Chapter 247 - 177: Great Bell

Chapter 247: Chapter 177: Great Bell

"Return to the Holy Palace," Lu Changfeng said softly as he followed the Qiankun Daoist toward the back of the Daoist temple.

Fanyun watched the two depart. He opened his mouth, then closed it, and simply sat down inside the temple.

...

Following behind the Qiankun Daoist, Lu Changfeng fully extended his Spiritual Sense.

But the Qiankun Daoist seemed to possess something that could shield his aura. To Lu Changfeng’s Spiritual Sense, he appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary person.

Lu Changfeng studied the Qiankun Daoist’s Daoist Robe.

The purple Daoist Robe was crafted from some unknown material. A closer look revealed it was inscribed with a series of profound and mysterious patterns.

’Are those... Array Runes? Could it be that this man’s Daoist Robe is also an Array Tool, allowing him to block a person’s probing senses?’

Lu Changfeng knew nothing about Martial Arts Arrays, so this was all just speculation.

They followed a long corridor to the left of the statue of the Three Pristine True Saints and soon arrived in the temple’s rear courtyard.

The scene was one of casual simplicity—a green, shaded lawn and a small, clear pond—but Lu Changfeng’s pupils contracted violently.

The concentration of Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy in this courtyard was already equivalent to the amplification effect of a Heroic Root Bone (30%).

"How... did you do this? Just who are you?" Lu Changfeng demanded, his voice low and serious.

The Qiankun Daoist sat down at the stone table in the courtyard. He prepared the tea, poured a cup for Lu Changfeng, and said, "Let’s sit and talk at our leisure, Saint Master."

Lu Changfeng’s eyes narrowed. He had suspected back in the front hall that this man had recognized his true identity.

But hearing him say it aloud still left Lu Changfeng slightly unsettled. ’How did he identify me?’

As of now, the Qiankun Daoist was the first person to realize that Yang Jingtian was, in fact, his Clone.

As if sensing Lu Changfeng’s thoughts, the Qiankun Daoist continued.

"Originally, I didn’t know. But when you stepped into this temple, you also stepped into the Array of Heaven and Earth Sympathy I have set up here. Through the Array, I learned that you are merely a Clone."

"The Saint Demon Sect’s famous White Tiger Guardian is actually a Clone. I imagine the Saint Master must be aware of this. The only possibility, then, is that you are a Clone created by the Saint Master himself. It must be some technique involving Demon Fiend Bloodlines that allows for Clone Control, correct?"

Although his last words were phrased as a question, his tone was one of complete certainty.

Lu Changfeng stepped forward to the stone table and took a seat opposite the Qiankun Daoist.

Composure returned to Lu Changfeng’s gaze.

"Since you won’t reveal your identity, allow me to venture a guess."

"You’re no Domain-Breaker. You don’t carry their aura," Lu Changfeng stated.

The Qiankun Daoist raised an eyebrow. "Don’t carry their aura? Judging by your tone, it seems you’ve met a Domain-Breaker before?"

Having successfully piqued the Qiankun Daoist’s curiosity, Lu Changfeng smiled to himself. ’Finally, I’ve managed to bring him down from his high-and-mighty pedestal.’

’After all, I have the Floral Fiend, a creature that has survived since the Profound Realm was first established in the Ancient Times. When it comes to hidden knowledge, I’m certainly not lacking compared to this Qiankun Daoist.’

"I’m guessing you inherited the legacy of a Human King who specialized in Martial Arts Arrays."

"In this age where Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy is so scarce, Martial Arts Arrays can certainly take a person further than ordinary Martial Artists," Lu Changfeng said slowly.

At these words, the Qiankun Daoist was genuinely astonished. The cup of tea he was raising to his lips froze in mid-air.

"Human Kings, Domain-Breakers... it seems you know far more than I imagined."

"All the better, then. Let’s talk about cooperation," the Qiankun Daoist said, his expression turning serious as he decisively placed his teacup back on the table.

Lu Changfeng took a small sip of his tea. "This tea isn’t bad."

Seeing Lu Changfeng’s perfectly composed demeanor, the Qiankun Daoist’s brow furrowed slightly.

’According to the intelligence on the Saint Demon Sect Master, he should be quite young.’

’Furthermore, it’s undeniable that he has a Human King backing him.’

