Stealing Immortal

Chapter 140: Chapter 139: An Accident

At his will, the Conscious Fish was already within Peach Blossom Valley.

As if he were there in person, Chen Qingyang perceived every change around him with perfect clarity.

At that moment, Bao Sheng’s face was deathly pale. His aura flickered unstably, like a candle in the wind, on the verge of being extinguished.

”Junior Brother Que, is that you...? *Sigh*!”

He let out a long sigh, but there was no reply. After waiting a long while, he shifted his gaze to the peach tree. ”Junior Brother Que, besides me, you’re the only one who can communicate with the Divine Soul of this peach grove. I know it was you. You must want revenge for Senior Brother Hu...”

Still, no figure appeared. Bao Sheng said helplessly, ”Well, you succeeded. This Wood Element Mystic Core brings misfortune to whoever holds it. I don’t want it anymore. You can have it back.”

As he spoke, he placed the item from his hand onto the ground. His movements were now extremely sluggish. When he pulled his hand away, Chen Qingyang saw it was a piece of beautiful, cyan-green jade.

He also saw Que Sheng standing right there, amongst the peach blossoms. It really was him who had made the move. ’The enmity between these seven runs truly deep. All I did was give things a little push.’

”...I understand why you won’t come out. A glance at my injuries and anyone would say the Peach Spirit did it. It won’t be traced back to you. How ironic, when you think about it...”

There was still no response. Bao Sheng began muttering to himself, ”We brothers belong to a Daoist Sect, yet all we cultivate are treacherous techniques. We’ve strayed from the righteous path. In the end, our schemes have turned back on us... *Cough, cough*...”

With a pair of harsh coughs, fresh blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

Que Sheng remained hidden in the shadows, utterly silent. Bao Sheng, as if certain he wouldn’t emerge, began to circulate his Qi Mechanism. He no longer even had the strength to stand.

Now that his Great Soul Scripture had advanced another level, the Conscious Fish was exceptionally sharp. This gave Chen Qingyang an opportunity to slip in while they were vulnerable. Following a now-familiar path, he quickly located the Jade Peach Profound Wood.

’In another ten years, this thing will be complete. If it can truly help Master Water Moon’s cultivation advance, then all I have to do is destroy the Array here, or even just delay it by a few decades. That would be enough to obstruct the Master’s path.’

’I’m currently at the Essence Condensation First Realm, and a Master is surely at the Foundation Establishment Realm. If I play my cards right, I should be able to acquire some Immortal Seedlings.’

’I wanted to make a move last time but considered the risk too great. It’s a little less risky this time. Even that old senior brother yielded ten thousand Immortal Seedlings. This Master... I daren’t even imagine.’

The branches served as the Array’s foundation, and the Array’s Profound Pivot was on this very Jade Peach Profound Wood—the layer of silvery-white light before him. If he could land a powerful blow, the Wood Spirit Qi hidden inside would surely pour out.

In for a penny, in for a pound. Chen Qingyang used his most vicious technique. He had the Conscious Fish spit out Li Yang Earth Fire, which shot forward like a golden needle and stabbed violently into the barrier.

At first, it pierced a small hole, and a violent stream of Wood Spirit Qi poured out. As he applied more force, the hole widened, and the Wood Spirit Qi gushed out even faster.

Eventually, he no longer needed to exert much force, yet the crack in the silver barrier continued to widen on its own. Chen Qingyang carefully discerned a powerful aura absorbing all the escaping Wood Spirit Qi.

It coursed through the trunk and along the branches. ’This must be the Peach Demon’s doing,’ he realized. ’Perhaps the enormous Divine Soul residing in here is awakening, reclaiming the power that belongs to it.’

He even felt a wisp of consciousness circle around his Conscious Fish, like a passing glance from a pair of unseen eyes...

Chen Qingyang decided to fan the flames and helped it one more time. This time, the color of the Jade Peach Profound Wood visibly dimmed, the effect of which was immediate and widespread.

