Chapter 296: Calculating Against the Calculator! Lu Yun

Inside Zixiao Palace.

Hongjun, who was originally discussing how to forge Tianyuan with the various Sages, suddenly received a soul transmission from his self-corpse.

His heart stirred: Could it be that they have found Lu Yun's world?

A surge of indescribable excitement welled up in Hongjun's heart. He quickly ended the discussion with the Sages, found an excuse to temporarily leave Zixiao Palace, and arrived alone at a secret space, preparing to receive the detailed report from his self-corpse, Qushan Daoren.

"Original, I met Great Immortal Yang Mei in the depths of Chaos, but regrettably, we were unable to find the specific location of that universe of Lu Yun's." The voice of Qushan Daoren rang out in Hongjun's mind, carrying a trace of helplessness and frustration.

Upon hearing this, Hongjun's expression sank, and the excitement in his heart instantly turned into disappointment and gravity.

In the current situation, if Lu Yun's universe cannot be found, then the many plans they have targeted at Lu Yun will be difficult to implement, and the future situation will become even more inscrutable.

"Have you two discussed any other countermeasures?" Hongjun asked in a deep voice, his tone revealing a trace of unquestionable majesty.

Qushan Daoren replied: "Great Immortal Yang Mei suggested that perhaps we could start with those close to Lu Yun, finding ways to create opportunities for certain people to enter Lu Yun's universe, and then we can deduce their fate trajectories within Chaos to indirectly find the whereabouts of Lu Yun's universe. But this method carries great risk, and it may not necessarily succeed."

Upon hearing this, a sharp glint flashed in Hongjun's eyes, and he pondered secretly in his heart.

He naturally thought immediately of what consequences would arise if such a method were exposed, but with the current situation being urgent, he seemed to have no better choice.

Moreover, he had succeeded once before, so it was not impossible to try again now.

After thinking it over, he said: "Very well! Just as you said, I will try my best to find a way to send people into that universe of Lu Yun's. Once successful, you must seize the opportunity!"

Qushan Daoren took the order and left, while Hongjun remained alone in the secret space, lost in deep thought.

Soon, he also began to make intensive preparations.

He knew well that time was pressing and he had to find a way to deal with Lu Yun as soon as possible. Thus, he began to secretly observe the people around Lu Yun, attempting to find suitable chess pieces to execute their plan.

……

At the same time, Lu Yun, hiding in the depths of Chaos, heard the conversation between Hongjun and his self-corpse clearly.

A cold sneer curled the corners of his mouth: "What a cunning scheme!"

A cold, sharp light flickered in Lu Yun's eyes as he secretly calculated how to deal with Hongjun's upcoming layout.

This move by Hongjun was not only a provocation against him but also a threat to those around him.

After a moment of thought, Lu Yun had a plan in mind; he prepared to lay down layers of traps, waiting for Hongjun and Great Immortal Yang Mei to walk right into them.

He left behind an avatar to continue secretly watching Qushan Daoren and Great Immortal Yang Mei, while his original body quietly left and arrived at another location within Chaos.

There, he began to set up a series of exquisite arrays and restrictions, preparing to lure Hongjun and Great Immortal Yang Mei into them so they would never return.

But he felt this was still not enough.

He suddenly thought of the All-Heavens Atlas in his hand, and his heart stirred: "Why not open a passage connecting to other worlds right here in this trap, lure Hongjun to that world, and then I will take the opportunity to completely control the Great Desolation!"

In his view, since Hongjun had begun searching for the world where he was located, he must have already prepared to attack. He only needed to prepare a world and let Hongjun mistakenly believe that it was his universe; when the opponent attacked with all their might, he could completely seize control of the Great Desolation.

By then, even if Hongjun discovered something was wrong and wanted to retreat, his lair would have already been completely taken.

Lu Yun could even take the opportunity while Hongjun was heavily damaging the other world to seize that world as well!

Two birds with one stone! The more Lu Yun thought about it, the more excited he became.

Subsequently, he quickly calmed down and began to think about which world would be most suitable to use as this bait.

A world capable of withstanding the joint attack of Hongjun, Yang Mei, and other powerhouses of the Heavenly Dao Faction must not be too weak. Otherwise, if Hongjun snatched that world in a few moves, wouldn't he be working for someone else? He might even end up lifting a rock only to drop it on his own feet if he failed to control the Great Desolation in time.

