Chapter 61: Fishing and Catching an Old Lover, Looking Back a Hundred Years Have Passed |
Sitting in the flying chariot, Yulou looked down at the landscape below. The people of Valley Spirit Sect had already advanced to within three hundred li of Wondrous Peak Mountain. He asked with some unease,
"Old Ancestor, Valley Spirit Sect has pushed all the way here. Won't Red Lantern Illumination Sect step forward to stop them?"
Valley Spirit Sect disciples invading Red Lantern Illumination Sect's territory and tearing into Wondrous Peak Mountain's sphere of influence—truth be told, Red Lantern Illumination Sect really ought to step in and block them.
It was like a turf war in a Hong Kong movie. Valley Spirit Sect was equivalent to a new branch under the major banner of the Sky Serpent Sect. Now that someone was bullying them right to their faces, Red Lantern Illumination Sect should have come out to back up Wondrous Peak Mountain.
"The situation is very complex. Wondrous Peak Mountain already has three Purple Palace Grand Cultivators. They are one of the two vassal sects under Red Lantern Illumination Sect with the highest number of Purple Palace cultivators.
"Their previous sect master, Li Haiping, now wishes to advance to the Purple Palace realm. Many factions within Red Lantern Illumination Sect are secretly trying to trip him up.
"Otherwise, how could Wondrous Peak Mountain be in such a sorry state?"
Yulou instantly understood. This was a case of being afraid their vassals would have it too hard, but also afraid their vassals would produce too many Purple Palace cultivators.
Red Lantern Illumination Sect, oh, Red Lantern Illumination Sect. These so-called Ten Sects were thoroughly corrupt.
Yu'an had truly grown up now. He could already understand the real undercurrents of the cultivation world's power struggles, and he had just asked the crucial question.
"Right, we cannot help them easily. That is why the Patriarch had me come out and show off a little, so we can raise our price with Wondrous Peak Mountain later."
In ordinary conflicts between factions, only those below the Foundation Establishment realm could step forward. Wang Xianzhou's strength was comparable to Foundation Establishment, yet his cultivation base was only at the Qi Refining stage.
Meanwhile, the majority of Wondrous Peak Mountain's resources were being used to support Li Haiping, who was trying to open his Purple Palace. The Qi Refining disciples knew the sect's opportunities for Foundation Establishment would shrink drastically over the next few decades, so they were defecting to other factions one after another.
Right now, veteran Qi Refining experts like Wang Xianzhou were exactly the kind of assistance Wondrous Peak Mountain needed the most.
Wang Rongyuan could fight one against twenty of Tang Nianqiu's caliber, hacking away until his magical artifact's blade chipped without even losing his breath.
Wang Xianzhou could instantly kill Gao Jian, who was also at the Peak Qi Condensation realm, with a single finger. Killing twenty of them might only make him pant a little.
Thinking of this, Yulou gradually realized the Wang Clan was not actually as precarious as he had thought.
The Patriarch dared to offer so much tribute to Mang Xiang because he had the confidence to back it up.
Right at this moment, Wang Xianzhou exclaimed in shock.
"Such audacity!"
He directly abandoned the Mirror-Silver Orchidwood Flying Chariot, pushing off with both feet and soaring into the air.
Sitting in the chariot, Yulou and Yu'an immediately began to plummet along with it. However, neither of them panicked. The Old Ancestor was here, and they also had the Hundred-Li Carefree Talismans; there was nothing to fear.
Yulou looked up at the sky, quickly searching for the direction of the enemy's attack, but found nothing.
Yu'an, his face tense, grabbed his older brother's clothes and activated a Spirit Crane Light-Body Talisman. This would ensure the two of them wouldn't fall to their deaths.
In the sky, Wang Xianzhou had already activated his spell. The former Immortal Alliance Emissary gripped his long halberd, riding on the back of a Crimson Sparrow at the pinnacle Minor Demon Realm.
"Wang Xianzhou, you really deserve to die! I've been running with you for almost two hundred years, and I still fucking have to risk my life against Foundation Establishment cultivators, and it's one against two at that! You really deserve to die!"
