Chapter 2169.2: Sol Truefire

“So it’s Yong Heyu.” Lu Yun raised a brow when he got a clear look at Gray Robes. The mysterious person who could fight Bloodbath to a standstill was the crown prince’s hanger-on!

“Yong Heyu keeps his cards close to his heart. He is an extremely calculating person and bided his time after Mo Qitian kicked him out of Immortal Gathering…” Lu Yun jerked with astonishment. He hadn’t thought that the powerhouse to deploy the Eighteen Cerulean Sword Dragons would be Yong Heyu!

“Die!” Bloodbath wasted no time and struck.

“Aoou!” A spirited dragon croon exploded from Yong Hey’s body as a white dragon shadow materialized behind him. “Heh heh heh, no matter who you two are, both of you will die today.”

Yong Heyu crossed his arms in front of his chest as the dragon behind him flared with light. The light manifested as a terrifying ray of dragon-shaped sword qi that enveloped Lu Yun and Bloodbath.

“A dao weapon!” Shocked out of his usual composure, Bloodbath’s expression changed drastically.

Treasures were divided into five ranks of qi treasure, fine treasure, spirit treasure, dao treasure, and immortal treasure.

Dao treasures, even lower rank ones, were as rare as phoenix feathers and dragon scales in fifth and sixth rank empires. Bloodbath only possessed a paramount spirit treasure in his prime—he hadn’t owned a dao treasure either.

He never dreamed that a dao treasure would appear in a tiny third rank cultivation nation!

Its might could be described as cataclysmic. Yong Heyu had been able to match him when he wielded a spirit treasure. Now that he brought out a dao weapon? Bloodbath grew wary.

He has a dao weapon! Right, the Eighteen Cerulean Sword Dragons is the ultimate technique of the Mindful Immortal Potentate of the world of immortals. He must’ve obtained parts of the potentate’s legacy, but what is the potentate’s legacy doing here?

The Mindful Immortal Potentate likely had much to do with Lu Yun’s sealed memories.

As his thoughts spun rapidly, Lu Yun quickly backed away. An enormous ball of sword light exploded from the flying sword beneath his feet and hurtled toward the sword dragon, attempting to offset it.

Wham!

A muffled feeling hit him in the chest as his lower fine-rank sword smashed to smithereens. He twisted several times in bizarre fashion, defusing the titanic power and borrowing it to retreat far away.

Rays of ominous bloody radiance sparkled around Bloodbath. They were now thousands of kilometers away from Dark City and there was no one around in the dead of the night. He didn't need to hide his strength anymore.

His energy of true origin from the Method of Blood Shadows had long since transmuted to true origin of the Canon of the Blood God.

𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

“Hand Seal of the Blood God!” Bloodbath slapped his palm out, forming a blood-red palm sixty meters across. It loomed over the dragon figure and the ray of dragon-shaped sword light.

“As strong as a dao weapon is, you’re just initial nascent soul. Much of its power is inaccessible to you.” Bloodbath recovered his calm and snorted dismissively.

His palm and sword light negated each other in the sky. However, his face was pale from exertion and blood trickled out of the corner of his mouth. He was only latter golden core—withstanding a dao weapon also inflicted significant damage on him.

“Hahaha, I’m just initial nascent soul? And you’re just a golden core cultivator, listen to you talk!” Yong Heyu wiped away the blood from his lips and suddenly took on a startled expression. “Well well, it’s your lucky day, I will show you mercy for now.”

He transformed into a streak of dragon-shaped sword light and vanished swiftly in the night sky.

“Someone’s coming,” Lu Yun said with regret as he joined Bloodbath in the air.

“He bears a dao weapon. It’s impossible for us stop him if he wants to run,” the elder remarked faintly.

Sword light flashed as a man in white robes appeared before them.

“As I thought, there is the presence of a dao weapon here.” The man in white possessed dashing flair and looked around sharply, standing in the air with his sword grasped tightly. “Where is he?”

“You scared him off.” Lu Yun shrugged at White Robes.

“Do you know who he is?” White Robes flicked an aloof look at Lu Yun.

“Heh, you’re an interesting fellow. We’re the ones who destroyed the Ling Clan, but you make trouble for a righteous cultivator who sought to stop us,” Lu Yun smiled faintly.

“The Ling Clan? They have nothing to do with me,” White Robes responded calmly. “A dao weapon matters a great deal more and is the most important issue at hand. What does a traitorous Ling Clan have to do with me?”

