Starting From A Son In Law To Build An Long Lasting Family Chapter 1798: 458: Heavenly Mechanism Fate, Omen of Calamity! (part 2)
Previously on Starting From A Son In Law To Build An Long Lasting Family...
No matter how intensely Lu Changsheng focused, he was unable to pierce through the Heavenly Mechanism Mists to see his son’s current state.
"Is there a flaw in my technique, or am I applying the wrong methodology?"
After a brief moment of contemplation, Lu Changsheng decided to use their shared bloodline as a medium to deduce the fate of his other offspring.
Lu Wuyu, Lu Xile, Lu Qingshan, Lu Qingzhu, Lu Qingsong, Lu Wangshu, Lu Qingxuan, Lu Ruyi, Lu Minghuang...
With the sole exception of Lu Qingshan, he managed to grasp faint flickers of information regarding each child.
However, he noticed a distinct pattern during this divination; the level of resistance offered by the Heavenly Mechanism Mists fluctuated significantly for each child.
"Beyond the level of cultivation and the presence of spiritual tools that mask heavenly secrets, the difficulty of divination is tied to an individual's destiny and karmic fortune. For instance, if their fortune is vast, their secrets profound, and their fate intricate, the difficulty of peering into their future rises exponentially..."
Lu Changsheng whispered to himself, his understanding of divination deepening as he gained fresh insights into the arts of reading destiny and observing phenomena.
Take his daughter, Lu Qingzhu, for example. Though she is a Foundation Establishment cultivator, her situation is complex.
She is the daughter of a father at the Core Formation Peak and a mother who is also a Core Formation cultivator. Furthermore, her master is the Tianyuan True Immortal, and she shares a profound bond with her brother, Lu Qingshan.
Because of these factors, her fate is heavily intertwined with several powerful individuals, causing the divination mists to shift constantly and provide massive resistance.
In contrast, Lu Wuyu and Lu Xile have not yet started Cultivation. Despite having him as a father, they are not surrounded by those with deep heavenly secrets, making the difficulty of divining their lives almost non-existent.
As for Lu Qingxuan, he is currently practicing divination himself within Azure Phoenix Immortal City. The city itself acts as a veil for heavenly secrets, making it difficult for Lu Changsheng to reach him through deduction.
Lu Wangshu and Lu Minghuang are protected not only by the family heritage that suppresses heavenly secrets but also by specific spiritual objects designed to hide one's path, creating an invisible barrier against his search.
"Ping’an possesses Core Formation cultivation and Third Rank Body Refining, but there might be external factors masking his fate as well. Whether it is a third party using concealment techniques or a treasure like the Fate-Defying Robe blocking me remains a mystery!"
Having confirmed that his divination skills were functioning correctly, Lu Changsheng turned his focus back to his son, Lu Ping’an.
With the balance of fortune and disaster remains shrouded in those thick heavenly mists, Lu Changsheng could not find any peace of mind.
"Fine then, it is just a sacrifice of lifespan, isn't it?"
Seeing that the heavenly mists refused to budge, Lu Changsheng summoned his system interface to check his remaining life force.
[Name: Lu Changsheng]
[Identity: Lord of Bi Lake Mountain]
[Cultivation Level: Core Formation Ninth Layer]
[Lifespan: 115/781]
[Spiritual Root: Earth Spirit Root]
[Constitution: Chaos Body]
Under normal circumstances, a Core Formation cultivator is limited to a lifespan of five hundred years.
Even with the aid of Lifespan Extension Pills or rare treasures from the heavens and earth, exceeding six hundred years is a monumental task.
But Lu Changsheng was an anomaly.
He had not only consumed First, Second, and Third Rank Lifespan Extension Pills, but he had also formed a Great Dao Golden Core and possessed the Chaos Body.
Most importantly, the synergy between his Chaos Body and the Flawless Heavenly Fragrance Body, among other spiritual constitutions, granted him a longevity that far outstripped his peers!
Had he not frequently utilized the Life Transference Technique in his younger days—which drained a significant portion of his years—his maximum lifespan might have already climbed past eight hundred!
"Boom!"
By forcefully burning his own lifespan, Lu Changsheng pushed his deduction of Lu Ping’an’s fate to the limit.
One year!
Two years!
Three years!
His lifespan began to evaporate rapidly during the process.
Only after sacrificing thirteen years of his life did a sliver of information finally manifest before Lu Changsheng.
A sign of medium misfortune!
While the specific details of the divinatory symbols remained obscured, the bloodline connection and the cost of his lifespan allowed Lu Changsheng to realize that Lu Ping’an was heading toward a life-threatening crisis!
According to the traditional hierarchy of divination, a sign of medium misfortune indicated a death probability of roughly fifty to seventy percent.
Such a percentage was alarmingly high!
"Has Ping’an not escaped the danger yet?"
Lu Changsheng’s brow furrowed. He desperately wanted to know his son's exact location and status.
