Cultivation: I Can Traverse Otherworlds

Grass Returning Pills, Jade Spirit Pills, Jade Dragon Pills, Awakening Pills...

Bottle after bottle of Elixirs were stacked before him. The dense medicinal power congealed in the air, bringing a sense of comfort to both body and mind.

”This is more than enough!”

Zhu Ju said with a sigh of emotion:

”Even if I went into seclusion from now on and ignored worldly affairs, these Elixirs would be enough for my Cultivation to reach the Mid-Stage Dao Foundation.”

”And the Array...”

Glancing at the Array Flags, Array Plates, and other items beside him, he murmured:

”I can almost assemble three types for the Inverted Five Elements Array. Once I integrate it with The Investiture of the Gods, it will become a Tier Two Array.”

With a Tier Two Array for protection, he might even be able to fight a Late-Stage Dao Foundation Cultivator wielding a Magical Treasure.

In this vast East Sea, he finally had some ability to protect himself.

What’s more...

”My Soul!”

He drank the last mouthful of Satori Wine from his gourd, clearly feeling that the accumulation of medicinal power had reached its limit. If he drank any more, although it would still nourish his Divine Soul, he could no longer accumulate its medicinal power. It was time to try and connect with his third of the Three Spirits, the Heroic Spirit.

SWOOSH!

With a wave of his hand, all the Elixirs and materials in the area were swept into his now-empty storage bag.

In order to trade for supplies from the Yann Family, Zhu Ju had emptied his entire savings, aside from a few Top-Grade Spiritual Artifacts.

He closed his eyes.

Sitting cross-legged on a meditation cushion, he began his Cultivation.

”AH!”

A scream, both there and not there, suddenly echoed in his mind.

Zhu Ju’s eyes snapped open, a flash of surprise in them. With a flicker, his figure appeared at the courtyard gate.

CREAK...

At that moment, the gate to the neighboring courtyard opened a crack, revealing Huu Lishu, who was peeking her head out to look around.

”Fellow Daoist Zhu?”

”Fellow Daoist Huu.”

Zhu Ju nodded at Huu Lishu.

”It sounds like someone broke into our area, but it’s Chairman Chen’s turn to patrol today. It shouldn’t be...”

”AHH!”

This time, the scream came through with chilling clarity.

Something had happened!

The two exchanged a look and rushed out of the estate, heading toward the sound at a pace that was neither fast nor slow.

Since they had formed an alliance, they couldn’t just stand by and watch when trouble occurred, but there was no need to be the first to charge in either.

They would assess the situation first.

DONG...

The deafening clang of a bell rang out.

Chen Tong commanded a Copper Bell as its Spirit Binder, sending it crashing forward as he roared:

”Tribulation Cultivators have broken in! All fellow daoists on guard duty, come quickly and help me drive out these intruders!”

”Go!”

He flicked his finger, and a faint, almost imperceptible stream of Sword Light shot out, slashing toward a figure in the mist.

At the same time, he recalled the Copper Bell to block several incoming attacks.

DONG...

The enemy’s attacks struck the Copper Bell, instantly producing a deafening ring. A soundwave, visible to the naked eye, swept forward.

”Careful!”

A Tribulation Cultivator roared from within the mist:

”There’s something strange about this man’s Magical Artifact! It can turn our attacks back as a sonic ring! Don’t attack recklessly!”

”Hmph!” Chen Tong snorted coldly. His gaze swept over the area, and his heart sank.

In just a few moments, even with his protection, the Innate Qi Refiners who had been patrolling with him had already suffered heavy losses.

The key thing was, the enemy knew perfectly well that he was a Mid-Stage Dao Foundation Cultivator, yet they showed no sign of retreating. They were clearly very confident.

”I don’t believe I have ever offended any of you. Why must you be so aggressive, fellow daoists? Do you really want to fight to the death, where the fish dies and the net breaks?”

”Never offended us?” A cold laugh came from the dense fog.

”That guy named Yuan snatched a shipment of goods from our big brother. He’s been acting all high and mighty in the Marketplace over the mountain lately.”

”We spend our days hunting eagles, only to be blinded by a goose! No matter what, we’re getting our revenge for this!”

”Yuann Mo?” Chen Tong’s expression darkened, and he cursed inwardly. He had known all along that man would cause trouble.

And sure enough!

He had even brought the disaster here!

”There’s been a misunderstanding. We have no connection to that Yuann Mo. We are just simple, honest Cultivators.”

”Enough of your nonsense!” a roar came from the mist.

”Eat my pestle!”

WHOOSH...

A strong wind blasted toward them.

A dim silver light shot out from the mist, followed immediately by a strained, sorrowful cry from the Copper Bell.

Chen Tong was secretly alarmed. ’Mid-Stage Dao Foundation! A Magical Treasure?’

