Chapter 1798: Autumnus Realm

Bam!!

It was only one palm strike, but it split the great bird apart into motes of sword light.

Whoosh!

A radiant river of stars rushed out of the crushed bird and blasted Jiang Kui in the chest. He stumbled backward with a rapidly shifting expression. His upper clothing was torn apart, revealing a ghastly gray chest. Eyebrows rose on the faces of the outsiders and they shifted their gaze away, unwilling to look closer.

Jiang Kui’s body was as lifeless as a zombie beneath his clothing; there were no signs of a living being. This was the hallmark of a Corpse Refiner disciple. Not only did the sect refine others into zombies, but they ultimately refined themselves as well.

Lu Qing’s third technique—Starstream Stroke—only ruined Jiang Kui’s clothing. It hadn’t done anything to the man.

“I concede.” Lu Qing took a few steps back before Jiang Kui could respond. Blood trickled down his chin. “Dao brother Jiang Kui is formidable alright! I am indeed less than you, so please, go on in.”

Jiang Kui felt like he’d swung full force into a ball of cotton. He was on the defensive and had shown only two moves. But just as he was about to counterattack after his opponent’s flurry of motion, the other conceded the match!

He conceded!

A chief world powerhouse wouldn’t yield so easily. They would duel for several rounds at minimum, refusing to back down even if they knew they couldn’t match their opponent. Apart from his identity as Lu Yun’s son, Lu Qing was a nameless junior. He didn’t even seem to grasp sequence yet; he was responding to sequence experts with a strange power.

And yet, Jiang Kui didn’t dare really back the ant into a corner. Death would be in short supply if he antagonized the spacetime travelers.

“Fine,” he snapped out and stepped off to the side. Jiang Kui was certain that if he dared walk in alone, Lu Yun would swiftly hunt him down. Though he had more than one Lifeline Talisman on him, he was horrified by the treasure after learning that Lu Feng was their creator and that he was Lu Qing’s uncle.

Lu Feng? Lu Yun? Feng as in wind, and yun as in cloud? Were the two brothers?

The lifesaving treasure had suddenly turned into a man-eating monster. Jiang Kui’s fingers twitched with the urge to throw away the talismans that’d cost all of his personal wealth and most of Rising Sunriver’s treasury.

At the same time, he knew that Lu Feng was first and foremost a businessman. He wouldn’t sacrifice his reputation to plot against enemies. Although he’d scammed a small fortune from Yun Yi’s concubines, that’d been under unusual circumstances. It could be counted as a forced purchase at most, the talismans worked perfectly fine.

If he dared do anything untoward with the talismans, he would be chased to the ends of the world despite being a spacetime traveler.

All the same, Jiang Kui had no intention of entering the Land of Reincarnation by himself. That would just be courting death. Therefore, he took a position off to the side, ready to observe the coming battles.

His victory was a small ray of hope for the others. Lu Yun’s son didn’t seem to be so unnerving—well, wait, they were drawing their conclusions too quickly. Jiang Kui was one of the strongest geniuses beneath the supremes. He ranked the same as Ao Qin of the dragon race, that one from the Moran Clan, and Xie Tianxun. It was to be expected that he could triumph over Lu Yun’s son and force the latter to concede.

Lu Qing ignored Jiang Kui, instead turning his gaze to the other side of Mount Astronomia and waited to see who would be his next challenger.

Young geniuses were naturally proud and self assured, never ones to back down. The first two challengers had ended in immense defeat and victory apiece. While most here were weaker than Jiang Kui, they would never accept that fact.

Thus, a new challenger quickly stepped up to the plate.

Lu Qing met him head-on and used only Lu Yun’s combat arts and sword dao in battle. He never called upon the skills that Qing Buyi had taught him, opting instead to use the methods of the Qing Clan, Lu Clan, and the world of immortals.

His feats quickly traveled throughout the Land of Reincarnation.

It was common knowledge since eight hundred years ago that the outsiders were waiting to invade. A miasma of fear and trepidation constantly drifted through the air; everyone thought of the outside realm as superior. In those experts’ eyes, the Boundless Planes were nothing but a lower world and its cultivators far beneath their consideration.

