Chapter 288: Return to the Great Desolation

Lu Yun's figure vanished without a trace, leaving only Guanyin standing stunned on the spot, her expression shifting between light and shadow.

She never imagined that Lu Yun would choose to leave at such a critical moment, causing all her calculations to fall through.

Just then, Buddha-light shone everywhere, and Rulai also arrived at the scene; Guanyin hurriedly flew toward him.

Rulai scanned the surroundings and, failing to find Lu Yun's presence, looked at Guanyin with some confusion: "Where has that person gone?"

Guanyin hurriedly reported the situation that had just occurred to Rulai.

After hearing this, Rulai's expression also sank slightly. He had not expected Guanyin to suffer such a great loss at the hands of a mysterious Great Luo Golden Immortal.

However, he did not overly blame Guanyin, for he knew that although Guanyin's strength was formidable, it was indeed difficult to deal with a mysterious powerhouse like Lu Yun.

He pacified her, saying: "Do not worry, we will certainly be able to capture the opponent and retrieve your Jade Purified Bottle!"

Afterward, he unleashed his Supernatural Power to carefully investigate the surrounding situation, while Guanyin watched from the side, full of anticipation.

"Hum!"

Rulai closed his eyes and focused his mind, his hands gently pressed together, surrounded by Buddha-light, as if resonating with heaven and earth, and began to unleash his heaven-reaching and earth-penetrating great Supernatural Power—Wisdom Eye Observing the World.

His gaze pierced through the void, scanning every inch of space in the surroundings, attempting to capture even the slightest trace of aura or evidence left behind by Lu Yun.

However, as time ticked by second by second, Rulai's expression gradually became grave.

His brows were tightly locked, and he was secretly astonished in his heart: What kind of sacred being is this person, to be able to erase his own tracks so thoroughly? After a round of investigation yielded no results, Rulai slowly opened his eyes, a trace of embarrassment and helplessness flashing through them.

He sighed lightly and said to Guanyin: "This seat used the Wisdom Eye Observing the World, yet failed to find the tracks of that mysterious person; it is truly strange and bizarre."

Upon hearing this, Guanyin also furrowed her brows, her heart filled with unwillingness. But she quickly adjusted her mindset and proposed: "World-Honored One, this person's strength is unfathomable, and his actions are mysterious and unpredictable; relying solely on the power of our Buddhism, I fear it will be difficult to capture him. Why don't we head to the Heavenly Court and ask the Jade Emperor to take action and assist? Perhaps we can borrow the power of the Heavenly Court to investigate this person's origins."

Rulai nodded slightly, a trace of deep meaning flashing in his eyes.

He naturally knew that Guanyin's proposal was not just to find Lu Yun, but also to take this opportunity to test the Heavenly Court's attitude and see if Lu Yun had any connection with the Heavenly Court.

After all, within the Three Realms, a powerhouse capable of hiding their tracks to such an extent was by no means an ordinary person, and there was likely a powerful force supporting them behind the scenes.

Thus, Rulai and Guanyin transformed into two streaks of Buddha-light, broke through the air, and headed straight for the Heavenly Court.

Not long after, the two arrived at the Lingxiao Treasure Hall and were received by the Jade Emperor. The Jade Emperor sat high upon the dragon throne, his gaze profound, as if he had long since known the purpose of their visit.

However, he smiled slightly and asked: "Rulai, Bodhisattva Guanyin, I wonder what brings you two here together?"

Rulai and Guanyin exchanged a glance, and then Rulai spoke, informing the Jade Emperor of the matter regarding Lu Yun in full detail. They described Lu Yun's strength, his movements, and his mysterious and unpredictable methods in detail, their words revealing deep curiosity and wariness regarding Lu Yun's origins.

However, when the two looked at the Jade Emperor with anticipation, they only saw the Jade Emperor shake his head slightly and sigh: "You two are unaware, but that person's movements are secretive and his strength is extraordinary; I have also attempted to deduce his origins, yet I have also gained nothing. This person does not seem to belong to any known force within the Three Realms, and perhaps even more profound secrets are hidden behind him."

Hearing the Jade Emperor's words, Rulai and Guanyin could not help but look at each other, their hearts filled with shock and suspicion. They had not expected that even the Lord of the Three Realms, the Jade Emperor, could not investigate Lu Yun's origins, which further proved Lu Yun's mystery and power.

For a time, the great hall fell into silence.

Rulai and Guanyin secretly calculated their next countermeasures in their hearts, while the Jade Emperor gazed into the distance with a profound look, seemingly also pondering the various mysteries regarding Lu Yun.

Inside the live broadcast room, everyone saw the broadcast screen suddenly switch to Lu Yun's universe, and there was an immediate uproar.

"Did Big Brother Lu Yun just run off after taking the item?"