Just then, with a series of shouts, the auras of several Dao Foundation Cultivators emerged, charging toward the dense fog.

”Don’t panic, Association Leader! We’re here!”

Huu Lishu, carrying a flower basket and controlling a Medicine Shovel, blocked two streams of light.

She gave off a very delicate impression, but her fighting was flawless. Her skill in commanding Magical Artifacts as their Spirit Binder had reached the Transformation Realm.

On second thought, it was quite reasonable.

As a Spirit Plant Master, Huu Lishu had commanded her Medicine Shovel as its Spirit Binder for over two hundred years. Even if she wasn’t at the Mid-Stage Dao Foundation, she was one of the best among Early Stage Dao Foundation Cultivators.

The flower basket in her hand was also an Exotic Treasure. The Spiritual Light it emitted wrapped around a Magical Artifact, about to suck it away.

SWISH!

A stream of Sword Light appeared.

Ten Directions Killing Dao!

Sword Light Division!

Zhu Ju charged out, commanding his Flying Sword as its Spirit Binder. Because he had connected with two of his Three Spirits, his Sword Light was heavy, powerful, and astonishingly strong.

He actually managed to block two streams of Sword Light all by himself.

”Well, well!”

A cry of surprise came from the dense fog:

”There are actually this many Dao Foundation Cultivators here. Brother Lan, it looks like we came to the right place.”

Huh?

The casual tone in his voice made Zhu Ju’s expression shift slightly, while the others’ hearts sank even further.

Facing a team of seven or eight Dao Foundation Cultivators, the newcomers weren’t panicked at all. It seemed today’s conflict would not end peacefully.

As expected.

Two more auras emerged from the dense fog in succession.

Mid-Stage Dao Foundation!

Late-Stage Dao Foundation!

No!

Zhu Ju’s eyes twitched.

’It’s not Late-Stage Dao Foundation. It should still be Mid-Stage Dao Foundation, but its aura is far stronger than others of the same rank.’

”Heh heh...” A cold laugh rang out.

”Let’s do this!”

”Same old rules: whoever gets a solo kill keeps all the loot. The rest of the spoils are divided based on contribution.”

”Hmph!” Chen Tong snorted.

”Shameless boasting!”

He took a step back, a vicious look on his face, and with a flip of his hand, he pulled out a sheet of murky-colored Talisman Paper.

The Talisman Paper ignited without a breeze.

Immediately, a fierce gale erupted, and a pitch-black eyeball about a meter in diameter appeared in mid-air.

SWOOSH!

The eyeball blinked open, and a blood-curdling scream immediately came from the mist. The aura of a Dao Foundation Cultivator vanished on the spot.

”A Tier Three Soul Capturing Talisman!”

Someone exclaimed in shock.

”Watch out!”

Chen Tong killing a Dao Foundation Cultivator in a single move was a great morale booster for his side, but it didn’t change the overall situation.

The enemy still had two experts!

The Tier Three Soul Capturing Talisman was powerful, but it couldn’t kill a Mid-Stage Dao Foundation Cultivator. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have targeted an Early Stage Dao Foundation Cultivator.

Zhu Ju’s perception was sharper than the others’, giving him a clearer picture of the battlefield. Seeing this, he also fumbled for something on his person.

He then shook his head with some reluctance and tossed it into the air.

A Talisman Treasure!

The Three Yang Divine Fire Talisman!

CRACK!

With a cracking sound, the Talisman Treasure turned to ash, signifying its complete and permanent destruction.

In its place, three lifelike Fire Dragons, each over ten zhang long, burst forth from the ashes.

ROAR!

The dragon’s roar shook the heavens. The dragons somersaulted in the air and charged toward one of the figures in the mist.

The extreme heat from the three Fire Dragons melted stone and incinerated trees wherever they passed, throwing the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi into turmoil.

”How can this be?”

”It’s Kou Wen’s Three Yang Divine Fire Talisman!”

”AHH!”

A piercing scream followed as the Mid-Stage Dao Foundation Cultivator, who had been tied up by Chen Tong, was viciously torn apart by the three Fire Dragons.

Even after exhausting all his tricks, he only lasted for a moment before being burned to ashes.

Their power not yet spent, the Fire Dragons charged toward another person.

”Excellent!”

Chen Tong was overjoyed.

Besides Zhu Ju, he was the only one on the field who knew the true strength of their opponents. He had already been contemplating retreat.

But now...

The enemy was down one Mid-Stage Dao Foundation Cultivator and their morale had plummeted. It was the perfect time to press their advantage.

”Attack!”

BOOM!

RUMBLE...

Following a series of explosions, the Tribulation Cultivators in the fog soon fled in a hurry, leaving several corpses behind.

”Fellow Daoist Zhu.”

Chen Tong’s face was pale and his body was trembling. He cupped his fists at Zhu Ju, who was collecting the spoils of battle on the field.

