Chapter 126

The next month passed, and the entire Mo Domain was unusually quiet.

Neither the righteous nor the demonic paths made any major moves.

Even on the borderlines, there was no sign of cultivators passing back and forth.

The Youhuang, who often raided the borders before, had vanished without a trace during this month.

Yet no one believed such peace was a good thing.

Aside from mortals, nearly all cultivators knew this was merely the calm before the storm.

During this month, Huang Jingxuan met with the two Dao-comprehending cultivators of Xuanzhou; under Lu Chen's gesture, they agreed to remain in Tianzhou to help guard the first line of defense.

The territory of Ziyu Palace, near the border of Zhenzhou.

Because Huang Jingxuan had broken through her realm, she used the Ziyu Deduction Technique again a few days ago, pinpointing the timing of the demon sect's invasion to today.

Looking out, hundreds of flying vessels belonging to Ziyu Palace were lined up in a row, their killing intent filling the four directions.

On them stood the elite senior members of Ziyu Palace and its affiliated sects.

If one's gaze were extended across the entire Tianzhou, one could also see, further south, the flying vessel formations built by the four other major sects—Lingyun Sect, Xingya, and others.

"Sect Leader Huang, according to your calculation, when will those demon cultivators approximately appear?"

On the leading flying vessel, Lu Chen, Huang Jingxuan, and the two Dao-comprehending cultivators of Xuanzhou stood side by side, where one of the Dao-comprehending cultivators spoke.

"They should arrive in about an hour."

"Understood; at that time, everything will proceed as Sect Leader Huang has arranged." The two Dao-comprehending cultivators bowed with clasped hands toward Huang Jingxuan.

At this moment, however, they noticed Huang Jingxuan suddenly walk to Lu Chen's side.

"Master, should we not inform Tianyan Sect's Jianyun as early as possible?"

"Master… Master?" The two heard this and were both startled.

The other party, as the foremost figure of the entire Tianzhou, and even of the entire righteous path, would actually address a man of the Cave Heaven realm as Master?

Last time they met, Huang Jingxuan had clearly said Lu Chen was merely an elder of the sect, hadn't she?

"No need; according to your calculation, Yunshu will surely leave someone to go to them, and notifying him now would only make things more chaotic." Lu Chen spoke calmly, then noticed the gazes of the two Dao-comprehending cultivators beside him.

By now, he saw no need to continue pretending.

"The two of you, I and Jingxuan will act first; you wait and only move after the hidden Youhuang reveal themselves."

Hearing Lu Chen's words, the two understood even less.

What does "act first" mean? Lu Chen is only an early-stage Cave Heaven cultivator—can he even compare to a Dao-comprehending cultivator?

Nevertheless, out of respect for Huang Jingxuan, a mid-stage Dao-comprehending cultivator, they still bowed and said, "Yes!"

Lu Chen nodded slightly, then looked up at the sky.

Recalling the scene he had seen through the deduction technique earlier, he found himself less concerned about the outcome of the righteous-demonic war.

He was curious about what that great hand that appeared was exactly.

Vaguely, he felt it might be related to the will of this realm's heavenly Dao.

After thinking for a while, several women walked up behind him.

Specifically, Mu Hanyu, Su Qian, and Qin Yan.

The remaining few, due to insufficient cultivation, Lu Chen had left them behind.

"Master."

"Master."

"Master… Lu Senior."

Qin Yan's eyes flickered with a hint of embarrassment.

The three of them were all at the Cave Heaven stage, with Qin Yan's cultivation being only one step away from Dao-comprehending.

Upon reaching Lu Chen's side, she released Wangcai from her beast-taming space.

After this period of cultivation, Wangcai had successfully broken through to the peak of the sixth rank.

Its appetite was astonishing—it would eat almost any heavenly treasure or earthly gem.

Most importantly, after eating, it could actually increase its cultivation level.

Somewhat similar to the legendary Taotie.

The two Dao-comprehending cultivators from Xuanzhou, seeing this, were startled again.

"Have I been in seclusion too long? How has the world become like this? A mere early-stage Cave Heaven cultivator is actually called Master by several mid-stage or even peak Cave Heaven cultivators?"

Combined with Huang Jingxuan's earlier address, they increasingly felt Lu Chen's identity was extraordinary.

"Could he be the old ancestor of Ziyu Palace?"

Combined with Ziyu Palace's background, it seemed somewhat plausible.

But upon further thought, it didn't quite feel right.

"Qin Yan, are you about to break through?"

Just as everyone was at a loss, Lu Chen suddenly turned his head to look at Qin Yan, as if he had thought of something.

"Mm, I feel I've already touched the bottleneck stage."

Qin Yan, sensing the aura of her cultivation within her body, responded solemnly.

Upon hearing this, Lu Chen nodded, then looked thoughtfully toward the direction of Zhenzhou.

"One hour should be enough."

"Ah? Enough for what?" Qin Yan blinked slightly.

The next moment, her tall figure trembled slightly, and suddenly she was pulled into the room by Lu Chen.

"Lu Senior, are you… but there are still outsiders here…"

"Don't speak; I'll help you break through."

The two entered the room, and soon Huang Jingxuan outside had skillfully set up a soundproof formation.

"On the eve of the great battle, the great battle... Only the master could accomplish such a thing in the entire Mo Domain."

She showed no expression on her face, but looking at Su Qian and Mu Hanyu, they were filled with jealousy.

"Clearly I have been so diligent, yet I still cannot catch up to the master's footsteps; if I could break through to the Perfection of the Cave Heaven, I could be favored by the master now!"

The two exchanged a glance, silently resolving in their hearts to strive harder from now on.

"??" Again, the two Dao-comprehending cultivators from Xuan Zhou, upon seeing this scene, seemed to have become numb.

"Mid-stage Dao Comprehension, addressing the master, pre-battle great battle. With such a thing beforehand, even if the heavens were to collapse from his punch at that time, I would not feel too great a disturbance in my heart."

The two exchanged a glance, their expressions slightly tinged with bitterness.

Soon, an hour arrived, and the air at the border seemed to solidify in an instant; everyone stared nervously ahead.

Meanwhile, on Lu Chen's flying vessel, the atmosphere was quite ambiguous.

"Senior Lu...... shouldn't it be over by now?"

Qin Yan blushed, embraced Lu Chen, and spoke softly.

"You haven't even broken through yet; try again."

"Okay...... alright."

Not long after, Qin Yan and Lu Chen walked out of the room one after the other.

After this hour's effort, Qin Yan's cultivation had indeed broken through the bottleneck.

However, due to lack of breath regulation, her aura remained somewhat unstable.

Moreover, having just overdone the dual cultivation, her whole body felt unsteady on her feet.

This scene, the two Xuan Zhou Dao-comprehending cultivators had already grown accustomed to it, even feeling that Lu Chen should also favor Su Qian and Mu Hanyu to be considered normal.

Leaving the room, Lu Chen walked to the prow of the vessel, when the empress's figure suddenly appeared.

When the empress appeared, she glanced at the sky with a solemn expression.

Then her gaze shifted, looking toward the Zhen Zhou direction, and she spoke slowly:

"Be careful, they are coming."