novelTele Chapter 397 A Meeting at the Mid-Stage of the Spirit Saint Realm
Chapter 397 A Meeting at the Mid-Stage of the Spirit Saint Realm
When Lu Sheng walked out of the secret room, he could already feel an extremely subtle sense of oppression on Dengxian Island.
That feeling wasn't very noticeable.
Ordinary cultivators couldn't even sense it. But those at the Spirit Emperor realm and above noticed—the air had become heavier. Not physically heavier, but the space itself was trembling slightly.
An extremely powerful being is approaching Earth.
Lu Sheng walked into the square. Dao Yi and Zhou Lei were already there. Dao Yi's face was a little pale, but he stood there trying to appear calm. Zhou Lei was even more exaggerated; his palms were sweaty, and he kept wiping them on his pants.
"Go back, all of you." Lu Sheng glanced at them.
Dao opened his mouth. "My lord, how about I go with you—"
"You'll only get in the way. Go back and stay there."
Dao Yi shut his mouth.
Lu Sheng said no more, and his fourteen dragon wings suddenly unfurled. In a flash, he pierced through Earth's atmosphere and flew into outer space.
in space.
Lu Sheng hovered above the Earth's outer defense layer, his gaze fixed on the outer reaches of the solar system.
His perception was fully activated. The range of his perception, at the mid-stage of the Spirit Saint Realm, covered an area of hundreds of thousands of miles.
At the edge of his perception limit, he detected a rapidly approaching energy signal.
The signal was very strong.
very strong.
It's almost on the same level as his own energy level.
Mid-stage of the Spirit Saint Realm.
There was no false reporting.
Lu Sheng took a deep breath.
He wasn't nervous, but he wasn't careless either.
This was the first time he had faced an opponent of the same level. Although the Celestial Ancestor of the Cleaner Alliance was also at the early stage of the Spirit Saint Realm, Lu Sheng had broken through from the peak of the Spirit Venerable Realm, and there was still a major level difference between them. Moreover, the Ancestor was old and his combat power had declined.
But the Azure Guardian is different.
The protectors of the Myriad Manifestations Divine Court are truly the elite of the elite. Anyone who can sit in this position cannot be a useless person.
The energy signal is getting closer.
Three minutes later.
A bright green light appeared in space.
The light was extremely dazzling, as glaring as a green star in the pitch-black space. Its speed was outrageous, covering distances measured in tens of thousands of miles every second.
Then—the light stopped about five thousand miles away from Lu Sheng.
The light faded.
A person appeared.
He was a man who looked to be in his early forties. He was tall and slender, wearing a long emerald green robe, with a thin face and a short mustache. His hair was long and tied up on top of his head with an emerald green hairpin.
He looks like a scholar.
But Lu Sheng knew that the power contained within this "scholar" was enough to destroy a planet.
The Azure Netherworld Protector hovered five thousand miles away, his gaze piercing through layers of space, meeting Lu Sheng's eyes.
Their gazes met in space.
Although they were five thousand miles apart, their mid-stage Spirit Saint Realm perception allowed them to see each other as clearly as if they were standing face to face.
The Azure Netherworld Protector spoke first.
His voice was transmitted directly through the laws, reaching Lu Sheng's ears clearly in space.
"Qingming, the Third Protector of the Myriad Manifestations Divine Court, greets the Lord of Blue Star."
His tone was very polite, even somewhat refined.
Lu Sheng didn't stand on ceremony.
"You've arrived. Half a day earlier than I expected."
Qingming smiled slightly. "I was in a hurry and rushed you a bit. Please forgive my rudeness."
"Come in and talk." Lu Sheng tilted his head, gesturing for him to fly with him.
He turned and flew towards Earth.
Without hesitation, the Azure Netherworld Protector followed.
Two powerful cultivators at the mid-stage of the Spirit Saint Realm passed through Earth's outer defensive layer one after the other.
As he passed through the ancient metal armor layers, the Azure Guardian's gaze lingered on the armor for a moment. A barely concealed glint flashed in his eyes.
That light wasn't surprising.
It's greed.
It was fleeting, so fast that even a Spirit Saint's perception could hardly catch it.
But Lu Sheng caught it.
