Lu Yun split his attention between deducing the nascent spirit method and exploring the secrets of the Scroll of Shepherding Immortals on his grand tour of the treasure.

“Wait! That’s right, the nascent spirit exists between a state of reality and nonbeing. If something that only exists in reality cannot be absorbed by the nascent spirit to enhance it, then… what about something that is a nonentity?

“If the nascent spirit were to evolve to a state of nonbeing and return to reality, then… it would also become something real!

“When a sacrifice-born divine spirit is born of accumulated offerings, that is a process of turning unreality into something tangible, something real!”

“If all living beings were to light incense in worship of the Dusk River, then the river would give birth to a god, the god of Dusk River! If all living beings were to worship Mount Exalted, then a god of Mount Exalted would also come forth!

“No, there’s no need to offer sacrifices. I only need to utilize thoughts and will to transform what is non-being into something that exists. In order for a divine spirit to be born—”

Boom!!

Lu Yun's six nascent spirits churned into motion with a surge of action, and the full power of hell was bestowed upon them. Tides of deduction surged from Xing Chen into the Scroll of Shepherding Immortals.

Everything contained within the scroll flashed before Lu Yun’s eyes. "The key to drawing something real out of emptiness is in here… I see… I understand now.”

Celestial Master Zhang had drawn the Scroll of Shepherding Immortals using the essence of God, depicting every secret he knew about the origin of divine spirits in the treasure. Lu Yun’s six nascent spirits circulated furiously, greedily absorbing the core secrets of the divines.

“With the nascent spirit as the altar and thoughts as the god, I observe the world!”

Boom—

The six paths trembled and an enormous amount of power flooded out of hell into Lu Yun’s body. A part of his nascent spirit shuddered violently and projected a real world.

“This… this is a projection of the twenty-four facets! How is this possible?!” The demon sovereign sprang up from his seated position and looked incredulously upon the sight.

Lu Yun’s nascent spirit had manifested the twenty-four facets of the world, including the heretofore unexplored central world! His nascent spirit was like a real world that truly existed!

“Is this the nascent spirit method he’s invented?” Amazement shone out of the demon sovereign’s eyes as he took a deep breath. “The nascent spirit hovers between the realms of what is real and what isn’t, but he’s fully transformed it into something real. If he passes this kind of method on to me… bah! What do I speak of? If he does, won’t I have become his disciple?” He shook his head in vehement rejection.

“My nascent spirit observation method was inspired by you, Demon Sovereign. It’s an opportunity I was able to grasp only because of you, so even if I pass it on, we’d only be fellow daoists, not master and disciple.” Lu Yun opened his eyes, having caught the demon sovereign’s mutterings.

“Fellow daoist.” He bent in a deep, ceremonial bow and shared the first draft of his nascent spirit method.

“Fellow daoist!” Caught off guard, the demon sovereign quickly returned the courtesy.

“The initial stages of the nascent spirit observation method are complete. There are no corresponding combat arts or other techniques, it's just a simple, entry-level observation method. If the honored sovereign finds success in cultivating it and unearths new advancements, I hope to benefit from your generous tutelage, or witness it spreading far and wide in the world of immortals,” Lu Yun chuckled.

“Your words are too momentous, fellow daoist!” The demon sovereign nodded. “Your vision and scope of mind is great and encompasses the world. If the immortal emperor had possessed such awareness and foresight, would I have risen up against him in those times? Only… are you not concerned, fellow daoist, that once this method is disseminated in the world…”

“Two heads are better than one!” Lu Yun stood with his hands behind his back. “How is the world to improve if everyone hangs onto everything for dear life simply because it is their own? If this nascent spirit observation method is truly to be perfected, it needs the collective wisdom of all living beings.

“One person can create a cultivation method by themselves, but alone they cannot hew a great path. The dao is the fruit of accomplishment from the joint intelligence of all, and the dao of all is what we call the great dao!

“It was only after the founders of the pill, equipment, formation, and talisman daos popularized their paths in the world that the four supplemental paths truly became a great dao between heaven and earth.” Lu Yun spoke assertively and with great conviction. As he spoke, the energy of the land pulsed around him.

The great dao was the dao of all!

The same was true for Qing Yu’s formula dao as well. Once the Dusk sacred land was established, she would pass on her formula dao and utilize the combined wisdom of all living beings to raise it to greater heights.

The demon sovereign jerked involuntarily, and the light in his eyes flickered with varying intensity. After processing everything he’d heard, he heaved a great sigh.

“It is I who don’t have the courage to pass on the Hadal Bonefire Method, thereby enabling it to become a great dao as well!”

It was in that moment that the demon sovereign who’d dominated the Primordial Era truly bowed his head in defeat.

……

The Venerated Sacrosanct Demon Sovereign left.

If he didn't leave now, he couldn't promise that he wouldn't give in to the urge to kill Lu Yun. The boy was too frightening, not just in terms of possessions and territory, but also mentality and foresight. He was destined to become a sovereign of this age, sooner or later, uniting the world of immortals and becoming the second immortal emperor.

However, the demon sovereign refused to bend the knee to anyone. He’d already fostered true killing intent toward Lu Yun, and he really couldn’t promise anything if he didn’t leave now.

“What kind of person is the demon sovereign?” Lu Yun cocked his head at his new ally’s departing figure. He could tell from Su Xiaoxiao and Cangyin’s memories that this personage seemed to have suddenly appeared in the world one day, become a demon sovereign, then faced off with the immortal emperor.

One could plainly tell even back then that the sovereign had exceeded the principal realm.

“Hmm?” Lu Yun’s expression changed as a pillar of white light behind the tombstone shot up to the skies, illuminating a great seal in the firmament—one that was milky-white and glittered with aureate radiance.

It drew the attention of everyone within a four thousand kilometer radius.

“The Immortal Subjugation Seal?!” Lu Yun’s jaw dropped. “No, not the Immortal Subjugation Seal, but a projection. Someone’s broken into the emperor’s tomb!”

Just as he was about to charge over himself, he forced himself to calm down.

He’d spent seven days deducing the nascent spirit method, which meant there were less than ten days until Qing Yu fully refined the mandate of the central world.

“The seal’s just a smokescreen, there’s something else here that’s even greater than it! That’s the true ultimate treasure of the immortal emperor. Lu Shenhou’s probably here as well, so he’ll want it too!” Lu Yun whipped his head toward a corner of the realm.

There, within a fifty kilometer radius, was a zone that his Spectral Eye couldn’t penetrate. If some other treasure was to be found in the tomb, it had to be located there. To think was to take action, so Lu Yun called upon the Wandering Step and landed beside it in a single stride.

Boom! Boom!!

Dull thuds traveled into his ear as soon as he arrived.

The Sword of Slaughter and the Skyturning Seal!

Two of the greatest man-made treasures clashed against each other, but what made for a bizarre sight was that their movements were completely restricted to that circle a hundred kilometers across.

“You’re finally here, Lu Yun… dare you battle me?”

An enormous spear of light fell from the heavens and pierced straight down toward Lu Yun’s head.

Wu Tulong!