39: Chapter 39 The Shocked Lu Chengfeng

The largest city in the Central Region. Major Holy Lands, Hidden Families, and top-tier merchant guilds converged here. The waters were deepest, and the fish were most abundant.

"We shall set it here." Gu Sheng tapped his finger heavily on the map.

"System, deploy the Ten Thousand Worlds Heavenly Secrets Pavilion. Coordinates: Central Plaza, Heavenly Saint City, Central Region."

[Ding.]

[Coordinates confirmed.]

[The Ten Thousand Worlds Heavenly Secrets Pavilion (Initial Form) is beginning cross-domain deployment.]

[This deployment will consume 100,000 Exchange Points for spatial travel and Law shielding. Confirm?]

"Confirm."

The purple-gold model on the table instantly transformed into a streak of light, piercing through the hall's dome and vanishing into the Void Realm.

Gu Sheng looked at Blind Sword and Su Jiuer.

"You two go as well. Remember, the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion has only one rule."

"As long as they can pay the price, any intelligence can be sold. If anyone dares to cause trouble, kill them immediately. It does not matter if they are a Saint Old Ancestor or from a Hidden Family."

"Understood." The two replied in unison.

Blind Sword flickered, transforming into a streak of black sword light and vanishing. Su Jiuer giggled, dissipating into a cloud of red mist.

Gu Sheng sat back down on his grand armchair. He picked up his teacup and took a sip.

"Now, the Central Region should get lively."

Central Region. Heavenly Saint City.

The midday sun was obscured by thick clouds.

In the bustling central plaza, crowds flowed like weaving threads. The hawking of major merchant guilds and the conversations of Cultivators mingled together.

Suddenly.

The ground of the entire Heavenly Saint City shook violently.

A Void Realm rift ten thousand zhang long tore open in the sky.

Countless experts in the city looked up in terror.

Several formidable Divine Senses shot up from the strongholds of major powers in the city, attempting to probe the existence within the rift.

"Pfft!"

All the probing Divine Senses were instantly shredded by a brutal force the moment they touched the edge of the rift. Several Dao Integration Stage experts vomited blood simultaneously.

A nine-story purple-gold pavilion slowly descended from the Void Realm rift.

The pavilion was crafted entirely from unknown divine wood. Ancient bronze bells hung from the upturned eaves. Even without wind, the bells emitted crisp sounds that struck directly at the Soul.

With an unstoppable posture, the pavilion crashed into the very center of the plaza.

The several merchant guild buildings that had originally occupied the plaza were pulverized by this force.

Above the main gate hung a plaque with gold characters on a black background.

"Ten Thousand Worlds Heavenly Secrets Pavilion."

The five large characters radiated a terrifying Dao aura that seemed to suppress the ages.

The city was deathly silent.

No one dared to approach. The aura emitted by the pavilion transcended everyone's understanding.

The Void Realm rift closed.

Two figures, one black and one red, appeared silently before the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion.

The blind swordsman held his iron sword, leaning against the left pillar. A deathly Sword Intent shrouded a radius of ten miles.

The woman in the red dress leaned lazily against the right doorframe. She toyed with a wisp of poison gas at her fingertips, smiling like a flower.

Two auras of the Creation Realm swept across the entire Heavenly Saint City without reservation.

The city's defensive array activated automatically, but it collapsed the moment it touched these two auras.

Outside Heavenly Saint City.

Lu Chengfeng, who had just returned from the Far North Icefield, stopped in mid-air.

He stared fixedly at the suddenly appeared pavilion in the city center, sensing those two unbridled Creation Realm auras. One of them, at the Late Stage of the Creation Realm, was even a line stronger than him.

"Ten Thousand Worlds Heavenly Secrets Pavilion..." Lu Chengfeng swallowed hard.

In his mind, the fearless face of Jun Wudao flashed by.

The Hidden Families had been silent for too long. When did such a level of powerful outsider appear in this Central Region?