“Are you the nation’s secret force?” Bloodbath murmured as bloody light receded from his eyes.

Every empire retained some hidden aces that were the foundation of their being. When Darklake triumphed over Tianlong Empire twenty years ago, it vaulted them to the strongest of third rank empires.

Given how strong Darklake was, it naturally had its trump cards.

White Robes looked at Bloodbath. “Your foundations are powerful to have such strength at golden core. If you join the Hidden Dragons, Darklake will have a chance of rising to a fourth rank empire.”

“Rise to fourth rank…” Lu Yun’s eyes gleamed.

White Robes remained looking at Bloodbath, waiting for his answer.

“Ask him. If he wants me to go, I’ll go.” Bloodbath carelessly pointed at Lu Yun with his chin.

Startled, White Robes turned to Lu Yun.

“We are all part of Darklake. All of her people have a responsibility to invigorate our nation!” Lu Yun declared righteously. “But we can forgo joining the Hidden Dragons.”

The Hidden Dragons was one of Darklake’s strongest armies. They once reigned triumphant everywhere they campaigned and vanished from the public eye after Darklake defeated Tianlong twenty years ago.

Who would’ve thought that they’d been concealed from the public and underwent secret training? They were the secret weapon that Darklake sought to use in their bid for fourth rank status!

But it made sense, Darklake Empire was already the strongest third rank cultivation empire. It naturally possessed ambitions to break free from Dark Orchid’s control and become a fourth rank in its own right.

Lu Tianling was a tribulation cultivator! He cowered in this third rank empire only because of his enemies. Everything was possible if Lu Tianling was present in Darklake. Lu Yun had also long sensed that the empire’s true foundations were likely far in excess of what was on display.

“Then I’ll kill both of you. The plans of Darklake cannot be exposed,” White Robes pivoted coldly. A flying sword appeared in his hand, illuminating the surroundings with frosty glare.

He was exceedingly strong, but it’d been Situ Wenxian’s second nascent soul who took action earlier in the capital. White Robes hadn’t appeared because the imperial family didn’t want to reveal Darklake’s secrets.

“His cultivation is soul projection. There’s a treasure on him concealing his true strength.” Bloodbath frowned as a keen light glinted in his eyes.

“Uncle Wu, grandfather said you were dead. You’ve actually ascended to soul projection, huh, and joined the Hidden Guards?” Lu Yun rubbed his nose. Feeling that there was no other way to resolve the situation, he removed his Transformation Jade.

“Young master? What are you doing here?” White Robes blinked.

Wu Wei and He Wuheng were Lu Tianling’s left and right arms in battle. Wu Wei set foot into nascent soul first and mysteriously vanished ten years ago. The outside world understood that his old injuries had flared up and died as a result.

Lu Yun had met Wu Wei when he was young, having a very deep impression of the stone faced, yet unexpectedly dashing Uncle Wu.

It looks like the Hidden Dragons are grandfather’s secret force. What is the relationship between grandfather and Darklake Empire?

Tribulation cultivator Lu Tianling was likely the only one who was able to pull the wool over Dark Orchid’s eyes and secretly raise a force like the Hidden Dragons. The Dark Orchid Empire was a fourth rank empire of long standing. It kept Darklake under close surveillance; the affairs of tonight and a dao weapon appearing in Darklake would likely make its way to Dark Orchid in the morning.

“What happened tonight involves the safety of the Lu Clan. Please keep this a secret for your nephew, Uncle Wu,” Lu Yun articulated carefully.

“Don’t worry, no one will know of anything tonight.” Wu Wei inclined his head. “Including the emperor.”

In his eyes, the Lu Clan came first, then Darklake. He was loyal to the empire only because of Lu Tianling’s order.

A smile appeared on Lu Yun’s face.

“Very well, this matter is at an end. I will return to make my report now.” Wu Wei suddenly thought of something as he was about to turn around and said, “Don’t try to shake the nation’s foundations. Darklake is the foundation of the family.”

He vanished amid a streak of sword light. Although he was a subject of Darklake Empire, he was loyal to the Lu Clan.

“To think that the waters would run so deep at a mere Darklake Empire! Even the fifth rank Barren Empire all those years ago didn’t possess this many layers to them,” Bloodbath sighed with emotion as he watched Wu Wei depart.

“Oh?” Lu Yun looked at the elder with interest. “Are a few soul projection cultivators sufficient for this level of judgment?”