”We really have you to thank this time. If it weren’t for you, we...”

”The consequences would have been unimaginable!”

The others turned to look, their eyes filled with gratitude.

They knew very well that if Zhu Ju hadn’t taken out the Talisman Treasure in time and killed one of the Tribulation Cultivators’ Mid-Stage Dao Foundation Cultivators, they would have had a hard time escaping their fate.

Even so, their losses were still severe.

Although they had repelled the Tribulation Cultivators this time, their losses were not small. A Dao Foundation Cultivator with the surname Wuh was killed in action.

The others were all injured to varying degrees.

Chen Tong had likely used some kind of Forbidden Technique to unleash his potential; in just a few moments, his full head of black hair had turned completely white.

He was relatively fine.

Aside from a slightly weaker aura, he appeared normal on the outside.

Huu Lishu’s life-bound Medicine Shovel was destroyed, causing her to spit up blood and suffer heavy injuries. It was unknown if her lifespan would be affected.

For a short time, her strength had been weakened to the level of an Innate Qi Refiner.

Only Zhu Ju, relying on his powerful Physical Body, was unafraid of the aftermath of the Combat. Besides a few more tears in his clothes, he was otherwise unharmed.

”You’re too kind, Association Leader.”

Zhu Ju shook his head.

”Since I have joined the alliance, it’s natural to prioritize it. Helping each other when enemies attack is only right. However, today’s opponents were no ordinary foes.”

”I don’t think they’re from this island.”

”Hmm?” Chen Tong looked surprised, then thoughtful.

”You’re right!”

”Their methods were skillful and their minds vicious. If they hadn’t been completely overwhelmed at the end, they would have continued to fight without retreating even after a Mid-Stage Dao Foundation Cultivator was killed. They must be battle-hardened Tribulation Cultivators and ruthless bandits.”

The people of Yunjing Island are used to a pampered life. Even with the various families now joining forces against the Yann Family, they couldn’t develop such a ruthless aura in such a short time.

The other Loose Cultivators are just a disorganized mob. They’d scatter at the first sign of trouble; it’s impossible for them to be so united.

”Yes,” Zhu Ju said, his eyes narrowing.

”I suspect they’re the South Sea Cave Ghosts!”

The South Sea Cave Ghosts!

At these words, not only did Chen Tong’s expression change drastically, but the others also revealed looks of terror. For a moment, everyone on the scene was stunned.

For East Sea Cultivators, the reputation of the South Sea Cave Ghosts was enough to stop a child from crying at night.

The higher one’s Cultivation,

the more one understood the terror of this group of Tribulation Cultivators.

”Bro... Brother Zhu,” Huu Lishu stammered.

”Why do you think so?”

”That Talisman Treasure of mine actually came from a Tribulation Cultivator of the South Sea Cave Ghosts,” Zhu Ju said with a grim expression.

”The fact that they recognized it means it’s highly likely they’re from the same group.”

”The South Sea Cave Ghosts?” Chen Tong’s brow furrowed deeply.

”Why would that group of Tribulation Cultivators appear on Yunjing Island? Could someone have hired them to come here?”

”That’s not impossible,” Huu Lishu said with a bitter smile.

”Don’t forget, the South Sea Cave Ghosts also take on missions. It wouldn’t be surprising if someone hired them to deal with the Yann Family.”

Chen Tong was rendered speechless.

The others just looked at each other in dismay.

If it really was the South Sea Cave Ghosts, then this matter was likely far from over.

”Damn it!”

Someone cursed angrily.

”It’s all that Yuan’s fault! We formed an alliance and were just quietly waiting for the slaughter on the island to end. That would have been fine.”

”But he just had to go and provoke the Tribulation Cultivators.”

”And look what happened. The Tribulation Cultivators came knocking on our door, and we ended up fighting his battle for him. A thankless task.”

”Indeed,” Huu Lishu said.

”Chairman Chen, it’s time we had a serious talk with them.”

Chen Tong’s expression shifted, his eyes turning cold and stern as he slowly nodded at the crowd.

*

*

*

The Estate.

The Quiet Chamber.

Zhu Ju sat cross-legged on the meditation cushion. With a light toss of his hand, The Investiture of the Gods unfurled, and the incomplete Inverted Five Elements Array instantly enveloped the entire courtyard.

With another light wave of his long sleeve, several bottles of Elixirs appeared before him.

”Hooo...”

After doing all this, he let out a long, turbid breath and closed his eyes to regulate his breathing.

After a long while, once the aura around him had stabilized, Zhu Ju opened his eyes again and looked at the bottle of Elixirs placed before him.

”The Heroic Spirit!”

”It’s time.”

He picked up the Pill Bottle, swallowed the Elixir, and guided it with a Spell. In an instant, the medicinal power of the Satori Wine, which he had consumed long ago and had been accumulating in his body, was drawn out.

His Divine Soul Power surged!