"Old Ancestor, lend me a hand," Lu Yang secretly sent a voice transmission to Daoist Lord Hanhai.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on Ao Ling and Daoist Sanshan; no one paid any attention to an old monster of the Nascent Soul stage like him.
Daoist Lord Hanhai already knew about the Heavenly Court from Yun Zhi.
"Since I promised to protect you once, you may act as you please. I've got your back."
Lu Yang asked Daoist Lord Hanhai to open a teleportation portal to sneak him away. At his destination, he cast the Tree Planting Art to produce an avatar, had the avatar put on a mask, and prepared to make an entrance as Young Cult Master Lu.
This mask had been given to him when the Tribulation Transcendence expert of the Dijiang Clan had Lu Yang impersonate Young Cult Master Lu. Unless one was a half-immortal who had cultivated the rudimentary Dao fruit of Insight, no one could see through the identity beneath the mask.
*
An ethereal voice resonated throughout the Dragon Palace.
"Heh. A mere half-immortal dares to challenge one of the Heavenly Court's Four Sovereigns? Do you truly believe our Heavenly Court is someone to be bullied?"
With Daoist Lord Hanhai's assistance, Lu Yang's voice echoed through the Dragon Palace after several spatial relays.
This was a half-immortal's technique, and the voice had been altered as well; no one could trace its source.
"The Heavenly Court!"
"It's someone from the Heavenly Court!"
The human and Sea Race cultivators were shocked and fell into a stir. Who could have imagined that the moment Ao Ling awakened, someone from the Heavenly Court would arrive? What kind of reaction speed was this? They had likely left some contingency on Ao Ling that alerted them the instant she woke.
Accompanied by the tearing open of a spatial rift, a figure emerged from the other side.
It was none other than Young Cult Master Lu, who had not appeared in a long time.
With a sword hanging at his waist and a smile like a gentle spring breeze, Young Cult Master Lu was as magnificent as ever. He cupped his hands toward the space behind the doorway: "Many thanks for martial uncle's assistance. Leaving me here is enough."
The portal then snapped shut, sending out no Dao Protector, as if unconcerned about this young cult master's safety—or perhaps possessing absolute confidence in him.
"Daoist Sanshan, Master of Penglai Island?" The corners of Young Cult Master Lu's lips curved into a smile, though it was somewhat cold.
His eyes narrowed slightly. "Nothing more than a rudimentary Dao fruit condensed from the power of faith, yet you have the gall to shout and swagger here. Against vermin like you, why should Junior Sister need to act? I can easily take care of it for her."
As he spoke, his gaze drifted seemingly inadvertently toward a certain patch of empty space.
Daoist Sanshan's face darkened. In the legendary Heavenly Court, Dou Tianzun and Cult Master Yun, two true immortals, held sway—figures he could never hope to match.
Yet he was an exalted half-immortal. Even if the newcomer was Young Cult Master Lu, so what? The boy was only in the Nascent Soul stage, yet he had the audacity to boast that he could handle him alone.
Daoist Sanshan let out an angry laugh. "In that case, I would truly love to experience the methods of the ancient Heavenly Court—"
Before Daoist Sanshan could finish his sentence, Young Cult Master Lu brought his palms together and bowed deeply to him with an earnest, deferential expression.
Daoist Sanshan's face instantly went deathly pale, and a mouthful of heart-blood surged to the back of his throat.
"Blargh—"
Daoist Sanshan spat out a torrent of old blood, dying the surrounding seawater crimson. He staggered back two paces, looking at Young Cult Master Lu with eyes no longer filled with contempt and rage, but utter terror.
A Nascent Soul bow made a half-immortal vomit blood!
The onlookers were dumbfounded. This overturned every tenet of cultivation theory!
"What kind of technique is this?!"
Even Daoist Lord Hanhai wore a bizarre expression. What kind of method caused someone to vomit blood just from being bowed to?
"How is this possible?! A Nascent Soul stage cultivator made a half-immortal cough up blood? How did he do that?!"
"The proof is right before your eyes, and you still don't believe it?!"
"Perhaps there is another expert from the ancient Heavenly Court concealed here."
"No, it must be something else... I feel like I've read a record about this somewhere..."
