Make the Immortal Sect Great Again

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

In the meditation room of the outer temple, Wang Ping sat cross-legged, his hands forming a seal. The Six Desires Primordial Heavenly Demon sat squarely behind him, its breathing echoing endlessly through the rafters like mingling wind and thunder.

As the product of fusing the Six Desires beasts, the Six Desires Primordial Heavenly Demon possessed six distinct miraculous abilities.

The first, derived from one of the Six Desires beasts—the Swallowing Whale—was called [Breathing]. True to its name, it absorbed spiritual energy and fed it back to Wang Ping, its master.

This very ability allowed the Six Desires Primordial Heavenly Demon to simulate the effects of a defective spiritual root. Unfortunately, its efficiency was limited, falling far short of a true spiritual root.

As it breathed spiritual energy, the physical changes on Wang Ping’s body grew increasingly obvious. His skin transitioned from pale yellow to a jade-like budding yellow. Caught in the sunlight, he almost gave the illusion of being forged from solid gold, and beneath that golden skin, his veins had become starkly visible.

This bizarre state lasted for about half a shichen.

The phenomenon only faded when Wang Ping ceased breathing spiritual energy. As he stretched his limbs, his entire body crackled with a series of sharp pops.

”Ring, ring!”

The silver summoning bell chimed once more. Not daring to delay, Wang Ping immediately stood and strode briskly into the inner temple, a look of anticipation on his face.‘The Immortal Gate...’

Until now, his understanding of the Immortal Gate had been limited to this single Daoist temple occupied by Daoist Nun You. He had yet to see what a true Immortal Gate looked like.

Or the true power of a cultivator, for that matter.

He had always harbored a sliver of doubt as to whether the orthodox traditions of the Immortal Gate truly surpassed the Great Shun Martial Dao. Now, he finally had the chance to verify it.

Beyond that, there was the [Five Thieves Stealing Heaven Myriad Transformations Divine Talisman] Daoist Nun You had mentioned.

‘A cultivation method of the Immortal Gate... Since it can spread so widely, its grade shouldn’t be low. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be targeted by so-called bandit cultivators.

‘It sounds like it has a great affinity with me!’

Stepping into the painted inner temple, Wang Ping quickly spotted Daoist Nun You standing beneath the tree. She raised her eyes to look at him, her gaze remarkably amiable.

”You’ve arrived?”

”Greetings, Milady,” Wang Ping said, bowing in salute, though he silently raised his guard. After all, Daoist Nun You had promised him a surprise earlier.

What the hell constituted a ‘surprise’ from her?

The next second, Daoist Nun You reached into her sleeve and drew out a long staff. Dark and golden light coiled around it, swirling and blending into a chaotic mass.

”For you.”

With a casual toss, she pitched the staff into Wang Ping’s arms. The radiance instantly flared, splitting the dark and golden colors apart like the rising of pure energy and the sinking of turbid air.

The brilliant golden light drifted upward like pure qi, ultimately unfurling in the wind to become a banner inscribed with countless talismanic seal scripts that Wang Ping could not decipher. Meanwhile, the profound dark light sank like turbid qi, melting into the long staff in his hands. Amidst the shifting glow, the faint wails of ghosts and howls of wolves echoed out.

”This is the [Six Desires Heavenly Demon Flag].”

Daoist Nun You smiled. ”Within this flag reside six hundred and sixty-six demons. It perfectly complements your cultivation method. I refined it over these past few days specifically as a protective magical artifact for you.”

This actually was a surprise?

Looking at the dark-gold treasure flag in his hands, Wang Ping’s heart skipped a beat. Had he misunderstood these disciples of the Immortal Gate? Was Daoist Nun You actually a good person?

Even so, his intuition told him something still wasn’t quite right.

But... what if?

‘In any case, the [Outer Heavenly Demon] has finished cooling down. I’ve already secured the bare minimum from this trip to the Immortal Gate; everything else I gain is pure profit.’

