The man’s expression shifted drastically at Lu Yun’s declaration.
“The human’s not to be trusted!!” he yelled. “He’s the Dusk Province governor, an official of the Nephrite Court! There exists a death feud between Nephrite Major and the phoenixes! If he finds your queen’s body, he will refine it into pills or treasure!”
The tomb keepers hesitated. Phoenixes did indeed have a feud with the Nephrite Court. Tens of thousands years ago, the two factions fought over rule of the major. Defeated by the human immortals, the phoenixes were forced out of the region, marking the start of their decline.
Huang Qing had risen out of nowhere during those grave straits and became the race’s hope to rise again. Nephrite Major sent hunters after her, but to no avail. Learning of Lu Yun’s identity injected killing intent into the eyes of the tomb keepers.
“Huang Qing was killed by the divines,” Lu Yun said calmly, “and this man is a divine.”
The mermaid paused.
“Nephrite Major’s feud with the phoenixes stems from the struggle to establish one dynasty as the major’s rightful ruler. It was an honorable war between two honorable factions.” Lu Yun lifted his head. “The divines, on the other hand…. Heh, they are the public enemy of all races in the world.”
With the demise of all the world’s immortals in the great war, the divine race had seized the opening and conquered the world. They enslaved all races, playing with and killing their toys as they would. Many races still considered the divine race their mortal enemy, even now.
The Nephrite court and phoenixes had indeed clashed against each other, but the court’s victory had been just. Even after Huang Qing’s rise to stardom, the human court sent only immortals at her level after her. Although the attackers fought as a team, the court never sent out any dao immortals.
Instead, it had been a divine race’s dao immortal who’d killed Huang Qing.
“Enter the Sword Barrow and retrieve our mistress’ body,” the mermaid said, then suddenly pointed at Qing Han. “But he stays here.”
“Alright,” Qing Han replied before Lu Yun could edge out a word. He knew he would only be a burden if he stayed by his friend’s side. Without the need to consider his safety, Lu Yun would easily be able to extricate himself from any danger.
Qing Han had come to that realization throughout the course of Myriad Formation Summit, the Skandha Extinction Tomb, and the abyss beneath Dusk River.
“When I return, if Qing Han has lost even a hair...” Lu Yun’s expression darkened. He couldn’t not worry about Qing Han remaining with a group of tomb keepers. Despite their living souls and sentient minds, they were still zombies.
“Gyakakakaka!” Strange laughter cackled in the air before a voice mocked, “A hair? What can you do even if we eat him?”
Boom!
A large explosion sounded from behind Lu Yun as a girl with crimson hair strode out from the void. Blood-red dragons seemed to frolic around her in streaks of crimson light.
“If there is so much a hair missing on Sir Qing Han’s head,” Aoxue proclaimed with steely eyes, “I will kill you all.”
All of the tomb keepers shuddered.
Aoxue was merely an august immortal at present. She’d once been a peerless immortal, but was yet to fully recover her cultivation. Lu Yun wouldn’t allow his envoys to ascend beyond golden immortal before he met with the Dusk restriction.
After all, he didn’t know if the restriction would tolerate his envoys’ existence.
The black dragonguard, zombie king, bloodcorpses, and even the tomb keepers were able to ascend beyond the golden immortal realm because they weren’t alive in the traditional sense.
On the contrary, Lu Yun’s envoys had truly resurrected.
Although Aoxue was merely an august immortal, she had unleashed all of her presence as a blood dragon. Terrifying killing intent threatened to freeze the air.
“A blood dragon.” The man in gold widened his eyes, recalling the terrible legends surrounding the creature. “You are First Princess Ao Xue of the North Sea dragon palace. How… how did you become a blood dragon...?”
Even the mermaid looked pale. The tomb keepers might be peerless immortals, but they couldn’t move at all beneath the blood dragon’s aura. Neither zombies nor tomb keepers would dread blood dragons. However, the legends surrounding them alone were intimidating enough to petrify. Blood dragons were the harbinger of unbelievable bloodshed!
Aoxue was not only a blood dragon, but also Lu Yun’s Envoy of Samara. Aura from both of her identities roiled over the tomb keepers, taking away their breaths and crushing them like a mountain on their chests.
Bam!
With a single point, a strand of crimson light annihilated the tomb keeper who’d threatened Qing Han. Such was the power of a blood dragon. Outside the tomb, Aoxue wouldn’t dare call upon her power like this; it would send the entire world of immortals after her. But here in the tomb, protected by layers of mountain ranges, she could tap into the blood dragon’s power all she liked.
“Anyone who offends my master will die,” she said with an icy expression.
Both the man in gold and the mermaid gawked with disbelief. How had the blood dragon even killed the tomb keeper?
“Your, your master? Why would the vaunted First Princess of the dragons serve a human?!” The mermaid was visibly shocked.
Aoxue turned her murderous gaze at the mermaid in lieu of a response. Color drained from the latter’s face.
“I will spare you for Xuanxi’s sake,” Aoxue proclaimed coldly. “If you dare run your mouth again, do not blame me for not showing mercy.”
Xuanxi wasn’t around. If the Dusk river god was, she would’ve killed the mermaid herself. Aoxue knew the mermaid tomb keeper in front of her. Xuanxi was the blood dragon’s subordinate, while the girl—Xuanying—served Huang Qing.
The two mermaids were twins. They’d been captured by human immortals and sold as slaves, and it’d been Aoxue and Huang Qing who saved them. From then on, one sister each served the dragon and the phoenix.
Being the Twin Beauties of the world, Aoxue and Huang Qing were both rivals and close friends. Right now, Aoxue urgently desired her master to find Huang Qing’s body and make her an Envoy of Samsara. Incidentally, Xuanying had her own unique set of skills.
The blood dragon would thus rather Lu Yun kill her himself.
The mermaid lowered her head and fell silent.
“Stay here and protect Qing Han.” Lu Yun nodded at Aoxue and turned to the man in gold. “Follow me, White Tiger descendant.”
The man trembled and looked at Lu Yun in disbelief. His real identity was revealed to be a descendent of the White Tiger of the west!
Descended from the four divine beasts, the divine tribes of the four cardinal directions were extremely mysterious. Even back when the divine race had ruled the world eighty thousand years ago, the four tribes never showed their faces.
They existed only in tales recounted by the various races of the immortal world. Even the divine race could only regale each other with stories of their most mysterious members. And now, one of them had shown up in Dusk Province!
The man had carefully kept his identity a secret all along; he was blindsided by Lu Yun seeing through him at first glance.
“Follow me if you value your life, or I’ll kill you where you stand.” Lu Yun turned to leave. With a glance at Aoxue, the man in gold tightened his jaw and followed the governor.