Who Let Him Cultivate Immortality

Chapter 400: Immemorial Immortal’s Protection

“I’ll go with you,” Lu Yang chimed in. “I’ve been stuck here at Heaven’s Gate Peak cultivating for so long. It’s time I got out and stretched my legs; otherwise, my brain might start to atrophy.”

Fourth Elder helpfully offered some advice: “If you’re going to the Desolate Lands, you should seek assistance from the Corpse-Driving Sect. They have a good relationship with our Dao Seeking Sect. The sect leaders have always been on good terms. Even if you ask to learn the art of corpse-driving, they wouldn’t refuse.”

As a renowned first-grade sect in the Desolate Lands, having the Corpse-Driving Sect’s help would undoubtedly smooth things over. Fourth Elder himself had received their aid during his own travels through the Desolate Lands.

(TL Note: Corpse driving is a practice where a Taoist priest would “drive” or lead a deceased person’s body to their home or burial place by making the corpse walk or hop. The belief was that this practice allowed families to retrieve the bodies of loved ones who had died far from home for burial in their ancestral lands, which was culturally significant for ensuring peace in the afterlife. It is similar to herding where they make use of the reanimated corpse’s basic instinct to drive them to commit certain actions. It is different from necromancy as corpse drivers do not have total control over the corpse.)

Without delay, Fourth Elder penned a letter of recommendation, carefully sealed it, and handed it to Meng Jingzhou.

Taking the envelope, Meng Jingzhou hesitated for a moment before asking, “Just me and Lu Yang? None of you elders are coming along?”

After all the heated discussions earlier, Meng Jingzhou thought they would join him. Though none of their suggestions had been useful, it was clear they were invested in helping him. But now it seemed only he and Lu Yang would be making the trip to the Desolate Lands.

Third Elder waved him off. “We’re not going. It’s too embarrassing to talk about.”

Taking Meng Jingzhou around the Desolate Lands seeking a cure for a curse was no different than taking him to seek treatment for impotence. If word of this got out, how could they maintain their reputation in the martial world?

Meng Jingzhou: “…”

Lu Yang: “…”

Everlasting Fairy remained optimistic about the journey to the Desolate Lands. “What are you two afraid of? With me here, what could possibly go wrong?”

And so, the elders’ consultation concluded with the resolution that Meng Jingzhou would have to take matters into his own hands.

With a sigh, Meng Jingzhou returned to his cave to pack his things. Naturally, along the way, he didn’t encounter a single senior sister.

Lu Yang also began to prepare.

“The Desolate Lands are filled with curses, corpse-driving techniques, tombs everywhere, and all kinds of miasma and poisonous creatures,” Lu Yang muttered. “I should probably exchange some points at the mission hall for antidote pills.”

“And there are so many people skilled in curse techniques. I’ve never encountered curses before, so it’s easy to suffer losses if you’re unprepared. Should I buy some anti-curse items?”

Everlasting Fairy puffed out her chest confidently. “With me watching over you, what curse could harm you?” She, as the strongest of The Five Ancient Immortals, feared no curse.

Lu Yang glanced at Everlasting Fairy. She was right. The world’s most terrifying curse was already standing before him—what other curse could possibly compare?

Putting aside the worry of curses, the journey to the Desolate Lands suddenly felt a lot less daunting.

“Now that you’ve got me by your side, there’s no need to worry about curses. Back in the ancient days, before I became immortal, I was constantly fighting for a place among immortals. Those people were all young geniuses with some skills and reputation in their tribes. But whenever they encountered me, their so-called ‘genius’ status didn’t matter!” Everlasting Fairy boasted.

“None of them even deserved to be called young geniuses. One defeat at my hands, and they were never the same. But look at Ying Tian Immortal and Qilin Immortal—no matter how much I beat them down, they never gave up.”

“When they couldn’t beat me openly, they resorted to sneaky tactics, casting death curses on me.”

“But luckily, with my unparalleled talent, I withstood it all,” she said proudly.

Lu Yang thought back to the ancient curses he had read about. They were far more malicious and terrifying than the curses of the present day. The fact that Everlasting Fairy had survived such curses and ascended to immortality spoke volumes about her strength.

He was quietly amazed. Everlasting Fairy might seem unreliable at times, but her reputation during the ancient era was earned through true power.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“The most annoying part was dealing with the saintesses from various holy lands. When they couldn’t beat me and were jealous of my beauty, they’d curse me, hoping to ruin my looks,” Everlasting Fairy continued.

Everlasting Fairy pouted angrily, clearly still holding a grudge against those saintesses, even after all these years.

“Back when I hadn’t yet ascended, my reputation was already quite big. My cultivation, looks, and wisdom were all outstanding, but I didn’t have any backing. I was often excluded, and some people even openly mocked me, saying, ‘So what if she’s strong? Without a background, she’ll never ascend smoothly.’”

“Did they think they could bully me because I had no backing? Well, I became my own greatest backing!” Everlasting Fairy laughed smugly. What used to infuriate her now seemed childish in retrospect.

“Fairy, you’re amazing.”

“Right?”

Lu Yang quickly finished packing his things, bringing along everything he could think of. He also went to the mission hall to exchange for more items that might come in handy.

“We need antidote pills, for sure. And these herbs—they can be used to make antidotes in an emergency.”

Lu Yang had learned basic knowledge about poisons from Pellet Cauldron Peak. This was a required course for all Dao Seeking Sect disciples. Common poisons wouldn’t work on him.

“When traveling, it’s crucial to not have ill intentions toward others, but always be prepared for theirs”—this was a saying from Five Elements Sect. Later, Daoist Non-Speaker and the eight elders agreed with Qiu Jin’an’s wisdom and passed it on to their disciples, encouraging them to be vigilant.

“I should also get a few books on the Desolate Lands—Culture and Customs of the Desolate Lands, Tales of the Corpse-Driving Sect, The Curse Plague…”

“And we might run into fights, so I’ll need combat talismans and Soul-Reviving Pills… that should cover it.”

Once the preparations were complete, Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou met at the sect’s gate.

Meng Jingzhou had arrived a bit earlier and was already waiting in the carriage.

“You’re too slow,” Meng Jingzhou remarked.

“What’s the rush? It’s not like leaving early will make us return any faster,” Lu Yang replied as he boarded the carriage. The two of them went over their supplies, double-checking that nothing was missing before finally setting off.

On the road, Everlasting Fairy, bored, said, “If only we could find Immemorial Immortal. He’s a Heaven-Reaching World Tree which has the power of blessing. Just plucking a leaf or breaking off a branch could resolve the karmic backlash Meng Jingzhou is facing.”

“The Heaven-Reaching World Tree can do that? How come I’ve never heard of it?” Lu Yang was puzzled, but given how little ancient texts mentioned the Heaven-Reaching World Tree, it wasn’t surprising that there were things he didn’t know.

“Surely you’ve heard of the New Year tradition, right? It’s the day when we transition from the old to the new, stepping over bad luck to welcome good fortune in the coming year. That concept of crossing over bad luck was created by him.”

“You know how people cross over tree branches during the New Year? Originally, they were supposed to be crossing over branches of the Heaven-Reaching World Tree. But since people can’t find those branches anymore, they use regular tree branches as a substitute.”

“Actually, I didn’t even know about the Heaven-Reaching World Tree’s blessing power at first. It was Qilin Immortal and the others who told me.”

“Qilin Immortal and the others said Immemorial Immortal could predict when I would host a feast or visit their abodes, which let them prepare in advance. That, they said, was the greatest blessing of all.”

Lu Yang nodded in agreement. “Immemorial Immortal really does have the power to bring blessings and keep people safe.”