Lu Jun swept his gaze across the void universe.
The Sun-Moon Time Pools floated silently in the darkness. The Night Thunder Dream Beast and the Queen of the Sacred Lotus of Twin Blossoms slumbered respectively within the Death Pool and the Life Pool, undergoing their deepest transformations.
"It's time to leave."
He thought to himself. Putting aside the fact that the Oath Mind Fruit had finally been obtained, the Nine Provinces of the Magic Plane had already enjoyed a year of peace. The invasion of the Pacific Empire could erupt at any moment, and he himself needed to return to stand guard.
In any case, he had already grasped the spatial coordinates of this place. He could teleport back whenever he wished. Zhulong had been dead for countless years already; a little more time before his resurrection would make no difference. He could deal with that after settling matters in the Nine Provinces.
"This trip yielded tremendous gains. I've finally acquired the foundations of true Emperor-level combat power."
Lu Jun silently assessed his cultivation.
Over the past year, he had focused most of his efforts on his other Elements.
His Summoning and Space-Time Elements had both reached the peak of Super Level One. He had also gained a preliminary understanding of the laws of the Summoning Plane and experienced interplanar travel for the first time. His foundation had been tempered to perfection, completely free of instability, and he was on the verge of another breakthrough.
It did not matter where he cultivated; there was no need to remain within the Beast Graveyard.
Furthermore, Lu Jun examined his Spiritual World.
Six vast Star Oceans shimmered brilliantly. Within the moon-white Star Ocean of the Summoning Element surged waves of power, while at its center floated the smooth Qiankun Stone, woven from azure-green and earthy-yellow hues.
At some unknown point, a fourth crack had quietly appeared on the surface of the miraculous stone. This crack was distinctly black and white.
That's right.
The fourth fissure of the Qiankun Stone had finally formed. The birth of the imaginary beast that should not exist in this world was drawing ever closer.
The Qiankun Stone firmly occupied the center, while the black-violet imprint of the Dream Beast, the tri-colored imprint of the Mermaid, and the sacred azure imprint of the Sacred Lotus of Twin Blossoms orbited it like stars surrounding the moon.
"What caused it?"
Seeing this, Lu Jun muttered.
The previous three cracks of the Qiankun Stone had all emerged for specific reasons.
The dream journey through Inca, reaching the pinnacle of the World College Tournament, years of arduous cultivation, and overturning fate during the bloody battle against the Tyrant Dragon Emperor of Lan—all had been defining moments of his life.
He frowned.
Perhaps it was the contract with the Sacred Lotus of Twin Blossoms.
Perhaps it was the extraordinary experiences within the Beast Graveyard.
Or perhaps it was sensing the auras of more than a dozen Emperors and Zhulong himself.
Any of these could have been the trigger.
"Forget it."
Lu Jun did not dwell on the matter.
However, ever since the fourth crack appeared, he had gained a vague realization.
The Qiankun Stone only needed nine cracks in total before that indescribable invincible beast would finally be born.
The Pacific Empire's invasion would be a perfect opportunity.
Under normal circumstances, where would he find so many Emperors to kill?
Every Emperor resided deep within an Empire, surrounded by countless slave creatures.
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
At this moment, Lu Jun no longer had anything worth lingering over.
Activating his Fusion Method, moon-white radiance and dark-silver brilliance merged around him. A magnificent starry sky slowly unfolded, and at the center of the stars, an immortal gate rumbled open.
Just as he was about to step through the Summoning Gate and leave the Beast Graveyard, a booming voice suddenly echoed from the depths of the dark universe.
"Boy, I permit you to borrow a portion of my power. How you choose to use it is entirely up to you."
As the words fell, a pair of eyes opened within the darkness.
A black-and-white rainbow-like beam shot toward him.
Just before Lu Jun disappeared, the black-and-white radiance entered his body.
In an instant, the world spun around him as he sensed the space of the Fiend Well and rapidly descended.
Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!
Above the desolate continent within the Fiend Well, layer upon layer of spatial folds emerged, stirring up overwhelming torrents of space-time that swept across the surroundings.
Within the storm, a young figure descended from the heavens.
Lu Jun felt dizzy and disoriented. After a long while, he finally regained his bearings and immediately examined the gift Zhulong had bestowed upon him.
Within the moon-white Star Ocean of his Spiritual World, there was now an additional black-and-white mark.
It resembled a pair of Sun-Moon eyes.
"Zhulong's imprint?"
Seeing this, Lu Jun raised an eyebrow.
