Preaching in Zixiao Palace, eavesdropping with a surprise attack.

Chapter 13: The Purple Sky Palace Lecture and a Sneaky Eavesdropping

Luohu!

That name made Lu Chen's hair stand on end.

Demon Ancestor Luohu, the loser of the Dao-Devil War, a being who should have been utterly destroyed in body and spirit—could a remnant of his soul really still exist?!

And... it was tangled up with the remnants of Ancestral Dragon and Yuanfeng?

"Senior, you jest." Lu Chen forced down his shock and bowed. "This junior only escaped by sheer luck. I have no great future ahead of me."

The black-robed figure slowly approached. Demonic energy surged like a tide, but Zhen Yuanzi's Earth Book held it back three zhang away.

"Luck?" Luohu's remnant chuckled. Beneath his indistinct features, a hint of amusement seemed to show. "You saw through the Three Clans' trap, toyed with four Quasi-Saints, and even used fake violet qi to let Hong Yun touch the threshold of Quasi-Sainthood. If that was luck, then there wouldn't be a single clever person left in the Primordial World."

Lu Chen's heart tightened.

Had this guy been watching from the shadows the whole time?!

"Senior flatters me." He didn't dare say more.

The phantom of Ancestral Dragon spoke up, his dragon eyes fixed on Lu Chen. "Young one, there's... the aura of my reverse scale on you."

Yuanfeng's phantom also spoke, her voice cool and clear. "And the pulse of my heart core."

The gazes of the two clan leaders' remnants were like blades, as if they meant to see right through Lu Chen.

Lu Chen broke out in a cold sweat, but kept his expression calm. "This junior picked up some fragments at the edge of the battlefield and was lucky enough to refine a trace of their auras."

"Is that so?" Luohu's remnant said meaningfully. "Then what about the Kirin Heart Core? And... the finger bone of a Chaos Kirin's corpse?"

Lu Chen's pupils contracted.

How did this guy know so much?!

"What exactly are you getting at, Senior?" Hong Yun stepped forward, the Nine-Nine Soul Scattering Gourd at the ready. "If you want to make trouble for my little friend Lu Chen, you'll have to get past me first!"

Light blazed from Zhen Yuanzi's Earth Book. "That's right."

Luohu's remnant waved a hand. "Don't be nervous. I'm only a wisp of a remnant soul now. I can't beat the three of you. It's just..."

He paused, his voice turning enticing. "Little friend, you've collected the Three Clans' relics and carry Sky-Opening Merit. Clearly, you have grand ambitions. But the road through the Primordial World isn't an easy one. Hongjun is preaching, Saints are about to emerge, and beneath the Heavenly Dao, everyone is an ant. Escaping the game will be difficult."

Lu Chen fell silent.

Luohu continued, "Why not work with me? Though I was defeated, the Devil Dao's legacy remains, along with secret arts left behind by the Chaos Demon Gods. Helping you prove the Dao through Strength is certainly possible."

Proving the Dao through Strength!

Those four words made Lu Chen's heart jolt.

That was precisely his deepest-hidden goal: not to become a Saint through Merit, nor through Slaying the Three Corpses, but to follow Pangu's path!

"Why choose me, Senior?" Lu Chen stared at Luohu.

"Because you're clever enough, and ruthless enough." Luohu's remnant smiled. "Sneak attacks, snatching treasures, framing others—that style suits my tastes. More importantly, you carry the aura of the 'One that Escaped.' The Heavenly Dao can't fully calculate your fate."

The One that Escaped? Lu Chen remembered Hongjun saying something similar.

"What do I need to do?" he asked.

"Nothing for now." Luohu's remnant tossed out a black token. "This is the Demon Abyss Token. It will let you enter the Demon Abyss once. When you break through to Quasi-Sainthood, come find me again. Then I'll give you a great gift."

The token floated before Lu Chen. It was pitch-black, with the character "Demon" engraved on the front and an image of a Chaos Demon God's sacrifice on the back.

Lu Chen hesitated.

Accepting it meant becoming entangled in a cause and effect with the Demon Ancestor.

But if he refused... he might miss an incredible opportunity.

"Little friend, be careful," Zhen Yuanzi warned him telepathically. "The Devil Dao's cause and effect is hard to escape once you're tainted by it."

Hong Yun also shook his head.

Lu Chen took a deep breath and reached out to accept the token.

"If the opportunity arises, this junior will certainly pay you a visit."

"A wise choice." Luohu's remnant laughed loudly as his figure began to fade. "Remember, the Demon Abyss lies beneath Mount Sumeru in the west. Also... beware of Hongjun. Not everything he teaches is necessarily true."

