Chapter 47: Chapter Forty-Seven: The Mournful Cry

Pei Kuang fell silent.

Lü Fang spoke with undeniable reason!

But the demon and barbarian tribes inherently hold advantages at the same realm, and now they’ve united—direct confrontation may be…

“Wu…wu…”

A mournful cry rang out!

Pei Kuang’s face darkened as he gazed eastward—it was the voice of the human clan’s kundun begging for help.

The soul-shaking sorrow made him tremble uncontrollably, his whole body shaking without pause.

After a long inner struggle, Pei Kuang gave a grim, heroic smile:

“Lord Wenguan, I follow you. Death is death—but dying here is more glorious than dying on the battlefield. I’ve stumbled upon a matter of cosmic weight; I won’t become a traitor to Zhou or to the human race!”

“It’s not that extreme!” Lü Fang chuckled bitterly:

“I don’t have a voice-transmitting jade tablet—you do. Use it to gather as many as you can. The demon-barbarian alliance sounds fearsome, but to truly isolate a region, they must guard all four directions.”

“If we gather enough people, we strike just one direction.”

“No matter how strong the demon and barbarian tribes are at the same realm, they can’t block us. When we all converge on the clan kundun, once we devour their clan kundun, we’ll be free to roam the heavens!”

“Good!” Pei Kuang seized his voice-transmitting jade tablet and shouted to a fellow from the Daoist Observance:

“The demon and barbarian tribes have united to block us from reaching the human clan kundun! Gather anyone you know—we’ll strike them together!”

“The demon and barbarian tribes have united to block…”

As Pei Kuang was transmitting, he saw Lü Fang walking east and stopped, asking: “Where are you going?”

Lü Fang didn’t turn back: “I’m scouting ahead. Gather everyone and follow this road east—I’ll leave a Book Spirit to wait for you.”

Pei Kuang hesitated, then asked: “What if I can’t gather anyone? What if no one wants to come?”

Lü Fang gave a bitter smile: “If no one comes, there’s nothing I can do. All I can do is kill as many demons and barbarians as I can. I’m afraid of death too—but some things must be done.”

Pei Kuang bowed deeply to the ground, then straightened his back sharply:

“Lord Wenguan, rest assured! If no one comes with me, even if I have to crawl—I’ll crawl there and beat the drums to rally you!”

“That’s foolish!” Lü Fang shook his head, summoning his Black Armor, which clung to him and became a streak of light as he shot eastward.

The situation was unfavorable for him.

He had only a single thread of Book Fragrance left!

His previous Book Fragrance had been nearly spent raising his seventh-rank and chasing Lian Yi; this thread was barely newly formed.

Now he faced the demon-barbarian alliance.

Lü Fang wasn’t sure if his Book Fragrance was enough, nor if his strength was sufficient, nor whether the speed of his Odd-Door Flying Armor could let him scout ahead and escape safely.

He hated this feeling.

He couldn’t rush.

Devouring the clan kundun wouldn’t happen in an instant.

Lü Fang planned to first raise his realm before scouting ahead. After walking for about half a day, he found a hidden crevice between massive rocks, just large enough to sit cross-legged inside.

Advancing in rank was certainly easier than advancing in grade.

The flying bat’s storage pouch held only materials and elixirs—none usable right now.

In Lü Fang’s treasure pouch were dozens of Celestial Dao Stones and six Righteous Qi Elixirs—he’d be satisfied if they raised him to seventh-rank, second stage.

He pulled out an oval low-grade Celestial Dao Stone and absorbed its Celestial Dao energy.

In the time of one incense stick.

Crack! The Celestial Dao Stone shattered into powder. Lü Fang’s Righteous Qi increased slightly—he pressed on!

One after another, Celestial Dao Stones shattered into powder; his Righteous Qi surged rapidly.

Overnight passed.

A faint gray light appeared on the horizon.

Inside the rock crevice, Lü Fang’s Righteous Qi shimmered with brilliant, mystical radiance.

All Celestial Dao Stones were spent; five of the six Righteous Qi Elixirs were used—the last one had just been swallowed.

If he hadn’t advanced even one stage…

No matter how many rare treasures he consumed, he’d gain no real power.

If this final Righteous Qi Elixir didn’t push him into seventh-rank, second stage, he’d have to consider using his Book Fragrance.

Pop!

A soft sound echoed.

Lü Fang snapped open his eyes—he had finally reached seventh-rank, second stage. His aura had grown significantly.

For him, an increase in aura was far more useful than an increase in Righteous Qi.

After all, he’d always generated less Righteous Qi than others; even if he matched them later, he still had less at the same realm.

But aura was different.

His supernatural powers consumed both stamina and aura.

Only with sufficient aura could he face the demon and barbarian prodigies without falling behind.

“Xiao Yunru is called the top seventh-rank, third-stage cultivator of Zhou—I slew him. Even if demon and barbarian prodigies hold advantages at the same realm, I won’t be much weaker than them.”

Thinking this, Lü Fang stepped out of the rock crevice. When he sensed that the Book Spirit Yan Chixia had returned to the Ink Brush Realm, he summoned it.

Seeing Yan Chixia still at seventh-rank, third stage, he nodded—just as he expected.

He was now seventh-rank, second stage; it should have dropped to sixth-rank, second stage.

But the restrictions of the Lesser Upper Realm kept it locked at seventh-rank, third stage.

Yan Chixia bowed: “Master, Pei Kuang has gathered two others—but whether they’ll come is still uncertain…”

Lü Fang cut in with a smile: “I know.”

He shared a mental bond with the Book Spirit; though he couldn’t see what Yan Chixia saw when it was far away, he still received the general content of its observations.

As long as Pei Kuang wasn’t a hypocrite, and was willing to gather others, whether they came or not was beyond Lü Fang’s control.

They’d met only once—Lü Fang needed to confirm Pei Kuang’s stance.

If Pei Kuang was cowardly and deceitful, Lü Fang still had time to find someone else to rally the group.

“Third Senior Brother was foolish—how could he forget to give me a voice-transmitting jade tablet?”

Lü Fang muttered.

If he had one, he could ask He Zixuan about the clan kundun’s status, and gather others himself to organize an assault on the demon alliance’s lines.

His treasure pouch did hold voice-transmitting jade tablets belonging to humans, demons, and barbarians—but these required either immense strength to read directly, or special seals to unlock.

He wondered how the clan kundun was faring!

Lü Fang planned to scout ahead—if the clan kundun was collapsing, he’d intervene, no matter how futile.

If it could still hold out, he’d follow the original plan.

“Yan Chixia, stay here. If Pei Kuang and his group pass this spot, tell them to keep going—I’ll wait for them ahead. If anything goes wrong, return to the Ink Brush Realm immediately!”

He’d tested this method several times yesterday—it worked without issue.

Yan Chixia could freely enter and exit the Ink Brush Realm and move a distance away from Lü Fang—effectively giving him an extra pair of eyes.