Chapter 2177.3: Immortal Potentate

“The immortal potentate has fully perished and this subordinate borrowed the power of the stars to sacrifice the five immortal kings’ core origin to the sword pagoda. If not, it would be impossible to activate it,” Terra Demon answered honestly. “The Eighteen Cerulean Sword Dragons that I taught Yong Heyu came from this ray of sword light. It was not left behind by the Mindful Immortal Potentate.

“However… this subordinate feels that the five immortal kings don’t seem to have died. That core origin may not have been theirs.”

Lu Yun nodded. He’d thought that there would be some treasures from the six inside the pagoda. Instead, it looked like the ray of sword qi had swallowed them whole.

“Stand down, Terra Demon. I’m going to try to refine this sword qi.” Lu Yun waved the man off and added, “Don’t address me with Your Grace or High Lord in the outside world, just call me young master.”

“Yes, young master.” Terra Demon hastily retreated to the side.

Lu Yun took a deep breath in front of the sword qi. Hongmeng qi roiled in his body and the remaining goodwill in the Seal of the Multitude also ignited.

This sword pagoda had been something that even the central immortal emperor coveted. The Mindful Immortal Potentate hadn’t managed to fully refine it. As a minor foundation establishment cultivator, Lu Yun’s own strength was insufficient.

Thus, he called upon the seal without hesitation.

Rumble!

The Seal of the Multitude was held in his dantian. Although the goodwill was ponderous, it was still insufficient to truly manipulate the seal. All that floated upward was its shadow. Even its shadow, however, was superior to ordinary immortal weapons. It came from the heavenly dao, after all.

Tremendous aura surged forth—it was the first time that Lu Yun called upon the seal with his full strength. If it wasn’t for the fact that they were inside the pagoda, the disturbance likely would’ve already brought a Great Xia powerhouse to investigate.

The seal’s shadow enveloped the sword qi and Lu Yun teased out his Hongmeng qi, directing it into the sword qi.

Whoosh!

For some reason, the ray of sword qi trembled and erupted with keen rays, cutting through the shadow around it. They continued unabated and struck at Lu Yun.

“This is bad!” He frowned slightly and retreated, wanting to evade the terrible sword qi. Death was incredibly close to him—just one step away. He could feel the forceful killing intent from the sword qi.

Despite death breathing down his neck, he kept his composure. He’d died many times before and could face it with aplomb.

“This sword qi…” Brows furrowed tight, Lu Yun stared fixedly at the ray. He could sense that a ray of sword qi that could sever the shadow of a connate treasure would have been too much for him even when he was the High Lord of the Northern Sky.

“Young master!” gasped Terra Demon. He’d been keeping a close eye on Lu Yun and was moving at the fastest speed possible, wanting to take the blow for his lord.

But he was only latter soul establishment at the moment, how could he be faster than the sword qi? It was about to execute Lu Yun!

Boom!

Vast strength appeared out of nowhere and rebuffed the terrible sword qi.

“It’s only been a few days, my little junior brother, but here you are running afoul of this terrible thing,” rang out a surprised voice. Sky appeared in blue robes with blue hair cascading over his shoulders.

Lu Yun heaved a sigh of relief. “My greatest thanks to senior brother for saving my life. This would be the end of my road if you hadn’t gotten here in time.”

Terra Demon had rushed to Lu Yun’s side. “Young master, you’re alright! My deepest gratitude to this senior!”

Thump!

He fell to his knees in thanks.

“No matter, this is only proper since Lu Yun is my junior brother.” Sky smiled faintly and lifted his hand, gently raising Terra Demon back to his feet.

“Strange… the high lord was always alone when he fought in the world of immortals. He never spoke of a sect. Is he in one in this lifetime? But no, the lord’s senior brother easily blocked an attack from the sword pagoda… I once saw the central immortal emperor when His Grace was summoned for an audience, but this one’s aura pales far in comparison…” Terra Demon took another look at Sky and was dumbfounded by what he saw.

Sky was as unfathomable as the seas. Even though Terra Demon lacked his previous cultivation of immortal king, his consciousness remained and he could fully perceive the other’s terrible might.

Sky was the manifestation of the rules, thus lacking desire and emotion. He gave no thought to the emotions of others and didn’t try to hide himself. Lu Yun couldn’t sense Sky’s terrifying aura because he practiced the Nine Chapters of Dao. The “dao” character in his dantian also came from the same origins as his senior brother.

“Senior brother, do you know about this sword pagoda?” Lu Yun asked Sky.

“A sword pagoda? What an interesting name,” Sky chuckled. “It’s unbelievably terrifying and existed before I did. There is only a corpse of it now, or I wouldn’t have been able to save you otherwise.”

“Um… was this sword pagoda once a mighty powerhouse?” Lu Yun frowned tightly. Does it… have something to do with me?

“A powerhouse? You could put it that way. You’ll find out what it is in the future,” Sky sighed. “You better not run afoul of things like this from now on. You would be dead if it wasn’t for my coincidental manifestation and detection of its presence.

“Even though it does have something to do with you, it will still kill you if the time is not yet right!”

Lu Yun nodded. His senior brother hadn’t come because he’d sensed the young man was in danger, it really was a coincidence that he happened to be in the area. As the heavens toil ever onwards, so must one strive forward without end. If he depended on others in everything he did, he would never reach the peak. The heavenly dao had taught him what it should over the course of three thousand reincarnations. The rest was up to Lu Yun himself.

“But this thing coming to you now is a result of plans made by the past you. Everything happened as it is meant to.” Sky smiled and flicked his finger, sending a beam of blue light toward the ray of sword qi.

The ray shifted and twisted, trying to break the light.

“The past young master… did His Grace already foresee the events of today back in his time?” Terra Demon’s faith in Lu Yun grew even deeper.

However, Lu Yun knew what the past him meant—not the high lord, but a personage even greater.

Sky smiled without a word and beckoned the light back to him. “Try refining it now, junior brother.”

Lu Yun immediately sank his consciousness and Hongmeng qi into the sword qi.

Whoosh!

The sword qi jerked before settling down in his dantian, resulting in the sword pagoda itself shaking and streaking into Lu Yun’s dantian. It was a black pagoda that was unusually keen, like a sharp sword unsheathed. What surprised Lu Yun was that the pagoda stood on the same level as the dao character in his dantian!

“I will be returning to my post now that the matter is concluded. This is my first and last time saving you. The matters to come are up to you.” Sky faded into motes of blue light as he spoke, returning to his state as the rules.

“I could refine this because senior brother helped me. I wonder how the Mindful Immortal Potentate did it, or is this pagoda meant to target me?” Lu Yun pouted, not knowing that the immortal potentate hadn’t refined the pagoda back in his day. He’d simply borrowed its strength, just like how Terra Demon obtained the Eighteen Cerulean Sword Dragons from the sword qi. His core origin was still that of an immortal king, despite having only his will left. Everything was fine so long as one did not attempt to refine the sword pagoda.

As for Lu Yun, even if he did once have something to do with the treasure, he was someone else now after reincarnation had suppressed his memories.

“But no matter what, I am the disciple of the heavenly dao. As weak as I am now, I will ultimately vault into that peerless realm. Everything will naturally be resolved then.” Although questions swirled in his heart, Lu Yun didn’t dwell on them. Many were things that the weak didn’t have the right to know about. Even if he found out, he won’t understand that level of existence. It was more useful to temper himself so that he could also become a peerless being.

He’d never doubted himself—confidence? He’d never lacked that. He thought very, very highly of himself. It was an attitude ingrained into his bones.

He also wasn’t a saint!

Please, he was perfectly willing to kill people, alright?