Luo Feng and Hegus: Perception (End of This Arc)

Luo Feng and Hegus: Perception (End of This Arc)

Infinite Primordial Chaos Space—truly infinite in every sense: infinitely vast, with infinite layers of spacetime and infinite possibilities.

This was a realm containing nothing but gentle white radiance. At a glance, it was a single milky-white hue, like a snowfield and yet like the Primordial Chaos Void. The sky was equally white and boundless, but what existed around it was not chaotic matter, but a gentle form of energy.

This place was infinitely far from the Phantom Star Path. As for exactly how far, there was no way to measure it.

At the very center of this world lay an incomparably enormous body. It was humanoid, with two arms and two legs, dressed in white robes that blended perfectly with the colors of this world. Without close inspection, one would not even notice his existence; only patches of bronze coloring could be seen.

The color of his skin, including that of his face, was similar to that of a Chinese person, faintly bronze. Judged by the standards of humanity in the Original Universe, his facial features could be considered a branch type of the human race.

However, he was still vastly different from an Earthling. His eyebrows were long and golden, his nose high and straight, his lips broad and full. His entire face was handsome, though it carried a faintly feminine beauty.

Together with his silver hair, he appeared all the more bewitching.

Suddenly, his tightly shut eyes seemed to twitch. An extremely faint ripple spread from his body, accompanied by a wave of will.

"Emperor Seed..."

He sensed a special fluctuation. Along the Karma between them, it had crossed endlessly distant spacetime to reach him. Though exceedingly faint, it still stirred him.

Yet it was merely a wave of will. His eyes shifted slightly, but did not open. It was more as though he had simply had a dream and suffered a slight disturbance.

He remained asleep, his life aura weak, his entire body utterly motionless. However, with the arrival of that faint fluctuation, some power within his body seemed to awaken. The gentle energy around him began slowly flowing along the surface of his body and merging into him.

Within the deep world of the Cangluan Dark Land.

Mo Sha had already returned here. Twin Old Ghosts and Samsara were also present. After learning that Luo Feng had been driven into devilhood by the influence of the Emperor Heart, they began planning their next move.

"It seems we still cannot push Luo Feng too hard. Now look what has happened—the Emperor Heart has backlashed. That is equivalent to the Emperor Heart awakening in reverse, making it even harder for Luo Feng to adapt to and control it on his own." Samsara shook his head.

"Don't worry. A reverse awakening means the Emperor Heart has awakened as well. This should stimulate the Emperor Lord's perception and serve as a catalyst for his awakening. The sooner the Emperor Lord awakens, the better."

"An Emperor Seed in the Devil Blade State may perhaps be even purer. It is just that extracting the Emperor Seed in such a state would not be very favorable," Twin Old Ghosts said.

In truth, there were certain matters he knew about, though not in great detail.

The Karma that the Leading Heaven Sect had planted in Luo Feng targeted Luo Feng himself, rather than the Emperor Seed. Once Luo Feng controlled the Emperor Seed, it would naturally become much easier for the Emperor Lord to extract it.

If the Karma had targeted the Emperor Seed instead, it would have been equivalent to placing restrictions and shackles upon it. In that case, awakening would have been impossible.

Thus, in principle, once Luo Feng controlled the Emperor Seed, it would be the easiest time for Leading Heaven Emperor Lord to take it from him—and he could succeed with absolute certainty.

As for other states, only Leading Heaven Emperor Lord himself knew.

Twin Old Ghosts paused, then continued, "As for Luo Feng, it depends on whether he can withstand its influence. Right now, he cannot easily use the power of the Emperor Blade. Once he does, there is a high chance of another backlash. If this happens several more times, becoming devil may only be a matter of time. But if he restrains himself, he can completely reverse the process and still achieve control in the end."

"Let Luo Feng's matter settle down for now. On our side, we will return to normal and no longer interfere with them in any way. I believe in him. Once he wakes up, he can still handle his own affairs. He cannot become the first sacrifice, and he will remain the Emperor Seed the Emperor Lord needs in the future. Give him more time."

"All we need to do is select some geniuses."

Twin Old Ghosts did not look particularly upset. There was neither joy nor sorrow on his face.

He had not expected that this attempt to force Luo Feng would instead produce the opposite effect.

Some things simply could not be interfered with excessively. Once they were interfered with, the outcome would deviate.

Even so, they did not think much of it. Under these circumstances, Luo Feng would merely need more time to control the Emperor Heart.

