Empress Myrtlestar shifted the treasures from the ancient site of the inner vault into a storage treasure and tossed it to Lu Yun, along with the Divine Seaward Iron.

As for the Moon Osmanthus, Qing Han refined it with Empress Myrtlestar’s help.

After a brief moment of solemnity, the six troublemakers began dividing their spoils with renewed glee and chatter. Thanks to the doting care of their factions, they were almost lackadaisical in nature, despite their precious bloodlines.

The six of them and their peerless immortal followers had truly made out like, well, bandits this time. 

Even the little fox, who’d abstained from the raid and thus hadn’t done much, was given many valuable items. That prompted an immediate shift in loyalty and drove her to seek the comfort of Jing Dichen’s arms.

Fortunately, the space Lu Yun had created was large enough, or it wouldn’t have been able to accommodate all of the valuables.

……

Hell.

Beigong Chonglou had been duly sacrificed in exchange for the power to temper the Divine Seaward Iron. The material was so sturdy that even the three immortal fires combined couldn’t melt it.

Hellfire could be used to refine treasures as well, but it was a cold fire, and its properties overlapped with those of the iron. After heating the iron with hellfire for some time, Lu Yun realized with resignation that the iron had hardened even further.

This was a weapon that’d been used by the ancient immortal emperor, and even rulers of the primordial era, to keep the four seas under control. It was named ‘divine’ iron, but it contained the essence of the four seas and could thus tap into their power.

Nevertheless, sacrificing Beigong Chonglou’s soul had bequeathed unto Lu Yun a mysterious power that boosted the might of the three immortal fires to an incredible height, completely disintegrating the iron until it returned to its original form: a pool of molten iron. He would use that to refine a weapon of war!

“Oh?” Lu Yun’s expression shifted.

During the soul sacrifice, a slight, inexplicable tremor had passed through the Enneawyrm Coffinbearers and the Nine-Phoenix Casket. Regardless, he only paid the two unpredictable heavyweights some minor attention. Refining the weapon of war was much more important.

He’d also obtained two trillion premium immortal crystals from the North Sea vault, and wouldn’t have to worry about money ever again! However, he still wasn’t strong enough, so he needed items to assist him in dealing with his enemies.

The replicated weapon of war Feinie and Huangqing had developed was the perfect choice.

The counterfeit had a fatal flaw, though. It could only bear, at most, the power of a billion premium crystals, or the weapon would explode from overcharging, which fell short of the authentic weapon’s capabilities. The strength it could bring to bear was also a far cry from what the real item could do.

If the replica of the monster spirit emperor hadn’t been flawed itself, the blast wouldn’t have killed him.

……

A hundred years passed in hell.

Lu Yun worked with Feinie and Yuying in order to complete the weapon of war, the new main weapon of the Divine Glory. It could bring forth much more power than the previous main cannon, and when powered by sufficient crystals, it could theoretically even surpass contemporary models.

Lu Yun might lack for anything, but he would never lack for money! To be exact, his fortune now totaled two trillion and three hundred billion crystals. It would be no exaggeration at all to call him the richest man in all the world.

“This cannon has been made with Divine Seaward Iron and was completed in the North Sea.” Lu Yun returned to the real world at the exact moment he’d left it. “This will be the new main cannon of Divine Glory, named Black Emperor! Under its divine power, all immortals and gods will fall!”

He summoned the fortress ship and mounted the cannon in the position of main artillery. The old one that’d begun melting was relegated to the ship’s broadside.

I wonder how powerful Black Emperor is… Making it with Divine Seaward Iron must make it special, somehow. After some deliberation, Lu Yun decided not to test it. He was rich now, but he wasn’t about to become the true seventh profligate and splash crystals around for no good reason, not just yet. 

……

News that Lu Yun had arrived in the imperial sea spread throughout the North Sea. Many were doubtful, at first, but jaws dropped at the sight of Lu Yun’s signature vessel, the ridiculously extravagant fortress ship from the Ling Clan, the foremost clan of Nephrite Major.

The North Sea was at its most chaotic at present. Eighty percent of its elites had entered the skydragon tomb, but many opportunists still remained on the sidelines, ready to reap the benefits as various factions clashed.

Even the North Sea Palace had been raided not long ago. What could Lu Yun possibly want when arriving at this time, other than to stir up more trouble? Everyone knew about his troubled relationship with the marine court.

Visiting the North Sea so openly would surely prompt Bing Xuan, arcane dao immortal of the ruling clan, to kill the boy, Guardian of the Dao Flower or top youth sovereign be damned.

No one even suspected him of being responsible for the raid of the dragon palace. Lu Yun was a mere cultivator; no matter how talented he was, he was nothing in the face of the North Sea court.

However, his next move shocked everyone. Lu Yun, refiner of items, was now open for business!

As long as one supplied the relevant materials, he would refine treasures according to their needs! Only after the shocking development percolated did many recall that Lu Yun was a master refiner as well.

