Holy Son

After leaving the Taixuan Sect, Lu Chen roamed the mountains of the Great Wilderness, beginning his study of Source Arts. With the wondrous techniques of a Source Heavenly Master, he traced dragon veins, gathered rare spirit medicines, and explored the source deposits beneath the earth.

When it came to source veins formed from condensed worldly essence, the Northern Region of the Eastern Wilderness had the richest. It was the chief source-mining region of the entire Big Dipper Ancient Star, and those deposits were also the root of its chaos.

The Southern Region had far fewer source veins. Any large deposits that occasionally appeared were seized by supreme powers such as the holy lands and Desolate Ancient Families. Independent cultivators could forget about getting a share of the spoils.

Even so, Lu Chen was in no hurry to head to the Northern Region. Instead, he practiced his Source Arts in the Great Wilderness of the Southern Region.

During this time, he found several small veins and mined modest amounts of pure source to support his cultivation. He had now reached the dao palace second heaven, making astonishingly swift progress.

One day, he entered a small city and found a tavern where cultivators gathered, picking up news of the major events in the Southern Region.

"More than two years, and the Various Holy Lands lost countless disciples, only to fall short at the final hurdle and come away empty-handed!"

"Indeed! The Azure Emperor's Yin Tomb ultimately sank beneath the earth veins of the Eastern Wasteland, leaving only the Primordial Ruins, where resentment soared to the heavens like a realm of ghosts."

An elderly cultivator sighed.

"Being a disciple of a holy land or great sect isn't so easy, either. They enjoyed abundant cultivation resources in ordinary times, but now they've become heaps of white bones in the Demon Emperor's Tomb, their blood staining the earth."

"The supreme treasure of the Eastern Wasteland—the Desolate Pagoda—will probably vanish forever with the Emperor Tomb."

"Impossible!" A cultivator shook his head. "The Desolate Pagoda has existed alongside the Eastern Wasteland. One day, it will surely emerge again."

"True! Legend says it can suppress and kill even immortals, so naturally it endures without perishing. Perhaps after long ages, it will reappear, choose someone destined for it, and blaze with undying, radiant immortal light."

The Desolate Pagoda!

Listening to the news of the Various Holy Lands' assault on the Qing Emperor's Tomb, Lu Chen shook his head slightly. He had long known this would be the outcome.

The Azure Emperor had never died. Instead, he had suppressed the divine spirit of the immortal artifact, the Desolate Pagoda, and was using his supreme primordial spirit within it to forge a world where people could live forever, displaying tremendous boldness.

Without seeking the Immortal Domain or relying on the outside world, he intended to create a land of immortality through his own strength alone. Across the endless ages, how many could stand shoulder to shoulder with the Azure Emperor?

The emperor's tomb had now sunk into the earth veins, likely because the Azure Emperor had grown utterly sick of the Various Holy Lands and deliberately made it happen. Otherwise, even if it had remained there for another ten thousand years, no one could have opened it.

Over the following month, Lu Chen traveled between towns and cities, visiting many places where cultivators gathered, and learned of another major event.

Not long before, some important figures from the Yaoguang Holy Land and the Ji and Jiang Families had suffered grievous injuries during the assault on the Emperor Tomb. With death close at hand, they hoped to prolong their lives using the divine medicines within the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Land.

But everyone they sent was wiped out. Not a single person emerged alive, unleashing an enormous uproar and once again revealing the terror of a Life Forbidden Zone to the world-living beings must go no farther.

Who besides Ye Fan could gather the divine medicines in the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Land?

After staying in the towns for a while, Lu Chen once again entered the sparsely inhabited forests of the Great Wilderness. The Source Arts passed down by the First-Generation Source Heavenly Master were no less profound than the ancient scriptures created by ancient sages. Mastering them was no overnight undertaking; it required constant insight and practice.

One day, while using wondrous techniques to search for source veins in a wilderness stretching a million li, he happened to spot a spirit beast the size of a village dog darting past. Strangely, it was actually a mouse, its Purple-Gold fur giving off a faint glow.

At first, Lu Chen paid it little attention. Although people were scarce in this vast wilderness, Spirit Birds and Exotic Beasts abounded. Occasionally, one could even see terrifying savage beasts comparable to mighty cultivators of the Human Race.

Whoosh...