Not to mention, the powerhouses waiting to invade the Boundless Planes were all sequence experts. Some were immense heavyweights beyond ninth level sequence. Although Lu Yun made use of the war a hundred years ago to uproot the factions that’d defected to the chief worlds, what remained of the Land of Reincarnation still couldn’t muster any courage to face bonafide outsiders.

But now…

Lu Yun’s son, Lu Qing, was defeating these legendary titans in direct combat with the combat arts of immortal dao! He was beating them so badly that they were one step away from crying for their mothers! While the outsiders still triumphed over him, it was enough to prove that they weren’t nearly as invincible or terrible as the legends made them out to be.

Numerous powerhouses in residence at Mount Astronomia raised water curtains to broadcast the battles to the rest of the fourth realm. Other professional experts made detailed introductions of each challenger. For example, the Zhu Hongyu that Lu Qing had defeated with three moves was a twenty-fifth level sequence expert and the personal disciple of a powerhouse who’d exceeded sequence!

These days, the fourth realm bustled with activity. Immortal dao’s reputation reached its peak due to concerted efforts from the Formula Academy, Dao Academy, and other immortal dao factions. Some powerhouses who’d been stalwartly against immortal dao decided to set foot into immortal dao sequence after seeing the battles taking place at Mount Astronomia.

Public opinion.

Such was a common tactic on Earth—controlling public discourse meant controlling and directing the people’s hearts. Unfortunately for those of the fourth realm, while their culture of cultivation had reached incredibly prosperous levels, they’d never encountered the plethora of stratagems that’d been present during Earth’s technological era.

Lu Yun only needed to somewhat exert himself to reap unforeseen gains.

The battles of Mount Astronomia lasted for three full years. Hundreds of outsiders descended upon the mountain, but none of them dared pass it. They’d all been warned before arriving that there was an abundance of horrifying existences in the Land of Reincarnation. They could very well be captured in one fell swoop if they struck out on their own.

Since so many of them rose to the occasion, there was naturally more than Jiang Kui who found victory in the field. The chief worlds were more than a hundred million times greater than the Land of Reincarnation—geniuses were thick on the ground and heavyweights grew on trees. Even if they weren’t all as capable as Jiang Kui, they weren’t that far behind.

𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Jiang Kui had built his reputation through each punch and kick he delivered, but there were also many who’d never fought him. Jiang Kui, Ao Qin, Xie Tianxun, and the Moran genius who yet remained nameless were similar to the titled dukes of old in the Hongmeng—the representative figures of the younger generation.

Lu Qing’s grand gesture meant to probe the depths of whatever hidden geniuses were out there; he also benefited greatly from his exertions. Eight hundred years of tutelage from Qing Buyi had fully combined Lu Qing’s previous cultivation and battle philosophy. The subsequent three years of fights honed and tempered all that he had.

His next challenger was an ethereal young girl—a fairy dressed in a pastel purple dress. Her features were exquisitely shaped and her form slender and delicate. She appeared on the scene like a ray of morning radiance, enigmatic in dainty refinement.

“Qiu Feishan of the Autumnus Realm greets dao brother Lu Qing.” She swept a graceful curtsy at Lu Qing. “Senior brother, are you playing for time by blocking your own front door?”

“Autumnus Realm?! What’s someone from the Autumnus Realm doing here?!” The crowd shifted with surprise when they heard the self introduction.

Autumnus incorporated “realm” in their name—not the realm of a territory, but the realm of cultivation. They were mysterious beyond compare and a faction that even the dragons and Morans were wary of. There were rumors of them in the chief worlds, but no one had ever glimpsed one of their cultivators.

If the young girl called Qiu Feishan really was from the Autumnus Realm, then things had abruptly taken a complicated turn in the Land of Reincarnation.

“The fuck?? The Autumnus Realm! What are those monsters doing out and about?” Qing Buyi sat down on a boulder and fished out a large bun to snack on.

“Surely you jest, miss.” Lu Qing responded evenly. While a flash of stunned appreciation glowed in his eyes, he wasn’t lost in the person in front of him. “We’ve been preparing for eight hundred years, so a few more days makes no difference. I stand here simply to take all of you oh-so-superior outsiders down a few pegs.”

His shortsword grew three inches, a sign of his increase in strength.