Cultivation: Immunity to Negative Effects

’You didn’t lift a finger to help back then, but now you show up preaching about making peace. Besides, the Song Family was the mastermind behind all this from the very beginning. What right do you have to mediate?’

’And even if I did agree to a truce, I doubt you’d actually let me off the hook!’

’Good thing I was prepared. The battle is already over! No matter what other schemes you’ve cooked up, you can all just eat my dust!’

As Zhang Chi laid out his conditions, he was filled with scorn for the Song Family’s Golden Core Elder and the others, but he was in no hurry.

The Floating Airship had made a brief stop at White Cloud Marketplace earlier, and he had taken the opportunity to quietly disembark and make some arrangements.

He had released his Corpse Puppet and Demon Beast, ordering them to kill Patriarch Xie and, while they were at it, seize his Storage Bag and other loot.

He had even given the Corpse Puppet some Magical Artifacts and Spirit Talismans.

Because the Corpse Puppet was a Celestial Corpse, it had gained a degree of combat intelligence after reaching Tier Two Peak, making it perfectly capable of using Magical Artifacts and Spirit Talismans.

After that, he had been monitoring the battle between his Corpse Puppet and the Spirit Snake through a Phantom Beetle.

So, while he appeared to be at the Sect, he was actually dealing with Patriarch Xie the entire time.

He even managed to teach a lesson to Song Youdao, who happened to be visiting the Xie Family.

It was a shame his target escaped, but he had still managed to severely injure him and was lucky enough to confiscate his Storage Bag. Even though it cost him a Tier Three Spirit Talisman, it was definitely worth it.

That was why, when he heard the Golden Core Dwarf propose a truce, he didn’t object, instead planning to use the opportunity to squeeze some benefits out of them.

As far as he was concerned, it was a perfectly reasonable demand.

After all, on the surface, he was just a Foundation Establishment Early Stage Alchemy Master. He certainly wouldn’t dare to openly oppose the Song Family. Even for the sake of his new master, he would have to prioritize peace.

And it wasn’t strange for a young man like him to want some extra compensation.

"Fine. Here are two Jade Talismans. You can use them to enter the Inheritance Hall and exchange them for two Upper Grade Cultivation Techniques. And here are two thousand Middle Grade spirit stones. Take them."

The Golden Core Elders present, unaware of the truth, all nodded in approval, thinking Zhang Chi was being very sensible.

The Song Family’s Golden Core Elder frowned slightly but still agreed to Zhang Chi’s demands, handing over the items on the spot.

’Did I ask for too little?’

Zhang Chi couldn’t help but wonder.

At the same time, he quickly stashed the items away.

What he didn’t know was that, even for a Golden Core Middle Stage Cultivator, giving up these items—especially two Upper Grade Cultivation Techniques—was a painful loss.

The Song Family’s Golden Core Elder had only gritted his teeth and agreed because he fully intended to kill Zhang Chi soon and take everything back, and then some.

"Sigh!"

Seeing this, Elder Jian shook her head slightly, but she didn’t intervene, and her expression softened.

Her disciple had compromised, so there was no need for her to argue any further. Perhaps this was more beneficial for Zhang Chi’s future development anyway.

"Sect Leader, Elders! Something has happened to the Xie Family! Patriarch Xie was attacked and killed by a Demon Cultivator! He’s fallen! Even Senior Song Youdao has been severely injured!"

"And the attacker is the same Demon Cultivator who ambushed Patriarch Xie last time, only they seem to have gotten even stronger!"

Just as the Song Family’s Golden Core Elder was about to send a message summoning Patriarch Xie, a Gate Guardian Daoist Child burst in, reporting frantically.

"What?"

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

The Cultivators were all stunned, and the Song Family’s Golden Core Elder cried out, losing his composure.

Song Youdao was the Song Family’s Quasi-Gold Core. Now that he was in trouble, the elder was naturally frantic.

As for Patriarch Xie being killed, that suddenly seemed far less important.

He even felt the man deserved to die.

