Chapter 259: Great Advancement in Supernatural Powers, Visitors from the Immortal Alliance

At the very moment of achieving the Primordial Spirit, the world in Lu Yuan's eyes was no longer the same.

Across the entire Linglong Peak, dense Spiritual Machine swirled and surged, transforming into a turbulent tornado that was then swallowed and absorbed by his Primordial Spirit like a whale.

The spiritual energy turned into a raging tide, stirring the Heaven and Earth until they lost their color; if not for the fact that Lu Yuan had set up an isolation array over the entire Linglong Peak, the commotion would likely have spread throughout the entire Immortal City.

During this process, Lu Yuan's Primordial Spirit body could be seen leaving his physical form; not only was it absorbing the spiritual energy between Heaven and Earth, but it also activated the 【Nine Breaths Serving Qi】 Supernatural Power, directly extracting vast amounts of Original Qi from the void to nourish the Primordial Spirit, causing its divine light to bloom and its pressure to become vast and mighty.

Who knows how much time passed.

The intense immortal light swirling around the Primordial Spirit seemed to permeate the void; feeling that his spirit was full and his Qi sufficient to the extreme, Lu Yuan's Primordial Spirit returned to his body, and he slowly opened his eyes, his gaze filled with the joy and delight of one who had glimpsed the Dao:

"So this is the Primordial Spirit realm."

Refining Qi into Spirit—the "Spirit" here refers primarily to the Primordial Spirit.

After stepping into this realm, Lu Yuan's Dharma Power and soul merged into one furnace, thoroughly sublimating and transforming, entering an inconceivable state.

First, after achieving the Primordial Spirit, he could clearly feel every flow of Heaven and Earth spiritual energy within a hundred-mile radius, as if observing patterns on his own palm, and he could wantonly mobilize and control it, as if Heaven and Earth were entirely under his command.

After a cultivator achieves the Nascent Soul, they can already mobilize the power of Heaven and Earth to amplify the might of their techniques and Supernatural Powers, but the range is quite limited, at most no more than a few miles.

Yet after achieving the Primordial Spirit, this range increased more than tenfold; the gap was immense.

At the same time, under Lu Yuan's perception, the strength of his Divine Sense was also far superior to the past; at this moment, he merely moved his thoughts slightly, and his Divine Sense instantly enveloped the Immortal City and spread rapidly outward, reaching a position over a thousand miles outside the Immortal City in the blink of an eye.

Mountains and rivers, birds, beasts, fish, and insects—everything was under his control as if observing patterns on his palm, leaving Lu Yuan's mind stirred and lost in the experience.

Divine Sense at the level of Refining Spirit, when intentionally hidden, could not be perceived by cultivators below that level; thus, as his Divine Sense swept past, let alone ordinary cultivators in the Immortal City, even a Nascent Soul True Monarch like Wei Bufan did not notice.

Lu Yuan withdrew his Divine Sense, unable to restrain himself from rising and stepping out of the thatched hut; in an instant, his form merged into the void, passing through the isolation array with the Flying Body Hiding Trace Supernatural Power, and appearing a thousand miles away in an instant.

"Sure enough, after my cultivation advanced greatly, the effect of executing Supernatural Powers has increased significantly."

Standing in the void, Lu Yuan's gaze was burning as he made his assessment.

When he was in the mid-stage of Refining Qi into Spirit, the distance he could jump through the void with Flying Body Hiding Trace was only one or two hundred miles.

But now, with just a casual thought, he jumped over a thousand miles of void, and it seemed that this was not even his limit.

Such means were far superior to all escape techniques in the world; only the void teleportation of Nascent Soul or Primordial Spirit bodies could barely compare.

Once this thought occurred, confirming there were no other cultivators around, Lu Yuan began to execute other Supernatural Powers without a word, feeling the changes in their might one by one.

He raised his hand and pointed, and a sword light burst forth; with just a light flash through the void, a terrifying sword scar over ten miles long and bottomless split open on the earth a hundred miles away.