Suddenly, three divine rainbows flew swiftly over from the distance. One of the men wore purple and was a handsome young man in his twenties. They glanced casually at Lu Chen without showing the slightest intention of acknowledging him, then continued pursuing the purple mouse.

People from the Purple Mansion Holy Land. Are they chasing that mouse?

When coming to the Southern Region, Lu Chen had traveled through the Purple Mansion Holy Land's Void Domain Gate, so he had seen its distinctive emblem and sensed the aura of the cultivation methods practiced by its disciples.

The Various Holy Lands and other great powers all had distinctive emblems of their own sects. Their disciples usually wore these emblems embroidered on their collars, sleeves, or elsewhere on their clothing. They represented their identities, allowing others to recognize at a glance which great power they belonged to.

The three men who had just passed all wore an embroidered image of a Daoist temple wreathed in clouds and mist on their sleeves-the emblem of the Purple Mansion Holy Land.

Disciples of the Various Holy Lands generally did not conceal their identities when traveling outside. After all, those identities were symbols of pride and superiority, and most cultivators would give them a wide berth.

Three people from the Purple Mansion Holy Land chasing a mouse through the Great Wilderness? What's going on? Lu Chen was puzzled.

Judging by their auras, they're only around the dao palace realm. I'll follow and take a look.

He rose into the air, transformed into a streak of light, and shot forth like lightning, quietly following them.

"Senior brother, we're truly lucky to have encountered a Treasure-Seeking Mouse in this wilderness," one of the men flying ahead said, his voice carrying a note of delight.

"A rare creature like this is the finest spirit beast for hunting treasure. You might not see one in a thousand years. We absolutely cannot let it escape," the other man said.

Brilliant purple light shone from the eyes of the handsome, purple-robed man in the middle as he fixed his gaze on the Purple-Gold mouse racing through the wilderness. "Once we catch that spirit mouse, searching for spirit medicines and treasures will become dozens of times easier."

The three rode their divine rainbows, swift as lightning, but the dog-sized mouse was no slouch either. For a time, they could not catch up.

Meanwhile, Lu Chen concealed his aura and followed far behind them.

The chase stretched for several hundred li before the Purple-Gold mouse finally disappeared into a valley.

The three disciples of the Purple Mansion Holy Land pursued it inside, and Lu Chen quietly followed.

Boom!

Suddenly, an enormous purple sword ray, a hundred zhang long, slashed down at him like lightning.

They spotted me! Lu Chen remained calm and instantly shifted sideways, evading the fierce sword ray.

"So it's you, brat. You actually dared to follow us? Do you have a death wish?" The three men from the Purple Mansion Holy Land stood there amid spreading purple mist, staring at him with icy eyes. Though their earlier glance had been brief, all three remembered seeing him.

"What is the meaning of this?" Lu Chen could roughly gauge their cultivation and felt no fear. He smiled. "Don't tell me this boundless wilderness all belongs to your Purple Mansion Holy Land."

The purple-robed man's expression was cold. Unwilling to waste any time, he said, "No need to talk to him. Kill him."

Then he turned and pursued his quarry deeper into the valley. The Treasure-Seeking Mouse was what mattered to him now; he paid no heed to Lu Chen's appearance.

"Yes, senior brother Holy Son," the other two replied respectfully before turning to attack.

The Purple Mansion Holy Son. Lu Chen sighed softly. He had not expected such a coincidence-to encounter the future inheritor of the Purple Mansion Holy Land's core legacy.

Clang...

Purple mist spread, brilliant light flashed, and divine swords rang out, tearing through the sky. The two Purple Mansion disciples at the dao palace third heaven unleashed their techniques and attacked.

"Hmph!"

Golden flames rose around Lu Chen, radiating terrifying fluctuations as he clashed with the two Purple Mansion disciples.

Although he was one level below them, the battle prowess he displayed far surpassed theirs. After just a few exchanges, he shattered their purple divine swords with his fists alone.

A phoenix's cry resounded through the heavens, as though an immortal spirit had descended into the world.

He formed a hand seal and unleashed the secret technique-Divine Phoenix Slash. An illusory phoenix blazing with fierce flames tore through space and, beneath the horrified gazes of the two Purple Mansion disciples, ripped them to pieces.

The Purple Mansion Holy Son, who had entered the depths of the valley, never appeared, even when the two were slain. There was no telling where his pursuit of the Treasure-Seeking Mouse had taken him.