Chapter 241: Deceiving the Heavens and Crossing the Sea, Stealing the Heavens and Changing the Sun

No one knew what was happening inside Lu Yuan's stationed cave dwelling.

Refining the Nascent Soul of True Monarch Huanglong into a clone would take a considerable amount of time; to prevent any mishaps from occurring within the Immortal City, Lu Yuan sent the clone occupying the body of True Person Liuyun back to the Immortal City after only half a month, and publicly announced that True Monarch Huanglong was going into secluded meditation for a period of time and would not be seeing outside guests for now.

After half a month of integration, this clone had roughly mastered the physical body and True Core of True Person Liuyun; although limited by the short duration and unable to fully replicate his cultivation and methods, as long as it did not engage in combat, no one would ever discover any clues.

As for engaging in combat—

True Person Liuyun was the personal True Disciple of True Monarch Huanglong and the Immortal City Order Official of Longshan Immortal City; unless the Corpse Tide broke through the defensive lines and reached the gates of Longshan Immortal City, it would never be his turn to take action.

Therefore, when the Liuyun clone returned to the Immortal City, everything remained as usual, and the clone, possessing his memories, handled the affairs of each hall with familiarity and in an orderly fashion.

The reason he knew all this was because Lu Yuan, as the original body that derived the clone's divine sense, could share the clone's perceptions as long as the distance was not too great, much like opening a small window within his own sea of consciousness, maintaining constant control over the clone.

Just like this, while Lu Yuan secretly refined the body, he sent the Liuyun clone to stabilize the situation, and time flew by.

Only two months later.

Inside the cave dwelling, Lu Yuan sat cross-legged and motionless, the surging aura of his Dharma Power churning like a tidal wave, while his hands continuously cast Dharma seals that sank into the statue-like body of True Monarch Huanglong before him.

It could be clearly seen that in the eyes of this body, which had long since lost its soul, there was now a brilliant spiritual light, giving one a sense of liveliness and vitality.

After more than two months, the refinement of the Cloning Supernatural Power had reached its final stage; Lu Yuan suddenly cast a Dharma seal, and his mouth emitted a Great Dao sound like a booming bell:

"Thousands of spirits and ten thousand souls, all bow and knock their foreheads. The Marsh Commandant holds the lamp, the Dragon and Tiger cut off the gang. Wherever I pass, ten thousand gods offer welcome. Thousands of essences tremble and submit, all by my side, quickly, quickly, in accordance with the law!"

As his Dharma seal was cast, an unprecedentedly agile and brilliant immortal light fell from his fingertips into the body of True Monarch Huanglong, and immediately, as if painting the eyes on a dragon, the other's dormant aura and Dharma Power became completely and thoroughly active.

His facial features began to move, and his Dharma Power began to flow; all of this naturally meant that Lu Yuan's refinement was a complete success. True Monarch Huanglong, sitting on the ground, wore a calm and serene expression, and bowed to Lu Yuan:

"This poor Daoist Huanglong, greets the original body."

At this very moment, clearly feeling the connection of divine sense with the other, Lu Yuan's joy could not be hidden even by his exhaustion, and he immediately issued an order to the clone:

"Release your Nascent Soul and let me have a look."

The refined clone could be directly manipulated by Lu Yuan and also possessed a certain degree of autonomous consciousness. The Huanglong clone complied, and a small infant holding a Golden Dragon Flying Knife was seen flying out from the top of its head. After bowing to Lu Yuan again, it threw the Huanglong Flying Knife, manipulating it to shuttle rapidly through the not-so-spacious space of the cave dwelling like a spiritual bird.

"Good, good, good."

The small figure's appearance and aura were identical to True Monarch Huanglong, and it handled the Dharma Artifact with ease and great proficiency. Lu Yuan immediately revealed a very satisfied smile:

"It seems these two-plus months of hard work were not in vain."

Refining True Monarch Huanglong's Nascent Soul into his own clone was far more difficult than turning True Person Liuyun into his clone. He had spent these past two months without sleep or rest, continuously refining it with his Cloning Supernatural Power, and it was only now, after paying a not-insignificant price, that it could be considered a complete success.

There was a clear difference in the refinement methods between the two, and because he had spent more time and energy, this clone had fully taken over True Monarch Huanglong's Nascent Soul. Coupled with Lu Yuan's infusion of memories, the fusion rate had reached over eighty percent, and it was capable of exerting combat power at the Nascent Soul level.

Of course, because the time was still short, this clone could only exert seventy to eighty percent of True Monarch Huanglong's strength and methods, and it would need further integration later.

With a thought, the Nascent Soul clone dived back into the body of True Monarch Huanglong, and Lu Yuan also took out a storage ring and smiled:

"Alright, since that is the case, let us divide the items and then head back; you cannot have the Immortal City Lord not showing his face for too long."

The Huanglong clone nodded: "Everything shall be as the original body says."

