Steady Cultivation: Starting With the Perk “Work Hard, Rest Hard”

Chapter 364: Framing

Ancient Immortal King Lu Donghe suddenly sensed that the mark he had left within the [Ancient Immortal's Soul] had vanished!

He instantly pierced through space-time, looking into the treasury. The [Ancient Immortal's Soul] there was already gone!

How was this possible?

He should have sensed any unusual movement from the [Ancient Immortal's Soul]. How could the [Ancient Immortal's Soul] suddenly disappear?

At that moment, a report from the guarding Elder reached him.

"Lu Min took the [Ancient Immortal's Soul]?"

Ancient Immortal King Lu Donghe did not believe it.

Even if the [Ancient Immortal's Soul] actively acknowledged Lu Min as its master, he would have sensed the corresponding change. But just now, he hadn't sensed the slightest abnormality. Clearly, someone had used an extremely sophisticated method to conceal it!

He immediately expanded his divine sense, sweeping across the entire capital.

The Primordial Immortal City was extremely vast, containing countless God Realm Seas, worlds, and Secret Realms. But at this moment, all of them were forcibly scanned by Ancient Immortal King Lu Donghe.

Powerful beings at the Wuji Realm and above were all startled.

They looked towards the direction of the royal palace in astonishment, then, coming to their senses, each bowed respectfully towards the palace.

After sweeping the entire capital, Ancient Immortal King Lu Donghe did not find the [Ancient Immortal's Soul], but he did find Lu Min rapidly fleeing outside the city!

With a single hand, he reached out, grabbing towards Lu Min from a vast distance.

Lu Min was utterly horrified and immediately raised his domain to block.

"Hmph! Unfilial son!"

With a single grasp, the Ancient Immortal King directly shattered Lu Min's defenses and pulled him back from the distant location.

In an instant, Lu Min appeared before the Ancient Immortal King.

Lu Min's body trembled, his lips quivering. "Father!"

"Where is the [Ancient Immortal's Soul]?" the Ancient Immortal King demanded.

Lu Min said blankly, "I don't know?"

The Ancient Immortal King roared angrily, "It was you who entered the treasury just now and exchanged for the [Ancient Immortal's Soul]!"

Lu Min's expression turned horrified. "He actually..."

He directly knelt down in terror, his body shaking uncontrollably.

The Ancient Immortal King looked at him coldly. "Speak. What is the situation?"

"Someone said they wanted to make a deal with me, to give him the qualification to exchange items from the treasury. So, I made this deal. I truly didn't know his target was actually the [Ancient Immortal's Soul]!" Lu Min said fearfully.

"What did he trade with you? To give you such audacity?" Lu Donghe stared at him coldly.

"Cultivation. He... he said he would give me Continent-City Level cultivation!" Lu Min said, his face pale.

Lu Donghe had naturally noticed the Continent-City Level aura on Lu Min and had already guessed as much. But he still felt something was off. Lu Min's cultivation was stable and solid, whereas before, when Lu Min stepped into the Wuji Realm, it was in the most unstable and superficial state. To raise him to this level, even he himself couldn't do it!

"Who is he?" Lu Donghe frowned.

"I... I don't know!"

"Useless thing!"

Lu Donghe slapped Lu Min and extracted a wisp of aura from his body.

He then performed a divination technique to deduce that person's identity.

It was as if he saw through the long river of time and space, seeing an image of the treasury in the past. He saw "Lu Min" walking in the treasury and standing before the [Ancient Immortal's Soul], collecting the supreme treasure.

He locked onto "Lu Min," wanting to see through his disguise. As the technique was performed, an extremely profound layer of disguise was torn away, revealing a familiar face.

"It's you!" Lu Donghe's pupils contracted.

That person seemed to sense something and also looked towards Lu Donghe.

"Thank you for the gift!" 'Su Jin' cupped his hands in a salute, then his figure vanished.

Lu Donghe's expression darkened to the extreme. It was actually 'Su Jin' who had stolen the [Ancient Immortal's Soul]!

Currently, the Eternal Nation was eyeing his Ancient Immortal Nation covetously. The momentum for an attack had already been brewing, just waiting for an excuse. War could break out at any moment.

And the other party stealing the [Ancient Immortal's Soul] had the motive, the capability, and the benefit. One could say it wasn't beyond Lu Donghe's expectations either.

