Chapter 1784: The Sacred Region
After Jiang Aijian left the hall, Jie Jinâan slowly walked into the hall and took a seat. He sighed and said, âI didnât expect the world to change so fast.â
Lu Zhou said, âAfter so many years, arenât you still alive and well? Why are you suddenly so sentimental?â
Jie Jinâan did not reply. Instead, he asked, âDo you really intend to look for Ming Xin? Heâs also been to the Great Maelstrom.â
This was not Lu Zhouâs first time hearing about the Great Maelstrom. He also noticed Jie Jinâanâs use of the word âalsoâ.
âGreat MaelstromâŠâ
âBack then, you and Chong Guang went to the Great Maelstrom together. After that, your cultivation improved greatly and reached the peak. Ming Xin had repeated your path. Brother Lu, you have to be careful,â Jie Jinâan said.
Lu Zhou nodded. âIf heâs really stronger than I am, why doesnât he come look for me?â
âMaybe heâs waiting for somethingâŠâ Jie Jinâan said.
âMy ten disciples?â
Jie Jinâan chuckled. âYou really like accepting disciples and students⊠Perhaps, itâs fateâŠâ After that, he switched the topic and asked, âIâm very curious about what the Great Maelstrom is like.â
Lu Zhou shook his head slightly and said, âSince ancient times, only a few people can reach the Great Maelstrom. Only one in 10,000 can escape unscathed. I only remember that place being chaotic.
Lu Zhou shook his head slightly and said, âSince ancient times, only a few people can truly reach the great whirlpool. Only one in ten thousand can escape unscathed. âI only remember that place being chaotic. Itâs been too long, and I canât remember everythingâŠâ
Jie Jinâan sighed. âHow fascinatingâŠâ
Lu Zhou changed the topic and asked, âHow have you been living in the Evil Sky Pavilion these days?â
âIâve been living a leisurely life here. Itâs not bad, but Iâm bored,â Jie Jinâan replied.
âThe Evil Sky Pavilion is in need of people recently. A large number of fierce beasts from the Unknown Land and Great Void keep appearing in the Misty Forest. If youâre really bored, go and help them,â Lu Zhou said.
â...â
Jie Jinâan grumbled, âIt seems like you still treat me like a laborerâŠâ
Lu Zhou said, âItâs up to you whether you go or not. You said youâre bored, and I found something for you to do, but youâre still grumbling.â
The duo laughed.
At this time, Princess Yong Ning walked into the hall. When she heard the duoâs laughter, she was deeply moved. After a moment, she said, âPavilion Master, the Sect Master of Tian Sect, Nan Gongwei, requests an audience with you.â
âLet him in.â
The duo put away their smiles immediately.
When Nan Gongwei entered the hall, he bowed respectfully. âGreetings, Senior Ji.â
âTake a seat.â
Nan Gongwei took a seat. His voice and expression were one of excitement and respect.
Lu Zhou asked, âHowâs the situation at the frontline?â
âSince Senior Ji had taken action, the situation had eased for now. Lord Meng Zhang is there so the fierce beasts donât dare to attack,â Nan Gongwei replied.
Jie Jinâan interjected. âThe Great Void is going to fall sooner or later. Itâs not good for the beasts to stay there. When the sky falls, theyâll grow desperate enough to attack again. At that time, even Meng Zhang might not be able to deter or stop the flood of fierce beastsâŠâ
Nan Gongwei looked at Jie Jinâan. He did not recognize Jie Jinâan so he asked politely, âMay I ask who this is?â
Jie Jinâan answered very simply, âJie Jinâan.â
âSenior Jieâs words are true. The number of fierce beasts is simply too large. Iâm worried about the sea beasts coming to shore as well. At that time, things will get even worse for the nine domains. Even if we come to an agreement, itâs difficult for the nine domains to accommodate so many humans and fierce beastsâŠâ Nan Gongwei said.
Jie Jinâan smiled and said, âThe sea beasts come to shore for food, which is humans. However, theyâll always live in the sea so thereâs no need to worry about accommodating them. As for the fierce beasts from the Great Void and the Unknown Land, itâs indeed a problem. However, after the sky collapses, wonât the sun, moon, and light return again?â
Nan Gongwei did not understand these words.
