Chapter 470
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Translator: Ace
Chapter:
Chapter Title: Return to the Palace
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In the quiet chamber, as the Old Dragon Lord withdrew his consciousness, that scale also lost its brilliant glow and fell silent.
Lu Yang silently examined the golden light in his hand. Don't let its faintness fool you—when his divine sense entered it, he felt as if he were immersed in a vast ocean.
As the golden light faded, the item's true appearance emerged.
It was a conch horn, etched with wave-like patterns. Cradled in Lu Yang's palms, it seemed no larger than a handspan, yet weighed as heavy as a mountain.
[Edict Sea Conch]!
Enlightenment dawned in Lu Yang's mind: *The true treasure corresponding to [Great Sea Water], just like the [Heaven-Receiving Ascending Profound Marvelous Realm Stabilizing Observation Sword], but clearly of a higher grade!*
This wasn't because [Great Sea Water] outshone [Wall-upon-Earth], but because the Old Dragon Lord's cultivation and realization far exceeded that of the Heaven-Receiving Orthodox Virtue True Lord. His mastery over the fruition position was greater, so the true treasure he refined from it was naturally superior.
Meanwhile, inside the Myriad Spirits Banner.
The Listening Phantom Ancestor had eavesdropped on the exchange between Lu Yang and the Old Dragon Lord, poised to back him up if Lu Yang slipped while feigning an outer dao identity.
Yet now, he couldn't help but shake his head.
*I was fretting over nothing. The kid's sharper than me!*
Worthy of one who had mingled in the Primal Saint Sect!
That was a Dragon Lord—a mid-Golden Core True Lord who had lived untold ages—yet Lu Yang had fooled him into handing over a true treasure!
Lu Yang noticed the Ancestor's expression and sent over a strand of divine sense.
"Ancestor, don't get taken in. This old dragon's got ulterior motives! One true treasure... who knows if the True Lord left a mark on it. I'd wager he planted a divine sense there, watching me under the guise of protection!"
Don't mistake the Old Dragon Lord for a fool!
He might seem guileless and honest, but he was no idiot. Otherwise, he never could have led the true dragon clan across the seas, preserving their bloodline to this day.
He might not excel at scheming against others.
But he had plenty of experience dodging schemes!
Tricking him? Easier said than done!
If he'd naively pocketed the true treasure and given himself away, the Dragon Lord's claw would rip through the void in the next breath, refining him on the spot.
With that in mind, Lu Yang promptly circulated [Never Yielding to Others].
The golden talent bloomed with light in the Dragon Lord's presence—not dazzling, but unmistakably real.
*Clearly, the Old Dragon Lord still trusts me.*
*Gifting a treasure like this to keep tabs is likely just ingrained caution from too many past betrayals, not true doubt.*
Lu Yang studied the [Edict Sea Conch], his mind awhirl, though his face showed only touched gratitude.
"Grandpa really does care for me. With this true treasure, I won't fear that mysterious man harming me next time we meet. Just wonder when he'll show up..."
With that, he tossed it into the Myriad Spirits Banner.
A Dragon Lord's divine sense?
It wasn't his true body—just a wisp separated by billions of miles. Lu Yang wasn't truly afraid anymore! He could easily deceive it!
The Myriad Spirits Banner was vast, brimming with all manner of things.
With someone to coordinate, fooling a True Lord's divine sense was child's play. Whatever the Dragon Lord wanted to see, Lu Yang could conjure an exact replica!
In the quiet chamber.
The [Immortal Kingdom Dao Rhythm] thrummed. Lu Yang slipped back into that unprecedented state of "world-shaking acuity," his inspirations gushing forth like a spring.
"Ancestor, care to give it a try?"
Lu Yang glanced at the Listening Phantom Ancestor beside him and extended the invitation. The Ancestor hesitated, then tentatively brushed against a trace of the Dao Rhythm's might.
