It’d been five years since Lu Yun first set foot in the world of immortals. He’d started as a youngster so weak that he couldn’t fight his way out of a wet paper bag. In desperation, he’d turned to tomb raiding just to stay alive. With that, five years had passed in the blink of an eye.

Now, not only had he become an immortal, but he was also a famous household name across the world. Perhaps he wasn’t the greatest of them all yet, but he could rival anyone in reputation.

Five years!

……

When he casually tossed the demonic crystal core into hell, Ge Long gulped it down whole. Lu Yun didn’t mind either way.

The demonic energy emanating from the Ancient Tree of Life was entirely gone. Firmly taking root in the immortal crystal garden west of Dao City, the tree covered half the city with its shadow, like a sacred mountain.

To the surprise of many… Lu Yun then made the garden open to the public. Any immortal was free to go inside and cultivate or simply admire the giant tree!

His decision unnerved more than one; the garden and the tree were yet another sacred land of cultivation in Dusk Province. That Lu Yun would eventually find great success in establishing a sacred land of immortal dao seemed only a matter of time.

Inside the garden, the Dao Flower projection blossomed peacefully next to the ancient tree. Everyone knew he was delaying his second attempt at a sacred land because he was waiting for Qing Yu’s ascension to immortality.

Without question, she was the one he cared most about in this world. Before she became an immortal, worries and concerns would always niggle at his mind.

……

Rather than ply Chen Xiao with jugs of liquor, Lu Yun ordered a grand feast for the entire province. Dao City, Dusk City, and the other cities open to the public all held magnificent celebrations.

Out of the cities in the province, five were occupied by the Lus, Qings, Chens, Xues, and Yins, the thirteen merchant alliance inhabited another ten, the ten Yama Kings ruled ten as well, and the capital of Dusk City made for twenty-nine cities accessible to the public. Dao City wasn’t part of the three hundred and sixty-five cities; technically, it was the three hundred and sixty-sixth.

Twenty-nine cities might not sound all that impressive at first blush, but the atmosphere and momentum reigning in Dusk Province surpassed that of many other great provinces.

…...

Inside Dao City.

Qing Buyi, Chen Xiao, and Zhao Shenguang gorged themselves on food, like hungry wolves that’d been starved for several lives.

“So that dick Zhao Changkong’s dead… That’s wonderful!” Zhao Shenguang chugged an entire jug of wine and waved his arms around happily. “That means I can go back and be celestial emperor of Nephrite Major!”

Chen Xiao sent him sprawling with a kick and snorted, “Be mindful of where you are!”

Zhao Shenguang scratched his head with embarrassment. That was right… they were attending a great banquet.

Everyone that was someone in the world of immortals was here. When they heard Zhao Shenguang, they couldn’t help but pause. If he were indeed to ascend to the celestial throne, there was no doubt he’d be Dusk Province’s ally. By then, Dusk would have the strength of all of Nephrite Major behind it.

Thanks to the presence of Art and Zither Saint, few dared entertain the idea of invading the major. Moreover, the two devils, Chen Xiao and Qing Buyi, had also returned and were standing behind Dusk Province and Lu Yun. The future was already a frightening thought to contemplate.

But while Dusk Province was indeed formidable, it was nothing but a tiny province at the end of the day. That no one dared invade it didn’t mean no one was plotting to curb its growth and confine its influence to firmly within its borders.

As a matter of fact, various factions had begun to form a coalition against the Dusk Phalanx in Witherdew Major.

The advent of the Closesky Formation had rendered crystal cannons and sundry weapons of war almost obsolete. Although formation masters far and wide had yet to decipher that precise one, many similar formations were already seeing the light of day.

……

The grand feast in Dusk Province was just that, a feast. There was no deeper meaning to it, other than an occasion to celebrate. When it ended, Lu Yun chased everyone away, leaving only Qing Yu behind.

“Shall we go to the netherworld?” He found himself somewhat flustered. His brain was buzzing, and he didn’t know what to do with himself.

“I’d rather stay outside… If someone really is using me as a pawn in their nefarious plan, they’ll certainly show themselves to stop us while you dispel my curse. I fear that kingdom of yours won’t be able to withstand such a commotion then.” Qing Yu refused his proposal.

Lu Yun looked down and began to think.

The pearls of the four divine spirits, the Fusang Purewood, and the Key of Life quietly floated around Qing Yu. The Key of Life was the heart of the Ancient Tree of Life. After fusing with the tree, it’d now become the tree’s essence once more, equivalent to the tree itself.

Suddenly picking up something with his consciousness, Lu Yun waved his hand and opened a path through the surrounding formations, letting Zhao Wushuang in.

“What are you doing here for?” Lu Yun looked at her in bafflement.

“I came to save her.” Zhao Wushuang bit her lip.

Lu Yun observed her with a silent frown. “What do you know?”

The exiled princess shook her head. “I possess the essence of the four sacred beasts. I can save her!”

“Sir… the four pearls, the Fusang Purewood, and the Key of Life aren’t enough to dispel the shamanic divines’ poison curse.” Zhaoqing’s voice echoed in Lu Yun’s mind, but she didn’t appear in person. “To dispel the curse, you also need the purest energy from the essence of the Four Guardians.”

Lu Yun blinked. The Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise were collectively known as the Four Guardians! However, pureblood descendants of the four had long disappeared from the world.

The Black Tortoise in his service was the result of a combination between a black turtle and a blackwater snake. Together, they’d evolved into the semblance of a Black Tortoise, then obtained the blessing of the land to become a true sacred beast. It was as far from pureblooded as one could get.

The essence of the Four Guardians could only stem from the cardinal godkings or figures at the level of the Azure Dragon King. At the moment, the Azure Dragon King had transformed himself into a mountain and gone into the Scroll of Shepherding Immortals to recover.

Lu Yun slowly breathed out. Clearly, Zhaoqing had been the one who’d summoned Zhao Wushuang; the latter knew nothing of Qing Wu’s poison curse.

The curse was an art unique to the shamanic divines… While shamanic divines bore the word shaman in their name, they were also divines, and an exceptionally cruel and evil breed of them at that.

As the daughter of a divine emperor, Zhaoqing naturally knew how to dispel a poison curse of the shamanic divines. She hadn’t been aware of Qing Yu’s circumstances before, but she’d understood after she’d seen Lu Yun take out the four pearls, the Fusang Purewood, and the Ancient Tree of Life. Therefore, she’d immediately summoned Zhao Wushuang.

Only, Zhao Wushuang wasn’t aware of the relation between Zhaoqing and Lu Yun, so she was determined to play her cards close to her chest.

Zhao Wushuang… possessed the essence of the Four Guardians. The strange tribulation beast that’d appeared during her tribulation had clearly been an amalgam of the four cardinal godkings. Moreover, her phenomenon of ascension had also taken the shape of the four sacred beasts and contained their essence.

After piecing the sequence of events together, Lu Yun’s back was drenched in cold sweat.