The Crimson Sparrow flew swiftly while cursing incessantly. Half-crouching, Wang Xianzhou ignored the bird. Holding his breath and exerting his strength, he hurled his long halberd fiercely toward the empty air ahead and to his side.
Instantly, a suddenly appearing black flying sword collided with the long halberd.
"Boom!"
The long halberd exploded instantly, and the mid-grade spiritual artifact flying sword was also damaged, losing its capability for magical combat.
Qi Condensation Slaying Foundation Establishment—did you think it was a joke?
Even if a high-grade spiritual artifact appeared, Wang Xianzhou could still contend with it!
Yulou and Yu'an, who were about to land on the ground, stared blankly ahead. Facing the trembling white flying sword hovering in mid-air, they fell into a daze.
So, this was Foundation Establishment.
So, this was the Old Ancestor's strength.
When the two of them couldn't see anything, Wang Xianzhou had already spotted the enemy and discovered their offensive.
He had taken decisive action to respond, completely unconcerned about the safety of Yulou and Yu'an.
First, there were no Qi Refining cultivators from Valley Spirit Sect within a dozen li.
Second, both people who came were at the Foundation Establishment realm. As long as they still wanted to live, they wouldn't dare strike at Yulou and Yu'an.
The Immortal Alliance had a decree: Foundation Establishment cultivators who acted recklessly must pay with their lives!
Attacking Qi Drawing realm cultivators meant paying with their lives just the same!
All the "leeks" in the world belonged to Purple Palace Grand Cultivators and Golden Core True Persons; Foundation Establishment cultivators had no right to touch them!
They couldn't touch a single hair!
The white spiritual artifact flying sword stopped in front of the two of them was the best proof. Yulou once again felt the terror of the Immortal Alliance.
Yes, terror.
Under the crushing weight of the Immortal Alliance, how were Foundation Establishment cultivators any different from pigs and dogs?
There was no difference. It was nothing more than Qi Drawing realm cultivators being more passive in the cage, while Foundation Establishment cultivators had a bit more choice, but not by much.
Just like now. Even though there were two Foundation Establishment cultivators watching from the shadows, Wang Xianzhou on the back of the Crimson Sparrow was already beginning to claim his victory spoils.
"Hah, two 'Seniors'. I was merely minding my own business on the road. Why would 'Seniors' attack a lowly Qi Refining cultivator like me?
"Have you forgotten the thirteenth clause in the Immortal Alliance Cultivator Code of Conduct? Do you need me to help you recall it?
"Speaking of which, I used to be an Immortal Alliance Emissary, so I'm quite familiar with the decree.
"The thirteenth clause of the Immortal Alliance Cultivator Code of Conduct—"
Just as Wang Xianzhou was smugly chanting his successful extortion speech, a gentle and elegant, yet utterly shocked female voice rang out.
"Brother Xianzhou, is that you?"
As if a pause button had been pressed, Yulou noticed that his Old Ancestor's expression first froze, then turned into surprise, and finally settled into an inexplicable stillness.
This was the first time Yulou had ever perceived a sense of "stillness" from a person's expression. He realized that among the two Foundation Establishment cultivators who had arrived, there was likely an old acquaintance of the Old Ancestor.
The white flying sword returned like a swimming fish, falling into the hands of the master of that blue escape light. Behind that escape light followed a black one.
As the two Foundation Establishment cultivators gradually approached, Yulou got a clear look at the people within the escape lights.
It was a peerless beauty wearing a blue magical robe, looking no more than twenty years old. She stared blankly at the aged Wang Xianzhou, entirely speechless for a moment.
The master of the black escape light was an effeminate, beardless man. He seemed to be the beauty's husband. This 'husband brother' looked gloomily at the flying sword in his hand, then looked at Wang Xianzhou.
Then, he stepped forward and wrapped an arm around his wife's waist.
However, to Yulou's utter disbelief, the blue-robed beauty subconsciously retreated half a step in mid-air, dodging her husband's hand.
Hmm?
Fishing and catching an old lover—Old Ancestor, wasn't this situation just a little bit awkward?
Yulou didn't dare to keep watching. When it came to the affairs of their elders, the younger generation needed to be tactful.
