Chapter 939: Resolved, the Nine Orifices Stone Fetus!

“With this leftover body I can divine his whereabouts later.”

Lu Changsheng looked at Luofuzi’s ruined body, a faint smile tugging at his lips.

Earlier Luofuzi blew up his Spirit Treasure, likely intending to obliterate his body completely.

Otherwise, letting it fall into someone else’s hands would be dangerous.

They could use his body to stir up trouble, even impersonate him to frame others.

They could also use it as a medium to divine the rough location of his Nascent Soul Spirit Body.

“A’Gui, that was thoughtful of you,” Lu Changsheng said to the Turtle Immortal Patriarch.

If the patriarch hadn’t shielded it while taking heavy injuries, this body would’ve been wiped out in the blast.

“Master, you flatter me. It was only my duty.”

The Turtle Immortal Patriarch’s mountain-like body brimmed with surging vitality as he worked his innate divine art to heal.

Lu Changsheng nodded, cast a series of restrictions on the remains, and stored them in the Divine Maiden’s Furnace.

Then he examined Luofuzi’s Spirit Treasure 【Nine Peaks Agarwood Beads】, along with the pale yellow robe, soft armor, headpiece and more.

Under the Turtle Immortal Patriarch’s strike and the Lunar Profound Light, the treasures hadn’t escaped damage and their power had dropped.

Still, the beads, robe and soft armor were mid-grade Spirit Treasures—quite valuable.

Even damaged they were worth a fortune; he could have the Zhenhai Patriarch reforge and refine them.

“A pity his life-bound treasure blew itself up,” Lu thought of the Twin Dragon Staff with some regret.

An upper-grade Spirit Treasure was precious even to him.

He didn’t sort Luofuzi’s storage here. “A’Gui, veil yourself and return to the Immortal City with me to rest.”

At his word, azure light rippled over the patriarch’s vast body, shrinking into an old man with a turtle-backed shell.

Despite the injuries from the Lunar Profound Light and the explosion, his aura-hiding was impeccable and made him easy to overlook.

That very talent had let him lurk and ambush Luofuzi before; even a Nascent Soul heavyweight hadn’t sensed him at once.

Beside them, Lu Lingjing shifted from dragon-whale to human form.

Her short perky hair framed a slightly pale face; the black-and-white domineering armor she wore was nicked and cracked.

From that change alone it was clear she lagged far behind the patriarch, her state tied closely to her true body.

“Lingjing, go rest inside the lotus first.”

Seeing the girl eye the Two-Headed Earth Dragon, Lu Changsheng rubbed her head and spoke gently.

He didn’t mind giving her the dragon’s demon core.

But A’Gui had contributed the most, taken the worst wounds, and was right here.

Handing it to Lingjing in front of him would be a bit too blatant a favoritism.

Even with the Demon Subjugation Talisman making A’Gui obey his every word,

the other was still a peak mid-fourth-rank Demon King with his own will—he deserved respect.

Lu Lingjing looked away with a small “oh,” then slipped into the Heavenly Yuan Lotus.

She had an instinctive fear of A’Gui, whose cultivation and bloodline far surpassed hers.

Especially after he revealed his true form—she’d been suppressed on all fronts.

“A’Gui, will that Two-Headed Earth Dragon be of any use to you?”

Lu Changsheng asked the Turtle Immortal Patriarch.

The patriarch had reached the peak of mid-fourth rank, just a step from late fourth rank.

He naturally hoped A’Gui would recover quickly and break through.

“Master, that earth-and-fire dual-attribute beast does little for me.”

The patriarch shook his head, unimpressed.

At his level, ordinary spiritual materials barely registered, much less an early fourth-rank demon.

“If you need anything, tell me.”

Lu Changsheng nodded to the Turtle Immortal Patriarch.

“Thank you, Master!” The patriarch bowed, knowing he had earned Lu Changsheng’s initial trust.

If Luofuzi could see this, his jaw would hit the floor. He’d think he was hallucinating.

A late fourth-rank great demon king, deferentially calling Lu Changsheng master.

A moment later, Lu Changsheng used Yin-Yang Qi Great Capture to bind the Two-Headed Earth Dragon’s corpse, scrubbed away the surrounding spell traces, then took up the Misty Dust Banner and headed back to the city.

Dueling in the Heavens Beyond the Heavens had one perk: battlefields rarely left many clues.

Immortal City of Damengze.

True Lord Xuanjian, the Golden-Winged Roc, Hong Lian, and True Lord Jinfeng faced one another.

None of them moved. They just watched, wary, and kept glancing at the sky.

But the Heavens Beyond the Heavens lay above the Layer of Nine Heavens’ Gale.

