Who Let Him Cultivate Immortality

“Those damn ancient cultivators, they’re everywhere!” Vice Sect Leader Petrified Bone from the barbecue shop wished he could join the fight himself and give the ancient cultivator couple a beating—better yet, kill them and turn their bodies into corpse puppets to vent his anger.

Regardless of the outcome of this battle, the authorities would thoroughly investigate this place, and for safety reasons, the Qingzhou Grand Gathering would surely be cut short.

The gathering was supposed to last eight days, but now, it had only been two days and it was already coming to an end.

He had come to Qingzhou to do some field research, to see if the barbecue business had potential here, and to find out what types of skewers the people of Qingzhou liked best in order to tailor his preparations accordingly.

As it turned out, the barbecue shop was extremely popular with the people of Qingzhou, and its future looked promising.

He had also planned to use the gathering as an opportunity to boost the barbecue shop’s reputation and break into the Qingzhou market.

But now, all those plans were up in smoke.

“Ancient cultivators, huh? Just don’t let me run into you!”

In terms of cultivation and combat strength, he far surpassed the three sect deputies. If he joined the battle, it would undoubtedly result in a one-sided victory.

Unfortunately, his identity was too unique, and he couldn’t participate.

If his true identity were discovered, he would be as good as dead.

…

“Stealing the Sky and Swapping the Sun!” The male cultivator formed a hand seal, and clouds gathered in the sky, blotting out the sunlight. In an instant, the sky became pitch black, so dark that one couldn’t even see their hand in front of their face. Amidst the darkness, the eerie sound of teeth grinding could be heard, as if some enormous creature was chewing on bones.

“Night Parade of a Hundred Ghosts!” another voice shouted. It was the female cultivator, exuding endless black qi, which coalesced into various forms of ghosts floating in the air.

Specters, seductive ghosts, blade ghosts, headless ghosts, corpse-possessing ghosts…

The hundred ghosts remained silent, exuding a deathly aura, like an army of the undead, ready to overrun the mortal realm.

If not for the rules restricting them, the death qi from the hundred ghosts would turn this entire mountain into a desolate wasteland, with no survivors.

Even though they knew the area below wouldn’t be affected, the more timid among the onlookers were so terrified by the sight that their legs trembled, and they wanted to flee the scene.

“Let me tell you all, don’t be afraid. With the State Governor here, these are just petty tricks that can’t amount to much,” the Unity stage expert maintaining the rules reassured Lu Yang and his companions.

After some conversation, they learned that his name was Xia Qun, an early-stage Unity realm cultivator.

“Besides, the State Governor has the power of the nation’s fate. For dealing with these unsophisticated ancient Unity cultivators, he’s is more than enough. I just wonder when I’ll get to become a State Governor myself.”

“You don’t have to be so formal with me; after all, I’m somewhat connected to your Five Great Immortal Sects, so you could say I’m like half a senior brother to you.”

“Lord Xia, did you join one of the Immortal Sects?” Lan Ting asked, surprised.

“Not exactly, but I did take part in your sect’s entrance exam. The questions were ridiculously hard, you know? I was eliminated in the first round. I almost became your senior brother, so it’s not too much to say I’m half of one.”

Lan Ting: “…”

“I had originally planned to try my luck at the Dao Seeking Sect, but on my way there, I participated in the imperial examination as well, and hey, I passed. That’s how I ended up on the official path,” Xia Qun said cheerfully, his conversation lightening the mood, even Lu Yang and his companions no longer felt tense.

“These truly are wicked demonic techniques!” The State Governor raised the seal in his hand, and an endless stream of power flowed into his body, his aura rising higher and higher. The ancient cultivator couple watching from across him couldn’t help but flinch as they saw him rapidly approaching the Tribulation Crossing Stage.

The State Governor’s entire body emitted a faint glow, like the first light of dawn breaking through the night. This thin ray of light suddenly expanded, dispelling the darkness and the deathly qi that clung to the hundred ghosts, though the ghosts themselves still remained, armed and flaunting their strength.

Behind the male cultivator, a grotesque, mountainous ghost wielded a bone club large enough to pluck the stars, moon, and sun from the sky.

“Attack!” the female cultivator commanded, and the ghostly army surged forward, heading straight for the State Governor’s side.

“I’ll handle these!” Daoist Zhang stood at the forefront, emitting a strange sound from his nostrils.

A golden pagoda appeared above the ghost army, radiating immeasurable energy. The ghost army let out mournful wails, and half of the army was annihilated in an instant.

“As expected of the Twelve Story Pagoda, always so effective against ghostly entities,” Dean Hong quipped, flipping open “The Sage’s Words”. The words flew off the pages, charging toward the remaining ghost army.

“The Confucian techniques of summoning words to fight, how envious! Sadly, an uncultured brute like me could never learn it,” Sect Leader Mi lamented as he watched Dean Hong easily command the battlefield with just the flick of a finger.

“Well, if you can’t learn it, you can’t learn it,” Sect Leader Mi roared, suddenly going berserk, his eyes glazed over as he lost his senses, leaping toward the female cultivator like a crazed ape.

The female cultivator raised her fist, meeting Sect Leader Mi’s punch head-on. She was surprised to find that even though Sect Leader Mi only had a cultivation at the middle Unity stage, his strength was almost on par with hers, an ancient Unity stage cultivator.

“It seems he’s sacrificing his rationality in exchange for temporary strength,” the female cultivator quickly deduced his method after a brief exchange of blows.

