Who Let Him Cultivate Immortality

“The closest suitable material for the brush was the hair of a few of us. But since we were all human, our hair wasn’t suitable for refining an immortal brush. So, Immemorial Immortal set his sights on Qilin Immortal.”

“Qilin Immortal had a tuft of hair on his tail that was perfect for making the brush.”

“First, Immemorial Immortal painted a One Hundred Beasts Painting with a semi-immortal-level brush. The painting depicted a group of beautiful female beasts, irresistible to any beast. He then invited Qilin Immortal over as a guest and showed him the painting. When Qilin Immortal became captivated by it, Immemorial Immortal suggested that he could enter the painting to experience it for himself.”

(TL Note: Based off this painting with horses instead of beasts https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Hundred_Horses)

“Overjoyed and unsuspecting, Qilin Immortal praised Immemorial Immortal as his true brother and quickly lost himself in the painting.”

“While Qilin Immortal was distracted, Immemorial Immortal snuck into the painting and shaved off all of the hair from Qilin Immortal’s tail.”

“Just as Immemorial Immortal was about to use his power over time to speed up the regrowth of Qilin Immortal’s tail hair and cover up the theft, Qilin Immortal discovered what had happened.”

“Furious, Qilin Immortal fought Immemorial Immortal, and they unleashed all manner of celestial techniques. Cultivators across several planets witnessed the battle, awestruck by the sight. The commotion was so great that it attracted the attention of the prodigies from the Dragon and Phoenix clans.”

“These prodigies rushed over to find out what had happened.”

“Of course, Qilin Immortal couldn’t admit that he had been lured in by the beauty in the painting and tricked by Immemorial Immortal. So, he claimed that he had been trapped in the painting by Immemorial Immortal while his guard was down.”

“Immemorial Immortal apologized, saying that he just wanted to test the limits of his painting skills and used Qilin Immortal to experiment, begging for forgiveness.”

“Qilin Immortal pretended to forgive him, praising Immemorial Immortal for his respectful attitude.”

“Immemorial Immortal then promised to give Qilin Immortal a grand gift as compensation.”

“Qilin Immortal graciously replied, ‘We are brothers, no need for grand gestures.’”

“Immemorial Immortal insisted, saying it was only right.”

“The prodigies from the Dragon and Phoenix clans, curious about what kind of painting had trapped Qilin Immortal, asked to see it. But both Qilin Immortal and Immemorial Immortal replied in unison that the painting had been destroyed during the battle.”

“The prodigies didn’t think much of it and believed them, expressing regret over the painting’s loss.”

“Later, Immemorial Immortal gifted the One Hundred Beasts Painting to Qilin Immortal, and the two became close again, like true brothers.”

Lu Yang: “…”

What a way to “make up and be friends.”

Seeing Lu Yang lost in thought, the Great Elder assumed he was reflecting on the story and added, “I remember the ancient texts also mentioning that the Wood Immortal painted the One Hundred Beasts Painting and trapped the Demon Immortal inside, ordering the beasts to attack him. Do you recall any of that?”

Lu Yang thought to himself, Where are these ancient texts coming from? The story has been ridiculously embellished.

He decided that it would be best to keep the truth of ancient times to himself. If this story ever reached the ears of the Dragon and Phoenix clan prodigies and they ended up beating up Qilin Immortal again, and if Qilin Immortal then traced everything back to him, his own small life might be at risk.

He shook his head in confusion. “I’ve never heard of it.”

“Alright,” the Great Elder said, not suspecting Lu Yang. After all, Lu Yang was still young and couldn’t possibly know everything.

As they spoke, the Great Elder manipulated the painting, guiding Lu Yang and Peach Blossom Leaf back to the sect. Meanwhile, he vanished to some unknown destination.

“Second Brother, stop sleeping! Do you know what I just did?”

The Great Elder found Grandpa Ba, who was napping at the entrance to the medicinal garden, and shook him awake.

