Cultivation: When you take things to the extreme

Chapter 488: Chapter 299: The Root Cause

This dream connected two lifetimes, five thousand years, with a time differential of a hundredfold, and even in this current life, over half a century had passed.

Thus was the state of Void Spirit Cave Heaven and the Cultivation Realm of Liang Country.

“Kid, run, run for it!”

“Am I not running?”

“Damn that Tianshu Sect, I’ll remember this!”

A chase unfolded in the mountains.

An Escape Light darted ahead, burrowing into the earth, concealing in wood, and submerging in water. Although it was but the Minor Five Elements Escape Art, it was utilized to its utmost limit, only then eluding the several cultivators who were relentlessly pursuing from behind.

Having shaken off his pursuers, the Escape Light assumed its true form, revealing a young man with a rugged beard, his face marked by the hardships of life. As soon as he landed, he did not even take time to catch his breath before he downed a bottle of pills and began to meditate.

After a long while, he restored his mana and exhaled a heavy breath.

“Phew!”

“At least I didn’t damage my foundation!”

“Damn it, why am I so unlucky, encountering those remnants of the Tianshu Sect everywhere I go?”

“It’s all because you lack effort, kid. At your age, seventy or eighty, you’re still at Golden Core stage. When I was your age, I had already reached Nascent Soul Condensing and could even spar a few rounds with Deity Transformation—unlike you, chased by a few Golden Cores.”

Facing the dejected Xiao Miao, Elder Zhen brutally took him down a notch.

To this, Xiao Miao simply retorted: “What can I do? Condensing the Nascent Soul means Crossing the Tribulation. Liang Country is only so big, and I couldn’t find anyone to protect me. If I were injured during the Tribulation and someone took advantage of my vulnerability…”

“That’s what I mean, you just lack effort. If you had mastered my skills, even if you couldn’t withstand 99 Heaven Tribulations like that old ghost, you would have found 49 Heaven Tribulations to be a piece of cake. Why worry so much?”

“Yes, yes, I’m useless, I’m a hopeless case, I’ve let down your esteemed self.”

In the face of Elder Zhen’s stern words, Xiao Miao chose resignation: “If Green Jade Mountain was still around, there would be someone tall to bear the falling sky, sparing us underlings the worries.”

Fifty years earlier, the “King Shifa” whose might shook Liang Country after a battle with the Tianshu Sect had disappeared without a trace, and the whereabouts of Green Jade Mountain and its disciples were unknown, leaving the Cultivation Realm of Liang Country leaderless and on the verge of chaos.

Fortunately, years ago, Green Jade Mountain Scouring the Court and Sweeping the Den had eradicated the Evil Cultivators and Robbing Cultivators, deterring the hearts of the people with its might that lingered to this day. So ultimately, a major chaos did not erupt. Several powerful Golden Core factions rose and under the banner of the Righteous Path, re-established order in the Cultivation Realm. Although there were occasional disputes among them, the peace was uneasy, like a tightening belt.

Yet, this peace belonged only to the ignorant!

Xiao Miao did not belong to this group, for he was well aware of the wolves and tigers that lay in wait beyond the Void Spirit Cave Heaven.

For this reason, he was keen on improving his strength, to be prepared for the imminent changes to the Void Spirit Cave Heaven.

Alas, time was too short and no matter how hard he tried, it was difficult to see substantial results. Recently, he had even attracted the attention of Tianshu Sect’s remnants who had escaped death by chance in the past. Although his cultivation had reached the pinnacle of Golden Core, he dared not attempt Nascent Soul Condensing and Crossing the Tribulation.

How wretched a situation it was.

Just as Xiao Miao lamented.

“Phew!”

A gentle breeze blew by, and the atmosphere of the mountain wilderness abruptly shifted.

“!!!!!”

Xiao Miao’s pupils contracted sharply, his body stiffened as he stared at the person before him, his eyes filled with unspeakable astonishment.

“King, King Shifa?”

Xiao Miao stood frozen in disbelief.

Xu Yang stepped forward with a light chuckle, “Fellow Daoist, may I ask you to reveal yourself?”

“Fellow Daoist?!”

Xiao Miao’s gaze sharpened as he came to his senses, looking at the person before him, his heart filled with hesitation, and his legs eager to move.

Although he did not know whether the person before him was real or fake, he was certain that “Fellow Daoist” was not being addressed to him.

If not him, then…

Xiao Miao’s heart skipped a beat, and panic surged through him, precipitating an urge to flee.

“Don’t waste your energy, we can’t escape.”

At that moment, a sigh reached his ears, halting Xiao Miao’s movement.

Xiao Miao, bewildered and confused, asked, “How did he discover us?”

“If you don’t want anyone to know, don’t do it. I’ve helped you so many times; how could there not be traces left behind? Given his capabilities, if not clear as day, he certainly has an idea,” sighed Elder Zhen, his voice filled with a ghostly tone.

“Let me out, he doesn’t seem to have any hostile intentions.”

“This… Alright then!”

With hesitation, Xiao Miao finally agreed, and then he summoned forth a beam of Spirit Light with a wave of his hand.

The Spirit Light flickered and began to take shape, quickly revealing an old man in white robes.

“I am Xuan Zhen, greetings to Fellow Daoist!”

The old man greeted him and stated his name.

Xu Yang smiled and went straight to the point, “Fellow Daoist, I have numerous doubts and confusions, hence my bold intrusion to inquire of you. If I have been presumptuous, I ask for your forgiveness.”

Xuan Zhen shook his head, “Fellow Daoist is too formal. My young disciple has received much kindness from you, and we have no way to repay it. Whatever doubts you have, feel free to ask. I will certainly leave nothing undisclosed!”

“This…”

Xiao Miao stood by, watching the two converse, amazed. After so many years together, it was the first time he saw Elder Zhen be so courteous, a stark contrast to the ruffian he usually was.

Indeed, whether one is rough or refined depends on whom they are dealing with. For King Shifa, Elder Zhen certainly had plenty of moral cultivation.

“Since Fellow Daoist has said so, then I will take the liberty of asking,” Xu Yang said with a smile, getting straight to the point, “Not to hide it from you, I am not from the Cultivation Realm of the Northern Domain, having ended up here by chance. I am completely ignorant of the affairs between Void Spirit Cave Heaven and the outside world, which is why I have come to consult with Fellow Daoist.”

“Oh!?”

Though he harbored some such suspicions, Xuan Zhen was still somewhat surprised to hear Xu Yang articulate it, “Fellow Daoist is not from the Northern Domain Cultivation Realm?”