Chapter 442: The End of the Secret Realm (2)
Beneath the Nine Cauldrons, Lu Heng and the Dragon Emperor remain impervious to all methods, allowing the phantom images of these otherworldly powerhouses to attack at will, yet they steadfastly fail to breach the vital essence emanating from the Nine Cauldrons.
In the face of these two infamous and ferocious big cauldrons, the Dragon Emperor, however, remains calm and composed, not seeing Lu Heng as an enemy at all.
Even if Lu Heng confesses to her that he is not a native of the Celestial Desolation Realm, the Dragon Emperor's attitude towards Lu Heng doesn't change in the slightest.
That completely defenseless stance, if Lu Heng were truly an enemy, he could easily launch a surprise attack from behind and assassinate her at any moment.
However, Lu Heng didn't raise any doubts about it, absolutely refusing to give this woman a chance to flirt with him.
Although he was indeed curious as to why the Dragon Emperor had such unwavering faith in him not being an enemy…
However, although the Dragon Emperor remained composed, each and every one of the summoned shadows of foreign realm powerhouses were frightened by Lu Heng's nine cauldrons.
They simply could not comprehend why the Dragon Emperor of the Celestial Desolation Realm would fight side by side with the Lord of Nine Cauldrons without any animosity.
In the end, with the joint efforts of Lu Heng and the Dragon Emperor, the colossal Thunder Eagle with a wingspan of tens of thousands of feet, the vengeful ghosts shrouded in eerie aura, and the sinister demons capable of stealthy killings in the void… all three shadowy figures of foreign realm powerhouses were successfully vanquished.
The Dragon Emperor openly stated that this was the easiest breakthrough she had ever experienced.
Every previous breakthrough was incredibly arduous, because the power of each shadowy figure of these formidable beings surpassed her own. Even with the enemy strategies devised by the past generations of Dragon Emperors, she would always emerge from each encounter in a disheveled state.
However, with Lu Heng's presence this time and the protection of the Nine Cauldrons, she could proceed without any worries, unleashing all the prepared means at her disposal and successfully annihilating the enemy.
Even the final and most formidable Garuda behemoth was successfully slain, with Lu Heng shielding her under the protection of the Green State Cauldron.
Even the pre-prepared Dragon Amber, crafted in advance for an unexpected turn of events, was spared, with no opportunity given to make an appearance and display its potential.
When the massive golden Garuda fell, the Dragon Emperor couldn't help but cast her gaze towards Lu Heng, and said, "Brother Lu's nine cauldrons… are indeed formidable…"
Throughout the journey, the two beneath the Nine Cauldrons remained invulnerable to all attacks, as nothing could threaten them beneath the protection of the cauldrons. Yet, they were able to freely launch attacks against the enemies outside.
The Dragon Emperor finally experienced firsthand the terrifying power of this legendary Nine Cauldrons.
If she were to confront an enemy like Lu Heng, she could scarcely conceive of any means to achieve victory, leaving her with nothing but a sense of utter despair.
Lu Heng chuckled and remarked, "The Nine Cauldrons are indeed formidable, but they require an immense amount of spiritual essence from living beings. If the spiritual essence within the cauldron is completely depleted, the cauldron will lose such extraordinary power."
And this is also one of the main reasons why those foreign enemies are so keen on harvesting the spiritual essence of living beings in the Celestial Desolation Realm.
Amidst the sighs of them, the colossal Garuda dispersed within the Star River World. At the edge of this cosmic realm, a vast, silent vortex of utter darkness materialized.
That vortex seemed to possess a mysterious power of devouring everything, even light and, further still, the divine consciousness of Lu Heng and his companions, were susceptible to being consumed.
Lu Heng stood before this immense, pitch-black vortex, feeling a sense of hesitation.
"Uh… Your Majesty, are you certain that this is the entrance to the fabled treasure trove?"
No matter how you look at it, this vortex, resembling a black hole, doesn't seem like the gateway to a treasure trove, does it?
It has been a staggering five years since Lu Heng ventured into the Star River World.
During these five years, Lu Heng's endeavors revolved primarily around assisting the Dragon Emperor in battles, leaving him with nothing but monotonous cultivation. His eyes beheld nothing but the resplendent expanse of the starry sky.
Although this spectacle is exceedingly beautiful, it has become excessively monotonous. After incessantly gazing at it day and night for over five years, even Lu Heng himself finds it somewhat unbearable, longing to break free.