Suddenly, he had a flash of inspiration and thought of a world he was currently connected to via the All-Heavens Atlas that was truly quite suitable.

The Journey to the West World!

From the last probe, he had already sensed that the foundation of that Journey to the West World was absolutely extraordinary.

Moreover, the two worlds had quite a few identical people; he was somewhat curious, if a Dao Ancestor Hongjun also existed in the Journey to the West World, what would happen if he collided with the Hongjun of the Great Desolation world? If they fought each other to the death, and he took the opportunity to control the Great Desolation, only to turn back and control the Journey to the West World as well, what kind of expressions would they have? Thinking of this, a look of determination flashed in Lu Yun's eyes.

He no longer hesitated. First, he had his avatar keep a close watch on the movements of Hongjun's side, while he himself immediately mobilized the power of the All-Heavens Atlas and began to construct a hidden passage between this Chaos and the Journey to the West World.

This passage was not only complex and ever-changing, but it was also filled with traps and restrictions carefully set by Lu Yun; even a powerhouse like Hongjun would find it difficult to escape easily once he stepped inside.

At the same time, Lu Yun quietly contacted his avatar in the Journey to the West World, telling him to closely monitor the movements of the passage and prepare to initiate a series of contingency plans at the critical moment to ensure the smooth progress of the entire plan.

After finishing all these arrangements, Lu Yun nodded with satisfaction.

As it turned out, he only then realized that nearly a year had passed unknowingly during this series of arrangements, and the next stage of the Honghuang Genius Competition was about to arrive.

It was time to return to the Great Desolation!

Thus, with a thought, Lu Yun's figure vanished directly in Chaos and entered his own universe.

With another shift of his mind, he had already returned to the Great Desolation world.

……

Lu Yun returned to the Great Desolation world, his figure appearing instantly in Witch City at the foot of Mount Buzhou.

Inside Witch City, everything was as usual, and Nuwa, Houtu, and the others were busy preparing for the upcoming second stage of the competition.

Lu Yun's previous disappearance had not caused much of a stir; after all, everyone was already used to it and believed that Lu Yun would return in time.

Sure enough, Lu Yun had returned, and everyone naturally welcomed him with smiles.

Lu Yun asked: "How is the situation now?"

Nuwa smiled and said: "Lu Yun, the rewards you set this time are truly too tempting; even I couldn't help but be moved, let alone the others."

Houtu, however, frowned slightly and said: "The competition hasn't even started yet, and the rivalry is already exceptionally intense."

Lu Yun said with interest: "Oh? How intense is it?" Xihe said: "Of the thirty thousand contestants who originally advanced, now less than thirty percent remain!"

Lu Yun couldn't help but gasp; clearly, he had not expected the competition to be this intense.

He sighed and said: "It seems I still underestimated the temptation of a Saint position!"

The others agreed deeply.

Houtu couldn't help but say: "Lu Yun, will there be too much slaughter in this competition?"

As someone who was always truly compassionate, she really could not bear to watch so many cultivators perish in such strife.

Lu Yun also understood her thoughts and said: "Are you suggesting we cancel the Honghuang Genius Competition?"

As soon as these words were spoken, before Houtu could even reply, the others all began to object one after another.

"Absolutely not!"

"How could that be!"

"How can such a grand event be cancelled?"

Hearing the others' rebuttals, Houtu was slightly startled, then hurriedly shook her head to explain: "That is not what I meant, Lu Yun. The tournament is of great significance and has immeasurable value for stimulating the potential of the Great Desolation's living beings and selecting true geniuses. I am merely worried that the intensity of the competition will lead to unnecessary casualties; after all, it harms the harmony of heaven."

Nuwa gently stroked her hair, her gaze gentle yet profound, and she spoke slowly: "Houtu's concerns are not without reason, but this is also an inevitability on the path of cultivation. Since they have chosen to participate in this tournament and compete for a chance at Proving the Dao, they naturally must bear the risks involved."

Dijiang also agreed, saying: "Indeed, the path of the strong is inherently filled with thorns and challenges. What we can do is ensure the fairness of the competition!"

Jumang looked at Houtu and said: "Little sister, do you know that even if we wanted to cancel the Honghuang Genius Competition now, the living beings of the Three Realms would never agree?"

Xuanming agreed, saying: "That's right! When the time comes, not only will they not thank you, they will resent you instead!"

