Daoist Lu Ya

"Poor Daoist Lu Ya."

"I have come today to meet fellow Daoist Zhao Gongming."

The voice was not loud.

Yet the instant Lin Yuan heard that name, his back tightened slightly.

Lu Ya.

He had finally arrived.

He was different from Xiao Sheng and Cao Bao.

Though the Falling Treasure Coin in those two men's hands countered the Sea-Calming Pearls, the true danger, when all was said and done, was merely losing a magic treasure.

Lu Ya—

This man was the most deadly link in Zhao Gongming's destined fatal tribulation.

The Nail-Head Seven-Arrows Book.

Twenty-One-Day Soul Worship.

Killing without a trace.

The most troublesome part was that, in the original story, after Zhao Gongming fell victim to it, he did not even know at first why his condition was steadily worsening.

Such methods.

Were far more troublesome than facing a blade head-on.

In a direct battle of Dao arts.

Zhao Gongming truly feared no one.

Let ten or eight experts come.

He would fight them all.

But curses were like sleeping at home while someone, from who knew how many tens of thousands of miles away, hung a continuous health-draining debuff on you.

And the crucial part was that no notification even popped up.

Lin Yuan's gaze at Lu Ya instantly became exceptionally wary.

Lu Ya noticed him as well.

"Why has this young Daoist friend been staring at Poor Daoist?"

Lin Yuan immediately concealed his expression.

"It is my first time meeting Senior."

"I was curious."

Lu Ya smiled.

He did not press the matter further.

But Zhao Gongming had already ridden his black tiger to the front.

"Lu Ya?"

"Poor Daoist has heard this name."

"I hear that your origins are mysterious, and that you roam the Primordial World all year round."

"Have you come to West Qi today to aid the Explanatory Sect as well?"

Lu Ya shook his head.

"Poor Daoist has no master-disciple ties with the Explanatory Sect."

"I have merely come in accordance with the number of Heaven."

Zhao Gongming laughed upon hearing this.

"The number of Heaven again."

"Recently, Poor Daoist has heard those words so often that calluses are about to grow on my ears."

"How is it that every one of you knows the number of Heaven?"

"And only Poor Daoist does not?"

Lu Ya did not get angry either.

"Heavenly secrets cannot be fully spoken."

Standing behind them, Lin Yuan nearly rolled his eyes.

This line of reasoning was a universal stock phrase in the Primordial World.

If something could not be explained.

Heavenly secrets.

If one did not wish to explain it.

Still heavenly secrets.

If one truly could not make anything up anymore.

Heavenly secrets must not be divulged.

A perfect closed loop.

Zhao Gongming was clearly too lazy to listen any further.

"Since you say you came to face Poor Daoist."

"Then make your move."

The twenty-four Sea-Calming Pearls rose into the air once more.

Yet Lu Ya did not immediately bring out any powerful magic treasure.

Instead, he simply unfurled an escape technique and circled around Zhao Gongming.

The first Sea-Calming Pearl came smashing down.

Lu Ya dodged it.

The second followed close behind.

It was evaded as well.

Zhao Gongming gradually increased the intensity of his attacks.

The twenty-four Sea-Calming Pearls formed a vast expanse of five-colored divine light.

Yet Lu Ya's movement technique was exceedingly peculiar.

Each time he seemed about to be struck.

His body would transform into a streak of rainbow light and flee at the very last moment.

Lin Yuan narrowed his eyes.

Very fast.

It surpassed his current Wind-Thunder Escape by who knew how many levels.

But what truly caught his attention was—

From beginning to end, Lu Ya had never clashed head-on with Zhao Gongming.

Nor did he seem to possess any strong desire to win.

It was as though he were simply observing.

Observing Zhao Gongming's attacks.

Observing the Sea-Calming Pearls.

Even...

Observing everyone in the Shang Camp.

"Something is wrong."

Lin Yuan said quietly.

Wen Zhong stood beside him.

"What is wrong?"

"He said he came to battle in Dao arts."

"But until now, there has not been a single direct clash."

"With his cultivation realm, it is impossible that he cannot even manage one counterattack."

Wen Zhong frowned as well upon hearing this.

On the battlefield.

Zhao Gongming was clearly growing impatient too.

"Lu Ya!"

"If all you can do is flee."

"Then let us end this today."

Lu Ya dodged another Sea-Calming Pearl.

Then smiled and said:

"Fellow Daoist Zhao's divine abilities are vast."

