Chapter 1019: I'll Give It a Try

The Emperor of Zhongtian stared at the spot where the dark figure had vanished, his brow furrowed in silence. Only after a long while did he finally speak.

"To erase one's very presence... could it be the Fruit of Karma?"

From what he knew, the Great Yu's second State Preceptor possessed the embryonic form of the Karma Dao Fruit and was capable of similar feats, rendering his movements undetectable to any other Demi-Immortal.

If that dark figure possessed the Karma Dao Fruit, everything that had just transpired would make perfect sense.

"The Karma Dao Fruit? That is indeed a possibility." Siming nodded, agreeing with the Emperor's assessment. "By dissolving karma, one can enter and leave any place entirely unnoticed."

"What do you intend to do?" Siming inquired. The matter carried a distinct whiff of the bizarre, but then again, clues regarding the Time Dao Fruit were exceedingly rare. It would be hard to justify not making an attempt.

The Emperor of Zhongtian fell silent for a brief moment, weighing his options, before ultimately hardening his resolve.

"I shall try."

...

"Chuanwu, Qiaoqiao, how are you adjusting to life here?"

Ever since bringing Tang Chuanwu back to the Wendao Sect, Lu Yang had been consumed either by the agonizing process of body tempering through fire, witnessing the rise and fall of dynasties amid the shifting tides of the Soybean Empire, or bearing the heavy mantle of Grand Tutor to refine the Fairy's choice of words. He simply had not been able to spare the time to visit the siblings.

Lu Yang had settled them in a vacant wooden cabin at the foot of a mountain, surrounded by clear waters, green hills, and beautiful scenery.

Tang Chuanwu, who was in the middle of his fist forms, wiped his sweat with a towel upon seeing the long-absent Master Lu. His expression flared with excitement.

"Many thanks to you, Master Lu, for bringing my sister and me here. We have adjusted very well!"

"The masters here are all incredibly friendly. They often help us and even give me pointers on my boxing techniques."

Tang Chuanwu's martial prowess had progressed by leaps and bounds; in the outside world, he would easily be hailed as a grandmaster of martial arts.

He had never imagined that the masters of the Wendao Sect would be so approachable. They were nothing like the inscrutable monks of the Kaihuang Temple who spoke in Zen riddles, nor were they like the aloof, haughty cultivators he usually encountered, who viewed all others with utter disdain.

In fact, almost any master pulled at random from the Wendao Sect could very well be stronger than Master Duanchen.

And the strongest among them, without a doubt, was Master Lu.

Tang Chuanwu had listened to the sect masters recount the legendary exploits of Master Lu, filling his heart with deep yearning. For instance, back during his Qi Condensation stage, Master Lu had challenged and defeated a Soul Formation cultivator across multiple realms, establishing an unprecedented feat that no prodigy throughout the ages had ever achieved.

Furthermore, Master Lu had made outstanding contributions to the sect, serving as the acting Sect Master for a single day. When his tenure ended, Master Lu stood upon the arena stage, accepting consecutive challenges from the masters one after another, yet remaining completely unshakable.

Master Lu’s culinary skills were also extraordinary. He had once cooked for Qiu Jin'an, the Sect Master of the Five Elements Sect; after tasting the dish, Qiu Jin'an had slammed the table in pure excitement, eagerly asking Master Lu how the dish had been prepared...

With his profound cultivation, supreme talent, and exceptional cooking, the real Master Lu was even more remarkable than the stories told by the storytellers.

"Is Master Lu here?"

Hearing the commotion outside, Tang Qiaoqiao came running out holding a spatula.

Although no one had explicitly told her why they had to come to the Wendao Sect, she had more or less gathered from the words of her brother and Master Lu that some unknown change had occurred within her brother, and bringing him here was for his own protection.

"How is life treating you here, Qiaoqiao?"

"It is wonderful!"

Tang Qiaoqiao nodded vigorously. For ordinary people, this place was a sacred paradise beyond their wildest dreams. Moreover, her brother was by her side; what more could she possibly ask for?

Besides, ever since her brother arrived, he was no longer constantly plagued by paranoia.

"It is good that you are accustomed to it."

