Way of the Devil

Lu Sheng returned to the prince’s mansion. The mantra was extremely simple. With Lu Sheng’s Confusion Realm spirit, he merely spent half a day and completely mastered it to the level of Full-mastery.

After familiarizing himself with infusing his muyuan with his spirit, nothing happened for a few days.

According to Wu Youzi, it was impossible for him to see any difference without 50-60 years of profound competence.

Lu Sheng decided not to fret over this matter. He shifted his attention to swiftly looking for a solution to salvage the empire according to this Clear Crane Enlightened Skill.

The White Feather sutra was truly an Enlightened Skill. However, he would do well to give up on obtaining it in the near future. The amount of money he had was irrelevant. This was not a problem of money. The Clear Crane Sect dared not teach him the skill on their own. They were afraid that they would jeopardize Lu Sheng’s life and the Moon Prince would come a reckoning.

However, besides the White Feather sutra, the minor sutras of the Clear Crane Sect could be bought with money.

Lu Sheng had been spending a lot lately. Feeling helpless, he ”borrowed” some 20,000 catties of silver banknotes from his mother’s relatives.

It was Ning He’s little brother, his uncle, who lent him the money. He did not even require him to repay the amount.

The Ning Family was largely in control of the cosmetics trade of the entire empire. It would not be an exaggeration to say that their riches could topple a nation. Although 20,000 catties of silver banknotes was not a small amount, if the borrower was his own nephew, the Moon Prince’s only son, the situation would be different.

Even if he borrowed 100,000 or 200,000 catties, the Ning Family would certainly support him fully, let alone with mere 20,000 catties.

After getting the money, Lu Sheng paid another visit to the Clear Crane Sect. He offered 10,000 catties of silver banknotes and obtained a minor mantra, the Twin Spirit Zheng Yuan Mantra.

This minor mantra required the Clear Crane Enlightened Skill and White Feather sutra as the bases. He also had to pick a crane as his life-and-death companion.

It was not difficult to cultivate. What he had to do was to guide the crane to cultivate the Twin Spirit Zheng Yuan Mantra with him and reach the state where their hearts were synchronized. The crane would grow bigger and stronger while gaining the intelligent properties of a human and a developed brain.

The cultivator would also gain the same benefits the crane gained. The cultivator would become more agile, and have more powerful eyesight and arms.

When the cultivator and the crane could cooperate well, they would be able to fight battles as one.

After obtaining the minor sutra, Lu Sheng was slightly disappointed. He was not interested in skill formulas that relied on an external object or being, even if it had some offensive properties.

However, besides the Yang Essence and the few spirit-prompting threads in his body, he had no other method of swiftly strengthening his own body.

If he could grow according to this body’s power system, it would be easier for him to conceal his background and identity.

After all, time flowed quickly here. Two years here were only equivalent to a day in the Heavenly Devil World. He could perfectly use this opportunity to temper his heart and cultivate as he gathered insight on the reincarnation heart.

After confirming the future arrangements, Lu Sheng did not use Deep Blue to rank up his cultivation method. Instead, he worked hard to cultivate the Clear Crane Enlightened Skill. He read the Taoist tomes every day and focused on reading.

Besides that, he recuperated his body with his spirit-prompting threads and Yang Essence. Because of their incompatibility with the rules here, he could not exude his Yang Essence and spirit-prompting threads out from his body.

However, through the Twin Spirit Zheng Yuan Mantra, a little crane which Lu Sheng adopted was gradually influenced by his tough constitution, and quickly grew abnormally stronger.

There were no surprises.

While Lu Sheng tempered his spirit and worked hard to cultivate the enlightened skill, the West Cliff Dynasty was also slipping into demise.

As time went by, several provinces near the borders fell. The people could not bear the burden. They formed their own militias and took up arms. The flames of war spread far and wide.

Coincidentally, the empire was hit by a great earthquake. The victims were easily fooled by the cults, and charged against the most flourishing part of the empire, the Shan Prefecture.

The Moon Prince only managed to stay in the mansion for a few days. Lu Sheng did not even have the time to speak with this cheap father of his when a messenger came to them. The royal decree was on its way to order him to lead an army to suppress the victims in Shan Prefecture.