Back in Xiankan, he’d earned Master Zhurong Cangshan’s respect with the forge of earth and sky, the peak equipment dao technique. And now, he’d set up his forge in the North Sea.

The skydragon tomb was open, and many powerful immortals had rushed in in a bid to be the first to explore it. Even so, there were still many who were hesitant to enter the tomb without high quality treasures as protection.

……

Immortal Sky Island.

This island was a large marketplace where the Panorama Pavilion’s North Sea branch was located, a marketplace whose scale rivaled the former Myriad Returns Market on the now-ruined Levitating Island.

Upon Lu Yun’s arrival, the executives of the local branch personally welcomed him with great veneration and led him to the back hall, where the pavilion lord was waiting. Said lord had almost sunk the entire island in a fit of excitement when he received the Tribulation Surrogate Pill.

“Please note that you must notify this junior before you consume the pill and attempt to pluck the dao fruit,” Lu Yun issued a serious reminder when he handed over the pill.

The pavilion lord tensed. “Do you mean....”

“Things... aren’t as simple as they seem here.” That was just the young governor’s hunch, and he didn’t know exactly what drove it.

“I will,” the pavilion lord promised, then smiled faintly. “I can keep my power in check for another hundred years. I’ll pluck the dao fruit once I’m fully prepared. Whatever you’re planning to do in the North Sea, you may do so without worry, my young friend.” 

Lu Yun shrugged. If the pavilion lord found out exactly what he’d done, he’d excuse himself and flee back to the Panorama Pavilion with any flimsy excuse he could grasp at. Even peak arcane dao immortals couldn’t bear the ire of the entire North Sea court.

The pavilion lord wasn’t interested in the skydragon tomb. After acquiring the Tribulation Surrogate Pill and dao weapon, he had no reason to head in for an expedition.

……

Within the courtyard before the branch of the Panorama Pavilion, Lu Yun hovered imposingly in the air, looking down at the unprecedented crowds of immortals that’d been drawn to the island. Even some who’d already entered the tomb had made their exit and found their way to the Immortal Sky Island instead.

More than ten thousand immortals had come, and more still were to come.

“Master Lu,” said a bearded peerless immortal, raising a cupped fist salute at Lu Yun, “will you only be refining weapons?”

Although Lu Yun was a mere spirit realm cultivator, many immortals considered it unwise to offend him.

“As long as you can supply the materials, I will refine formations, talismans, treasures, and pills for you!” His answer rang through the courtyard.

Beardy perked up, his breath quickening. No one doubted Lu Yun’s words, as he’d more than proven himself in Xiankan.

“What’s the price for your service, then?” asked someone else.

Lu Yun smiled faintly. “I need no payment for benefiting the world of immortals.”

Deafening silence fell over the scene as many looked at Lu Yun in sheer disbelief.

“Surely you jest, Master Lu. All of the great masters in the world charge an eye popping price for their services. Pill Master Gu Zun, for example, requires five full sets of ingredients or five million premium immortal crystals as payment for a ninth-rank pill...”

“Gu Zun? He’s nothing but a clown.” Lu Yun shook his head. “I was appointed the foremost youth sovereign by the nine celestial emperors themselves, and will be the lord of the future Dusk Sacred Land. I charged nothing for entering the inheritance tower or the Sword Lake, the two holy lands of cultivation in Dusk Province. Anyone can freely come and go, so why would I charge you just for refining a few items?”

The crowd’s breath collectively hitched. Free refinement?

It would be too good to be true, coming from anyone else, but this was Lu Yun making the offer. Anyone else would’ve kept the inheritance tower and the Sword Lake for their own use, or profited off of them.

In fact, the Feng Clan had set up checkpoints and demanded large sums of crystals when they’d taken control of the inheritance tower.

When Lu Yun had reclaimed Dusk Province, he immediately abolished the rules the Feng Clan set up. So when he said he wouldn’t charge people anything, he really did mean it.

Great waves of goodwill converged and streamed into Lu Yun’s body, condensing into a new fruit hanging low on the boughs of the Sal Tree of Life and Death.

“How impressively generous you are, senior brother Lu from Dusk Province,” sounded a mocking voice. “Then I ask you to return what belongs to the Ling Clan.”

A young man in a moon-white robe descended upon Lu Yun with a few followers, gracefully treading the clouds. He looked at Lu Yun with a supercilious smile, his features handsome and his eyes bright as stars.

“Senior brother Lu has taken our fortress ship and used it in untold slaughter. That bad karma will fall on our clan. If you’re truly so generous, I ask you to return what is rightfully ours.”

The bystanders froze upon hearing the declaration. The Ling Clan, foremost clan of Nephrite major! The young man before them was a cultivator, but he’d reached the void realm!

After Mo Yi had blazed the way, void realm cultivators had sprouted all over the world of immortals.

“Ling Ruyu of the Ling Clan greets senior brother Lu.”