However, his divination skills were capped at the Second Rank, leaving him unable to extract further details.
Achieving even this much had required thirteen years of life and the father-son blood bond. To dig deeper would demand an exponentially higher sacrifice that he could not currently justify.
"I have to go there myself!"
Lu Changsheng halted the divination. Exhaling a long, heavy breath, he took on a grim expression and commanded the Sea Splitting Mysterious Dragon Whale to accelerate its return.
He didn't know the specifics of the major misfortune awaiting Lu Ping’an.
But his intuition as a diviner told him that since the sign had appeared despite such heavy resistance from the Heavenly Mechanism Mists, the event was imminent.
It would likely occur within the next few years—three at the very most!
Endless Wilderness.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—"
A relentless storm of yellow sand roared across the landscape, a perpetual dust cloud that dominated the entire wilderness.
Due to the brutal environment, the wilderness was largely devoid of life, save for a few scattered oases.
Lately, however, one could occasionally spot Nascent Soul cultivators manifesting Divine Rainbows as they streaked across the desert, hunting sandworms and various ferocious beasts.
These powerful experts weren't wandering the wastes out of boredom; they were there because the [Vast Sand Illusion Realm] was nearing its opening.
This particular secret realm was unique in that it lacked a static entrance.
When it opened, the Illusion Realm would simply materialize within the Endless Wilderness like a massive mirage.
Consequently, many Nascent Soul cultivators were patrolling the sands, hoping to be the first to stumble upon the entrance to claim the best treasures and survive until the realm closed again.
"Daoist Qing Luan, by my calculations, the Vast Sand Illusion Realm should have manifested by now. Why is there no sign of it? Is it possible the secret realm has collapsed and will never open again?"
Upon a high desert dune, a group of cultivators sat in meditation.
A purple-robed Elder among them turned to address a refined young man wearing a blue shirt that shimmered like jade.
The others in the group also turned their attention toward the young noble.
"Based on the timing, the Vast Sand Illusion Realm is due to open around this period. However, historical records suggest that a slight delay is well within the realm of possibility," the Azure Phoenix True Monarch replied.
Dressed in a luxurious green jade silk robe and crowned with a glazed jade headpiece, he held a folding fan depicting a green simurgh. He exuded an aura of cold, elegant detachment.
As they spoke, the air suddenly rippled, and a middle-aged man with a powerful frame and graying hair emerged from the Great Void, radiating a natural sense of authority.
He swept his gaze over the group on the dune, his eyes narrowing slightly before settling on the Azure Phoenix True Monarch. "I detected a familiar presence. So, it is you, Mu Qinghuang."
"Daoist Yinlei, it has been a long time," the Azure Phoenix True Monarch answered simply, offering a polite hand salute.
"Heh, a long time indeed."
The man scrutinized the Azure Phoenix True Monarch for a moment before offering a thin, fake smile, making it obvious that there was no love lost between them.
However, even with their past grudges, he knew better than to start a massive conflict with the secret realm's opening so close at hand.
With a single step, he vanished back into the Great Void.
The Azure Phoenix True Monarch’s eyes, as sharp as starlight, pierced the veil of space, noting that the man was not alone; a companion accompanied him within the void.
"Does Daoist Qing Luan have a history with Daoist Yinlei?"
One of the nearby cultivators recognized the newcomer as a Nascent Soul rogue cultivator from Qiyun Country. He was infamous for slaying a high-grade Golden Core genius from the Qiyun Sect and was currently a wanted man.
"Indeed, we had a clash in the past," the Azure Phoenix True Monarch replied smoothly.
The onlookers felt their hearts skip a beat at that admission.
Daoist Yinlei had been at the Nascent Soul stage for a century, while the Azure Phoenix True Monarch had only reached that level some thirty or forty years ago.
Judging by Liu Yinlei’s cautious attitude just now, it seemed he might have been the one to come out worse in their previous encounter.
Even though the Azure Phoenix True Monarch was known for his extraordinary talents, his Azure Phoenix Daoist Soldier, and his high-level spiritual beast, it was surprising that he could stand his ground against someone like Liu Yinlei.
The Azure Phoenix True Monarch offered no further details.
In this world, such things were common; who among them didn't have a few enemies?
The reason they chose to cooperate in the secret realm was precisely to mitigate such risks and prevent themselves from being singled out by rivals.
The others knew better than to pry.
While a significant number of Nascent Soul True Lords had descended upon the Endless Wilderness, the region remained largely unchanged, save for a massive spike in trade at Black Desert Immortal City.
At that moment, inside a quiet residence within Black Desert Immortal City.
"Senior, a report from the Wolf Slayer Association has arrived. It says the Wolf King has departed for Desert Scorpion City following rumors of a treasure appearing there. He is no longer in Black Desert Immortal City."
A rugged, ordinary-looking middle-aged man looked down at the jade slip in his hand and whispered, "So, he's finally gone."
With those words, he stood up, gathered his things, and slipped out of the immortal city.