Immortal and Martial Dual Cultivation

Electric light flashed again and crushed the dust into nothing. A three-kilometer-tall mountain peak vanished right before Xiao Chen’s eyes.

Only the base of the peak remained, cratered and desolate.

As Xiao Chen stood in the air, he entered deep thought. He felt that this will talisman still seemed to have more power. However, his cultivation had already reached the bottleneck; no matter what he did, he would not be able to tap that power.

Three hundred lightning flood dragons were currently the greatest might this Lightning Tribulation Saber Technique could bring out.

“Ao Jiao, how long have I been in closed-door cultivation?” Xiao Chen asked Ao Jiao, who was in the Immortal Spirit Ring, as he landed on the peak’s summit.

Ao Jiao counted with her fingers before replying, About three months?

After Xiao Chen heard that, a strange expression appeared on his face despite himself. Adding three months of cultivation to the time used to travel back from Kunlun Mountain, it should be almost four months already.

Ying Qiong told Xiao Chen that she only needed another two months to collect the other main ingredient of the Breaking Sage Pill. However, there was no news even after so long.

Could something have happened? The Breaking Sage Pill was crucial for Xiao Chen to advance quickly to Martial Sage. Under normal circumstances, without the Breaking Sage Pill, making a breakthrough without two years of effort would be difficult.

I hope that nothing happened. Otherwise, I can only work on advancing the Purple Thunder Divine Incantation.

Xiao Chen collected his thoughts, and lightning leaped around under his feet. After a few flashes, he arrived at a courtyard halfway up the mountain.

Unexpectedly, a Superior Grade Martial Monarch Supreme Sky Sect disciple was standing in front of the courtyard, waiting quietly.

It seemed like this person had been here for a long time already. When he saw Xiao Chen, he revealed a respectful expression and said, “Inner sect disciple Wu Kan greets Senior Brother Xiao.”

Xiao Chen was like a legendary existence in the Supreme Sky Sect by now. To the many disciples, his place in their hearts even surpassed that of Shui Lingling.

Currently, this person’s respectful expression was utterly sincere—especially after he felt the formless pressure that Xiao Chen emitted; he did not dare to be disrespectful at all.

Even after thinking for a while, Xiao Chen still could not recall this person. He asked indifferently, “Do you have some business with me? Or are you here to pass a message on behalf of a senior?”

Wu Kan smiled and said, “Senior Brother Xiao Chen’s guess is right. I am here to pass on a message for my Master. He said that the thing that you entrusted him to find has been found.”

Xiao Chen thought for a while and remembered what this was about. He said, “Your master is Elder Peng of the Refining Pill Pavilion, right?”

Wu Kan nodded and said, “That is indeed my master. We already found the Yellow Tune Grass and Golden Sun Ganoderma that Senior Brother Xiao Chen requested us to look for. When Senior Brother has time, you may go and retrieve it.”

Aside from the three hardest-to-find main ingredients—Flaming Sun Fruit, Three Sage Grass, and Heavenly Dragon Flower—some other ingredients were still required. Although they were not as rare as the three main ingredients, a few were available only through auction houses, which made searching for them very problematic.

If Xiao Chen searched for them personally, he would end up wasting a lot of time. To save himself some trouble, he pulled some strings with Shui Lingling and handed the matter over to an elder of the Refining Pill Pavilion.

This elder was Peng Dan. He was a peak Inferior Grade Martial Sage. His skill at refining Medicinal Pills was relatively high, and he had even invented several kinds of high-ranked Medicinal Pills.

This person also had his own mountain peak with a Peak Spirit Vein. He had hundreds of disciples at his peak and thousands of servants, all of them listening to his orders.

“Many thanks. I just came out of closed-door cultivation. After resting for a while, I will personally pay Elder Peng a visit.”

Believing that he had kept this person waiting for a long time, Xiao Chen felt embarrassed, so he gave him ten thousand Astral Coins as a small gratuity.

Wu Kan tried to reject Xiao Chen’s gift but eventually accepted it. Just passing a message earned him ten thousand Astral Coins; he had benefited a lot.

After entering the courtyard, Xiao Chen first prepared a table full of food and feasted, and then he took a bath. Not delaying any further, he rushed over to Elder Peng Dan’s peak.

While it was similar to Xiao Chen’s, Elder Peng’s peak was much better managed. He had built the place up in complement to the mountain, doing a perfect job without spoiling its overall aesthetics.

Xiao Chen could see people in the various buildings, either chatting idly, rushing about, or sparring.

When he thought about his own peak and compared it to this, his was simply a desolate mountain. He could not help but smile bitterly.

Halfway up the mountain, there were disciples on duty to receive guests. When Xiao Chen reported his identity, he was immediately invited in respectfully and led to a unique pavilion where Elder Peng waited.

Two rectangular brocade boxes sat on the wooden table in the pavilion. These should contain the Yellow Tune Grass and Golden Sun Ganoderma that Xiao Chen needed.

Seeing Xiao Chen arrive, Peng Dan immediately stood up and welcomed him. He smiled warmly and said, “Little Brother Xiao Chen, you finally came. I found the things you asked for. Please check them.”

Xiao Chen opened the brocade boxes on the table and took a look. They were indeed the Yellow Tune Grass and Golden Sun Ganoderma. Furthermore, there were two portions of each.

Xiao Chen took out the five hundred thousand Astral Coins that he had prepared, and handed these over before thanking Elder Peng once again.

