There were thirty Nascent Soul, three hundred Core Formation, three thousand Foundation Establishment, and thirty thousand Qi Refining cultivators in total.
They were all cultivators who practiced Inference Techniques, hailing from Sects, families, or as Loose Cultivators—some were even from the Immortal Sects. At this moment, though adorned in gold and jade, their faces were bleak as they chanted the Heavenly Cave and Earthly Passage Technique in unison.
The moment the chanting began, the Array Patterns drawn beneath each person’s feet lit up.
First, specks of starlight welled up, then converged into a stream, transforming into a pillar of light that shot toward the heavens.
"Found him!"
"Lü Zhong is in the Red Earth!"
Someone shouted excitedly.
On a distant high platform, Cangmingzi saw that no life remained in the array. Only then did he turn to Luoying Fairy. "Now we know Lü Zhong’s whereabouts," he said, his voice deep. "He has fled to the Red Earth Land, just as we predicted. Are you truly certain you won’t act? The penalty for breaking the contract is severe, but you have the Substitute Death Mirror. You can avoid it."
"There’s no need. Lü Zhong is as good as dead. Why would I waste such an item?" Luoying Fairy shook her head, her expression resolute. She then added, "Besides, Profound Robe has already agreed to act. There is no room for failure in this matter."
"If that’s the case, then I will say no more."
Cangmingzi had no intention of persuading her further. His earlier words were merely to repay an old favor. Since Luoying insisted on her stubborn path, just as he had predicted, she would have to bear the bitter fruit herself.
He turned, looked at the nine figures waiting there, and tossed out an Iron Order.
"By my order, depart immediately!"
"As you command!" the nine declared in unison.
...
「The peak of Red Sun Mountain.」
This was the place Lü Zhong had chosen for his tribulation.
To the Red Earth People, this place held extraordinary significance. In their myths, it was considered the land of the rising sun, the very origin point of their people. However, the environment was too harsh for survival, and so it eventually became an uninhabited Pure Land.
Glancing at the distant Floating Fortress, Lü Zhong couldn’t help but smile.
Suddenly!
A torrent of starlight gathered, only to be shattered by a bloody glow.
’They’re here, as I expected!’
Lü Zhong was already mentally prepared and felt little surprise at the failure of his Star Shifting and Dipper Changing Divine Technique. He simply sat cross-legged on the mountaintop, quietly waiting for the moment of his Divinity Transformation to arrive.
Days passed, and his aura continued to grow stronger.
His terrifying Spiritual Pressure could even make the dust around him levitate, its influence extending for a full hundred li.
Even the heavens were affected.
The sun and moon vanished, leaving only the eternal stars!
One can only imagine the shock of Yuu Mingzi and the other eight as they arrived to witness such an astonishing scene. If they hadn’t sensed that Lü Zhong’s cultivation had yet to reach the Divinity Transformation Realm, they would have assumed he had already succeeded in his tribulation and ascended to the pinnacle of their world!
’All nine of them are Great Cultivators!’
Lü Zhong sensed this and thought to himself, ’The Immortal Sects really hold me in high regard.’ To assemble these nine, they had likely exhausted the strength of the Three Sects, even sending the six who had just recently reached the Late-stage Nascent Soul realm. It showed just how determined they were to eradicate this "root of all evil."
’In a one-on-one fight, I’m certain to win.’
’Against three, I can only fight to a draw.’
’Any more than that, and defeat is the only outcome.’
And now, the Immortal Sects had sent nine Great Cultivators at once. A force like this wasn’t just enough to kill the "number one cultivator beneath the Divinity Transformation Realm"; it could sweep through the entire Four Domains with ease.
If they knew a Combined Attack Formation, they could even challenge a Divinity Transformation cultivator!
Looking at the nine people opposite him, Lü Zhong’s expression was placid. He said in a level voice:
"I am Lü Zhong of the Bihai Sect. State your names!"
"Yuu Mingzi of the Celestial Origin Immortal Palace!"
Yuu Mingzi was the first to step forward, and the two behind him announced their identities one after another.
"Chou Yangzi of the Celestial Origin Immortal Palace!"
"Yanm Lianxing of the Celestial Origin Immortal Palace!" She glared at Lü Zhong, her chest heaving, a clear sign of her unstable emotions.
Next, the cultivators from the Gui Miao Sect stepped forward.
"Bi Fangjue of the Gui Miao Sect. I’ve come to test your strength!"
"Fang Daohua of the Gui Miao Sect! I will kill you today!"
"Jia Lou of the Gui Miao Sect."
As for the three from the North Immortal Talisman Palace, they called out in unison from a distance:
"Jinli, Gao Qian, and Yinghou. We greet you, Fellow Daoist Lü!"