With that thought, Wang Ping relaxed his guard.

”Let’s go. To my room.”

Daoist Nun You’s seductive voice rang out again. Despite the distance between them, it sounded as if she were whispering directly into his ear, sending a sudden shiver down Wang Ping’s spine.

”You haven’t seen a magical artifact before, have you?”

”Let me teach you how to refine it.”

Wang Ping fell silent for a moment before smoothly playing along. ”Thank you for your profound kindness, Milady.”

Following Daoist Nun You, Wang Ping soon arrived at a meditation room in the inner temple. The moment he pushed the door open, a dense, overwhelming array of talismanic seal scripts filled his vision.

His gaze, however, did not land on the scripts. Instead, he stared fixatedly at a jade slip resting squarely in the center of the room. Though it looked ordinary at first glance, it drew his eyes like a black hole, making his mind involuntarily plummet toward it...

”Wake up!”

The shout boomed like thunder. Wang Ping snapped awake, only then realizing he had unconsciously taken three steps toward the jade slip. Cold sweat instantly cascaded down his back.

”What is this...”

”This is the [Five Thieves Stealing Heaven Myriad Transformations Divine Talisman].” Daoist Nun You furrowed her elegant brows and lowered her voice. ”Your cultivation is too low; you aren’t strong enough to resist its temptation.”

Wang Ping obediently took a step back.

Still, considering the allure of an Immortal Gate cultivation method, he couldn’t help but ask out of curiosity, ”This cultivation method is so formidable. Judging by its name, is it related to thievery?”

”Do not ask further.”

Daoist Nun You’s tone was placid. ”Do not be curious, and definitely do not investigate. Knowledge of it is, in itself, a terrifyingly lethal poison.”

”The more you understand, the easier it is to be influenced by it.”

”Why else do you think that apostate styled himself the [Heaven-Stealing Thief] and put his cultivation method and Divine Powers on full display? It was precisely to scheme against those in the know.”

Having said that, Daoist Nun You waved her hand impatiently.

”Enough. Go stand over there.”

Following the direction of her finger, Wang Ping glanced over and saw a horrifyingly dense cluster of talismanic seal scripts. Anyone with eyes could tell something was wrong.

”...Sigh.”

Wang Ping let out a sigh, discarding the last sliver of fantasy in his heart. He dropped his bow. Straightening his back, he turned to calmly face Daoist Nun You.

Before him, the staggeringly beautiful Daoist nun now appeared incomparably icy, her pretty face frosted over. Seeing that Wang Ping hadn’t moved—and even dared to look her straight in the eye—her previously seductive voice turned imposing. She enunciated each syllable like thunder rolling across the sky, ”What? Do you no longer want this rare opportunity?”

The normally tender and charming nun had swapped her demeanor for unfeeling aloofness, which ironically made her even more alluring.

Unfortunately, the prettier the woman, the better she was at deceiving people.

”It isn’t that I don’t want it; I simply don’t dare.”

Before his voice even faded, Wang Ping made his move. His physical body stayed perfectly still, but the shadow beneath his feet abruptly stretched toward the [Five Thieves Stealing Heaven Myriad Transformations Divine Talisman].

”...Insolent!”

Even as she spoke, heaven and earth shook, and all phenomena disintegrated. The meditation room in Wang Ping’s vision violently collapsed, tearing apart like a shredded canvas!

The previously seamless room shattered into countless fragments that rapidly pulled away from one another, stretching the distance between objects from mere inches to the ends of the earth. A space barely ten paces wide instantly ballooned into a vast, boundless world. Standing within it, Wang Ping felt as insignificant as an ant.

Wang Ping was utterly dumbfounded.

Through the shadow beneath his feet, the Six Desires Primordial Heavenly Demon could extend ten meters at most. Even using its miraculous abilities, it could only maneuver freely within a hundred meters.

But what was happening now?

