Cultivation: I Can Traverse Otherworlds

It was already dark when Dong Yuelan returned.

Her cheeks were flushed, and she reeked of alcohol. Her eyes were hazy with intoxication, and her gait was unsteady.

Zhu Ju sighed helplessly.

It seemed every Sect had one—someone who loved wine more than life itself.

Xu Hanzhi of the Bright Void Sect was one.

And so was Dong Yuelan, a Dao Foundation Cultivator second only to one and above tens of thousands in the Hundred Flowers Sect.

Come to think of it.

She had actually contributed quite a bit to getting the Bright Void Sect’s Spirit Wine business on track back in the day.

”I may be a drunkard, but I don’t neglect my duties.”

Seeing Zhu Ju’s strange expression, Dong Yuelan rolled her eyes, pulled over a stool, and sat down before speaking slowly:

”I’ve gathered information on the Demonic Golden Core masters who have entered the Ten Thousand Mountains. The closest one to us is the White-Faced Scholar, Tan Shouli. He was originally a failed scholar from Dazhou. On his way home, he was murdered by bandits. His resentment merged with the Yin Sha Qi where his body was dumped, and he entered the Celestial Corpse Sect as a corpse.”

”His strength ranks fourth among the Golden Core Grandmasters of the Celestial Corpse Sect. He’s not the strongest, but he’s certainly not weak.”

Zhu Ju nodded slowly.

The Cultivators of the Celestial Corpse Sect ranked among the top of the Six Demonic Sects. Besides Corpse Refining being an easy path to start on, there was another very important reason.

Every High-Tier Cultivator from the Celestial Corpse Sect had typically refined a powerful corpse.

In other words, facing a Celestial Corpse Sect Cultivator usually meant fighting a two-on-one battle!

This Tan Shouli was formidable in his own right, but he lacked a top-tier refined corpse, which was why his ranking wasn’t higher.

”HIC—!”

Dong Yuelan let out a drunken hiccup. The intoxication seemed to surge, yet her eyes grew brighter.

”This outpost occupies a crucial location. If the Demon Dao wants to invade the Ten Thousand Mountains, they won’t let it stand.”

”According to the intel I’ve gathered, nearby Demonic Cultivators are gathering. They might make a move soon.”

”Mm,” Zhu Ju said. ”I ran into a Demon Cultivator from the Joyful Sect in the city.”

”That’s perfectly normal,” Dong Yuelan said with a laugh.

”The Demonesses of the Joyful Sect are masters of seducing people’s hearts. Many of the Cultivators who betrayed the Immortal Alliance did so because of them.”

”But most of these Demonesses aren’t that strong. In a direct confrontation, they’re no match for us.”

Hmm?

Zhu Ju raised an eyebrow.

’I spent many years in the Joyful Sect’s Wind Moon Valley. The conditions for survival there were so complex it was practically hell on earth. Anyone who could rise above the rest and achieve something in their Cultivation was definitely not to be underestimated.’

’The Joyful Sect’s legacy is formidable, and they’ve collected the top Slaughter Techniques from various sects and schools.’

’In my opinion, the Dao Foundation Cultivators of the Joyful Sect are by no means weaker than those of other Demon Sects—in fact, they might even be superior.’

’It’s just that the stereotype of the Joyful Sect is so deeply ingrained that people mistakenly think they’re not good at Combat. If you go into a fight against them with that assumption, you’ll most likely suffer a huge loss.’

”Senior Sister.”

Zhu Ju waved his sleeve, and a screen of light materialized before them, displaying several points of light.

”Look!”

He pointed at the dots and said:

”Ever since we set out, Junior Sister Liuu has sent me their coordinates several times. At first, they were continuously retreating. But the last few times, they suddenly headed west. That’s not a logical pattern.”

”I suspect they encountered some obstacle that made further retreat extremely dangerous, forcing them to change direction.”

”Hmm…” Dong Yuelan sat up straight and compared the coordinates she had received from the Hundred Flowers Sect.

”It seems they aren’t together?”

The coordinates the two of them had received were close, but not identical.

”They aren’t.”

Zhu Ju nodded.

”I suspect they’re in danger. And with this place about to be besieged by Demonic Cultivators, we should leave at once.”

”…You’re right.” Dong Yuelan’s beautiful eyes glinted.

”However, the closer we get to the front lines, the higher the chance of encountering Demonic Cultivators. Even if we’re leaving, we need to gather intel on the nearby Demon Cultivators. It would be bad to walk straight into a demon’s den.”

This was sound logic. The reason the two of them had come here in the first place was to gather information about the front lines, just in case.

*

*

*

「Three days later.」

The two gathered their collected intelligence.

”The situation isn’t good.”

Dong Yuelan’s expression was grim.

”There are at least a dozen Dao Foundation Perfection Cultivators nearby, and even more at the Mid- and Late-Stage Dao Foundation.”

”The Demon Dao…”

”Allows for rapid advancement!”

For a Righteous Cultivator, reaching Late-Stage Dao Foundation is extremely difficult—you could say not even one in a hundred succeeds.

But the Demon Dao is different.

