Chapter 1200: Number One Below the Transcendent Tribulation Stage
Moving the immortal palace wouldn’t be an easy task, as evidenced by the fact that the Midheaven Emperor-Lord hadn’t even taken it with him when he fled.
Moreover, the immortal palace was the Midheaven Emperor-Lord’s magical treasure. Without his consent, it couldn’t even be stowed away in a storage ring.
Furthermore, the immortal palace’s dimensions were measured in li. Lu Yang couldn’t possibly carry it all the way from the sun to the sect. That would be far too conspicuous.
Soon, he came up with a good idea. “Could we have the Fate Arbiter use his Spirit Awakening Dao Fruit to transfigure the immortal palace and make it move itself to our sect?”
Yun Zhi looked at her innocent little junior brother, her tone peculiar. “Are you suggesting that we get the Fate Arbiter to bestow life on the immortal palace, then let it fly back to our sect on its own, only for us to dismember it before his eyes, forge it into an immortal artifact, and then use that artifact on him?”
Lu Yang scratched his head sheepishly. It does sound rather cruel. “Then how about we just invite Senior Heaven Mandate Immortal here? He’ll be the one forging the immortal artifact anyway.”
Yun Zhi nodded. This idea sounds feasible.
Lu Yang currently had the protection of Yun Zhi and the Everlasting Immortal Fairy and didn’t fear the Heaven Mandate Immortal. Even if he cursed him, and the Heaven Mandate Immortal sent an avatar over, Lu Yang was asking for a favor after all, so summoning him that way seemed inappropriate.
Believing that one should humbly and respectfully seek out capable subordinates, Lu Yang decided it was best to personally invite the Heaven Mandate Immortal by making a trip to the Moon Laurel Immortal Palace.
Arriving at the Moon Laurel Immortal Palace, Lu Yang fell into deep thought at the sight of twins running about everywhere.
“Immortal Fairy, why is it that cultivators who drink from the Twins River always give birth to daughters?”
“Why is that strange? Don’t they say ‘dragons birth dragons, phoenixes birth phoenixes?’ If a man drinks from the Twins River, he’ll sire sons, and if a woman drinks it, she’ll naturally birth daughters.”
Lu Yang. “...”
Prior to this, he had always wondered what would happen if a male drank from the Twins River, but he had never dared to ask.
Now that the answer was clear, there was no need to ask.
I should stay far away from the Twins River from now on and make sure that not a drop splashes on me.
~~~
Lu Yang found the Heaven Mandate Immortal. Upon hearing that there was an immortal palace available for artifact refinement, the latter perked up with interest and headed straight for the sun without a second word.
Laying his eyes on the immortal palace for the first time, the Heaven Mandate Immortal was awestruck.
“Using all these fine materials to refine this one palace—what a waste of treasures!
“Look here, these two types of immortal gold have different properties, yet they’ve been forcibly joined together!
“And here, the impurities haven’t even been properly removed, and the hardness doesn’t meet the standard. What the hell is this?!
“Who forged this pile of junk? If you can’t do it, then don’t!”
“Mo Qingshui, the Midheaven Emperor-Lord,” Lu Yang replied.
The Heaven Mandate Immortal scoffed. “What emperor-lord? He’s just a nouveau riche. He thinks he’s all that impressive just because he grasped a Devouring Dao Fruit?”
Lu Yang understood. This is professional rivalry. Although the Midheaven Emperor-Lord was often in a sorry state before Big Senior Sister, he wielded great authority at other times.
It should also be the case for the Heaven Mandate Immortal.
Furthermore, considering that the Midheaven Emperor-Lord had presided over the Central Continent in all his glory during the Great Qian era, the Heaven Mandate Immortal is definitely not too pleased about it.
“Can you forge an immortal artifact that suppresses cultivation realms?” Yun Zhi asked.
“With this much immortal gold, it’s no problem, of course!” the Heaven Mandate Immortal assured with full confidence.
Yun Zhi nodded skeptically. She remembered that when she first met the Heaven Mandate Immortal, he had declared the same thing with equal confidence, only to say that he couldn’t do it afterward.
Guess I’ll trust him one more time.
In the Heaven Mandate Immortal’s eyes, the immortal palace was no longer a single structure, but neatly arranged blocks of immortal gold and spirit gold.
