Chapter 79: Chapter 79: When You Were Born, I Was Already Old

Above the Immortal City.

In the blink of an eye, the female Fierce Arrowhead Eagle was slain.

The male Fierce Arrowhead Eagle, which had been fighting Fenglan Master, witnessed this. It immediately gave up on Fenglan Master and charged toward Xiao Qinglong.

But soon, under the combined assault of Fenglan Master, Xiao Qinglong, and the Core Formation Cultivator who appeared later, it was grievously wounded. In the end, it could only rely on its speed to flee the battlefield, flying far into the distance and crying out piteously.

It didn’t dare approach the Immortal City again, able only to watch as Xiao Qinglong relentlessly devoured the flesh and blood of the female Fierce Arrowhead Eagle.

The short, stout old man glanced at the male Fierce Arrowhead Eagle circling in the distance. He knew that with their speed, they had no way of catching the Tier Three Late Stage flying beast, so he had no intention of pursuing it.

Meanwhile, the low-tier demon beasts below were still relentlessly attacking the Immortal City.

He snorted coldly. "Vile beasts, how audacious!"

The next moment, under his control as a Spirit Binder, the long spear Magical Treasure transformed into a yellow dragon and smashed into the horde of demon beasts. Instantly, all demon beasts within a hundred-zhang radius were reduced to a bloody mist!

Fenglan Master also controlled her Jade Cone Treasure as a Spirit Binder, reaping the lives of the low-tier demon beasts on the ground!

...

’This is the might of a Core Formation Cultivator!’

Li Ping stood on a rooftop, enviously watching the two Core Formation Cultivators in the sky effortlessly scything through the hordes below.

Fenglan Master was one thing, but every time the short, stout old man’s Magical Treasure struck the ground, Li Ping could feel the buildings of the entire Immortal City tremble slightly. Its power was clear to see.

If his target had been the Immortal City itself, without the protection of the array, it would probably be reduced to ruins in just a few strikes.

A thousand-zhang-tall mountain peak would likely crumble to pieces under his assault.

’Stay low-key. I must stay low-key,’ Li Ping thought, taking a deep breath and repeatedly warning himself. ’Even with an escape technique, I must never provoke a Core Formation Cultivator!’

He cultivated the Nourishing Life Skill. While it was remarkably effective for health preservation and consolidating one’s foundation, it wasn’t suited for magical combat. It was best to prioritize survival by staying hidden.

The apex of the Western Wilderness’s Cultivation Realm was Core Formation. Once he broke through to become a Core Formation Cultivator and switched to a high-tier cultivation technique with great power, that would be the time for him to truly shine and settle his grudges!

There were several reasons why he planned to switch cultivation techniques after Core Formation.

First, after reaching Core Formation, he would have to leave the Western Wilderness—whether he wanted to or not—in search of a Spiritual Land for Nascent Soul Formation. The journey would be fraught with peril, so he had to switch to a high-tier cultivation technique suited for magical combat to handle the dangers.

Second, with his Three Spirit Roots aptitude, if he only relied on meditating and refining the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi after Core Formation without taking any cultivation-enhancing pills, his lifespan likely wouldn’t be long enough.

Third, after Core Formation, the Nourishing Life Skill required absorbing the ’Innate Spiritual Mechanism’ from Tier Three Pills. Many Tier Three Pills required thousand-year-old spirit medicines as their main ingredient. Even if he possessed Tier Three alchemy skills, he wouldn’t be able to find enough thousand-year-old spirit medicines for alchemy.

Li Ping returned to his senses and nodded to himself. ’The crisis should be over. I’ll go back to my cultivation now and strive to reach Core Formation as soon as possible.’

After saying goodbye to Old Man Lin and Zhang Tie, Li Ping headed straight back to Immortal Peach Mountain.

...

Inside the main hall of Cyan Dragon Mountain.

The short, stout old man, Senior Huang, sat on a chair, making idle conversation with Fenglan Master, but his eager gaze kept sweeping over the woman, Dai Sangyu.

Fenglan Master, her face still veiled by a gauze scarf, smiled. "If not for Fellow Daoist Huang’s intervention this time, the millions of lives in the Immortal City might have been lost to the beasts. On behalf of everyone in the Immortal City, I thank you, Fellow Daoist Huang."