Just then, he suddenly sensed that the entry point he had used was closing. The Conscious Fish seized the last opportunity and shot out.

Outside the peach tree, the one holding the Wood Element Mystic Core was now Long Sheng. He and several of his brothers were putting their strength together to reinforce the Array.

’So, at a critical moment, they still stand together. They know how to prioritize.’

As if in a daze, he saw the sky fill with falling peach blossoms. The Peach Spirit had shuddered. It had reclaimed its power, and its consciousness was beginning to stir...

But then a flash of rosy light burst forth, suppressing everything. It seemed the Array set down by the Master was still incredibly powerful.

Chen Qingyang had the Conscious Fish hide behind the peach tree and continued to secretly observe.

Once the matter was settled, Long Sheng let out a long breath. His forehead was already covered in bean-sized beads of sweat. From the exertion, his face had taken on the color of gold leaf.

Long Sheng, Lu Sheng, and the others were not faring well either.

Lu Sheng spoke first, ”Senior Brother Hu, how venomous of you! To plot against Junior Brother Bao, you actually had Junior Brother Que stir up such a disaster!”

His gaze was fixed on Hu Sheng, determined to pin the blame on his head.

”Shut up!” It was Long Sheng who roared in fury. ”I think this farce has gone on long enough! From now on, no more pointing fingers at each other. After today, the past is not to be mentioned again.”

No one else dared to speak. Even Lu Sheng looked resentful but ultimately fell silent, waiting to see what Long Sheng would say next.

”This time, the problem with the Array came from within, not from the outside. That is definitely not something any of us are capable of. It might be the Peach Spirit... It’s starting to fight back!”

As he spoke, his ancient, authoritative eyes swept over the group. ”This is not a trivial matter. I must report this to Senior Brother Wuji and let him consult with our Master on how to handle it.”

His tone then became earnest and heavy. ”My dear junior brothers, Master dispatched us here to guard this peach tree. Any other mistake might be permissible, but not this one. As for Chen Qingyang, we all misjudged him. It serves us right for being out-skilled. But a gentleman’s revenge is a dish best served cold. For now, let’s put this matter aside.”

Long Sheng acted decisively, and after hearing his words, not one of them refuted him.

The peach tree stopped trembling, the Wood Spirit Qi ceased to leak, and the Array returned to its original state.

At that moment, a hazy figure appeared in Chen Qingyang’s mind.

She wore black robes and had long, flowing hair, and she sat upon a lotus throne. One side of her body was wreathed in fire, the other in water. She had the appearance of a Daoist Nun born of water and fire.

The Stealing Immortal took a wisp of white flame from her head. He then looked at the small golden words that appeared: Immortal Seedlings stolen: 6,974.

The Daoist Nun in black must be Master Water Moon. For a Foundation Establishment Master, this amount of Immortal Seedlings was hardly anything at all—barely a pittance.

Although the Spiritual Qi in the Jade Peach Profound Wood had been reclaimed by the Peach Demon, it was still inside the tree. Once the Array was reactivated, the Qi would be taken again. The only real cost had been a little bit of time.

Long Sheng sat down on the spot to meditate, having consumed a great deal of energy. Finally, he could only delegate the task to Hu Sheng. ”Junior Brother Hu, you’d better make the trip yourself.”

Hu Sheng replied, ”Very well.”

Afterward, some of the Seven Immortals of Peach Valley began to meditate on the spot while others departed. Seeing this, Chen Qingyang recalled his Conscious Fish.

’Today’s gains are a pleasant surprise.’

...

「Three days later.」

Chen Qingyang sent the Conscious Fish out twice more but had no further gains, so he devoted himself to refining elixirs.

He had accumulated a good number of Immortal Seedlings by now. Perhaps it wouldn’t be long before he could, in one fell swoop, break through to the Essence Condensation Second Realm. Ever since arriving at Cyan Bamboo Peak, the people he encountered had higher cultivation levels—as did the people he offended—so the Immortal Seedlings piled up quickly.

