Chapter 659: The Mystery of the Crystal

The reward for killing an Eight-leaf cultivator was 1,500 merit points, but the reward for killing a Nine-leaf cultivator was 4,000 merit points. That was more than twice the number of points.

According to the system’s calculations, Chi Yao’s reward was 5,000 merit points. In other words, Chi Yao was slightly stronger than a Nine-leaf cultivator!

When he recalled his experience in the 100,000-foot-deep abyss, he could not help but feel afraid despite his knowledge and experience. After all, if he did not have a Deadly Strike Card back then, he would have become Chi Yao’s meal. Even after he had used half of his extraordinary power, Chi Yao did not seem to be affected much. Without the Deadly Strike Card as his trump card, the outcome would be predictable.

Compared to Chi Yao, the Imperial Tutor was, indeed, slightly weaker.

The rain stopped as the purple gas gradually faded away into nothingness.

When the rain stopped, a rainbow appeared in the sunny sky.

Peace was finally restored with the final drop of the rain.

Whitzard cried out as it surveyed the results of its doing before it flew away. After it had exhausted its power, it had to hibernate.

Lu Zhou glanced at the system dashboard. As expected, Whitzard’s status was now displayed as resting.

Lu Zhou could vaguely tell Whitzard had expended more energy this time compared to before. He wondered if seven days would be enough for Whitzard to recover.

“Master, Whitzard... is amazing.” Little Yuan’er flew over with Conch in tow.

Lu Zhou turned back to look at Conch.

Conch was looking at the destruction on land with a complex expression.

It was only natural that Liang Province City would bear scars from the war. This was especially obvious in places where the seven flying chariots had swept past.

“Do you know him?” Lu Zhou asked probingly.

Conch shook her head and said, “I don’t.”

Lu Zhou did not mention the red lotus. This was because most Great Yan cultivators did not know about the difference between red and golden lotuses.

“Do you remember where your hometown is?” Lu Zhou asked.

“Far... far away. We’d need to sail on a boat for a long time,” Conch replied.

Lu Zhou turned around and faced Conch. He asked seriously, “What kind of boat?”

“A red coffin. You’ve seen it before, master,” Conch replied.

It was just as Lu Zhou had guessed.

Upon hearing this, Si Wuya, who was standing nearby, was shocked. He did not expect the red coffin to be a means of transportation.

The red runes on the red coffin possessed shocking defenses. Indeed, it was a wonderful idea to ferry cultivators across the black water of the abyss on it.

“Do you remember the black water?” Lu Zhou asked.

Conch shook her head, confused. “Clear seawater. There’s no black water...”

“You didn’t sail on black water?” Lu Zhou asked.

Conch shook her head again.

This answer exceeded Lu Zhou’s expectations. This meant there was more than one route to enter the red lotus domain from this world.

“Do you know Luo Shiyin?” Lu Zhou asked.

“Luo... Luo... I know...” Conch beamed as though she had heard a familiar name.

“Where is she?”

“I don’t remember...”

“What about the others?”

“I don’t remember.” Conch shook her head dejectedly.

Lu Zhou seemed slightly disheartened. With Conch’s current awakening state, it was already commendable for her to remember this much.

“Give me your hand,” Lu Zhou said.

“Oh.” Conch obediently extended her arm toward her master.

Aside from Si Wuya, who was watching this scene with a thoughtful expression, the others did not know what Lu Zhou was doing.

Lu Zhou examined Conch’s pulse. After the examination, he fell deep into his thoughts.

From the examination, Conch’s vitality seemed strong. She seemed to have 1,000 years of life left in her. She had a long way to go before reaching her great limit. She was a stark contrast to Yu Zhenghai.

Yu Zhenghai had died thrice. His 1,000 years of life were completely spent. The Red Fish Heart, which restored some of his life, was the only reason he was still alive. His life aura was weak.

Clearly, Conch was not of a tribe like the Wuqi. Hence, it was almost impossible for Luo Shiyin to be Conch. Naturally, it was too early to be sure about that. Who knew if the red lotus domain had more shocking resurrection techniques?