"Hahaha, this Guanyin must be stunned with anger!"

"Big Brother Lu Yun's move is truly unexpected!"

"Big Brother Lu Yun, you are truly too awesome!"

"You even tricked Guanyin's Jade Purified Bottle into your hands!"

"Hahaha, Buddhism is going to have a headache now!"

……

Regarding this, Lu Yun just grinned and said to everyone: "My avatar was already at its limit dealing with Guanyin; if Tathagata were added to the mix, I would likely have to use more methods, so it's better to let it go for now."

After a slight pause in his voice, he said again: "This time, consider it a greeting to the Journey to the West World; leave them some suspense, and I'll go play with them later! Next, I'd better finish handling the Genius Tournament here in the Great Desolation first!"

While speaking, he first closed the live broadcast, then took out the All-Heavens Atlas and temporarily sealed the passage to the Journey to the West World, preparing to play with it slowly later.

Even the avatar he had originally arranged in the Journey to the West World was now temporarily dispatched to other worlds by him.

Afterward, while toying with the Jade Purified Bottle he had just obtained, he looked toward the Transmigration Chat Group.

Lu Yun: "@everyone, how are you all preparing for the Genius Tournament? It's about to start!"

Qiu Wanli: "No problem!"

Lin Chen: "I can participate at any time!"

Qin Ling: "Hehe, I'm already impatient to have a good competition with the geniuses of the Great Desolation!"

Jiang Ye: "Enough! You three big shots arrived in the Great Desolation early, so of course you've already made full preparations!"

Liu Chongxiao: "Honestly, I feel I could still improve a bit more, but it wouldn't be bad to continue improving during the competition!"

Lu Yun looked at the heated discussion in the group, his heart also filled with anticipation.

This tournament was not only a test of the group members' strength but also an important step in his layout for the future.

"Since everyone is prepared, I will go back and open the tournament."

Lu Yun sent a message in the group, then closed the chat group and refocused his attention on the Jade Purified Bottle before him.

He did not hesitate much and made a direct decision: "Let's use this thing as one of the prizes for this tournament!"

Afterward, Lu Yun had his avatars continue to conquer more worlds, while his true self left his own universe and returned to the Great Desolation.

On the Primordial Land, in the Witch City beneath Mount Buzhou, the top powerhouses of the Human Dao Faction and the Earthly Faction had already gathered together. They had already made all the preparations for this Honghuang Genius Competition and were just waiting for Lu Yun's return to officially open this Honghuang Genius Competition.

Nuwa, Houtu, the sisters Xihe, Zhenyuanzi, Hongyun, Dijiang, and other powerhouses stood one after another on the high platform of Witch City, gazing into the distance, their eyes flickering with expectant light.

"Why hasn't Lu Yun come yet?" Hongyun asked with some anxiety.

"Rest assured, since His Majesty the Saint Emperor said he would come, he will definitely come," Zhenyuanzi comforted.

Just at this moment, a streak of light pierced the sky and landed directly on the high platform of Witch City. Everyone looked over one after another, only to see Lu Yun's figure slowly appearing, looking at them with a smile on his face.

"His Majesty the Saint Emperor!" Everyone bowed one after another, their eyes filled with respect and excitement.

Lu Yun nodded with a smile and said: "Are you all prepared? The Genius Tournament is about to begin."

"Everything is ready, just waiting for His Majesty the Saint Emperor to give the order!" everyone responded in unison.

Lu Yun nodded with satisfaction, then said loudly, "Good! Then, this Honghuang Genius Competition officially begins now!"

He casually took out the Kongtong Seal and directly projected all the contestants currently preparing to participate in the competition across the Primordial Land above Witch City.

Looking out, the figures of the Human Race, the Wu Clan, the Ghost Race, the Demon Race, and countless other prodigies of the various races of the Great Desolation appeared one after another before everyone's eyes.

Nuwa, Houtu, and the others discovered that not a single one of the contestants they had prepared was missing!

This could not help but make them feel astonished.

Because, while they were preparing these things, Lu Yun had been busy with other matters the entire time, yet he still had a perfect grasp of everything, which made them have to admire him.

And this action of Lu Yun's was only just the beginning; immediately following, he once again activated the Kongtong Seal, mobilizing the Humanity Power.

The next moment—

"Hum!"

Within the Great Primordial Three Realms, countless living beings suddenly heard Lu Yun's voice.

Lu Yun solemnly announced to the living beings of the Three Realms: "Living beings of the Great Desolation, I am the Human Dao Saint Emperor Lu Yun. Today, the Honghuang Genius Competition is about to officially begin; I presume everyone is already somewhat impatient! However, this Emperor also knows that it is not easy for all living beings to watch the battle, so before the competition officially begins, I shall open up a new world in the Great Desolation, named the Yuanling Immortal Net, to make it convenient for everyone to watch the battle!"