The doors of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion opened slowly.

Su Jiuer parted her red lips slightly. Her voice, carried by spiritual power, spread throughout the entire Heavenly Saint City.

"The Heavenly Secrets Pavilion opens today. We calculate Heaven, we calculate Earth, we calculate Yin and Yang. We only recognize money, not people."

"For the first customer, the intelligence is free."

The whole city was silent.

Lu Chengfeng stood outside the city, his eyes flickering wildly. Free intelligence?

He gritted his teeth, took a step, and headed straight for the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion. He wanted to see if this Heavenly Secrets Pavilion that appeared out of thin air could calculate the background of the "Everlasting Gu Family."

Lu Chengfeng stepped onto the stairs of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion.

Under his feet was a material that was neither metal nor wood, and it made no sound when stepped upon.

The gate was wide open.

Inside, there were no magnificent decorations, only a deep, starry sky dome. In the center of the hall stood a long purple sandalwood table. Su Jiuer sat behind the table, toying with a jade pipe in her hand. Blind Sword held his iron sword, standing in the shadows behind her.

Lu Chengfeng stopped three feet in front of the table.

His Late Stage Creation Realm aura spread along the ground from his feet to the surroundings. He wanted to test the mettle of this Heavenly Secrets Pavilion.

The aura touched the shadow under Blind Sword's feet.

"Zheng."

A very light sword hum sounded.

Blind Sword did not draw his sword. He only pushed the sword guard open by half an inch with his thumb.

A pure, deathly Sword Intent erupted violently. There were no fluctuations of spiritual power, no intertwining of Laws, only the most primitive instinct for slaughter.

The aura released by Lu Chengfeng was instantly cut open from the center.

The Sword Intent, with momentum undiminished, struck straight for Lu Chengfeng's glabella.

Lu Chengfeng's expression changed drastically. He raised his hand to form a seal, and three ancient light shields appeared before him.

"Crack."

The light shields shattered simultaneously.

Lu Chengfeng groaned and took half a step back. A very thin line of blood appeared at his glabella.

Invincible among those of the same rank.

It could even ignore his defensive Magic Treasure.

Lu Chengfeng put away all thoughts of testing them. He looked at the swordsman whose eyes were covered with a black cloth, and a strong sense of dread arose in his heart.

"The customer has such a fiery temper." Su Jiuer exhaled a pink smoke ring, her voice sweet and cloying, "Violence is forbidden inside the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion. If there is a next time, my blind one's sword will be drawn completely."

Lu Chengfeng took a deep breath.

"Lu Family, Lu Chengfeng." He stated his name.

"We know. Second Master of the Hidden Family, the Lu Family, Late Stage Creation Realm." Su Jiuer tapped the table with her pipe, "What does the customer wish to calculate? The first order today is free of charge."

Lu Chengfeng stared into Su Jiuer's eyes.

"I want to calculate the origin and background of the Everlasting Gu Family."

Eastern Wilderness. Tianxuan Peak Hall.

Gu Sheng watched the System light screen floating in mid-air. Inside the light screen was the scene inside the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion.

Hearing Lu Chengfeng's question, Gu Sheng laughed.

"This old geezer has quite a lot of guts. Calculating me?" Gu Sheng leaned back in his grand armchair, "System, make up a background for him that can scare the Central Region into paralysis. The more mysterious, the better."

[Ding. Host, please mind your language. This System deduces Heavenly Secrets and has always been realistic. Since the Everlasting Gu Family is fabricated by the Host, we will render it according to the highest specifications of a Forbidden Power of the Heavens. Including a full set of sound, light, and electrical special effects for free.]

Heavenly Saint City. Heavenly Secrets Pavilion.

When Su Jiuer heard Lu Chengfeng's question, the smile on the corners of her lips deepened.

Gu Sheng's instructions had already been conveyed to her through the System.