After stating their names, the three saluted Lü Zhong by clasping their hands. As the greatest enemy Central Earth had faced in an age, Lü Zhong’s threat to the Three Sects was no less than that of the Ten Thousand Transformations Divine Monarch of old. He was worthy of such respect.
"So, nine fellow Daoists have come for me. Even if I die today, I suppose I’ll still leave a bold mark on the pages of history. I just wonder," Lü Zhong said, looking at the nine with an unreadable smile, "will the records say I ’disappeared,’ or that I ’perished in a natural disaster’?" He was listing the various ways the Immortal Sects doctored their history.
"Fellow Daoist Lü, why be so pessimistic?" Yuu Mingzi’s next words were shocking, as he actually began to negotiate with Lü Zhong. "If you are willing to surrender now, I can guarantee, in the name of the Celestial Origin Immortal Palace’s Palace Master, that not a single hair on your head will be harmed. We will even add your name to the Celestial Origin Immortal Palace’s Jade Scroll, and you will henceforth enjoy the endless resources of the Immortal Sect!"
Lü Zhong didn’t speak upon hearing this, but the faces of those from the other two sects changed drastically.
The three from the Gui Miao Sect, in particular, looked on in utter disbelief.
This type of recruitment was known as "naturalization" within the Immortal Sects, and once an offer was made, it was always honored. Judging by Yuu Mingzi’s words, the terms were exceedingly generous.
’But wasn’t the purpose of our mission to eliminate the source of this disaster?’
"Heh, you truly are generous, Fellow Daoist," Lü Zhong said with a forced smile.
It had to be said, the conditions Yuu Mingzi offered were incredibly tempting.
To be entered into the Immortal Sect’s Jade Scroll, to enjoy the glory of an Immortal Sect.
If he, Lü Zhong, were actually from this realm, he would certainly have accepted by now.
But alas...
Seeing Lü Zhong’s hesitation, Yuu Mingzi paused for a moment before smiling. "What’s the matter, Fellow Daoist? Do you feel the offer is insufficient? In fact, before I departed, the Patriarch privately instructed me that if Fellow Daoist Lü were to sincerely surrender, it wouldn’t be out of the question to grant you the post of a Grand Proctor of the Three Capitals!"
At this, the cultivators from the Talisman Palace and the Gui Miao Sect were all stunned.
To be offered a position as one of the three Grand Proctors directly!
’With Lü Zhong’s ability, he had built the Bihai Sect from nothing. This was tantamount to letting the wolf guard the sheep! If he defeated the other two Grand Proctors in the future, the entire Celestial Origin Immortal Palace would fall into his hands. This wasn’t recruitment; it was practically handing over their entire legacy!’
"Cangmingzi... truly audacious," Lü Zhong complimented.
’To be honest, for a fleeting moment, he had actually been tempted.’
’It was a steady path, a long-term play.’
Lü Zhong was certain that Cangmingzi’s offer was genuine. Looking at Yuu Mingzi, he gave a faint smile and delivered his answer:
"I refuse!"
"What, you refuse?" Yuu Mingzi was astonished.
The others also wore looks of utter astonishment.
’Such an offer... If it were them, they would have agreed instantly.’
’And yet, Lü Zhong had actually refused?’
"This... Ahem, Fellow Daoist Lü, why be so hasty?" Yuu Mingzi tried to persuade him, his words coming out a little faster now. He was clearly unsettled, unable to believe what he’d just heard.
"Why not reconsider? Carefully?"
"If only for the sake of Tianwen and Jiuge."
"If you’re worried, we can sign a Spirit Contract first. The three of us from the Celestial Origin Immortal Palace will act as your guarantors. Even if we were to deceive you, you could at least drag the three of us down with you. There’s no way you can lose on this deal. I’m sure you can see that, Fellow Daoist."
Yuu Mingzi said patiently.
Lü Zhong’s gaze swept over the nine people across from him as he repeated his decision:
"My mind is made up!"
’He was a Dragon Slayer; how could he let himself be tamed into becoming the dragon?’
Today, Lü Zhong’s understanding of the Immortal Sects deepened once more.
They were terrifyingly powerful, and they knew how to assimilate their enemies.
No wonder they reigned supreme over Central Earth. No wonder they had stood for hundreds of thousands of years without falling.
Compared to them, all those heroes who had been crushed and assimilated were like praying mantises trying to stop a chariot. If no outside forces from beyond the Qinghe Realm interfered in the future, the Immortal Sects’ dominion would remain absolute. Their order would reign across Central Earth, unchanging for a day, and for a million years to come.
Having made his decision, Lü Zhong felt a strange sense of ease.
The aura that had been steadily building within him was, at this moment, completely unleashed.
In an instant, the very heavens changed!
The Thunder Tribulation was upon him!