’Among the three great Human Kings, the one backing the Saint Demon Sect has always commanded the most active faction since the Profound Realm’s inception.’

’The other two, like the one supporting me, have been dormant for far, far too long.’

The Qiankun Daoist got straight to the point. "I’ll be direct. Within a hundred years, the Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy in the Profound Realm will inevitably experience another catastrophic drop."

"We have to find a way, whether it’s creating an Inner Realm or choosing Domain-Breaking to leave this world."

"Do you wish to die as the Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy withers away, your path of Martial Arts cut short? Of course not. So, let’s cooperate."

Lu Changfeng raised his head slightly. "An Inner Realm?"

’I know about Domain-Breaking. It means tearing through the Profound Realm’s Domain Membrane and entering the Chaotic Great World.’

’But this is the first time I’ve ever heard of an Inner Realm.’

"Let me explain it simply, and you’ll understand."

"To the Chaotic Great World, the Profound Realm is just a Secret Realm."

"If we join forces to create another Secret Realm inside the Profound Realm, isolating ourselves from all other life within it—that is an Inner Realm!" the Qiankun Daoist explained.

The explanation was perfectly clear. Lu Changfeng understood.

Lu Changfeng looked suspiciously at the Qiankun Daoist. "You have the ability to create an Inner Realm?"

The Qiankun Daoist said, "I can’t do it alone, of course. We would need to gather at least fifty experts of the Rebirth Realm for it to be successful."

"Naturally, once the deed is done, all fifty of those Rebirth Realm experts must be killed. The Inner Realm will only sustain the two of us for a few hundred years of cultivation at most."

"After a few hundred years, our strength will be sufficient. Choosing Domain-Breaking then will be a better option."

Clearly, the Qiankun Daoist had thought this plan through multiple times.

"It seems you also know about the Day Count Reset," Lu Changfeng said.

The Qiankun Daoist nodded. "The Day Count Reset... God knows how long it will last. The three great Human Kings of the Profound Realm are all still in slumber right now. If we wait for them to awaken, we’ll have even less of a chance."

Lu Changfeng frowned slightly upon hearing this. "Why would we have no chance if they awaken?"

The Qiankun Daoist said, "Do you have any idea how terrifying the bodies of the Human Kings who created the Profound Realm are?"

"A Human King is an existence that can go head-to-head with an Ancient Demon King!"

"The Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy they consume just by slumbering here already accounts for more than half of the Profound Realm’s total supply!"

"Once they awaken, their powerful Human King bodies will absorb Primordial Energy like a whale swallowing the ocean. How could there possibly be enough Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy left for small fry like us to break through to the next realm?"

The Qiankun Daoist’s words struck Lu Changfeng like the tolling of a great bell.

’If that’s the case, then my most urgent problem isn’t something else, but the Headless King who is set to awaken in ten years.’

Lu Changfeng took a deep breath and said, "Are you aware that within the Hundred Thousand Mountains to the north, there exists a Headless King?"

The Qiankun Daoist frowned slightly. "I know there is a sleeping Human King in the Hundred Thousand Mountains, but I didn’t know he was headless. Why is that?"

Lu Changfeng naturally couldn’t give an answer. He just said, "That Headless King has begun to awaken. In ten years, he intends to unify the Profound Realm."

Hearing this, the Qiankun Daoist was stunned. "Are you joking? He’s the one who created the Profound Realm in the first place. What would be the point in him unifying it?"

Lu Changfeng shook his head. "That, I do not know. But my source is reliable."

"In ten years, he will almost certainly awaken fully, and the Profound Realm will face an unprecedented crisis."

’When a Human King awakens, the Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy within the Profound Realm will be drastically depleted. No one will be able to escape the consequences.’

’That includes the Domain-Breaker, Wei Hex. Without enough Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy to reactivate his Ancient Demon Fiend Bloodline, he’s a dead man walking.’

’Who could have imagined that the very being who created the Profound Realm would one day become a great Demon, threatening all of its inhabitants?’

’Of course, that’s looking at it from my perspective.’

’From the Headless King’s perspective, he’s merely taking back what is rightfully his.’

"He plans to absorb all the Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy in the Profound Realm and then leave this realm?" the Qiankun Daoist asked, frowning.

’If that’s true, then Lu Changfeng and I only have ten years left.’

’As for confronting the Human King... the Qiankun Daoist wasn’t a fool. That would be like an egg trying to break a stone.’