83: Chapter 83: Using seclusion as an excuse to escape romantic entanglements! But the loneliness was unbearable!

Lu Chen rose from the grandmaster chair.

A gentle breeze blew across Xiaoyao Peak, the leaves of the Enlightenment Tree rustled, and sunlight filtered through the canopy, casting dappled spots of light like scattered gold.

How peaceful, how tranquil.

Lu Chen took a deep breath and slumped back into the chair.

He raised his right hand, his fingers trembling slightly.

It wasn't because his cultivation was insufficient; his Great Emperor Peak Physical Body could withstand even the Heavenly Tribulation.

It was because those two names had spun through his mind, and his body had developed a conditioned reflex.

Jiang Yi, Nangong Waner.

One was his officially betrothed fiancée, who had yet to call off the engagement; the other was a romantic interest who had appeared halfway through, whom he still got a backache thinking about.

Now, both of them were mad women at the Emperor Realm.

Both were over a hundred years older than him.

Both had once pinned him to the bed and rubbed him when he was weak.

Lu Chen covered his face and thought to himself.

"Jiang Yifei and Nangong Ziyi were in danger, why pinch a sound transmission talisman? Am I not here!"

"I hadn't even pulled up my pants when I came out to save you two; isn't that benevolent enough?"

Lu Chen's Great Emperor Divine Sense covered a radius of ten thousand miles, and he didn't capture any Quasi-Emperor aura. He figured they probably didn't want to come to the Yunxiao Holy Land.

"That's right! I am still in hard cultivation, still searching for why no one has achieved Ascension to the Immortal Realm for hundreds of thousands of years!"

"I'm going to break this iron rule, too; I just need to save all the Great Emperors who are lingering in their undying divine coffins."

"Save my ass. Better a dead Fellow Daoist than a dead me. As long as Revered Master doesn't die, it's fine! It's not like I can beat an Immortal, right?"

But that didn't mean he was safe.

Lu Chen rolled over and sat up, his feet touching the ground.

"I need to think of a way."

Half a day later.

In front of the Yunxiao Holy Land mountain gate, a flying boat slowly descended.

Yan Lingji stood at the bow of the boat, her red hair fluttering in the wind.

Behind her were Yun Qianyue, Xiao Yuzhu, and the Disciples of the Yunxiao Holy Land returning with a full harvest.

The Holy Revered Master, Mo Wentian, personally led a group of Elders to greet them at the mountain gate.

"Where is the Old Ancestor?" Mo Wentian asked.

Yan Lingji crossed her arms, her tone subtle.

"He came back first."

Mo Wentian didn't ask further.

He was long accustomed to the style of his Junior Brother, the Old Ancestor—coming and going like the wind, like a Dragon whose head and tail are never seen at the same time.

The news quickly spread throughout the sect.

A bumper harvest in the Azure Emperors Secret Realm, with the Yunxiao Holy Land claiming the core Legacy all by itself, while the other three Holy Lands returned empty-handed.

This news was enough to shake the entire Eastern Wasteland.

In the plaza in front of the mountain gate, the Disciples cheered and jumped for joy.

Wei Hongyu did not stay long at the Yunxiao Holy Land.

She had changed into a brand-new crimson gold long dress, the aura of the Early Stage of the Supreme Realm released steadily, with the patterns of the Dao of laws faintly visible.

Before leaving, she stood in front of Leng Qingqiu and Yun Qianyue, stood on tiptoes, and made an exaggerated kissing gesture towards the air.

"Tell your Revered Master for me." Wei Hongyu tidied her temples, the corners of her eyes lifted.

"The Wanbao Chamber of Commerce headquarters has a pile of bad debts waiting for me to handle. I'll come back to deal with him in a few days."

She paused and glanced at Leng Qingqiu's gloomy face.

"Oh right, call me Mistress."

Afterwards, Wei Hongyu smiled, boarded the Wanbao Chamber of Commerce's flying boat, and left without looking back.

Xiaoyao Peak.

Lu Chen stood at the entrance of the secret chamber, with Leng Qingqiu, Yun Qianyue, Su Xuner, Su Qiyue, and Yan Lingji standing in front of him.

He took things out of his storage space and tossed them out one by one.

"Qingqiu, this is the Nine-Turn Profound Ice Pill. Used with your Nine Nether Reincarnation Body, it can accelerate the condensation of your Sword Intent."

"Qianyue, the Heavenly Fox Soul Jade. Use it as you see fit."

"Su Xuner, this sword manual is one I wrote casually in the past. It's emperor grade. Take it and practice."

"Qiyue, this jar contains fermented yogurt made from ten-thousand-year Immortal Milk. Just lick a little every day; don't chug it all at once."

"Lingji, my operation techniques for the Emperor Fire. Practice them yourself."

The five of them caught their respective items, their expressions varying.

Su Qiyue held the jar, her eyes shining bright enough to be used as a lamp.

"Revered Master is the best!"

Su Xuner opened the sword manual and glanced at it, her pupils shrinking sharply, then she tightly closed it.

An emperor grade sword manual, written casually by her cheap Revered Master.

The content wasn't some kind of pitfall Cultivation Technique like: 'The first sword upon landing, kill your lover first; to Revered Master the divine skill, you must castrate yourself.'

The sword techniques given by this cheap Revered Master looked very profound, with a very high origin!

Her cheap Revered Master looked very strong. If she practiced swordplay with him in the future, she reckoned she wouldn't be able to beat him.

She would just have to obediently accept her Revered Master's scabbard after being beaten into submission, be an obedient Disciple, and let Revered Master teach her more cultivation knowledge!