This storage ring naturally belonged to True Monarch Huanglong himself, and it contained many treasures and spiritual objects of extraordinary value that would drive countless cultivators mad.

Among them was one Fourth-Rank Spirit Treasure, the Mirage Dragon Pearl, a piece of extremely rare Fourth-Rank life-extending Spirit Material, one Azure Cloud Spirit Mushroom, over a dozen Third-Rank Dharma Artifacts of various functions, eight types of Third-Rank Spirit Pills, over a hundred Talismans ranging from the second to third rank, and nearly a hundred Jade Slips recording various cultivation techniques, Secret Techniques, and secret lore.

As for Spirit Money, there was a full three hundred thousand, a display of great wealth.

This did not even count the value of True Monarch Huanglong's life-bound Dharma Treasure, the Huanglong Flying Knife, or the Fourth-Rank Star Dharma Robe he wore. If everything were added up, his net worth would surely exceed a million!

In the Yuanling Heaven cultivation world, a Fourth-Rank Spirit Treasure was not easy to forge, and the most ordinary ones were worth over one hundred thousand Spirit Money. True Monarch Huanglong's Huanglong Flying Knife had been forged at great cost by a Nascent Soul Mid Stage master craftsman, incorporating countless rare Spirit Materials, and its quality was already close to the Fourth-Rank intermediate level, making it True Monarch Huanglong's most valuable treasure.

In fact, Lu Yuan was extremely interested in this flying knife; if he could melt this object into his Seven Star Longyuan Sword Pill, it would inevitably greatly increase the quality and power of the sword pill.

However, this object was True Monarch Huanglong's life-bound Dharma Artifact; if he took it away, the subsequent plan to deceive the world and rule the Immortal City from behind the scenes would be impossible to implement, so he had to give up on it.

Therefore, Lu Yuan picked and chose within the storage ring, taking only a large amount of Spirit Stones, a portion of the Dharma Artifacts and Spirit Materials, and the vast majority of the Jade Slips containing techniques and secret lore. As for the Mirage Dragon Pearl and other Dharma Artifacts and Spirit Pills, he mostly left them untouched.

After picking, he immediately tossed the storage ring back to the Nascent Soul clone:

"Alright, go back. You, the Immortal City Lord, have not shown your face for three months. The Liuyun clone sent word that the other two disciples seem to have started to become suspicious. Go back and deal with them first. Remember, do not let anyone discover you on the way back. If there are no problems after you return, our plan can begin to be implemented."

The clone immediately nodded and bowed:

"I will strictly follow the original body's orders."

Afterwards, it took the Mirage Dragon Pearl out of the storage ring, activated it, and leisurely left Lu Yuan's cave dwelling while concealing its figure.

At the same time.

In Longshan Immortal City.

On Liuyun Peak, a side peak of Linglong Peak.

True Person Liuyun was meditating in a quiet room, but as if he had suddenly sensed something, he walked out of the quiet room.

Arriving outside the cave dwelling, he saw two Golden Core Cultivators, one male and one female, bowing respectfully to him, saying:

"Greetings, Senior Brother."

"Senior Brother, is Master about to return?"

They were none other than True Monarch Huanglong's other two personal disciples, True Person Xiao Ruxue and True Person He Zhenyue.

The Liuyun clone put on a helpless expression: "Why have you two come again? Have I not already said that I do not know when Master will return?"

Xiao Ruxue's willow eyebrows furrowed slightly:

"Senior Brother, Master is the pillar that stabilizes the Immortal City; he generally would not leave the Immortal City without special circumstances, and even if he were to leave, he would explain it to the three of us. Why this time?"

He Zhenyue also asked curiously:

"Such a situation has never happened in all these years... Senior Brother, do you really not know where Master has gone?"

True Person Liuyun said indifferently:

"Of course I do not know. Your curiosity is far too great. Perhaps Master has some private matters to attend to; why would he tell me everything? You need not ask further. Master has only been gone for three months at most; I expect he will return to the Immortal City in the coming days, and you can ask him yourselves then."

Xiao Ruxue and He Zhenyue looked at each other and immediately said:

"Senior Brother is joking; as disciples, how would we dare to question Master?"

"Since you do not know either, we will not disturb you further."

Having said this, the two bowed and took their leave, and after descending the mountain path to the halfway point, they mounted a light breeze and drifted away.

"Second Senior Brother."

However, what no one knew was that as the two were riding the light breeze and about to part ways halfway, Xiao Ruxue suddenly spoke via divine sense transmission:

"Do you feel that Eldest Senior Brother has seemed a bit off lately?"

He Zhenyue frowned slightly, and after recalling for a moment, he hesitated and said:

"Eldest Senior Brother does seem slightly different from before, but I cannot put my finger on exactly what is wrong."

Xiao Ruxue nodded gravely:

"Indeed, I have felt it too. Ever since Master left the Immortal City, I have found Senior Brother to be somewhat strange. I do not know if something went wrong with his cultivation, or if some situation arose on Master's end."

