âAshu!â Lu Yun carefully studied the sinfully handsome man. Rather than being alive, he was another living dead. However, the man had reached the apex of his existence. A tiny fraction more would make him a true living being.
A holy lord!
Holy lords were the strongest existences among mausoleum keepers. That was even more true of Holy Lord Ashu, who was many times more powerful than the ones currently looking for Lu Yun.
Lu Yun sensed an aura from the man as strong as that of the Azure Dragon King. This was a powerhouse at the principal realm, at a bare minimum! To think a character of this level existed in the underworld!
But there was no denying it; Ashu was indeed an immortal whoâd reached the principal realm.
âThe Panorama of Clarity is on you, isnât it?â The holy lordâs gentle voice was strangely magnetic, and one couldnât help but feel well-disposed towards him.
âIt isnât.â Lu Yun took a deep breath. Itâd be impossible to get away if Ashu were to suddenly spring an attack on him. There was an insurmountable gap between him and this opponent, one that not even the Tome of Life and Death could surmount.
âReally?â Ashu blinked, then carefully observed Lu Yun again. âIndeed, you donât lie⌠But unless Iâm mistaken, it should be with someone very important to you.â
Lu Yun looked down and stayed quiet. To find clues from nothing more than minute changes in his expression... this Ashu was even more redoutable than heâd feared.
âA few fools have sealed off the underworld, so you canât leave right now.â Ashu promptly set aside the Panorama of Clarity and instead broached the current situation.
âAnd you can help me leave?â Lu Yun looked up again at the man.
âI can.â
Lu Yun was surprised at how easily this holy lord agreed.
âHowever, Iâm leaving with you.â
âYou? Leave with me?â Lu Yun frowned. âYouâre a living dead, so you can survive only in here. If you try to leave, youâll be destroyed by the yang energy in the outside world.â
âIt seems that youâre quite informed.â Ashu nodded. âIâd initially planned to kill you outright, then search your soul for the Panoramaâs whereabouts. But I changed my mind when I saw you.â
Lu Yun stayed silent.
âIâm very interested in the way you breathe. I tried to mimic your breathing rhythm just now, but itâs not quite the real thing. I have a hunch that I wonât have to fear yang energy if I were to acquire your breathing method.â
A hint of keenness appeared on Ashuâs face. The greatest difference between the living and the dead was breathing!
The living dead here could make their hearts beat, make their blood flow, and have their bodies generate warmth. The only thing beyond their reach was breathing! A living dead whoâd learned to breathe would truly become alive again. But no matter how hard they tried, they couldnât replicate genuine breathing.
Ashu had copied Lu Yunâs breathing tempo moments ago and was greatly surprised to discover that it reawakened his long-dead lungs and generated a long-forgotten feeling of harmony in him.
A ray of hope had dawned for him then, hope of leaving this place. But his attempt had been mere imitation, hence why heâd changed his mind. He intended to grasp the essence of this breathing method, instead.
The Panorama of Clarity could only help him become a divine spirit, but with this breathing method, he could revive his dead body and resurrect in the truest sense of the word.
Lu Yunâs breathing method was the one heâd developed based on the rhythm of the lungs of the world. Heâd been inspired by not only the giant lungs on the altar, but also the breathing from the lungsâ layout itself.
While the method was still in its infancy, it nevertheless contained a most fundamental truth of the world. As things stood, heâd become so accustomed to the breathing method that itâd become second nature.
âHow will it benefit me if I teach you?â Lu Yun eyed Ashu warily. After all, the man had just spoken of killing him and extracting the memories from his soul. There was nothing to prevent the holy lord from proceeding in the same way with the breathing method, if he so wished.
âHehâŚâ Ashu smiled in response. âI can help you leave. I can likewise open the barrier and let everyone out.â
âNothing else?â Small dots of black light flickered at Lu Yunâs feet. The moment this Holy Lord Ashu showed a hint of malice, he was primed to use the original death art, Boundless Step. With it, he could cross five hundred kilometers in a single step; not even a principal realm powerhouse like Ashu could stop him from getting away.
âHmm⌠I can give you something else as well.â With the flip of a hand, the holy lord summoned an emerald-green sapling into his palm.
Lu Yunâs eyes immediately landed on the sapling, veins bulging on his forehead. âThe Ancient Tree of Life?!â
His breathing became ragged. He and Qing Yu had dispatched their replicas to the Ancient Tree of Life, so he couldnât be more familiar with the treeâs aura.
This mere thumb-sized sapling emitted the purest aura of an Ancient Tree of Life. In fact, it was even purer than the one Lu Yun had previously seen!
âNo, it isnât the Ancient Tree of Life, but a Key of Life,â Ashu explained. âJust like the Timelight Tower or Vastspace Mountain that was once here, the Ancient Tree of Life is a treasure that belonged to one of those pitiful emperors. Meanwhile, this Key of Life is the treeâs distilled essence and can be used to claim the tree.â
With that said, the holy lord offered it to Lu Yun, who stayed vigilant and didnât take it.
âThere is a trace of the treeâs aura to be found on your body,â Ashu explained with a smile when he saw Lu Yunâs reaction. âThat is why I know that you or someone youâre in contact with have already gone looking for one. But without this key, you wonât be able to take it away with you.â
âAccording to what you say, the treeâs the treasure of an emperor. Arenât you tempted at all?â Lu Yun still refrained from taking the key. In fact, heâd already begun burning a karmic fruit and was poised to run at the first hint of danger. Due to his heightened tension, heâd failed to notice Ashuâs wording of âpitiful emperorsâ.
âTempted?â Ashu casually tossed the key to him. âCompared to empty material possessions, Iâd much rather be alive.
âTake the key, I know you need this thing. Teach me your breathing method for it, itâs something I need in turn. After that, Iâll open the barrier so all of you can leave safe and sound.â Ashuâs smile slowly faded from his lips.
âWhy donât you kill me and take it for yourself?â Lu Yun took a deep breath and asked a question that wasnât entirely one.
âBecause this method isnât yet recorded in the immortal dao.â Ashu explained leisurely. âYouâre the inventor. To kill you would be to cut off the methodâs origin and forever limit it to being a minor technique, never to become a grand dao. And I, my dear, have very little use for it if it isnât a dao.â
âAlright, Iâll teach it to you,â Lu Yun agreed after some thought. âBut you have to swear upon the world that you wonât become my enemy upon leaving the underworld!â
etvolare's Thoughts
Dang, this Ashu is quite a character.