Just a moment ago, the [Five Thieves Stealing Heaven Myriad Transformations Divine Talisman] had been less than ten paces away. Now, it was nothing more than a tiny, pitch-black speck in his vision.

By his estimation, it was at least ten kilometers away!

As the seconds ticked by, that distance continued to multiply, eventually leaping entirely out of the range of his spiritual perception until it vanished without a trace.

”A frog at the bottom of a well does not know the greatness of heaven and earth.”

The frigid voice echoed faintly. Wang Ping snapped his head around, only to see that Daoist Nun You had somehow appeared behind him and was slowly pointing a finger at him.

He tried to dodge. Yet, despite clearly jumping backward, the distance between him and Daoist Nun You didn’t widen in the slightest. Instead, they drew closer and closer. It wasn’t so much that she was pointing a finger at him, but rather that he was actively throwing himself onto it. It was completely inconceivable!

What kind of spell was this?

Before Wang Ping could react, Daoist Nun You’s finger landed squarely on his brow. A wave of dizziness followed immediately, accompanied by a myriad of shifting lights and shadows.

By the time he regained his bearings...

It was as if everything that had just occurred was a hallucination. He was back in that ten-pace-wide meditation room, standing firmly in the exact center of the countless talismanic seal scripts.

”Stand properly like a good boy.”

Wang Ping subconsciously tried to move, but his entire body felt shackled in heavy chains. Not even his strength, which was capable of shattering stone steles, could break free in the slightest.

”This is [Immobilization].”

Standing before Wang Ping, Daoist Nun You chuckled lightly. ”The one from a moment ago was [Scenery Shifting]. These are all spells under my command, so don’t delude yourself into thinking you can break free.”

With that, Daoist Nun You waved her hand.

The next second, more than a dozen jade boxes suddenly appeared in the previously empty meditation room. Gorgeous, magnificent treasure light surged from each box.

”Take a look. I prepared all of this just for you.” Daoist Nun You hummed a little tune, her tone light and airy. ”I originally thought it would take a few years of nurturing before I could reap the harvest. I never expected your comprehension to be so high that you’d cultivate the Six Desires Primordial Heavenly Demon in a mere three months. You forced me to adjust my original plans.”

”If I had a few more years, I could have slowly accumulated the incense money. Alas, time does not wait for me, so I had to take out a loan from the Heaven and Earth Pavilion.”

”To acquire these precious materials, I almost had to sign a contract selling myself.”

With every sentence, Daoist Nun You opened a jade box, filling the room with a dazzling array of brilliant colors and resplendent treasure light that brightly illuminated Wang Ping’s face.

‘So many Immortal Dao materials!’

Wang Ping had absolutely no doubt that if any one of these materials were tossed into the [Taiping Sutra], it would be more than enough to grant him a blank scripture scroll!

At the same time, he finally understood what Daoist Nun You was trying to do.

”You’re going to use me to refine an artifact?”

Daoist Nun You smiled and nodded. ”I have no choice. A top-tier strongman is far too expensive. After thinking it over, I realized it would be better to buy a human material and refine it myself.”

”Ideally, buying a human material suited for a top-tier strongman would have been perfect, but the Protector Courtyard strictly regulates resources of that caliber. My connections aren’t deep enough yet, so I had to settle for the next best thing and get an ordinary human material... However, you certainly gave me quite the surprise.”

Here, Daoist Nun You licked her plump red lips.

”A born Desire Realm Celestial Body with high comprehension, yet utterly devoid of hope on the Great Dao, forced to suffer a violent death right here... The resentment you produce at the end will definitely be tremendously heavy.”

”Combined with these precious materials I’ve prepared...”

”Your chances of ultimately becoming a [Six Desires Heavenly Demon King] should be around sixty percent. You’ll even cultivate a spell and eventually be refined into a top-tier magical artifact!”

”Excellent, truly excellent!”

