Chapter 221: Crossing Worlds, Facing the True Monarch

It was clear that the two children simply could not believe that a figure like something out of myth and legend would appear before them.

Gu Yunsheng hurriedly said:

"Jingxing, Zhilan, this is the Supreme Heavenly Master who suppresses the national fortune of our New Nation; you must not be rude!"

Lu Yuan waved his hand, smiling:

"Why stand on ceremony among our own? Since we are meeting for the first time, I, as your uncle, cannot go empty-handed. Let these two bottles of pills for cultivation be a gift for our first meeting."

As he spoke, he gave a light wave of his hand, and two bottles of pills landed in the arms of Li Jingxing and Li Zhilan.

The items Lu Yuan gifted were naturally no ordinary things; this had already been proven by the gifts received on the day of his great wedding. Li Junxian and his wife were incredibly moved and hurriedly said:

"You two, why don't you hurry and thank the Heavenly Master?"

Although Li Jingxing and Li Zhilan were young, they were already sensible and immediately moved to kneel and pay their respects, but were supported by a gentle breeze from Lu Yuan's raised hand.

He patted their heads:

"I observe that their aptitude seems quite good. If you two are willing, you may send them to Xiantai Mountain in the future. My True Disciple has already received my true teachings and can guide the two of them to go further on the path of the Dao."

Li Junxian was overjoyed:

"Wonderful! If that can happen, it would truly be the blessing of their lives!"

In fact, not long after his own children were born, he had considered whether he should thicken his skin and go to Xiantai Mountain to find Lu Yuan, asking him to take his son and daughter in and lead them onto the path of the Dao.

However, on one hand, he had children late in life and could not bear to have them leave his side at such a young age; on the other hand, because so many years had passed, he felt that his own meager connection and ties with Lu Yuan were very thin, and the gap between the two sides was like that between an ant and a divine dragon, which was why he had always hesitated and taken no action.

Today, Lu Yuan had personally arrived, allowing him to fulfill his wish and also giving his children an infinitely vast and bright future.

Just like that.

Li Junxian immediately ordered the family chef to set a banquet, then welcomed Lu Yuan into the guest hall to chat freely.

And not long into the conversation, having heard the news, the family of Xu Dahu, Lin Xingchao and his disciples along with their families, and Gu Kanshan and his disciples all rushed over in a flurry, and were also incredibly moved upon seeing Lu Yuan.

Among them, Lin Xingchao's son was a few years older than the one in Li Junxian's family, while Xu Dahu's two sons and one daughter were only seven or eight years old at the oldest, and all looked clever and lively.

It is worth mentioning that Lin Xingchao's pair of disciples, Xi Beichen and Gu Yourong, had already married many years ago, and their children had already reached the age of youth.

Old friends from the past all brought their children to pay their respects. Lu Yuan, who had not experienced such liveliness for a long time, was also filled with emotion, and gave all the children gifts for their first meeting.

At the same time, he informed all his old friends that as long as they were willing, they could send their children to Xiantai Mountain to have their aptitude tested; as long as they did not have the lowest-grade Spirit Root, they could all be admitted to the Dao Palace to cultivate.

For such an arrangement, all the old friends were naturally extremely grateful and moved to tears.

This reception banquet could be called a delight for both host and guests, and it was not until late at night that Lu Yuan rose to take his leave, with the old friends rising to see him off with great reluctance.

Having seen these old friends, one could say a weight had been lifted from his heart. Afterward, Lu Yuan returned to Xiantai Mountain to wait quietly for the day of the reception and ascension.

Ten days later.

On this morning.

The cold wind was biting, snowflakes were drifting, and in the ice and snow, several rays of rainbow light broke through the air, arriving in an instant, then stopping between the glaciers and the earth.

It was precisely Lu Yuan and his party.

