Who Let Him Cultivate?! (WX)-Chapter 507: Advanced Golden Core Stage
If it were Lu Yang, he figured that if he became an immortal, he would probably be more of a salted fish slacker[1] than the Everlasting Immortal Fairy, spending his days sunbathing, flipping from front to back and back to front, then sleeping on the sun at night. Beyond immortals lay a higher realm, and beyond that were even higher realms. If one kept cultivating endlessly, where would it ever end?
“Immortal Fairy, you once said that replacement is also a form of oblivion. In that case, when the authorship of your recipes was transferred to the Heaven Mandate Immortal, could that have been a method of replacement too?”
The Everlasting Immortal Fairy’s eyes lit up, and she patted Lu Yang’s shoulder. “Eh, now that you mention it, that makes sense! Someone might have killed me and used some method to erase all traces of my existence, attributing everything I’d done to the Heaven Mandate Immortal. I initially thought that this grandson Heaven Mandate Immortal was envious of my talent and stole my credit while I was gone!
“Ah, a teachable young kid!”
“It’s ‘a teachable young talent.’”
Lu Yang remarked inwardly, The Heaven Mandate Immortal’s brain must have been addled by food poisoning to claim credit for your work.
He asked, “Then, among the four immortals, was anyone capable of erasing your existence?”
The Everlasting Immortal Fairy frowned, running through each of the four immortals’ abilities but found no match. “No, none of their methods could have achieved that.”
They continued discussing for a while longer, but it still yielded nothing fruitful.
It wasn’t entirely fair to say the Heaven Mandate Immortal had killed the Everlasting Immortal Fairy. Perhaps the Qilin Immortal and the others had also seized her authorship. Immortals’ items were already rare, but the Everlasting Immortal Fairy’s belongings were even scarcer, unless they could uncover the inheritance the Everlasting Immortal Fairy had buried in the North Star. It would surely contain records of ownership that might offer clues.
Just as the two were discussing what to do after the tenure as acting sect leader ended and retirement began, Yun Zhi returned with the Imperial Preceptor in tow. Although no sound could be heard, the Imperial Preceptor’s contorted form and agonized expression made it apparent the curse was still unbroken.
“Big Senior Sister, couldn’t the power of national fortune remove the curse?” 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎
“It could, but the Xia Emperor refused,” Yun Zhi replied as she casually tossed the Imperial Preceptor aside.
“Why? Didn’t Old Meng and Sect Leader Qiu have their curses lifted?” Lu Yang was puzzled.
“To be precise, it wasn’t removed—it was distributed.”
“Distributed?”
“Using the national fortune’s power, the curse was spread evenly among the entire populace. The result was that everyone would marry fifteen minutes later than they would have in their original fate. This degree of distribution is acceptable.
“But the Imperial Preceptor’s curse is too severe. If it were to be shared with everyone, the consequences would be unthinkable.”
Lu Yang understood now. No wonder the Xia Emperor had refused. I wouldn’t have agreed either.
“So now...” Lu Yang glanced at the still-writhing Imperial Preceptor.
“Let him scream for now. We’ll deal with it once we find a solution.”
“Alright then.”
Letting him be was the only option.
A soul search wasn’t feasible. As the Imperial Preceptor was still mired in the Seven Calamities and Eight Sufferings, his mind was a muddled wreck, making it impossible to extract anything of value.
Refining him into an artifact spirit was also out of the question. Not only was Fifth Elder incapable of forging a half-immortal treasure, but even if he could, the product would only be a cursed treasure with significantly diminished efficacy.
Yun Zhi reminded Lu Yang, “The yin energy at Incarceration Peak is too dense. Staying here for too long is harmful. You should head back first.” She then turned to the Everlasting Immortal Fairy. “Senior, you performed pretty well as acting sect leader this time. I’m very pleased.”
