Cultivation: I Can Traverse Otherworlds

「Two days later.」

”GURGLE GURGLE...”

The stream flowed, crystal clear to its bed, with a few ordinary fish swimming leisurely within.

Zhu Ju sat cross-legged on a nearby round stone, holding a compass-like Magical Artifact as he gazed up at the sky.

The dense fog obscured the sky but couldn’t completely block the Power of the Stars from filtering down, which he could use to deduce his bearings.

’The location keeps changing.’

His brow furrowed as he watched the needle on the Compass spin wildly in his hand.

’This is trouble. A Tier Three Grand Array has the ability to manipulate space. Even Golden Core cultivators rarely dabble in such Divine Techniques.’

In other words,

Even for a Golden Core Grandmaster, escaping the Yunjing Commerce Association’s Tier Three Array would be no easy feat.

He didn’t know what was happening.

But a faint sense of unease crept into his heart, as if the very air was suffused with danger.

Danger!

Escape!

...

Innumerable battles to the death had given Zhu Ju an uncanny intuition for approaching danger, like a cicada that senses the autumn wind before it blows.

’I must leave Yunjing Island as soon as possible. The longer I stay, the more dangerous it will get.’

”RUSTLE RUSTLE...”

A strange sound came from nearby.

Zhu Ju turned his head to see several swaying figures emerge from the woods and head in his direction.

They moved as if stepping on cotton, their gait a bizarre sequence of heavy and light steps, their bodies twisting unnaturally.

As they drew closer, their deathly pale faces and vacant eyes came into view.

And with them came a thick wave of Corpse Qi!

’Walking Corpses?’

Zhu Ju’s eyes flew open. With a sharp ring, the Ten Directions Sword leaped forth, and a faint glint of Sword Light instantly flashed across the Walking Corpses.

”PFFT!”

”THUD!”

The bodies of the Walking Corpses were sliced in two at the waist. The severed halves fell to the ground, twitching for a moment before finally going still.

’Demon Dao methods!’

’Their hides are tough and their flesh is thick, comparable to a Late-Stage Innate Qi Refiner, yet they only have the instincts of Low-Tier Walking Corpses.’

Zhu Ju stroked his chin.

’This wasn’t a good sign.’

High-Tier Corpse Refining requires years of devouring Yin Qi to evolve a corpse, but Low-Tier Walking Corpses can be created in an instant.

Moreover...

’Yin Corpse Evil Qi!’

He hadn’t noticed it before, but he could feel it now: the pervasive fog was laced with Yin Corpse Evil Qi.

Prolonged exposure to this environment would make an ordinary person violent, and it could easily trigger a Cultivator’s Heart Demon.

This, too, was a method of the Demon Dao.

The only weakness of Walking Corpses is their fear of sunlight. A little exposure and their Corpse Qi will dissipate, turning them into ordinary corpses. But now, with the dense fog shrouding the sky and blocking the sun’s scorching rays, Yunjing Island had become a perfect place for Corpse Nurturing.

’Clothes from the Ouyang Family.’

After inspecting the bodies on the ground, Zhu Ju’s expression grew thoughtful. Then, with a flicker, he shot forward.

...

Amidst the dense fog, a wooden cabin enveloped in Spiritual Light stood out conspicuously.

Several streaks of Sword Light crisscrossed near the cabin. A blood-curdling scream pierced the air, and the Combat ceased abruptly.

”Haha...”

”This poor bastard actually thought he could leave Yunjing Island. Did he really think anyone can just come and go as they please?”

The large, powerfully built Dao Foundation Cultivator, Fanx Liren, carried a corpse over and tossed it down in front of the cabin. Grinning, he said:

”This man’s surname was Wang, a Loose Cultivator on the island who made a living through Talisman Making. He must have built up a small fortune over the years. He should have plenty of good stuff on him.”

”Fellow Daoist Dong, you undo the Forbidden Technique on his storage bag.”

”Mm.”

Dong Ping acknowledged, levitating the storage bag to examine it closely. She extended a finger, sending out a probe of Spiritual Light to test the Restriction on it.

”Times have certainly changed,” Cui Jin remarked wistfully as he walked out from the woods, a longsword cradled in his arms.

”Who would have thought that we, the Inspectors assigned to guard Yunjing Island, would end up in the business of Tribulation Cultivators?”

”Don’t tell me you’re having regrets, Brother Cui?” Dong Ping raised an eyebrow, a bright smile on her face.

”If you’re not up for it, Brother Fanx and I can take care of things. But you won’t be getting a share of the spoils, of course.”

”You jest,” Cui Jin said, shaking his head.

”An Inspector slaves away for an entire year just to earn a few Spirit Stones. How can that compare to how quickly we’re raking it in now?”

”No wonder it’s so hard to turn back once you start down the path of a Tribulation Cultivator. After you’ve tasted what it’s like to gain decades of someone else’s hard work overnight, who could possibly have the patience to go back to toiling away?”