Even as Nascent Soul True Lords, they couldn’t see what was happening up there.

“Should we make a run for it?”

The three were anxious, weighing their options.

They still had confidence in Luofuzi.

They believed he could defeat Yangming True Lord.

But this newly risen heavyweight was maddeningly mysterious.

He’d crushed True Lords Yin Lei and Qingcang earlier, and now had invited Luofuzi to fight beyond the sky. That left them uneasy.

Right now Yangming True Lord wasn’t here.

With only True Lord Xuanjian, the Golden-Winged Roc, and Hong Lian propped up by the city’s grand array, they couldn’t really stop a breakout.

The only snag: if they ran, Yangming and Luofuzi might stop fighting and rush back.

Meanwhile, cultivators in the city stared up at the five Nascent Souls facing off, bewildered.

They’d been fighting just fine before. Why stop all of a sudden?

Some guessed it had to do with Luofuzi.

And so, time ticked by.

A strange quiet settled over the entire Immortal City of Damengze.

Then, above the silent city, ripples spread across the void.

Under their gaze, a man with a heroic refined face, draped in a dark robe and cloak and carrying a Five-Colored Long Banner, stepped out.

“Husband!”

“Yangming True Lord?!”

“Where is the Lord of Luofu Mountain?”

Seeing that familiar figure, different emotions flashed across their faces.

On Hong Lian’s flawless delicate face, delight bloomed.

She thought, as expected, her husband had been fully prepared to invite Luofuzi to a duel.

True Lord Xuanjian, though an ally who’d seen Lu Changsheng’s methods,

still couldn’t help but be surprised to see him return while Luofuzi did not.

Could Fellow Yangming have defeated Luofuzi?

Luofuzi was one of the most renowned heavyweights of the Northern Region.

If Yangming had defeated him, he’d jump straight into the top echelon across the Southern Desolation and the Northern Region.

“Yangming True Lord beat the Lord of Luofu Mountain? How is that possible?”

True Lord Jinfeng and his two companions were in disbelief.

In their minds, Luofuzi’s strength absolutely surpassed Yangming’s.

Yet Yangming appeared while Luofuzi did not, and their hearts sank.

“Luofuzi has lost. The three of you should surrender.”

Lu Changsheng regarded the three, speaking in a calm even tone.

“Impossible!”

The three ground their teeth, unwilling to accept it.

But Luofuzi’s failure to appear already spoke volumes.

They hesitated no longer. Burning essence blood, they used escape arts to cross the void.

“Eighteen Echoes of God-Devouring!” Lu Changsheng unleashed a secret soul art.

His mind was worn after crossing blows with Luofuzi.

But against early-stage Nascent Souls, this was a soul art made for bullying.

In an instant True Lord Jinfeng’s sea of consciousness thundered as if blasted by lightning, and his mind went blank.

True Lord Xuanjian’s sword rang from its sheath as he and the Golden-Winged Roc struck in concert.

At Lu Changsheng’s signal, the roc and Hong Lian focused one target, letting the last flee into the Great Void.

Moments later, the fight above the city ended.

True Lord Jinfeng and another Nascent Soul were suppressed by Lu Changsheng.

“My thanks for your help today, Friend Xuanjian. Please, inside.”

Lu Changsheng addressed True Lord Xuanjian.

Even if the other hadn’t done much,

the willingness to come and help said enough.

“You’re too kind, Fellow Yangming.”

True Lord Xuanjian was surprised Lu didn’t pursue the one who fled, but he didn’t ask. Curious about the duel with Luofuzi, he followed Lu into the city.

“Th-this…”

“It’s over already?”

“What just happened?”

In the Immortal City of Damengze, cultivators stared at the crisp, tidy end to the battle, stunned.

What was that?

Wasn’t this a clash of Nascent Souls?

How did it end so fast?

And without much commotion at that.

Before, when the City Lord’s Wife and True Lord Golden Roc dealt with those Nascent Souls, the whole city shook under the aftershocks. The array flickered as if about to shatter.

“So this is the gap between an ordinary Nascent Soul and a heavyweight?”

“Five Nascent Soul attackers, resolved so easily by the City Lord!”

“So this is the City Lord’s true strength?”

When Lu Changsheng and the others vanished, the array steadied and patrols declared the crisis over. Only then did the city finally exhale.

“Yangming True Lord beat Luofuzi?”

Bai Zhaozhao stared at the sky above the city, surprise on her exquisite face.

She didn’t know their exact strengths,

but one had been famous for years while the other rose to power a few years ago.

A newly risen heavyweight defeating a long-established top giant so quickly was startling.

If word spread, it would shake the Southern Desolation and Northern Region, maybe even reach the Central Domain.

City Lord’s Mansion.

