Chapter 2229.1: Tenth Rank Cultivation Empire

Darklake Empire was but an ordinary third rank cultivation empire at the end of the day. It would still be bullied by its peer, the Tianlong Empire, if not for Lu Tianling, to say nothing of becoming independent of Dark Orchid.

Lu Tianling had continuously deployed a secret art all this time to conceal Situ Wenxian’s cultivation level of latter combination stage. The Lu patriarch was as if a god to the emperor. Rather than simple respect between disciple and master, Situ Wenxian venerated his master to the point of placing all his faith in Lu Tianling.

……

The stirring Darklake Empire fully quieted down after Lu Yun’s return. The great armies that’d assembled returned to their posts, but no longer had to hide themselves.

Darklake powerhouses concealed in other higher ranked empires returned home with boundless resources. Their addition swelled a mere third rank empire’s strength to more than ten thousand times stronger than before.

Darklake’s previous requirement to join the army was foundation establishment. It was now nascent soul. Only those at this cultivation level could officially become part of the army.

Previously lofty individuals in Darklake Empire, nascent soul cultivators didn’t lose their status with the return of powerhouses from other empires. Being well established in Darklake, their knowledge of the land was much greater than the returnees’.

They were the talents needed to administer the nation.

When he laid his plans, Lu Tianling picked members of mid-rank Darklake families to nurture. Now that they returned with tremendous resources, their families’ stock rose as well. The once seven great families of Darklake were but a joke through the lens of modern times.

The Yuwen, Ouyang, and Ling Clans were no more. The Zhao and Yu Clan survived due to Zhao Chenguang and Yu Shuai, but they were relegated to the bottom of the hierarchy in the nation. As for the most mysterious Mo Clan… All traces that they’d ever existed had been erased from Darklake Empire. There was no one even in their business establishment of the Immortal Gathering.

……

Lu Yun released the baby Origin Ginseng, Treasurehunter Rat, and Hadal Bird in the seed storage formation of the family vaults. Thanks to Mu Ge, the formation had been enlarged to five hundred kilometers across. While she was an empyrean immortal, she was able to bring golden immortal strength to bear as her injuries had taken a turn for the better. She sat on the other side of the formation and ignored Lu Yun.

The little Origin Ginseng looked to be a child one year old and was learning how to walk. He was fully awake now and looked blankly at Lu Yun, but did not show fear.

“Ee umm ahhh.” The Origin Ginseng opened and shut its mouth, trying to say something but not knowing how to talk.

“Alright then, you’ll live here from now on and take care of the herb garden for me.” Lu Yun pointed at the massive spirit herb garden not too far away.

The child blinked and seemed to understand Lu Yun’s words. It tottered to the garden, completely at ease in the unfamiliar surroundings. This Origin Ginseng came from the roots of Lu Yun’s old garden caretaker, so it naturally felt close to the young man and wasn’t repelled by the human.

Several nascent souls hauling small hoes around the herb garden jumped with shock when they saw the Origin Ginseng. Lu Yun ignored them. His new caretaker was ranked number six on the listing of earthly treasures and innately knew how to take care of these grasses more than any human cultivator.

He turned his attention to the firmly restrained Treasurehunter Rat. It was less than half a meter tall, but its tail was a full meter long. It peered piteously up at the young man.

“You’ll follow me in the future and do whatever I tell you to do, or I’ll feed you to the bird.” An ominous Lu Yun pointed to the napping Hadal Bird that was the size of a palm.

While the Treasurehunter Rat was a beast, it was very well aware of human nature. It quickly bobbed its head up and down to indicate its willingness to follow the young man’s orders. Lu Yun tossed it into the sword pagoda. Treasurehunter Rats were greedy by nature. If it was allowed to roam freely in the garden, it’d wreak havoc in less than a day.

“Little birdie, you’re the luckiest out of everyone this time.” Lu Yun smiled faintly at the bleary-eyed Hadal Bird. Being a fire spirit, it was yet to become a real living being. Its mind was not yet fully developed, so it looked at Lu Yun with confusion as it didn't understand what he was saying.

The young man flipped his hand over, revealing the drop of Vermilion Bird blood essence that was the size of a fist.

The Hadal Bird’s eyes went wide.

Whoosh!

It beelined into a black line before Lu Yun could react and swallowed the blood essence. Chirping with joy, it circled around Lu Yun’s head and landed on his shoulder. It lifted a beak smaller than a pinky fingernail and intimately nuzzled the young man’s cheek.

After that, it wobbled back into the air and transformed into a black flame before returning to the Cauldron of Heaven and Earth. Lu Yun carefully placed the cauldron in the seed storage formation.

“You seemed to have brought out Vermilion Bird blood essence just now.” Mu Ge had appeared in front of Lu Yun at some point in time. Her tone was as cool as ever.

“I obtained it from Immortal Burial Valley,” Lu Yun nodded, not intending to hide anything from her.

“Ah, Immortal Burial Valley…” Mu Ge nodded, naturally having heard of the place. She returned to her seat and sat down cross-legged. The pale-gold dragon egg next to her brimmed with vitality.

……

Dewcloud Mountain was the largest mountain within the Darklake borders. It was like Fallen Leaf Mountain and the Barren Mountains, spanning nearly five thousand kilometers with a main peak towering above the clouds. It was one of the most idyllic spots in the nation.

Darklake’s greatest sect—Cloudraid Sword Sect—called the mountain home. There were a dozen nascent soul powerhouses in residence and it considered itself too mighty to bow its head to Darklake Empire. It didn’t consider itself a subject or offer tribute.

In the six months that the heavenly book’s rules were inactive, the sect sealed the mountain shut and turned a blind eye to all external affairs. On this day, a young man in white robes appeared outside the sect’s front doors.

“Cloudraid Sword Sect is sealed shut for three years and will not receive guests. Please depart, fellow daoist!” A foundation establishment disciple on duty called out to the young man.

Lu Yun ignored the guard and set foot into the mountain’s main peak. The enormous defensive formation stuttered for a split second when he entered it.

“Dewcloud Mountain eh? The pronunciation for the characters of your name are the same as mine.” Lu Yun’s lips curved upward. This mountain and him had a shared affinity.

“Who are you?! The sect has sealed off the mountain, so please depart with due haste!” The foundation establishment disciple was alarmed to find that he didn't know how Lu Yun had made it inside. He hastily rang the alarm bell at the front gates and set off bells throughout the entire main peak.

“What is it? Is someone attacking the sect?” A few golden core cultivators ran out of seclusion when they heard the alarm. But when they arrived at the front gates, they saw only the confused foundation establishment cultivator.

“What’s going on, Jing Ming? Why have you rung the bell?” frowned a man with a black beard.

“Someone came through the formation just now, but I don’t see any sign of them anymore,” the disciple quickly responded.

The man’s frown deepened when he failed to see any signs of damage to the formation.

“Jing Ming, have you been drinking?” A female golden core cultivator twitched her nose when she smelled the alcohol on the disciple’s clothes.

“I…” Jing Ming frantically shook his head, wanting to explain myself.

BOOM!

A terrifying ripple of qi erupted in the sky. With the main peak as its center, an enormous swirling vortex summoned all ambient qi within five thousand kilometers to itself.

“What’s going on?!” A host of nascent soul cultivators in closed door cultivation ran out of their meditation chambers to peer at the main peak.

A young man in white robes stood unmoving at the very top. His clothes flapped and hair danced in the wind. Intimidating quantities of powerful qi surged toward the young man.

“It’s him! The one I was just talking about!” Jing Ming immediately recognized Lu Yun; cultivators possessed keen vision and they weren’t far from the main peak.

Lu Yun had decided to take the Dao Rune Pill on the mountain’s peak and easily became one with heaven. He drew all of the qi within five thousand kilometers to his body. After fully refining the pill and dao rune inside, one had a chance of becoming one with heaven and sensing its ultimate truths, thereby absorbing energy from the surroundings.

A Dao Rune Pill absorbed energy from five thousand kilometers around it after the cultivator found success. This was a terrifying quantity as not even empyrean immortals could contain such a ponderous amount!

Lu Yun continuously took in qi and transmuted it to Hongmeng qi. Hongmeng qi circulated throughout his body without fail.

Rumble!

Thunder roared inside the young man’s body! Everyone within the sect held their breaths—even nascent soul experts. No one was able to fight Lu Yun for the energy he was absorbing, not for even a sliver. Such was the might of the Dao Rune Pill.