"You possess three spiritual roots, which is just enough to meet our sect's entry threshold. If you can pass the entrance trial, you can officially become a member of the sect."

Though Tang Qiaoqiao was a clone nurtured by the Left Protector of the Skeleton Sacred Cult—meaning her cultivation speed would be far greater than that of ordinary cultivators if she chose to practice—such a background amounted to nothing within the Wendao Sect. The origin of any random person here was bound to be more absurd than hers; no one would care about that particular layer of her identity.

"As for you, Chuanwu..."

Seeing Master Lu mention him, Tang Chuanwu's expression darkened. After arriving at the Wendao Sect, he had tested his spiritual roots, only to find that he possessed none and could not cultivate.

Seeing him like this, Lu Yang knew exactly what he was worrying about and smiled. "Leave the matter of cultivation to me. I will find you some medicinal pills and spiritual treasures; they will be more than enough to nurture spiritual roots for you."

Cultivators did possess methods to implant spiritual roots into mortals, but the cost was exorbitant, far beyond what low-tier cultivators could ever afford.

"Really?" Tang Chuanwu snapped his head up, his eyes shining brightly.

"Of course it is true. When have I ever deceived you?"

"However, you are absolutely not permitted to use your ability when you participate in the entrance trial," Lu Yang warned. Given his ability to rewind time twice, Tang Chuanwu would undoubtedly pass whatever entrance trial the sect devised, which would be cheating.

"I won't!"

"Someone is coming to our sect, and they do not come with good intentions," the Immortal Fairy suddenly warned, pointing upward to signal Lu Yang to look at the sky.

"Who is it?"

Lu Yang was bewildered. Who could possibly be so tired of living that they dared to cause trouble at the Wendao Sect? Even if they wanted to, they should at least pick a time when the Eldest Senior Sister was absent.

Lu Yang followed the Fairy's finger and looked up, just in time to see a majestic imperial figure bathed in golden light abruptly manifest above the Wendao Sect. Radiating an boundless pressure, the entire Wendao Sect felt as though it were sinking into a terrifying quagmire.

"The Emperor of Zhongtian?!"

Lu Yang recognized the intruder. Although portraits of the Emperor of Zhongtian had not been passed down to posterity, Immortal Yingtian had seen him, and Lu Yang knew his appearance from the Immortal's descriptions.

The Emperor of Zhongtian truly lived up to his reputation as the founder of the Great Gan Dynasty; he commanded an aura of innate majesty, every gesture exuding imperial might. Beneath this supreme pressure, mortals could only tremble in fear, incapable of conceiving any thought of resistance, wishing only to bow down in worship. Lu Yang had only ever witnessed a similar presence from Immortal Yingtian.

"Why on earth would the Emperor of Zhongtian come here out of the blue? And with such grand display?"

The Emperor of Zhongtian held a gourd entwined in purple and gold. He uncorked the gourd, aimed it at the Wendao Sect, and called out in a booming voice:

"Tang..."

The moment the single word "Tang" escaped his lips, a flash of white light erupted from the peak of Tianmen Mountain, streaking straight toward the heavens. Accompanied by a crisp clanging sound, the light instantly seized the Emperor of Zhongtian by the head and slammed him downward in the blink of an eye, giving the Emperor absolutely no time to react.

Boom—

Then, silence returned, as though nothing at all had happened just moments before.

Tang Qiaoqiao blinked, completely failing to comprehend what had just taken place.

"Oh no, the pot is about to burn."

Clutching her spatula, she hastily scurried back into the kitchen.

...

An unknown domain, the Great Gan Imperial Palace.

The Emperor of Zhongtian coughed softly twice, opened his eyes, and severed the connection with his clone.

Seeing this, Siming hurriedly asked, "How did it go?"

The Emperor of Zhongtian turned his head to glance at Siming, his eyes still reflecting the perpetual majesty belonging only to one who had long sat in the highest seat of power. After a lengthy silence, he spoke slowly:

"I tried. I could not beat them."

"Furthermore, upon reflection, I believe I was somewhat overhasty in my previous search for the Time Dao Fruit. There is no need to be in such a desperate rush to find it."