"I remember! I recall reading in an ancient text from the Great Qian era that cultivators who cultivate the power of faith fear nothing more than encountering an opponent whose fate tier surpasses their own!"
That person muttered excitedly, speaking at a rapid clip: "That's it! The Heavenly Court ruled the ancient era, and Young Cult Master Lu is the Heavenly Court's future master, having taken immortals as his masters! His fate tier is naturally vastly higher than Daoist Sanshan's!"
"How terrifying is this Young Cult Master Lu!"
"No, what is truly terrifying is the Heavenly Court!"
The crowd discussed in hushed voices, growing more shaken the more they spoke, gradually drawing closer to the 'truth.'
Ao Ling cupped her hands in salute toward Young Cult Master Lu. "Senior Brother Lu, why must you intervene? Your junior sister can handle this person herself."
Young Cult Master Lu cupped his hands in return, his smile warm as a spring breeze, brimming with genuine affection: "Junior Sister Xiao Ling, we haven't seen each other in three hundred thousand years. Have you been well?"
"Thank you for your concern, Senior Brother Lu. All is well. I simply never expected that after sleeping for so long, the world would forget both the Heavenly Court and the Netherworld."
"Where is the Netherworld?" The crowd caught the other unfamiliar term in Ao Ling's words.
"Never heard of it."
"The long river of time is vast; it can erase all memories of living beings. When I first awakened, I too never expected that the Heavenly Court, which once ruled throughout eternity, would fade into obscurity." Young Cult Master Lu put on a deeply nostalgic expression, shaking his head with a rueful chuckle. "The imprint left by Master was stirred, and I thought something had gone wrong. Who knew you had truly awakened? Originally, the plan was to awaken you in another ten years, but unexpectedly, Lu Yang beat us to it.
"Ah well. Since this is an internal matter of your Dragon Clan, it is inconvenient for me to intervene.
"Speaking of which, this Lu Yang and I share quite a bit of fate. I once had a duel with him, and we actually fought to a draw."
"A draw?" Ao Ling was astonished. "Senior Brother, even Master and the Cult Master sing endless praises of your talent, saying you will stand shoulder to shoulder with them in the future. Is this Lu Yang truly that strong?"
"Young Cult Master Lu is the Dragon Clan Ancient Ancestor's senior brother?!"
Everyone remembered that Jiang Lianyi had also called Young Cult Master Lu "Senior Brother."
To think this Young Cult Master Lu was the senior brother to both the ancient ancestors of the Dragon and Phoenix clans!
On that merit alone, he could have walked sideways with impunity across the ancient era!
Seeing Daoist Sanshan staring deathly at him, muscles taut and wound up to the extreme as though ready to flee the moment things went south, Young Cult Master Lu gave a light chuckle. "Rest assured. The matter between you and Junior Sister Xiao Ling has nothing to do with the Heavenly Court. If I interfere further, I fear Junior Sister Xiao Ling will lose her temper with me.
"I came here merely to verify Junior Sister Xiao Ling's condition. Now that I see she is safe and sound, my mind is at ease.
"Whether you defeat Xiao Ling or Xiao Ling defeats you, the Heavenly Court will not interfere.
"My promise represents the will of the Heavenly Court."
With that, Young Cult Master Lu stepped aside.
Just as everyone assumed Young Cult Master Lu was moving aside to watch the battle, he unexpectedly walked straight up to Lu Yang.
"Sect Master Lu, long time no see. Seeing your cultivation has advanced, why don't you and I have a spar?"
Lu Yang was taken aback. He had been sitting there peacefully, unwilling to steal the limelight, only to have trouble come knocking at his door.
He never looked for trouble, but he was never afraid of it either. He turned his head and gave Patriarch Hanhai an inquiring look.
Daoist Lord Hanhai bristled his beard and glared, on the verge of slapping the table. "Do you even need to ask me? Naturally, you must let him know just how formidable the geniuses of our Dao Seeking Sect are!"
Having obtained Daoist Lord Hanhai's approval, Lu Yang let out a breath of relief. Now he could go all out with total confidence.
Off to the side, Meng Jingzhou watched coldly as two people put on a show meant for three, inwardly regretting why on earth he hadn't thought of pulling off such a trick himself!
Chapter 870