It was high noon, and the Alchemy Room was sweltering.

Chen Qingyang’s hands were pressed against the Pill Furnace as a wisp of flame drifted around it. This batch of elixirs had reached a critical stage.

Just outside the Alchemy Room, Zhang Ping was leading Li Sheng. They had cleared a new plot of land, transforming the single-courtyard home into a two-courtyard one, and had begun laying a new foundation.

They had been out of practice last time, but now the work was familiar. With Li Sheng helping, the construction was moving along quickly.

Cyan Bamboo Peak was covered in bamboo, and its climate was like spring year-round—neither hot nor cold—making the bamboo perfect for walls. They used flagstones gathered from the creek for the foundation, building it up with mud to about a foot high. Then they arranged two staggered, tightly-packed rows of bamboo on top, and just like that, the wall was done.

Rather than building with earth, it was more like they were weaving a house into existence.

Chen Qingyang was extremely careful with this batch of elixirs. It was, after all, his first attempt at producing three pills in a single batch.

A moment later, he could finally relax his focus as the process entered the ”Late Fire” stage.

After more than an hour, the batch of elixirs was finally done. He took them out and examined them; each one was of excellent quality. Three pills from a single refinement.

Chen Qingyang put them away and was about to head out when he saw Xu Baoling, who asked from the side, ”Master, are you going to trade these for Spirit Stones?”

”Correct. I’ll be leaving the Immortal Sect for a long time, so I need to trade for some Spirit Stones to take with me. That way, my cultivation won’t fall behind.”

Xu Baoling then asked, ”If you leave, Master, what should be done about the affairs here?”

He hadn’t had the chance to discuss this with Xu Baoling yet, but since she asked, he decided to explain everything clearly. ”Before I leave, I will pay a special visit to Master Liu. His presence will ensure your safety. In the meantime, you are all to carry on as usual. You will be in charge of all matters, large and small.”

Xu Baoling seemed distracted. ”So... you and Liu Tao are on really good terms, Master. You’re going to be together for another three months!”

It was as if this sentence finally revealed what was truly on her mind. Her tone was gentle, but her expression was incredibly complex.

Chen Qingyang was silent for a moment. ”We are. I am indebted to her.”

”Yes, Master.” Hearing this, Xu Baoling just murmured a quiet reply and said no more.

Chen Qingyang traveled by Wind Control and in a short while arrived outside Gentle Breeze. When Shopkeeper Wang saw it was him, he made a point of looking him up and down, noting that he wasn’t carrying a pack or a back-basket.

”Senior Brother Chen, I don’t see any elixirs with you today?”

Chen Qingyang didn’t waste any time, placing four Tier Four pills from the Spirit Yang Breaking Yuan Formula on the long counter. ”If the price is right, they’re yours. If not, someone else will buy them. You know the quality of my elixirs, Shopkeeper.”

Having dealt with him a few times, Shopkeeper Wang knew his temperament. He just picked up the elixirs and examined them over and over. ”Tsk, tsk, Tier Four, and the quality is quite good... However...”

His eyes darted about as he considered what price to offer. ”How about one thousand eight hundred each? That’s already my top price.”

Chen Qingyang placed his hand over the elixirs and remained silent. ’Any price offered by a merchant always has some wiggle room.’

Shopkeeper Wang spoke again. ”I’ll add another thirty... no, make it fifty. If you’re still not satisfied, Senior Brother, then there’s nothing more I can do.”

He wore a pained expression, as if agreeing to this deal would force him to close shop immediately.

Chen Qingyang finally said, ”One thousand nine hundred. If you can do it, there’ll be more business in the future. If not, we’ll forget the whole thing.”

”*Sigh*!” Shopkeeper Wang grit his teeth and let out a long sigh. ”I’m only doing this for your sake. Another deal where I lose money...”