As long as one doesn’t mind it affecting their chances of Core Formation and is willing to perform blood sacrifices, it’s not hard for a Dao Foundation Cultivator to reach the late stage.

The same applies to Innate Qi Refiners.

Dazhou has hundreds of millions of citizens. To Demonic Cultivators, that’s hundreds of millions of Elixirs that can increase their Cultivation.

Dao Foundation?

They can stack their way to Golden Core, or even Nascent Soul!

Zhu Ju narrowed his eyes, his gaze searching for a route on the map.

Although his Cultivation wasn’t high, his Physical Body was formidable. In a one-on-one fight, even if he couldn’t defeat a Dao Foundation Perfection Cultivator, he could always escape. As long as he wasn’t cornered by a group of Demonic Cultivators, he wasn’t too worried about the danger.

As for Golden Core…

If he really ran into a being of that level, he could only chalk it up to bad luck. It was beyond his consideration.

”Let’s take this path.”

Zhu Ju traced a line in the air.

”It’s relatively safer.”

”Mm.”

Dong Yuelan nodded slowly.

”It won’t be an easy path, but it will help us avoid most of the Demon Cultivators. Junior Brother Zhu, do you feel a little hot?”

Hot?

Zhu Ju turned his head, his gaze falling on her rather thin Magical Robe, and a wave of heat rose within him.

Dong Yuelan had a bold and unreserved personality.

As they had grown more familiar over the past few days, her attire at their residence had become very casual. Sometimes she wouldn’t even wear an undergarment, and her soft, form-fitting Magical Robe couldn’t quite hide certain features.

”Something’s wrong!”

Zhu Ju’s eyes narrowed. ’With my temperament, there’s no way I’d have such lustful thoughts so easily.’

”It’s a Magic!”

The two exchanged a look and burst straight through the roof, soaring into the sky.

”BOOM!”

A ball of emerald green flame exploded in the sky. The fireball was about a mile in diameter, and its power was astonishing.

The green flame was blocked by the Array and didn’t fall.

But within the area covered by its shadow, hundreds of people screamed in agony, as if subjected to some cruel torture.

”A Golden Core!”

”Celestial Corpse Demon Flame!”

The two spoke in unison, realizing the truth in an instant.

It was the Golden Core Grandmaster of the Celestial Corpse Sect, one of the four great Flying Corpses—the White-Faced Scholar, Tan Shouli!

Only the Celestial Corpse Demon Flame unleashed by a being of his level could possess such power, affecting even Dao Foundation Cultivators from a distance.

BUZZ…

The void above trembled.

A Flying Sword appeared out of thin air.

The Flying Sword was no bigger than the palm of a hand, yet as it hovered in midair, it felt like a towering mountain pressing down on the Immortal Alliance outpost.

Dong Yuelan’s voice trembled.

”A White Bone Sword!”

The White Bone Sword was one of the most common Magical Artifacts in the Demon Sects.

Similar items included the White Bone Whip, White Bone Relic, Black Death Hook, Soul Summoning Bell, and so on.

But the White Bone Sword above was different. It had been refined by a Golden Core Grandmaster using the bones of countless Cultivators. It contained a White Bone Demon God within, making it a High Grade Magical Treasure of astonishing power.

A mere glance at it could destabilize the Qi of a Dao Foundation Cultivator.

SWISH!

The White Bone Sword trembled lightly.

A mountain of infinite white bones seemed to appear in the void, followed by a deafening roar.

The entire Immortal Alliance outpost trembled.

”The Demon Dao is invading!”

”Fellow Daoists, follow me and meet the enemy!”

…

Huang Yunze of the Profound Clarity Sect roared as he shot into the sky. At the same time, the outpost’s Array was activated to its full power.

BUZZ…

Spiritual Light flared.

The outpost’s Array was called the Ten Thousand Clouds Array, a Tier Three Grand Array.

As the Array activated, vibrant clouds spread across the sky, frantically devouring and then unleashing the Primordial Energy from a hundred-mile radius.

Countless rays of light intertwined in the air, forcibly revealing the White Bone Sword.

Yes!

The faces of the Dao Foundation Cultivators below lit up with joy.

”Hmph!”

A cold snort came from an unknown location, and the Flying Sword trapped within the Array abruptly vanished.

Instant Teleportation?

Space Magic!

Zhu Ju’s eyes twitched. He then saw the White Bone Sword reappear ten miles away, striking at a node in the Array.

BOOM!

The rumbling began again.

Under the White Bone Sword’s frenzied assault, even a Tier Three Grand Array began to show flaws, struggling to protect the entire outpost.

SWISH!

SWISH! SWISH!

Streaks of light shot across the sky.

Waves of chilling, murderous, and frenzied auras approached, rushing into the Immortal Alliance outpost through the gaps in the Array.

The Righteous Cultivators, led by Huang Yunze, also rushed forward to meet them.

”Kill!”

BOOM…

The two torrents collided mid-air, erupting in an endless burst of Spiritual Light.

”How could this happen?”

