飘零影音

Arc 16: Tai Gu Desert | Chapter 304: Past Crisis

Upon closer inspection, there didn’t seem to be many demands.

It merely detailed the dangers of that place, stating that if anyone was interested, it would be best to have several Golden Core Zhenren accompany them, and to consider various strategies; otherwise, no matter how righteous their anger might be, the outcome would ultimately be a tragic one.

With that in mind, Xu Ziqing decided to accept this task.

He wasn’t blind to the risks; given his current strength, dealing with cultivators below the Golden Core stage should pose no problem. For those at the early Golden Core stage, he could usually eliminate them with his demonic vines.

However, it would be more challenging against those with higher cultivation.

But this task would certainly not be something he would handle alone.

Xu Ziqing understood that his Shixiong mentioned this task clearly indicating it wasn’t something he could complete by himself; that half-step Nascent Soul would surely serve as practice for his Shixiong. As for the other minions… unless they were at the mid-Golden Core stage or higher, the rest would be his responsibility.

It was precisely a chance for both of them to experience and hone their skills together.

With this thought clear in his mind, Xu Ziqing bit his fingertip and drew a mark on the line of golden characters.

Seeing him mark it, Yun Lie also drew a stroke with a wisp of true essence.

This was the difference between Golden Core Zhenrens and those below them: for individuals of such a high level, a Golden Core cultivator only needed to use true essence to brush over the characters to break the prohibitions above the golden letters, allowing the task information to be recorded. In contrast, cultivators below the Golden Core needed to use their blood essence to break the prohibitions; otherwise, it would be difficult to accept the task.

Now that both had marked it, after a moment without anyone else adding strokes, this task belonged exclusively to the two of them.

Xu Ziqing and Yun Lie stood for a moment, watching as the golden characters transformed into black ones before turning to leave.

In the hall, there were originally some cultivators coming to take tasks, and among them were those who recognized the brothers from the Xiao Lu Peak.

They approached to check the task the two had taken.

Upon seeing it, they were naturally astonished.

“To think they took on this task; has that Yun Zhenren improved in cultivation?” said a middle-aged Golden Core Zhenren, who, despite his appearance, seemed to be quite old.

His friend, also a Golden Core cultivator, asked in surprise, “Do you know that person?”

The middle-aged Zhenren replied, “Fifteen years ago when you were traveling outside and didn’t participate in the sect’s grand competition, you wouldn’t know that this person suddenly attained the Golden Core. Not only did he soar on the Tianlong Ranking, but he also shone brilliantly in the competition, already one of the core disciples in the sect.”

His friend was even more astonished, “Such a genius?”

The middle-aged Zhenren sighed, “In his early years, he practiced the Ruthless Killing Sword and we all laughed at him for his delusions. He indeed struggled at the peak of the Core Formation Stage for many years. But suddenly, he broke through one day, and since then, I fear no one in the same realm can match him!” He then shared everything he had heard about Yun Lie with his friend.

Hearing this, his friend couldn’t help but be in awe: “This person has a heart as unyielding as a rock; we cannot compare to him.” He paused and then asked, “And that young man beside Yun Zhenren…”

The middle-aged Zhenren said, “That is Yun Zhenren’s personal junior, very close to him. It is rumored that when Yun Zhenren cultivates emotional pathways, that emotion falls upon this young man.”

The friend frowned slightly and said, “If that’s the case, isn’t it a weakness for Yun Zhenren?”

However, the middle-aged Zhenren shook his head. “It’s merely a matter of having limited cultivation time; it doesn’t count as a weakness. This young man was only at the initial stage of Foundation Establishment when he joined, and now, after just a little more than ten years, he has reached the peak of the Core Formation Stage. Moreover, during the grand competition years ago, he managed to break into the top twenty, showcasing his extraordinary potential.”

The friend’s expression changed several times before he finally sighed, “This pair of brothers truly seems remarkable.”

The middle-aged Zhenren agreed, saying, “Thus, when I saw the two of them take on this dangerous task, although I felt some surprise and doubt, it didn’t seem entirely impossible.”

The friend glanced at the task again and nodded in agreement. “I just hope they return safely. Over time, our Wuling Immortal Sect might yet produce one or two ascending immortals!”

The two friends spoke candidly, yet they were unaware that not far away, another person pretended to observe the merit column while eavesdropping on their conversation.

Once the two had finished discussing the task and decided to take it on, the eavesdropper lingered a bit longer before leaving with a feigned expression of disappointment as if they hadn’t found a suitable task. However, once outside, they quickly transformed into a streak of light and darted toward a central peak.

That central peak was indeed Jile Peak.

Jile Peak, or Jile Abode, was the residence of the Jile Laozu. He indulged in debauchery daily, accepting numerous disciples, yet only his personally taught disciples could truly be called his students. Most of the registered disciples were primarily used as vessels for his indulgences.

If one were to consider the difference from demonic practices, it was likely that these vessels wouldn’t die; they merely consumed some of their essence and energy. In the future, with the Laozu’s rewards, they could replenish themselves, and there were many resources available for their use. Thus, many cultivators were willing to climb Jile Peak.

However, in recent years, the Jile Laozu had often secluded himself, and his disciples, and favored concubines no longer dared to enter the Jile Abode casually.

If someone wished to see the Laozu, they had to wait outside the Jile Abode.