Listening to Daoist Nun You’s words, Wang Ping suddenly felt his body grow warm. His vision gradually took on a dim hue, and a powerful wave of dizziness washed over him.

This animal! She had already made her move while she was talking!

”Don’t be afraid. The dizziness is normal,” Daoist Nun You chuckled lightly.

Wang Ping exhaled a long breath. ”What Immortal Gate? You’re clearly of the demonic path.”

Daoist Nun You was completely unfazed. ”Only mediocre Mortals would call these methods the demonic path. In the Immortal Gate, we generally just call it efficiency.”

”Besides, Mortals have always been tools for us in the Immortal Gate. You’re merely transitioning from one type of tool into a far superior one. Why are you complaining?”

”At the very least, I didn’t treat you as a disposable consumable. You ought to be thanking me.”

”Furthermore, I’ve allowed you to realize your value as human livestock a hundred times over. Without me, you would have merely lived out a life of mediocrity, achieving nothing while never wanting for food or clothing.”

”If you truly must blame someone, blame yourself.”

”After all, it wasn’t me who forced you to cultivate immortality.”

”...”

For a moment, Wang Ping was so infuriated he actually laughed.

Rumble!

Just then, the talismanic seal scripts surrounding Wang Ping abruptly lit up. The light coalesced into a roaring, soaring inferno.

Soon after, the dark-gold treasure flag that Wang Ping had tossed aside flew up out of thin air. Shining brilliantly, it landed squarely in the center of the array of scripts and wrapped itself around him. Wang Ping felt as though his body were melting down; amidst the agonizing pain, he could sense his life force constantly draining away.

”Ugh...”

Wang Ping gritted his teeth, his hands forming a seal. The Six Desires Primordial Heavenly Demon immediately strode out from the shadow beneath his feet, transferring all the injuries inflicted on his body to itself.

Seeing this, Daoist Nun You gave a slight nod.

”Excellent. It really is of premium quality.”

Having said that, she poured the entire dou of Gold-Veined Star-Shatter Sand she had mentioned earlier straight into the formation. Like oil splashing onto a raging fire, it instantly multiplied Wang Ping’s agony.

The Six Desires Primordial Heavenly Demon let out a howl of misery.

Yet in the next second, the demon’s body shuddered violently. Its skin split open, and it shed its flesh exactly like a molting snake.

With this molting, it shed all the injuries it had transferred from Wang Ping as well! Beneath its shattered outer shell was perfectly intact skin!

Daoist Nun You’s expression grew even more satisfied at the sight. ”That’s the ability derived from the Rock Snake: [Armor Shedding]. Using a molting process to mitigate damage and restore its condition. Very good.”

Following that, Wang Ping began to struggle once again.

Under his control, the Six Desires Primordial Heavenly Demon first soared into the air, attempting to fly out of the meditation room. Realizing it couldn’t escape, it threw a punch in a bid to shatter the confinement.

Then, its figure began to flicker and flash.

Ultimately, it condensed an incomparably sharp battleaxe in its hands. Gleaming with a cold light, it continuously hacked and slashed at the confinement, only to achieve absolutely nothing.

”The Sky Eagle’s [Flight], the Abyssal Monkey’s [Thunderous Weight].”

”The Rock Snake’s [Armor Shedding], the Swallowing Whale’s [Breathing].”

”The Bandit Leopard’s [Divine Stride], the Steel Flood Dragon’s [Dragon Battleaxe].”

Daoist Nun You rubbed her hands together, a look of excitement on her face. ”Its miraculous abilities cover flight, strength, recovery, spiritual energy, speed, and weaponry. Its quality can truly be called perfect.”

”Could it be that I’ll actually refine a high-grade magical artifact this time?”

”If so, with a high-grade [Six Desires Heavenly Demon Flag], I will definitely be able to learn [Soul Pursuing] and [Soul Seizing], and that Great Divine Power will be just around the corner...”