He casually pushed Yu'an's head down, and the two of them lowered their heads together, starting to count the ants on the ground.
One, two... huh, why were there only two?
Oh, right. The ants were the two of them.
However, the two of them kept their ears pricked up quite high. Gossiping required a certain finesse—you should listen when you can, but you couldn't be too blatant about it.
"Wang Xianzhou, isn't this Little Qian? Back in the day, the two of you were..."
The Crimson Sparrow had a fun-loving personality. Seeing that the two Foundation Establishment cultivators weren't speaking, and Wang Xianzhou wasn't speaking either, it smartly chose to break the silence itself.
Old friends reuniting! Xianzhou, I, the Crimson Sparrow, am just trying to help you. I absolutely have no intention of getting revenge on you for constantly dragging me into life-threatening situations.
Wang Xianzhou casually cast a spell, plugging the Crimson Sparrow's rotten mouth and preventing the bastard from spouting any more nonsense.
"You are Wang Xianzhou?"
The husband no longer cared about his wife's subconscious half-step retreat; he asked in astonishment.
He noticed Wang Xianzhou's wrinkled skin, his graying hair, and... his Qi Refining stage cultivation base.
"Mm. Compensate me with twenty thousand spirit stones, and I will pretend nothing happened.
Otherwise, you know the consequences. The starting punishment for a Foundation Establishment cultivator violating the thirteenth clause is twenty years of service on the front lines of the West Sea Demon Hunt."
Wang Xianzhou kept his head down, not looking at the two Foundation Establishment 'Seniors' opposite him. He stated his price while piecing together the fragments of his long halberd.
He seemed to attach great importance to the shattered long halberd in his hands.
And indeed he did. This high-grade magical artifact long halberd was forged from eighth-grade black steel, and its tip was refined using a seventh-grade spiritual material, a Mother-of-Pearl Bead.
It was already fine material, and being refined with secret techniques allowed it to traverse the heavens and earth, achieving the feat of shattering a mid-grade spiritual artifact flying sword with the body of a mere high-grade magical artifact.
The husband actually had a full name. He hailed from the Gushen family, a Purple Mansion family vassal to the Sky Serpent Sect. His name was Gushen Qingyuan.
"Twenty thousand? Wang Xianzhou, you are a dying man. Aren't you afraid that having such a massive appetite will bring disaster to the Wang Clan?"
Gushen Qingyuan threatened maliciously.
He had naturally investigated his wife's old flame. Wang Xianzhou was at least a hundred and sixty years old this year, and could live for at most another fifty years.
Considering his past injuries that prevented him from breaking through to Foundation Establishment, it was still debatable whether he could continue extending his lifespan past three sixty-year cycles. He might not even live to see one hundred and eighty.
Wang Xianzhou gave up on trying to piece the long halberd together. He raised his head and looked straight at Gushen Qingyuan.
Fishing and catching an old lover, looking back a hundred years have passed. He did not dare to look at the side of Gushen Qingyuan, at the still youthful and beautiful Ning Qianqian.
As if venting all of his pent-up frustration, Wang Xianzhou threatened back.
"Gushen Qingyuan, do you want to die?"
An old Qi Refining cultivator with a damaged Dao foundation stood before a Foundation Establishment cultivator, asking the Foundation Establishment cultivator if he wanted to die.
In his heart, Yulou was frantically cheering his Old Ancestor on, but he was also somewhat worried.
He felt the Old Ancestor shouldn't be impulsive, yet he also felt that urging him not to be impulsive was somewhat inappropriate—at least, temporarily inappropriate.
This old man, let me indulge in youthful madness. Old Ancestor Wang Xianzhou had dedicated his entire life to the family. Now that he was old, did he deserve to be bullied by a peer who had successfully reached Foundation Establishment?
He did not! Absolutely not!
Looking into Wang Xianzhou's murderous eyes, Gushen Qingyuan's pupils subconsciously shrank, and his hairs stood on end.
"Fellow Daoist Xianzhou, here are the spirit stones you requested. Apologies, we have interrupted your journey."
Ning Qianqian spoke, interrupting the intense glare between the two men. She tossed out a storage bag, then turned and left without looking back.