**********

The Moon Prince’s Mansion. In the study.

The Moon Prince was already in his sixth decade of life. He sat on the wooden couch with a straight back as he looked at his only son who came to greet him. He could not help but sigh.

“Why did you dabble in cultivation? The Taoists have to sever their ties with the secular world. With your personality, are you sure you can stand the loneliness?”

Lu Sheng’s expression was calm.

“Actually, I’m not really cultivating. The Clear Crane Sect isn’t a proper Taoist sect. I just want to have another option in life.”

“The state of the world… Just as well. Work hard in your cultivation. If things get rough, follow your uncle and wait it out at Rong City… It’s far better than waiting here and being charged at by the victims…” said the Moon Prince with helplessness. “The palace has ordered me to head to Shan Prefecture. You take care of your mother. If anything comes up, go to General Yuan.”

“Mm-hm. I understand.” Lu Sheng nodded.

The Moon Prince had only a single son, Huang Jing, as he passed his 60th birthday. Naturally, he loved him above all else. He would prepare everything for him in secret.

“Unfortunately… I can’t be with you and your mother—”

Before the Moon Prince could finish his sentence, a house servant made an announcement. “Your Highness, someone from the ceremonial department has brought the decree! It’s the eunuch from the palace!”

The Moon Prince’s expression changed slightly. He swiftly stood up.

“Can you not go?” Lu Sheng suddenly asked. Now that the entire land was in turmoil, what could the emperor do if one of the princes ignored his decree?

Even the Divine Martial Great General had his plate full. He was heading all over the place to salvage the situation.

“It’s one thing if it’s only a decree… However, if the person behind it wants me to go, I have no choice but to go.” The Moon Prince patted Lu Sheng’s shoulder and walked past him.

Lu Sheng hastily followed behind him. The two of them brought the servants and maids along to the entrance, and welcomed the eunuch of the ceremonial department.

The eunuch’s name was Chen Zhongyuan. He appeared to be in his fifties. When he saw the Moon Prince, he took a step forward, and a sinister gleam flashed past his black pupils.

“Your Highness, kindly accept the decree. Time is of the essence. You should be on your way immediately.”

Lu Sheng stood behind the Moon Prince. They were about to kneel when the eunuch waved his arm and exempted them from kneeling.

While the Moon Prince accepted the decree, Lu Sheng glanced at this eunuch.

His Confusion Realm spirit easily sensed that a formidable and unknown power was hidden within this person’s body.

He appeared to be an ordinary person, but internally… he was very powerful!

Lu Sheng focused his spirit into his eyes and scanned this eunuch. He instantly felt some arcane power hiding inside this eunuch’s body.

This power was strong. At the very least, even a few hundred cultivators from the Clear Crane Sect would not be his opponent.

If he had to gauge his energy rank alone, it was equivalent to the Double Vein rank in the Heavenly Devil World.

However, the Double Vein rank had a powerful undead attribute and great regenerative powers. As for which kind of power was contained within this eunuch’s body, it was as of yet undetermined.

A chill crept into Lu Sheng’s heart. Currently, he could not use his main body’s power. He was the equivalent of an ordinary adult.

Perhaps his powerful spirit could aid him in perfectly controlling hid body and unleashing greater strength, but the difference between a mere mortal and a being of the vein-rank was huge. It could not possibly be made up for.

What shocked him more was another matter entirely. If a mere eunuch possessed the strength of a Double Vein, was it possible that Imperial Tutor Yang, whose authority swayed the palace and the ordinary folk, and Empress Lin, who brought chaos to the laws of the imperial court, had similarly formidable powers as well?

If that was the case, just how powerful would the gods the dynasty worshipped and the mysterious immortals be?

While the Moon Prince accepted the decree, a plethora of thought flashed across Lu Sheng’s mind.

However, none of this showed on his face.

“Praise be to His Majesty for his grace.”

The Moon Prince received the royal decree with both hands and stood up.

“Your Highness, the matters of war are of import. Kindly make haste,” implored the eunuch with a smile.