Moreover, they had no particular worries about Luo Feng's slumber. They were not concerned that anyone might take the chance to enslave him... As the Emperor Blade, with the Emperor Heart now awakened, the difficulty of enslaving Luo Feng had increased drastically. An emperor was extremely difficult to enslave; even a God Heaven Realm expert might not be able to do it.

Besides, he had cultivated Dao Soul Guiding. Unless Great God Heaven took action, no one would have the chance to enslave him while he was vulnerable. If a Great God Heaven expert did act, they would detect it immediately, so there was no need to worry.

"Yes." Mo Sha nodded.

"That boy has too many attachments. As the Emperor of Blades, he should have been ruthless. This is completely at odds with his Dao heart. It is only natural that he has come this far. But as you said, a reverse awakening offers some help to the Emperor Lord's awakening as well. Perhaps this is fate," Samsara added.

Mo Sha could not help nodding inwardly.

That day, in order not to provoke Luo Feng too severely, he had left early. Yet he had never expected Luo Feng to still reach that point.

Now, it seemed their plans would have to be put on hold as well.

Opening the gate once had cost them three Xuan Cong Guards. While that was nothing to the Leading Heaven Sect, Luo Feng's change was what they needed to keep under control.

Dao Peak Continent.

Luo Feng had fallen into slumber, and his condition seemed rather serious. Soul fluctuations emanated from within his body. Clearly, even while asleep, Luo Feng still had to contend with the Emperor Heart's influence.

Within the Council Hall of Star City.

They all looked at Luo Feng's avatar, which had completely fallen asleep, and none of them looked well.

The nine Lords wore solemn expressions. Clearly, they were troubled by Luo Feng's situation as well. This region of the Primordial Chaos Void had stabilized, but Luo Feng's slumber still left them worried.

Luo Feng had obtained many treasures. That was enough to attract the covetous eyes of certain ill-intentioned individuals.

"I examined Luo Feng's condition. It is not optimistic. I fear it will be difficult for him to wake up anytime soon. We must prepare our plans. During Luo Feng's slumber, every crisis can only be handled by us," Yuan said sternly.

With Luo Feng asleep, Yuan was temporarily in control of Dao Peak City.

Upon hearing Yuan's words, the Lords all nodded heavily.

With Luo Feng around before, they had indeed felt an inexplicable sense of ease. Even in the later war of contention, even if their true bodies died, as long as Dao Peak City remained, they could potentially be revived. Naturally, they had been relaxed. But now, everything was different. Not only did they have to protect Dao Peak City, they also had to protect Luo Feng.

Furthermore, Luo Feng's current state was even more likely to draw the attention of certain people. If the sleeping Luo Feng were enslaved, the consequences would be terrifying.

In an instant, immense responsibility fell upon their shoulders.

"The most important thing now is to ensure Luo Feng's safety. With Pu Di Si and Molosa there, there should not be any problem. It is his avatar over at Wind God City that concerns me..." Hong said, worry still in his eyes.

"Pu Di Si should handle that as well," Yuan replied. "However, within Dao Peak City, we must pay special attention to those few. Although they have joined Dao Peak City, Luo Feng's allure is still too great for them. There are some places we cannot allow them to approach."

They had always remained vigilant toward Azure Owl Master, Yi, and the others. After all, those people were far stronger than they were.

"Other than them, there is the matter of our territory."

"The Void Refining Alliance no longer exists. We need to take advantage of Luo Feng's deterrent power and resolve all the issues that need resolving. If we do so now, the resistance should be at its weakest. Once other people flood in later, things will likely become more troublesome. We cannot let what Luo Feng risked his life to secure go to waste, so everyone must make arrangements as soon as possible," Yuan continued.

"Understood." The Lords nodded.

Wind God City, Wind God's residence.

Before long, Azure Owl Master, dressed in an azure robe, arrived at Wind God's tranquil courtyard.

"Azure Owl, come in." A voice came from within the courtyard. Clearly, Wind God had summoned him.

Azure Owl Master immediately entered respectfully.

Upon seeing Wind God, he bowed. "Greetings, Wind God."

At this moment, he had already guessed that Wind God had summoned him because of Luo Feng.

"Why did you not report Luo Feng's slumber to me immediately?" Wind God looked at Azure Owl Master, his brows radiating intense majesty. Clearly, this matter had displeased him.

Naturally, he could not monitor Luo Feng at all times. But Azure Owl Master had clearly been in Dao Peak City and had failed to report it. That was his fault. Mo Zhao had been the one to send Wind God word of it.