"And these twenty-four Sea-Calming Pearls truly live up to their fame."

"Poor Daoist has learned much today."

"We shall not fight further for now."

The moment he said he would stop, he stopped.

His entire body transformed into a long rainbow.

He truly prepared to leave directly.

Zhao Gongming was momentarily stunned.

"What a baffling fellow."

He did not pursue him either.

Lu Ya had shown no obvious hostility.

At least, not on the surface.

Nor were the two sides enemies locked in a fight to the death.

Since the man wished to leave.

Zhao Gongming naturally would not chase him across the entire Primordial World.

Yet Lin Yuan kept staring in the direction where Lu Ya had vanished.

Alarm bells blared in his heart.

Something was far too wrong.

He had come all this way.

Flown circles around Zhao Gongming for half the day.

Done nothing substantial whatsoever.

Then said he had learned much.

And left.

If Lu Ya were truly so idle.

The Primordial World was so vast—where could he not travel for sightseeing?

Why had he specifically come to check in at the Shang-Zhou battlefield?

After Zhao Gongming returned to camp.

Seeing that Lin Yuan was still frowning, he could not help but smile.

"What?"

"Do you sense danger again?"

Lin Yuan was not joking.

He nodded seriously.

"Yes."

The smile on Zhao Gongming's face slowly faded.

By now, he knew how formidable Lin Yuan's unusual spiritual intuition was.

Wang Mo and the other three.

The Ten Heavenly Lords.

Every time something had gone wrong before.

Lin Yuan's warnings had been almost entirely accurate.

"From Lu Ya?"

"Very likely."

Lin Yuan answered.

"But this disciple cannot say what it is."

That was the truth.

He knew about the Nail-Head Seven-Arrows Book.

But where exactly the altar would be set up.

When Lu Ya would begin casting the spell.

The Primordial World was so vast.

Lin Yuan could not possibly remember an exact set of coordinates from a novel he had read in his previous life.

This was also the most troublesome part of Zhao Gongming's tribulation.

He knew the enemy would fire a cold arrow.

But he did not know where the arrow would come from.

Zhao Gongming pondered for a moment.

"Then remain more vigilant."

"Poor Daoist will not leave the Shang Camp for the time being."

"If he really had some trick up his sleeve."

"It would show itself eventually."

Lin Yuan nodded.

For now, that was all they could do.

Over the next few days,

West Qi was unusually quiet.

Lu Ya did not appear again.

The Explanatory Sect did not take the initiative to duel Zhao Gongming again.

Everything seemed to have returned to how it was just after the battle of the Ten Ultimate Formation ended.

Yet Lin Yuan grew increasingly uneasy.

Within his Innate Spiritual Perception,

the danger aimed at Zhao Gongming had not diminished.

Instead, it thickened bit by bit like dark clouds gathering overhead.

On the morning of the fifth day,

Lin Yuan had just finished cultivating

when he heard a burst of laughter outside the military tent.

Zhao Gongming was speaking with Wang Mo and the others.

Everything looked normal.

The seventh day.

Normal.

The ninth day.

Still normal.

Lin Yuan even began to wonder whether Lu Ya had yet to bring out the Nail-Head Seven-Arrows Book.

Until the night of the tenth day.

He was in his military tent, contemplating the insights into formations left behind by the Ten Ultimate Formation.

Suddenly,

his Innate Spiritual Perception gave a savage stab.

Lin Yuan's eyes flew open.

Not him.

This danger came from the main tent beside his.

Zhao Gongming!

Without the slightest hesitation, Lin Yuan unleashed Wind-Thunder Escape.

Boom!

His figure appeared outside Zhao Gongming's tent.

A slightly irritated voice came from within.

"Who is it?"

"Disciple Lin Yuan."

Lin Yuan lifted the curtain and entered.

Zhao Gongming was seated cross-legged inside.

He did not appear injured.

There was no obvious abnormality in his mana either.

But compared to the past few days,

there was an inescapable trace of weariness between his brows.

"Martial Uncle."

"How are you feeling today?"

Zhao Gongming frowned.

"It's nothing serious."

"It's just that, for some reason..."

He raised a hand and pressed his brow. "These past two days, I've always felt somewhat restless."

"Just now, while cultivating, my head even hurt for a moment."

Zhao Gongming spoke casually.

As though he were mentioning some trivial matter of no consequence.

Lin Yuan's gaze turned completely cold.

It had begun.