“Please tell the imperial tutor, I will rally my forces and embark tomorrow!” said the Moon Prince with a solemn expression.

“This empire is counting on great officials such as yourself to support it. I shall not bother you any further, and return to the palace.”

“Safe journey, eunuch.”

The troop which bore the royal decree slowly turned around and quickly left.

The Moon Prince held the royal decree in his hands as he ordered the servants to close the courtyard’s door.

“Jing’er, if anything serious happens, please consult your uncle Yuan. You can make the decisions for small matters. If there are any sudden changes, forget everything else and focus on preserving your own life, do you understand?”

“Yes, I understand.” Lu Sheng’s heart fluttered. He asked, “Father, I heard you mention this Imperial Tutor Yang…”

“That eunuch is a trusted officer of Imperial Tutor Yang. If he’s sent here, it means that he wants me to embark as soon as possible. The royal decrees may be rejected, but Imperial Tutor Yang’s orders must be followed. If you run into anyone related to Imperial Tutor Yang, you must be careful not to cross them. Remember this well!” the Moon Prince instructed him carefully.

“I understand.”

“Alright. Carry on with your day.” The Moon prince waved his hand in an exhausted manner. He turned around and went back into the study.

Lu Sheng said nothing. He turned to look in the direction in which the eunuch had left.

‘As expected, there’s much more to this world than meets the eye… Perhaps the energy rank of this world isn’t much inferior to the Heavenly Devil World’s. I must be more careful! If I want to turn the tides on the empire’s situation, I’ll have to make plans for the long term…’

He went through the thoughts in his mind. After standing on the spot for some time, he turned around and walked toward his own private court.

He entered the courtyard, while the servant girl stopped outside. This was a restricted area designated by Lu Sheng.

He closed the doors to the courtyard and entered his bed chambers.

A white crane half the height of a man was drinking water in the corner. When it saw Lu Sheng enter, the little white crane hopped over and brushed against his leg.

“Time does not wait for me…” Lu Sheng had initially intended to cultivate the enlightened skill through hard work. However, the current situation would not allow him to make slow progress.

The empire would fall at any moment. If he could not even protect the family of his host, it would be embarrassing.

“Looks like… I’ll have to cheat…” He sighed.

He walked to the side of his bed and pulled the curtains. He took a short blade half a man’s length from the wall.

“Pchht!”

He stabbed the blade into the wooden table. The blade was firmly planted on its surface.

‘Clear Crane Enlightened Skill… Let’s see what kind of powers it holds.’

Lu Sheng sat cross-legged before the table and touched the blade lightly.

“Hiss…” A contorted play of light spread out from the blade.

At the same time, a transparent ripple suddenly spread across the room.

The ripple spread out in all directions with the blade as the epicenter.

Time ticked by. The speed at which the ripples spread increased as well.

Lu Sheng slowly closed his eye.

Just when the ripple was about to reach the tip of his nose, he suddenly reached out a hand and tapped it.

The room shook, and the ripples disappeared. The basic protective formation was activated. He had not spent his time doing nothing all this while.

“Deep Blue.”

The light blue interface suddenly popped up before Lu Sheng.

He ignored the topmost cultivation method frame on the interface. His gaze swiftly fell onto the final and new frame.

“Clear Crane Enlightened Skill, Full-mastery. Competence, 0.1 years. (Special traits. Body weight reduction. Agility increment. Sight improvement.)”

‘I’d like to see what this muyuan can do in the end.’ Lu Sheng glanced at his remaining Mental Energy. There was not much left. He would have to use it on the blade.

He pushed the button, and the entire interface shook slightly.

‘Derive the Clear Crane Enlightened Skill.’

His Mental Energy started to flow, and spread throughout Lu Sheng’s body.

With Lu Sheng’s current knowledge of the martial path and his experiences as the information stock, deriving a basic enlightened skill of the Clear Crane Sect was too simple.

In a few short breaths, the frame clarified again. Deep Blue had automatically derived this enlightened skill in the most suitable direction of strengthening.

If the cultivation method was perfect and could not be derived further, it would increase its competence instead.