Chapter 4628: Entering The Divine Palace
Chapter 4628: Entering The Divine Palace
“Your name is Nie?”
Lu Yin looked over at Yan Gong. Mist churned around him, making him appear very excited. “Yes. Back then, it was you, Senior, who released us and gave us a chance to live. Without that, we definitely would have been tortured to death by that Wu Shan.
“For many years, this junior has hoped day and night to be able to see you again, Senior, and to repay your kindness. This has also been the greatest motivation behind this junior’s many years of bitter cultivation. Now that I have seen you, Senior, this junior has no regrets, even in death.”
These words moved even Yan Zhong. After all, he and his father were creatures who had strong emotional bonds.
However, Yan Gong was not so easily convinced, especially after he had just been betrayed by Lü. He continued to ask Lu Yin about certain matters, but Lu Yin easily answered every question.
He had Possessed quite a few combat gods, which granted him a general understanding of the situation in the Divine Palace’s region. Moreover, his knowledge only came from beings at or below the Return Realm, so he could not let anything sensitive slip.
“Have you really never been to the battlefield?” Yan Gong asked in astonishment.
Yan Zhong was also shocked. All combat gods were required to serve time on the battlefield. They had not expected to learn that Lu Yin had never been there.
Lu Yin’s voice grew bitter. “Although this junior considers himself to have some talent for cultivation, I did ultimately escape from Wu Shan. I’ve been terrified of being hunted down, and on top of that, I never dare to casually use the altars. If I was targeted, I would never be able to escape. That is why, for all these years, I have only focused on cultivating and have never shown myself.
“Now that I feel like my cultivation has achieved something, I finally wanted to seek revenge against Wu Shan.”
Of course, Yan Gong did not believe Lu Yin’s excuse. However, he had asked some questions already, and Lu Yin had been able to answer all of them. Adding in the fact that Lu Yin had indeed saved Yan Gong’s son, he did not press the matter. “You saved Yan Zhong. What reward do you ask for? Speak freely.”
Lu Yin bowed again. “This junior did that solely to repay the life debt that I owe you, Senior. I have absolutely no requests. Senior, please do not mention this matter again.”
Yan Gong stared at Lu Yin. “You truly have no request?”
Lu Yin’s tone remained sincere. “Absolutely none. Being able to repay Senior’s life-saving grace has made this junior feel much more at ease.”
Yan Gong looked over at Yan Zhong. The father and son met each other’s gaze for a time, remaining silent. “How about this? Since you were able to defeat Qian Ling with the power of Return and your current cultivation realm, it proves that your potential is sufficient for you to continue cultivating and learn Void. Come to the Divine Palace with Yan Zhong, and I will have you enter it. Otherwise, if you continue to wander outside, not only will you receive no cultivation resources, but it will also be utterly impossible for you to obtain the cultivation method for Void.”
Lu Yin was certain that cultivating the power of Void would not be difficult. However, he simply did not know the cultivation method, and no matter how simple it might be, he did have to cultivate it correctly.
Thus, he had to enter the Divine Palace.
This had been his plan. If he did not enter the Divine Palace, how could he find a way to obtain those thousands of branches of the River of Aeons? How could he clearly see the power of the Temporal Primacy Path?
Although he had already seen the Divine Palace from far away, as Lu Yin actually approached it, he was still shaken by the sight.
Lu Yin and Yan Zhong teleported again and again between altars, and they finally arrived outside of the Divine Palace. Staring at the building before him, which seemed to stand above time itself, Lu Yin could not describe what he felt.
Ever since he had first started cultivating, of the various buildings that he had encountered, there had only been two that were not physical constructions and were difficult to approach. One was the palace atop the cliffs inside the Willbound Spire, while the other was this Divine Palace before him.
The palace in the Willbound Spire had a certain illusory and ethereal feeling, as though it only existed within one’s memory, but the Divine Palace seemed like it could vanish at any moment, yet also reappear at any moment. It felt as though it stood separate from time.
Setting aside its sheer size, the sensation that it stood within the flow of years was already far beyond that of any ordinary building. Even the Sea of Karma that existed above karma could not match this feeling.
This palace was both real and illusory. This was the power of the Primacy Paths.