The two of them chatted for a while. When Elder Peng casually asked what Xiao Chen needed the Yellow Tune Grass and Golden Sun Ganoderma for, Xiao Chen sidestepped the question and changed the topic.

So, Peng Dan did not pursue the matter any further. However, when Xiao Chen was about to take his leave, Peng Dan mentioned another thing. He said, “Xiao Chen, if you have the next two months free, this old man has something to ask of you.”

Xiao Chen felt rather surprised. He asked, “Elder Peng, what do you have in mind? How about you tell me more about it first?”

Peng Dan took a small sip of the tea on the table. Then he said, “I heard that in Kunlun Mountain, you had a strange Martial Technique that could block even the Heavenly Flame.”

Most people would not know of Chu Chaoyun appearing in the Heavenly Dew Divine Spring. However, there was no such thing as an impenetrable wall in the world. Given Peng Dan’s status, his knowing what had happened was not strange.

Xiao Chen remained calm and collected as he smiled. He said, “I was just fortunate. The rumors exaggerate it.”

Peng Dan smiled faintly and said, “There is no need to be humble. I know very clearly whether you were just fortunate or not. I will tell you of the matter first. Although this old man focuses on refining Medicinal Pills, my cultivation and combat prowess are no weaker than those of Martial Sages of the same rank.

“Not to praise myself, but by relying on certain methods, I have even managed to kill Medial Grade Martial Sages. Normally, when this old man has some time, I go out with some good friends to adventure.”

Xiao Chen felt surprised. He gave this old man a somewhat impressed glance. This person was definitely no demonic genius. It would not have been that simple for him to defeat people of a higher cultivation than himself. If what he said was true, then Peng Dan hid himself quite well.

“In one of my recent adventures, my friends and I explored the place where an ancient Sovereign Martial Emperor passed away. This Sovereign Martial Emperor was a famous evil cultivator. It would not be too much even to call him the leader of the evil cultivators. After he died, the loose cultivators referred to him as the Evil King!”

When Xiao Chen heard the last line, his heart skipped a beat. Unexpectedly, that place was where the Evil King passed away. Was that true?

However, Xiao Chen’s mental state was extraordinary, so he was just mildly shocked. While he did not lack a reaction, he did not look overly shocked, showing only a normal expression.

“The ancient Evil King is indeed very famous. I had heard of the seven thrones even when I was in the Sky Dome Realm.” Then, Xiao Chen continued, “Elder Peng must have gained a great harvest.”

A look of regret flashed in Peng Dan’s eyes. He smiled bitterly and said, “What harvest? My friends and I broke through a few restrictions along the way. However, we ended up blocked outside by a strange flame resembling the Heavenly Flame, unable to enter the actual area where the Evil King died.”

Xiao Chen rapped on the table gently with his right hand. He frowned slightly. A strange flame resembling the Heavenly Flame. That means that that flame is not a Heavenly Flame.

The Heavenly Flame had special characteristics. Given the combined experience of Elder Peng and his friends, they would no doubt be able to recognize it. Since it was not the Heavenly Flame, then what kind of flame could it be, to block a group of Martial Sage experts?

Suddenly, Xiao Chen thought of something. He looked at Elder Peng. Could he be hoping that I can deal with it?

In that case, there is definitely a huge misunderstanding. The Taiji Yinyang Flame Diagram can block the Heavenly Flame because it also came from Yinyang like the Heavenly Flame.

The Taiji Yinyang Flame Diagram does not have any special ability in resisting other kinds of flames.

Given Xiao Chen’s cultivation, he would not be able to extinguish a flame that even a peak Inferior Grade Martial Sage could not. However, it should be possible to use the particular characteristics of the Taiji Yinyang Flame Diagram to suppress the flame temporarily.

Of course, Xiao Chen would not mention that right away. He had two thrones from the Evil King, so he was also very interested in the place where the Evil King died.

Peng Dan saw Xiao Chen’s gaze and said, “It looks like you already guessed what I intend. Are you interested? If you are, we can cut you a share of the treasures that the Evil King left.”

Xiao Chen did not rush to answer. He asked, “Are you sure it is where the Evil King died?”

Peng Dan replied, “I am absolutely sure. The person who initiated this is of the later generation of the sect the Evil King founded. However, this sect is on the decline now. The Primal Chaos Domain is full of trouble, and the sect could collapse at any moment.

“If the sect were not on the verge of collapse, my old friend would not go against the ancestral teachings and disturb the resting place of his predecessors.”

Elder Peng was about two hundred years old. He was not someone easy to fool. Since he said this, then it really had to be the final resting place of the Evil King.

However, accompanying a group of old men on a treasure hunt would be a headache. This group of people was likely to have similar cultivations to Elder Peng.

There might even be a Medial Grade Martial Sage. Now, that Xiao Chen’s cultivation had advanced, he should be able to protect himself from people like Elder Peng.

However, Xiao Chen would not stand a chance against a Medial Grade Martial Sage. If there was a Medial Grade Martial Sage who got greedy, it would be problematic. He did not believe that Elder Peng could resolve such a situation by himself.

However, he stopped thinking about this after a while. He replied, “Honestly speaking, I do have some methods that should be able to suppress this fire temporarily. However, I am not completely confident of them.”

Peng Dan waved off Xiao Chen’s demurral and said, “That is not a problem. After our previous failure, we made arrangements to find ways to break through this fire before exploring it again. I have thought of a few ideas myself. My old friends should have some ideas as well.”

“Come with me three days from now. If we succeed, we succeed. If not, there are still the methods of my friends.”