Return, Sudden Change, Innate Secret Technique

"Since Cult Leader Dongfang is already here, why hide like a coward instead of showing yourself?"

Upon hearing Yue Buqun's voice, Ning Zhongze, who was leading Lu Qingshan and the others toward Cliff of Repentance, could not help but stop.

After all, Dongfang Bubai was the demonic cult leader who had terrorized the martial world for more than a decade!

If he had not remained on Blackwood Cliff all these years, the Five Sacred Mountains Sword Sect would likely have suffered devastating losses long ago.

"Heroine Ning, there's no need to worry!"

Having long noticed that Ning Zhongze had broken through to the innate realm, Lu Qingshan smiled and said, "Sect Leader Yue's strength is certainly enough to handle anything. We should go see Qu Yang first!"

"Th-this... all right!"

Remembering Yue Buqun's earlier instructions, Ning Zhongze hesitated for a moment before ultimately continuing to lead Lu Qingshan's group toward Cliff of Repentance.

Before long, the group arrived atop Cliff of Repentance and found Qu Yang playing the zither.

Hearing Qu Yang's music, Liu Zhengfeng did not even need Lu Qingshan's reminder. He took out the xiao flute he carried with him and began accompanying it.

A moment later, the zither and flute melody shifted into the The Smiling, Proud Wanderer Melody.

Lu Qingshan listened intently to their performance, recalling the performances of musicians from his original world. As for the other presence hidden some distance away, he paid it no attention at all.

When Qu Yang and Liu Zhengfeng finished playing, Lu Qingshan could not help but sigh inwardly.

This The Smiling, Proud Wanderer Melody was like the combat secret techniques in Swallowed Star. Only its creator could unleash its greatest power; even if others cultivated it to the extreme, they would still fall slightly short in might.

After Lu Qingshan had obtained the The Smiling, Proud Wanderer Melody from Yue Buqun, he had once had musicians under his command attempt to perform it. It had indeed been pleasant to hear, but compared to Qu Yang and Liu Zhengfeng's performance now, it lacked a measure of carefree abandon.

"This The Smiling, Proud Wanderer Melody is truly something rarely heard in this world!"

With a wave of his hand, two streaks of light flew toward Liu Zhengfeng and Qu Yang. They were the life-extending pills he had previously obtained from Han Li.

"Sir, these are..." Liu Zhengfeng looked at the round, crimson pill in his hand.

"These are two life-extending pills!"

Lu Qingshan smiled. "Taking them should extend your lives by several decades. I hope the two of you can create even finer compositions in the future!"

"This..."

Liu Zhengfeng and Qu Yang stared at the mysterious pills in their hands, both utterly stunned for a moment.

They had heard of pills that could increase one's cultivation, but pills capable of extending one's lifespan? How could that be possible?

Just then, Yue Buqun's voice suddenly rang out.

"Senior Brother Liu, Mr. Qu Yang, since the group leader has given you these life-extending pills, accept them without worry!"

Everyone turned toward the sound and saw Yue Buqun approaching quickly with Pang Bo and the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm. "Don't worry. The group leader would never deceive you. Just accept them and take them with peace of mind!"

After reminding Liu Zhengfeng and Qu Yang, Yue Buqun quickly walked over to Lu Qingshan and apologized. "Group Leader, my apologies for neglecting you just now!"

"No matter!"

Lu Qingshan waved casually. "Being able to hear the complete The Smiling, Proud Wanderer Melody has already made this trip worthwhile. Have you settled matters over there?"

"I'm glad you enjoyed it, Group Leader!"

Yue Buqun hurriedly replied, "I have already slain Dongfang Bubai, the demonic cult leader, and then defeated Zuo Lengchan and the Thirteen Guardians of Mount Song Sect. After witnessing that, no one else dared make a move against me!"

"I had originally intended to cancel the Five Sacred Mountains Assembly, but Mr. Mo Da, Tianmen Daoist, and Abbess Dingxian strongly objected. They then nominated me as the new leader of the Five Sacred Mountains Alliance, so I ultimately accepted. Fa'er and the others are currently entertaining everyone, while I came here with Brother Pang Bo and the others!"

"Group Leader, you should've seen it!"

Pang Bo immediately said from the side, "Old Yue raised his blade and brought it down, killing that neither-male-nor-female Dongfang Bubai in a single move. It scared everyone else silent. Zuo Lengchan of Mount Song Sect was unwilling to let the position of Five Sacred Mountains Alliance leader be taken away, but he was also afraid Old Yue would cut him down with one strike. So he kept saying things like, 'The Five Sacred Mountains Sword Sect shares the same breath and branches. Sparring matches should stop at the right point.' Only when Old Yue told all of Mount Song Sect to attack together did he join the other Thirteen Guardians in besieging Old Yue. In the end, Old Yue knocked them all down in no time!"

Hearing Pang Bo's words, Yue Buqun felt somewhat awkward, but quickly said, "Brother Pang Bo, I used a sword..."

"A blade and a sword are basically the same thing..."

Listening to Yue Buqun and Pang Bo's conversation, Qu Yang was completely dumbfounded.

When he had first seen Yue Buqun appear, he had assumed Yue Buqun had come to confront him face-to-face with those righteous path figures. Yet Yue Buqun had then claimed that he had slain Dongfang Bubai, the demonic cult leader...

But how could that be possible?

As a Protector of the demonic cult, Qu Yang knew very well just how terrifying Dongfang Bubai was!