Azure Owl Master's expression changed slightly. Lowering his head, he said, "Wind God, Azure Owl guarantees that I had no ulterior motives. I was preparing to report this matter to you, but I did not expect you to summon me directly."

"Hmph." Wind God snorted coldly. "You had better be telling the truth. Sometimes, everything I do is for your sake. Do not think I have wronged you. I know you have your ambitions, and I can completely understand that. But there are some things—if you do not trust me, you will regret it someday."

"Also, I will give you an opportunity. Before Luo Feng awakens, remain in Dao Peak City and protect him. Once he awakens and recovers, if you satisfy me, I will grant you the Eternal Dao Body you desire. You know my friend as well. With his help, if you condense the Karma Eternal Dao Body, your strength will receive its greatest possible enhancement." Wind God looked at Azure Owl Master, who kept his head slightly lowered.

It was the first time he had sensed Wind God's anger toward him, so he did not dare be negligent in the slightest. He promptly replied, "Thank you, Wind God. Azure Owl will certainly accomplish it."

"Mm. You may leave now." With a wave of his hand, Wind God directly sent Azure Owl Master out of the residence.

Once outside, Azure Owl finally breathed a sigh of relief. He had never felt such pressure when facing Wind God before. It felt as though, if Wind God wanted to kill him, even his defensive measures might not be able to withstand it.

"Wind God's strength is probably not as simple as it appears. No wonder those few fellows all have to show him respect," Azure Owl Master thought to himself.

Thinking back to how Fire Emperor, Yao Bang Walker, and Thousand Leaves Earthly Sovereign had all treated Wind God politely, one could imagine that Wind God was likely stronger than all of them.

Now, he had no choice but to obediently follow Wind God's orders.

Meanwhile, after sending Azure Owl Master away, Wind God's figure vanished as well. When he reappeared, he was already within Qi Zheng's small courtyard.

Sensing Wind God's arrival, Qi Zheng said nothing and opened the courtyard gate.

Wind God entered and saw Qi Zheng seated cross-legged atop a meditation cushion.

"Boss Qi, that boy seems to be heading down the wrong path. If he becomes devil, he will not be easy to control. I am already on your ship now. Without him, your affairs will not be easy to handle." The moment Wind God entered, he spoke those words, clearly feeling somewhat frustrated.

When he saw Qi Zheng's unconcerned expression, he felt even more puzzled.

"Everything is fate. I cannot forcibly change it either. If I forcefully help him, I would only be limiting him." Qi Zheng merely smiled. Just as Wind God had observed, he did not seem overly concerned.

"You do not seem very worried about him?" Wind God sat down directly in front of Qi Zheng and poured himself a cup of wine.

"This is his tribulation. If he overcomes it, he will be reborn through nirvana... In the past, when I deduced his future, I felt there was almost no chance of survival. But now, although it is still filled with endless danger, it also holds infinite possibilities. Such an outcome is far better than the previous one." Qi Zheng smiled. That was why he had said he would not interfere with Luo Feng's slumber. Interfering might instead lead to a worse result.

Wind God immediately nodded. So this fellow had already made a divination. At once, he felt somewhat more at ease.

"The space where his homeland lies seems far from simple. Earlier, four half-step God Heaven experts emerged, and they have a major background. I suspect a great power has set its sights on that region. It will not be easy for Dao Peak City to stabilize. You may need to send some subordinates over to help him. Of course, I will make my own arrangements as well. Azure Owl is only one of them. I will let them know that Dao Peak City is a branch of Wind God City. It will depend on whether they are willing to show us respect," Wind God said.

Qi Zheng immediately replied, "There is no need to rush. Watch how things develop. I attempted a simple deduction regarding the appearance of those few, but there was no result. The force behind them is more complicated than we imagined. If possible, I suggest we retreat for now and wait. That would be the best outcome. So long as you do not act, their God Heaven experts will not act either. Since they know of your existence, I believe they will choose a relatively balanced state. It depends on what they do next."

"Of course, I will also arrange for people to help guard Luo Feng. With your power and mine, nothing should happen before he awakens. We can rest assured of that. Moreover, his Emperor Heart can be considered awakened now. Even you and I would find it nearly impossible to enslave him. He should be relatively safe." After speaking, Qi Zheng added another remark.

Wind God nodded and sighed. "I had originally planned to set out soon to search for the Black Emperor's Dark Realm. It seems I will have to delay that and wait until he awakens."