He moved his mind again, and lead-gray clouds swept in like a tsunami within a hundred-mile radius, followed by thunder and lightning; electric light churned between the dark clouds, as if the power to destroy Heaven and Earth were surging within.

However, before the thousands of wild thunderbolts could fall, Lu Yuan withdrew the Supernatural Power; with a wave of his sleeve, a wild wind rose in Heaven and Earth, like thousands of wind dragons roaring, sweeping across a hundred-mile radius and blowing away all the thick thunderclouds covering the sky.

"Good, good, good."

After simply testing the Supernatural Powers he had mastered, Lu Yuan was all smiles and nodded incessantly:

"With the Primordial Spirit achieved and the might of my Supernatural Powers greatly increased, I won't be helpless if I encounter a Corpse Demon at the level of a Heavenly Corpse King again."

The great battle between Shi Mingkong and Douzhan Tianjun had left a deep impression on him, and now, he also possessed Supernatural Power means comparable to those he had once witnessed.

Although he had only just broken through to achieve Refining Spirit, and the former two were existences at the late stage of Refining Spirit, the blessing of so many Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiend Supernatural Powers was enough to allow him to look them in the eye despite the gap in minor realms.

Once this thought occurred.

Lu Yuan felt lighthearted, turned around, and activated Flying Body Hiding Trace again, jumping over a thousand miles of void to return to Linglong Peak.

Before the thatched hut, the Huanglong Cloning, having sensed him, was already standing quietly in wait and congratulated him at the first opportunity:

"Congratulations to the original body for achieving the Primordial Spirit, comparable to a Heavenly Monarch; the path of the Dao is smooth!"

Lu Yuan laughed:

"No need for such formalities; a smooth path is not quite the case, but from now on, we no longer need to walk on thin ice."

Although he had already refined the Huanglong Cloning and successfully controlled Longshan Immortal City, he had always worried about whether the Immortal Alliance would one day discover this, thereby leading to the descent of a Refining Spirit Heavenly Monarch who would destroy the excellent situation he had built.

Now, having achieved the Primordial Spirit himself, he was completely unafraid of the Immortal Alliance's Refining Spirit Heavenly Monarchs; he could even consider making his identity public without needing to hide it.

After all, he had no major conflict with the Immortal Alliance, and Refining Spirit was an extremely important top-tier combat force for the Immortal Alliance; even if his actions in Longshan Immortal City were exposed, it might not necessarily be a big deal.

Of course, the premise was that Lu Yuan would also need to contribute his own strength and stand on the same front as the Immortal Alliance to resist the catastrophe.

The thought of revealing his identity flashed by, and Lu Yuan then asked:

"How are Chen Zhantang and those disciples from the lower realms doing at Spirit Fire Hall?"

The Huanglong Cloning laughed:

"They are developing vigorously at Spirit Fire Hall; the Spirit Fire Cannon they invented has already been fully equipped on the front lines. Its casting materials are simple, yet its might is not insignificant, which has greatly eased the pressure on the front-line soldiers; it has now become a star of Longshan Immortal City.

Even the Immortal Alliance has received the news and is preparing to have cultivators from the Divine Machine Tower and even other Immortal Cities come over to observe and learn."

"Oh?"

Lu Yuan also became interested:

"Then I must go and take a look."

Having said that, he stepped into the void, and the next moment he appeared above Thunder Fire Peak.

"Stop, whoever comes."

Thunder Fire Peak had now become a vital area of Longshan Immortal City, with cultivators patrolling at all times; a young late-stage Qi Refining cultivator discovered the suddenly appearing Lu Yuan at the first moment, and just as he opened his mouth, he hurriedly changed his tone:

"Elder Lu, why have you come?"

Although Lu Yuan had rarely appeared during these ten years of seclusion, there was almost no cultivator in the Immortal City who did not recognize him; he smiled and said:

"I just came to look around Spirit Fire Hall; is Hall Master Chen Zhantang here?"

