Who Let Him Cultivate Immortality

“Let’s go back,” Yun Zhi said, leaving that single sentence behind as she flew down to the base of the mountain. Seeing this, Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou hurriedly said their goodbyes to Lan Ting and the others.

“We’re heading out first!”

“Until we meet again.”

“Come visit the Moon Laurel Immortal Palace sometime!”

The five parted ways. The gathering had come to an end, and each of them had their own matters to attend to. They couldn’t stay together forever.

When Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou reached the bottom of the mountain, Yun Zhi lifted the curtain of a carriage and said, “Get in.”

Meng Jingzhou looked at the old horse in front of him with a puzzled expression. Normally, the horse had dull fur and droopy eyes, looking like it was just living out the remainder of its days, scraping by. But now, the horse’s coat gleamed brightly, and it appeared full of vitality, like a rare, magnificent steed—completely different from before.

Yun Zhi held a soul-binding chain in her hand, the other end of the chain hanging out of the carriage. The Calamity Sovereign was floating outside, like a balloon tethered to the carriage, looking utterly ridiculous.

The Calamity Sovereign, seeing the old horse now humble and subdued, pulling the carriage for Yun Zhi, felt more certain of his suspicion.

This Dragon Horse Great Demon King was indeed the mount of the Half-Immortal!

“Don’t be so arrogant! The National Teacher will surely restore the glory of the Great Yu!” The Calamity Sovereign roared with a fierce expression, laughing madly.

Yun Zhi frowned, finding his laughter irritating. With a casual flick of her hand, she cast a seal, shutting off all his senses, rendering him unable to speak or perceive anything around him.

“National Teacher? So, the National Teacher of Great Yu is behind all this?” Lu Yang pondered as he climbed into the carriage, searching his mind for any relevant information about the National Teacher.

“What’s a National Teacher?” Everlasting Fairy asked. She hadn’t yet fully grasped the knowledge of the current world, let alone about a now-extinct system like the National Teacher.

“The National Teacher was a unique position in the Great Yu Dynasty. You could think of Great Yu as a sect, and the National Teacher was like the Protector of the Sect, responsible for ensuring its longevity.”

“The National Teacher system dates back over 200,000 years, to the very founding of the Great Yu Dynasty. It’s said that the first National Teacher was the teacher of the first Yu Emperor, and with the National Teacher’s help, the first Yu Emperor established the Great Yu Dynasty.”

“The first Yu Emperor was a formidable ruler who managed to overthrow the previous dynasty and unify the central continent. However, none of his children possessed the same talents for cultivation or state management.”

“At that point, the emperor thought of his teacher and created the position of National Teacher, appointing his mentor to the role. Thus, the first National Teacher came to be.”

“Historical records suggest that the National Teacher system played a major role after the death of the first Yu Emperor. During the early period of Great Yu’s strength, much of its success can be attributed to the National Teacher, who nurtured emperors and governed effectively.”

“But this created another consequence—the National Teacher became the real power behind Great Yu. At the height of the National Teacher’s influence, they could even decide to replace the Yu Emperor. Though some of these replacements did make Great Yu stronger, what emperor would be happy to have someone ruling over them like a puppet master?”

“Moreover, while the first National Teacher truly worked for the good of Great Yu, later National Teachers may have been driven by personal desires rather than the interests of the empire.”

“By the middle and late periods of the dynasty, Great Yu seemed prosperous on the surface, but beneath that, deadly conflicts brewed. The struggle between the National Teacher and the Yu Emperor intensified, leading to assassinations, political maneuvering, seductions, and disputes over succession—all part of a tangled web of schemes. No one could predict what hidden cards the other side held.”

“The ‘Meeting at Flat Top Mountain,’ which took place 110,000 years ago, marked the breaking point of these tensions. The factions of the National Teacher and the Yu Emperor completely tore each other apart, battling at Flat Top Mountain. At least eight Tribulation Crossing Stage cultivators participated, with many more fighting from the shadows.”

