Immortal of the Ages

Chapter 631: Unrivaled Black Lotus!

Though the match had ended, many among the Immortals still harbored a heart-throbbing awe.

Over on the side of the Immortal Sword Court, Jian Chi clenched his fists tightly, gritting his teeth, "See? I told you, it wasn’t me who was lacking. It’s Lu Yao, he’s beyond our level. The Thunder Department has truly found a gem this time."

As Jian Chi spoke, something suddenly came to mind, and he turned abruptly towards the Moon Sword Goddess, "Aunt, have you really severed ties with him as master and disciple?"

"Yes. It's done." The Moon Sword Goddess's expression was icy cold, her emotions complex.

"Why don't you reach out to him, see if things can be mended?" the Sun Sword Goddess suggested. Even someone as stubborn as her suggested reconciliation. She was clearly shaken.

This proved that beyond one’s background and status, supreme strength and talent could still make others bow their heads in recognition of their short-sightedness.

"There's no need," a voice interrupted.

It was the dark sword shadow, coolly looking at Yun Xiao from afar.

"Sovereign Lu hasn’t spoken yet. Whether he truly belongs to the Chaos Sovereign or the Nine Thunders Sovereign is yet to be determined. When two tigers vie for the same mountain, it's best to stand aside and watch."

"Soon, at least during the Immortal Tournament," the dark sword shadow replied.

"Understood."

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Below the fighting platform, after the fight, which secured Yun Xiao's place among the semi-finalists, there was an hour to rest.

As Yun Xiao descended, he was met by the Immortals of the Thunder Department. Apart from Yun Yin and Yun Alter, everyone else was all there.

"General Yun has sent a flying message, congratulating you on making it to the semi finals. The glory of the Thunder Department is now yours to uphold," Nine Kites said, her voice raspy, her gaze upon Yun Xiao still touched with emotion.

"Tell him thank you, and I send my condolences," Yun Xiao responded.

"Will do."

Nearby, Gu Zhenshi, Man Huo, and their families all looked on at Yun Xiao with complex expressions.

They knew all the Immortals of the Thunder Department would soon witness the divine might he had just displayed!

Once ridiculed and mocked, Yun Xiao now stood as the Thunder Department’s last beacon of hope, and even those proud sons of heaven found themselves putting their hopes on him… Their feelings were tangled and complex.

"Hey, for the last two fights, do you need anything? Any requests, just say them. I’ll do what I can," Nine Kites whispered in his ear after a moment of hesitation.

In her heart, the glory and dignity of the Thunder Department still held sway.

"No need," Yun Xiao shook his head, his gaze drifting to An Yao's distant smile before he said to Nine Kites, "Excuse me for a moment."

With that, Yun Xiao turned and walked towards An Yao.

"He's going to see Sovereign Lu..." Gu Suwan's heart tightened.

"Stop him!" Gu Zhenshi and the others said urgently.

"Stop what?" Nine Kites gave a disdainful glance. "No one can stop him from choosing his path."

"What do we do then? If Sovereign Lu favors him, even if he actually isn't, he might as well become the Chaos Sovereign's son," Man Huo lamented.

"It’s fine..." Gu Suwan bit her lip and forced a smile. "Even so, he remains partly ours in the Thunder Department. We still win."

"..." Gu Zhenshi, Man Huo, and the others looked at her speechless.

Well, at least a moral victory was still a victory.

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Divine Heavenly Pavilion, Suite 95…

Yun Xiao and An Yao walked side by side to this place, no one else followed behind.

The suite was very quiet.

"Go inside, he's been waiting for you a long time," An Yao said with a smile, patting Yun Xiao on the shoulder. "The organization needs talents like you!"

Yun Xiao chuckled. He had once fabricated an organization for Cao Shuo, never imagining it actually existed...

"Though his actions of exploiting women are somewhat sleazy, fortunately, it's used for a righteous cause."

At this moment in the Celestial Court, who were enemies and who were allies?

Yun Xiao felt he had some answers now.

He adjusted his Arbiter armor and stepped into Suite 95, An Yao lingering at the door.

Ahead, in a great hall, lay dormant a fierce tiger that dominated the Heavenly Palace. Though the doors remained shut, Yun Xiao still felt a tremendous pressure.

The Celestial Court’s Greatest War God, Lu Fan!

From the moment the Chaos Sovereign appeared, he loomed like a monstrous beast before Yun Xiao’s eyes.

"Come in."

As Yun Xiao arrived in front of the door, Lu Fan's voice rang out, sounding quite amiable.

Yun Xiao then pushed the door open.

Inside the hall, the light was dim, only candles flickered, and all the windows were sealed shut.

An Yao followed him in, standing by the door, his head slightly bowed.

Yun Xiao looked up and saw, behind the screen at the far end of the hall, three figures entwined.

"Demonic miasma?"

Yun Xiao recognized the smell. It was all too familiar to him. The scent of a fox demon. Sweet, penetrating, sparking wanderlust...

Just then, the screen toppled over with the breeze.

Behind it, in the center of a wooden chair, sat a middle-aged man with disheveled clothes and a beard. His legs were crossed, his face flushed with a drunken red, and his murky eyes carried a hint of a smile as he looked at the incoming Yun Xiao.

He resembled An Yao, yet he was utterly unlike Yun Xiao. The former appeared ordinary, relaxed in demeanor, disheveled in dress, and slouching. The latter seemed ethereal as if from a painting, standing straight, his body aglow.

Yun Xiao cared little for the Chaos Sovereign's appearance or demeanor. What struck him as odd, however, was that at this moment, Lu Fan was embracing two women.