The guard cultivator hurriedly said:

"Yes, yes, I will take you—"

Lu Yuan waved his sleeve: "No need, I will go find him myself."

His Divine Sense had already discovered that Chen Zhantang and a group of disciples were in an open area behind Thunder Fire Peak, seemingly testing weapons; Lu Yuan immediately transformed into a rainbow light and flew over, bypassing the peak of Thunder Fire Peak to arrive above this open flat ground.

Calling it a flat ground was not quite accurate, as this open space covered over a dozen miles and was covered everywhere with pits of various sizes, as if it had once been subjected to countless bombardments of artillery fire.

At this moment, on a gun platform in the open space, several ferocious-looking cannons were set up, and Chen Zhantang was gathering with several young disciples, seemingly discussing something; when Lu Yuan arrived in a flash of rainbow light, Chen Zhantang was the first to react, suddenly looking up and gazing at the sky with extreme surprise:

"Master, you have come out of seclusion!?"

Those who could enter the Spirit Fire Hall were all Dao Palace disciples brought to the Upper Realm from the lower realm; hearing this, they were all startled, suddenly looking up with eyes wide open:

"An, Ancestor?"

Lu Yuan descended, his smile gentle:

"I have just come out of seclusion. After hearing about your affairs, I specifically came to take a look. In just ten short years, you have made the Spirit Fire Hall famous throughout Longshan Immortal City; you have done well."

"Master, you flatter us. If not for the superior environment and conditions you provided, we would likely have struggled to achieve any results."

Having not seen him for ten years, after Chen Zhantang excitedly performed a salute, he hurriedly scolded the ignorant disciples behind him:

"This is the Dao Palace Ancestor, the Supreme Heavenly Master. What are you all standing there for? Why haven't you paid your respects?"

Most of this batch of Dao Palace disciples had been recruited after Lu Yuan ascended to the Upper Realm, so none had seen Lu Yuan's face in person, having only seen it in various legends, biographies, and portraits. Hearing Chen Zhantang's words, they were as if awakened from a dream and immediately prepared to kneel:

"We, the disciples of the Dao Palace, pay our respects to the Ancestor—!"

Before they could kneel, Lu Yuan casually raised his hand, and gentle gusts of wind supported these few people:

"No need for such formalities. Are you all getting used to coming to this Upper Realm?"

Chen Zhantang could not help but smile:

"Master, please rest assured. The disciples who can be brought to the Upper Realm, besides being quick-witted and having good talent, are more importantly firm in their hearts to seek the Dao. They have all undergone layers of tests, and their adaptability is extremely strong."

Lu Yuan nodded:

"It has been ten years. How is the situation in the lower realm now?"

Knowing what Lu Yuan wanted to ask, Chen Zhantang replied:

"Reporting to Master, the New Nation is developing prosperously. With the supervision of the Heavenly Master Mansion, the rulers of the middle and upper levels dare not act recklessly. Science, economy, and people's livelihood are now the strongest in the world, even exceeding the sum of the next few countries.

As for the Weapon Bureau, they are also, according to your instructions, researching that ultimate weapon in full swing, and it seems they have already had some clues. They are currently in the midst of intensive calculations and research, and perhaps it will be able to be unveiled in a few years."

Lu Yuan was very satisfied:

"Very good. You should all be well aware of the sinister environment of the Upper Realm. If the lower realm can manufacture that weapon, it will certainly be able to change the current situation."

Chen Zhantang smiled:

"Master, let alone the lower realm, even we have now researched quite a few things here in the Spirit Fire Hall, including many destructive killing weapons. Perhaps we won't need to wait for the lower realm's invention; in a few more years, the Spirit Fire Hall's inventions might be able to completely change the situation!"