Senior Huang’s attitude was quite enthusiastic. "What are you saying, Fellow Daoist Bai? We are all part of the Human Race. With the Immortal City in peril, how could I stand by and do nothing? Besides, the relationship between our two families is anything but ordinary!"

As he said this, Senior Huang’s gaze once again swept over Dai Sangyu, who stood to the side. His action made Fenglan Master’s heart sink.

Still, this man had saved the Immortal City. Fenglan Master smiled and said, "Regarding the Fierce Arrowhead Eagle that Fellow Daoist Huang killed, after my subordinates have finished collecting the materials, I will have them send everything, including the Demon Core, to you."

In truth, the Fierce Arrowhead Eagle had been killed through the joint efforts of Xiao Qinglong and Senior Huang. However, Fenglan Master wished to curry favor with this man, so she decided to give all the materials and the Demon Core to him.

A Tier Three Fierce Arrowhead Eagle was immensely valuable.

Its talons and tail feathers could be used to refine Magical Treasures, while its pinions, bones, and other parts could be used for high-tier Dharma Artifacts. Its Demon Core was even more versatile; not only could it be a main ingredient for pills that increase the cultivation of Core Formation Cultivators, but it could also be used to refine Foundation Establishment Pills.

However, to Fenglan Master’s surprise, Senior Huang acted quite restrained in the face of such a priceless object. He smiled and said, "You’re too kind, Fellow Daoist Bai. Killing the Fierce Arrowhead Eagle was not my achievement alone. I think we should split these materials fifty-fifty. As for the Demon Core, I’ll ask you, Fellow Daoist Bai, to refine it into Foundation Establishment Pills, and we’ll split those as well!"

"This...?" Fenglan Master hesitated, but at Senior Huang’s repeated insistence, she had no choice but to agree to his proposed method of division.

After a bit more small talk, Senior Huang went to rest.

Fenglan Master and her disciple, however, went to the great hall at the summit. With a wave of her hand, Fenglan Master activated the restrictions in the hall to prevent anyone from eavesdropping.

Only then did she look at her disciple, her voice anxious. "You told Huang Yunzi about your special constitution?"

Dai Sangyu nodded. "The Immortal City was on the brink of disaster, and that old ghost was just watching from the sidelines. I had no other choice. It was the only way to get him to act."

Hearing this, Fenglan Master sighed softly. "You’ve been wronged."

"Heh..." Dai Sangyu sneered. "That old ghost watched as the city’s people faced peril, taking advantage of our desperation. He’s despicable and shameless. I’d give my Heaven-Repairing Jade Liquid to a dog before I’d give it to him!"

Seeing her disciple like this, Fenglan Master was stunned for a moment, but she quickly understood.

This disciple of hers had always been a person of strong character who loved and hated with equal intensity. To put it nicely, she was ’principled, preferring a straight path to a crooked one.’ To put it bluntly, she was ’headstrong, impulsive, and didn’t know how to weigh the pros and cons’!

Someone else might have hesitated, but Fenglan Master believed her disciple was fully capable of abandoning her path of cultivation for the sake of her principles.

It was no surprise that she would say such things now.

She couldn’t help but sigh. "But your oath—"

Dai Sangyu cut her master off. "Old Ghost Huang is very confident. He didn’t force me to make an oath!"

"Oh? No oath?" Fenglan Master was taken aback, but she quickly saw through Huang Yunzi’s intentions.

Huang Yunzi already knew that Dai Sangyu was not a Sword Cultivator.

In his view, even if Dai Sangyu reached Core Formation, the Immortal City’s strength, with its three Core Formation masters, would still be insignificant before the three sects led by the Purple Cloud Sect.

The only reason the three sects hadn’t moved against the Immortal City was because of the righteous cause of the Human Race fighting the Alien Races, as well as the protection of Alliance Leader Xiao.

But if Dai Sangyu were to break her promise, the three sects would have sufficient reason to move against the Immortal City.

And Alliance Leader Xiao, as a Confucianism cultivator who lived by the principle of ’self-discipline, mindfulness in solitude, guarding the heart, and clarifying one’s nature,’ believed that a promise was worth a thousand pieces of gold!

