The nine connate spirit roots were the only ones of their kind and something to be encountered only through luck. Apart from the Emperor Sunflower, Qing Yu also possessed the Fusang Purewood, Embittered Bamboo, and Moon Osmanthus. Since her poison curse had been completely eradicated, she no longer needed these treasures.

Meanwhile, the Chaos Lotus, first of the great spirit roots, was very likely in the hands of Ling Rumeng of the Ling Clan. And Ling Rumeng… was in the Dao Academy.

Boundless yearning and veneration blossomed for the academy once the thirty-six peak factions took their leave, and more than a million immortals matriculated over the next couple of days. Even dao immortals bowed their lofty heads to enroll as disciples.

They all remembered what Lu Yun had said; that, if it wasn’t to save them, he would’ve long shattered the Dao Tree and facilitated the appearance of the new dao immortal realm. This naturally affected Ling Rumeng as well.

Many knew that the greatest spirit root beneath the heavens was in her possession, so her primary motive in coming to the Dao Academy was to seek asylum.

……

“The Chaos Lotus is already in Dusk Province,” said Qing Yu. “And I’ve figured out the whereabouts of the eighth spirit root, Constellation Willow. Except…”

“Except what?” Lu Yun’s heart clenched when he heard the name “Constellation Willow”. He had a bad feeling about this.

“You’ve already guessed it—the desolate willow in the Skandha Range is the manifestation of that spirit root.” Qing Yu raised her head and looked to the north. “What else other than the manifestation of a connate spirit root could keep that place under control?”

The Skandha Range needed the desolate willow to hold down the fort. At the same time, however, it was a very costly move to facilitate the evolution of a connate spirit root into a monster spirit, as well as incorporate the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise into the tomb. The Skandha Extinction Tomb not only cursed the four cardinal tribes, but all of the divine race itself, and had even nurtured four terrifying blood demons.

As for whether the fiend behind it all, a character that even Ge Long was wary of, was dead or alive in the current age—well, Lu Yun had no way of determining that.

Currently, Ge Long exerted full control over the Skandha Extinction Tomb, and the desolate willow hailed Lu Yun as its master because of the old servant. But, in order to ascend beyond the great emperor realm, Xing Chen had to swallow the nine great spirit roots, thereby spelling the desolate willow’s death.

“Your luopan can leverage the presence of the spirit roots we currently have to determine where the rest are.” Qing Yu quickly changed the topic when she saw Lu Yun’s forbidding expression. “I have a hunch that all ten spirit roots are in the world of immortals.”

Someone had once used her as a pawn with which to collect the great spirit roots, which in turn bequeathed her heightened sensitivity to them.

“Let’s set this matter aside for now. I’m making a trip to the West Sea to bring back the zombie tree,” sighed Lu Yun.

The desolate willow had resolved many a great trouble for him when he was still weak, and the Star Demon Sect of the Skandha Range had been of tremendous help to him. After the great war, when danger still ran rampant in the world, the desolate willow had stood out to shelter many fragile beings, protecting them within the mountain range.

He was loath to do anything that would hurt it.

Alas, Ge Long was right in that there was no absolute good or evil in the world, just different perspectives.

Hummm.

Mount Xuanhuang suddenly trembled as a small fissure opened in the void. A man dressed in blue stepped out from the sky.

“Is someone here?” Qing Yu looked around alertly, but the man didn’t register in her eyes.

“What are you doing here? Aren’t you worried that I’ll shoot you where you stand?” Lu Yun’s expression shifted slightly when he saw the newcomer.

Lu Shenhou!

Though Lu Yun had defeated Lu Shenhou last time, he hadn’t killed his long-time rival. Lu Shenhou was a very unique existence that almost seemed not to exist. There didn’t seem to be anyone who could see him, apart from Lu Yun, and Qing Yu was no exception.

“I’m here to give you some advice.” Lu Shenhou’s eyes shone brightly, but he spoke to Lu Yun in an odd tone. “You need to think carefully—there’s only one great emperor beneath the heavens right now, and it’s you! Your replica is the greatest powerhouse in the world, and you can be the sovereign of the entire multiverse with just a casual thought!

“Why should you sacrifice this invincible replica for the sake of ants scrabbling in the dirt?”

“Our principles are different, so we walk different paths.” Lu Yun smiled at Lu Shenhou. “What I do is not for the sake of all life or the world. I’m just following my heart. My house is at peace when the world is at peace, I just want to create an easier life for myself.”

“Hahahaha—” Lu Shenhou threw his head back with laughter. “With your replica as a great emperor, you can suppress all of life and time with your strength alone. Those ruins outside the world of immortals? You can revitalize them with just the snap of a finger!

“You can reshape this realm as you will and annihilate all of the yin spirits plaguing the realm. Why go to all of this extraneous effort to repair the path of immortality and have the immortal dao pass through the heavens?

“You can head to the World Gates right now and obliterate all of those would-be invaders with one blow. You would liberate the previous nine celestial emperors just like that!

“You are a great emperor now, one on the level of those before Emperors Fall. You have the strength to destroy the heavens and reshape the universe. You can resolve all problems in a split second!

“So why? Why sacrifice yourself for the good of others? So the immortal dao is broken, let it stay broken. You are as carefree as can be by being a great emperor. Is this kind of life not easy enough for you?

“Or are you afraid, afraid that the so-called bad omens of being an ‘emperor’ will search you out?”

The will of the immortal dao in Mount Xuanhuang slowly stirred to wakefulness, a hint of confusion in its nebulous thoughts.

Lu Yun shook his head. “You don’t understand.”

“I don’t understand?” Lu Shenhou’s eyes widened. This was hardly the reaction he expected after that delivery.

“That’s right, you don’t understand.” Lu Yun nodded. “I, too, am a part of all living beings. Though my replica is a great emperor, it is still part of life itself.”

He reached out and closely inspected his hands. “Look, are my hands different from the ants you speak of? From the height of the heavens, is there a difference between ants and dragons?”

Lu Shenhou jerked, taken aback and lacking a response.

“Since this body of a great emperor wasn’t supposed to be mine in the first place, why should I be reluctant to part with it? The disasters outside of the world can’t be resolved with my strength alone. There were existences that also exceeded great emperor during the time of Emperors Fall as well, but they too perished in the end. Xuan Yuan willingly went to his death because he wanted to keep hope alive for later generations.

“A calamity for all living beings must be resolved by the combined strength of everyone. Look at the various life forms in the world of immortals and look at the beings struggling for dear life in the wrecked outer realms. Don’t they all have their own hopes and dreams?

“Only when I act for all life, will life move for me. If I hang onto this great emperor replica today, I will surely meet with misfortune some other day. My soul will be shattered, but there will later come another descendant who inherits all that I have and sets foot on this same path.” Lu Yun sighed with emotion. “Honestly, this is all hot air in the end. It’s not that I’m being forced into this, but…”

Only a common Earth saying could express his feelings now. “There are some things that money can’t buy! The hell you gonna do about it, huh?”

Lu Shenhou blinked, dazed.

“So it’s you, Lu Shenhou!” Qing Yu exclaimed. She could somehow see him now!