He immediately understood that his Ancient Demonic Gate could now exceed its limits and borrow Zhulong's power.
What pleased him even more was that this aura could be passed on to other Summoning mages.
They too could gain the qualification to summon Zhulong's power.
Although at most it could only be passed on to two or three people, it was still an extraordinary favor.
"Old Pang, you've spent your whole life simping, yet you can't compare to a single meeting of mine."
Lu Jun shook his head and sighed.
Pang Lai had helped him greatly over the years. Lu Jun did not mind teaching him how to summon the Undead Beast of the Beast Graveyard.
He only hoped the old man would not suffer a complete mental breakdown afterward.
After returning to the Magic Plane, Lu Jun left the Fiend Well and met Mo Fan inside the Military Strategy Manor.
Mo Fan looked exceptionally spirited and full of confidence. He glanced around at the magnificent furnishings of the manor and clicked his tongue in admiration.
Having not seen him for quite some time, Lu Jun carefully examined him and was surprised to discover that not only had Mo Fan's Lightning Element broken through to the Super Level, but his Fire Element had as well.
Furthermore, his other four Elements had all reached the pinnacle of High Level.
"Interesting. No wonder you were delayed for an entire year. As expected, you encountered another great opportunity."
Lu Jun thought to himself.
He clearly remembered that a year ago, although Mo Fan's Lightning and Fire Elements had both reached the peak of Level Three, his other Elements were still some distance away from High-Level perfection.
Moreover, aside from upgrading the Little Loach Pendant into a Star Ocean Magic Tool, the Divine Deer Totem's power should have only been enough to push a single Element into the Super Level.
Yet in this life, Mo Fan had somehow become an exception.
At that moment, Mo Fan noticed Lu Jun's arrival and casually said,
"Old Lu, your place is pretty impressive. It's even grander than my Fanxue Mountain. Star Dust Magic Tools really are a money-making business."
"Hahaha."
Lu Jun chuckled lightly and did not elaborate.
Instead, he said directly,"I've got a gift for you. We'll head over to Old Feng's place in a bit."
Hearing this, Mo Fan was overjoyed and immediately boasted,"Old Lu is truly generous! Now that's what I call a real friend."
Lu Jun shook his head.
It was nothing more than a Magic Tool designed around the Fusion Method. Production was already nearing mass manufacture. If secrecy had not been such a concern, and if only trusted confidants such as Lu Mei, Professor Yuan, and Feng Zhoulong were not the sole ones equipped with it, everyone in the Military Strategy Manor would already have one.
In the original timeline, Mo Fan had mastered Fusion Magic himself. With the growing threat of the demon race, he needed to begin cultivating it as soon as possible.
Besides, Lu Jun was not so narrow-minded.
After all, he had already promised Feng Zhoulong that the Fusion Method would eventually be promoted to mages throughout the world. Whether it happened a little earlier or later made no real difference.
Moreover, Mo Fan was one of his most steadfast allies.
"Since Old Lu is being so generous, I brought back the thing you wanted as well."
Mo Fan casually waved his hand.
Silver spatial light flickered, and a crystal-clear fruit radiating five-colored brilliance appeared in his palm.
The Oath Blessing Fruit!
Instantly, Lu Jun's attention was drawn to it.
He could sense the pure energy contained within, no less potent than the Calamity Blessing Power he had previously bestowed upon the Sacred Lotus of Twin Blossoms.
The Oath Wish Tree possessed no offensive capabilities whatsoever, yet its miraculous functions were endless.
Any single Oath Fruit was equivalent to a permanent Divine Seal Blessing.
Its only flaw was that each person could use it only once in their lifetime.
With interest, Lu Jun asked,"How many did you get?"
"Five or six. They're all yours."
Mo Fan immediately took out five or six fruits and handed them over, fully honoring his promise.
Lu Jun accepted them without hesitation and carefully asked Mo Fan about his experiences during the past year.
A short while later, understanding dawned on him.
No wonder Mo Fan had taken an entire year to return from what should have been a relatively safe mission.
After obtaining the Divine Deer Totem's power, the guy had still not been satisfied. He had actually set his sights on the core territory of the Feather Tribe above the Cloud Sky Layer.
As a result, Mo Fan had ventured into the most mysterious forbidden zone of the Qinling Mountains.
"Lingling said that the mysterious feather might be connected to the Feather Emperor, so we followed the clues of the Totem."
Mo Fan's voice carried a leisurely tone, while his eyes shone brightly.
"Have you ever seen divine mountains floating one after another at the very summit of the atmosphere?"
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