Chapter 466 - 435: Lu Wanli of the Loose Cultivator Alliance

Chapter 466: Chapter 435: Lu Wanli of the Loose Cultivator Alliance

Of course.

The long life granted by atavistic evolution didn’t just mean an increase in size; their strength also grew in proportion. Just like that Three-Headed Fierce Flood Dragon—its colossal size alone had nearly gotten the Golden Core Cultivators from Jinyun Valley and the Yu Clan buried in the Sea Ruins.

Furthermore, the ceiling on their Realm would be shattered, freeing them from their Innate limitations.

The benefits were innumerable.

The only unfortunate thing was that this process was uncontrollable, and the probability was extremely low.

If every Demon Beast could undergo atavism, this world would have long since run out of room for Cultivators.

"Still, this is the second Golden Core Cultivator to come here."

Xiao Chan narrowed his eyes, his gaze distant.

Chen Che nodded slightly.

...

As time went on, more and more Cultivators arrived.

Fortunately, the third Golden Core Cultivator to pass by was none other than Meng Qianxun.

He circled once above the Dynasty and then left. Shortly after his departure, several other Golden Core Cultivators also furtively followed him away.

Apparently, after a fruitless search, some Cultivators had turned their attention to the Golden Core Cultivators familiar with Jinyun Valley, hoping to follow the clues. To these Cultivators, among all the missing, the one with the greatest fortune was naturally Chen Che, the Valley Master of Jinyun Valley and a Pill Master.

However, for a Golden Core Cultivator, a single moment was enough.

Watching his father-in-law fly away without any intention of stopping, Chen Che turned to Xiao Chan and said:

"I’ve already contacted him and told him we’re here recovering. I told him not to make a scene for now, but to continue his patrol and lead the other Golden Core Cultivators away. We should have a period of peace now..."

"Wealth truly stirs the heart..."

Xiao Chan sneered.

Of course.

This was only to be expected.

Including their own group, a total of six or seven Golden Core Cultivators were missing. Who would pass up such an opportunity?

However, with Meng Qianxun’s departure, the number of Cultivators coming here noticeably decreased.

In their eyes, the fact that Chen Che hadn’t appeared even when Meng Qianxun passed by meant it was highly likely the Valley Master wasn’t hiding here. But Chen Che had used his father-in-law’s passage to re-establish contact with Jinyun Valley and, at the same time, learn about the situation outside.

To put it dramatically, this battle had practically torn a hole in the sky; an unimaginable number of people were searching for them.

Among them were friends of the Golden Core Cultivators who had participated in the battle, some of whom were no weaker than the likes of Yu Zhen. If they were to expose themselves, they would likely face a second wave of retaliation from the friends and family of their opponents.

And this was without even counting the people from the Primordial Sect.

Therefore, Meng Qianxun suggested that he and Xiao Chan stay in the White Lion Dynasty for a while longer to take this opportunity to heal properly. Meanwhile, he would have everyone continue searching on the surface, while secretly gathering here to escort them back to the city.

By then, with seven or eight Golden Core Cultivators present, they would have enough power to deter anyone with ill intentions.

"It seems this is the only way."

Chen Che’s brows furrowed. Although he had expected the situation outside to be bad, he hadn’t anticipated it would be this severe.

...

In the following days, the two simply stayed in the manor to recover in peace. As time passed, many Cultivators gave up after their searches proved fruitless.

「Meanwhile.」

On the battlefield, which had now become a great canyon, a Golden Core True Master stood with his arms crossed, staring blankly at the silver dragon-like waterfall pouring down. More than a month and a half had passed since the great battle, and hardly any Cultivators remained.

Surprisingly, however, the earth-shattering battle had instead attracted several Mortal Grandmasters.

It was unknown where they had gotten their information, but after hearing that a ’Battle of the Fallen Immortals’ had occurred here, they had come in search of so-called ’Immortal Fate’. These Mortal Grandmasters were only at the Second or Third Layer of Qi Refining, and they darted through the great canyon like mountain apes.

The old man watched quietly, momentarily lost in thought.

WHOOSH—

As a breeze swept by, two figures landed behind the old man. One carried a sword on his back; the other was empty-handed.

The Golden Core Cultivator with the sword on his back glanced at the canyon and grinned:

"Elder Lu, you truly have the leisure to be watching these ants."

"I recall that back in my day, I was also born a mortal. It was only after hearing about a so-called ’Battle of the Fallen Immortals’ that I learned Immortals existed in this world. Back then, I was just like them, searching for resources bit by bit. This path of Cultivation is so arduous. If I were given another chance, I might not have the courage to step into the Cultivation World."

The old man’s words were filled with deep emotion, as if he greatly regretted his past choice.

The two Golden Core Cultivators present merely smiled. One could listen to such words, but only a fool would believe them. This ’Elder Lu’, whose full name was Lu Wanli, had achieved Foundation Establishment at the ripe old age of seventy-eight with a mere Middle Spirit Root.