Lu Changsheng thanked True Lord Xuanjian and returned his 【Binding Divine Net】.

Back in the Beast God Mountain battle he’d borrowed it to bind True Lord Nine Spirits’ spirit body and never returned it until now.

With a late-stage Spirit-Soul, he now crushed early-stage Nascent Souls.

With soul secret arts, they couldn’t even perform Soul Escape. He had no need for that treasure.

At the same time, he gifted several fourth-rank spiritual materials in thanks.

“Friend Xuanjian, do you know why Luofuzi came to my Immortal City of Damengze?”

Lu Changsheng asked. He still didn’t know why Luofuzi had come looking for trouble.

Did he hear the name and come to test him, to steal his fortunes?

“I’m not sure either. It might have to do with Qingluan True Lord…”

True Lord Xuanjian mused.

Years ago he’d tracked news of Qingluan True Lord.

He knew she’d been hunted by several Nascent Soul cultivators in the Mirage Domain of Vast Sands.

He also heard a rumor that the northern giant Luofuzi had struck at her.

He didn’t know the details, only that she had escaped by a stroke of luck.

“Qingluan True Lord.” Lu Changsheng paused at that.

He hadn’t expected Luofuzi to have attacked her.

Given the strength Luofuzi had shown, Qingluan True Lord’s odds were grim.

A flicker of killing intent toward Luofuzi rose in Lu Changsheng’s heart.

“Fellow Yangming, the one who fled earlier is named Luo Yu, from the Endless Desert…”

True Lord Xuanjian asked if Lu Changsheng wanted to pursue the fugitive.

“No need, my friend.” Lu Changsheng clapped lightly.

An old man with a turtle-backed shell silently stepped into the hall, dragging a middle-aged man rimed with frost.

It was the very same True Lord Luo Yu who had fled into the Great Void.

“Hm!?” True Lord Xuanjian’s eyes narrowed at the Turtle Immortal Patriarch.

The old man’s face looked ashen and gaunt, like a mortal nearing his end,

yet he carried a Nascent Soul True Lord like a chicken.

What kind of strength was this?

A mid-stage Nascent Soul heavyweight?

Failing to see through the turtle-backed elder’s depths, True Lord Xuanjian was shaken.

There was such a top expert at Yangming True Lord’s side?

“Master.” The Turtle Immortal Patriarch set True Lord Luo Yu down and bowed to Lu Changsheng.

Though injured and drained,

ambushing an early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator was still easy for him.

“Master!?” True Lord Xuanjian and Hong Lian were both startled by the address.

Such a Nascent Soul heavyweight calling Lu Changsheng master?

Hong Lian knew about the Starry Sea and the Demon Subjugation Talisman and had a guess at his identity.

True Lord Xuanjian had never seen the Turtle Immortal Patriarch.

He guessed this might be a subordinate from before Yangming True Lord’s reincarnation and return to cultivation.

“A’Gui, well done,” Lu Changsheng said with a smile, then continued discussing the Jiang and Liang affairs with True Lord Xuanjian.

“As for Luofuzi, rest easy. He won’t be showing up again anytime soon.”

Lu Changsheng didn’t plan to publicize that Luofuzi’s Nascent Soul had escaped.

With the demonic calamity looming and his name already ringing across the Southern Desolation and Northern Region, there was no need to be too high-profile and draw every eye.

Besides, he intended to keep Luofuzi steadied and find a chance to root him out for good.

“All right.” True Lord Xuanjian had some faith in Yangming True Lord.

He then asked how Lu planned to deal with True Lord Qingcang and the others and whether True Lord Jinfeng’s life-bound Spirit Treasure might be for sale.

Though another’s life-bound treasure is hard to wield, its materials are often excellent.

“Of course. If you have needs, name them. Or I’ll sort through their spoils later and we can trade and swap.”

As a grandmaster of artifact refining, Lu knew Jinfeng’s life-bound treasure likely held materials True Lord Xuanjian needed to upgrade his flying sword, so he was generous.

With so many materials on hand, many would be of no use to him. He didn’t mind trading.

“In that case, my thanks, my friend.”

True Lord Xuanjian cupped his hands, always a bit envious of Lu Changsheng.

During the Liang-Yue War he’d captured several Nascent Soul cultivators and reaped great rewards.

Now he’d captured five more.

That kind of wealth utterly outstripped his Heavenly Sword Sect’s accumulation over thousands of years.

He didn’t linger. He told Lu he’d be resting at the Cloud Dream Inn and that Lu could contact him later.

“Good.” Lu Changsheng nodded.

After True Lord Xuanjian left, Lu Changsheng looked at True Lord Luo Yu nearby and cast the Six Desire Heart Demon Technique.