The palace within the Willbound Spire was also from a Primacy Path. Lu Yin had confirmed that back during the calamity that had struck the Trio. He simply did not know which of the Primacy Paths it belonged to.
Yan Zhong looked up at the Divine Palace and then over at Lu Yin. “Isn’t it shocking?”
Lu Yin replied, “If I were not seeing it with my own eyes, I would have never believed that the Divine Palace is actually above time.”
Yan Zhong’s voice dropped low, “That is right. It is above time and also above the passing of time. That is the Divine Palace.
“The Divine Palace has thirteen gates, representing its thirteen divine envoys. Although one cannot necessarily determine which divine envoy someone belongs to by which gate they enter the Divine Palace through, it is possible to gain a rough understanding due to the fact that some divine envoys are at odds with one another. When that happens, the gods subordinate to a divine envoy cannot possibly enter the Divine Palace through the gate of an enemy divine envoy.
“We will enter through the gate before us. It belongs to Divine Envoy Shuang Luo, who is my father’s master, as well as the master of the Divine Palace’s third sequence.
“Let’s go.” As he spoke, Yan Zhong led the way forward, proceeding towards the Divine Palace.
The Divine Palace stood above time. There was no path that led to it; time itself was the path. As Yan Zhong approached, gray time spread out to form a path.
Generally speaking, River Realm combat gods were not qualified to enter the Divine Palace. They all lingered around the perimeter of the Divine Palace, which was the vast stretch of outer space behind Lu Yin. However, both he and Yan Zhong were Return Realm combat gods, and as Lu Yin had also registered with the Divine Palace, they could both enter it.
Lu Yin followed behind Yan Zhong, moving across time to enter the Divine Palace.
The gate drew closer and closer. It did not appear to be large, but the gray power of time that flowed through it was enough to make anyone unable to enter the Divine Palace decay.
Passing through the gate, he could very clearly see what it meant for railings to conceal stars and a gate to cover heaven and earth. The Divine Palace was so vast that it could encompass far more than an entire megaverse. It was not possible to make out the entire Divine Palace even with the Mirrorlight Art, due to the obstructions blocking his view.
All that Lu Yin knew was that, after stepping into the Divine Palace, he was being watched.
This was not directed at him alone. Every living being who entered the Divine Palace would be watched by an Immortal being.
However, this Immortal being was not at all powerful.
Lu Yin raised his head and looked ahead. There stood the tallest part of the Divine Palace. Just glancing there caused Lu Yin’s heart to palpitate. An extremely powerful being was there.
“Do not look over there,” Yan Zhong reminded him.
Lu Yin averted his gaze.
Yan Zhong continued in a low voice, “That is where a lord stays, the lord of the Divine Palace. That one cannot be looked at directly. Not to mention you and me, even the powerhouses who are part of the Divine Palace Sequence cannot directly look at that one.”
“Understood.”
The lord of the Divine Palace?
For a being to make Lu Yin react like he had, that being had to be at least a peak two-law Immortal. Even though his current clone did not have anything like divine energy or Stillness that could enable him to cross realms and fight two-law Immortals, it was still possible for Lu Yin to experience the reaction of his true body.
The lord of this Divine Palace was absolutely a peak two-law powerhouse.
From the moment that he had entered the Divine Palace, Lu Yin could sense more than one Immortal present. However, most of these Immortals were not very strong. Only the lord of the Divine Palace stood out as an exception.
He followed Yan Zhong, and they continued walking. Each step took them across a vast distance, and they eventually arrived at a specific section of the Divine Palace. While the section was lower than the tallest bit of the palace, it still rose much taller than its surroundings. That indicated that this was the residence of an Immortal being.
It should be Divine Envoy Shuang Luo.
Before long, Lu Yin saw the Immortal. This Divine Envoy Shuang Luo was completely hidden within a white robe, and it was deliberately putting on a mysterious act. However, it was very easy to see the truth. Shuang Luo was only an ordinary Immortal, at best comparable to Ku Deng, which meant that it was greatly inferior to Awe Gate and many other human Immortals.
Behind Divine Envoy Shuang Luo stood Yan Gong, looking like an enlarged version of Yan Zhong.
As soon as Yan Zhong saw Divine Envoy Shuang Luo, he immediately knelt and bowed. “Grand-disciple pays his respects to the divine envoy.”