"The Everlasting Gu Family." Su Jiuer stood up.

The starry sky dome above the hall suddenly began to rotate. Countless star trajectories intertwined, forming a vast star map.

In the center of the star map, a chaotic mist churned.

"In this world, there are three thousand Dao States and the Upper Realm Celestial Domains." Su Jiuer's voice lost its coquettishness and became ethereal and dignified, "But beyond the three thousand Dao States, at the source of the River of Time, there are several powers that do not respect the Heavenly Dao and do not enter Reincarnation."

"The Everlasting Gu Family is one of them."

Lu Chengfeng looked up, staring at the chaotic mist.

In the mist, a grand bronze celestial palace vaguely emerged. Before the celestial palace, countless phantoms of gods and demons were kneeling.

"The one who descended on the Far North Icefield is merely the tip of the iceberg of the Gu Family walking in the world. The True Dragon of the Gu Family does not tread upon the mortal dust. If their true body were to descend, this world's Heavenly Dao would not be able to bear it and would surely collapse."

Su Jiuer sat back down in her chair.

The star map dissipated.

The hall returned to calm.

Lu Chengfeng's back was already soaked with cold sweat.

He believed it.

That vast aura traversing the ages, that Law fluctuation that made the Divine Soul tremble, could absolutely not be faked. Jun Wudao would rather die than speak; so this was the reason.

The Lu Family had almost provoked a behemoth capable of easily erasing a world.

"Many thanks to the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion for clearing my doubts." Lu Chengfeng cupped his hands, his tone much more respectful. He turned to leave.

"Wait." Su Jiuer called him back.

Lu Chengfeng stopped in his tracks.

"The Heavenly Secrets Pavilion does business based on fate." Su Jiuer toyed with her pipe, "Since the customer is our first guest, I will provide one more piece of information for free."

Lu Chengfeng turned around.

"In the Forbidden Ground at the back of your Lu Family, inside the ice coffin at the bottom of that ten-thousand-year cold pool, lies your Lu Family's quasi-Saint Old Ancestor." Su Jiuer looked at Lu Chengfeng, "Back then, he forcibly attempted to break through to the Saint realm and failed, damaging his Dao Foundation. Now, he relies on the cold pool to sustain his life, and he only has three years of Lifespan left."

Lu Chengfeng's pupils contracted.

The surrounding air instantly solidified.

The life and death of the Lu Family's Old Ancestor was the highest level of secret in the Lu Family. Except for the Patriarch and him, even the Grand Elder of the Lu Family did not know. How could the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion know?

"You..." Lu Chengfeng opened his mouth, his voice dry.

"Three years pass, the ice coffin melts. Your ancestor will definitely die. At that time, those few mortal enemies of the Lu Family will likely not let go of this piece of fat meat." Su Jiuer smiled brightly.

Lu Chengfeng clenched his fists.

"Since the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion can calculate this, is there a way to solve it?" He stepped forward, his tone urgent.

"Yes, there is." Su Jiuer answered very decisively.

"Please instruct me, Pavilion Master! The Lu Family will definitely reward you heavily!" Lu Chengfeng bowed.

"The first free order has ended." Su Jiuer pointed to the door with her pipe, "If you want to buy a life, bring money. Top-Grade Spirit Stone, treasures of Heaven and Earth, Ancient Cultivation Techniques—as long as the value is sufficient, the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion can sell anything."

"How much is needed?"

"One million Top-Grade Spirit Stone. Or treasures of equivalent value." Su Jiuer stated the price.

Lu Chengfeng gasped.

One million Top-Grade Spirit Stone was enough to drain half of the Lu Family's Foundation.

But he did not hesitate.

If the Old Ancestor died, the entire Lu Family would be buried with him.

"Within three days, I will definitely bring the heavy payment to your door." Lu Chengfeng bowed deeply, turned around, and strode out of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion.

He had to rush back to the Lu Family immediately.