I have Immortality In The Cultivation World

Chapter 191: Chapter 187: Three Encounters with Xuan Xiao

Xuan Xiao!

"To think the very top draw is Xiao Tiezhu."

Zhou Yi pondered briefly, then took the Seed Construction Wood into his mouth, determined to keep it on his person at all times.

There is no shortage of people in this world whose fate defies the heavens, and should Zhou Yi carelessly wander abroad, it's possible someone could sneak six hundred zhang beneath the ground, blunder into the Formation and Prohibition, and plunder everything clean.

"If I lose the Innate Spirit Root that I accelerated to maturity by sacrificing tens of millions of years of life span, it would become a colossal joke!"

Zhou Yi waved toward the distant medicinal farm and called out, "Ox child, after being cooped up underground for decades, let's go out and enjoy the freedom together."

The ox rolled on the spot upon hearing this, transforming its demonic body into that of a single-horned qin ox.

The ginseng child put away the medicinal hoe and with a thud climbed onto the ox's head, looking like it donned a green grass hat, and said with a troubled little face, "Immortal, the Blood Vine Demon is nearly dead, please give it some spirit stones."

The Blood Vine Demon had been steadily withering, now only a little over three zhang in length, with its red skin exhibiting patches of yellow dryness.

Upon hearing the ginseng child speak, it was unclear whether it was its head or tail shaking vigorously, sending out a message of begging and desire.

"Never before have the annals stated a Blood Vine Demon to be capable of spiritual intelligence. After raising you for five to six hundred years, you have only gained a slight bit more wit than natural instinct, with no telling how far away from transforming into a humanoid form."

Zhou Yi sighed and shook his head, taking out ten spirit stones from his storage bag, then hesitatingly returned five of them and scattered the remaining five in the medicinal field.

Feeling the surge of spiritual energy, the serpent-like vine slithered over and stopped near the spirit stones. With a crisp snap, it severed a large portion and threw it away, leaving only about three chi coiled around the spirit stones to absorb and refine.

"All creatures compete for longevity amidst the frosty heavens!"

"Even if it's but a vine with mere instinct, it possesses the mettle to sacrifice its tail for survival. How can we cultivators be fearful?"

Zhou Yi applauded in admiration, then took out another ten spirit stones and placed them beside the Blood Vine Demon.

He leapt on the ox and, turning into a fleeing light, flew toward the Northwest.

…

Da Qian Capital.

Qinghua Fang.

Conveniently next to the Imperial Palace, this place was originally inhabited by nobles from the Imperial Court.

With the expansion of the Immortal Pensions Office and Baiyun Guan, the marketplace was divided in two, and even the princes and feudal lords had no choice but to respectfully offer up their mansions.

It was time for morning lessons, and the disciples in the observatory had solemn expressions as they recited the sacred texts in unison.

Thin wisps of blue smoke curled upwards as the incense burned vigorously.

As Daoism is the state religion of the Great Qian Kingdom, and Baiyun Guan stands as the head of Daoism, they wield a terrifying influence over both the Imperial Court and the Mortal World.

The sound of reciting includes spells within, while the incense's blue smoke, mixed with a hint of spiritual energy, forms a faint divine light. The believers who come early in the morning to offer incense and worship are nourished by this divine light, leaving them feeling mentally refreshed and physically invigorated.

After the cessation of spiritual energy in the Mortal World, demons and ghostly entities disappeared along with it, with only occasional corners of mountains harbouring accumulated Yin Sha, giving rise to ghostly entities.

Hearing such news, cultivators' eyes turned red, racing towards ghostly entities, and the Soul Beads condensed after slaying them could be used for cultivating divine sense and mana.

Among the scattered inheritances of the major sects are certainly methods for Ghost Cultivators. The fear of Heavenly Tribulation is now completely nonexistent, leaving only the advantage of longevity.

Any cultivator with the means has switched to becoming a Ghost Cultivator, eking out a meagre existence, and even those who cannot make the switch practice a few Dark Curse Techniques. Using Soul Beads to cast spells reduces the consumption of spiritual energy.

As a result, the Immortal Pensions Office quickly fell from the pinnacle of power, and the reputation of Baiyun Guan inevitably suffered as well.

The populace is quite forgetful, especially after three or four generations, the image of Baiyun Guan disciples slaying demons to save the world is mostly found within storybooks. Even the younger generation who have never seen demons and spirits believe that their elders were deceived by charlatans!

Belief is the foundational root of the Daoist tradition!

The few remaining True Ones of Baiyun Guan, after deliberate consideration, cut off the supply of spirit stones for cultivation.

The Body-Strengthening Technique and Soul-Settling Technique are mixed into the scriptures, which when recited with the help of spirit stones, blend into the incense to form a nourishing divine light for the body of the worshipers.

