Battle with Randeng, Obtaining the Cosmos Ruler

In the nameless forests to the north.

An Immortal Deer, snow-white all over without a trace of another color, held a ruler-shaped treasure in its mouth. It was slightly curved, one end about four fingers wide and the other narrowing to only three fingers wide.

The Immortal Deer moved with extraordinary agility through the forest, each leap carrying it several yards.

A streak of rosy light flashed past. It was Li Yu, who had arrived at the scene.

The strange sight startled the Immortal Deer. It glanced at Li Yu, then leaped deeper into the mountains without looking back. Li Yu did not rush after it. No matter how agile the deer was, it could not escape his grasp.

Calculating with his fingers, Li Yu was startled and muttered, "It's actually the Cosmos Ruler!"

The Cosmos Ruler was an innate spiritual treasure, though only an ordinary one. It could not compare to his companion treasure, the Pure World White Lotus. Still, he was currently short on spiritual treasures and had no right to be picky.

"Wretched beast, where do you think you're going?!"

Li Yu did not move. He merely shouted in the direction where the Immortal Deer had fled. Before long, the deer returned, the Cosmos Ruler still clenched in its mouth. It obediently approached Li Yu, loosened its jaws, and placed the ruler on the ground.

With a sweep of his sleeve, Li Yu drew the Cosmos Ruler into his hand.

"Hold it right there, Fellow Daoist. This treasure is destined for me. Return it at once, lest you bring ruin upon yourself!"

Those words sounded remarkably familiar!

Li Yu looked toward the voice and saw a man with a coffin-like face, holding a palace lantern and glaring at him with an unfriendly expression.

"Who are you? This treasure has already fallen into my hands, so how could it be destined for you?" Li Yu countered, remaining secretly on guard. The Pure World White Lotus was already stirring, ready to be deployed at any moment.

"I am Randeng!"

The moment he heard that name, countless matters came to Li Yu's mind. This man would one day become the Chan Sect's deputy leader, only to later join the Western Religion after the Investiture of the Gods.

Li Yu did not know whether the schemes of Saints were involved, but he did not have a favorable impression of Randeng.

However, the Cosmos Ruler had indeed originally belonged to Randeng. Even so, Li Yu had now made up his mind to contend for it.

Li Yu lacked treasures, especially offensive spiritual treasures, but he was not so greedy as to seize everything in sight. If Randeng had spoken politely from the beginning, Li Yu might not have pressed the matter. He could have let the Cosmos Ruler go.

Yet Randeng had opened with threats. That meant Li Yu could not give it back. Giving it back would mean admitting fear. Since he intended to make his way in the Primordial World, he could not be careless about saving face. Saints were not the only ones who cared about their dignity.

Randeng continued, "The Cosmos Ruler is destined for me and should rightfully be mine. If you remain stubborn, do not blame me for showing no mercy!"

The instant he finished speaking, Randeng made his move. With a toss of his hand, a golden pagoda descended upon Li Yu to suppress him.

Hmph!

Li Yu was angered. Randeng truly did not take him seriously. This pagoda was called the Golden Exquisite Pagoda. Though it was an innate spiritual treasure, it was actually inferior even to the Cosmos Ruler. How could it possibly harm him?

With a sweep of his sleeve, he sent the Cosmos Ruler he had just acquired flying straight at the Golden Exquisite Pagoda.

Smack!

The spiritual treasures collided with a crisp crack. After being struck by the Cosmos Ruler, the Golden Exquisite Pagoda spun wildly and flew back into Randeng's hand. Li Yu also recalled the Cosmos Ruler.

"Is that all?" Li Yu looked at Randeng with a faint, mocking smile.

"Ha! You bandit! I had intended to spare your life, but you refuse to recognize the will of heaven. You are fated to die by my hand!" Randeng roared.

With that, Randeng wielded the Golden Exquisite Pagoda in one hand and threw out one hundred and eight prayer beads with the other. Two innate spiritual treasures flew toward Li Yu.