All three of them were Inspectors for the Yunjing Commerce Association, yet judging by their current behavior, they had become nothing more than Tribulation Cultivators.

”That’s not entirely true,”

Fanx Liren, the oldest, most mature, and highest in Cultivation of the three, said slowly,

”Once the various great families on the island have settled their scores, we’ll have to go back to being proper Inspectors.”

”If nothing else, that life is stable. We can’t actually become full-time Tribulation Cultivators, living one day at a time, can we?”

”Brother Fanx is right,” Dong Ping nodded.

”A situation like this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We’ll make our haul and be done with it. We absolutely can’t come to rely on this lifestyle.”

”Take Fellow Daoist Guu Xinglan, someone I once knew. He also stumbled upon a great fortune by chance, but in the end...”

”Not even his bones were left!”

Her expression was complex and her tone wistful, but it was met with a fleeting, ice-cold look of disdain from Cui Jin.

”Shh!”

Suddenly, Fanx Liren’s ears twitched. He silenced their conversation, his eyes glowing with Spiritual Light as he stared down the narrow mountain path ahead.

”Who’s there?”

”It’s me.”

A figure appeared, moving with a deceptive slowness that was actually quite fast. His gaze swept over the three of them before finally landing on Dong Ping.

”Fellow Daoist Dong?”

”Brother Zhu!”

Dong Ping raised an eyebrow, her expression one of surprise.

”What are you doing here?”

The island was currently sealed by a dense fog. This location was originally on the outskirts of Yunjing Island, whereas Zhu Ju’s residence was in the center.

’For him to have trekked all this way here alone... Could he be trying to leave the island, too?’

As the thought crossed her mind, she instinctively glanced at where the corpse had been, but Cui Jin had already used a technique to bury it the moment they had a visitor.

”I plan to leave the island.”

Zhu Ju said.

”But it seems the situation has changed. The locations on the island are constantly shifting. Fellow Daoist Dong, do you know why?”

”So, Fellow Daoist Zhu noticed something was off, too?” Cui Jin grinned, stepping closer with his sword in his arms.

”Indeed.”

”The Yann Family used a Secret Technique that caused a change in the Tier Three Grand Array. It’s a long story; we can take our time explaining.”

”Brother Cui,” Dong Ping’s expression changed slightly. She instinctively stepped in front of Cui Jin and forced a smile.

”I can explain.”

”Inspector Dong,” Fanx Liren said slowly, his eyes narrowing at the scene.

”I’m afraid you won’t explain it clearly. Let Fellow Daoist Cui handle it. After all, didn’t you take his place the other day?”

Dong Ping’s heart sank.

A Cultivator who had arrived the day before had been an old acquaintance of Cui Jin’s. At the time, Cui Jin had held back, so she had been the one to act.

Now, the person who had come was someone she knew. By their rules, she shouldn’t interfere.

Otherwise, she would be breaking their rules.

”Brother Fanx.”

Dong Ping turned and shot him a meaningful look.

”Fellow Daoist Zhu only reached the Dao Foundation stage a few years ago, but we hit it off from the moment we met. I just want to chat with him a bit longer.”

Her implication was clear: Zhu Ju had only recently reached the Dao Foundation stage, so he wouldn’t have much of a fortune on him.

Killing him

wouldn’t yield much of a profit.

They might as well do her a favor.

Fanx Liren frowned, a flicker of hesitation in his eyes, and glanced toward Cui Jin.

He wasn’t particularly interested in killing Zhu Ju. As Dong Ping had said, it was unlikely to be a profitable venture.

But he needed to hear Cui Jin’s opinion.

”Hmm...” Cui Jin stroked his chin, then suddenly broke into a wide grin.

”Fellow Daoist Dong has a point. You go ahead and explain.”

Huh?

As he said this, not only was Dong Ping stunned, but even Fanx Liren looked astonished.

The two of them had known Cui Jin for years and were very familiar with his personality. While he might not seek revenge for every single slight, he was by no means a generous man.

For him to be willing to do her a favor and let Zhu Ju go was completely unexpected.

”Thank you!”

Dong Ping quickly snapped out of her surprise and flashed a bewitching smile. She turned and led Zhu Ju a short distance away.

”The Yann Family activated a Transformation Array within the Tier Three Grand Array, called the Hundred-Change Prison Cage Array. The entire Yunjing Island is now divided into dozens of constantly shifting zones, so the old paths off the island are useless.”

”I see...”

”And even if you were to reach the edge of Yunjing Island, with the Tier Three Array active, you still wouldn’t be able to leave, Brother Zhu.”

”The Hundred-Change Prison Cage Array?” Zhu Ju frowned.

”When will it stop?”

”That...” Dong Ping hesitated for a moment before shaking her head.

”It’s not clear yet, but I don’t think it will be too long. The Yann Family can’t hold out for much longer, after all.”

”We have a Communication Stone here that lets us contact the Fang Family once every other day. So far, there’s no new information.”

Zhu Ju understood.

’The Hundred-Change Prison Cage Array, the shifting locations within Yunjing Island...’