This eavesdropper wasn’t someone from Jile Peak, but as a regular inner disciple who had yet to become a true student, he had leveraged a relationship with a personally taught disciple from Jile Peak, which gave him some connection. He had diligently gathered a lot of intelligence for Jile Peakand eventually received a covert investigative mission concerning the two brothers from Xiao Lu Peak. Unfortunately, for many years, the two had remained in seclusion, and he had been unable to gather any information.

Today, having suddenly discovered the whereabouts of the two brothers, he naturally rushed to report, and it was a rare opportunity to meet the Laozu regarding matters about those brothers.

Quickly, he found the personally taught disciple and relayed the news.

The disciple responded sternly, “Is what you say true? If this reaches the Laozu’s ears and is revealed to be a lie, I can’t save you!”

The eavesdropper repeatedly assured, “I saw it with my own eyes; I wouldn’t dare conceal anything!”

The personally taught disciple, knowing that the Ancestor was very concerned about this matter, no longer hesitated and led the eavesdropper to the entrance of the Jile Abode.

He transmitted a message inside, “Laozu, I have urgent matters to report. Please grant me an audience.”

After waiting for a while, a lazy male voice came from within.

“Who is disturbing my peace?”

Hearing this, both men changed their expressions.

The personally taught disciple quickly replied, “It is not that I have come to disturb the Laozu; it is regarding the matter the Laozu entrusted me with… there are developments.”

The voice inside raised slightly, “Oh?” It then became very soft and gentle, “Then come in.”

With that, the thick fog at the entrance of the Jile Abode dispersed, revealing a wide opening that led directly inside.

In the midst of it all stood a man barefoot, draped only in a thin shirt, with most of his chest exposed. His skin was pale like fine porcelain, seemingly glowing slightly, but his thin lips were bright red, giving him a somewhat charming appearance.

However, although most people in Jile Peak were lecherous, at this moment, no one dared to look at him more than once.

Just then, the Jile Laozu asked, “What news do you have? Speak and let me hear.”

His personal disciple pushed the informer forward and said, “This news was overheard by this person. I did not dare to delay and brought him here immediately.”

The informer hurriedly lowered his head even more and recounted verbatim what he had heard from the two Golden Core Zhenren.

The Jile Laozu listened, contemplated for a moment, and then waved his hand, saying, “Go and receive your reward.”

Hearing this, the two were overjoyed and quickly withdrew.

After they left, the Jile Laozu sealed the cave entrance again and entered a secret chamber.

Inside the secret chamber, red light blazed and blood energy surged.

In the midst of the rolling pool of water, a man with extremely pale skin sat cross-legged, red light flowing all over his body, with what seemed like fire serpents writhing beneath his skin. His face was flushed red, and a black mist lingered between his eyebrows, giving him an oddly sinister appearance.

Despite this, the man’s looks were outstanding, and his physique was robust, resembling an unparalleled young man.

Upon seeing him, the Jile Laozu’s eyes filled with admiration.

Sensing someone’s arrival, the man opened his eyes. Although he did not move much, his voice was very affectionate: “Darling, why are you so happy?”

The Jile Laozu smiled gently: “I have found the whereabouts of those two juniors. Will you accompany me to kill them?”

Hearing this, the man laughed heartily: “Of course I will accompany you. Without you, what would I find interesting? Even if it’s just a day or half a day apart, I can’t stand it.”

The Jile Laozu was very pleased, his face slightly flushing, and said, “Those two brats are too arrogant. If they’re not eliminated in a day, I won’t be able to save face. Now that you have also reached the Nascent Soul stage and I’ve been immersed for a long time, we should be able to succeed without a hitch.”

The man’s face flashed with red light, his aura retracted as if he had just finished a round of cultivation. He stepped across the pool of water and embraced the Jile Laozu, gently biting his earlobe: “That’s just a small matter, nothing to worry about. Right now…” His hands made ambiguous movements, having already slipped into the wide open collar of the Jile Laozu’s clothing, and he whispered, “…right now, you accompanying me to have some fun is the big deal.”

The Jile Laozu let out a soft moan, his body softening as he fell into the man’s arms.

Afterward, the situation became intimate and romantic, the room filled with springtime brightness, unfit to be divulged to outsiders.

Meanwhile, the two brothers returned to Xiao Lu Peak, each needing to make some preparations, unaware that they had already caught the attention of an old enemy, who was plotting to seek revenge on them during their outing and take their lives.

Xu Ziqing first arrived at his cave dwelling, where his beast companions and servants, including Chonghua, were all diligently cultivating. However, as soon as he entered, he drew their attention.

Chonghua had now grown even larger, with a surge of demonic power, significantly stronger than when Xu Ziqing last saw him.

Upon seeing his master, it immediately pounced over, growling lowly.

Xu Ziqing smiled upon seeing this: “Since you’ve already become a third-tier demon beast, of course, I can take you along.”

Chonghua was extremely pleased, rubbing against him repeatedly, overflowing with joy.

Hu Xue’er had also grown considerably over the years, her long tail very flexible, and it seemed the second tail was about to sprout as well.

It appeared she hadn’t been slacking off.

Xu Ziqing nodded secretly, then looked at Yue Hua and Yan Hua. These two plant spirits had been closed off in their dual-lotus forms all day, working hard. Now, after greeting him, they returned to their practice. He inspected all of these creatures once before finally feeling at ease.

Afterward, he explained his plans to travel and adventure, then brought Chonghua with him to the peak to find his Shixiong.

As for the items he needed… except for the Cold Jade Pool, most of them were in his or his Shixiong’s storage ring.

Translator: Lynn

Translations are not 100% correct. Please let me know if there are typos/mistakes in the chapter.

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