The speed of her escape light as she left was actually even faster than when she had arrived.
Gushen Qingyuan shot a vicious glare at Wang Xianzhou. Wang Xianzhou glared right back, pulling out another long halberd into his hand.
Gushen Qingyuan, if you dare to fight, I dare to kill!
Recalling Wang Xianzhou's past reputation, Gushen Qingyuan dared not glare any longer. He coldly snorted, then flew off in pursuit of his wife.
The mission to display his strength to Wondrous Peak Mountain was a success, and his extortion was a success too.
Not only had Wang Xianzhou completed the Patriarch's mission, but he had also made a massive profit on the side.
But on the way back, the atmosphere inside the flying chariot was exceptionally oppressive. Neither Yulou nor Yu'an dared to speak.
While piloting the chariot, Wang Xianzhou continued to piece together the long halberd that had shattered during the magical combat.
However, for some unknown reason, no matter how he tried, he just couldn't put it back together.
It was as if he couldn't find the correct place for the fragments, or perhaps, a piece was missing.
Suddenly, Wang Xianzhou awoke as if from a dream.
He stopped what he was doing and put all the fragments of the long halberd back into his storage bag.
If it couldn't be pieced together, then so be it.
Even if he managed to piece the long halberd together, how could he piece back together his own devastated life?
Just as Wang Xianzhou was basking in the success of his extortion, a gentle, refined, yet utterly shocked female voice rang out.
"Brother Xianzhou, is that you?"
As if a pause button had been pressed, Yulou watched his Old Ancestor's expression freeze, shift to surprise, and finally settle into an inexplicable stillness.
This was the first time Yulou had seen such a profound silence on someone's face. He realized that among these two newly arrived Foundation Establishment cultivators, one was likely an old acquaintance of the Old Ancestor.
The white flying sword darted back like a swimming fish, landing in the hands of the master of that blue streak of light. A black streak of light followed closely behind.
As the two Foundation Establishment cultivators drew nearer, Yulou finally got a clear look at them.
One was a peerless beauty wearing a blue magical robe. She looked to be only in her twenties. She stared blankly at the aged Wang Xianzhou, momentarily lost for words.
The master of the black streak of light was a feminine, beardless man who appeared to be her husband. He glared gloomily at the flying sword in his hand, then shifted his gaze to Wang Xianzhou.
Then, he stepped forward and wrapped his arm around his wife's waist.
However, to Yulou's utter surprise, the beauty in blue subconsciously shrank back half a step in midair, evading her husband's grasp.
Hm?
Fishing and catching an old lover. Old Ancestor, isn't this situation a tiny bit awkward?
Yulou didn't dare to keep staring. When it came to the affairs of the elders, the younger generation needed to show some tact.
He casually pushed Yu'an's head down, and the two lowered their gazes together, pretending to count the ants on the ground.
One, two. Hm, why were there only two?
Oh, it turned out we were the two ants.
Their ears, however, were pricked up high. When it came to juicy gossip, one had to eat the melon when it was served—just not too blatantly.
"Wang Xianzhou, isn't this Little Qian? Back in the day, you two were—"
The Crimson Sparrow had a fun-loving personality. Seeing that neither the two Foundation Establishment cultivators nor Wang Xianzhou were speaking, it cleverly took the initiative to break the silence.
Old friends meeting again! Xianzhou, I, the Crimson Sparrow, am helping you out here. I absolutely have no intention of taking revenge on you for constantly dragging me out to risk my life.
Wang Xianzhou casually cast a spell, clamping the Crimson Sparrow's foul beak shut to stop the bird from spouting any more nonsense.
"You are Wang Xianzhou?"
Unable to dwell on his wife's subconscious retreat any longer, the husband stared in surprise.
He noticed Wang Xianzhou's aged skin, graying hair, and... his Qi Refining stage cultivation base.
"Yes. Compensate me with twenty thousand spirit stones, and I will pretend nothing happened.
"Otherwise, you know the consequences. The starting punishment for a Foundation Establishment cultivator violating the thirteenth clause is serving on the front lines of the Western Sea Demon Hunt for twenty years."