In that case, if he just stayed in one place, he would eventually have a chance of being moved to the edge of the Array.

But that was just a matter of luck. No one could know when their current location would shift to the border.

As for waiting for the Array to stop,

there was no specific timeframe for that either.

「Meanwhile.」

Fanx Liren looked at Cui Jin with a faint, unreadable smile and spoke via voice transmission:

”Fellow Daoist Cui, your decision was rather unexpected. I never thought you’d actually choose to let him off the hook.”

”Could it be you were doing it for Fellow Daoist Dong?”

”Hmph!” Cui Jin snorted.

”It has nothing to do with Dong Ping.”

He lowered his voice and continued:

”You know I have a unique bloodline Talent that lets me sense impending danger.”

?

Fanx Liren raised an eyebrow.

”Danger?”

”Correct,” Cui Jin nodded.

”Just as I was about to make a move on that Zhu Ju, my instincts screamed at me.”

”If I had attacked, I would have died!”

”Brother Fanx, you’re a Mid-Stage Dao Foundation Cultivator, and I’ve never felt that kind of warning signal from you.”

”Oh?” Fanx Liren stroked his chin thoughtfully. He glanced back at Zhu Ju talking with Dong Ping, a hint of dread appearing in his eyes.

It was true he was at the Mid-Stage Dao Foundation, but he had only advanced recently. The gap in power between him and an Early Stage Dao Foundation cultivator wasn’t that large yet.

’If that man can kill Cui Jin,’ he thought, ’then he can most likely kill me too!’

But on second thought, a flash of greed appeared in his eyes.

’That Zhu fellow only advanced to the Dao Foundation stage recently, so his Cultivation and strength can’t be that profound. For him to possess such a powerful trump card... doesn’t that mean he’s carrying some kind of Exotic Treasure?’

***

「In a dilapidated grand hall somewhere.」

Kou Wu sat on a stone throne, the stone table before him laden with wine, meat, and fruit.

The wine was Spirit Wine, the meat was Demon Beast Flesh, and the fruits were, of course, Spiritual Plants. In the hall, dancers swayed their hips for his amusement.

”GULP...”

”Good wine!”

”To answer your question, Leader,” a white-browed Daoist replied,

”this wine is called Thousand-Day Intoxication. It’s claimed one gourd can keep you drunk for a thousand days. It also has the marvelous effect of boosting one’s Cultivation. It was brewed by a Dao Foundation Cultivator from the Yann Family, nicknamed the Drunken Daoist. A shame he’s already dead.”

”Dead?” Kou Wu’s eyes widened, and he shook his head again and again.

”What a real shame!”

”The man may be dead, but the recipe is not,” the white-browed Daoist said, his eyes darting slyly.

”Once we’ve taken down the Yann Family and found the recipe, I’ll be sure to present you with a copy, Leader. With the recipe, will we ever be short of wine?”

”Haha...” Kou Wu roared with laughter.

”Well said!”

Then, his tone shifted.

”Have you found the man I told you to look for?”

”Well...” The white-browed Daoist froze, sweat beading on his forehead.

”We captured Yuann Mo. Under interrogation, he confirmed that Zhu Ju did indeed live there. However, he vanished without a trace after escaping. We were going to search the Marketplace, but then this business with the walking dead started.”

”Hmph!” Kou Wu’s smile vanished.

”So you’re saying you still have no leads. Useless trash!”

”What in the hell is the situation on Yunjing Island right now?”

”That, I know,” the white-browed Daoist said with a sycophantic smile.

”This humble one has already made inquiries. The Yann Family triggered a Transformation Array within the Tier Three Array called the Hundred-Change Prison Cage Array. Now the entire Yunjing Island is...”

”But please, rest assured, Leader. The Hundred-Change Prison Cage Array will stop. At most, it will take half a year, but it could be as soon as a month.”

”Wait a moment!” Kou Wu said slowly, his eyes narrowing.

”Did you just say that while the Hundred-Change Prison Cage Array is active, no one can know what’s happening in the different parts of Yunjing Island?”

”Yes,” the white-browed Daoist said, taken aback.

”That’s right!”

”Haha...” Kou Wu suddenly threw his head back and roared with laughter, then violently slammed his wine bowl onto the floor.

”I know this kind of environment like the back of my hand!”

”The heavens are on my side!”

”Brothers!”

He sent the white-browed Daoist flying with a backhand slap, then strode out of the hall and bellowed to the crowd of Tribulation Cultivators gathered outside,

”For the foreseeable future, no one’s watching, no matter what we do! It’s time for us to let loose!”

”Grab your weapons!”

”Kill them all!”

His gaze slowly swept over the assembled Cultivators of the Fang and Sunx Families, a cruel smile spreading across his face.

He pointed a finger at them.

”We’ll start with them!”

Huh?

The members of the Fang and Sunx Families, along with the other people from the Yunjing Commerce Association, froze in stunned disbelief, their faces quickly turning to terror.