odds of a future Nascent Soul breakthrough weren’t high.

“Don’t worry, Sister Miaoge. I’ve already set aside a Huaying Pill for Hong Lian. You just cultivate in peace. Leave the future Nascent Soul resources to me.”

Lu Changsheng pinched his wife’s jade-fair cheek with a smile.

He added to Lu Miaoyun and Qu Zhenzhen, “I’ve got a lead on the Heaven and Earth Everlasting Method’s issue. We’ll fix it soon.”

“Once it’s handled, you both can break through to Nascent Soul.”

Lu Changsheng still worried a bit about Lu Miaoge’s Nascent Soul.

But for Lu Miaoyun and Qu Zhenzhen, who cultivated the Heaven and Earth Everlasting Method, he wasn’t concerned.

Once he solved the hidden problem, he could use Wuling Heaven Dew and Heavenly Dew to drench them, pushing their realms up fast.

After a long tender moment, Lu Changsheng thought about Liang’s situation, sat cross-legged, and ran the God-Devouring Technique.

He used the God-Devouring Seed parasitizing the Holy Maiden of Beast God Mountain’s sea of consciousness to speak with her.

The seed didn’t just seize and parasitize other beings, siphoning off the unselfconscious spiritual sparks from their growth and cultivation as nourishment.

It also allowed surveillance, restrictions, and long-distance communication.

The God-Devouring Seed could lurk unnoticed in another’s mind and go undetected, but once he initiated contact, it would be fully exposed.

And long-distance communication drained mind and spirit. It wasn’t as convenient as a message talisman.

“Holy Maiden, how are things in Liang now?”

Deep in the Holy Maiden’s mind, far away in Liang, Lu Changsheng’s voice suddenly rang out.

She jolted, clueless what method this was.

Seeing the God-Devouring Seed glowing with a chilling light in her sea of consciousness, she understood at once, horror rising.

She hadn’t expected Lu Changsheng’s methods to be so terrifying.

She then tried to respond, telling him Liang’s situation was mostly wrapped up, and within three months they could relocate to the Jiang Kingdom.

“Good. You and Fenmo handle the rest. Make sure it’s done properly,” Lu Changsheng said, calm and commanding.

“Master, the Tianmu Sect of the Yuan Kingdom sent someone to contact me. They’re showing goodwill and want to ransom True Lord Qianren’s Nascent Soul Spirit Body.”

The Holy Maiden spoke up.

Earlier, the Yuan Kingdom had kept its stance toward True Lord Yangming and the Immortal City of Damengze ambiguous, choosing to wait and see.

But seeing how fast the Holy Maiden had surrendered, the major powers of the Yuan Kingdom felt something was off.

They suspected True Lord Nine Spirits wasn’t merely badly wounded as True Lord Yunmei claimed and had likely fallen into the hands of the Jiang-Yue alliance.

And through their recent probes, the Qisha Sect learned that True Lord Qianren being captured by True Lord Yangming wasn’t a false rumor.

At present, True Lord Qianren’s Nascent Soul Spirit Body was in the hands of this Nascent Soul giant.

For a time, whether the Qisha Sect, Tianzhu Sect, or Tianmu Sect, all shifted their attitude toward True Lord Yangming. They didn’t want to be enemies and hoped to settle scores.

The Qisha Sect in particular wanted to use True Lord Yunmei and the surviving cultivators of Beast God Mountain to exchange for Qianren.

After all, any Nascent Soul cultivator was incredibly precious to a sect.

In the Qisha Sect’s eyes, True Lord Qianren mattered far more than True Lord Yunmei.

“Heh.” Lu Changsheng let out a cold laugh.

He knew if the Yuan Kingdom had delayed reaching out and only now contacted the Holy Maiden with goodwill, they must have guessed something and had their own agenda.

“Tell them a trade for Qianren is possible, but they need to show real sincerity. You can also use this to demand your Beast God Mountain people back.”

Lu Changsheng had already put the Qisha Sect on his must-kill list.

But he knew assassin sects like that were hard to wipe out.

Killing True Lord Qianren would only make them more wary.

Better to plant a God-Devouring Seed in Qianren and use him to probe the Qisha Sect.

Once the time was right, he’d net the entire Qisha Sect in one swoop.

Besides, a Nascent Soul Spirit Body like Qianren’s wasn’t of much use to him beyond cultivating the True Saint Skill of Brahma and Demons.

If the Qisha Sect or Yuan Kingdom could pay enough, he was happy to trade.

With Liang newly pacified and a mountain of matters at home, Lu Changsheng didn’t want relations with the Yuan Kingdom to turn too sour and spark another big fight.

“Thank you, Master,” the Holy Maiden said.

Truth be told, she didn’t feel much for the elite who’d left Beast God Mountain.

But she knew Lu Changsheng was doing this to win over their ancestor.

Their ancestor’s path was half ruined. The only hope was to rebuild Beast God Mountain and revive it.

In the Sumeru Cave Heaven, Lu Changsheng opened his eyes and exhaled a long, turbid breath.

“If my spirit-soul hadn’t broken through to late-stage Nascent Soul, just a few sentences over this distance would have left me exhausted.”

He could feel how much the brief conversation had drained him.

Still, the method was astonishing.

Even separated by great distance, they could speak for a short while.

Next, Lu Changsheng prepared to lodge a third God-Devouring Seed in the Sumeru Tree King.