In the matter of breaking a promise, right and wrong were clear at a glance!

If the three sects used this as a reason to attack the Immortal City, he wouldn’t be able to intervene directly, even if he was biased toward the Immortal City.

Therefore, Huang Yunzi wasn’t worried about Dai Sangyu breaking her promise—unless she was willing to disregard the Immortal City, along with her master, junior brothers, and junior sisters within it.

But what Huang Yunzi didn’t know was that Senior Brother Xu had already been reincarnated and returned.

With Senior Brother Xu’s talent in this life, it might not even take a hundred years for him to become a Core Formation Cultivator.

At that time, the Immortal City would have four Core Formation powerhouses, including a peerless Sword Cultivator, which would be enough to withstand the pressure from the three sects!

’But by then, I’ll be old and gray,’ Fenglan Master thought, a touch of melancholy in her heart.

She was already over four hundred years old. Even with the long lifespan of a Core Formation Master, she had less than a century left.

She sighed to herself. ’Senior Brother, you returned too late. When you were born, I was already old.’

...

Watching the terrifying display of the long spear Magical Treasure, Guardian Yan, hiding behind the clouds in his cloak, couldn’t help but tremble.

Only now did he understand why the spiritual sense warning in his heart had been so exaggerated when he had been about to interfere in the Core Formation battle.

If he had rashly tried to intervene, he would be the one skewered like a kebab right now.

’That Magical Treasure... it belongs to Old Ghost Huang, Huang Yunzi of Purple Cloud Valley!’ Guardian Yan thought, clicking his tongue in shock. ’When did he sneak into the Immortal City?!’

But it didn’t matter when Old Ghost Huang had arrived. Now that he was here, Guardian Yan knew he had to abandon his plans to stir up trouble.

’What about the mission?’ Guardian Yan mused for a moment before finally taking out the Celestial Secret Mirror and ordering Miaorou to stick the Spirit Talisman back onto the bird’s egg.

Afterward, he used the Celestial Secret Mirror to communicate with his uncle, far away in the Yue Kingdom. He informed him that Old Ghost Huang had come to the Immortal City and asked for advice on how to handle the matter.

During the communication, he detailed his actions and stated with great confidence that, through the matter with Lin Yue, he had created a flaw in Dai Sangyu’s state of mind. Theoretically, she would be unable to attempt Core Formation until her state of mind reached perfection again.

However, he still felt a faint unease, worried that there might be a flaw in his plan.

He hoped his uncle could point him in the right direction.

Before long, Guardian Yan received his uncle’s reply. It consisted of a single, simple line of text.

"A Sword Cultivator cannot reach Core Formation. If she can reach Core Formation, she is not a Sword Cultivator."

’What does Uncle mean by that?’ Guardian Yan was confused at first, but as he stared at the words, his eyes gradually brightened.

’Uncle’s right! Since I’ve already created a flaw in Dai Sangyu’s state of mind, it’s impossible for her to reach Core Formation. If she really does succeed in reaching Core Formation, it just proves she’s not a Sword Cultivator!’

No matter the outcome, his mission was complete. He could go and collect his Core Formation Spiritual Object.

As for whether Dai Sangyu was actually a Sword Cultivator?

Whether she would eventually reach Core Formation?

What the hell does that have to do with me!

With this in mind, he quickly began to write his mission report.

"Disciple Yan Kun, having been ordered to carry out the mission... has successfully completed it... For the sake of triple-checking, I, your disciple, instigated a beast tide and observed in secret, discovering that she is not a Sword Cultivator..."

Having written this far, Yan Kun paused in thought for a moment, feeling that this wording didn’t adequately highlight his contributions.

After erasing the text, he continued writing: "...discovered that under this disciple’s pressure, she had no choice but to abandon the Sword Dao and restart her cultivation. This disciple has perfectly completed the mission."

After checking it over, he sent the report to his uncle.

Soon, he received his uncle’s reply: "Well done. I have already applied for a Core Formation Spiritual Object for you. Return to the sect and prepare for your Core Formation."

Yan Kun was overjoyed!

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