Wang Xianzhou kept his head lowered, refusing to look at the two Foundation Establishment 'seniors' opposite him. He stated his price while calmly piecing together the fragments of his long halberd.
He seemed to value the shattered long halberd in his hands a great deal.
Indeed, this high-grade magical artifact was forged from eighth-grade black steel, its tip refined with a seventh-grade spiritual material, Mother-of-Pearl.
The materials were already exquisite, but they had been further refined through a secret method. Because of this, it could roam unhindered across heaven and earth, achieving the impossible feat of shattering a mid-grade spiritual artifact flying sword with the body of a mere high-grade magical artifact.
The husband, in fact, had a name. He hailed from the Gushen family—a Purple Mansion family serving as a vassal to the Sky Serpent Sect—and his name was Gushen Qingyuan.
"Twenty thousand? Wang Xianzhou, you're a dying man. Aren't you afraid that such a massive appetite will bring disaster down upon the Wang Clan?"
Gushen Qingyuan threatened darkly.
He had naturally investigated his wife's old flame. Wang Xianzhou was at least a hundred and sixty years old this year and could live for at most another fifty years.
Considering he had been injured in the past and was unable to break through to the Foundation Establishment realm, whether he could continue to extend his lifespan after three sixty-year cycles was still up in the air. In fact, he might not even live to see a hundred and eighty.
Wang Xianzhou gave up his attempt to piece the long halberd together. He raised his head and stared straight at Gushen Qingyuan.
Fishing and catching an old lover; looking back, a hundred years had already passed. He didn't dare look at Ning Qianqian by Gushen Qingyuan's side, who remained as young and beautiful as ever.
As if pouring out a lifetime of accumulated frustration, Wang Xianzhou spat back.
"Gushen Qingyuan, do you want to die?"
An old Qi Refining cultivator with a damaged Dao foundation stood before a Foundation Establishment cultivator, asking if he wanted to die.
Yulou cheered wildly for the Old Ancestor in his heart, but he was also a little worried.
He felt the Old Ancestor shouldn't be impulsive, but at the same time, he felt that urging restraint wasn't quite right either—at least, not right now.
This old man, let me indulge in youthful madness. Old Ancestor Wang Xianzhou had dedicated his entire life to the clan. Did he deserve to be bullied in his twilight years by peers who had successfully reached Foundation Establishment?
He didn't! It absolutely shouldn't be like this!
Meeting Wang Xianzhou's eyes, which were brimming with chilling killing intent, Gushen Qingyuan's pupils subconsciously contracted, and the hairs on his arms stood on end.
"Fellow Daoist Xianzhou, these are the spirit stones you asked for. Apologies, we disturbed your journey."
Ning Qianqian spoke, breaking their intense standoff. She tossed over a storage bag, then turned and departed without looking back.
Her departing streak of light was actually somewhat faster than when she had arrived.
Gushen Qingyuan glared sinisterly at Wang Xianzhou. Wang Xianzhou glared right back, summoning another long halberd into his hand.
Gushen Qingyuan, if you dare to fight, I dare to kill!
Thinking of Wang Xianzhou's past reputation, Gushen Qingyuan didn't dare maintain the standoff. He snorted coldly and chased after his wife.
The mission to reveal their strength to Wondrous Peak Mountain was a success, and the extortion had gone perfectly as well.
Aside from completing the Patriarch's mission, Wang Xianzhou had also made a massive profit.
Yet on the journey back, the atmosphere aboard the flying chariot was exceptionally oppressive. Neither Yulou nor Yu'an dared to utter a word.
While steering the chariot, Wang Xianzhou continued trying to piece together the long halberd that had shattered during the magical combat.
However, for some reason, no matter how he tried, he just couldn't fit the pieces back together perfectly.
It seemed he couldn't find the correct alignment for the fragments, or perhaps a piece was missing entirely.
Suddenly, Wang Xianzhou snapped out of it, as if waking from a dream.
He stopped his hands and stored all the fragments of the long halberd back into his storage bag.
If he couldn't piece it together, then so be it.
Even if he managed to piece the long halberd back together, how could he ever piece back his completely ravaged life?
(End of Chapter)
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