“Not worth worrying about!” she scoffed, knowing that combat involved far more than just brute strength.

After Daoist Zhang and Dean Hong dealt with the hundred ghosts, they rushed over to join in, surrounding the female cultivator.

On the other side of the battlefield, the State Governor summoned a Mountain-Moving Saint, who hurled a mountain at the male cultivator’s ghost. The ghost met the attack with its bone club, but the mountain, formed from the nation’s fortune, shattered upon impact, sending shockwaves through the sky and dispersing the clouds overhead.

The State Governor then summoned an Axe-Wielding Saint, who raised a giant axe and swung it at the male cultivator. The male cultivator’s expression changed as he pulled the ghost to block the blow, resulting in black blood spilling from the ghost’s chest.

“Heh, to turn the ‘Forming Heaven and Earth’ technique into such a grotesque form, that’s quite a skill,” the Everlasting Fairy mocked, clearly disdainful of the male cultivator’s methods.

“Or maybe the form reflects his heart—perhaps he actually likes looking like that?” she added sarcastically.

“Who do you think will win?” Lu Yang asked quietly.

“Naturally, The Great Xia has the upper hand. Their overall strength surpasses the other side, and with the nation’s fortune aiding them, which can both defend and attack, how could the ancient cultivators possibly win?”

“Is that so?” Lu Yang muttered, still feeling like something was off.

“This is all your fault!” the male cultivator roared in fury, pulling out a golden pair of scissors from his chest. The scissors transformed into two golden dragons that soared into the sky, letting out deafening dragon roars that disrupted the spiritual energy of the battlefield.

The appearance of the golden dragons was like throwing a stone into a calm lake, sending ripples across the entire region of Qingzhou.

“A treasure refined at the Tribulation Crossing Stage!” The State Governor had seen this kind of treasure before in the imperial city. It required a great cost for a Unity cultivator to activate such a treasure.

“Fortunately, before my wife and I went into hibernation, we sacrificed the lives of an entire city; otherwise, activating the Golden Dragon Shears would have been impossible.”

“Go!” The male cultivator commanded, and the two golden dragons coiled around the ghost’s arms, charging towards the State Governor.

The State Governor activated the power of the nation’s fortune, which manifested as a sword as long as a river. On one side of the sword were inscribed the words “ten thousand citizens,” and on the other, “mountains and rivers.”

“Supreme Sword Projection! The State Governor is going all out!” Xia Qun exclaimed in shock. “Using the Supreme Sword Projection will cost him—he won’t be able to engage in any intimate activities for three months!”

“I’m telling you, using the Supreme Sword’s shadow comes with a heavy price, but the effect is absolutely phenomenal. Unless a Tribulation Crossing Stage expert shows up, the State Governor could use it to cut down both of these ancient cultivators!”

The Supreme Sword Projection clashed with the golden dragon and the ghost, the resulting brilliance blinding everyone present, forcing them to close their eyes.

“Who won?” No one could tell which side had gained the upper hand.

As the smoke cleared, the Supreme Sword Projection shattered, the golden dragons disappeared, the Golden Dragon Shears were broken, and the ghost was sliced in half, its black blood gushing out. The male cultivator was severely injured, coughing up blood.

In contrast, the State Governor stood there, radiant and unfazed, as though the collision had never happened.

“The State Governor won!” The cultivators below cheered, and even Sect Leader Mi and the others breathed a sigh of relief. If the State Governor had lost, it would have been difficult to stop these two ancient cultivators.

Clap—clap—clap.

A rhythmic applause rang out. The sound was thin but managed to suppress all other noise. After three claps, the entire area fell silent, as if in the dead of winter.

A figure dressed in red appeared in the center of the battlefield, walking through the air. When one tried to probe him with their spiritual sense, they found no trace of spiritual energy within him—he seemed like a mere mortal.

But how could a mortal possibly appear in a place like this?

The figure in red smiled faintly and spoke slowly, “I’ve long heard of The Great Xia’s extraordinary national fortune. Seeing it today, it truly is impressive. It can protect tens of thousands of citizens, enhance cultivation levels and combat power, and even transform into a sword projection.”

“Though I can’t tell exactly what sword that was, the fact that its mere projection could sever a Tribulation Crossing Stage treasure means the real thing must be beyond the Tribulation Crossing Stage.”

“It seems my efforts in orchestrating this battle weren’t in vain. It’s been quite fruitful.”

The State Governor’s expression grew tense, as if facing a formidable enemy. “You planned all of this?”

He had been suspicious all along. The secret realm had been thoroughly inspected; it was safe, with no ancient cultivators in hibernation. Where had these two ancient cultivators come from?

Now it made sense—they had a backer.

Below, Meng Jingzhou grew anxious. “The State Governor looks very grim. That guy’s at the Tribulation Crossing Stage.”

If a Tribulation Crossing Stage cultivator started slaughtering here, who could stop him?

“What do we do?” Meng Jingzhou sent a telepathic message to Lu Yang.

“Don’t worry, he won’t cause much trouble,” Lu Yang responded calmly.

“Where’s that confidence coming from?” Meng Jingzhou turned his head in surprise.

What he saw was a cold, stunningly beautiful woman standing next to Lu Yang.

Xia Qun, standing nearby, didn’t dare make a sound.

“Eldest Senior Sister?!”

Lu Yang had long suspected someone was pulling the strings behind this situation. To be safe, he had called his Eldest Senior Sister ahead of time.