Today was the day Lu Yuan and the others would head to the Upper Realm. Chen Zhantang stood solemnly in the air, saying with deep reluctance:

"Master, the environment of the Upper Realm is harsh. You must take care on this journey. Whenever there is a summons, this disciple will immediately head to the Upper Realm to share your burdens!"

Lu Yuan nodded and smiled:

"While I am away, the Dao Palace is entrusted to you. Also, do not completely ignore worldly affairs, especially in promoting the development of the New Nation Weapon Bureau's Strategic Weapon; it might just have a miraculous effect in the Upper Realm in the future."

Chen Zhantang said solemnly:

"Master, rest assured, this disciple will keep this in mind."

Lu Yuan nodded and looked at Qin Ruoning and Su Lingyue:

"Fellow Daoists, let us go."

Having said that, he led the way toward the Heavenly Ladder light mist ahead.

Su Lingyue also gave a few instructions to her maid Hanyu, who had come to see her off, then followed Lu Yuan to the foot of the Heavenly Ladder with Qin Ruoning. Immediately, she sacrificed her Two Worlds Talisman and sent it into the patch of light mist in the central area, and before long, she received feedback:

"Fellow Daoists, the Reception Array on the True Monarch's side is being prepared and will be activated in at most half an hour. We must activate the Two Worlds Talisman in advance to enter the light mist and wait for the reception."

To safely ascend to the Upper Realm, besides the Reception Array, the beacon of the Two Worlds Talisman was also indispensable. Lu Yuan had long known the process and was not surprised. He immediately used the Art of Embryonic Transformation to take on the appearance of Bai Qianfeng, then activated the Two Worlds Talisman and stepped straight into the light mist before him.

After one step, Lu Yuan felt the world suddenly turn dark, then various colors of light twisted and flashed, all phenomena and things collapsed and went into disarray, and energy surged violently, as if a land-dwelling creature had suddenly fallen into an endless, dark, chaotic flow!

In this strange space, all kinds of forces surged and tore, some yin and soft yet cruel, others rigid and fierce yet barbaric; some were cold enough to freeze everything, others as scorching as the descent of the great sun. If not for the Two Worlds Talisman immediately emitting a soft light to repel these strange forces, it would likely have torn any matter to shreds in an instant!

Besides the chaotic energy turbulence, space was also in a state of extreme disorder. There was no concept of direction; front was not necessarily front, and back was not necessarily back. What was even more deadly was that various ghostly light cracks were constantly flashing in the distance, and just one glance made Lu Yuan's supernatural power of premonition warn him frantically.

"So this is the Void Turbulence formed after the Heavenly Ladder shattered."

Fortunately, with the protection of the Two Worlds Talisman, one could stay briefly in this strange environment. He could not help but have a thought:

"In such a perilous environment, even a Transformation Spirit Giant of the Upper Realm would be unable to pass through. However, my supernatural power of 'Tracing the Path by Flying' seems to be usable here as well, though there is the problem of Dharma Power and mental energy consumption being difficult to sustain."

Without a doubt, everything he saw before him was the shattered void turbulence formed after the passage between the two worlds collapsed, and it was precisely because of such turbulence that cultivators of the Upper Realm were unable to descend to the Lower Realm.

The Upper Realm had Transformation Spirit Giants, but the passage between the two worlds had been broken for seven thousand years without being repaired or having cultivators descend, which showed that even cultivators of that level could not safely pass through the turbulence, and it might even cause the passage to collapse more severely.

However, Lu Yuan faintly felt that the newly lit 【Tracing the Path by Flying】 supernatural power seemed capable of dealing with this situation, it just required sufficient cultivation to support it.

As his thoughts turned, a ripple surged behind him. Turning his head, it was Su Lingyue and Qin Ruoning, who had also activated their Two Worlds Talismans and stepped in from the light mist, both looking extremely cautious.

"Fellow Daoist Lu, be sure to be careful."

