Red Fox lifted her head to glance at Lu Chen, her expression as indifferent as ever. "Good, you're awake. Since you've woken up, the mist surge should be about to begin."
After saying that, she changed her position slightly and sank back into deep sleep.
Nantian Yijian looked toward Lu Chen's direction and said to Jun Laoye, "Little Jun, I think I just saw the boss wake up. He also said sothing like 'all races under heaven are equal.'"
Jun Laoye replied, "I think I heard it too... but what I caught was 'By Heaven's Mandate, the giant awakens.'"
He tightened his grip on the Heavenly Long Spear, his gaze fixed on Lu Chen. "What do these two statents an? You speak of saving all beings, while I seek to control the lightning giant. Were those words ant for both of us?"
He was about to ask Ancestor Suitian if he had noticed Lu Chen awakening when he realized the ancestor had already withdrawn the Suitian Spear and returned to where the other venerables were gathered.
"Little Lu has awakened. That ans the secret realm is about to open," Wind Dragon said as his gaze fell upon Lu Chen.
He shrank down rapidly, rging back into the Hunyuan Greatsword. The violent energy within him churned wildly as he beca one with the sword once more. The chaotic black aura of the Hunyuan Greatsword intertwined with his wind-attribute power, etching more dark markings across his body.
Sensing the changes below, Little Pup asked, "My lord, did you notice sothing?"
"What is it?"
"Those two kids... they seem to have been tied to the young master's destiny. The two statents he made just now align perfectly with their cultivation paths."
"Heh... that's not all," Blindman Lu replied with a faint smile, his gaze fixed on Lu Chen. "Think about the past ten years, about all the tis when he would declare his cultivation ideals each ti he failed the Heavenly Pool Baptism Test. Ideals about justice, great love, wisdom, compassion, and dominion over the world."
Little Pup frowned. "Those are all noble ambitions, but hadn't you dismissed them before? Wait... sothing's not right. Could it be that they..."
"Heh, you've realized it, haven't you?" Blindman Lu's tone deepened as his eyes swept over those below. "When Little Lu resonated with heaven and earth just now, they were each walking the very ideals he once spoke of."
"The young master's path seems completely different from Lord Green Emperor's. Stranger, even."
"You're right," Blindman Lu said quietly. "It appears we've guided Little Lu onto a remarkable road, one far removed from what we originally planned, yet one that ultimately fulfills our greatest purpose."
He paused, then added, "That's fine. A path only becos boundless when one forges it themselves. Even if we've laid the groundwork for him to eventually step into the Outside, if he rely follows it, he'll beco nothing more than a passive tool."
Blindman Lu suddenly opened his eyes and looked downward. "It's ti to awaken the giant. First, erase their mories, then seal Little Lu's cultivation once he reaches peak Qi Regulation Realm."
"Yes."
Little Pup bowed and tossed the purple sphere in his hands. It detonated upon hitting the ground, unleashing a concealed formation that spread outward from the Scripture Hall.
The formation's spirit qi deliberately bypassed Wind Dragon and the others, instead blanketing the Heavenly Mandate Hall and the area tens of thousands of zhang around it. In an instant, every cultivator's mory of Lu Chen's surge in cultivation was erased.
The venerables beneath the Scripture Hall imdiately sensed sothing amiss and stopped what they were doing. "Soone's trying to seal our mories!"
They quickly ford intricate hand seals, each employing long-forgotten forbidden arts they hadn't used since attaining venerable status. These included lightning, wind, and fire strikes, the Self-Destruct technique, the Beast-Blood Incarnation Sacrifice, and even Forr Body Protection techniques.[1]
They unleashed every ultimate defense they possessed just to barely preserve their mories, exactly as Blindman Lu intended as part of his calculated plan.
"What just happened?" Hua Xin, the youngest and weakest among the venerables, was the first to speak. "It felt like sothing was trying to erase my mind.
"That power was terrifying. Before it, I felt like an infant. No, I don't even deserve to be called one. If it weren't for the Forr Body Protection technique I just perfected, I'd have already lost part of my mory."
Hong Yun and Yong Nian spat out blood simultaneously. "Sa here. The power was overwhelming... it felt like facing a beast from the Primordial Era."
Venerable Ban Yao glanced at the trembling, unconscious Snow Python beside her and spat out a mouthful of blood essence. "Half my blood is beast blood. Normally, no beast could ever suppress . But just now, I felt the kind of fear only a demonic beast at the Heaven Core Realm could evoke."
Listening to them, Ancestor Suitian frowned deeply. He let out a low sigh. "So this is what they an when they ntion his background. I suppose the ones who sealed the space earlier were them as well. Such terrifying spells, and they managed to cast them without leaking even a single trace of spirit qi. Clearly, no one under heaven would dare provoke Lu Chen. His background is beyond comprehension."
Ancestor Suitian raised his head toward the sky, clasped his hands respectfully. "Rest assured, my lord. I understand. As long as Little Lu stands before , no harm will co to him. And we will ensure no one learns what happened here."