On the other hand, Lu Zhou nodded. âYouâre right. Wonât it be great to see the sun and the moon again?â
Nan Gongwei could not help but ask, âSenior Jie, what do you mean?â
Jie Jinâan laughed and said, âIâm talking about the Unknown Land.â
Nan Gongweiâs eyes lit up as realization dawned on him.
If the Great Void fell, the light would return to the Unknown Land that only knew darkness over the past 100,000 years.
The Great Void came from the Unknown Land, and they were both vast. After the land split, the nine domains were born. After that, the scale of the land splitting was not large, but it made the Unknown Land even vaster. If light returned, the Unknown Land could accommodate everyone, including those from the nine domains.
âI look forward to that day,â Nan Gongwei said with a sigh, âSince the imbalance began a few hundred years ago, people have been suffering.â
Jie Jinâan said, âI believe that day isnât far awayâŠâ
At this moment, Lu Zhou thought about the Great Abyss Land so he brought a talisman out to contact Si Wuya.
When the projection appeared, Lu Zhou saw Little Yuanâer and Conch standing next to Si Wuya.
âMaster!â Little Yuanâer cried out happily.
Si Wuya said respectfully, âMaster, Junior Sister Conch has comprehended the Great Dao. Tomorrow morning, weâll be leaving for the Great Abyss Land.â
Lu Zhou nodded and said, âYou already know my plan. Be careful.â
Si Wuya said, âUnderstood. With master keeping an eye on the temple, I believe we wonât encounter many problems during our trip to the Great Abyss Land.â
Lu Zhou said, âMing Xin is the biggest variable. Itâs not enough even if I keep an eye on him. We have to be wary of others.â
âDonât worry, master. Emperor Shang Zhang has agreed to come with us. Apart from Emperor Shang Zhang, Iâve invited the White Emperor and the Azure Emperor as well. With the three divine emperors around, even the Four Supremes of the Sacred Temple canât do anything to Ninth Junior Sister,â Si Wuya said.
Nan Gongwei said, filled with praise, âThereâs no need to worry when Mr. Seventh handles things.â
Si Wuya continued to say, âMing Xin has yet to make any move, and the Sacred Temple is the same. Master, please be careful if you plan to look for Ming Xin.â
Lu Zhou said, âDonât worry.â
âIâm only worried that he refuses to show himselfâŠâ
With Lu Zhouâs current strength, even if he could not defeat Ming Xin, he would still be able to protect himself. Moreover, he had also grasped the great law of time and mastered time reversal.
Lu Zhou said, âThereâs another thing. I took down Li Lun in the red lotus domain.â
Si Wuya was surprised. âA remnant Saint slayer? Theyâre not easy to deal with. If they come out to deal with humans, itâll be troublesome.â
âSo all of you must comprehend the Great Dao as soon as possible.â
âYes. Iâve already spoken to the others. Once everyoneâs gathered, weâll set off to the Great Abyss Land.â
âAlright,â Lu Zhou said before cutting off the projection.
Then, Lu Zhou walked down the stairs to the entrance of the hall. He looked outside and said, âItâs time to go to the Sacred Temple to have a lookâŠâ
Jie Jinâan said, âBe careful.â
âSafe travels, Senior Ji,â Nan Gongwei said.
Lu Zhou flashed and disappeared from sight. When he reappeared again, he was already standing in the Evil Sky Pavilionâs runic passage. With a flash of light, he was transported away.
âŠ
Lu Zhou appeared in the sky above the Unknown Land. He looked at the mountains and land that were shrouded in darkness. The once glorious place was now a desolate land. Thinking about Jie Jinâan words about the sun and moon returning, he thought that it would not be long before light returned to this place.
Lu Zhou raised his head and looked at the distant sky. He could see a huge number of flying beasts migrating.
Nobody cared about the balance in the Unknown Land now. They were only thinking about how to escape and survive.
Lu Zhou did not stay in the Unknown Land for long. He went to a runic passage and was transported to the Great Void.