Within Chaos, inside Zixiao Palace.

Within Chaos, inside Zixiao Palace, Hongjun Daozu and the various Saints of the Heavenly Dao Faction gathered together, waiting for the Honghuang Genius Competition to begin.

Just at this critical juncture, a melodious and grand sound suddenly echoed within Zixiao Palace; it was precisely Lu Yun's voice, traversing Chaos and reaching the ears of everyone directly.

"Lu Yun..."

Laozi's brows furrowed slightly, an unspeakable shock surging in his heart, "This child's Supernatural Power has actually reached such a level, being able to transmit sound across Chaos to here!"

The remaining Saints, upon hearing this, also had varied expressions; some were surprised, some were solemn, and more were wary. They looked toward Hongjun one after another, waiting for his instructions.

Hongjun closed his eyes and pondered for a moment, then slowly opened his eyes and said in a deep voice, "Everyone, listen quietly and see what exactly Lu Yun intends to do."

Upon hearing this, everyone composed their minds and listened carefully to Lu Yun's voice.

"... Today, the Honghuang Genius Competition is about to officially begin... I shall open up a new world in the Great Desolation, named the Yuanling Immortal Net, to make it convenient for everyone to watch the battle..." Lu Yun's voice continued to come through, causing the Saints within Zixiao Palace to look at each other in dismay, their hearts filled with even greater confusion.

"Yuanling Immortal Net? What kind of place is this?" Laozi whispered to himself, his brows locked tight.

"Could it be that Lu Yun also wants to open up a dojo?" Yuanshi speculated, but then he shook his head, "But this name sounds quite different from the dojos we have opened."

"Moreover, he also said this is to make it convenient to watch the battle..." A trace of curiosity flashed in Tongtian Jiaozhu's eyes, "What exactly is the mystery of this Yuanling Immortal Net?"

Hongjun did not rush to answer everyone's doubts, but instead continued to listen patiently to Lu Yun's explanation.

"The so-called Yuanling Immortal Net is a spiritual world that envelops the Primordial Land, or it can be said to be another illusory Great Desolation..." Lu Yun's voice was clear and firm, as if he were unveiling a brand-new chapter for the living beings of the entire Primordial World.

"A spiritual world? An illusory Great Desolation?"

The Saints within Zixiao Palace were all shaken in their hearts upon hearing this; they began to realize that what Lu Yun spoke of seemed to far exceed their imagination.

"As long as one is on the Primordial Land, with a single thought, one's consciousness can enter the Yuanling Immortal Net..." Lu Yun's voice continued to come through, making the Saints even more shocked, "Even if one only has the cultivation of Refining Essence into Qi, one can enter it and roam the Great Desolation."

"This..." The Saints within Zixiao Palace looked at each other, their hearts filled with disbelief.

They had never imagined that there could be such an existence capable of breaking the limitations of cultivation, allowing all living beings of the Great Desolation the opportunity to catch a glimpse of that vast and boundless Primordial World.

Hongjun Daozu pondered for a moment, a trace of solemnity and wariness flashing in his eyes.

He knew deeply that Lu Yun's action was not merely as simple as making it convenient to watch the battle, but rather to further consolidate and expand the influence and status of his Humanity in the Primordial World.

"As for other more profound mysteries, everyone can slowly experience them in the future! Today, everyone just watch the grand occasion of the First Primordial Genius Competition with me!"

When this sentence of Lu Yun's fell, countless living beings within the Three Realms all heard a crisp "ding" sound simultaneously, as if some mysterious existence had been born! The next moment, everyone developed a feeling that it seemed they only needed a single thought to enter another new world!

Several Heavenly Dao Saints were all itching to try, wanting to attempt it, but they dared not act rashly and could only look toward Hongjun.

As a result, they actually saw Hongjun stand up abruptly with a look of shock and anger on his face! The several Saints could not help but be stunned for a moment, but soon they knew why Hongjun was so uncomposed.

Because they were horrified to perceive that the fortune of the Three Realms in the Great Desolation had suddenly undergone a violent change at this moment.

It seemed that because of the birth of Lu Yun's so-called Yuanling Immortal Net, the fortune of Humanity had suddenly surged violently!

At the same time, they were even more shocked to discover that the three world rules of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity had all manifested on their own, bestowing a massive amount of merit rewards upon Lu Yun over at Witch City! The scale of that merit far exceeded any instance they had ever seen before, to the point that they all lost their composure one after another! "How is this possible?" Jieyin widened his eyes.

"How could it be like this?" Yuanshi could not help but lose his focus.

"This... this reward is too astonishing, right?!" Tongtian could not help but click his tongue.

"What exactly did Lu Yun do?!" Zhunti even screamed out directly.

(End of this chapter)