Lu Yin’s eyes flickered. He slowly bowed, but he did not kneel. Kneeling to this creature was something that he could not accept. “Nie pays his respects to the divine envoy.”
Behind Divine Envoy Shuang Luo, Yan Gong immediately shot a look at Lu Yin, trying to tell him to kneel.
Lu Yin acted as though he saw nothing. Not to mention an ordinary Immortal, but even an three-law old monster should not consider trying to force him to his knees.
Silence fell.
Yan Zhong turned his head and saw that Lu Yin actually had not knelt. He quickly offered a soft warning, “Hurry up and kneel! What are you thinking?”
Lu Yin bowed low. “Divine Envoy, please forgive me. Due to this junior’s physique, I am unable to kneel.”
“Oh?” Divine Envoy Shuang Luo examined Lu Yin. Although the mist concealed him from the sight of most beings, it could not block an Immortal’s vision. One glance revealed Lu Yin’s human form hidden within the mist.
He lowered his head and quietly waited. After seeing his human appearance, what would this divine envoy’s reaction be? Had it seen a human before? Learning this would determine Lu Yin’s subsequent actions.
After observing for a while, Divine Envoy Shuang Luo said, “You can kneel.”
Yan Gong shouted sternly, “Impudent Nie! You see an Immortal being and still do not kneel?”
Yan Zhong also gave multiple warnings.
Yet Lu Yin heaved a sigh of relief. This Divine Envoy Shuang Luo had never seen a human before. He could tell that there was not the slightest fluctuation in the Immortal’s tone or expression. The divine envoy could see Lu Yin clearly, just like how he could see the divine envoy clearly. “Divine Envoy, please forgive me. This junior cultivates a power that is an aspect of my species. This power cannot be bent or folded, or else it must be recultivated from the beginning, so—”
“No power is more important than kneeling before the divine envoy! Kneel at once!” Yan Gong commanded, afraid that Divine Envoy Shuang Luo would blame him for this matter.
However, Divine Envoy Shuang Luo said, “I can see it. Although it is weak, the power flowing through your body is full of vitality. Did you cultivate this yourself?”
Lu Yin respectfully answered, “It is something that this junior was born with.”
“Is it a characteristic of your species?” Divine Envoy Shuang Luo was quite interested.
“This junior has been separated from his people, but it is indeed an ability of my species.”
Divine Envoy Shuang Luo let out an emotional sigh. “A decent power. Very well, I forgive your rudeness.”
Yan Gong and Yan Zhong both heaved sighs of relief at the same time.
“Many thanks, Divine Envoy.” Lu Yin remained respectful while also looking as if he was greatly relieved as well.
Divine Envoy Shuang Luo looked over at Yan Zhong. “Rise.”
“Yes, Divine Envoy.” Yan Zhong rose.
“Yan Gong, arrange for him to go to the battlefield. The rules cannot be broken. With his strength, he should be able to safely return from the battlefield. Once he does, assign him a territory.”
Yan Gong knelt and bowed again. “Yes, Master. Your disciple understands.”
“What about Qian Ling?”
Yan Zhong quickly replied, “It is hiding just outside the Divine Palace.”
Divine Envoy Shuang Luo grunted. “Go do whatever you want. No one will stop you. After all, Gong Xia’s plot against you failed because of its own uselessness. I believe that no other divine envoy will step forward.
“However, if you are still unable to handle this yourself even under these circumstances, do not come back. I cannot afford to lose so much face.”
Yan Gong’s eyes grew fierce. “Master, rest assured. Your disciple definitely will not disappoint you!”
After saying this, he left with Lu Yin and Yan Zhong.
However, just before leaving, Yan Gong paused briefly, only to then continue onwards in a casual manner.
Lu Yin’s eyes flickered. Had they decided to keep an eye on him?
Divine Envoy Shuang Luo had just told Yan Gong to find Lu Yin’s species, as they would be useful.
It thought that Lu Yin could not hear the message, as the divine envoy had transmitted the message to Yan Gong alone, not knowing that Lu Yin was able to hear everything because he was standing so close to Yan Gong. Divine Envoy Shuang Luo’s strength was quite limited, which meant that it could not hide anything from Lu Yin.