âŠ
The Great Void was bright, and the scenery was beautiful. It was the complete opposite of the dark and damp Unknown Land.
However, right now, panic and chaos had descended on the Great Void.
News of the impending fall of the Great Void had spread far and wide, and all the Great Void cultivators were seeking refuge and means to survive.
Lu Zhou flew past mountains and rivers before he arrived at Xuanyi Palace.
When Lu Zhou arrived at the main hall of Xuanyi Palace, Xuanyi said excitedly, âTeacher, youâre finally back! I really donât know what to do with you!â
âYouâre Emperor Xuanyi, the Master of Xuanyi Palace, after all. Why are you so flustered?â Lu Zhou asked.
âHow can I not be flustered? After the commotion at the upper core, the cultivators in Xuanyi Palaceâs territory have been coming to me every day, asking for an explanation and solution. I canât just watch as my people sufferâŠâ
Lu Zhou frowned and asked, âIsnât there the migration and representative plan?â
Xuanyi smiled and said, âI know about the plan, but I didnât want to act without consulting teacher. Can you please advise me?â
Lu Zhou said with a hint of reproach, âYouâre really the Master of Xuanyi Palace in vain. You canât even make your own decision.â
Xuanyi smiled and said, âIf youâre willing to take over my position, then Iâm willing to step down!â
â...â
Lu Zhou said, âHow about this? The golden lotus domain is relatively vast, and not many Great Void cultivators have chosen to go there. You can bring your people to the golden lotus domain.â
Xuanyi was overjoyed when he heard this. âThank you, teacher!â However, a worried expression soon appeared on his face before he said, âHowever, there are still some people who are unwilling to leave. They were born in the Great Void and have lived here all their lives. Hence, theyâre very attached to this place. There are also those stubborn ones who simply donât want to participate in the plan. What should I do?â
Lu Zhouâs expression turned stern as he said, âYou canât be indecisive. How can you be a ruler if youâre always so indecisive? There are some things that you have to decide on your own, and sometimes, you have to make hard choices.â
Xuanyi sighed heavily. âTeacher is right.â
Lu Zhou said, âMy people are all in Xuanyi Palace, and their cultivation isnât bad either. They can help you to deal with some problems for now. Remember not to delay this matter,â Lu Zhou said.
Xuanyi made up his mind and said, âYes. Iâll do as teacher saysâŠâ
âI have something important to do. Borrow me your runic passage,â Lu Zhou said.
âOf course. Please feel free to use itâŠâ Xuanyi said before he led Lu Zhou to the runic passage.
There were not many runic passages that led to the Sacred Region.
There were only three ways for cultivators to go to the Sacred Region.
First, through official runic passages sanctioned by the Sacred Temple or illegal runic passages. Second, to fly there; disregarding time, distance, and cost. Third, was to have a divine emperor who was also a runemaster open up a runic passage on the spot, which required an extremely high cultivation.
Needless to say, most people would use the first way.
âŠ
The people of the Evil Sky Pavilion were still unaware that Lu Zhou had returned to Xuanyi Palace after Lu Zhou, and Xuanyi who accompanied him, arrived outside of the Sacred Region through Xuanyiâs runic passage.
The Sacred Region was easily as vast as any of the nine domains.
Lu Zhou looked at the towering city walls and the towering trees outside of the city.
Xuanyi sighed. âWhen the Great Void was in its infancy, the Sacred Temple summoned all the cultivators. For 3,750 years, they built the 10,000-foot-tall city wall around the Sacred Region. They also made the runemaster draw 100,000 defensive runes, building the strongest barrier in the Great Void. That itself took 1,700 years. It was an unprecedentedly grand project.â
At this time, Lu Zhouâs eyes glowed with a blue light, and his vision improved greatly. He saw the city wall was covered densely with runes, and he could sense the immense energy that shrouded the city wall.
Then, Lu Zhou said, âCompared to my Grand Mystic Mountain back then that was like the clouds in the sky, this place is like mud.â
Xuanyi nodded and said, âThe people of the world are ignorant. Grand Mystic Mountain was truly magnificent. In comparison, the Sacred Region is gaudy, wasteful, and ostentatious.â