As his voice faded, the remnant and the two clan leaders' phantoms vanished together.

Chaos returned to silence.

After a long while, Zhen Yuanzi sighed. "Little friend, you're taking too many risks."

Lu Chen rubbed the token and smiled wryly. "This junior knows. But the road through the Primordial World is a struggle against fate itself. Whether it's the Devil Dao or the Daoist Tradition, I'll use whatever I can."

Hong Yun looked thoughtful. "That last thing Luohu said... that not everything the Dao Ancestor teaches is true?"

"Perhaps." Lu Chen put away the token. "But for now, we should return to the Primordial World. The Dragon-Phoenix Calamity has ended, and the Heavenly Dao's Merit is about to descend. This is a great opportunity."

The three didn't delay any longer and hurried back at full speed.

Ten days later, at the border of the Primordial World.

In the distance, tribulation energy stained the sky and earth red, but it had already begun to dissipate. A faint golden light soared into the sky in the direction of Buzhou Mountain. Heavenly Dao Merit was gathering!

"The karmic burden of the Three Clans has been settled. Merit is about to descend," Zhen Yuanzi said.

Lu Chen suddenly stopped. "Seniors, go on ahead. This junior has some private business to attend to."

"What are you going to do, little friend?" Hong Yun asked.

"Pick up a few things." Lu Chen grinned. "No one should be watching over the Three Clans' battlefield now."

Zhen Yuanzi and Hong Yun exchanged glances, both wearing helpless expressions. This kid really never left anything behind.

"Be careful," they reminded him before heading back to Wuzhuang Temple.

Lu Chen turned around and flew toward the battlefield at Buzhou Mountain.

The closer he got, the thicker the baleful energy became.

The once-vast battlefield was now piled high with corpses, and rivers of blood ran across the ground. Dragon corpses, phoenix remains, and kirin bones lay everywhere, many still radiating powerful auras.

"I'm rich..."

Lu Chen's eyes lit up as he unfurled the Qiankun Diagram and began collecting everything in sight.

Dragon Pearls, phoenix feathers, kirin horns—these were all top-tier materials for refining treasures and elixirs.

Dragon sinews, phoenix plumes, kirin hide—these could be made into robes and armor.

More importantly, there were fragments of Innate Spiritual Treasures scattered about!

They were broken, but their materials remained. They could be reforged into new treasures.

Lu Chen picked out only the finest pieces. In just half a day, a mountain of treasures had piled up inside the Qiankun Diagram.

"That should do it. Time to leave... Hmm?"

He suddenly sensed a faint fluctuation deep in the battlefield.

It came from a flattened valley. At its center was a hundred-zhang-deep pit, with a broken black spear stuck at the bottom. The spear shaft had snapped, leaving only half of it, but its aura made the axe-handle fragment inside Lu Chen tremble!

"Is this... a God-Slaying Spear Fragment?!" Lu Chen's heart raced.

The God-Slaying Spear was Luohu's companion treasure, an ominous treasure of the Heavenly Dao that could wound a Saint's Primordial Spirit! It had shattered during the Dao-Devil War. Could a piece really have fallen here?

He rushed into the pit and reached to pull it out.

"Buzz—"

The spear suddenly burst into black light, and a wave of baleful energy shot straight at his Primordial Spirit!

"Not good!" Lu Chen hurriedly activated his Golden Light of Merit to protect himself.

But the baleful energy was too overbearing. It pierced through the golden light and invaded his sea of consciousness.

Just as his Primordial Spirit was about to be corrupted, the Demon Abyss Token in his robes suddenly grew hot. A gentle demonic energy surged out and absorbed the baleful energy.

"The Demon Abyss Token can do that too?" Lu Chen said in surprise.

Taking advantage of the moment, he pulled out the spearhead fragment. It was only the size of his palm, but it was as heavy as a star in his hand. Dark-red blood still stained its tip. He had no idea which great expert it belonged to.

"Mine!"

He had barely put the fragment away when brilliant golden light suddenly flooded the sky.

"Rumble—"

Heavenly Dao Merit had descended!

A rain of golden light fell from the heavens, most of it flying to all corners of the Primordial World. It was a reward for the cultivators who had protected living beings and upheld the world during the calamity.

The largest stream split into three, flying in three different directions:

One portion fell toward Mount Sumeru in the west, the future home of Jieyin and Zhunti.

One portion fell toward Kunlun Mountain, where the Three Pure Ones were.

One portion fell toward Buzhou Mountain, where the Witch Clan was.

A thin strand also drifted toward Lu Chen. It was no thicker than a hair, but it was definitely Merit!