Believers who gain such benefits while worshiping feel the mystique of Baiyun Guan and naturally grow more devout in their faith!

"While the path of immortality gradually vanishes, Daoism, in fact, prospers; there are true masters within Baiyun Guan!"

"I will first inquire about the situation in the Cultivation World and although I haven't seen Xiao Daoist friend for hundreds of years, I do miss him somewhat."

Zhou Yi, secluded for decades, had been forgotten by the world; perhaps a few of the remaining disciples of Earth Fire Palace had long since cast that Supreme Elder from their minds.

In recent decades, the number of True Monarchs and Daojuns who have either exhausted their lifespan or fallen in cultivation has been somewhat high, so much so that reverence and fear for Golden Cores and Nascent Souls amongst cultivators is not what it used to be.

As divine sense swept over Baiyun Guan, detecting the only Foundation Establishment aura, Zhou Yi's fleeing light descended onto the ancestral hall of the observatory.

With divine light flickering before his eyes, Xuan Ren saw a figure materialize and instinctively reached for the long sword at his waist, only to be overwhelmed by a terrifying mana, rendering him immobile.

Zhou Yi looked over the Daoist's appearance, with a face like a fine jade and no more than fifty years of age at most.

"I am Tang Xuan, having emerged from prolonged seclusion to ask some questions and have no ill intentions."

"Tang Xuan..."

Xuan Ren, sensing the oppressive force dissipate, recalled the records in Baiyun Guan and exclaimed in shock, "Predecessor is the Supreme Elder Tang from Earth Fire Palace!"

Zhou Yi nodded slightly and smiled, "Does the Daoist friend recognize my name?"

"Greetings, Elder Tang."

Xuan Ren stood up to bow and explained, "Our observatory's ancient scrolls mention your name, and I have sent people to Earth Fire Palace to visit, but after failing to find you several times, we assumed Elder Tang had passed away."

"I see."

Zhou Yi did not mind this. It was inevitable that with thousands of Earth Fire Palace disciples joining Baiyun Guan, his own identity would be revealed. He further questioned, "Seeing that you are so young, could it be that you became a true one after the great disaster?"

"I dare not conceal it from Elder Tang."

Xuan Ren's face showed a touch of bitterness, "Junior is not only a water-attributed fire spirit root, but also born with an innate Pure Yang constitution, luckily accepted into Baiyun Guan, where I was cultivated by the entire sect and achieved a breakthrough to Foundation Establishment!"

"What a pity, what a pity."

Zhou Yi shook his head and sighed, such aptitude was rare even before the great calamity, almost certainly destined to become a Golden Core True Monarch, yet now could only barely maintain a Foundation Establishment cultivation level.

"What's the situation in the Cultivation World now?"

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"Since Xuan Xiao the elder cut down Jian Xuan and Miao Shan, two demonized Heavenly Monarchs, there hasn't been a ripple in the Cultivation World."

Xuan Ren, knowing Elder Tang had been in seclusion for a long time, detailed the events based on the information circulated in the market, unavoidably expressing his reverence for Xuan Xiao Daojun.

"To defy a Heavenly Monarch, and two at that!"

Zhou Yi had already tried to overestimate Xiao Tiezhu, but he could never have imagined someone so fierce existed in this world.

His younger brother organized the Wanjuan Daozang, read many books on divination, fortune-telling, and deduction among them, and thus, his understanding of the Minor Heavenly Technique grew even deeper, and he also gained some insights into the concepts of fate and luck.

The ancestral vein had already declined to its limit; the severing of spiritual energy was an inevitable trend, Xiao Tiezhu was merely a pawn pushing the process forward.

The three old demons joined forces to shatter the ancestral vein, thinking they were defying heaven but in actuality, they were complying with the will of heaven.

Therefore, after the shattering of the ancestral vein, the luck on Xiao Tiezhu naturally dissipated. To still dare to fight and contend with a Heavenly Monarch under such circumstances, he truly could be called a bold hero who regarded death as a return to home!

"Fortunately, we have Fellow Daoist Xiao, had Jian Xuan and Miao Shan truly succeeded, those surviving Nascent Souls would surely not wish their lives to end, then it would have been a real calamity for the human race!"

Zhou Yi had originally no intention of meeting with Xiao Tiezhu, after all the latter was a Nascent Soul elder, also carrying an ancient legacy, there might be a way to break through the Xuanwu Divine Armor.

Now having heard of his self-sacrificing act, it was only right to send him on the final leg of his journey.

…

Spring Breeze Building.

It wasn't even evening yet, but many customers were coming and going.

The songs of orioles and swallows filled the air alongside laughter and chatter.

The newly-promoted Oiran was playing the zither with her jade-like hands, her voice melodic and lingering—like the sound of nature.

