Stealing Immortal

As they talked and laughed, the sky grew dark.

Looking down from the mountaintop, the entire Daoist Temple was once again bathed in candlelight.

Chen Qingyang had just set down his teacup when Lu Qingyu, sitting across from him, spoke again. ”That’s the first matter settled. What’s the second? I know your master. He wouldn’t have you make such a long journey for something so trivial.”

Chen Qingyang said to him, ”Senior Brother Lu, you are as perceptive as ever. I do indeed have something to ask you, and it concerns Xu Lingfeng. I’m not sure if I should even bring it up.”

Lu Qingyu chuckled. ”Whether you should or not, you’ve already traveled tens of thousands of miles. You’re bound to ask. Go on, speak your mind.”

”Senior Brother, you see everything clearly. I once saw the Sumeru Illusion Realm on Cyan Bamboo Peak and glimpsed the ruins of the Ancient Divine Court within it. I’ve also heard that a similar place exists on Xu Lingfeng. As its former Peak Master, Senior Brother Lu must know a great deal about it, right?”

The question truly surprised Lu Qingyu. He pondered for a good while. ”For you to ask about this... what a strange thing. Did something happen at the Tai Xu Elemental Separation Conference on Cyan Bamboo Peak?”

He had guessed correctly. Chen Qingyang said, ”I came across some Five Elements Opportunities and cultivated a technique called the Inner Nourishing Five Elements Sword. That’s what sparked my curiosity.”

”No, no, no.” Lu Qingyu immediately shook his head. ”If it were just curiosity, you wouldn’t have made this trip. It’s definitely not just curiosity. But never mind, I won’t bother asking for the reason. With all things under heaven, if you wait long enough, you’ll eventually learn what you’re meant to know. As for what you’re not meant to know, learning it won’t do you any good.”

Chen Qingyang gave him an appreciative look. ”That’s why I said you’re so perceptive, Senior Brother Lu.”

”Heh!” Lu Qingyu chuckled, rising to his feet. He stood in the doorway, gazing up at the stars and moon. ”This all happened many, many years ago. When the Ancient Divine Court fell in ages past, that world shattered into countless fragments that rained down across the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands. The Cyan Nether State was no exception, of course.”

”Each of these fragments contained the divine aura of the Ancient Divine Court. You could say the Daoist Sects relied on them to rise to glory, step by step. Later, when their essence was mostly exhausted, they were repurposed into array cores for extracting the power of Earth Deities from across the land, or used as Spirit Fields for cultivating rare Immortal Grass.”

”I was the Peak Master of Xu Lingfeng for over thirty-four hundred years, and I managed the place for just as long. I’m intimately familiar with every single thing there. If you’re asking about what makes it special, aside from its abundant Spiritual Qi and a few other unique qualities, there doesn’t seem to be much else. What is it you want to know?”

Chen Qingyang said, ”Senior Brother, I want to know how I can sneak inside.”

Lu Qingyu turned back, his eyes widening in disbelief despite his usual calm and carefree demeanor. ”Sneak inside? How is that possible? You must understand, the Array there is an extension of the Circulation of Stars Demon Suppression Array. It seals off half of the Cyan Nether State like an iron fortress. How could you possibly get in?”

”Besides, there are people in charge of the Array. If you’re discovered, what explanation could you possibly give?”

Chen Qingyang didn’t answer either of the consecutive questions, merely gazing at him with a resolute look.

Suddenly, Lu Qingyu laughed again. ”I almost forgot, you’re someone I have high hopes for. You wouldn’t do something so foolish. Are you trying to find something in the ruins of the Ancient Divine Court in there?”

’Even at this point in the conversation, he hasn’t mentioned the Great Soul Scripture once. This suggests that, at the very least, this former Golden Core True Monarch had never discovered anything related to the Great Soul Scripture in the ruins.’

’I’m connecting this with what I saw in the Underground Palace outside Duling City. That place could only be breached by my Conscious Fish, as if it were waiting for a fated person who had cultivated the Great Soul Scripture to arrive. An ordinary person would find it impossible to break through.’

’This is also why I was so worried back then, afraid of getting entangled in some great karmic consequence.’

’The Celestial Court, ancient times, destiny—I want nothing to do with any of it. I just want to secretly increase my Cultivation and reach a sufficient level of power.’

”I won’t hide it from you, Senior Brother. I discovered an opportunity last time, and I feel it might be connected to Xu Lingfeng. That’s why I’m asking about it today. As for what it is exactly, I can’t quite explain it yet.”

Hearing this, Lu Qingyu didn’t press any further. ”The Sumeru Illusion Realm has existed for ten thousand years, yet you were the first to discover an opportunity within it. Excellent! It seems destiny favors you alone. This is a good thing for me as well. Wait here for a moment.”

With that said, he hurried back into the house. He spread out some paper on a long table, took out a brush and ink, and began to write in the dim light.

He wrote for a long time. Chen Qingyang estimated it must have been a full hour before Lu Qingyu handed over a stack of paper, at least as thick as a copper coin standing on its edge.

’To write so much in such a short time must have been difficult for him.’

Chen Qingyang accepted it with both hands and saw the first few words on the top page: ”True Understanding of the Circulation of Stars Demon Suppression Array.” Surprise flooded his heart. ”Senior Brother, this is...”

Lu Qingyu said, ”Do you know why I must die if I fail to become a True Monarch of the Tai Xu Sect?”

Chen Qingyang didn’t respond. He knew the other man had more to say.