"Because I picked up corpses... No, because I cleared the baleful energy from the battlefield, does that count as helping uphold the world?" Lu Chen grinned.

Even a mosquito's leg was meat. He hurriedly absorbed it.

As the Merit entered his body, his cultivation instantly broke through to the mid-stage of Grand Unity Golden Immortal!

"Wonderful!"

He was about to leave when he noticed a dozen or so thicker columns of Merit among the golden rain, flying in different directions.

"Are those... future great experts of renown?" Lu Chen narrowed his eyes.

One of the columns flew toward the Eastern Sea.

"The Eastern Sea? At this point in time, who are the great experts there... The East Prince? The Queen Mother of the West?"

His thoughts began to race.

The East Prince would later be named the leader of the male immortals, but would eventually be killed by Di Jun and Taiyi. The Queen Mother of the West, meanwhile, would be named the leader of the female immortals and quietly live in seclusion on Kunlun Mountain.

"Should I... steal a little?"

Lu Chen licked his lips, but quickly shook his head.

Merit was bestowed by the Heavenly Dao. Stealing it would bring a backlash. But... what if he merely "picked up" some that nobody wanted?

He scanned the area and, sure enough, spotted tiny specks of Merit with no owner, slowly fading away.

"These must have been rewards for cultivators who died in the calamity. Their owners are dead, so the Merit is ownerless."

Lu Chen quietly approached and collected them with the Qiankun Diagram. He didn't dare take much, picking up only a dozen or so specks.

Even so, his total Merit doubled!

"Quit while I'm ahead." He withdrew at once.

After flying ten thousand li from the battlefield, Lu Chen found a cave, set up a restriction, and began counting his spoils.

Materials were piled like mountains, and there were hundreds of fragments of spiritual treasures. Naturally, the most precious were the God-Slaying Spear Fragment and the Merit.

"I'll sort everything out after I get back to Wuzhuang Temple."

He meditated for three days until he had recovered to his peak, then headed for Wuzhuang Temple.

Longevity Mountain, Wuzhuang Temple.

Hong Yun and Zhen Yuanzi had already returned and were discussing the Dao beneath the Ginseng Fruit Tree.

Seeing Lu Chen arrive, Hong Yun smiled. "How did you fare, little friend?"

"Not bad." Lu Chen glossed over it and changed the subject. "Seniors, what are your plans now?"

"Daoist Priest intends to go into seclusion and study the Earth Immortal Dao," Zhen Yuanzi said. "Hong Yun needs to consolidate his insights into Quasi-Sainthood."

Hong Yun nodded. "I came away from this disaster with unexpected gains. I touched the threshold of Quasi-Sainthood, but I'll need to cultivate diligently before I can truly break through."

Lu Chen thought for a moment, then took out the three Kirin Eggs—the last embers of the clan.

"Senior, these are the Kirin Clan's last descendants. This junior can't raise them. Could I leave them in Wuzhuang Temple?"

Zhen Yuanzi was moved. "The bloodline of a Chaos Kirin? Where did you get these, little friend?"

"I found them beneath Kirin Cliff," Lu Chen said, half-truthfully. "Shi Qilin entrusted them to me on his deathbed, hoping to leave the clan a chance to survive."

Hong Yun sighed. "The Three Clans committed many evils, but their extinction is still a tragedy."

Zhen Yuanzi accepted them solemnly. "I'll take good care of them. Once they hatch, I can raise them as guardian beasts of the mountain."

Lu Chen also took out some rare materials from the Dragon Clan and Phoenix Clan and gave them to the two.

"This time, I owe much to your help, Seniors. These small gifts are hardly worthy of your kindness."

Zhen Yuanzi tried to refuse, but eventually had no choice but to accept them.

The three discussed the Dao for several more months, and Lu Chen gained a great deal.

Before he left, Hong Yun suddenly asked, "Little friend, will you attend the Purple Sky Palace's second lecture in three thousand years?"

"I will." Lu Chen nodded. "My cultivation may be low, but there's no harm in listening."

"Then let's go together when the time comes," Hong Yun said with a smile. "With you around, the trip won't be boring."

Lu Chen cupped his hands in farewell.

After leaving Wuzhuang Temple, he didn't return to the Qiankun Diagram to cultivate in seclusion. Instead, he flew to the western side of Buzhou Mountain. There was a natural formation there, marked on his jade slip as a [Safe Cultivation Site].

Beyond the formation lay a hidden world, rich in spiritual energy, with an Innate Spiritual Spring as well.

"It's time to break through."

Lu Chen took out all his spoils and began his seclusion.