"Why is this year's Oiran dressed so conservatively?"

Zhou Yi, hands tucked in his sleeves, stood under the stage, gave the Oiran a few glances, and slightly shook his head. He still couldn't understand the hobbies of the rich, who particularly liked to seek pure-hearted women in these pleasure quarters.

After leaving Baiyun Guan, he came to Spring Breeze Building, leading an ox.

He was there to celebrate Xuan Xiao Daojun's peace-bringing presence in the world, a harmony in the mortal realm, and coincidentally, also to celebrate his nine-hundredth birthday.

"Tsk tsk, the severing of the ancestral vein not only extinguished the path of immortality, but without the nourishment of spiritual energy, even the quality of girls here has declined."

Zhou Yi casually strolled up to the second floor intending to call the madam for a private room to eat and sleep when he glimpsed a pale young man not far away, flanked by women and watching the Oiran dance below.

The young man had a simple and honest face with a somewhat darker complexion, and his richly embroidered satin clothing could not hide his rusticity.

Xiao Tiezhu?

Zhou Yi compared the youth to his memory, found a strong resemblance, yet the youngster seemed breathless and coughed violently from time to time as if his life would not last much longer.

The young man seemed to sense something, turning his head to look over, dismissed the ladies with a wave, and greeted with a smile.

"This fellow Daoist looks unfamiliar, may I ask where you come from?"

Zhou Yi's divine sense, no matter how it swept past, couldn't detect the youth's cultivation. Hearing this question, he felt certain and stepped forward to give a respectful bow and reply.

"Poor Daoist Tang Xuan, I have long heard of the fame of Xuan Xiao Daojun and am fortunate to meet you today!"

"Which Golden Core from Earth Fire Palace are you?"

Xiao Tiezhu gestured for Zhou Yi to sit beside him, "Fellow Daoist has a serene aura and stable mana, it seems you have accumulated many spiritual objects before the great calamity."

"This humble Daoist is but an early-stage Golden Core practitioner. To receive the Daojun's concern is indeed a great fortune in three lifetimes!"

Zhou Yi had already secretly activated the Xuanwu Divine Armor. To outward appearances, Xiao Tiezhu might seem moribund, but who knew if it was a facade? Even a Divine Transformation Heavenly Monarch could be caught in a scheme.

"This poor Daoist is not much into managing affairs, but I cannot pretend to be blind. Earth Fire Palace had a significant presence in the Mortal World, and I had to pay attention."

Xiao Tiezhu said admiringly, "Fellow Daoist's way of educating and guiding disciples is impressive. If all sects in this world were like Earth Fire Palace, eliminating demons, punishing the wicked and promoting goodness, I would not have ended up like this!"

Zhou Yi's gaze sharpened slightly, updating his past impression of a simple-hearted individual who was actually wise under the guise of foolishness.

No wonder Earth Fire Palace once managed the Immortal Pensions Office and succeeded in merging with the mountain-climbing cultivators of the Dan Ding Sect; everything went too smoothly, and it turns out Xiao Tiezhu was behind it all.

"I traveled from the Eastern Sea to the Nine Continents, seeing demons wreaking havoc, and couldn't stand by, so I sent disciples disguised as Baiyun Guan into the Mortal World."

Zhou Yi clasped his fist and said, "Now that I know of the Daojun's broad-mindedness and character, my actions were unnecessary. Even without Earth Fire Palace, chaos wouldn't have erupted in Cloud Continent!"

"Hard to say, hard to say! When it comes to admonishing disciples, this poor Daoist is far from your match."

"After the ancestral vein was severed, many disciples from Dan Ding Sect turned to demonic ways and secretly descended the mountain to create chaos. I would kill anyone I saw doing so, no matter if a real Monarch turned to evil, and only by such drastic measures was I barely unable to cause disaster!"

Xiao Tiezhu praised, "Fellow Daoist acted with the tide, turning potential calamity into a virtue. Your disciples not only live in wealth and honor but also leave their name in history, truly gaining both fame and fortune. This poor Daoist monitored for many years until Baiyun Guan was stable before allowing Dan Ding Sect disciples to descend from the mountain."

Zhou Yi said, "With the vastness of Dan Ding Sect, your ability to prevent disaster is already impressive."

To prevent disaster, the three words sound simple, but they are hard to achieve, especially when cultivators possess power that overwhelms mortals!

Like the disciples of the Spirit Sword Sect in Green State, without the constraints of their sect's rules, they ravaged the Mortal World with their spells. Not just through spellcasting harm or manipulating the Imperial Court from the shadows, some even ascended the throne to command troops and wage wars.

Through killings, wars, blood and fire, they satisfied their desires to control everything and be above all!

Once their Daoist hearts are shattered, they are no different from evil demons!