They were both disheveled as well, their faces flushed with inebriation, enticingly beautiful. They had fox ears on their heads, and their fox tails were entwined around Lu Fan's arms and waist, their eyes seductive to an extreme.

Two female fox demons, one voluptuous and mature, the other young and pure with desire, both devastatingly beautiful.

Yun Xiao recognized them! It was the Lunar Mistress and her daughter Wuqing.

Wuqing, one step ahead into the semifinals, surprised Yun Xiao. This seemingly innocent fox girl was now comfortably nestled in Lu Fan's arms, a stark contrast to her pure appearance.

Yun Xiao held no possessive desires toward the two fox women, but he found the scene peculiar, especially since the Lunar Mistress was of high status in the Celestial Court, nearly on par with a Rank 1 Heavenly Officer.

Moreover, how could the Chaos Sovereign so openly display this to Yun Xiao, a young man?

This encounter struck Yun Xiao as strange.

And for Lu Yao, the son of Lu Bufan, this scene would be even stranger.

Without much time for Yun Xiao to ponder, Lu Fan stood up, and the two fox women quickly adjusted his robe and attended to him perfectly.

"We meet again, Lu Yao," Lu Fan said with a comforting, amiable laugh.

"Yes, we meet again, Lu Bufan," Yun Xiao replied.

"Shush." Lu Fan shook his head. "No need for pretense or melodrama. You're not leisurely or carefree, and I'm quite ordinary."

His words carried deep significance. He acknowledged Yun Xiao was not Lu Yao, and openly admitted he wasn't Lu Bufan either.

So, there should be no drawn-out father-son drama, especially in front of these two fox women—who might be core members of their organization?

"Yes." Yun Xiao didn't argue; he simply nodded crisply.

"Good, very good." Lu Fan stretched languidly and strolled up to Yun Xiao. He radiated a terrifying spiritual presence that permeated every pore of Yun Xiao's being, yet outwardly, he seemed like a genial senior.

He leaned in close to Yun Xiao, smiling and playfully raising his eyebrows, "Young man, how about we come up with a secret password?"

"I don't mind." Yun Xiao nodded.

Lu Fan smiled, pursed his lips, and slowly spoke, "Change the odd, not the even?"

Yun Xiao stared blankly for a moment, not replying.

"At the bridge before the gate, ducks swim below. Quack, quack, quack. Come quick and count them, will you?" Lu Fan asked again.

Yun Xiao furrowed his brow, replying, "Sovereign Lu, I came to see you for one reason only—about the incense offering."

"Incense offerings? Excellent, splendid, heheh..." Lu Fan, hands clasped behind his back, gave Yun Xiao a deep look, suddenly sighing long, "Life, truly as lonely as the falling snow."

Lu Fan shook his head continuously after speaking.

"Sovereign Lu…" Yun Xiao was about to inquire further about his plans.

"Be careful!!!" A sudden cry of alarm from Blue Star jolted him.

Yun Xiao's eyes widened!

There stood Lu Fan, close enough to touch, his gaze shifting instantly into a depth of chilling indifference.

BOOM! With a sudden raise of his hand, he aimed a crushing blow at Yun Xiao’s forehead!

That palm, heavy as 100,000 mountains with black lotus petals swirling around, was soul-piercing!

This was the Celestial Court's Greatest War God, unleashing his lethal strike from point-blank range!

In this Great Dao Celestial Realm, no one could escape his sudden, annihilating blow unscathed!

The world seemed to vanish at the moment of his strike, surrounded only by those dark lotuses, emitting a ghastly, ghostly laughter!

Yun Xiao had no time to think!

At this critical moment, an ancient bronze coffin's shadow emerged around him!

BOOM! The palm struck the coffin lid, releasing a thunderous roar that shook the heavens and earth.

The entire Divine Heavenly Pavilion trembled, a wave of black light sweeping out, instantly flattening hundreds of nearby palaces!

"Go!" Blue Star's voice trembled as he caught the force of the blow, suddenly slipping into the void.

In the divine land of the Celestial Court, a black crevice formed, heading toward the direction of the arena.

BOOM! It all happened in a flash.

With a thud, Yun Xiao was ejected from the coffin and crashed to the ground, his blood churning. He retched.

The ancient bronze coffin transformed into a small black beast that crouched on the ground, vomiting a mouthful of black blood.

"Damn! Damn! Damn!" Red Moon howled, fury peaking, eyes ablaze.

"Damn it, that beast, so strong and yet so cunning!" Blue Star shrieked.

This was the first time they had been this enraged.

But the angriest of all was Yun Xiao.

Having narrowly escaped death, he understood clearly; he had been played.

Everything An Yao relayed from the Chaos Sovereign was bait. The moment Yun Xiao showed his talents that truly threatened him, there was only one thought in his opponent's mind.

That was, to kill! If it were in public, people from the Thunder Department and other Immortals would raise objections. So, he lured him into the shadows, to kill him directly!

This Greatest War God of the Celestial Court, dominated by the Chaos Soul, did he even care about the matter of the incense offering?

To Yun Xiao, it no longer mattered...

Dragging his nearly disintegrated body, he stood up and looked toward the direction of the Divine Heavenly Pavilion.

There, a cloud of dust formed a black lotus large enough to blot out the sun, as if to show Yun Xiao who ruled this world!

"Sovereign Lu, just you wait." Yun Xiao took a deep breath. With that, he headed towards the direction of the Immortal Tournament.

Back in the tournament venue, the explosion from the Divine Heavenly Pavilion had alarmed all the Immortals, who were now converging towards Yun Xiao.