Chapter 193.3: Dao Lord Shan Hai, Lu Changsheng of the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect Will Kill You! (III)

Lu Changsheng looked at Wang Yun calmly. "Fellow Daoist Wang, have you considered that by using yourself as bait to lure out Dao Lord Shan Hai, you might die?"

Wang Yun scoffed. "What is there to fear in death? As long as Dao Lord Shan Hai is slain, even dying is a price I'm willing to pay.

Then, she seemed to realize what Lu Changsheng was concerned about, and added, "Don't worry, Fellow Daoist Lu, I've already made the necessary arrangements. As long as you kill Dao Lord Shan Hai, you will receive the remaining four drops of Heavenly Demon Essence Blood when you return to the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect."

Indeed, the Heavenly Demon Essence Blood had always been Lu Changsheng's true goal.

Lu Changsheng nodded. "Very well. Let us set out."

Since Wang Yun herself was not afraid, there was no reason for him to keep trying to dissuade her. He had already given the necessary warning. Besides, as long as Wang Yun did not lure Dao Lord Shan Hai too far away, Lu Changsheng should still be able to reach her in time and save her from Dao Lord Shan Hai.

"Great, let's go." Wang Yun rose up alongside Lu Changsheng, and in an instant, the two of them vanished beyond the horizon.

***

The Purple Sun Immortal Sect's encampment looked like a true immortal paradise. Massive mountain peaks stretched across the area, suspended in midair by formations. Each peak belonged to a Dao Lord and served as their Daoist Court.

A Dao Lord could live for five hundred years, which already placed them among the upper ranks of an immortal sect. If they went a level further and condense a Golden Core, their lifespan would extend to a thousand years. At that point, they could truly be considered everlasting beings.

In the Immortal Dao cultivation system, Dao Lords were Foundation Establishment cultivators. To advance further, they had to condense a golden core, a step so difficult that it required them to break everything down and rebuild from the ground up.

Theoretically, advancing from Foundation Establishment to Golden Core was ten times harder than advancing from Qi Refinement to Foundation Establishment.[1] Even the most brilliant Dao Lords would not dare guarantee success. However, once they condensed a golden core, it would truly be a leap to the heavens.

With a golden core, my fate belongs to me, not to heaven!

At this moment, Dao Lord Shan Hai was inside his cave residence, breathing in spiritual energy and converting it into mana to slowly increase his cultivation. He had already reached the late Foundation Establishment level and had begun preparing to condense a golden core.

However, it was not going to be easy. Condensing a golden core required rare natural treasures and indispensable pills. One also had to prepare their divine consciousness, heart, and many other aspects with great care.

"Reporting to the Dao Lord!" At that moment, a Qi Refinement disciple walked in. "Following your orders, we have observed signs of the Dao Foundation martial artist, Wang Yun, near the Purple Sun Immortal Sect encampment."

"Wang Yun?" Dao Lord Shan Hai opened his eyes.

That woman had left a deep impression on him, so she remembered her well. A few months back, he had located a rare natural treasure highly useful for condensing a golden core, but Lu Zhenkong and Wang Yun had needed it as well, so the two sides had fought fiercely over it.

Dao Lord Shan Hai had always been restrained and cautious, but for the sake of condensing a golden core, he had cast aside his usual restraint and used his enchanted treasure, the Heavenly Mountain Seal.

That seal was immensely powerful, and with a single strike, it had blasted Lu Zhenkong to death. Wang Yun went completely mad after that. In retaliation, she used techniques that consumed her yuan qi and managed to injure Dao Lord Shan Hai before escaping.

Conflicts were common in the third layer of the Ancient Region, but Wang Yun's escape had left Dao Lord Shan Hai feeling uneasy. He felt that madwoman was capable of anything, so he had people investigate her activities and keep a close watch on her.

Now, several months had passed, and sure enough, Wang Yun had appeared again.

"Is anyone with her?" Dao Lord Shan Hai asked.

"Based on our observations, Wang Yun has come alone," the disciple replied.

"Alone?" Dao Lord Shan Hai smiled. "No, she's not that foolish. She knows full well that she's no match for me, so there's no way she'd come alone to die. Crazy, but not stupid.