Su Lingyue spoke to remind him:

"This void turbulence is extremely dangerous. Even with the protection of the Two Worlds Talisman and the Reception Array, it is not one hundred percent safe. We must try our best to restrain our Dharma Power to avoid triggering a catastrophic reaction when passing through the world."

For Lu Yuan, who possessed the 【Embryonic Transformation】 supernatural power, concealing and restraining Dharma Power was simple. He nodded immediately and completely restrained all his Dharma Power to the single point of his Pill Embryo, instantly appearing like a mortal.

It was also thanks to the fact that he had not yet broken through to the middle stage of Refining Qi into Spirit; otherwise, not to mention whether the Two Worlds Talisman could safely protect him, the Huanglong True Monarch presiding over the reception in the Upper Realm might have detected some clues.

Just like that.

The three waited silently for a moment.

Then, all of a sudden, a force of attraction, peerless and irresistible, appeared abruptly. The Two Worlds Talismans on their bodies emitted a humming, vibrating sound, as if they had sensed something, and suddenly wrapped around them, flying toward the front.

In an instant, Lu Yuan suddenly felt as if he were traveling across a surging sea in the midst of a storm; the turbulence was violent, with monstrous waves, and a single moment of carelessness would result in being shredded to pieces by this irresistible spatial force.

He was on full alert, his Supernatural Power 【Flying Body Supporting Traces】 ready to be activated at any moment to protect his own safety.

Fortunately, no accidents occurred during this process; his Sprout Sensing Technique never issued a warning beyond its limit from beginning to end, and the stream of light formed by the three of them seemed to be guided by a navigator amidst the terrifying turbulence, avoiding the vast majority of extremely dangerous and violent areas.

Who knows how much time had passed.

Suddenly, amidst their travel through the bizarre and kaleidoscopic Void Turbulence, they saw a glimmer of light appear ahead, which rapidly magnified.

A few moments later, all the storms that caused the void to shatter and invert vanished from their sight, revealing a calm world of clear skies and tranquil waters.

Feeling the sensation of stepping on solid ground beneath his feet, Lu Yuan looked closely and was shocked to discover that he, Su Lingyue, and Qin Ruoning had appeared within a miraculous Great Array surrounded by immortal light!

Clearly, the three of them had successfully arrived at the Upper Realm, Yuanling Heaven.

Between Heaven and Earth, there was an extremely dense Spiritual Machine, and the difference in the spiritual environment compared to the lower realm was like that between a desert and a rainforest; outside the Great Array, an old man with a high bun and the bearing of an immortal, accompanied by a middle-aged Daoist, was looking at them with a calm expression.

Having fully digested the memories of Bai Qianfeng, Lu Yuan naturally recognized this person; at this moment, Su Lingyue and Qin Ruoning had also recovered from the discomfort of traversing the two realms, and the three of them immediately stepped out of the reception array together, bowing and saluting:

"We pay our respects to you, True Monarch!"

The old man with the bearing of an immortal was naturally the Nascent Soul Great Cultivator who had been issuing orders to them in the Upper Realm all these years, True Monarch Huanglong.

And the middle-aged Daoist beside him was one of True Monarch Huanglong's three True Disciples, Daoist Liuyun.

Having stood at the pinnacle of the lower realm for nearly twenty years, it had been a long time since Lu Yuan had bowed to anyone like this; as he bowed his head, his vigilance from the Sprout Sensing Technique was raised to the highest level, and he was prepared to take action at any moment.

Aided by 【Nine Breaths Serving Qi】, his cultivation had progressed rapidly even while in the lower realm; although his eight years of practice had not broken through to the mid-stage of Refining Qi into Spirit, it was enough to crush the Golden Core level, and with the support of multiple Supernatural Powers, he was fully qualified to clash with a Nascent Soul Great Cultivator.

Even if he were not a match, the Supernatural Power 【Flying Body Supporting Traces】 would leave him in an invincible position, and he was completely unafraid.