He reached Core Formation at two hundred and seventy, and now, at six hundred and forty, he was the Vice Alliance Leader of the Loose Cultivator Alliance, just half a step away from the Golden Core Eighth Layer.

In the circle of Golden Core Cultivators, he was a bona fide powerhouse.

Since he had already broken convention to advance twice, no one knew if there would be a third time. The two paid no mind to the true sentiment behind Lu Wanli’s nostalgic lament and instead laid on the flattery.

The Backsword Golden Core cupped his hands and asked:

"Elder Lu, I was wondering why you summoned us..."

"Years ago, when I first stepped into the Cultivation World, Yu Zhen guided me on two separate occasions. Without him, I would not be where I am today. I once made an oath to the Celestial Dao that if he were to perish, I would certainly avenge him."

Lu Wanli stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze flicking toward the two.

"You two are the Alliance’s best Golden Core Cultivators when it comes to searching. I’ve brought you here to find Fellow Daoist Yu Zhen for me. Dead or alive, I will reward you handsomely."

At these words, the two exchanged a glance, both revealing bitter expressions.

’So many Cultivators have searched without success. Where could the two of them possibly start?’

"I have already made preparations. Please, begin..."

Lu Wanli’s expression remained unchanged as he flipped his hand over.

Several items appeared in the air: a few drops of blood, some tattered pieces of clothing smaller than a grain of rice, and fragments of a weapon...

Seeing this, the two knew they had no choice but to brace themselves and begin.

The Empty Hand Golden Core took a Beast Hide Geomancy map from his robes. Inexplicable Ancient Patterns were drawn on the geomancy map, surrounded by the design of the Postnatal Eight Trigrams of Heaven and Earth. He took a drop of blood from Lu Wanli, enveloped it in True Essence, and cast it into the geomancy map. Biting the tip of his tongue, he spat out a mouthful of Essence Blood, and countless talismans instantly floated up from the map.

In just a moment, the talismans vanished.

At the same time, the Empty Hand Golden Core’s complexion became visibly pale. "The owner of this item is already dead. All traces have been erased—his Divine Soul and physical body have both dispersed. This drop of blood doesn’t contain much information."

Seeing that Zhao Ming had begun, the other one, the Backsword Golden Core, sighed and took out a small jade box.

When he opened it, a shadowy, strange little snake that seemed to exist between reality and illusion flew out of the box. The little snake received its command, swallowed a fragment of the weapon, chewed for a moment, and then its body burst apart with a BANG.

A flash of heartache appeared in the Backsword Golden Core’s eyes. His little snake was called a ’Netherworld Python.’ It was a type of snake Beast Soul born in a ’Snake Tomb,’ and its greatest ability was to trace things back to their source. Snake Beast Souls were already extremely rare, to say nothing of a ’Ghost Cultivator’ type with such a special ability.

He had only managed to find a Snake Tomb and capture four Netherworld Pythons after immense difficulty. He feared he might lose them all here today.

As expected.

As they continued their detections one after another, Zhao Ming’s aura grew increasingly weak, to the point where he was swaying on his feet.

Meanwhile, the Backsword Golden Core had already used up three of his Netherworld Pythons.

Even after the last item was used up, they hadn’t found a single clue.

"Forget it."

Lu Wanli, hands clasped behind his back, sighed upon seeing this.

However, just as he was about to turn away, he suddenly stopped and glanced to the side. The two Golden Core Cultivators followed his gaze and saw a Mortal Grandmaster pull out a rice-grain-sized jade fragment from a corner.

The object had been swept by the waterfall into a deep pool, and amidst the churning waves and numerous rocks, it was utterly inconspicuous. The Mortal Grandmaster’s face was lit with a pleasant surprise when a powerful force suddenly swept in, wrapping around the fragment and pulling it into the air.

In its place, a pill dropped down, along with a voice:

"This seat has taken this item. I grant you one pill and a Cultivation Technique to aid you in your Cultivation."

The Mortal Grandmaster stared at the pill in his hand, stunned for a moment, then immediately prostrated himself, performing the three kneelings and nine kowtows.

"Elder Lu is truly benevolent."

Zhao Ming cupped his hands.

’If it were them, wouldn’t taking something from a mortal be a matter of course? They wouldn’t even care if they killed him, so how could they possibly give something in return?’

Lu Wanli said nothing. After examining it carefully for a moment, his eyes suddenly narrowed, and he casually tossed the item to Zhao Ming.

"This is a fragment of a Jade Ruyi... Use it to search again. If it still yields no results, we will let this matter go."

Zhao Ming glanced at it, and although he was reluctant, he was not in a position to refuse. After spitting out another mouthful of Essence Blood, the talismans rose from the geomancy map once more. Just as he thought it would be fruitless like before...

The rising talismans hovered in midair. Instead of falling, they slowly converged, forming a strange rune.

Lu Wanli’s gaze instantly sharpened.