Zhu Ju shook his shoulders, activating his Magical Treasure Wind and Thunder Blade Wings. Over three hundred Flying Sabers spun around him, knocking away a host of incoming Magical Artifacts and beams of Spiritual Light. He asked in confusion:

”A Tier Three Array is fully capable of trapping and killing a Golden Core Grandmaster. If Tan Shouli doesn’t risk entering to disrupt the Array’s operation, then any Demonic Cultivators who come in will be walking into a death trap.”

If Tan Shouli dared to enter, even as a Golden Core Grandmaster, he could very well be trapped within the Array.

”Junior Brother Zhu.” Dong Yuelan shimmered and a suit of golden armor appeared on her, a Silver Spear materializing in her hand.

”Don’t try to think about Demon Cultivators like they’re normal people. They couldn’t care less how many of their own die. As long as they can probe for weaknesses in the Array, sacrificing all the Demonic Cultivators who entered is worth it to them.”

As she spoke, she rubbed her hands together, and the Silver Spear in her grasp transformed into a thousand streaks of light, shooting toward a Dao Foundation Demon Cultivator.

”Be careful, Junior Brother!”

”Mm.”

Zhu Ju narrowed his eyes, his True Essence surging. Over three hundred curved sabers, wrapped in the sound of wind and thunder, swept forward.

RUMBLE…

More than ten figures were blasted to pieces, and one Early Stage Dao Foundation Demon Cultivator coughed up blood and retreated violently.

”Mid-Stage Dao Foundation!”

Seeing this, Dong Yuelan’s beautiful eyes widened in surprise.

”Excellent!”

”Junior Brother Zhu, you’ve hidden this from me so well! So you’ve already advanced to Mid-Stage Dao Foundation. No wonder Sister Pei told me to listen to your opinions along the way.”

”It was just a fluke,” Zhu Ju replied with a smile.

”I just advanced a few years ago and have been in seclusion stabilizing my Realm ever since. I’m embarrassed to have Senior Sister Dong see me like this.”

”No!” Dong Yuelan shook her head.

”Advancing to Mid-Stage Dao Foundation is a testament to your own ability. With you at this level, I won’t have to worry so much about your safety on our journey together.”

”Go!”

She flicked a finger, and the Spiritual Light before her intensified. The light from her Silver Spear instantly pierced through several figures.

The armor Dong Yuelan wore was called the Sharp Gold Fang Armor. It was a Treasure whose Defensive Power was comparable to a Magical Treasure. Even if a Dao Foundation Cultivator’s attack landed on her, it would negate most of the force.

Thus, she charged forward with her spear, her momentum so powerful that it was not much weaker than a Late-Stage Dao Foundation Cultivator.

Zhu Ju stayed by her side, covering her blind spots. He commanded the Flying Sabers from his Wind and Thunder Blade Wings to shuttle back and forth. One by one, Demonic Cultivators fell to their combined assault. They even managed to kill a Demonic Foundation Establishment Cultivator together.

BOOM!

An explosion not far away made the two of them pause. A Dao Foundation Perfection Demon Cultivator was fighting Huang Yunze of the Profound Clarity Sect.

”Let’s go!”

Dong Yuelan was eager to join the fray.

”Junior Brother, let’s go help Fellow Daoist Huang. After this battle is over, we can ask him for a favor to leave the outpost.”

”Wait!” Zhu Ju held out a hand to stop her, looking into the distance.

”Something’s not right!”

”There are too many Demonic Cultivators.”

If this was just to probe the Array, there would be no need to send so many experts at once.

In the distance, a continuous stream of Demonic Cultivators was pouring into the outpost through the gaps in the Array, looking as if they intended to achieve victory in one fell swoop.

’Even if Demonic Cultivators aren’t the sharpest tools in the shed, they can’t be this stupid, can they?’

”There are quite a few,” Dong Yuelan also frowned. ”But as long as the Array doesn’t break, it doesn’t matter how many come. It’s a dead end for all of them.”

In theory, that was true.

But for some reason, Zhu Ju felt a persistent sense of unease.

’What’s wrong?’

His eyes flickered, and his gaze suddenly fell downward.

Mortals!

CLANG… CLANG…

At the core of the Immortal Alliance outpost, a man who had just reached the Entry Level of the Innate Realm ran out, striking a Copper Gong.

He swung his arm, banging the Copper Gong, and shouted at the top of his lungs:

”Shii Xuan of the Profound Clarity Sect has fled!”

”Shii Xuan has fled!”

What?

Zhu Ju’s face changed dramatically, a chill running through his heart.

The reason he and Dong Yuelan had believed the Immortal Alliance outpost wouldn’t be so easily breached was twofold. First, of course, was the presence of a Tier Three Array capable of trapping and killing a Golden Core Grandmaster.

Second, was because of Shii Xuan!

As the core direct disciple of his generation in the Profound Clarity Sect, Shii Xuan had a ninety-nine percent chance of achieving the Golden Core in the future. He might even get a glimpse of the Nascent Soul Realm.

The Profound Clarity Sect would never abandon such an important figure, which meant the Immortal Alliance outpost would not be easily conquered by the Demon Dao.

They were not the only ones who thought this way.