When Lu Zhou saw the troubled expression on Conch’s face, he said, “There’s no need to force yourself to remember it...”

“I’m sorry, master. I didn’t forget it on purpose...” Conch said remorsefully.

Little Yuan’er tugged Conch’s hand and said, “It’s alright. Master won’t blame you.”

“Mhm.”

The Great Yan cultivators took flight and hovered above Liang Province as they looked at the devastated city. They sighed in unison.

Although the price was heavy, it brought them peace. It was worth it.

After this war, the 12 allied nations would disband. There would not be any huge disturbances for the time being.

Hundreds of cultivators rose into the air and faced Lu Zhou before they bowed at him sincerely. All their unsaid words of gratitude were contained in this gesture.

At this moment, avatars came flying toward them from the east. The one in the lead was Ye Tianxin who dressed in all white. She activated her Eight-leaf avatar from time to time as she sped through the air.

Behind her, Hua Wudao, Hua Yuexing, Zuo Yushu, and the others rushed forth as well.

Little Yuan’er went up to meet them. She said, “Senior Sister, you’re late!”

Ye Tianxin stopped and looked around. She wondered, “We’re late?”

“Sixth Senior Sister... Master came all the way with his Nine-leaf avatar and his grand technique... Just like, just like...” Little Yuan’er was at a loss for words. She could not find the proper words to articulate her thoughts.

“Enough.” Lu Zhou knew that he would most probably be showered with flattery after this. However, this was not the time for it.

Ye Tianxin led the others and bowed. “Master.”

“Pavilion Master.”

When Zuo Yushu, Hua Wudao, and Hua Yuexing saw the carnage, it took some time for them to calm down. They could hardly imagine what had happened here.

The extent of the destruction in the city had exceeded their expectations. The curtain-like barrier in the sky was completely shattered. In the midst of the destruction, corpses were strewn everywhere.

Lu Zhou stroked his beard and said, “Clean this up.”

“Understood!” The Great Yan cultivators went to work immediately.

Si Wuya said, “Master, the eastern part of the city is undamaged. You’ve fought for a long time. Why don’t you rest there?”

“Alright.” Although Lu Zhou’s extraordinary power had been restored by Whitzard’s power, how could he remain unaffected from such a long battle? He needed some time to be alone with his thoughts.

...

Meanwhile.

In a towering palace in the red lotus domain.

An old man with a red crown rested with his eyes closed while he stayed seated.

A subordinate walked in. He bowed and said, “Elder Qiu, Elder Jiang Wenxu’s life stone has shattered.”

The old man wearing a red crown opened his eyes and said, “He hasn’t been heard from since many years ago. He has many methods to protect himself... Only a Ten-leaf cultivator could kill him.”

“A Ten-leaf cultivator would be a Thousand Realms Whirling... Should we seek to avenge Elder Jiang’s death from such a powerful being?”

“There’s an order for everything. Study the crystal he sent back for now. Also, tell them to determine the route of the red coffin’s path as soon as possible. We must find out where he was,” Elder Qiu said.

“Understood.”

“Also, what’s the situation with the Flying Star House?” Elder Qiu asked.

“The Flying Star House has taken down the luan and is in high spirits. However, they’ve suffered a huge loss as well. I heard they’re trying to investigate a mysterious murderer, but they haven’t found anything yet,” the subordinate replied.

“Murderer?”

“When Flying Star House was carrying out their mission, they lost a Five-leaf cultivator. They’re sure it’s not the doing of a beast. They’ve been asking around in the city, but they didn’t expect the mysterious elite to be so skilled with the sword. He has killed three of them so far.”

Elder Qiu nodded and said, “An elite swordsman such as that surely won’t be a nobody. Have our men investigate him. The enemy of our enemy is a friend. Try to get him on our side.”

“Understood!”

...

At this moment, the individual who was the topic of many conversations, Yu Shangrong, was sitting in a tavern, taking occasional sips from his wine cup. He looked at the little girl with the big blinking eyes seated opposite him. He wondered if he had been conducting himself too gently that this little girl was bold enough to follow him around. Hence, he did his best to appear cold and said, “If you follow me again, I’ll kill you.”