Chapter 2178.2: Golden Core of Great Dao

Jiang Feng raised cupped fists at the two and left with his men. Qin Qianxue left as well, after taking another look at Lu Yun.

Although the two left, Lu Yun knew that a greater storm brewed.

A victor was determined between the combination cultivators up in the sky. A latter combination cultivator won the dao treasure and threw his head back with laughter. The treasure was a flag six meters across and bestrewn with starlight. Three hundred and sixty-five rays of starlight were a clear nod to the major cycle, and it seemed that the strength of the cosmos could be deployed with a slight wave.

“The Cosmic Flag? It’s the real thing, not an imitation!” Lu Yun happened to lift his head and saw the cultivator happily waving the flag around. “It was a king grade immortal treasure that belonged to Celestial Empress Myrtlestar of the East… What’s it doing…”

“Young master, that is the Cosmic Flag.” Terra Demon also recognized the treasure. There were nine grades to immortal rank treasures and king grade sat over all of them. The Cosmic Flag was the highest level of existence among king grade immortal treasures.

“Hey you, combination cultivator! Get down here!” Lu Yun couldn’t help but yell at the sky.

Gui Xie was still celebrating his new acquisition when he saw one of the untouchable young masters on the ground address him. He immediately landed without hesitation.

Gui Xie was a wandering cultivator with no home base, but he’d heard of some of the mysterious factions in the world. If he offended someone like this, the three ninth rank empires would quickly issue an arrest warrant for him. Survival would be nigh impossible then even if he fled to the corners of the world.

Thus, Gui Xie presented himself in front of Lu Yun without another word. He glanced at the tribulation cultivator standing behind Mo Qiyue.

This cultivator was from the Xuanhuang Empire. He was in charge of investigating Iron Pagoda Mountain and protecting these young masters. Since Qin Qianxue and Jiang Feng had returned to Great Xia, the cultivator remained to protect Mo Qiyue.

Lu Yun was not under his protection, but that didn’t stop Lu Yun from swaggering around in borrowed influence.

“What orders might the gentleman have?” Gui Xie asked respectfully. The tribulation cultivator hadn’t taken action earlier—the upper dao rank treasure wouldn’t have fallen into his hands if the powerhouse had. Therefore, Gui Xie wasn’t worried that Lu Yun would seize his treasure.

“I see that your methods are a mess and your true origin is much less than pure. You’re a wandering cultivator and I’m officially extending an opportunity for you to join me.” Lu Yun cut straight to the chase. While the Cosmic Flag was so tattered that it’d fallen to an upper rank dao treasure, it was still the treasure of Celestial Empress Myrtlestar. It wasn’t something that any random cultivator could claim.

Since the combination cultivator had easily directed the flag to recognize a new master, he must be far from ordinary. In that case, it would be helpful for Lu Yun to add the guy to his troops.

“Ah…” Gui Xie hesitated. With his cultivation level, he’d immediately receive a high position if he joined a cultivation empire, sect, or clan. He remained a wandering cultivator because he was used to freedom.

The world was his oyster so long as he didn’t violate the rules set by the ninth rank empires.

The tribulation cultivator behind Mo Qiyue frowned. He was well aware that Lu Yun was just the young master of a minor clan from a third rank empire. The young man wanted to recruit a combination level cultivator? Utterly preposterous!

But since Lu Yun was friends with Mo Qiyue, there was nothing the cultivator could say.

“Gui Xie thanks the young master for your kind intentions, but Gui Xie is used to freedom and cannot stand fetters. I am willing to leave behind this treasure in exchange for my freedom.” Gui Xie was roughly thirty years old and looked very ordinary. His worn blue robes weren’t a powerful treasure. As he spoke, he offered up the Cosmic Flag.

“You can go.” Lu Yun shook his head instead of taking the flag. “I hope you treat this treasure well and do not tarnish its name. If anything happens, you can find me at the Lu Clan in Darklake Empire.”

He took out a blank jade slip from his storage ring and etched certain things in it. Tossing it to Gui Xie, Lu Yun turned around and left.

Terra Demon looked intently at Gui Xie and snorted, “You have absolutely no idea what’s good for you. Be careful with my young master’s gift!”

The tribulation cultivator behind Mo Qiyue blinked, he’d thought that Lu Yun would make use of his presence to seize the treasure. How was this the scene playing out instead? What was in the jade slip that a good-for-nothing prodigal of a third rank empire had thrown to a latter combination cultivator? As confused as the tribulation cultivator was, he couldn’t be bothered to think things further.