After all, they were people who had spent over a hundred years together day and night; even though Lu Yuan's Cloning had perfectly inherited the memories of Liuyun Zhenren, he was still detected by these two junior fellow apprentices.

Of course, they currently only felt a tiny bit of strangeness and had not thought at all in the direction of him being possessed.

The method of possession itself is a taboo in the cultivation world, and coupled with its dangers and drawbacks, it had basically vanished over these years, making it hard for people to think in that direction.

Furthermore, Liuyun Zhenren himself is a Jiedan Late Stage cultivator and the Immortal City Order Official of Longshan Immortal City; he could be described as being below one person and above ten thousand. Who could possibly possess him!?

He Zhenyue also never thought that Liuyun Zhenren's soul had been replaced, and his gaze turned stern:

"Junior Sister, do not joke. Master is a Nascent Soul Great Cultivator and a City Lord decreed by the Immortal Alliance. What kind of situation could arise?"

Xiao Ruxue said helplessly:

"I am only guessing. Eldest Senior Brother clearly knows where Master went, yet he is unwilling to disclose it."

He Zhenyue pondered:

"Since Senior Brother said Master will return soon, presumably..."

Before he could finish speaking, both felt a sensation in their hearts, and immediately took out an independent Communication Talisman they carried with them. After activating it, they heard a familiar and majestic voice from within:

"Liuyun, Ruxue, Zhenyue, the three of you come to Linglong Peak. I have matters to entrust to you."

Master has returned just like that?

The two looked at each other and immediately flew toward Linglong Peak, happening to bump into Liuyun Zhenren flying out from Liuyun Peak, so they went together to pay their respects.

The three landed on the mountainside of Linglong Peak, then climbed the steps to the thatched cottage at the peak, where they saw the familiar figure of Huanglong True Monarch sitting cross-legged like a towering tree, motionless for a thousand years.

The three disciples stepped forward to pay their respects immediately, but he did not even lift his eyelids and said slowly:

"Liuyun, I have personally verified the background of that Lu Yuan, and there are no issues. There is no need to continue investigating or guarding against him; you may transfer him back to the Immortal City and assign him other duties."

So, Master went to personally investigate the background of that guest cultivator?

The Liuyun Cloning immediately agreed, while Xiao Ruxue and He Zhenyue were suddenly enlightened, and then said:

"Master, this person is a Jiedan Late Stage cultivator with powerful combat strength. If he is transferred back to the Immortal City, wouldn't the front line lose a great asset?"

Huanglong True Monarch said indifferently:

"Besides the front-line position, other defensive positions are equally important. Appoint this person as a Demon Patrol Immortal Official, in charge of all defense affairs outside the front-line position, and allocate one Jiedan deputy and one thousand combat cultivators for his use."

Such an appointment and arrangement were undoubtedly a sign of great regard and trust. Xiao Ruxue and He Zhenyue were greatly surprised, while the Liuyun Cloning naturally said nothing and immediately agreed:

"Yes, this disciple will go and arrange it now."

Huanglong True Monarch then instructed the other two disciples:

"Your task is to help me collect another set of the Array Formation materials I had you collect before. Of course, the quantity only needs to be half of the previous amount. Once collected, you may hand them to your Senior Brother, and have him send them to Su Lingyue to find an Elder of the Artifact Hall to refine thirteen more Array Flags."

Although they did not know the purpose of this arrangement, as disciples, they naturally would not ask further, and Xiao Ruxue and He Zhenyue immediately agreed respectfully.

Huanglong True Monarch waved his hand lightly:

"Go, Liuyun, you stay behind."

After the words fell, Xiao Ruxue and He Zhenyue retreated respectfully.

After the two figures completely disappeared, Huanglong Zhenren looked at Liuyun Zhenren and smiled:

"How is it? These two have spent decades or even a century with the owner of this physical body of yours. Have they discovered any abnormalities during this time?"

The Liuyun Cloning also smiled:

"Those who can cultivate to the Jiedan realm in this Yuanling Heaven are all dragons and phoenixes among men with outstanding talent and intelligence. I believe they should have sensed something slightly off, but they did not think in the direction of possession. After all, in this cultivation world, cultivators whose temperaments change due to cultivation are everywhere, and I have been guiding them in that direction."

The Huanglong Cloning said upon hearing this:

"There is no need to be so troublesome. This matter is easy to solve; once the original body returns, there will be plenty of ways to control these two. After all, one cannot be too careful. If time passes and Wei Bufan finds out, it will only expand the trouble.

Although the original body now has powerful means, it can at most be invincible at the Nascent Soul level, but there are still many Transformation Spirit Giants in the Immortal Alliance. If such figures are alarmed, I fear it will destroy the original body's plan."

The Liuyun Cloning nodded and smiled:

"That is true. Then I will trouble the original body to return and solve it."