Getting Song Youdao seriously injured was unforgivable. Even if the Patriarch hadn’t died, the elder would never have let him off.

"How is Youdao? Is he badly hurt? And the Demon Cultivator? Let’s go! We’re heading over there right now!"

The Song Family’s Golden Core Elder shouted his questions as he flew swiftly out of the Floating Palace.

He had grabbed the messenger Daoist Child and was carrying him along.

"Senior Song Youdao is alive, but a Tier Three Wind Blade severed one of his arms, and he lost his Storage Bag in the process!"

The Daoist Child quickly replied.

Only then did the Song Family’s Golden Core Elder toss him aside

The Sect Leader and the other Golden Core Elders immediately followed, flying directly toward the Xie Family’s Red Leaf City.

Zhang Chi and Chen Ling’Er were brought along by their respective masters.

"Zhang Chi, do you have anything to do with this?" Elder Jian asked via voice transmission as they flew.

"No. If I had that kind of power, I would have wiped out both the Xie and Song Families long ago. I wouldn’t have needed to make peace with them."

"Besides, I was at the Sect the whole time, everyone saw me. If the Song Family tries to take their anger out on me later, or demands their compensation back, you have to stand up for me, Master!"

"Furthermore, I think the Xie Family brought this on themselves. This must be the same enemy from before, coming back to finish the job because they felt their initial revenge wasn’t thorough enough!"

Zhang Chi hurriedly denied it via voice transmission.

"Alright, as long as it wasn’t you. Don’t talk nonsense later. The attacker is a Demon Cultivator, not some righteous vigilante. But don’t you worry. As long as I’m here, no one will bully you!"

Elder Jian stared at Zhang Chi for a moment, trying to sense his emotional fluctuations. When she found that he genuinely didn’t seem to be lying, she finally breathed a sigh of relief and believed him.

"Thank you, Master!"

Zhang Chi thanked her quickly, breathing an inward sigh of relief himself.

Moments later, the group arrived at the scene, only to find a complete mess. There wasn’t a single trace of the attacker.

In fact, some of the Sect’s experts on patrol had already arrived before them, but they hadn’t found anything either.

The report from the messenger disciple had actually come from these very experts.

"Dammit!"

Song Youdao had also returned to the scene and was, along with a few other witnesses, once again describing what had happened.

When the Song Family’s Golden Core Elder saw that Song Youdao’s severed arm had been crushed, he was filled with incomparable rage.

If the arm had been cleanly severed, it could have been reattached with a Cultivator’s means, but now it was impossible.

Regrowing a limb was impossible without using High Tier Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, or some special Magical Treasure or Cultivation Technique.

Missing an arm would render his Circulation of Heaven incomplete, which would severely impact his Cultivation. Reaching Core Formation would now be virtually impossible.

To the Song Family’s Golden Core Elder’s extreme frustration, the Song Family had prepared Core Formation Spiritual Objects for Song Youdao, and Song Youdao had collected some himself. All of those things were in the lost Storage Bag.

Now, all of it was gone.

For all they knew, the Demon Cultivator could use those items to advance their Cultivation. If they reached the Golden Core realm, finding and killing them would become even more difficult. It could even bring disaster upon the Song Family.

After all, in their minds, this whole affair started because Song Xinghai was killed by the Demon Cultivator’s sworn sister.

If that Demon Cultivator continued their quest for revenge, the Song Family would likely be the next target.

’Serves you right! This time I just took your arm and your Storage Bag; next time, I’ll kill you for good. And this was just my Corpse Puppet. It won’t be nearly as satisfying as killing you with my own hands.’

’The fact that you’re not dead just gives me the chance to take my revenge personally!’

At that moment, Zhang Chi was so exhilarated he could barely stop a smile from breaking out on his face.

As for his Corpse Puppet, it had already taken the Storage Bag and other spoils and hidden inside the Black Coffin he had stashed away. Not even the Sect Leader of the Cangwu Sect would be able to find it anytime soon.