Chapter 215: Preparations for Parting; Out of Seclusion
"Father? Auntie Zhu? And this uncle too?"
"How did you all get in here?"
Upon seeing Lu Xunxian, Lu Qingyun's reaction was exactly like her brother's — full of shock.
Zhu Qingyan: Please call me Sister Zhu, thank you.
Lu Xunxian waved a hand, his face perfectly nonchalant.
"I wanted to see how you were all doing, so I just came in."
Hearing this, Lu Qingyun fell silent.
Of course — Father was still the same as ever.
"So, Father, you coming in surely isn't as simple as just wanting to see how we're doing, is it?"
Lu Qingyun had a sharp mind, and from a mere handful of details she'd surmised something.
But before Lu Xunxian could speak, Lu Xiaoyao beside her impatiently spilled the whole thing.
Learning that her father was going to the Dao Realm, this time Lu Qingyun didn't throw a tantrum. Instead, she nodded.
"Father, go without worry. I'll cultivate hard and won't let you down."
Hearing this, Lu Xunxian was startled, and then a hollow feeling welled up within him.
It felt as though his own precious little girl was about to leave his side.
But he said nothing more — after all, this was bound to happen sooner or later.
He couldn't keep them confined at his side forever just because he was their father; their future belonged to them.
"Good. In that case, get yourselves ready. Your father will upgrade your spiritual roots to Saint-Grade Spiritual Roots."
As Lu Xunxian's words fell, he raised a hand and summoned two giant cauldrons.
Countless Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures flew out from his storage ring and dropped into the cauldrons.
Before long, the two giant cauldrons were brimming with a medicinal liquid laden with terrifying energy.
"Before the secret realm closes, you should be able to fully absorb the energy within the medicinal liquid."
"Once you've finished absorbing it, your spiritual roots will naturally rise to the Saint-Grade level."
Looking at Lu Xiaoyao and Lu Qingyun, Lu Xunxian explained earnestly.
Lu Xiaoyao and Lu Qingyun thanked Lu Xunxian profusely.
"Thank you, Father."
"All right, you go."
Lu Xunxian waved a hand without saying anything more.
And Lu Xiaoyao and Lu Qingyun leapt straight into the medicinal cauldrons.
The instant they entered, a mighty surge of power flowed into every limb and bone, reshaping their bodies at an exceedingly subtle pace.
After all, one of them had a Primordial Saint Body and the other a Myriad Wood Saint Body, and their spiritual roots were Immortal-Grade Spiritual Roots besides — though acquired later rather than innate, after so much cultivation they were no different from innate ones.
Because of this, the medicinal liquid's boost for them was quite limited; it could only help them raise their spiritual roots to Saint-Grade, while the upgrade would likely carry them through a major-realm breakthrough as well.
Seeing them begin refining the medicinal liquid, Lu Xunxian raised a hand and laid down a barrier all around, so that no one would disturb them.
Once that was done, Lu Xunxian looked toward Zhu Qingyan and Gu Daoshi.
"Since the matter's been settled, let's be off."
Zhu Qingyan and Gu Daoshi nodded, and then Lu Xunxian took them out of the Azure Heaven Secret Realm.
After leaving the Azure Heaven Secret Realm, Lu Xunxian looked toward Zhu Qingyan and Gu Daoshi, and after a moment's thought, spoke.
"I intend to head to the Dao Realm. Would the two of you be willing to come with me?"
"Head to the Dao Realm? Isn't that something you can only do after breaking through to Dao Practitioner?"
Gu Daoshi wore a look of astonishment as he asked with some puzzlement.
Lu Xunxian waved a hand. "With my present strength, taking two people to the Dao Realm is still something I can manage."
Hearing this, Gu Daoshi's eyes lit up at once, and he hurriedly spoke.
"I'll go — I'm definitely going. When are you planning to head to the Dao Realm, Senior Lu?"
For Gu Daoshi, staying in the Immortal Realm offered no chance to take a further step — well, it wasn't that there was no chance, but breaking through to Dao Practitioner would take countless years to achieve.
So rather than stay in the Immortal Realm, he was better off heading to the Dao Realm to seek out more opportunities.
As for Zhu Qingyan, after careful deliberation, she shook her head in refusal.
"Sorry, Xunxian, but until a new Peak Immortal Emperor emerges in my Vermilion Bird Race, I can't leave the Immortal Realm for now."
As Clan Chief, Zhu Qingyan couldn't abandon her clan to its own devices simply because she wished to follow Lu Xunxian.
Hearing this, Lu Xunxian let out a sigh, but this was Zhu Qingyan's choice, and it wasn't his place to interfere.
"I'll be heading to the Dao Realm thirty years from now. If you've made your preparations by then, come find me at the Immortal Court."
With that, Lu Xunxian's form vanished.
And after bidding each other farewell, Zhu Qingyan and Gu Daoshi each went their own way.
Though Gu Daoshi was a Peak Immortal Emperor of the Human Race, he had always done as his heart pleased, never bound by anything.
So he wouldn't choose to stay in the Immortal Realm for the Human Race's sake.
Besides, the Human Race's strength was, at present, quite formidable; even if he went to the Dao Realm, with no Peak Immortal Emperor presiding over it, the Human Race would still count among the top-tier existences in the vast Immortal Realm.
Soon, Lu Xunxian returned to the Primordial Sect and settled in.
Over the next thirty years he needed to stabilize his cultivation, so that no mishaps would occur when he headed to the Dao Realm later.
As for Gu Daoshi, he used these thirty years to prepare for the crises the Human Race might face after he left.
Though he was hailed as the foremost being in the Immortal Realm —
— once he was gone, it would inevitably be out of sight, out of mind. Perhaps at first they'd be wary of his lingering might and wouldn't dare move against the Human Race.
But as time went on, it was hardly impossible that they'd move against the Human Race.
On top of that, among the Ten Great Races, there were four or five whose attitude toward the Human Race was none too friendly.
And so, before leaving, Gu Daoshi called on each of them in turn, and had long heart-to-heart talks with the clan chiefs of those races over several years.
In those several years, no one knew what Gu Daoshi had said to them.
And when Gu Daoshi departed, every one of them greeted him with smiling faces — though the auras about them seemed somewhat weakened.
Within the Azure Heaven Secret Realm.
Time, too, was flowing by at a rapid pace. As the medicinal liquid was steadily absorbed, the two of them's spiritual roots were transforming at a pace visible to the naked eye.
And the two of them's realms began to rise along with the transformation of their spiritual roots.
Mid True Immortal, Late, Peak.
As time slipped by, their spiritual roots finally transformed into Saint-Grade Spiritual Roots.
At almost the same instant, the two of them abruptly opened their eyes, and terrifying waves of aura swept out from them.
The most terrifying of all was naturally Lu Xiaoyao; his eyes blazed with light, and behind him surged an enormous Heaven-and-Earth Dharma Idol, madly devouring the Immortal Qi within the Azure Heaven Secret Realm.
This terrifying commotion drew the cultivators within the Azure Heaven Secret Realm straight to it, every one of them looking toward Lu Xiaoyao's direction.
And almost in an instant, everyone hurried off toward where the commotion came from.
A commotion like this surely meant a supreme treasure was emerging into the world.
But only the top ten prodigies on the Prodigy Rankings did not set off straightaway; instead, they looked toward Lu Xiaoyao's direction.
An exceedingly terrifying thought had appeared in their minds.
This was no treasure emerging into the world at all — someone had broken through to Immortal King!
And once this terrifying notion appeared, it spiraled utterly out of control.