“The National Teacher and the Yu Emperor both suffered greatly, their top forces were decimated, and the Great Yu Dynasty’s power drastically declined. The conflicts that had been suppressed for so long erupted, pushing the Great Yu Dynasty toward its downfall.”

“Do you remember the ancient Tribulation Crossing Stage cultivator, the Blood Demon Sovereign, who was captured by Eldest Senior Sister? He was also once a National Teacher.”

“Blood Demon? Oh, right. I remember now. Isn’t he the one who came up in the tales from Commoner Town, where there were a few ancient Unity cultivators? Little Yun learned from them about some treasure they left in the Three Perfections Heaven, which they believed could help them rise again.”

“Later, Little Yun found the Tribulation Crossing Stage cultivator sleeping in Sanli’s Heavenly Realm—that’s the Blood Demon Sovereign you mentioned.”

“Exactly. Afterward, I researched it. In the later years of the Great Yu Dynasty, the Blood Demon Sovereign supported an emperor and became the National Teacher himself. Then, to participate in the grand era, he chose to go into slumber. When he woke up, he was immediately captured by Eldest Senior Sister.”

“From what I remember, the Blood Demon Sovereign was only in the early Tribulation Crossing Stage. Was the Great Yu Dynasty really that weak in its final days?”

As one of the Five Ancient Immortals, Everlasting Fairy thought of Tribulation Crossing Stage cultivators as trash, regardless of who they were.

However, the fact that someone at the early Tribulation Crossing Stage could become a National Teacher showed just how weakened Great Yu had become at the time.

The Calamity Sovereign and the Blood Demon Sovereign were both at the same level, both early Tribulation Crossing Stage cultivators. Judging by how highly the Calamity Sovereign spoke of the National Teacher, the National Teacher’s cultivation level must be incredibly high.

“The later years of the Great Yu Dynasty were chaotic. Many high-level experts had been lost, and there were few Tribulation Crossing Stage cultivators left. Those stronger than the Blood Demon Sovereign weren’t interested in the position of National Teacher, so it ended up in his hands.”

“For example, the first and second National Teachers were extremely powerful. Some speculate they were at the peak of the Tribulation Crossing Stage, while others believe they were Half-Immortals. But no one knows their exact cultivation levels.”

Everlasting Fairy let out a nonchalant “Oh,” before adding, “Well, that’s not that high. Does the Great Xia have a National Teacher? If not, I could graciously take on the role.”

Lu Yang couldn’t help but think that if Everlasting Fairy were to become a National Teacher, the Great Xia would probably collapse long before the grand era even began.

“Fairy, you’ve forgotten what I said—National Teacher is a position unique to the Great Yu Dynasty. Great Xia doesn’t have a National Teacher.”

“Tsk, what a pity,” Everlasting Fairy muttered, clearly disappointed at the lost opportunity to show her talents.

Lu Yang was about to say something more when Eldest Senior Sister’s calm voice interrupted, “We’ve arrived. Get out of the carriage.”

Lu Yang was startled. “We’ve arrived?”

He stuck his head out of the carriage window and realized they had reached the gates of their sect.

“How much time has passed? Has it even been an hour?”

Meng Jingzhou’s expression was less than pleasant as he stared at the old horse. It had taken several days for the horse to pull Lu Yang and him to Qingzhou, but now, with Eldest Senior Sister on board, the return trip had taken less than an hour?

It had been hiding its true strength all along!

“Old horse, tell me the truth—what’s your real cultivation level?” Meng Jingzhou whispered, wrapping his arm around the horse’s neck.

The old horse snorted, completely ignoring him.

Frustrated but powerless, Meng Jingzhou could only sigh in defeat. He couldn’t beat the old horse, after all.

“I’m heading to Prison Peak to see what I can get out of this guy. You two can do as you please,” Eldest Senior Sister said, dragging the Calamity Sovereign as she flew toward Prison Peak.