In the past this technique couldn’t pry information from Nascent Souls, but times had changed.

Moments later he learned from True Lord Luo Yu that they’d been coerced by Luofuzi to probe the Immortal City of Damengze.

As for Luofuzi’s exact motive, Luo Yu didn’t know, though he suspected it was for some opportunity.

After all, after so many years at Nascent Soul, Luofuzi needed a great opportunity to reach late stage.

Wandering about seeking fortune was never as simple as scheming to seize another’s.

Lu asked if Luo Yu knew Qingluan True Lord’s whereabouts, but he did not.

Lu Changsheng stopped the bewitchment and felt a wave of fatigue wash over his mind.

Swaying a Nascent Soul’s thoughts with the Six Desire Heart Demon Technique was still difficult.

Especially after his earlier duel and repeated use of soul secret arts, he was already drained.

“Has my husband, like that Xu girl, awakened past-life means and seen his spirit-soul soar?”

Watching Lu bewitch True Lord Luo Yu, Hong Lian pondered.

As a former Nascent Soul ruler herself, she knew how hard it was to extract information from a Nascent Soul.

Lu’s ease here meant his spirit-soul might have reached late stage.

Unbelievable as it was, Hong Lian was used to Lu’s abnormality and figured his past wisdom had awakened, hence the surge.

“Husband…”

She gently asked after the Starry Sea and whether her message had affected him.

“No trouble. You’ve worked hard for the city,” Lu said, taking her soft hand.

“By the way…”

Hong Lian reported on the city’s recent years. Some cultivators from the Central Domain’s Mystic Gates had visited.

Not long ago, a mysterious female cultivator also came.

She seemed skilled at divination and warned that a crisis was brewing over the Immortal City of Damengze.

“Oh?” Lu Changsheng raised a brow.

He hadn’t expected visitors from the Central Domain while he was away.

Seemed he’d underestimated how much weight a name famed in the Northern Region carried.

“If she’s still in the city, I’ll see her later.”

Since she’d come in goodwill, he should meet her.

But he’d just dueled, then used soul secret arts one after another, and then bewitched Luo Yu. He was exhausted and would rest first.

Meanwhile, in the hazy Great Void where endless turbulent currents crashed and surged…

A Nascent Soul Spirit Body in armor, clutching a faint golden small seal, kept crossing the void.

Only after fleeing who knew how long did Luofuzi slow, his expression wan.

A Nascent Soul Spirit Body ignored many prohibitions and moved far faster than normal.

But long high-speed crossings still consumed origin.

“Who is that man really? Not only does he possess a Celestial Treasure, he also knows such a top demon king.”

“And that demon king struck out of nowhere, clearly lying in wait. Did he lure me on purpose?”

Thinking back on the fight with Lu Changsheng, Luofuzi simmered with frustration.

Lu Changsheng might wield a Celestial Treasure,

but without burning lifespan and the treasure’s essence, he couldn’t draw out its full power.

If not for the Turtle Immortal Patriarch’s sudden strike, even facing that treasure Luofuzi was confident he could withdraw.

Instead, his body had been destroyed.

He could seize a body and rebuild,

but seizing damaged the essence and lowered cultivation.

Even if he returned to his peak, his potential would be capped, with no hope of late Nascent Soul.

He had fled in such haste that, beyond the two secret treasures on his spirit, he hadn’t taken any other treasure or storage with him.

“Hateful!!!”

He hadn’t expected to roam the Southern Desolation for centuries only to stumble so hard here.

Facing an enemy like Yangming True Lord, he felt powerless even to take revenge.

“Report it. Spread word that he holds a Celestial Treasure to the great powers of the Central Domain…”

A plan for revenge came to Luofuzi.

But in his current state, he couldn’t go to the Central Domain to report it.

He had offended people there years ago.

If they learned his body was destroyed, they would come after him at once.

Asking a friend to do it…

would have to wait until he had seized a body and recovered to Nascent Soul.

“He may spread news that my body was destroyed. I must hide before it gets out!”

Though famed in the Northern Region, he had made many enemies.

They couldn’t touch him before,

but if word of his injuries and body’s destruction spread, plenty would probe and make a move.

“Back to Luofu Mountain. With the Nine Orifices Stone Fetus, I can return to my peak within thirty years. Then I’ll plan anew.”

The Nine Orifices Stone Fetus was a top-tier wonder Luofuzi had obtained long ago, used to refine an External Incarnation.

He hadn’t carried it on him.

He left it at Luofu Mountain to draw in heaven and earth essence, planning to use it after reaching late Nascent Soul to cultivate an incarnation.

It also doubled as a spare body if he ran into danger and his body was destroyed.

He just hadn’t expected that day would really come.