"If she wants revenge for Lu Zhenkong, then she must have made preparations. Most likely, she has found a Dao Foundation expert she believes can kill me, and she came near the encampment deliberately to lure me out so that expert can strike me from the shadows."

At this moment, Dao Lord Shan Hai had a smug expression on him.

"Ah, then Dao Lord," the Qi Refinement disciple said cautiously, "perhaps you should remain inside the encampment and not go out, so as not to fall into Wang Yun's trap."

"No. I must go." Dao Lord Shan Hai's expression remained calm, but there was a cold edge in his eyes.

"Wang Yun knows I see her as a threat and will want to get rid of her. That's why she dares to use herself as bait. But her entire plan depends on that mysterious figure. She thinks that whoever she recruited can kill me, but that madwoman has not even seen my true strength! The Heavenly Mountain Seal is merely the enchanted treasure I have revealed to outsiders. My true strength lies in formations."

Dao Lord Shan Hai's lips curled into a cold smile. "I'll go and meet this mysterious expert of hers, and I'll take care of them both at once. That will spare me any further disturbance to my state of mind and delay in condensing my Golden Core."

With that, Dao Lord Shan Hai stepped out of his cave residence. In a single stride, he transformed into a streak of light and vanished beyond the horizon.

***

Wang Yun had already positioned herself roughly a hundred li from the encampment of the sect—neither far nor close. If Dao Lord Shan Hai truly wanted to eliminate Wang Yun and remove a future threat, this distance would not stop him.

This is it. Wang Yun's eyes burned with hatred. Zhenkong, watch carefully. Today, I avenge you. Dao Lord Shan Hai draws his first breath!

There was no one else in the area. Wang Yun could not sense Lu Changsheng's aura either, but she knew he was out there, hidden somewhere nearby, waiting for Dao Lord Shan Hai to appear.

She waited for about an hour.

Whoosh!

A streak of light shot in. Then, a divine consciousness locked onto Wang Yun instantly.

Wang Yun opened her eyes at once.

"Shan Hai, you came after all!" Wang Yun gritted her teeth as she looked at the familiar figure.

The figure within the streak of light was none other than Dao Lord Shan Hai. His cold, sharp gaze swept across the surroundings before settling on Wang Yun.

"Wang Yun, who did you bring here to die with you today?" he sneered. "Have them come out. I will kill both of you together and be rid of this trouble once and for all."

Dao Lord Shan Hai did not bother playing along. The moment he appeared, he exposed her plan directly.

Wang Yun's expression changed. "You figured it out?"

She had not expected Dao Lord Shan Hai to guess that she had brought someone with her, much less expose himself like that. Was he that confident? Perhaps he had already prepared a countermeasure for her plan? For a moment, Wang Yun felt her earlier certainty waver.

Dao Lord Shan Hai had already spread his divine consciousness through the surrounding area, sweeping it again and again. But no matter how he searched, he could not detect any other martial artist.

"Are you looking for me?" A voice suddenly reached Dao Lord Shan Hai's ears.

A figure appeared in the air and walked toward him step by step.

This concealment method... Dao Lord Shan Hai's eyes shifted slightly. Impressive, but so what?

"Who are you?" Dao Lord Shan Hai asked coldly. "How dare you help someone ambush me, a Dao Lord?"

Names flashed through Shan Hai's mind one after another, but none of them matched the mysterious martial artist before him. He did not recognize this person at all.

Wang Yun called out in warning, "Fellow Daoist Lu, Dao Lord Shan Hai seems to have come prepared."

Lu Changsheng nodded. "Fellow Daoist Wang, step back and watch. I made you a promise, and I will keep it. Besides, against someone at his level, schemes and tricks are essentially useless. Only strength decides victory or defeat."

Wang Yun then withdrew to the side.

Lu Changsheng stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze fixed on Dao Lord Shan Hai. In a calm, deliberate tone, he said, "Dao Lord Shan Hai, remember the name, Lu Changsheng of the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect. Today, you die at my hands."

Boom!

The moment those words left Lu Changsheng's mouth, his Mind Space descended.

1. Reminder that Immortal Masters are of the Qi Refinement level, Dao Lords are of the Foundation Establishment level, and True Ones (which has appeared a couple times in previous chapters) are of the Golden Core level. ☜