Naturally, Lu Yang didn't let him fully embrace the [Immortal Kingdom Dao Rhythm]'s blessing—that would expose him utterly beneath its gaze. He merely allowed a wisp of stray power for a fleeting taste.
"Well?"
The Listening Phantom Ancestor closed his eyes, sensing for a moment before frowning.
"Feels like my thoughts slowed a touch... Might not do much for me."
"...Slowed?"
Lu Yang was left speechless. Where was the promised "world-shaking acuity"? The distilled wisdom of countless Jiangdong cultivators?
Not even a match for the Ancestor alone!
Lu Yang shook his head. Astonishment aside, he wasn't surprised. Soon enough, Emperor Jiayou's three [Immortal Kingdom Dao Rhythm] blessings were exhausted.
Boom!
Lu Yang's eyes snapped open, brimming with crimson radiance like intersecting bolts of brilliant spirit-light. His mind brimmed with knowledge tied to [Noon Fire]:
*Noon governs the beacon towers, positioned due south, of the fire phase, hue red-yellow—the realm of war steeds and soldiery blazes. The sun enters the Noon palace as Returning to the Ramparts, or Day at Zenith. Its golden splendor blazes thus—guided by [Heavenly Fire] within the [Heavenly Fire] fruition path, the innate divine ability it condenses should be named—*
The realization struck. Radiant glory erupted from Lu Yang!
At his feet, the glow spread like jade, manifesting ethereal palaces, pavilions, towers, and jade spires that together formed a heavenly gate.
Three characters gleamed upon it:
[Returning Ramparts Palace]!
Lu Yang exhaled a deep breath of turbid qi. Amid the palace halls, another divine ability materialized overhead—the pent-earth divine ability he had previously refined, [Emperor of Fate].
The next instant, [Calamity Wave] emerged!
Lu Yang grasped this supreme spiritual treasure of five divine wonders. Its [Upholding the Dharma] marvel activated, manifesting a third divine ability silhouette!
In that instant, the [Returning Ramparts Palace] encircling Lu Yang and the [Emperor of Fate] crowning his head like an imperial diadem, its tassel-glows draping down, slammed together. They fused with his life's natal divine ability, [Chongli Imperial Edict of Mountains and Seas Chart], into a single mass.
At a glance, it resembled a treasure orb.
Egg-shaped, hazy and dim, cradled between Lu Yang's palms—yet it reflected infinite glories, as if encapsulating heaven and earth's profound truths.
[Heaven-Earth Concord]!
Four divine abilities—one natal, three talents—late Foundation Establishment!
Lu Yang smiled in satisfaction. His progress this lifetime was blisteringly swift. Less than a year since rebirth, and he had reclaimed a Great True Person's cultivation!
*By past measure, about a century until Senior Uncle Chongguang seeks gold. But Chongguang planned ahead, reincarnating early to the Celebration Kingdom. What's lingering in Heaven-Connecting Cloud Sea is likely just a clone for misdirection—hence his century of seclusion without venturing out or clashing with foes.*
The timing was ripe!
When Chongguang sought gold, his reborn self "Zhong Xin" had earned the Celebration King's deep trust and lofty station—a foundation built over years.
The Celebration King was no fool.
Time alone proves loyalty. Without "Zhong Xin"'s decades of steadfast service, trust would never bloom.
Besides, this lifetime, Lu Yang would never again divulge the truth of [Covered Lamp Fire].
Under such circumstances, at most thirty years. Chongguang, fixated on [Covered Lamp Fire], would surely head to the Celebration Kingdom in rebirth. Lu Yang could simply lie in wait!
*That said, once Ancestor verifies [Heaven of Non-Existence], he'll withdraw from the world alongside the realm's True Lords. I'll be short one reliable aide.*
Best to line up a spare.
This spare needed resolve, talent, potential, cultivation—and keen insight. No doubt, Senior Uncle Chongguang fit the bill perfectly!