“A fox?” Lu Yun struggled to grasp the sudden shift in conversation. Before he could react, the local space erupted in turmoil.

His physical body, immortal force, and even thoughts were locked in place. He was so thoroughly incapacitated that he was like a fly caught in amber, his connection to the netherworld and with the Tomb of Life and Death forcefully severed.

The torch dragon can absolutely snuff me out in a second if it wants to! Color drained from his face when Lu Yun realized that the torch dragon could destroy his nascent spirit in hell through attacking his physical body.

Although the torch dragon was imprisoned in the depths of this cavernous hole, so laden down with chains that he resembled more a chained sculpture than anything else, those restraints stripped him only of bodily freedom. They did nothing about the creature’s terrifying strength and combat arts.

…… 

“According to the vow I made that year, I am not to make a move against humans unless they provoke me first. However, you carry about you a presence I loathe with a passion.” The small bloom of flame atop the torch dragon’s head brightened with intensity and sent out roiling heat waves that were even more frightening than the connate li flames from earlier. “So I want you to stay here for the rest of your life and keep me company.

Boom!

The void trembled as a pitch-black structure formed in the air, swallowing Lu Yun whole. The torch dragon stared frostily at the structure housing his opponent and boomed with a voice that threatened to deafen one’s ears.

“I will let you go if you can walk out of this Ingenium Realm. I will not care where you go or what you do then. If you cannot, you will stay here and safeguard that blasted dead man with me.

“I know your nascent spirit is elsewhere, but you need not think of committing suicide to leave. The Ingenium Realm is a system of its own with its own rules, a major world completely independent of the world outside. If you die inside there, your nascent spirit will disperse in true death.”

The torch dragon seemed to see through Lu Yun’s thoughts and issued a series of solemn warnings, causing the young man to frown where he stood.

“Ingenium Realm? The Ingenium layout? A maze?” Lu Yun naturally knew what was going on.

The Ingenium layout was one of the most special feng shui layouts there were. An ingeniously and delicately wrought layout, a clever and marvelously original world. It formed a real world when called into being at a level beyond a grand influence over heaven and earth. At that point it would be a system independent of the multiverse, an existence much like the heavenly palace or kingdom of hell.

It would possess its own passage of time, definition of space, and even laws of a world.

All this time, Lu Yun had thought the Ingenium Realm was just a mythological legend that didn’t exist, a theoretical and hazy goal. He’d never thought that it would one day truly appear in front of him, and in a manner like this!

……

A trace of cruel enjoyment flashed through the torch dragon’s pale-golden eyes to see Lu Yun stand unmoving in the Ingenium Realm.

“Harrumph, fox.” Curling his lip, he lowered his head again and slowly shut his eyes, falling back into deep slumber.

“A real layout exceeding the level of a grand influence over heaven and earth is right in front of me! It’s real, it exists! This is it!” Excitement danced in Lu Yun’s eyes.

He’d seen plenty of grand influences over heaven and earth. The resurrection layout in hell, for one. He’d even joined hands with Wayfarer once to construct a bronze palace that embodied a grand influence over heaven and earth. However, it was his first time seeing anything beyond that level and truly perceive its power with every fiber of his being.

Lu Yun carefully took out his luopan and sent it whirring into operation. The projection of a world floated up from it, projecting the entire Ingenium Realm into the compass.

“This…” The sight stunned Lu Yun. “The luopan that’s combined yin and yang can reflect even a layout beyond a grand influence?”

Everything about the Ingenium Realm was reflected in the feng shui compass. This was an enormous maze with interlacing and exceedingly complicated passages. At the same time, they were also constantly shifting and changing into new configurations. Even though he had a bird’s eye view thanks to his treasure, it was still a tall task for him to find a way out.

However, Lu Yun wasn’t much interested in locating the exit. He cared much more about the overall structure of the layout.

“Yin and yang are one in the luopan. The Ten Orientations Stone of extreme yin represents the hell that was and the kingdom that is now. The Ten Orientations Stone of extreme yang represents the heavenly palace that is now. When yin and yang are combined, when heaven and earth are one body… mm, that does place it beyond the level of this plane’s existence.”

He suddenly felt the compass weigh heavy in his hand. Once its true power was completely deployed, it would absolutely be an existence even stronger than a connate treasure. What bestowed it strength wasn’t the materials that comprised of it, but what it controlled.

……

Lu Yun sat down cross-legged on the ground and studied the projection of the Ingenium Realm with formula dao.

“I have no idea what’s going on, it’s on a level beyond a grand influence, alright!” He opened his eyes after an indeterminate period of time when he realized that he wasn’t able to theorize the origin of this layout. Once again, his low cultivation level was to blame.

“Eh?” He raised his eyebrows when he noticed the layout began to change within the compass. What had been a pitch-black world morphed into bright vermilion. Dreadful flames rose on all sides and set the feng shui layout aflame.

Lu Yun’s surroundings began to change according to what was pictured by the luopan. A sea of flames surrounded him, to which he called a protective sheath of connate fire essence to protect his body.

“The five elements are the source of all things and the foundation of all matter,” an incomparably weak voice suddenly echoed in Lu Yun’s mind. “This is the monster celestial master’s Ingenium Realm. It uses the five elements as its foundation to manifest all things, and is itself a real world.”

“Your Immortal Majesty! You’re awake!” Lu Yun’s eyes lit up.

“I am the immortal emperor no longer.” The figure of the immortal emperor stood up on the luopan. “What a marvelous treasure, it bears a mightier intent than even a connate treasure. To become the treasure spirit of such a wondrous artifact…”

“Hang on!” Lu Yun almost jumped out of his skin. “I’m just using the compass to nurture your soul back to health. I’m not doing this to make you its treasure spirit.”

“Nonsense, how can a supreme treasure not possess its own spirit.” The immortal emperor shook his head. “This treasure will be able to fully unleash its strength only when I am its spirit. There is likely no one or no thing in the world more suitable than me for the role.”

A sunny smile crossed his face. “I was one fated to die and must repay you for saving me. Otherwise, one of us will suffer some sort of tribulation.”

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