However, as he had expected, True Monarch Huanglong did not discover any clues at all, and merely praised Su Lingyue first:

"Elder Su, you have worked hard on this trip. If not for you deducing the Great Array, who knows how many years it would have taken to fully repair the passage between the two realms. This seat will have the Inner Affairs Hall record a Grade C Great Merit for you."

Su Lingyue returned the salute respectfully: "True Monarch, you are too kind; this was merely my duty."

True Monarch Huanglong nodded, then his gaze swept toward Lu Yuan and Qin Ruoning:

"Bai Qianfeng, Qin Ruoning, you two took the lead in going to the lower realm to investigate; although it was delayed for a long time, it still counts as a Great Merit. The two of you shall share one Grade C Great Merit."

His words contained both praise and a slight reprimand, and both Lu Yuan and Qin Ruoning appeared extremely respectful:

"Many thanks, True Monarch."

Nowadays, the entire Yuanling Heaven is facing the Corpse Demon Catastrophe; whether it is Longshan Immortal City or the Immortal Cities in other continents of the cultivation world, all front-line areas implement a Wartime Management System.

Under this system, the rewards and punishments for all cultivators under the command of the Immortal City are calculated by Merit; completing clearing and garrison missions of different danger levels can earn Grade A, B, or C Merit in three tiers and nine levels. After reaching a certain level of Merit, one is qualified to purchase various rare cultivation techniques, Secret Techniques, Pill, Dharma Artifacts, and so on in the Immortal City's secret treasury, and even items for Foundation Establishment or Golden Core are not uncommon!

It is precisely this system of clear rewards and punishments that leads a large number of low-level cultivators in other safe areas to come to the front line to resist the Corpse Tide, in order to gamble for a future and a career.

According to Bai Qianfeng's memories, a Grade C Great Merit like the one they received could be used in this Longshan Immortal City to purchase a third-tier Dharma Artifact at a low price, or to provide materials for a third-tier artifact refiner or alchemist to customize a Dharma Artifact or refine a Pill for oneself; it can be said to be quite useful.

"Alright, you may each return and rest. Remember, the matter of the lower realm passage is still a secret of Longshan Immortal City for the time being; without my permission, you are not to reveal it to anyone."

True Monarch Huanglong instructed:

"Also, the situation on the front line has been tense recently, and there is an urgent need for Golden Core combat power to stabilize the defense line. Bai Qianfeng, Qin Ruoning, after you two have rested for half a month, you are to go and provide support for half a year; there must be no mistakes."

Such situations happened often in Bai Qianfeng's memories, so Lu Yuan and Qin Ruoning had no extra reaction and immediately agreed.

True Monarch Huanglong nodded, then immediately flew away with his disciple. After Lu Yuan watched him leave, he finally set his mind at ease.

The effect of 【Fetus Transformation and Shape Changing】 was even better than he had imagined; if a figure like True Monarch Huanglong could not see any abnormality, other cultivators would be even less likely to notice. He could completely swagger about in Longshan Immortal City under the guise of Bai Qianfeng.

The only small problem was that although he had mastered many of Bai Qianfeng's techniques from his memories, and had even washed away the imprint on the Red Fire Burning Heaven Sword to re-smelt it into the Seven Star Dragon Abyss using the Refining Sword into Pellet technique, he might still be noticed by familiar cultivators if he really fought with all his might.

"Fellow Daoist Lu, since you have just arrived in the Upper Realm, you must not have seen the full appearance of Longshan Immortal City yet, right?"

At this moment, Su Lingyue walked over, her eyes shifting, and said in a low voice:

"Why don't you let me take you for a tour?"

Qin Ruoning raised her eyebrows and immediately said:

"Fellow Daoist Su is busy with the affairs of the Immortal City Great Array; let me be the one to take Fellow Daoist Lu to tour the Immortal City."

The two women suddenly had a somewhat confrontational air, and Lu Yuan's expression immediately became a bit strange.