Chapter 512: The Qing Lotus

Legend has it that after the ancient era, a great power emerged in the cultivation world.

The Azure Emperor.

A single lotus flower, so heavy that the myriad cultivators of the cultivation world could not lift their heads.

Only after that great figure did the cultivators of the cultivation world adopt the tradition of honoring the Great Dao of Azure Profundity; otherwise, before that, the Great Dao of Azure Profundity was not actually highly regarded.

Still, that same saying holds: there is no distinction of superior or inferior among the Great Daos of the world.

The difference lies in the person.

And that Azure Lotus, which suppressed an entire generation under the Azure Emperor, now appeared in Li Rui's hand—a lotus flower sufficient to chill the hearts of countless ancestor-level figures.

It was not merely an external manifestation.

He looked inward at his dantian.

He could see that the Dao Embryo within the Immortal Court was also holding the Azure Lotus, the entire figure appearing holy and flawless.

The Dao Embryo slowly stood up.

With every step it took, a lotus flower appeared on the ground.

Truly, it was a case of "lotuses blooming with every step"!

It is only a pity that this incomparably miraculous scene was destined for no one to see.

If a cultivator of the Heavenly Phenomenon Realm were to see it, they would certainly recognize it as a sign of the Great Dao manifesting—a lotus flower condensed from the Great Dao of Azure Profundity.

After a period of bitter training.

Li Rui's comprehension of the Great Dao had increased once more.

He caused the Great Dao of Azure Profundity to manifest.

Of course, being able to achieve such an accomplishment was also thanks to the Vast Sea Azure Lotus Visualization Diagram.

The lotus in his palm was three parts similar to the Eternal Azure Lotus he visualized in his mind.

A surging vitality churned within Li Rui's heart.

Li Rui's thoughts stirred.

He heard a "Clang!"

The Immortal Blade "Dragon Slayer," which hung on the wall and had been re-strengthened, unsheathed itself, carving an arc through the air.

It actually slashed directly toward Li Rui's arm.

A bloodstain appeared on his palm.

But a shocking scene occurred.

The bloodstain had only just appeared before it showed signs of healing; the wound was covered by newly grown skin at a speed visible to the naked eye, and in the blink of an eye, there was no shadow of a wound left on his palm!

The corners of Li Rui's mouth curled up slightly.

One must know, this blade of his is a Second-Rank Immortal Blade.

Not only is its lethality sufficiently strong, but once a wound is torn open, its terrifying destructive power makes it difficult even for a martial artist of the Heavenly Phenomenon Realm to heal.

All of this was thanks to the terrifying vitality of the manifested Azure Lotus.

Of course.

What is formidable about the lotus in his palm is not just its restorative power; when things reach an extreme, they reverse—extreme vitality is also extreme death.

Using this lotus to face an enemy would surely also be terrifyingly extraordinary.

That Azure Emperor of the past relied on this very hand of the Azure Lotus to carve out a bright and clear world during a great chaos that swept through the cultivation world ten thousand years ago, and he is still praised by later generations to this day.

It is only now that Li Rui can be considered fully certain.

That Vast Sea Azure Lotus Visualization Diagram is, in all likelihood, the inheritance of that Azure Emperor.

It is extremely extraordinary.

It is no wonder that the little old man artifact spirit found it incomparably stunning upon seeing it.

The methods of an existence like the Azure Emperor are truly beyond what ordinary people can imagine.

Li Rui obtained that person's inheritance.

Even without using the Immortal Dao, his combat power is extremely terrifying.

The next instant.

The strange phenomena around his body vanished completely.

Only then did Li Rui walk out of the room, satisfied.

It was time for the roll call again.

In a corner of the capital.

A magnificent residence had the two characters "Jiang Prefecture" written upright on the plaque above.

The Jiang Prefecture was even more desolate now.

Ever since Jiang Yan went to the cultivation world, Jiang Linxian had dismissed all the Huaqing Sect disciples in the residence, along with the servants.

Only Han Qin remained.

A series of knocks sounded on the door of the empty Jiang Prefecture.

Han Qin nimbly pushed open the main gate.

"Mr. Gu?"

He saw a handsome man standing before the door; it was none other than Gu Changsheng.

Gu Changsheng wore a familiar look.

"Yo, little Han."

Han Qin looked at Gu Changsheng without the slightest surprise, not only because the master of this residence was the Vice Director of the Imperial Observatory and Gu Changsheng was the Director, but also because in these past few days, Gu Changsheng had come to the Jiang Prefecture at least twice a day.

"We're all our own people; I'll just head in myself."

"By the way, Brother Jiang is in the residence, right?"