That exceedingly strange movement technique, those flying needle hidden weapons that no one could guard against...

Even if all five heads of the Five Sacred Mountains Sword Sect attacked together, they likely would not be able to do anything to him!

And now Yue Buqun claimed he had killed Dongfang Bubai alone, and with only one move at that. How could that be possible?

Together with the life-extending pills from earlier, Qu Yang felt as though he were listening to some absurd fantasy...

Lu Qingshan did not care in the slightest what Qu Yang and the others were thinking. He looked directly at Yue Buqun and said, "Since you have settled matters on your end, and I have heard the The Smiling, Proud Wanderer Melody, it is time for me to leave!"

"Group Leader, you're leaving so soon?"

Yue Buqun hurriedly tried to persuade him to stay. "Mount Hua has quite beautiful scenery. You could tour it a little longer. I have also ordered my disciples to prepare a banquet, and I came here this time to invite you to attend!"

"We'll talk about it next time there's a chance!"

Lu Qingshan casually waved his hand, then vanished from where he stood.

Immediately afterward, Han Li and Xiao Yan also bade Yue Buqun farewell, and their figures likewise disappeared.

Cao Cao, Pang Bo, and the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm, however, remained behind at Yue Buqun's urging.

Watching Lu Qingshan and the others vanish as though by magic, Liu Zhengfeng and the others were utterly stunned.

After a while, Ning Zhongze finally walked to Yue Buqun's side and asked softly, "Senior Brother, could that group leader be the great opportunity you told me about before?"

Yue Buqun nodded without changing his expression, then began ushering everyone toward the main hall for the banquet.

During the feast that followed, the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm suddenly revealed its true form, once again leaving Ning Zhongze and the others immensely shocked.

Meanwhile, after passing through the cross-world transmission passage, Lu Qingshan quickly returned to the spacecraft's control room.

Due to the difference in time flow between the two worlds, barely any time had passed on the Swallowed Star side.

Having returned to his original world without detecting anything unusual, Lu Qingshan quickly breathed a sigh of relief and then rapidly moved to merge with his true body.

Just then...

Boom!

The cosmic space around Lu Qingshan instantly froze. Even the expressions on the faces of Lu Qingshan's two avatars froze at once. Blood Red Three, which had been flying through the dark universe, also came to a complete stop, yet it did not leave the dark universe and return to the original universe according to the laws governing the cosmos!

Then, Lu Qingshan felt a mysterious force descend!

This mysterious force carried endless pressure, far surpassing any powerhouse Lu Qingshan had ever encountered. It was utterly impossible to resist, and one could not even summon the thought of resisting it, as though a child were facing their parents...

Just like that, this incredible and miraculous force instantly scanned Lu Qingshan's two avatars. No secret could remain hidden before it...

After easily scanning everything within Lu Qingshan's two avatars, the mysterious power quickly enveloped them both.

"Where is this?"

Lu Qingshan's consciousness looked around in confusion. After his two avatars had been completely enveloped by that mysterious force, his consciousness had appeared in this mysterious place.

It was a mysterious space filled with countless floating motes of light. Every mote seemed to contain unimaginable power, far surpassing any powerhouse Lu Qingshan had ever encountered...

"Could this be a gift from the Primal Universe's origin will?"

Lu Qingshan quickly thought of Luo Feng's experience in the original work, when his Nether Sea avatar had reached the perfect 10,081-fold genetic level and had been granted the innate secret technique, "I Am the Universe." It was exceedingly similar to what he was experiencing now.

"But why would I be granted an innate secret technique?" Lu Qingshan was deeply puzzled.

Suddenly...

Whoosh!

A mote of light in the distance suddenly turned into a streak of light and shot toward Lu Qingshan's consciousness at incredible speed.

It was vastly faster than the speed of light, leaving no time to react!

Sizzle!

Before the thought of dodging could even arise in Lu Qingshan's mind, the mote of light had already touched his consciousness.

Rumble!

Scene after scene flashed continuously through Lu Qingshan's consciousness, as though he had witnessed the birth of the universe, the birth of countless lives, and their eventual destruction!

Immediately afterward, boundless information directly merged into Lu Qingshan's consciousness.

Bang!

Finally, Lu Qingshan's consciousness was kicked directly out of that mysterious space.

In the dark universe corresponding to humanity's territory in the Primal Universe.

A blood-red spacecraft continued moving forward, as though it had never stopped at all.

Inside the spacecraft's control room, Lu Qingshan's two avatars abruptly opened their eyes.

Everything that had just occurred felt like an illusion, but only his consciousness knew that it had not been one.

"An innate secret technique!"

Lu Qingshan was still somewhat dazed. "After entering that mysterious place, my consciousness was actually granted a heaven-defying innate secret technique!"

Lu Qingshan began carefully recalling the innate secret technique he had just received within his consciousness.

Lu Qingshan did not understand any of the mysteries behind this innate secret technique, nor did he know how it had been created. Though it was extremely complex to use, the method of activating it was incomparably clear and etched into his consciousness. He only needed a thought to use it.

Innate Secret Technique—"Avatar"!

Once activated, it would grant him an avatar exactly identical to himself, with no reduction in strength whatsoever. It would be a completely independent individual.

In Swallowed Star, aside from Luo Feng, others had also received gifts from the Primal Universe, such as Lord of Sinking Fire. Clearly, this was not an isolated case...

Still, everyone could guess why the protagonist had obtained an innate secret technique...