With a thought, he summoned rolling thunder. The lightning served as blades, slicing through the immortal palace. Soon, slabs of immortal gold and spirit gold, marked with characters Lu Yang couldn’t recognize, were stripped away. Each emanated a subtle oppressive pressure that made it clear they weren’t mere ordinary objects.
The Heaven Mandate Immortal handled the immortal gold with practiced ease, becoming more delighted as he cut up the immortal palace. “Just leave this to me.”
Seeing how the Heaven Mandate Immortal was in his element, Yun Zhi temporarily set aside her doubts about his artifact refinement abilities and led Lu Yang back to the Dao-Seeking Sect, leaving the Heaven Mandate Immortal alone.
“Forging something like Incarceration Peak, huh...” the Heaven Mandate Immortal murmured to himself. It had been such a long time since he had forged a space-type magical treasure that he had forgotten the most essential item.
“I have no blueprints.”
If anyone is best at designing blueprints, it’s Zhu Tian.
The Heaven Mandate Immortal regretted his overconfidence; he had spoken too early. If I’d known, I would have told Lu Yang to bring Zhu Tian over before letting them leave.
“Never mind, I’ll go find Zhu Tian myself.”
Before long, the Heaven Mandate Immortal brought Zhu Tian to the sun. Trembling with reverence, the latter dared not look around, focusing entirely on designing the new Incarceration Peak.
Subsequently, the Heaven Mandate Immortal remembered that immortal fire would be best for refining immortal artifacts, so he brought the Nine-Layers Immortal over as well.
The Heaven Mandate Immortal and the Nine-Layers Immortal stood on either side of Zhu Tian, both waiting for his blueprints.
Having two ancient immortals standing like bodyguards before him gave Zhu Tian quite the fright. Fortunately, his mental fortitude didn’t let his anxiety affect his design process.
As I thought, I was the one who ushered in the Battle of the Great Era. More and more immortals are gathering around me, Zhu Tian mused inwardly. With that, he threw himself into his work with renewed vigor.
~~~
With the latest release of Cultivation Monthly, news that Lu Yang had slain a half-immortal while at the Transcendent Tribulation Stage spread like wildfire.
Ordinary citizens thought nothing of it. After all, challenging across levels was nothing new for Prodigy Lu.
But in the eyes of knowledgeable cultivators, it was an entirely different matter.
A Transcendent Tribulation cultivator slaying a half-immortal was an unprecedented feat. This was a major event bound to be recorded in the annals. Tens of thousands of years later, when later generations enumerated the prodigies of each era, Lu Yang’s name would be an insurmountable mountain that no one could bypass.
Most importantly, Lu Yang wasn’t even a true Transcendent Tribulation cultivator yet—he had fluctuated to this level from the Void Refinement Stage. His victory over Yang Kongtong indicated that he was extremely familiar with the power at the Transcendent Tribulation Stage.
If anyone had the most complicated feelings about this, it was Lu Baqian, the sect leader of the Corpse-Driving Sect.
~~~
Lu Baqian set down the newspaper with a heavy sigh. “I never expected the Taciturn Daoist Priest’s youngest disciple to grow this quickly.”
Zhao Po, a disciple of the Corpse-Driving Sect, had traveled with Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou in the Wilderness Province and could be considered an old acquaintance.
He didn’t understand why his sect leader felt this way. “Sect Leader, isn’t Senior Brother Lu’s rapid growth a good thing?”
“Of course, it’s a good thing, but it’s not entirely a good thing for me.”
“Why?” Zhao Po was still baffled.
Lu Baqian shot Zhao Po a glance. This kid’s cultivation talent is not bad, but he’s not very bright. Compared to Lu Yang, he falls far short.
Although he isn’t quick-witted, he is still the next sect leader. I should explain a bit more.
“Several years ago, my body was taken over by a Great Yu cultivator. That Great Yu cultivator helped me reach the Transcendent Tribulation Stage, allowing me to obtain a Transcendent Tribulation body. However, since my soul was still at the Fusion Stage, I was, strictly speaking, still a Fusion cultivator.
“That’s precisely how I earned the reputation as the number one below the Transcendent Tribulation Stage. If that kid Lu Yang ever reaches the Fusion Stage, I won’t be able to keep my title.”
Zhao Po was speechless. Isn’t that title something you gave yourself?