When Grandpa Ba saw it was the Great Elder, he ignored him, rolled over, and tried to go back to sleep.

But the Great Elder wasn’t about to let Grandpa Ba rest. “I just met the Vice Sect Leader of the Demonic Sect, using the identity of the Netherworld Heavenly King.”

“What?!” Grandpa Ba immediately snapped awake, sitting up with wide eyes. “Tell me what happened!”

“Lu Yang was going to meet the Nine Nether Sect’s Vice Sect Leader. He was worried about his safety, so he begged me to come along for protection. Seeing as Lu Yang is one of our sect’s most outstanding disciples, how could I refuse? I hid in the shadows to guard him.”

“The Vice Sect Leader of the Nine Nether Sect, named Petrified Bone, met Lu Yang. With me backing him up, Lu Yang was calm and composed, speaking with ease and confidence, intimidating that guy.”

“He mentioned discovering traces of an ancient cultivator and invited Lu Yang to investigate. With me by his side, there was nowhere Lu Yang couldn’t go, so he agreed readily.”

“Sure enough, his information was accurate. There was indeed an ancient cultivator at the location, and he was utterly evil—using overwhelming blood energy to refine a Ten Thousand Soul Banner. As soon as it was complete, the howling of ten thousand beasts filled the sky, shaking the heavens. The deafening roar and fierce winds were terrifying. Even Lu Yang was scared stiff, frozen in place, having never seen such a sight before!”

Grandpa Ba nodded. A Ten Thousand Soul Banner at the Unity level, once fully refined, could unleash tens of thousands of ghosts, sweeping through heaven and earth. Even those at the same level would find it troublesome to deal with, so it was no surprise Lu Yang was frightened.

And it was a beast-type Ten Thousand Soul Banner—beast souls are far more vicious than human souls. Even the slightly weaker cultivators would be driven mad by just hearing the howls.

“Petrified Bone and the ancient cultivator were locked in fierce battle. Seeing that the opponent was formidable, I boldly intervened. Armed with a celestial treasure, I ignored the attacks of the Ten Thousand Soul Banner and defeated the ancient cultivator with a single strike!”

“The ancient cultivator, realizing my profound cultivation, was terrified. He refused to accept defeat and desperately asked who I was. Stepping on him, I gazed over the world with disdain and calmly declared my title: ‘I am the Netherworld Heavenly King, Protector of the Heavenly Court Sect!’”

Grandpa Ba’s eyes lit up with admiration. Why hadn’t he been there for such a dramatic moment?

The Great Elder thought to himself, As the one managing intelligence for the Dao Seeking Sect, naturally I knew about Lu Yang’s plans before you did.

“Anyway, I’ve got things to do. I’ll be off.” The Great Elder hurriedly left, leaving behind a very envious Grandpa Ba.

…

“Third Brother, stop plowing the fields! Do you know what I just did?”

“Fourth Brother, stop reading! Do you know what I just did?”

…

Peach Blossom Leaf said goodbye to Lu Yang, reflecting on what she had learned from their journey. She had witnessed many grand scenes and become more aware of her shortcomings.

“It looks like I still have a long way to go before I can catch up to Senior Brother Lu!”

“Senior Brother Lu can converse with Unity-level cultivators so casually, effortlessly referencing ancient knowledge and cultivation techniques. How does he do it?”

“His extensive knowledge and calm demeanor are exactly what I aspire to. I’ve heard Senior Brother Lu is especially proficient in ancient history, surpassing even the elders. If that’s the case, I’ll start by studying ancient history!”

Suddenly, Peach Blossom Leaf felt an overwhelming pressure—so intense it was suffocating.

She turned her head and saw her master smiling gently at her, transmitting a message to check on her progress in cultivation.

“Just got back from outside? How is your Feathered Immortal Physique cultivation going?”

Cold sweat broke out on Peach Blossom Leaf’s forehead. In her excitement about going out with Senior Brother Lu, she had completely forgotten about her need to cultivate the Feathered Immortal Physique!