Houtu was stunned for a moment, and after thinking it over carefully, she realized it was indeed so!

Everyone had already sacrificed so much just for the Hongmeng Purple Qi, and there had even been tragic casualties; if it were cancelled at the last minute, wouldn't there be endless complaints?

By then, it was feared that both their Earthly Faction and Human Dao Faction would lose all credibility! Thinking of this, Houtu could not help but feel a bit dejected: "I thought about things too simply."

Lu Yun comforted her: "You also have a kind heart! Moreover, this is only because it is the First Primordial Genius Competition; for the next one, everyone will surely be prepared in advance. If those lacking sufficient strength do not rashly participate, I imagine the situation will be much better!"

He paused, then continued: "Although the competition cannot be terminated, we can still think of ways to reduce unnecessary casualties; for instance, we could consider adding some protective measures."

Upon hearing this, a look of approval flashed in Nuwa's eyes, and she said softly: "What Lu Yun says is very true. We can set up some safe zones where any form of attack is prohibited within them. At the same time, we can also dispatch strong individuals to act as referees to supervise the competition process; once someone admits defeat, they will be directly teleported away from the arena, ensuring everything remains within a controllable range."

Hearing this, the worry in Houtu's heart immediately lessened significantly. She looked at Lu Yun and Nuwa gratefully and said: "It was I who was overly worried. Since that is the case, let us go all out to ensure the smooth progress of this tournament."

Everyone nodded in agreement, and then they began to discuss specific protective measures and candidates for referees. After a heated discussion, they finally determined a series of detailed plans and dispatched numerous strong individuals to various arenas to ensure the fairness and safety of the competition.

As time passed, the second stage of the competition finally kicked off.

In front of Shouyang City, there was a sea of people, with countless living beings from all over the Great Desolation coming to watch the competition.

Under their gaze, the remaining nearly nine thousand contestants gathered together, their gazes firm and their expressions impassioned.

At the same time, countless spectators had already gathered within the Yuanling Immortal Net, and they were all anxiously waiting for the start of the second stage.

The situation at the scene was directly synchronized and reflected into the Yuanling Immortal Net.

Lu Yun stood in the void, his gaze sweeping over the seething crowd below, and a sense of heroic ambition surged in his heart.

"Fellow contestants and audience friends, the second stage is about to begin!" Lu Yun's voice echoed over Shouyang City, instantly attracting everyone's attention.

"After a year of preparation time, I believe everyone has made sufficient preparations. The upcoming competition will be even more intense and cruel, but this is also the best stage for you to showcase your strength and wisdom." Lu Yun continued, "I look forward to your brilliant performances, and even more so to witnessing the birth of future powerhouses!"

As Lu Yun's words fell, whether on-site or within the Yuanling Immortal Net, everything suddenly boiled over.

The contestants gripped the weapons and magic treasures in their hands, preparing to meet the challenges and unknowns to come.

The audience held their breath, their eyes fixed on the arena below, fearing they might miss any brilliant moment.

Lu Yun continued to announce to everyone: "Once again, I need to briefly explain to you the differences between the second stage and the first stage! First of all, as you can see, this time you are participating with your true bodies; in this process, it is very likely that real casualties will occur! If any of you now lack confidence in the upcoming competition, you may leave now."

Lu Yun's words were like morning bells and evening drums, stirring up layers of ripples in everyone's hearts.

Many contestants looked at each other, their eyes filled with both anxiety about the unknown challenges and firmness in their desire for the Saint position.

However, even after a long time had passed, not a single person chose to retreat.

Clearly, those who could come here knew that this was the necessary path for them to embark on the road of the strong.

Lu Yun was also very satisfied with such a performance from everyone and said again: "Since everyone is so confident, I will continue to announce the rules of the competition! All contestants will start from the same point, which is Shouyang City! You need to clear all the Secret Realms from Shouyang City to Mount Buzhou along the way. Finally, only the first one hundred people to reach Mount Buzhou will be qualified to participate in the final tournament!"

"Do you all understand?"

The many contestants below shouted in unison almost at the same time: "Understood!"

The sound shook the clouds!

Lu Yun nodded again and was about to announce the official start of this competition.

But just at this moment—

"Hum!"

Suddenly, a great bell tolled, resounding through the Three Realms! Immediately following, the voice of Hongjun spread to the ears of all living beings in the Three Realms.

(End of this chapter)