Chapter 364: Chapter 339 Zuo Yun Joins_1
"I’m giving you ten breaths to step back, or my next arrow will target these two," Lu Yan’s voice echoed, his terrifying aura already zeroing in on the other two Primordial Spirits.
The powerful Primordial Spirits of the first and second turn were terrified and quickly backed away. Simultaneously, they drew upon the Heavenly Earth Power to erect a strong defensive wall.
Even the Primordial Spirit of the third turn couldn’t withstand it. If the arrow targets them, wouldn’t that result in certain death?
Lu Yan had clearly spared them in the earlier attack. If he had targeted them from the beginning, they would undoubtedly be dead.
The third turn Primordial Spirit master looked grim, but he was clear in his understanding that Zuo Yun wouldn’t be defeated today.
"Let’s go," he roared, taking to the air and making his escape along with the other two.
Once they left, Zuo Yun took a breath of relief, turning his gaze towards Lu Yan.
"Brother Zuo, I hope you’ve been well," Lu Yan chuckled as his face began to morph into "Lu Yiming".
"Brother Lu, it’s you!" Zuo Yun’s eyes lit up with joy and a smile crept onto his face.
He waved his hand, causing the Eight Diagrams Plate to fly back into his body. He then consumed several Martial Pills, stepped out, and moved beyond the scope of the Wish Pattern Formation.
"Brother Zuo, we should leave here promptly to prevent the Zhang family from striking unexpectedly," Lu Yan suggested.
A Spiritual God of the Third Turn didn’t worry Lu Yan, except if a Spiritual God of the Fourth Turn showed up.
The Fourth Turn Spiritual God had already refined his Primordial Spirit. The strength difference between the Third and Fourth Turns was significant.
Zuo Yun nodded. Together with Lu Yan, they flew off into the distance. After flying several thousand miles without rest, they picked a random location to land.
Zuo Yun’s injuries were clearly serious; his face turned pale after flying thousands of miles. He quickly consumed a few more Martial Pills and began healing his wounds, while Lu Yan stood guard.
Half a day later, Zuo Yun had managed to get his injuries under control, looking much better than before.
"Had it not been for you, Brother Lu, my life would have been forfeit here in Jiangzhou," Zuo Yun thanked Lu Yan, then sighed regretfully.
"Brother Zuo, why did the Zhang family of Jiangzhou decide to kill you?" Lu Yan asked curiously.
"The Zhang family in Jiangzhou are petty and lowly. They are doomed to be conquered by other feudal princes sooner or later," Zuo Yun replied, sounding quite exasperated. "I came down from the mountains with a hope to help the world, basing my hopes on what I’ve learned, looking for a wise ruler under whom I could realize my aspirations and do my part for the people of the world.
"Before, I had pledged my allegiance to several feudal princes. However, they were not open-minded; they were only focused on present gains and competed for power and profit. They lacked the vision and power to conquer the world. When I met one of the members from the Zhang family of Jiangzhou, I found him quite respectable, so I joined their ranks after leaving the ruins of Tongtian.
"However, I never imagined the Zhang family would be even worse. They were interested in my methods and wanted to bind me to their ship permanently. They were plotting to plant a bug in my soul. Fortunately, I have my means, and I discovered their plan in time to escape. Still, they discovered that I had run away and have been pursuing me ever since," Zuo Yun revealed.
So, that was what had happened.
Based on their few interactions, Zuo Yun was clearly too naive, which was why he had been repeatedly tricked.
However, that was one of the qualities Lu Yan admired about him.
Having a pure heart was a rare trait in this era.
"So, Brother Zuo, what are your plans now?" Lu Yan asked.
"I don’t know. It’s hard to find a worthy ruler in such a big world," Zuo Yun replied, shaking his head.
"Brother Zuo, why not consider joining Mansion of King Ming?" Lu Yan suggested.
"The Mansion of King Ming? I’ve heard of King Ming’s name, but I don’t know if he has the capability to conquer the world," Zuo Yun replied.
"That, I wouldn’t know," Lu Yan shrugged.