The Everlasting Immortal Fairy touched her nose, slightly giddy with smugness. “It’s merely a sect. With my talents, I could even be emperor! Just watch, I’ll catch a few more Transcendent Tribulation cultivators and continue as acting sect leader.”
Yun Zhi informed them, “I’ll be heading to the hideout the Black-White Venerable Lord disclosed. According to him, another Transcendent Tribulation cultivator remains in slumber. Only the Imperial Preceptor knows where this cultivator is, but I’ll try to search for clues at the hideout.”
After seeing them off, she summoned the grand-shifu watching over Incarceration Peak.
“Grand-Shifu, this is Great Yu’s second imperial preceptor, Jin Buqun. He’ll be imprisoned here for now. Be cautious; he has condensed an Incipient Dao Fruit, likely one related to karma.”
In the past, the grand-shifu had believed that his mighty Transcendent Tribulation cultivation made him more than capable of overseeing Incarceration Peak, allowing him to contribute to the sect even after retirement.
Now, he realized he had grossly overestimated himself. Keeping Incarceration Peak in check is too difficult for me.
“Don’t worry, Grand-Shifu. He’s trapped in the Seven Calamities and Eight Sufferings. He’s barely able to keep himself alive, let alone break out of prison.”
To reassure him further, Yun Zhi set up an additional array over the Imperial Preceptor’s cell before departing for the secret domain where the Imperial Preceptor’s faction lurked.
~~~
Once Lu Yang was away from Incarceration Peak, he felt the weight on his shoulders lighten considerably.
The celebration has concluded without a hitch, the Heavenly Court Creed’s reputation has been built, Great Yu’s Imperial Preceptor and gang have been captured, and the vouchers for the Everlasting Immortal Fairy’s two-month stint as acting sect leader have expired.
Time to cultivate!
~~~
Three months passed.
Lu Yang sat cross-legged, the Qingfeng Sword and Mingyue Sword hovering at his sides and emanating faint sword qi. His Unbeatable Golden Core rotated steadily, absorbing spirit energy until a vortex formed in his dantian, spinning faster and faster.
Two fingers pointing toward the sky, he uttered softly, “Break!” With that, his aura gushed out like an unstoppable deluge.
The Qingfeng Sword and Mingyue Sword collided, their sword qi intertwining and carving fresh marks into the earth. The sword qi was fiercer and sharper than ever, as if nothing could hold them back.
“Advanced Golden Core Stage...”
It had been two years since he joined the sect.
Lu Yang rose with a smile, sensing the changes in him. The current him could effortlessly defeat the him three months ago.
For three months, he dedicated himself to cultivation without stepping out of the sect, even when Meng Jingzhou came looking for him. After the celebration, his fame soared. Everyone knew of Lu Yang from the Dao-Seeking Sect, the number one Intermediate Golden Core cultivator who had fought the Heavenly Court Creed’s young creed leader to a draw. Some had even disregarded his status as the Taciturn Daoist Priest’s disciple and came knocking to propose marriage, a testament to their strong resolve.
There was another reason Lu Yang hadn’t left the sect. If I go out and run into another Transcendent Tribulation cultivator, wouldn’t the Immortal Fairy become acting sect leader again?
The looting of the Great Yu cultivators’ inheritance was still proceeding methodically. Yun Zhi had first raided their hideout and hauled back everything of value. After that, the major sects began their operations, with two or three sects teaming up to search for a single Great Yu cultivator’s stash.
The Dao-Seeking Sect dispatched First Elder to lead the excavation of the Black-White Venerable Lord’s hoard. As the Black-White Venerable Lord was a powerhouse at the Advanced Transcendent Tribulation Stage, his treasures were innumerable, dazzling Lu Yang until his head spun.
A few days ago, Lu Yang received word that after three grueling months of enduring the Seven Calamities and Eight Sufferings, the Imperial Preceptor had finally succumbed—his soul disintegrated, meeting a wretched and tragic end.
1. ”Salted fish” is a slang for a slacker, but not exactly with the negative connotation. ☜