”It’s because I know all of the Tai Xu Sect’s secrets. If any single one were to be leaked, it would bring utter catastrophe upon the entire Sect. Take this Cultivation Technique, for example. It explains how the entire Circulation of Stars Demon Suppression Array was laid, how it is controlled, and even how to find its flaws!”

The moment he received it, Chen Qingyang had an inkling of this. Now that Lu Qingyu had confirmed it, his heart pounded with dread.

Holding this in his hands was like holding the key to the Tai Xu Sect’s very survival. If it were leaked to a Demon Sect, a great calamity would surely follow.

”Isn’t this... a little too important?”

Lu Qingyu slapped him on the back. ”If you know it’s important, then memorize it word for word and destroy it afterward. And this matter, just like the Cyan Nether Sword Embryo, is to be known only by you and me.”

Chen Qingyang replied, ”I understand, Senior Brother.”

As he spoke, the Conscious Fish secretly settled onto his hand and began absorbing the content of the text. Once it had absorbed most of it, he could retract it.

When the time came, it would be as if Chen Qingyang had memorized it himself, remembered perfectly in his mind without a single mistake.

Lu Qingyu nodded lightly and continued, ”An Array is like water; it has no constant form or state. I have been away from Xu Lingfeng for far too long, so I can’t say for certain if things have changed.”

”If I were to tell you my experiences, what this place is like or what that place is like, it would surely bring you harm. You must understand that Sumeru is illusory, and Arrays are illusory. How can you use common sense to deduce the nature of something that has no constant form?”

”Therefore... you must comprehend this Dharma Gate for yourself. You must explore and perceive it slowly, drawing your own conclusions. Only then will you know where the dangers and benefits lie. If you can’t even manage this first step, then don’t even think about the things inside ever again. It’s not worth risking your life.”

Communicating with Master Lu again today, Chen Qingyang could feel the concern for him that periodically surfaced in his words. He had previously pondered the reason for such kindness.

The man had said he valued his talent, but Chen Qingyang hadn’t believed it at first. He didn’t feel he had displayed any exceptional talent, but now, he was starting to believe it.

He bowed with his hands clasped, his expression solemn. ”I understand. I will do exactly as you say, Senior Brother. Bestowing this Dharma Gate upon me is proof enough of how highly you regard me. I will remember all of this.”

After he stated his intentions, Lu Qingyu turned his back and said no more. Chen Qingyang knew this was the signal to hurry up and memorize the Technique before destroying it.

’Although I have the ability to secretly send my Conscious Fish into the Sumeru Illusion Realm, without a specific marker, I have no way of finding an entry point.’

’If I can thoroughly master this Dharma Gate, I might even be able to move freely through the network of the Circulation of Stars Demon Suppression Array that’s laid out across half of the Cyan Nether State.’

Afraid of missing anything, he spent some more time memorizing it one more time. Afterward, a flicker of True Fire shot from his fingertip, turning the papers to ash.

Watching Chen Qingyang’s cautious actions, Lu Qingyu remarked with a sigh, ”If I were still in my prime, I would very likely have taken you as my disciple. I have a gut feeling you could reach my level of achievement.”

Chen Qingyang seized the opportunity. ”If that’s the case, then what’s to stop me from becoming your disciple, Senior Brother? If you could pass down even a technique or two to me, I’m certain I could achieve great things in the future.”

Lu Qingyu chuckled again. ”Don’t think I don’t know what you’re thinking. You just want to get some Dharma Gates from me. But you know, before I obtained the Cyan Nether Sword Embryo, I really might have done so. I would have secretly passed the Tai Xu Returning to Truth Technique on to you. Now, however, that would be a Lower Rank option.”

”Furthermore, you carry the aura of Returning to the Tai Xu. If the Sect detects it, or if your own master senses it, you’ll be walking a dead-end path.”

”Remember, you must be exceedingly cautious in all your affairs within the Sect from now on. The Circulation of Stars Demon Suppression Array may not have eyes, but it can perceive certain unique auras.”

Hearing this, Chen Qingyang broke out in a cold sweat. He thought about all the outrageous things he had done under this very Array. He had even personally witnessed the Array’s power strike down a Foundation Establishment Master.

”This special Qi Mechanism sensing you mentioned—how can it be avoided?”

Lu Qingyu replied irritably, ”Once you’ve mastered the Technique I gave you, you’ll naturally understand some things. If you can’t comprehend it on your own, then you have no one to blame but yourself.”

Chen Qingyang nodded solemnly. ”Yes, I understand.”

The conversation could have ended there, but perhaps Lu Qingyu had a sudden change of heart.

”Sigh... when I think back to when I first became a disciple and began my Cultivation... that was many, many years ago. So many that even my memory is hazy. My master and my sect brothers are all long gone. Even Qing Yao, whom I once had to address as True Monarch, I could now call Senior Brother...”

”You want to be my disciple, and I cannot agree to that. However, I can pass down some Dharma Gates to you in the capacity of a senior brother. I see you’re not lacking in other areas, so today, I will...”

He trailed off, pondering for a moment. ”...pass on to you a Wind Control Technique. This Dharma Gate is not from the Tai Xu Sect, so no one will recognize it. It is called the One Breath Ten Thousand Miles Technique...”

As soon as he finished speaking, he picked up his brush and ink again and wrote down the Dharma Gate.

At Chen Qingyang’s current level of Cultivation, his Void Step Introduction was indeed falling a bit behind. This was a case of being offered a pillow just as he was getting sleepy.

More importantly, the two words ”Senior Brother” had taken on a new meaning between him and Lu Qingyu. In essence, he had become the disciple of a former Golden Core True Monarch of the Tai Xu Sect.

”Yes, Senior Brother!”