“Yes, if Lord World Sovereign were still around, you could ask him,” Xu Zimo said.
“Our ancestor is no longer here,” Zhang Tianlin fell silent for a moment before finally replying.
If the World Sovereign had still been present, he wouldn’t have stood by during the sect’s life-and-death crisis. Zhang Tianlin understood the ancestor’s difficulties and didn’t wish to speak further.
“Continue,” he said, looking at Xu Zimo. “What was that red orb you used?”
“That wasn’t a red orb, it was the heart of a blood lizard,” Xu Zimo replied.
“I also read about it in an old book. Back then the blood lizard’s heart was sealed away. I didn’t expect it to be useful now.”
“The heart of a blood lizard?” Zhang Tianlin exclaimed, puzzled. “When did blood lizards become this powerful?”
“I’m not exactly sure either,” Xu Zimo took a deep breath and said weakly, “The book only mentioned that the two forces counteract each other. That’s why Dragon Gods fear blood lizards.”
Hearing this, Zhang Tianlin and the six kings fell into deep thought and didn’t speak for a long while.
“Where’s the book you read that from?” asked Red King.
“It was something I read many years ago. I’ve long forgotten where I put it. Aside from mentioning the Dragon Gods, there wasn’t much else of value,” Xu Zimo shook his head and replied.
“Sect Master,” Red King glanced at Zhang Tianlin and didn’t say more.
“I understand. Go rest for now. If there’s anything else, we’ll come to you,” Zhang Tianlin said, looking at Xu Zimo.
Xu Zimo nodded slightly and, with Huangfu Xianyue’s help, returned to his courtyard.
Although the Dragon Gods’ attack had nearly destroyed the mountain, part of the courtyard still remained.
“Why did you save me earlier?” Huangfu Xianyue looked at Xu Zimo with a complicated expression and asked.
“It’s nothing really. You helped me form the demonic body, and I hadn’t had the chance to thank you yet,” Xu Zimo replied with a warm smile.
“Actually I…” Huangfu Xianyue hesitated, then paused in silence before finally saying, “You’re just unlucky.”
“What do you mean?” Xu Zimo asked, confused.
“Nothing. Get some rest. If you need anything, just call me,” Huangfu Xianyue said.
Xu Zimo returned to his room. Jiu You helped him into the house and said quietly, “I’m really getting more and more unable to see through you.”
“Everything I do has a purpose. But the water here in the World Sovereign Empyrean Sect runs deep,” Xu Zimo said with a smile.
“What do you plan to do next?” Jiu You asked.
“Sleep. Then wait for someone from World Sovereign Empyrean Sect to come ask for my help,” Xu Zimo said with a grin, lying back on the bed.
……
At that moment, inside the World Sovereign Empyrean Sect’s council hall, Zhang Tianlin sat at the head of the table. The six kings sat on either side. The other elders weren’t even qualified to attend.
“What do you all think about what Lin Qiu said?” Zhang Tianlin asked.
The atmosphere was heavy. After a long silence, Red King stood up and said, “We can’t fully believe it, but we also can’t ignore it.”
“I think no matter what, we have to at least give it a try,” Ze King said from the side.
“But what about the blood lizard fusion method?” asked Blue King.
“I can take care of that,” Zhang Tianlin replied thoughtfully, “But can Lin Qiu be trusted?”
“Do we have any better options?” Red King said. “This time we hurt those two Dragon Gods. If they come back for revenge, and we no longer have the blood lizard’s heart, how do we deal with that?”
“Do you even know where to find a blood lizard?” Zhang Tianlin asked.
“The Misty Forest is infamous for being dangerous. The Swamp Forest is even worse, it’s a forbidden area none of us dare touch. If we want to fuse with a blood lizard, who’s going?”
As Zhang Tianlin’s voice fell, the hall went silent.
“How about we let Lin Qiu go? He seems to know more than anyone,” Pine King suggested. “We’ll assign a few disciples to go with him. I doubt he can cause any real trouble.”
“Who do we send?” Zhang Tianlin asked again.
“I heard Lin Qiu was brought into the sect by Red King’s daughter. Why not let her go too?” the World King said from the side.
“But Xianyue is already engaged to Gong Yu of the Eternal God Sect. Wouldn’t this be inappropriate?” Red King looked at World King and said coolly. “Why only my daughter? That doesn’t seem very fair.”
“How about this,” Zhang Tianlin proposed, “Each of the six kings sends one disciple to follow Lin Qiu to the Misty Forest. Agreed?”
The six kings were silent for a moment. Marsh King then stood and said, “I’ll send my senior disciple.”
Seeing Marsh King speak, the other five kings also stood and named their respective disciples.
“Then it’s settled,” Zhang Tianlin said, waving his hand. “Tomorrow I’ll go request the fusion method.”
“You’re all dismissed. Leave me to think alone.”
After the six kings left, Zhang Tianlin stood slowly and exited the council hall.
Seeing no one around, he entered his residence.
He twisted a vase inside the room, and the wall began to shift, revealing a square recess.
Zhang Tianlin took out a square jade token from his storage ring and inserted it into the recess.
With a loud boom, the surrounding space exploded. Dust burst forth. The stars seemed to spin, and the scenery began to shift.
Before long, Zhang Tianlin found himself in a starry expanse.
The Milky Way poured down from the heavens, countless stars twinkled, and the sky kept shifting.
Zhang Tianlin raised his right hand and pointed lightly, and a star appeared.
As he moved his hand faster, more stars followed, forming three glowing characters in the sky:
“Blood Lizard!”
Zhang Tianlin knelt on the ground, looking forward with reverence.
As the characters faded, the sky seemed to freeze.
Ripples stirred in front of him, and from the waves, a weathered, ancient book dropped down.
Zhang Tianlin picked it up and saw the worn cover bore four large characters:
“Blood Lizard Fusion Method.”
“Ancestor bless me, Ancestor bless me,” he let out a breath of relief, patting his chest with gratitude.
In the next moment, he vanished into the void and reappeared in his room. He carefully stowed away the energy stone.
He then began flipping through the fusion manual. It was far too valuable to hand over the original.
He planned to copy it first, then give the copy to the group heading out.
……
The night passed without incident. The next morning, Zhang Tianlin brought the six kings to the Goddess Peak.
“Sir, someone’s looking for you,” Jiu You woke the sleeping Xu Zimo and said.
“Is it the Sect Master of World Sovereign Empyrean Sect?” Xu Zimo asked.