The treasure itself was a small matter, but shaking military morale was a major issue!

The [Ancient Immortal's Soul] was extremely effective for cultivating the Ancient Immortal path, especially for breaking through from Tai Chi Realm perfection to the Wuji Realm, providing a one-in-ten-thousand success rate bonus. That Lu Min had broken through precisely by relying on the [Ancient Immortal's Soul]!

Although the potential of a Wuji Realm breakthrough via the [Ancient Immortal's Soul] was limited, it was still the Wuji Realm. One could say this supreme treasure was extremely important to the Ancient Immortal Nation.

"Damn it!"

Lu Donghe slapped his palm onto Lu Min's body, sending him into the Boundless Purgatory.

"You shall enter the Endless Purgatory and suffer punishment for an Immeasurable Kalpa! Unless you break through to King-level, you will never leave prison!"

"No! Father!"

Lu Min's miserable cries were drowned in the prison flames of the Boundless Purgatory.

Lu Donghe looked in the direction where Lu Min disappeared, countless threads of fate flashing in his eyes.

Faintly, he deduced that Lu Min had a one-in-ten-thousand probability of breaking through to King-level.

This probability was extremely high!

"This can also be considered a backup plan!"

Lu Donghe directly and permanently erased the entrance and exit of the Boundless Purgatory. Not sealed, but simply erased.

"Eternal Nation... What should be done?"

Lu Donghe sighed.

At that moment, he sensed several familiar auras appearing outside the capital.

"Benjamin, Youdi'an, Monster Dijun, Shitian? You are actually willing to show yourselves?" Lu Donghe said with a smile.

He guided the several individuals into the palace.

Four figures traversed the endless distance, appearing before Lu Donghe.

The Ancient Demon Youdi'an smiled. "Lu Donghe, why were you so agitated just now?"

Lu Donghe didn't hide it. "That fellow Su Jin actually infiltrated the treasury and stole the [Ancient Immortal's Soul]!"

The Ancient Deity Mark on the forehead of the Ancient Deity Benjamin spun wildly. He said doubtfully, "You didn't detect it? This is your territory!"

Lu Donghe's expression turned grave. "His strength is even greater! I heard he was severely injured before and has been recovering during this time. But now it seems, this was just a smokescreen thrown out by the other party. In reality, his strength is still advancing by leaps and bounds."

The Ancient Buddha Shitian coughed. "The news was spread by us."

Lu Donghe was stunned. "You?"

Benjamin nodded. "Yes. Previously, he fought with a certain existence, using a method that harmed the enemy a thousand while injuring himself eight hundred. He was severely wounded. But thinking about it now, it was deliberately shown to us. The act was too convincing;none of us saw through it."

"What a sinister person!" Lu Donghe said gravely. "This person is both sinister and cunning, yet dares to infiltrate the treasury alone. He's a ruthless character!"

He paused, looking at the four.

"Your sudden visit shouldn't be just to watch the show, right?" Lu Donghe asked.

"Naturally not!" said the Ancient Deity Benjamin.

Lu Donghe's expression eased. "With your joining, my pressure is indeed greatly reduced. No matter how strong the Eternal Nation is, it cannot defeat us."

"No, not joining!" the Ancient Monster Dijun spoke.

"Hmm?" Lu Donghe was puzzled.

"We are forming a Five-Nation Alliance to jointly resist the Eternal Nation!" said the Ancient Deity Benjamin.

Lu Donghe shook his head. "It's not that I care about titles. Your four nations have already been scattered, and many of your high-level experts have been killed. Proclaiming a Five-Nation Alliance to the outside world would only invite ridicule!"

The Ancient Deity Benjamin revealed a mysterious smile. "All our citizens have been reborn. All our powerful experts have revived and returned!"

Lu Donghe was shocked. "Really? What price did you pay?"

Benjamin said, "A national supreme treasure! I used the [Ancient Deity Eye] to exchange for the revival of ten billion citizens, including thirty Near King-level experts! The price was great, but it was worth it."

"You all as well?" Lu Donghe looked at the other three.

They nodded in unison.

Lu Donghe fell silent. They used their national supreme treasures to revive so many people, including thirty Near King-level experts. He used the [Ancient Immortal's Soul] to get a Continent-City Level son...