Su Xuner took a deep breath and tucked the sword manual into her bosom.

Lu Chen clapped his hands, cleared his throat, and looked solemn.

"You all have gained quite a lot in the Secret Realm. Spend the next period of time digesting it well."

He put his hands behind his back, looked up at the sky, and struck a pose of being unfathomable.

"Revered Master has recently had a sudden realization. The principles of the Great Dao are on the verge of breakthrough, so I need to go into seclusion to contemplate."

"Unless the sky falls, no one is allowed to call me."

Leng Qingqiu looked up, a hint of reluctance flashing in her dark eyes, but it was quickly replaced by firmness.

"Revered Master, rest assured and go into seclusion. Leave the matters outside to the Disciples."

The door to the secret chamber closed.

The twelve-layer emperor grade Restriction were activated one by one, and layers of golden patterns crawled all over the four walls.

The entire Xiaoyao Peak was shrouded in an emperor grade formation.

Lu Chen sat down on the meditation cushion and let out a long sigh.

"Safe now."

On the first day, he sat cross-legged and pretended to Cultivate.

On the second day, he lay on the cushion and stared at the ceiling in a daze.

On the third day, he began to carve wood carvings on the ground with his fingertips. He carved a wine gourd, then an Enlightenment Tree.

On the seventh day, the System couldn't take it anymore.

"Ding! Host, you have been staring in a daze for 168 hours continuously."

The loli voice carried a hint of teasing.

"Your cultivation has indeed reached the top, Great Emperor Peak, the ceiling of the Human Realm. Above that is Ascension to become an Immortal—oh wait, no, it's going to mine."

Lu Chen closed his eyes. "Speak if you have something to say."

"But~ your state of mind can be improved."

The System's tone became a bit more serious.

"Those old Emperors sleeping in the undying divine coffins, their Lifespan is running out, and they can't walk the Mortal World, so they can only split their Divine Thought to observe the phenomena of the world and Cultivate the Dao of the Mortal World. Some of their states of mind are already infinitely close to a Mortal World Immortal."

"You have a complete Lifespan, a free Physical Body, and your conditions are ten thousand times better than theirs. Walk the Mortal World, experience the affairs of the world, and once your state of mind improves, your strength will naturally be stronger."

Lu Chen opened one eye. "Do I have that leisure time?"

"You are so idle you've started carving wood."

"..."

"Take more Disciples. The world is not just about the drudgery in front of you; there is also listening to music in brothels and romantic encounters under the flowers~"

Lu Chen sat up.

"Get lost. I want to abstain from desire, I want self-discipline, I want to become stronger. Don't even think about making me break my precepts."

The System giggled and said nothing more.

The secret chamber returned to silence.

Lu Chen lay back down.

But as time went on, the images in his mind began to surge uncontrollably.

Azure Emperors Secret Realm, Chaos space.

Three days and three nights after the flow of time was altered.

Wei Hongyu's scattered long hair, the scalding temperature, the whispers in his ears.

Lu Chen opened his eyes abruptly and sat up.

He walked to the bronze mirror in the corner and stared at himself in the mirror.

His double pupils rotated slowly, and his face was incredibly handsome.

But his forehead was covered in sweat.

"Can't think about it anymore."

Lu Chen said to himself in the mirror, word by word.

"A Great Emperor's waist isn't made of iron either."

"Must abstain from lust again."

"Stabilize the Dao Heart."

He took three deep breaths, sat back down on the meditation cushion, and began to count the brick seams on the wall of the secret chamber.

One, two, three...

A month later.

Lu Chen released his Divine Sense and carefully probed out of Xiaoyao Peak.

His Divine Sense covered the entire territory of the Yunxiao Holy Land and expanded further to a radius of ten thousand miles.

No Quasi-Emperor aura.

Not even a trace.

Lu Chen's eyes lit up.

He stood up, patted the non-existent dust on his butt, and the corners of his mouth curled up.

"It's been a month, they didn't come."

"Either they were persuaded back by Jiang Yifei and Nangong Ziyi, or there was an urgent matter in the Central Province that they couldn't leave."

"No matter which it is, it means one thing—I am safe!"

Lu Chen raised his hand to lift the twelve-layer emperor grade Restriction.

The door of the secret chamber opened with a bang.

Sunlight poured in, shining on his face.

Lu Chen stepped out of the secret chamber and stretched, his joints popping.

The Enlightenment Tree on Xiaoyao Peak was lush and green, and the mountain breeze brought the fragrance of Spiritual Plant.

What a good day.

Lu Chen walked with light steps towards that grandmaster chair.

He had just sat down, and before his butt was even warm.

Su Qiyue's voice came from far to near, carrying her signature excitement and innocence.

"Revered Master! Revered Master has come out of seclusion! I missed you so much! I missed you so much I was shaking!"

"Sister and I think of you every night! It's just that when Sister thinks of you, she likes to put her hand between her crotch and squeeze!"

"I told her, but she won't listen! Revered Master, you must educate her! It's so ungraceful!"

PS: Thanks again to 'Brother Yun who loves eating cold noodles' for the Grandmaster Certification!

Thank you, you are my own brother. Your little brother doesn't know much, so let me kowtow to you first to pray for blessings.

Orz Orz Orz

Wishing my big brother again: May you take the lead, may you enjoy great happiness, may you have spring-like vitality, may you have peace throughout the four seasons, may you have five blessings descend upon your home, may everything go smoothly, may the seven stars shine brightly upon you, may wealth come from all directions, may your hearts be united, and may everything be perfect! May you have everything you wish for in the new year, happiness and health! May you get rich! Rich! Rich!