"Are you a member of the Mansion of King Ming, Brother Lu?"
"Indeed, my real identity is Lu Yan, the General of Lingdong under the Mansion of King Ming," Lu Yan confessed. As he finished speaking, his face transformed back to its original appearance and he continued, "I didn’t mean to hide my identity, but it was necessary for the task at hand. I hope Brother Zuo will understand."
Zuo Yun scrutinized Lu Yan, thoughtfully saying, "Brother Lu hasn’t stepped into the Primordial Spirit Realm yet, has he?"
"Soon," Lu Yan replied.
"Honestly, I have some knowledge of physiognomy. Brother Lu, your appearance is extraordinary. You have the spirit of a dragon among men, capable of conquering the world. Instead of pledging allegiance to King Ming, I would rather serve you and collaborate on great plans," Zuo Yun said earnestly.
Lu Yan was elated.
He was extremely intrigued by Zuo Yun’s unique skills.
He was in desperate need of such talent in his team.
The importance of Wish Patterns would only grow as time went on.
Various Wish Pattern formations, both defensive and offensive, had myriad applications.
Furthermore, there was a bunch of Immortal Puppets, filled with Wish Power Patterns that needed to be deciphered by professionals, in his possession. Currently, they were just a bunch of scrap iron.
He had been planning to recruit Zuo Yun into his ranks for a while, but he didn’t know how to broach the topic. So, he planned on having Zuo Yun join the Mansion of King Ming first and gradually luring him to his side.
Unexpectedly, Zuo Yun was willing to serve him directly. Lu Yan was overjoyed.
"All the better. If you don’t mind, Brother Zuo, we’ll be brothers from here on," Lu Yan declared cheerfully.
"I pay my respect to the General," Zuo Yun said formally, bowing his fist.
"Hahaha, we are brothers, Brother Zuo, no need for that. Let’s find a place for you to heal. Then, we can share a drink," Lu Yan proposed, laughing heartily.
Lu Yan said with a laugh.
The two picked a nearby city to stay. A few days later, when Zuo Yun’s injuries healed, they headed towards Lingdong.
After more than ten days, they returned to Lingdong City on Kunwu Mountain.
As soon as they returned, Li Quan reported the recent affairs.
Lingdong was quiet, everything was orderly, everything was developing methodically. Not long ago, the Mansion of King Ming sent another Honorable Level Martial Chef, who intended to live in Lingdong permanently like the previous one.
They also added three top-ranked breeders who also intended to reside in Lingdong permanently.
"Is Xiang Chongyang helping out?"
Lu Yan speculated silently.
It’s very likely.
Xiang Chongyang acknowledged Lu Yan’s talent, and Lu Yan saved him at the ruins of Tongtian. Furthermore, Lu Yan gave him the books that sealed the genius warriors from various forces, so it shouldn’t be hard for Xiang Chongyang to pull some strings to get some benefits for Lu Yan.
Lu Yan gratefully accepted.
Next, Lu Yan convened a meeting.
There were two main purposes.
The first was to introduce Zuo Yun to everyone.
Of course, he didn’t mention Zuo Yun’s identity as a Primordial Spirit Realm cultivator, but only said that Zuo Yun had reached the Ture Body Seventh Refinement.
If he revealed that Zuo Yun was at the Primordial Spirit Realm stage, Lu Yan feared it might alarm the Mansion of King Ming, and they might try to recruit Zuo Yun.
A Primordial Spirit would carry significant weight for the Mansion of King Ming.
Nevertheless, when everyone learned that Zuo Yun has achieved the True Body Seventh Refinement, they were greatly shocked, and they showed profound respect.
Secondly, he brought out a large number of resources and deposited them in the treasury of Lingdong City.
There were Level Two and Level Three Martial Pills, as well as many martial pills for breaking through minor realms.
Subsequently, a series of regulations were established. Anyone who performed meritorious service or reached a certain level of cultivation could be rewarded.
In order to quickly build a strong army, a large amount of resources had to be invested.
