NOVGO.NET Chapter 230 - 230
Chapter 230: The Dao Emperor That Exists Only in Legend
After Lu Tianyuan left, Lu Xunxian planned to submit his completed mission, then pick up some new ones to continue earning Contribution Points.
Seeing Lu Xunxian about to leave, Lu Fenggu grew anxious and quickly spoke up.
"Hold on--you still owe me something!"
"What do I owe you?"
Lu Xunxian raised an eyebrow, clearly unaware of owing Lu Fenggu anything.
Lu Fenggu declared with smug confidence.
"I just saved your life back there. Paying me back with a Teleportation Talisman isn't asking too much, right?"
"How many Contribution Points does a Teleportation Talisman cost?"
"Not much. Just five thousand Contribution Points."
Lu Xunxian: "..."
"I don't recall asking you to save me."
Lu Xunxian said with a slight frown.
Even if Lu Fenggu hadn't acted, the Myriad Realms Dao Practitioner couldn't have harmed him.
And Lu Fenggu wanted him to pay for a Teleportation Talisman? Not a chance.
Five thousand Contribution Points--how many missions would he have to complete to earn that back?
Lu Fenggu wasn't too angry at Lu Xunxian's refusal--it was within his expectations.
"You can refuse if you want, but as a Kin Disciple of the Lu Family who saved your life, I have the right to make one request you can't refuse."
"There's a rule like that?"
Lu Xunxian looked genuinely surprised. He'd never heard of such a rule.
Lu Fenggu's Kin Disciple superiority complex resurfaced in full force.
"Obviously. Don't believe me? Go ask around. If it doesn't exist, I'll give you five thousand Contribution Points myself!"
Lu Xunxian fell into thought, briefly considering whether to use some method to make Lu Fenggu disappear for a few centuries.
In a few centuries, he'd likely have broken through to the Peak Dao Venerable Realm, at which point he'd have the strength to lay all his cards on the table.
But after some deliberation, he ultimately dismissed the idea.
After all, while Lu Fenggu was clingy, he hadn't actually done anything to harm him.
Moreover, they were inside the Lu Family right now. Most importantly, Lu Fenggu was a Kin Disciple--who knew what safeguards the Lu Family's old monsters might have placed on him?
If he made a move and the Lu Family's old monsters detected it, the consequences would far outweigh the benefits.
So Lu Xunxian let out a sigh and looked at Lu Fenggu with resignation.
"So, what do you want me to do?"
Seeing Lu Xunxian finally relent, Lu Fenggu immediately spoke up.
"Simple. Your Contribution Points should be enough to advance to Inner Clan Disciple by now."
"In our Lu Family, when an Outer Clan Disciple advances to Inner Clan Disciple, they must choose a branch and become that branch's Inner Clan Disciple."
"So my one request is this--when you advance to Inner Clan Disciple, choose to join my branch."
"That's it?"
Lu Xunxian raised an eyebrow, clearly not expecting Lu Fenggu's request to be so simple.
Lu Fenggu nodded. "That's right, it's that simple."
"Fine, I agree. But I have a question--how many branches does the Lu Family actually have?"
Hearing Lu Fenggu mention that advancing to Inner Clan Disciple required choosing a branch, Lu Xunxian's interest was instantly piqued.
Seeing Lu Xunxian's interest and that he'd agreed to join his branch, Lu Fenggu launched into an explanation.
Currently, the Lu Family had eight great main branches, each presided over by a Late Dao Venerable Realm cultivator.
Listed in order, the eight branches were: Heaven, Earth, Mystic, Yellow, Cosmos, Void, Flood, and Desolation.
Lu Fenggu belonged to one of them--the Desolation Branch.
"What about Peak Dao Venerable? Isn't there a Peak Dao Venerable patriarch in the Lu Family?"
Lu Xunxian asked, recalling something he'd heard.
"That patriarch doesn't belong to any branch. He's the Lu Family's Progenitor, and all eight branches are descended from his lineage."
When mentioning that figure, Lu Fenggu's eyes shone with reverence and awe.
After all, a Peak Dao Venerable was an existence standing at the absolute summit of the Dao Realm.
And in the Lu Family's hundreds of billions of years of history, they had only ever produced one Peak Dao Venerable--the Progenitor himself.
"What about the Dao Emperor?"
Lu Xunxian asked again, this time with genuine curiosity.
Lu Fenggu's expression turned solemn.
"Where did you hear about the Dao Emperor Realm?"
Lu Xunxian's heart lurched--he'd slipped up. But he forced himself to remain calm.
"I heard about it while traveling, before I joined the Lu Family."
Lu Fenggu harbored some suspicion at the explanation, but ultimately didn't press further.
After all, Lu Xunxian had already agreed to join the Desolation Branch, so certain things did need to be explained.
"The Dao Emperor... in the entire Dao Realm, that's nothing more than a legend. No one has ever witnessed a Dao Emperor's existence."
"It's said that the Dao Emperor Realm was simply fabricated by Peak Dao Venerables who refused to accept that their path ended there."
"Unfortunately, no one has ever broken through beyond Peak Dao Venerable, so a true Dao Emperor doesn't exist."
Listening to Lu Fenggu, Lu Xunxian's expression grew serious.
Because he knew the Dao Emperor Realm truly existed.
Otherwise, how could the System have bestowed upon him the foundation of a Dao Emperor?
He was simply curious about whether, when the time came for his breakthrough to Dao Emperor, it would go as smoothly as his previous breakthroughs--or if something unexpected would occur.
That, he had no way of knowing.
At that point, Lu Fenggu shook his head, pulling his thoughts back, and looked at Lu Xunxian with an eager expression.
"Since you've agreed to join the Desolation Branch, come with me. I'll have the Branch Master officially induct you right away!"
Lu Xunxian's talent was the most formidable Lu Fenggu had ever encountered in his life--even surpassing his own.
If the Branch Master saw Lu Xunxian, he'd probably want to make him a Kin Disciple of the Desolation Branch on the spot--perhaps even a Core Disciple.
Seeing Lu Fenggu about to drag him off to meet the Branch Master, Lu Xunxian tensed up and quickly spoke.
"What realm is the Branch Master at?"
"The Branch Master is naturally the strongest person in our branch."
Lu Fenggu didn't understand the question--after all, only the strongest could become Branch Master.
Lu Xunxian's expression immediately grew grave.
Late Dao Venerable.
If the Branch Master scrutinized him carefully, his disguise would probably be seen through.
Seeing Lu Xunxian's hesitation, Lu Fenggu furrowed his brow as suspicion welled up within him once more.
"You don't want to meet the Branch Master? Could it be that you really do have something to hide?"
As Lu Fenggu's suspicion resurfaced, Lu Xunxian's heart sank slightly.
"System, can your disguise be detected by a Late Dao Venerable?"
[Ding. Host may rest assured--let alone a Late Dao Venerable, even a Peak Dao Venerable cannot detect this System's disguise.]
With the System's reassuring response, Lu Xunxian finally relaxed and waved his hand dismissively.
"It's not that there's a problem. It's just... a being as powerful as the Branch Master--is someone as insignificant as an Early Immortal Emperor really worthy of an audience?"
"Pfft, and here I thought you were worried about something serious. Relax--our Branch Master values prodigies above all else. Your talent is the strongest I've ever seen. Trust me, the Branch Master will be more than satisfied with you."
Without waiting for a response, Lu Fenggu grabbed Lu Xunxian and dragged him toward the Desolation Branch's main territory.