Li Yu also grew serious and activated the Pure World White Lotus. The enormous lotus platform, seemingly real yet illusory, protected him at its center.

The Pure World White Lotus slowly rotated, sending wave after wave of ripples outward without end.

The Golden Exquisite Pagoda and the one hundred and eight prayer beads were blocked outside by the ripples, unable to approach Li Yu's body.

Break!

Li Yu shouted softly.

The Pure World White Lotus suddenly bloomed with radiant light, releasing a powerful ripple that surged in all directions. Under the impact of that ripple, the Golden Exquisite Pagoda and the one hundred and eight prayer beads let out a faint, almost imperceptible wail before streaking back into Randeng's hands like streams of light.

Randeng's expression changed drastically. His two spiritual treasures had actually failed to withstand even a single strike from Li Yu's treasure.

Looking again at the spiritual treasure protecting Li Yu, Randeng's heart went cold. Aside from its different color, it looked exactly like the Twelve-Petaled Merit Golden Lotus he had once seen while traveling in the west!

The Twelve-Petaled Merit Golden Lotus was Daoist Jieyin's top-grade innate spiritual treasure. This white lotus was likely the same!

Randeng did not dare be careless. He immediately took out his companion spiritual treasure, the Coffin Palace Lantern.

Seeing Randeng produce his companion treasure, Li Yu became even more cautious and poured great mana into the Pure World White Lotus.

Randeng blew a breath of clear qi toward the Coffin Palace Lantern's wick. The wick then released flames that filled the sky like a sea of fire, burning toward Li Yu.

The Pure World White Lotus shone brilliantly and raised a domain, firmly blocking the flames outside!

Not good!

At that moment, Li Yu discovered that Randeng had transformed into a streak of rosy light and was fleeing into the distance.

That move had merely been a feint to deceive him and conceal Randeng's intention to escape.

Having been fooled by such a petty trick, Li Yu's anger flared. He immediately broke through the sea of fire and chased after Randeng. Along the way, he launched the Cosmos Ruler at him.

The Cosmos Ruler truly lived up to the name "Cosmos." It was incredibly fast, instantly catching up to Randeng and striking his back five times in rapid succession.

Randeng spat out five mouthfuls of blood, but he had already fled to the horizon, beyond Li Yu's reach.

Watching Randeng vanish into the sky, Li Yu shook his head and thought, I should move my dojo out of Mount Kunlun.

Randeng would later become the Chan Sect's deputy leader. That was a great sect established by Primordial Saint Yuanshi, and Mount Kunlun would become the Chan Sect's main base. If Li Yu kept his dojo on Mount Kunlun, he would only be asking for trouble.

Li Yu's dojo on Mount Kunlun was extremely simple. Abandoning it would not cost him anything.

When he returned to where he had been, Li Yu found that the Immortal Deer was still there, though it had hidden in a corner and was trembling.

The Cosmos Ruler had appeared in the Immortal Deer's mouth. By all rights, the deer should have been its true owner, but the laws of the Primordial World clearly did not work that way.

Still, having obtained this spiritual treasure, Li Yu had formed a karmic entanglement with the Immortal Deer.

After thinking it over, Li Yu said, "Today, I have taken the Cosmos Ruler, so I shall grant you a stroke of fortune. Are you willing to remain at my side as my mount? I will teach you the methods of cultivation."

The Immortal Deer was already a spiritual creature and understood Li Yu's words. It immediately knelt on its front legs and pressed its forehead to the ground in a deep bow.

That meant it was willing!

Li Yu waved his sleeve. Clouds formed beneath his feet, lifting both him and the Immortal Deer into the air.

Obtaining the Cosmos Ruler this time was an unexpected delight, but it did not interrupt Li Yu's plans to travel the Primordial World. Instead, he continued eastward.

Along the way, he busied himself refining the Cosmos Ruler and guiding the Immortal Deer in cultivation. Whenever he gained an insight himself, he would stop to enter seclusion and cultivate.

And so, after traveling leisurely across the Wild Continent for many years, Li Yu finally reached the shores of the Eastern Sea.