As he spoke, he stepped aside, revealing a dragon-headed cannon behind him with a barrel over a zhang long, and said as if presenting a treasure:

"Master, look, this is our newly developed second-tier Spirit Fire Cannon. This cannon is cast from second-tier Spirit Materials, Black Profound Iron and Red Copper Essence, while the cannonballs are made by compressing a mixture of gunpowder and Spirit Stone powder, and can be amplified with Explosive Flame Array Patterns. One shot can shatter a mountain peak, with power comparable to a strike from a Golden Core Real Person!"

A second-tier Dharma Artifact exerting destructive power comparable to a Golden Core Real Person—this was an improvement that would shock all ordinary cultivators, and Lu Yuan also felt a bit of curiosity:

"Oh, a mixture of gunpowder and Spirit Stone powder? Let me see."

Chen Zhantang immediately directed the disciples beside him to take a head-sized, sharp-tipped cannonball from a wooden crate nearby and load it into the breech. He himself pressed one hand onto the gun carriage, and then the muzzle was seen rotating flexibly and automatically, finally locking onto a certain direction not far away.

Then, with a boom!

The Spirit Fire Cannon seemed not to need ignition but was triggered by Dharma Power. Amidst a deafening roar, the muzzle spat out scorching firelight. Almost at the same instant, the distant earth exploded and shook violently, as if a huge meteorite had struck the surface, instantly destroying everything within a radius of several miles. Then, the raging fire, thick smoke, and shockwaves collided rapidly, forming a smoke cloud that shot into the sky!

Chen Zhantang turned his head back:

"Master, look, how is this power? If this cannon is equipped in batches, can it play a major role in the Century Impact?"

The ground beneath their feet was clearly trembling. Lu Yuan gazed at the astonishing scene of destruction in the distance and could not help but praise:

"Not bad. This power is indeed comparable to a strike from a Golden Core Cultivator. This improved Spirit Fire Cannon is truly extraordinary."

Under his Divine Sense, no minute detail could escape, and just now, Chen Zhantang had used only a tiny amount of Dharma Power to trigger the Spirit Fire Cannon; what caused such destruction was still that cannonball of gunpowder mixed with Spirit Stone powder.

The power of this single cannonball seemed to have already exceeded that of heavy bombs in the lower realm, and like the guns and cannons of the lower realm, it did not restrict cultivation level; as long as they were trained, any cultivator could operate and use it.

Thinking of this, Lu Yuan asked: "Can this cannon be mass-produced?"

Chen Zhantang replied:

"Reporting to Master, there is no problem with the cannon body; it can already be cast in batches. The only difficulty lies in the cannonball. The mixing ratio of gunpowder and Spirit Stone powder, and even the engraving of array patterns on the shell of the cannonball, all require very fine workmanship. Currently, production efficiency is relatively slow, but once the cultivators of the Array Hall and Artifact Hall have fully mastered it, the efficiency should increase very quickly."

"It is a pity that our cultivation and knowledge are still a bit low; otherwise, perhaps we could have improved it to be even more perfect. It would not be impossible to even create a Spirit Fire Cannon comparable to a strike from a Nascent Soul True Monarch."

Lu Yuan nodded and smiled, encouraging them:

"It is already very good. Whatever you lack, you may speak directly to True Monarch Liuyun; he can satisfy all your requirements."

Although the root cause of the Corpse Demon Catastrophe in Yuanling Heaven could by no means be solved by these weapons, the comprehensive promotion of these improved cannons could greatly alleviate the situation on the front lines and reduce cultivator casualties.

For this point alone, it could be called a work of immeasurable merit.

Chen Zhantang was about to respond when suddenly, a figure flew over from not far away, stopping far outside the isolation array set up in the cannon-testing field, and tried hard to transmit their voice:

"Elder Lu, Hall Master Chen!"

"The Immortal City Lord has just received news and asked us to come and notify the two of you that an Elder from the Immortal Alliance's Divine Machine Tower will lead disciples and many cultivators from other Immortal Cities to arrive at Longshan Immortal City the day after tomorrow to observe. Please, Hall Master Chen, prepare in time!"