He didn't turn around, but the corner of his mouth curled up slightly.
really.
These are the things they're after.
The two passed through the atmosphere and landed on the plaza of Dengxian Island.
Lu Sheng's feet touched the ground without making a sound. Qingming Protector landed three meters away from him, his long robes fluttering slightly in the sea breeze.
The square was deserted.
As arranged by Lu Sheng, all the cultivators returned to their respective areas. There was no welcoming procession, no pomp and circumstance whatsoever.
Qingming Protector surveyed the surroundings, his gaze sweeping over the buildings constructed from star alloy.
"The foundation laid by the Lord of Blue Star is far simpler than I had imagined."
"Just call me Lu Sheng." Lu Sheng ignored his reply. "Come with me."
He led the Azure Netherworld Protector into the command room.
Luo Tianfei was the only one in the command room. She stood in the corner, the blue light in her mechanical eyes flashing as she performed a passive scan.
When Qingming Protector entered, his gaze lingered on Luo Tianfei for a moment.
"Who is this?"
"She's mine. You don't need to worry about her." Lu Sheng sat down in the main seat.
There were no chairs provided for the guests.
Lu Sheng didn't seem inclined to ask anyone to bring a chair.
The Azure Guardian stood across the table, showing no displeasure. His face remained adorned with a gentle smile.
"Since Lord Lu Sheng has been so direct, I will not beat around the bush either." Protector Qingming stood with his hands behind his back. "The Myriad Manifestations Divine Court has sent me here primarily to discuss three matters with you."
"explain."
"Firstly, after the Scavenger Alliance was destroyed, its former star sector became unclaimed territory. The Pantheon hopes to reach a consensus with you regarding the ownership of this star sector."
Lu Sheng leaned back in his chair. "What consensus?"
"The Scavenger Alliance's original sector was quite large. The Divine Court of All Things proposes dividing it into two halves, with the central line as the boundary. You will occupy the eastern half, and the Divine Court of All Things will take the western half. Neither side will interfere with the other."
Take half from each?
That sounds fair.
But Lu Sheng knew the truth. He had conquered the Scavenger Alliance's sector. The Myriad Gods Court hadn't lifted a finger, yet they were already demanding half.
How is this any different from outright robbery?
It's just that the way they robbed it was more civilized.
Lu Sheng did not immediately respond. "And the second thing?"
"The second matter," Guardian Qingming lowered his tone slightly, "is that the Myriad Manifestations Divine Court has noticed that your base planet is equipped with a large number of ancient metal armors of extremely high quality. This material is extremely rare in the known universe. The Myriad Manifestations Divine Court wishes to exchange resources with you—we will provide high-dimensional primordial crystals and cultivation techniques, and you will provide a formula or sample of some ancient metals."
Resource exchange.
Lu Sheng almost burst out laughing.
What resource exchange? He's currently in the mid-stage of the Spirit Saint realm; consuming the primordial gold water from the Old God Abyss is more effective than any high-dimensional crystal. As for cultivation techniques—the Heavenly Saint Ancestor has plenty in his memories; why would he need to ask outsiders for them?
But he didn't show any expression on his face.
"The third thing?"
The Azure Netherworld Protector paused for a moment.
He looked into Lu Sheng's eyes, seemingly considering his words.
"The third thing... the Celestial Venerable of the Myriad Manifestations Divine Court wants to know something."
"What is it?"
"After you destroyed the Scavenger Alliance, did you discover any... unusual ancient ruins in their star sector?"
Lu Sheng's heart stirred.
coming.
Their real purpose has been revealed.
The first two things were just prelude. Whether it was sector partitioning or resource exchange, they were all superficial matters.
The third thing is what they really want to ask.
Ancient relics.
The old divine abyss.
The seed of origin.
Looking into Qingming Protector's gentle eyes, Lu Sheng had already guessed most of the other party's trump cards.
But he wasn't in a hurry.
"Ancient ruins?" Lu Sheng countered, his tone carrying just the right amount of doubt. "What ruins are you talking about?"
The Azure Netherworld Protector's gaze sharpened slightly.
He was trying to determine whether Lu Sheng was genuinely unaware or pretending not to know.