Chapter 512 - 147: Sect Disciples
Whether or not to cultivate the Divine Technique was something Wang Ping hadn’t decided yet, but there was no rush. His most pressing cultivation matter was to fully merge with the Heaven-Reaching Talisman. The talisman, which would have originally taken nearly a century to fuse with, had now reached a progress of (78/100).
Now that he no longer had the assistance of the Xiao Shan Lord’s Primordial Spirit from the complex array, further integration would require a step-by-step effort. Still, it would only take a few more decades to complete, and such a short time was nothing to a Third Realm Cultivator.
"Oh, right! I’m going to check on Xiaozhu!"
Yu Lian sensed Wang Ping’s relaxed mood, and her own wariness dissipated. Then, as if remembering something important, she called out to him before rising into the clouds, vanishing over the horizon in the blink of an eye.
Yu Lian’s mention of Xiaozhu suddenly reminded Wang Ping of something: Zhao Yu’Er, who had been placed under Liu Shuang’s care, was missing.
He had initially released Zhao Yu’Er because the two forces within her body had reached a balance. However, the risk of that balance shattering remained, so he had kept her by his side for supervision. Later, when Liu Shuang came out of seclusion, he entrusted Zhao Yu’Er to her care.
Previously, when he had swept his Primordial Spirit over the entirety of Moon Mountain, he had subconsciously felt that something was missing. But at the time, he was in a hurry to return to Qianmu Temple and hadn’t paid it much mind.
However, on second thought, he mused, ’Liu Shuang is Zhao Yu’Er’s master, after all. For Zhao Yu’Er to have left her side, she must have had Liu Shuang’s approval. Besides, I’m the one who placed that special Soldier Talisman on her, and I gave Liu Shuang control over it.’
Wang Ping looked up in the direction Yu Lian had disappeared and extended his Primordial Spirit Consciousness. He soon located Shen Xiaozhu’s Dao Field courtyard. An isolation Array, the handiwork of the Yuan Zheng Taoist, surrounded the courtyard. Shen Xiaozhu was in a meditative trance before a locust tree she had planted. She was likely planning to grow alongside the tree to increase her chances of success when breaking into the next realm.
Only someone like Shen Xiaozhu could remain so steady before her breakthrough. She possessed an unshakeable desire to pursue eternal life, which allowed her to endure the dull, lonely practice of cultivation and even find joy in it. In a way, she was very much like Xiu Yu.
Yu Lian didn’t enter the Array to disturb Shen Xiaozhu. She flew a circle around it, and after confirming that Shen Xiaozhu’s condition was stable, she settled on a nearby Spirit Wood Tree to rest.
Wang Ping retracted his Primordial Spirit and began searching for Xia Wen Yi. He hadn’t noticed him earlier, and a thorough scan still revealed no sign of him. ’Based on Xia Wen Yi’s cultivation progress, he should be in the final stage of marrow washing. Where could he have gone instead of staying in the sect to cultivate properly?’
Although Wang Ping appeared unconcerned about this disciple on the surface, deep down, he still hoped Xia Wen Yi would achieve something and, together with Shen Xiaozhu, carry on his legacy.
’Could the events in Shangjing City have affected him?’
Wang Ping couldn’t help but consider this possibility. He extended his Primordial Spirit Consciousness further outward, and it soon covered the areas beyond Qianmu Temple.
A moment later, his Primordial Spirit Consciousness enveloped more than half of Shang’an Prefecture. He took the opportunity to check on Liu Ling and Yang Rong as well. Liu Ling’s condition was currently stable, but Yang Rong’s whereabouts were unknown. Finally, he located Xia Wen Yi in a forest north of Changwen Prefecture, where he was searching the mountains for demons alongside soldiers from the local County Government.
He also spotted two of his other disciples among them: Wang Yang, and Xuanling, who had been entrusted to him by the Xiao Shan Lord. However, they were acting as the commanders for this mountain search, stationed with the Central Army.
Under the cover of the dim night, Xia Wen Yi was leading five Inner Sect Disciples from Qianmu Temple through the forest. His mission was likely reconnaissance.
Wang Ping wasn’t in the habit of prying, so he immediately retracted his Primordial Spirit Consciousness after locating Xia Wen Yi.