That way, when he was away from home, he could watch over the household through the Sumeru Tree King and pass messages to his wives and children.

And now that Sumeru had advanced to fourth rank, it could draw in the world’s spiritual thoughts for him, helping him grow. That wasn’t a waste.

“Shame the second layer of the God-Devouring Technique can condense at most five seeds, or life would be much easier.”

Lu Changsheng sighed to himself.

Without rushing to condense the third seed, he left the cave residence to see how his wives and children were doing.

Most of his children would leave to temper themselves once they reached Foundation Establishment or go handle affairs elsewhere.

Even so, plenty of sons and daughters remained at Bihu Mountain.

His daughters Lu Linghe and Lu Baixi had both been cultivating quietly at home, preparing for Core Formation and the third rank.

Lu Linghe had gained the Seven Orifices Exquisite Core Dao Seed. She wasn’t clever, but her comprehension had truly improved as she trained a Core Formation secret technique.

For this daughter, Lu Changsheng both worried and didn’t, and he paid her special attention.

“Dad.”

Lu Baixi walked up, expression cool, platinum gleam in her eyes as she stared straight at her father.

Lu Changsheng had promised to let the Golden-Winged Roc take her to the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range to train, but it had never happened.

“Uh…” Lu Changsheng felt a little awkward.

He could see her demon power had long reached the peak of second rank. If she wanted, she could already push for third rank.

Since he’d promised and understood her wish, he didn’t make excuses. He woke the Golden-Winged Roc from the Spirit Pet Bag.

“Master, what’s up?”

The Golden-Winged Roc opened its eyes and looked around, thinking it was time to rush or brawl again.

In the Liang-Yue battle it had been badly wounded by Mo Luo’s assault.

But the Flood Dragon Holy Son’s Nascent Soul Spirit Body, the Huangquan flood dragon’s remnant soul, the flesh of a fourth-rank mid-stage Dragon-Croc, and even some flesh from True Lord Nine Spirits’ spirit pet the Gold Mane Lion King had let it feast.

Its True Spirit bloodline seemed ready to rise again, so it had slept all this time.

Lu Changsheng really wanted to ask how it had the nerve to ask him that.

If it hadn’t taught her nonsense, would his precious daughter be so set on training in the Myriad Beasts Range?

“Little Creek’s cultivation has reached the peak of second rank and she’s ready to break through to third. Take her to train in the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range and guard her breakthrough.”

He gave the Golden-Winged Roc an easy job, a chance to rest and digest.

“Just that?” The Golden-Winged Roc blinked. Wasn’t this kind of errand beneath the Little Roc King?

Still, since his master had spoken and Lu Baixi was a junior he’d watched grow up, he nodded. “When do we go?”

Lu Changsheng looked at his daughter’s face, bright with eager hope. “You two decide.”

“Little Creek, when do you want to leave?” the Golden-Winged Roc asked the girl.

“When are you free, Little Roc King? Or do you want to finish your nap?” Lu Baixi had seen it sleeping and knew her dad had just forced it awake.

“Finish my nap?” The Golden-Winged Roc figured if it went back to sleep, no one knew when it would wake. “In that case, let’s go now.”

With that, he was about to take Lu Baixi to the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range.

“Roc, keep a close eye on Little Creek. If anything happens, notify me,” Lu Changsheng said, urging it to stay sharp.

“Relax, Master.” The Golden-Winged Roc felt he was underestimating it.

Once it entered the Myriad Beasts Range, it would be a dragon in the sea, a tiger in the mountains, an eagle in the clouds.

“Little Creek, don’t be reckless once you’re there. Know your limits, alright? If there’s danger, call the Little Roc King.”

A daughter travels a thousand miles and a father still worries.

Even with the Golden-Winged Roc, Lu Changsheng wasn’t at ease. He cast a divination for his daughter.

The omen was good.

Small luck, middling luck, and great luck rose and fell together.

Lu Changsheng thought it over. If she succeeded in breaking through, it would be great luck.

With a fourth-rank demon king like the Golden-Winged Roc watching her, the omen made sense.

Lu Changsheng noticed Lu Linghe nearby getting tempted to go along. He pressed a hand on her head and squashed the thought.

“You’re staying home.”

“Okay.” Lu Linghe nodded obediently. She watched Lu Baixi and the Little Roc King vanish, then continued practicing her Core Formation secret technique under Lu Changsheng’s eye.

His children were all on track and improving in order.

The only one who made him shake his head was Lu Ping’an.

But seeing the bright-eyed, sturdy little boy at his side, far hardier than other children, Lu Changsheng understood.

“Dad,” Lu Ping’an called.

Little Lu Xuanfan hardly knew the grandpa before him.

“Xiaofan, this is Grandpa,” Lu Ping’an told him right away.

The boy wasn’t shy at all.

Lu Changsheng’s looks, bearing, and charm calmed not only female cultivators but most people and children would instinctively warm to him.

“Xiaofan,” Lu Changsheng said with a smile, lifting his grandson in one hand as he asked about him.

He was only three, but children in the cultivation world tended to be bright and precocious.

Unlike the somewhat sullen Lu Ping’an, he was lively and chirped on and on.

Lu Changsheng chuckled, savoring a long-lost peace and an easy life.

Half a month later, Lu Changsheng quietly left Bihu Mountain and headed for the Azure Cloud Sect.