Cultivation: I Can Traverse Otherworlds

「Three months later.」

A Flying Ship glided silently through the thick clouds in the sky.

Dong Yuelan sat cross-legged at the bow of the ship, a complicated expression on her face as she looked at the scenery ahead.

Although the journey back had not been entirely smooth, they had generally encountered no major dangers.

”We’re back!”

”It’s a pity...”

”I’m the only one who came back.”

She was supposed to escort the Sect’s Cultivators back, but she had left alone, and now she was returning alone.

If not for her good fortune, she might not have made it back at all.

”Sister Dong.” Liu Huang’er paced closer.

”The situation at the front lines is dire. The Immortal Alliance’s Cultivators have suffered heavy losses, and even Golden Core Grandmasters have fallen. You...”

”My condolences for your loss.”

”Indeed,” Zhai Qingfeng chimed in, nodding.

”Fellow Daoist Dong did her best. She almost fell into a trap herself. No one in the Sect can say anything against you when you return.”

”I just regret...” Dong Yuelan shook her head and sighed.

”Junior Sister Xiao’s Talent was outstanding, far surpassing mine. If I could, I would have rather been the one to meet with misfortune.”

”Hm?”

Halfway through her sentence, her eyebrows twitched as she spotted a beam of Tunneling Light rising from a nearby mountaintop.

”That’s Fellow Daoist Qian from the Seeking Immortal Sect. Why is he in such a hurry?”

”I’ll go ask.”

Her body flickered and transformed into a streak of Seven-Colored Clouds, soaring to meet him.

Inside the Flying Ship’s cabin.

Zhu Ju sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, cradling a three-foot Longsword in one hand. His consciousness had been pulled into an Illusion Realm.

”ROAR!”

An Illusion of a white tiger threw its head back and roared furiously.

The roar struck his Divine Soul, destabilizing Zhu Ju’s Ten Directions Killing Dao Sword Intent and showing faint signs of collapse.

The next instant.

A Power of Destruction, seemingly as old as the creation of the world, surged forth. With a single slash, it sliced through the defenses of the Ten Directions Killing Dao.

’It’s this move again!’

Zhu Ju’s heart pounded wildly. His crumbling Sword Intent recovered at an unbelievable speed as he conjured a sword strike out of thin air.

The White Tiger Fierce Killing Sword, controlled by the Broken Sword Intent, suddenly changed its trajectory. The two swords clashed thousands upon thousands of times in the void in a single moment. The ringing of metal was incessant, and flashes of dark red and incandescent white light crisscrossed.

In terms of Sword Manipulation Method, Zhu Ju was far inferior to the Broken Sword Intent.

But the Sword Intent was ultimately a lifeless thing. Its every move was identical, with no flexibility or change.

It was like a fight between two people.

One was a grown man, the other a small Child. The Child was no match for the man, no matter what.

But if the man’s every attack started with a straight punch followed by a side kick, after a thousand or a hundred times, even the frailest Child would eventually learn to dodge the combo.

It was the same for Zhu Ju.

He was no match for the Broken Sword Intent, but after countless exchanges, he had come to understand its patterns.

How to dodge, when to counterattack...

As long as he grasped the opportune moment, he could still wear down the Sword Intent, even with his weaker strength.

Of course.

That was only if the opponent didn’t reveal any new moves.

Recently, an Illusion of a white tiger had appeared, causing Zhu Ju, who had been hopeful, to have his hopes dashed.

”Hnngh!”

Letting out a stifled groan, Zhu Ju slowly opened his eyes, which were filled with exhaustion. He immediately took out an Elixir and consumed it.

’It seems completely wearing down the Broken Sword Intent won’t be something I can accomplish overnight. I still have a long way to go.’

’But...’

’It’s not necessarily a bad thing for me. Having a Golden Core Realm Sword Intent to practice against will allow my Sword Technique Realm to advance by leaps and bounds.’

”Senior Brother Zhu!”

Liu Huang’er’s voice came from outside.

”Can you come out for a moment?”

”Oh!” Zhu Ju opened his eyes.

”Coming.”

...

”What?”

Zhu Ju looked astonished.

”Miaoyan True Man of the Celestial Yu Sect is dead?”

”Killed by the Six Paths Demon Monarch?”

The sudden news made Zhu Ju’s expression change drastically. The others also wore looks of unease.

The Righteous Dao’s three Nascent Soul True Men were the pillars of the Immortal Alliance.

It was because of their presence that the Righteous Cultivators, despite constant retreats, still held a sliver of hope in their hearts.

As long as the three Nascent Soul True Men could kill the Six Paths Demon Monarch, the Demon Dao would collapse, and the tide of war would turn.

But now...

”It’s true.”

Dong Yuelan’s expression was grave as she said:

”The three Nascent Soul True Men failed to besiege and kill the Six Paths Demon Monarch, but they did manage to severely injure the Demon. This is what provoked the Demon Dao’s retaliatory counterattack on the front lines.”

”But...”

”No one expected that the severely injured Six Paths Demon Monarch wouldn’t return to Dazhou to recuperate. Instead, he infiltrated the Celestial Yu Sect, possessed a Late-Stage Dao Foundation Cultivator, and launched a sudden sneak attack on Miaoyan True Man.”

”It is said that the Six Paths Demon Monarch detonated his Innate Spiritual Artifact, the Seven Kills White Bone Sword, severely wounding Miaoyan True Man on the spot. Afterward, he even attempted to use a Secret Technique to seize Miaoyan True Man’s Nascent Soul, which led the True Man to self-detonate his own Nascent Soul...”

”The Celestial Yu Sect’s residence is now in ruins, and two Golden Core Grandmasters also perished on the spot!”

”We didn’t believe it at first either,” Zhai Qingfeng said with a bitter look on his face.

”We learned this from Fellow Daoist Qian of the Seeking Immortal Sect, and later we ran into several other fellow Daoists...”

”I’m afraid it’s true!”

”Yes,” Liu Huang’er said, her eyes filled with panic.

”The three Nascent Soul True Men couldn’t even take down the Six Paths Demon Monarch when they joined forces, and now one of them has been killed instead...”

”How can the Righteous Immortal Alliance possibly stand against that Demon?”

Zhu Ju’s gaze darkened.

With three Nascent Soul True Men around, the Six Paths Demon Monarch would have had some reservations about trying to annihilate the Immortal Alliance.

Now there were only two...

”Was the Six Paths Demon Monarch injured?”

He asked slowly.

”The Demon Monarch may be strong, but attacking Miaoyan True Man while severely injured, and on the Celestial Yu Sect’s own territory at that... he couldn’t have gotten away unscathed, right?”

As one of the two top Immortal Sects of the Righteous Dao, the Celestial Yu Sect’s headquarters was certain to have a Tier Four Array.

A Tier Four Array, operating at full power, could very well trap and kill a Nascent Soul cultivator.

This was also the reason why the Six Paths Demon Monarch had never moved against the Profound Clarity Sect or the Celestial Yu Sect.

For the Six Paths Demon Monarch to kill Miaoyan True Man on the Celestial Yu Sect’s home turf, it’s impossible that he suffered no damage.