This sweep of his Primordial Spirit revealed the prosperity of Shang’an Prefecture under the night sky, making him almost doubt whether the events in Shangjing City had truly happened.
’Perhaps this place will also descend into chaos soon. After all, the Daoist Scripture Hall is no more.’
Previously, the various powers had been in a tacit state of observation. That, along with the standoff between the Shangjing Court and the Chu Country, created a balance maintained by over a dozen Fourth Realm Cultivators. But now, Shangjing City was a ruin.
The world was just waiting for a single event to shatter the current peace.
When that happens, order will surely collapse.
If the Chu Country, representing the Southern Cultivation Realm, could win the coming war, then the south could maintain its stability. If not, the south would likely splinter. Without the Xiao Shan Lord’s deterrent presence, the various regions would probably declare their independence.
Wang Ping decisively stopped this line of thought.
These problems were no longer his concern. He had already freed himself from most external karmic ties.
For a long time to come, he would simply cultivate in a low-key manner. With Qianmu Temple’s current strength, coupled with its alliances with Wu Quan, Ganxing, and Zi Luan, it could still guarantee basic order in Changwen Prefecture, and perhaps even Nanlin Road.
Wang Ping’s requirements were simple: as long as his cultivation wasn’t disturbed, he was fine.
Perhaps it was precisely because there were too many capable Cultivators who thought like Wang Ping that the world’s order was so often in a state of chaos.
But when you did take the time to maintain order, you would be called a tyrannical ruler or a merciless vampire. Take the former Daoist Scripture Hall, for example. It never had a good reputation among ordinary mortals.
Such is the divide between immortals and mortals.
There is a natural ideological gap between Cultivators and ordinary people, which leads to constant conflict.
Cutting off these various thoughts, Wang Ping quickly entered a meditative trance.
「Ten days passed.」
Wang Ping’s mind had completely detached from the events of Shangjing City.
At 5:15 AM on the tenth day, he opened his eyes to a dim, lightless sky. After calling Yu Lian back, he set up a pre-refined, stationary Wood Spirit Array in the small courtyard. Then, he calmed his mind and, with his humanity at its fullest, communed with the Heaven-Reaching Talisman, feeling the Majestic Power of Heaven and Earth and attempting his daily fusion with it.
After he finished, Wang Ping’s humanity returned to a state of cold rationality. By now, the morning market in the West Suburb of Zhonghui County Town below the mountain had already begun. Yu Lian suggested, "We haven’t been to the Zhonghui County morning market in a long time. Want to go take a look?"
"Alright."
Wang Ping did not refuse. As he agreed, he tried to summon a feeling of joy, but influenced by the Majestic Power of Heaven and Earth from the Heaven-Reaching Talisman, he found he couldn’t muster it at all.
However, after a quarter of an hour in the morning market, which was brimming with vitality and human consciousness, his thoughts returned to those of a normal person.
The morning market in the west of Zhonghui County Town benefited from the city’s proximity to Qianmu Mountain. The city gates usually opened right at 5:00 AM because pilgrims from out of town often wanted to enter before dawn to worship in the main hall of Qianmu Temple.
As a result, the morning market here was most famous for its variety of delicious breakfast foods, with Chen’s Meatballs being the most popular business.
Wang Ping was currently sitting in the meatball shop. A single bowl cost sixteen copper plates, a price that was indeed steep for an ordinary person. But the people who came to worship at Qianmu Temple’s main hall at this hour were either rich or noble.
The meatballs were served in a fresh broth. Wang Ping ordered two bowls, one for himself and one for Yu Lian. The other customers weren’t frightened by Yu Lian’s presence, as quite a few Cultivators in the hall had their own Spirit Pets.
Halfway through his meal, a cheer erupted from the main road outside. The County Magistrate’s Office constables had successfully captured a demon during the night. A large cat with a blood-stained mouth was locked in a special prison cart, and the nearby commoners cheered for the constables while cursing the beast.
Wang Ping and Yu Lian quietly finished their meatballs. By the time they were done, the constables had already escorted the large cat into the city proper. He didn’t concern himself with the matter and quietly returned to the sect with Yu Lian.
Next, he still needed to condense his Primordial Spirit, and then go pay his respects to his master.