After the meeting, Lu Yan asked Wen Yuan, Li Quan, and others to show Zuo Yun around and familiarize him with the terrain, military strength, and various institutions of Lingdong.
After spending a few days with his parents, Lu Yan fully devoted himself to cultivation again.
’Which should I cultivate first, the Demon Hunting or the Yanluo Golden Body?’ Lu Yan pondered.
Having so many martial arts to choose from was the cause of his dilemma.
In the end, Lu Yan decided to cultivate the Yanluo Golden Body first.
The reason was simple: because the Divine Dao Stone of Yanluo Golden Body could only exist for about twenty years. He had to comprehend it successfully and condense the Martial Arts Avatar before it was completely safe.
The Divine Intent Diagram of the Demon Hunting Immortals wouldn’t disappear, and there would be plenty of opportunities to comprehend in the future.
Having figured this out, Lu Yan stopped hesitating. He picked up the cultivation method of Yanluo Golden Body, memorized it, and then started to comprehend it with the Divine Dao Stone.
Half a day later, he stopped comprehending the Yanluo Golden Body and began to stir his mind aperture, spiritual aperture, and spirit aperture to find the soul acupoint.
Every day, Lu Yan focused on these two aspects, which kept him occupied and fulfilled.
In the blink of an eye, another ten days passed by.
One day, Zuo Yun came to see Lu Yan.
"General, I’ve scouted Lingdong in the past few days and found several problems. The land of Lingdong is vast but lacks resources. The level of its Blood Land Vein is not high enough. Relying solely on these resources to build a strong army would be difficult."
"However, the good thing is that you have a vast number of resources at your disposal. Nevertheless, most people have only an average endowment, and their abilities are limited by their natural talents. Even with a large number of Martial Pills in front of them, they are unable to refine them quickly and increase their cultivation level rapidly."
Zuo Yun added.
Lu Yan nodded, he was well aware of this point.
Even though he had access to the treasure trove of the Dagu Dynasty and a massive amount of resources, it would still be hard to assimilate them all in a short amount of time. It would take time.
When Lu Yan parted ways with Shen Yinuo, Shen Yinuo didn’t take away any of the Dagu Dynasty’s treasures. She even left the ’Hunting Immortals’ for Lu Yan, only taking away some soul crystals.
Therefore, the bulk of resources that the Dagu Dynasty left in the Tongtian ruins fell into Lu Yan’s hands.
"I have a method that could accelerate the refining of Martial Pills and speed up the breakthrough process of the military."
Zuo Yun said.
"What method?"
Lu Yan grew interested.
To his knowledge, the methods that could speed up the refining of Martial Pills were few.
One way was like his own, where you cultivate martial arts to a high level, opening up numerous channels throughout the body, and you could quickly refine Martial Pills.
Another way was like what Shen Yinuo did - by means of a special Organ Miracle, she could refine Martial Pills at a breathtaking speed.
Apart from these, were there any other methods?
"My mentor dedicated his life to studying Wish Patterns and Will Power Patterns. Hundreds of years ago, he created a type of Wish Pattern Formation based on Wish Patterns. With our joint efforts, this Wish Pattern Formation is now near perfection. As long as we lay down this formation, martial cultivators who cultivate in the formation can significantly speed up the refining of Martial Pills and Martial Foods with the aid of the formation’s power."
"However..."
Zuo Yun paused here.
"There is such a miraculous formation? But what? What are the conditions? Feel free to propose them."
Lu Yan’s spirits lifted.
"However, lots of precious materials are needed as the formation base, like Soul Crystals, and some peculiar metals..."
Zuo Yun immediately mentioned some names.
"Materials can be provided. You can set up..."
Lu Yan grinned when he heard this.
All the materials Zuo Yun mentioned were available to him.
There was no need to mention Soul Crystals, and there were plenty of metallic materials in the treasury of the Dagu Dynasty.
Lu Yan quickly gathered all the materials Zuo Yun needed.
Next was choosing the location for the formation.
The location was crucial. Firstly, it had to be secret.
