Chapter 48: Chapter 47: So That’s How It Is

The earth cracked and the ground split. Boulders tumbled down, all of them falling into the chasm.

The fallen golden Ancient War Chariot lay beside the chasm, which stretched three to four kilometers wide. Two mangled Immortal Corpses had also fallen here. Their glowing Immortal Blood dripped out, drop by drop.

High up in the clouds, Wu Datong stared blankly at the scene, his mind a chaotic mess. He still couldn’t figure out when he had ever met this terrifying Daoist!

Dozens of li away, Yan Huang patted his chest, his heart still racing with fear. His gaze instinctively shifted toward the old Daoist.

The old Daoist held a five-sectioned, five-ringed Three-sided Sword. With his eyelids lowered, he stood without a word, his entire being shrouded in a dim, spectral aura. Above his head, the three illusory Cosmoses emanated an immense, oppressive pressure!

Yan Huang hesitated for a moment before taking a step. In the space of two breaths, he crossed dozens of li to approach the site once more.

He cupped his fists and said,

“Daoist Monarch, I’m afraid this might be a misunderstanding…”

As he spoke, Yan Huang glanced at the long chasm on the ground, another drop of sweat trickling down his forehead. A question rose in his mind.

’Doesn’t this Daoist Monarch restrain himself at all when he attacks, just letting his Sword Qi spill everywhere…? If he hadn’t pulled back his power at the last moment, that chasm probably would have extended all the way to East Sea City and split the entire metropolis in two, right?’

Just as these thoughts raced through Yan Huang’s mind, Lu Xuan quietly swallowed and gave a soft cough.

“Ahem, it seems I was a bit abrupt. These two…”

As he spoke, he wanted to lift the two Immortal Corpses out to see if they could still be saved, but…

How was he supposed to lift them?

Right now, Lu Xuan possessed the terrifying Cultivation granted by the Keeper of the Records, but he had no idea how to control it. He could only use it in the most rudimentary way.

After a moment’s thought, he tried to channel the terrifyingly immense power within him, separating a tiny fraction of it and making a gentle grabbing motion toward the two mangled Immortal Corpses on the ground.

BOOM!!!

The Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi instantly converged into a massive hand over ten thousand meters in diameter. It slammed down, kicking up a wave of earth hundreds of meters high!

Before the astonished gazes of Yan Huang and Wu Datong, the earth shook and the mountains trembled once more. The wave of earth, carrying shattered trees and rocks, crashed back down.

The original chasm was flattened, replaced by a massive palm print a hundred meters deep and ten thousand meters across!

And the two Immortal Corpses?

They had been completely pulverized!

Lu Xuan fell silent.

’Uh…’

’Heavens, I swear I didn’t do it on purpose…’

Yan Huang’s head snapped toward the Daoist, terror flashing in his eyes. ’This mysterious Daoist Monarch is a bit too ruthless… He didn’t even leave them an intact corpse!’

’He must not be provoked!’

’He must not be angered!’

His voice was a little hoarse as he said,

“Those two did not know that Fellow Daoist Wu had a Daoist Monarch backing him. Since they charged in to kill, it’s their own fault they were slain by the Daoist Monarch…”

Before he could finish, Yan Huang saw the mysterious Daoist Monarch seem to let out a sigh of relief.

Lu Xuan gave a faint smile.

“Oh? So I didn’t kill the wrong people? Shang Shan.”

Yan Huang’s mouth twitched, and his wariness deepened. ’Fine, fine, fine. So you pulverize them even when you think you might have killed the wrong people, is that it?’

For a moment, he was at a loss for words.

After a long pause,

Yan Huang forced himself to calm down, cupped his fists again, and said,

“With the Daoist Monarch as your backer, Fellow Daoist Wu should have no more worries from this day forward.”

Lu Xuan said nothing, only stroking his long beard inscrutably as he estimated how much time was left on his three thousand years of Cultivation.

He cleared his throat softly.

“Datong, ah, besides the Daoist Scripture, what other reason do these Little Immortals hold a grudge against you? Speak. We will resolve it all today.”

Lu Xuan’s reasoning was simple. He couldn’t waste the remaining hour. It would be best if he could take care of all of Uncle Wu’s future troubles in one go.

Nearby, Yan Huang’s expression flickered. ’Datong… What an intimate form of address!’

Wu Datong himself looked baffled, but he didn’t hesitate, deciding to seize the opportunity.

“In response to Elder Profound Clarity, I was previously a Life Tower Great Physician. After I crippled part of my Cultivation to forcibly leave the Life Tower, I have been hunted by them. It has been seven years now.”

’Life Tower?’

’Great Physician?’

’What are all these things?’

Recalling what Chu Shuangtian had told him about the Death Tower, the North Palace, Lu Xuan grew thoughtful, then said,

“The Life Tower, where is it?”

Wu Datong pointed south without hesitation.