Watching Ancestor Suitian mutter to himself, Daoist Du frowned in confusion. "High Sage Suitian, who are you speaking to?"
"It must not be spoken," Ancestor Suitian replied, shaking his head. "Their power is far too great. No one on this continent can afford to offend them. To even speak of them would invite karmic retribution."
"Not even the Jun Clan?"
"That would be like a mayfly trying to shake a tree."[2]
Daoist Du's confusion deepened at Ancestor Suitian's words, accompanied by a surge of awe. He might have claid not to fear the Jun Clan, but he would never dare oppose them openly. This was the first ti he had heard that the Jun Clan, the top-tier clan of the Central Continent, actually feared soone.
"As long as we do not overstep, they will not hinder us. They may even assist us," Ancestor Suitian said, withdrawing his gaze. "But rember, nothing of what happens here can be revealed. If word reaches them, our lives would be gone in an instant."
Venerable Tian Suo asked sarcastically, "High Sage Suitian, are you afraid? You speak of such power... could they have co from the Outside?"
Seeing the ancestor's grim expression, he realized he had inadvertently touched on a part of the truth and quickly fell silent.
The other venerables fell silent as well, silently pondering. Only soone returning from the Outside could roam freely across the continent and render even us powerless. But the passage to the Outside had long been sealed. How, then, could these people have returned?
The venerables waited in silence for the secret realm to open. Once it involved the Outside, even their formidable powers were but specks of dust.
anwhile, Lu Chen had broken through to the peak Qi Regulation Realm. He opened his eyes and slowly descended to the ground. Seeing this, Ancestor Suitian dispersed the lightning giant and returned Jun Laoye and the others safely to the ground.
The purple formation gradually dissipated, and the cultivators slowly regained consciousness. They had no mory of what had just occurred. Seeing the black mist restrained by the venerables in the Scripture Hall's backyard, they huddled together, readying their weapons and spells, eager to claim the rewards of the soon-to-open secret realm.
After losing the Wish Power the cultivators granted, Nantian Yijian's cultivation, along with his senses at the Core Breakthrough Realm level, plumted. He looked pitifully at Lu Chen. "Boss, how are you feeling?"
Feeling the state of his own realm, Lu Chen said softly, "I have attained perfect mastery of the Qi Regulation Realm. So bottleneck restrictions prevent from entering the Qi Condensation Realm for now. Still, I am satisfied with my cultivation speed. I didn't think I'd advance this quickly. But... what happened earlier? You seem displeased."
"Tch... perfect mastery of the Qi Regulation Realm? Advancing five levels in a single day, and with all cultivation usable? I'm so envious!" Nantian Yijian's face twisted in frustration. "Boss, if this had happened earlier, I wouldn't have been jealous at all. I might have even... But now... It's all gone."
"Gone?" Lu Chen looked at Nantian Yijian, montarily stunned. "Little Jian, what's wrong? What could you possibly have lost?"
Nantian Yijian's face fell. "Boss, you have no idea... I had just reached the Core Breakthrough Realm not long ago! But now... all of that power is gone."
"The Core Breakthrough Realm? Little Jian, you're getting better at bluffing." Lu Chen laughed. "If you said you reached the Qi Condensation Realm, I might have believed it. But the Core Breakthrough Realm? How could I possibly trust that?"
"Lu-gege, what Brother Yijian said is true," Nantian Wan'er said, standing beside Lu Chen. "He had only been in that state briefly, but during that ti, he truly demonstrated the power of the Core Breakthrough Realm."
"Really?" Lu Chen glanced at those around him and asked softly. "I've only been ditating for a short while... How did this happen? Don't try to fool just because I haven't cultivated for long."
Perched atop Lu Chen's head, Wind Dragon whispered, "Little Lu, don't overthink it. What they say is true. That kid was brimming with vigor just a mont ago. Not only did he break through to the Core Breakthrough Realm, but he even grasped the basics of using Wish Power by accident."
1. Forr Body Protection technique draws on the cultivator's old body, aning their forr physical and spiritual foundation. It taps into the strength and experience stored in that body. This allows the practitioner to form a powerful protective shield. The shield can deflect attacks far stronger than normal defenses. Using it consus a lot of vital energy or spirit essence. It is usually reserved for extre ergencies. The Beast-Blood Incarnation Sacrifice is a forbidden technique where the cultivator offers the blood of a beast as a sacrifice. The blood acts as a dium to temporarily enhance the practitioner's body, spirit, or magical techniques. It can manifest as a powerful incarnation, greatly boosting strength, speed, or destructive ability. The technique is extrely risky, as it consus life force and can permanently weaken the user if overused. It is usually reserved for ergencies or critical battles. ☜
2. The phrase "like a mayfly trying to shake a tree" is a taphor aning utterly powerless or insignificant against sothing imnsely strong or immovable. ☜
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