"He is."

Han Qin nodded.

'This First-Rank figure, famous throughout the world, is truly approachable.'

He thought to himself.

Following Jiang Linxian's entry into the capital, he had also seen some First-Rank powerhouses.

Those great figures each had their own distinct temperaments.

Yet, one like Gu Changsheng, who maintained the heart of an innocent child just like a cheerful little Daoist priest, was truly one of a kind.

After speaking, Gu Changsheng walked into the courtyard on his own.

Before long.

He arrived in Jiang Linxian's room.

Looking at Jiang Linxian in the room, Gu Changsheng said, "Brother Jiang, have you thought it over? The opportunity is rare; I spent quite a lot of breath to trade it from Fellow Daoist Wang. If you miss this village, there won't be this shop."

Jiang Linxian shook his head: "Brother Gu, you should know my situation. The cultivation world... it's better not to go."

That was correct.

The opportunity Gu Changsheng spoke of was precisely to go to the cultivation world.

There were great figures in Bai Yujing who wanted to receive the Daoist Wang back, but besides the Daoist Wang himself, two others had come from Bai Yujing: one was Tan Yu, and the other was Yu Ziyi.

Both were of the Heavenly Phenomenon Realm; since the two of them could leave, then other Heavenly Phenomenon Realm figures could do the same.

Gu Changsheng had already reached an agreement with Tan Yu.

He would let Jiang Linxian go to the cultivation world in Tan Yu's place.

All that was missing was Jiang Linxian's nod of agreement.

Gu Changsheng sighed lightly.

Jiang Linxian insisted on staying in the Jin Ting Small Grotto-Heaven, naturally for the sake of Huang Longzi.

But the matter of the Immortal Fruit had already been targeted by the Wan Fadian, which would surely attract the attention of powerhouses from the Wan Fadian; even Dao Lords might take notice.

If a Dao Lord happened to focus on this place, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Gu Changsheng's gaze became resolute: "Brother Jiang, I'm afraid this matter is no longer up to you."

A look of surprise flashed in Jiang Linxian's eyes.

But before he could react, Gu Changsheng arrived before him in an instant, extending his right finger to tap Jiang Linxian between the eyebrows.

Instantly.

Jiang Linxian felt countless unfamiliar memories flooding into his mind.

There was a finger that shattered stars.

There was a capital mound piled high with the corpses of gods and demons.

Very quickly.

Jiang Linxian could not withstand the surging impact on his spiritual sense; his entire body went limp, and he fainted directly.

Seeing this, Gu Changsheng merely hoisted Jiang Linxian up.

Then he vanished into thin air.

Beyond the capital lay an endless plain.

But if one were to travel another hundred miles north, one could see the Taiheng Mountains, which suddenly rose from the ground and stretched for tens of thousands of miles, as if they could block even the flying birds.

The Northern Barbarians were always the greatest threat to the Central Plains dynasties.

Before the Yu and Xuan dynasties, there was another dynasty named Hao, which was destroyed by those Northern Barbarians.

Then followed a thousand years of ritual collapse and musical decay, mired in endless flames of war.

It was not until the founding ancestor of the Xuan Kingdom pacified the Central Plains.

Later came the Yu Kingdom.

The founding emperor also fought the Northern Barbarians countless times.

He established the capital here.

It had quite the meaning of the Son of Heaven guarding the national gate.

Once the Northern Barbarian cavalry crossed the Taiheng Mountains, the capital would be the final checkpoint.

Beyond that.

lay an endless plain.

Within a single night, the Northern Barbarian cavalry could gallop for thousands of miles, and no army would be able to withstand a Northern Barbarian cavalry already in the midst of a charge.

At this moment.

Deep within the Taiheng Mountains.

Amidst the dense forest, several figures appeared under an ancient tree that reached the heavens.

Among them was the figure of He Jiuxuan.

Besides him, the others were also powerhouses of the Northern Polar Immortal Sect.

Unlike other Immortal Sects, the cultivators of the Northern Polar Immortal Sect included normal cultivators like him, as well as demonic cultivators, monster cultivators, and one could even see Buddhist cultivators.

Such a strange lineup gathered here.

The purpose was the Black Prison next to that city, a hundred miles away.

He Jiuxuan looked at an existence with a bear's head and a human body.

The Black-Hearted True Person.

He was one of the seven great First-Rank figures of the Northern Polar Immortal Sect.

For a Land Immortal to leave the Northern Plains and come to the Central Plains hinterland, only a hundred miles from the capital, the matter was naturally extremely important.

Rescuing Si Feng.

Or perhaps it should be said—killing Si Feng.

(End of chapter)