“In the Land of the Far South, directly opposite the Extreme North Death Tower…”

Then, he added, as if by the way,

“It is said the Life Tower Master achieved the rank of Immortal seven years ago, but I don’t know if that’s true.”

Hearing this, Lu Xuan silently suppressed the urge to draw his sword.

At that moment, Yan Huang interjected,

“Fellow Daoist Wu, if you are willing, I can help. I will propose to the Federation Grand Speaker that you be appointed Vice Governor of Langya Province. It’s a titular position; you will enjoy the authority without any of the duties.”

He paused, then added,

“Although you won’t be able to leave Langya Province after this, you will have the Daoist Monarch as your protector and the Federation as your support. The Life Tower will naturally not dare to make a move.”

“This…” Wu Datong instinctively looked toward Lu Xuan.

Lu Xuan gave a slight nod and said,

“Good.”

“Then thank you, Elder Profound Clarity, and thank you, Chairman Yan.” Wu Datong bowed deeply twice.

He had just finished bowing when he looked up, only to find the mysterious Daoist Monarch had already vanished. The great river of purple qi, the auspicious omens of the Qingyun, and all the rest were also slowly dissipating.

He stood there in a daze. Beside him, Yan Huang remarked with a sigh,

“Fellow Daoist Wu, if you had brought him out sooner, none of this would have happened… Speaking of which, did the Life Tower Master truly become an Immortal?”

Wu Datong gave a dry laugh, ignoring the first half of Yan Huang’s sentence, and replied,

“Most likely.”

“Seven years ago?” Yan Huang seemed lost in thought.

……

Back in his small wooden cabin, Lu Xuan exhaled a breath of turbid air. His Heaven-Reaching Cultivation dissipated completely, and his face returned to its original youthful appearance, no longer aged and weary.

After putting away the Daoist Robe, Daoist Crown, and the Keeper of the Records, his expression faltered for a moment, his mind racing with a thousand thoughts.

’According to what that middle-aged man said, Uncle Wu shouldn’t have any more trouble… Life Tower, Death Tower, what are they, exactly?’

’Becoming an Immortal seven years ago… and according to Senior Brother Zhang, ascending to the rank of Immortal from the Heaven-Facing Palace requires a world-shaking ceremony to leverage the power of heaven and earth…’

Lu Xuan’s expression darkened. It wasn’t that he was overthinking it, but that specific point in time—seven years ago…

Shaking his head, he sighed softly.

’I’m probably overthinking it. A world-shaking ceremony definitely wouldn’t be something like slaughtering a city. Otherwise, the world would have fallen into chaos long ago.’

’But that middle-aged man seemed a bit strange. The aura within him, like a radiant Great Sun, was nearly on par with the power I wield when using the Keeper of the Records, yet he was deliberately concealing it… Was he hiding his true strength?’

On second thought, Lu Xuan couldn’t help but laugh.

’Who cares? It has nothing to do with me. A figure like that must be a True Immortal on the level of the Heaven-Facing Palace. He’s far too distant from me. We won’t be crossing paths for a long, long time.’

’There are still two uses left for the Keeper of the Records. But without Senior Brother Zhang’s help, I’m afraid it will be difficult to bring it out again…’

As he mulled things over, Lu Xuan glanced at the time, a smile appearing on his face.

’Uncle Wu is safe now. I should go buy some roasted sweet potatoes to bring to Xiaoyan tonight. Hmm, and I’ll get a bag of sugar-fried chestnuts, too. She loves those.’

With that, he tidied himself up a bit and pushed the door open.

……..

Lost in thought, Wu Datong walked into the shantytown. ’Who on earth was that mysterious Daoist Monarch?’

’When did I ever interact with him?’

’And why did he save me?’

’The eyes of that aged Daoist Monarch were so familiar. I’ve definitely seen them somewhere before. When did I ever form such a benevolent connection?’

’I can’t figure it out, I just can’t figure it out…’

Lost in his bewildering thoughts, he saw Lu the Kid standing in front of a small stall, buying two bags of sugar-fried chestnuts. The vendor, however, was staunchly refusing to take his money.

“Kid, I heard all about it. A few days ago, it was because of you that Zhu Wudi helped us folks in the shantytown. I can’t take your money! Absolutely not!”

“Uncle Chen, business is business. If you keep this up, I won’t dare buy your sugar-fried chestnuts anymore. I’ll just have to stand here and drool when I get a craving!”

“You kid…”

Wu Datong smiled faintly, the tension in his nerves gradually easing.

He walked over and greeted him. Lu the Kid immediately turned around, his face breaking into the same big smile as always.

“Uncle Wu, you’re back?”

Wu Datong chuckled, but just as he was about to reply, his smile froze.

In a daze, Lu Xuan’s youthful face and that ancient, weathered one slowly began to overlap…

They were one and the same!

A cold sweat drenched him!

’So that’s how it is!’

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep