Chapter 267
Chapter 267
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: [Unknown]
Chapter Title: Suo Huan's Audience with the True Lord
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Although Lu Yang no longer dwelled on the details, his guess wasn't wrong. A mighty True Lord would never truly mobilize for a mere junior.
Lu Yang was just an afterthought.
The one truly connected to the Soaring Empyrean Sun-Obscuring True Lord, using the Myriad Martial World—a realm where karmic ties were hard to trace—to meet him, was actually Suo Huan.
Otherwise, why would he attack the Dragon King Chong Ying of the Four Seas Gate? Did he really think it was for a trade with that fool Miaoyin? His real target from start to finish was the half piece of Yin Dragon Water in Chong Ying's hands! That was a chunk of earth essence whose yin and yang had been reversed by the Soaring Empyrean Sun-Obscuring True Lord!
It was through him that Suo Huan had made contact with this True Lord.
Looking down at Suo Huan kneeling on the ground, the True Lord spoke in an indifferent tone, seemingly unconcerned by his obeisance.
"You already possess the Seeking Gold Method. Why seek me out?"
"The True Lord sees all. This one is terrified."
Suo Huan said, trembling with fear.
"Various True Lords have approached me, wanting me to prove the Long Flowing Water and shatter Your Excellency's Dao lineage. I truly have no choice in the matter."
The True Lord gave Suo Huan a serious look upon hearing this, then chuckled lightly.
"The Pure Land refined your blessed land to perfection, the Saint Sect helped you draw the resonance of the fruit position, and the Dao Court bestowed an official post upon you. With the three forces joining hands, you've gained a slim chance at Seeking Gold. Such a grand opportunity—can that really be called 'no choice'?"
"It may be an opportunity, but it's also a tribulation."
Suo Huan kept his head lowered and continued.
"The matter of the Long Flowing Water concerns the True Lord's great Dao. Even if I prove it, as a mere itinerant cultivator, how could I withstand the True Lord's divine might?"
"Fear not. The moment of proving the Dao would be the moment of my fall."
"Thus, this one is willing to投身 the Netherworld Mansion and serve at Your Excellency's side, acting as your vanguard. I only beg the True Lord to grant me a true fruit. I implore Your Excellency's mercy."
Suo Huan's tone was utterly abject.
Yet he felt nothing wrong with it. For a minor figure like him, without humility, without bowing low, without setting aside his pride—how could he ever Seek Gold?
He hadn't even sealed his sea of consciousness.
Ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators sealed their seas of consciousness, and unless some special method was used, they couldn't be opened. Even a True Lord couldn't casually search their souls.
But at this moment, Suo Huan deliberately opened his sea of consciousness, laying bare all his thoughts for the True Lord before him, as a show of sincerity.
For a moment, even this True Lord fell silent.
Since Suo Huan hid nothing, he easily read his emotions—yet found not a trace of stray thoughts. If summed up in one sentence, it was:
'Want to be my dog?'
After a moment of silence, the True Lord smiled.
"Very well. You are indeed talented. Since the others want you to prove the Long Flowing Water, then go ahead and prove it."
At these words, Suo Huan felt a sudden wave of dizziness.
'What!? He's letting me prove it—he has no qualms at all!?'
In an instant, panic surged in Suo Huan. Truth be told, he had imagined every possible reaction from the True Lord before him and prepared accordingly.
He had even considered the chance that the True Lord might see his proving the Long Flowing Water as an obstacle to his Dao path, too lazy to offer a path in the Netherworld Mansion to an otherworldly cultivator like him, and simply slap him to death. So the one who came to the Myriad Martial World wasn't his true body, but a refined avatar.
But he never dreamed the True Lord wouldn't care!
Just recently, Chongguang's Seeking Gold had reversed the world's earth essence, leaving him harried and locked in a fierce battle with over a dozen True Lords.
Under such circumstances, how could he allow anyone to prove the Long Flowing Water?
Seeing Suo Huan's shaken expression, the True Lord smiled.
"If you prove the Long Flowing Water and then enter my Netherworld Mansion, I'll value you even more in the future."
'He wants to pull the Long Flowing Water into the Netherworld Mansion?'
'He's truly aiming for reincarnation?'
Infinite doubts arose in Suo Huan's heart, but his face showed none of it. Instead, he revealed an expression of profound gratitude and bowed his head.
"My deepest thanks for Your Excellency's mercy!"
"But with the True Lord watching, this one's chances of Seeking Gold are truly slim."
One only had to compare it to Chongguang to see.
What was Chongguang's setup? Solid peak Foundation Establishment cultivation, a blessed land uniquely his own, a backer at mid-Golden Core, and a host of talented subordinates. Now look at him? A lone wanderer, his peak Foundation Establishment cultivation propped up only by the Dao lineage's official post blessing—not self-refined, but a half-ruined blessed land formed after a realm's collapse. No backers at all. Optimistically speaking, he had a slim chance at Seeking Gold!
So he needed more!
He didn't care what schemes this True Lord had. He'd already approached three factions. As long as it boosted his odds of Seeking Gold, one more wouldn't hurt!
'If only the Sword Pavilion weren't so unreasonable. I'd have gone to them too.'
Among the four great powers, the Sword Pavilion held the harshest stance toward otherworldly cultivators—kill on sight, calling it 'your karmic affinity.'
In the Sword Pavilion's view, otherworldly cultivators were filthy outsiders. Want to Seek Gold? Sure—get killed by us, enter reincarnation for a good scrubbing. Once your past life's memories are gone, we'll naturally come to induct you. Even with Suo Huan's debt-be-damned mentality, he hadn't approached the Sword Pavilion.
"Your audacity is truly remarkable."
Suo Huan so brazenly demanding benefits made even the True Lord's eyebrows twitch. As his words fell, the heavens and earth of this domain seemed to halt in an instant.
Immense mental pressure crashed down.
Yet Suo Huan endured it, prostrating himself even lower, forehead pressed firmly to the ground, his voice steady and resolute.
"This one is simply unwilling to resign himself. I seek only a丹果. I implore Your Excellency's mercy."
His voice and tone were humbly abject.
Yet the determination within remained unshaken by the True Lord's might.
". . . Very well. I grant it."
The next instant, the True Lord chuckled lightly. In a flash, spring returned to the land, the prior killing intent melting away like ice and snow, as if it had never existed.
The True Lord's figure vanished without a trace, replaced by a droplet hovering in midair. At first glance, it seemed no larger than a mustard seed, but a sweep of divine sense plunged one into an endless ocean—nine twists and eighteen turns, surging endlessly, its source impossible to fathom.
Only then did Suo Huan exhale deeply.
Raising his head, he gazed at the suspended droplet. After a brief moment of thought, immense joy bloomed on his face.
"This is a fruit position treasure!?"
A sweep of his divine sense brought the corresponding information flooding into his mind.
"Heavenly Virtue Beneficent Divine Water!"
As the name implied, this water held the virtue of clarity and nourishment, the wonder of aiding the world and bestowing blessings. Consuming it could bring rebirth from desperation, prosperity and flourishing, merit benefiting all things.
"This is the supreme treasure to draw the Long Flowing Water!"
If taken during Seeking Gold, it would let the Long Flowing Water actively connect. The difficulty of ascending the blessed land would drop by more than tenfold?
'Three in ten—at least three in ten chance!'
'He's not feigning. He gave me this treasure—he truly wants me to prove the Long Flowing Water. He's really not afraid I'll ruin his Dao path?'
'Or could it be. . .'
At this thought, Suo Huan's expression gradually darkened. The joy that had just surfaced faded swiftly, replaced by a chill.
'All of them are supporting me like this.'
'They really don't mind a散修 True Lord—an otherworldly cultivator at that? They're not worried I'll damage the heavens and earth after seizing the fruit position?'
Truth be told, he'd thought this would take over a century, with slim odds of success—just doing his utmost and leaving it to fate. Yet so far, it had gone unbelievably smoothly. Nearly every faction had agreed to his requests, no refusals.
Though their conditions were harsh, they were within his tolerance.
They hadn't even asked if he'd contacted other powers, despite him preparing a slew of excuses he never needed.
'Too smooth.'
The more Suo Huan pondered, the more horrified he grew. He couldn't help glancing around, then gave a bitter laugh. He didn't even know if the True Lord was still beside him!
Suo Huan looked up at the untouchable vault of heaven above, swallowing his doubts, not daring to voice them:
'Are they truly supporting me, or does everyone believe my Seeking Gold is doomed to fail—that I'm as good as dead?'