After going through numerous trials and tribulations, and finally overcoming all adversaries with great difficulty, what appeared before him was this pitch-black vortex…
The skeptical gaze from Lu Heng made the Dragon Emperor feel somewhat awkward.
She forced a laugh and said, "Um… Brother Lu, to be honest, this is also my first time reaching this stage. So, I'm not very clear about the situation that lies ahead."
"Just the inscription on the secret realm stone indicates that this is indeed the entrance to the treasure vault… Should I go in first? Brother Lu can follow afterwards?"
Lu Heng shook his head and said, "Since you are not afraid of death, naturally Lu Heng is not afraid of death either… We will proceed directly inside."
Even if his divine incarnation perishes here, Lu Heng can rely on his physical body left behind in the Celestial Desolation Realm to resurrect, hence he has a sense of invulnerability.
However, his poised demeanor left the Dragon Emperor marveling with admiration.
Her smile blossomed like a flower as she firmly grasped Lu Heng's hand and said, "In that case, Xiu Ya is willing to stand together with Brother Lu, through life and death!"
The hand of the Dragon Emperor was clenched tightly.
Lu Heng paused for a moment before realizing that this woman seemed to have misunderstood.
As he was about to clarify, the Dragon Emperor, however, had already taken hold of him and rushed into the vortex ahead.
The pitch-black and profound whirlpool instantly engulfed Lu Heng's primordial essence, perception, and consciousness, submerging his entire being into a terrifying and abyssal darkness where he lost all awareness of his own existence.
However, in a moment of haze, Lu Heng seemed to perceive a familiar aura in the space, gradually drawing nearer and nearer…
Finally, Lu Heng abruptly opened his eyes.
"Huh?!"
In the icy, lifeless, and pitch-black… within the vast expanse of the celestial void, even specks of dust were as rare as the conscience of a demon, let alone any other matter.
Devoid of gravity, devoid of spiritual energy, devoid of everything familiar to Lu Heng in the Celestial Desolation Realm.
In the instant Lu Heng stepped into this frigid and pitch-black world of desolation, accustomed as he was to abundant spiritual energy, he immediately experienced a suffocating anguish.
After an exceedingly protracted duration, Lu Heng reluctantly adapted to this terrifying realm devoid of spiritual energy.
And his gaze, as his perception gradually recovered, gradually restored as well.
A celestial body…
A colossal, devastated celestial body silently and slowly spins before his eyes.
In the far reaches of the cosmic expanse, a colossal and dazzling star emits a terrifying brilliance and heat, mercilessly scorching the planet that revolves around it.
Even at an immensely distant separation, Lu Heng could distinctly perceive the horrifying heat emitted by that star.
If he were still in human form, at this moment he would probably have been thoroughly roasted.
However, for reasons unknown, there was an intuition in Lu Heng's heart. The power contained within this star might not even compare to an ordinary mortal within the Celestial Desolation Realm…
And beside Lu Heng, a silver dragon, nearly coiled into a compact form, silently floated in the cosmic expanse.
The pristine scales shimmered brilliantly amidst the dazzling radiance of the star.
After arriving in this desolate and eerie world devoid of vitality, Dragon Emperor found herself plunged into a suffocating state of despair, just like Lu Heng. In fact, her situation was even more dire.
After all, she had lived in a world abundant with spiritual energy for a longer period of time, unlike Lu Heng from the Heavenly Thunder Tao Foundation. Dragon Emperor, too, relied more heavily on the nourishment of spiritual energy…
This world…
In the pitch-black expanse of space, Lu Heng gazed bewilderedly at everything before him, his heart filled with an unfathomable sense of eerie absurdity.
After passing through the pitch-black vortex of Dragon Emperor's secret realm, the world they arrived at, is it really here?
The cultivator's remarkable memory allowed Lu Heng to instantly recognize the dazzling stars in this starry sky, as well as their true appearance.
Here, unmistakably lies the Milky Way galaxy, where Earth resides!
The arrangement of planets, in a manner identical to what Lu Heng had witnessed in the starry sand table of the Mermaid Kingdom!
"I have actually returned…"
Staring blankly at the pitch-black and desolate universe before him, Lu Heng's primordial spirit whispered softly.
The sound emitted by his primordial spirit was unexpectedly audible in the vacuum of space!
