The fact that Chen Xiao and Qing Buyi had become void-ascended immortals in only a few days made everyone incredibly uncomfortable.

“Heh… heh heh… it was just a joke, just a joke!” Zhao Shenguang twisted in mild discomfort at the sight, then snuck a look at Qing Yu before hurriedly turning away. Murder was written all over Lu Yun’s face, causing the new Nephrite celestial emperor to shrink in even further on himself.

While stuck in the Ancient Tree of Life, Zhao Shenguang had experienced firsthand how ferocious Lu Yun could be, but the Nephrite heavenly mandate connected to him told him more than that: there was something monstrously terrifying inside the other youth. If it were to be unleashed, even a noble celestial emperor would be annihilated in a mere instant.

……

All kinds of immortals streamed into the now-open central world. They’d originally been in the dark, but the various emperors and moguls that’d gathered in Destiny City over the past couple of days hadn’t exactly kept the topic of their discussions a secret.

Well, it was more accurate to say that there was no way of keeping it a secret in the first place. The primordial immortal emperor’s treasure had appeared! It could very well be the key to the primordial immortal court—and indeed, power over the entire world!

This particular piece of news caused great excitement far and wide, and immortals and cultivators flocked to Destiny City once more. That last bit was no more than hearsay, of course; unsourced gossip that eventually became completely hyperbolic.

Nevertheless, its probable lack of truthfulness didn’t curb the enthusiasm of the thrill-seekers in the slightest. When the sovereign world had opened during the Sovereign Ranking last time, countless cultivators had obtained ancient heritages within. A mere few years later, many of them had become void-ascended immortals.

Even if the primordial immortal emperor’s treasure was a lie, there were still plenty of immortals interested in exploring the central world. The restriction there meant that dao immortals couldn’t enter, making the situation relatively safer for them.

In just a few days, over a million immortals entered the central world in order to explore it. Those fortunate enough to obtain the heritages of primordial immortals were rapidly strengthened by their discoveries.

Quite a few Dusk citizens were among their number.

The Lin brothers were champing at the bit for a second plunge. They’d been conned into joining Lu Yun’s banner in the central world last time, abandoning a sovereign-grade combat art—the ‘Sword Atlas’—in the process. Hence, they burned with the desire for more loot.

There was less than a month before Qing Yu’s tribulation, but neither she nor her dao partner was concerned. The two of them had already planned for her to undergo her tribulation within the central world!

Since the immortal restriction over the central world prevented dao immortals from entering, it was the safest place to undergo any tribulation. Furthermore, Qing Yu could make use of the tribulation to refine the central world into the world of the heavenly palace.

On the seventh day after the central world opened, Lu Yun and Qing Yu finally disguised themselves and entered that grand realm.

……

The central world was gigantic, far greater in size than any of the other facets. The Sovereign World revealed last time had only been a tiny corner of the central whole. The sky was covered in a gray haze, and the earth underfoot cracked and barren. Burial mounds of all sizes littered the horizon.

“My cultivation’s been restricted to the true immortal realm.” Lu Yun frowned slightly.

He was here in his own body. After the nascent spirit of his replica had fused with his own, the Tome of Life and Death had bolstered his cultivation to that of Xing Chen’s level, making him an arcane immortal. After arriving in the central world, however, that boost was nowhere to be found.

That wasn’t due to any outside interference; the limitation was imposed by the immortal dao itself. After the first Sovereign Ranking and the opening of the central world, the immortal dao had begun encroaching upon these lands.

On their last journey here, they had come with bodies forged from life glyphs. Returning here with their real bodies gave them new insights.

“I feel it!” Qing Yu visibly brightened. “The origin of this world… its heavenly mandate, is calling to me. If I refine the heavenly mandate using the heavenly palace, I’ll be able to turn the central world into the world of the heavenly palace.”

The heavenly palace was born out of the Tome of Life and Death, so its perception was unerring.

“Alright, let’s go find the central world’s heavenly mandate. I’ll watch over you as you work on it!” Lu Yun grinned.

“No!” Qing Yu disagreed. “You need to go find the primordial immortal emperor’s treasure. The denizens of the underworld and the Blood Sea are both after it. If it falls into their hands, the consequences will be absolutely devastating!”

“But…” Lu Yun remained hesitant.

“The kingdom of hell protects you. You can go there if you get into too much trouble, right? In the same way, the heavenly palace is my world. If there’s danger outside, I can simply escape there!” Qing Yu chuckled.

The heavenly palace existed in an unknown dimension, but wasn’t a realm unto itself yet. When Qing Yu entered the palace, time in the outside world flowed as normal.

“I already know where the central world’s mandate is. The moment I finish refining it, my heavenly tribulation will come…” A hint of melancholy suddenly entered her eyes. “Eighteen days from now, maybe? Eighteen days…”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be at your side by then for sure.” Lu Yun took a deep breath.

“Okay.” A smile returned to Qing Yu’s face.

The two of them split up. Qing Yu was a force to be reckoned with in her own right. She possessed the combat arts of the founder of immortal dao and Empress Myrtlestar’s guidance.

Lu Yun had used the Hell Flower and Dao Flower projection to reform the empress’ soul and refine her body. Right now, she was undergoing both processes inside the Scroll of Shepherding Immortals. However, her thoughts remained available to wield the power of her starstones.

Because they were here in the flesh this time, none of the couple’s treasures were sealed away.

Nevertheless, Lu Yun remained worried about Qing Yu’s safety if she went off by herself. As he sat down at the lakeside of the thunder pond, his replica that’d been watching over Liu Qingmiao and Zou Longxiu left hell and trailed behind her. Having come to the central world, the replica was also limited to a true immortal’s strength.

Noticing Xing Chen behind her, Qing Yu wordlessly held her head, then joyfully took the replica’s arm.

Lu Yun instinctively opened his mouth at the gesture before sighing in resignation. “It’s just me and myself… what am I getting jealous for?”

He produced his feng shui compass with a turn of his palm. It was at this moment that he finally understood the true meaning of the luopan. It contained yin and yang in one form, much like the Formation Orb, or perhaps the heavenly palace and the manor of hell.

“To seek a dragon of gold coiled,

Those deathly cliffs with mysteries roiled.”

Hum!

Aureate sparkles flared up from the luopan, but its singular needle pointed to several different directions before slowly beginning to spin without end. Lu Yun put the compass away.

“There’s too many treasures in the central world and the so-called ‘immortal emperor treasure’ has hidden itself. The luopan can’t find its whereabouts.” He took out the Treasurefall Coin, but it was similarly ineffective.

“Wait a second… the most likely place for that treasure to be… is the immortal emperor’s tomb. Of course!” The sudden epiphany made his next course of action clear: he needed only to find the immortal emperor’s tomb.