There was one thing he overlooked the entire time, however, and that was the silver haired, silver eyed soul projection cultivator next to Lu Yun called him young master. Could a noble scion from a third rank empire possibly have a soul projection servant?

Gui Xie watched them leave with a complicated expression and scanned the jade slip with his consciousness.

“Heir to Celestial Empress Myrtlestar’s legacy, do not tarnish her name.” Lu Yun’s voice sounded as soon as the mind entered the jade slip. A surge of will burst out of it as a complete cultivation method emerged.

The Immortal Canon of Life and Death!

An immortal level cultivation method!

Gui Xie’s mouth dropped with shock. What kind of background did that young master have to pull out an immortal method without second thought!

Unbeknownst to him that this Immortal Canon of Life and Death wasn’t an ordinary level immortal method. It was the personal method of the Celestial Empress Myrtlestar of the East, one that reigned supreme in the world of immortals.

When Lu Yun was the High Lord of the Northern Sky, he was good friends with the High Lady of the Eastern Sky. Their friendship was forged through life and death. When he reached a bottleneck in his cultivation, Celestial Empress Myrtlestar lent him the Immortal Canon of Life and Death to help him break through to peak immortal emperor.

Nothing was known about Celestial Empress Myrtlestar’s current condition and her personal treasure had been demoted to an upper dao rank treasure. Lu Yun didn’t force the issue when Gui Xie proved unwilling to follow him. He handed over the Immortal Canon of Life and Death instead.

Poof!

The jade slip reduced itself into dust after conveying the full contents of the method into Gui Xie’s mind.

“Celestial Empress Myrtlestar…” Gui Xie came to a decision as he looked in the direction of Lu Yun’s departure.

Some combination cultivators waited in the shadows, hoping for the site of Iron Pagoda Mountain to spew out more dao treasures. Some weaker cultivars such as golden core, foundation establishment, and even qi refinement were present as well.

News of the crater shooting out tens of thousands of treasures became widely known and many cultivators gathered their courage to explore it. However, no one ever came back out.

……

“Lu Yun, your reaction earlier was a bit odd.” Mo Qiyue raised after they left Profound Wing Empire, thereby prompting the departure of the tribulation cultivation and associated six combination cultivators.

“Odd?” Lu Yun asked curiously.

“Based on your typical style, you would’ve robbed that Gui Xie blind,” Mo Qiyue cracked a rare joke.

“He didn’t offend me, what would I rob him for?” Lu Yun shook his head. That was the heir to his dead sister-in-arms. It was right and proper that he help Gui Xie.

Mo Qiyue didn’t believe anything that Lu Yun said; he saw things clearly. The Lu young master hadn’t said a word of truth from beginning to end. He couldn’t even be bothered to explain why there was a soul projection servant by his side!

“If you take him back to Darklake, his name and information will immediately appear in the heavenly book of the Celestial Realm Battlefront. Those from Dark Orchid will immediately be on your doorstep then,” Mo Qiyue said solemnly.

“Are you afraid of Dark Orchid?” Lu Yun curled his lip.

𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

“The world of cultivation has its own rules, it’s not a matter of whether I’m afraid or not.” Mo Qiyue slowly shook his head.

Terra Demon also curled his lip with contempt. He had the consciousness of an immortal king! Even Lu Tianling could evade the heavenly book’s detection, to say nothing of him.

“The rules of the world of cultivation…” Lu Yun looked up at the sky.

“The rules aren’t set by a person or a faction.” Mo Qiyue pointed upward.

“The sky? That’s my senior brother…” Lu Yun mumbled to himself in a volume that only he could hear. “The one above him is also my master.”

The heavenly dao established rules on behalf of all and for the benefit of all. The sky existed to maintain the balance of the rules. Their existence was to represent all of life and contend against the will of the nothing.

It was why this civilization of immortal dao could expand to these heights. But now… the world of immortals was no more.

……

The three entered the perimeter of Darklake as they conversed. Lu Tianling used a certain treasure to evade the heavenly book, whereas Terra Demon used his immense consciousness to forcefully beat back the rules of the heavenly book.

Therefore, his name didn’t appear in its pages either.

“Interesting.” Terra Demon closed his eyes and carefully sensed his surroundings. “Young master, this world is more than it looks.”

“Oh? What have you discovered?” Lu Yun asked.

“That so-called heavenly book is a powerful immortal treasure that covers the boundless domain.” Terra Demon frowned. “Thankfully, we are on its fringes. If we were in its core, I would not be able to withstand it with my strength.”