Man Gu and Lan Ting were just preparing to help Lu Yang, but before they could even make a move, they saw him decapitate the Emotionless Cult elder with a fluid sequence of sword strikes.
Seeing the elder's eyes opened wide in death, leaving only a severed head staring back at them, they still felt a sense of surreal bewilderment.
As the two chimed in one after another to explain what had happened, Lu Yang finally got a rough idea of the situation.
"In other words, you two ran into an Emotionless Cult elder you couldn't beat, so you called me over?"
"I called upon the mightiest ancestor of our Barbarian clan at the Soul Formation stage," Man Gu corrected.
Hearing this, Lu Yang rubbed his forehead in exasperation. He remembered that back when he wanted to learn the feign death technique, he hadn't hesitated to take the Immortal Fairy as his master. The Immortal Fairy had told him that taking her as master would elevate his seniority, placing him on the same generational standing as the ancient Barbarians.
It now appeared the Immortal Fairy truly hadn't tricked him.
What was the defining trait of the ancient Barbarians? They were a special branch of humanity that had been cursed by the Immortal Fairy. From that perspective, he genuinely was a bona fide ancient Barbarian.
In fact, he was the oldest, most authentic ancient Barbarian of them all.
Man Gu's Primordial Soul was capable of summoning the power left behind in the world by the Barbarian ancestors. Because the Barbarian ancestors had all passed into history, leaving behind only a sliver of power between heaven and earth, Man Gu's Primordial Soul could normally summon only that tiny remnant.
Now that an actual, living Barbarian ancestor like himself was right there in the flesh, of course he had been summoned directly.
"I had no idea. Brother Lu, were you an ancestor of our Barbarian clan all along?" Man Gu asked cautiously, showing immense deference toward Lu Yang.
Lan Ting also stared at Lu Yang in astonishment. Hanging around Dao Seeking Sect disciples truly broadened one's horizons.
Lu Yang: "..."
*I only just found out myself.*
"Junior Sister Lan Ting, long time no see," Lu Yang said with a smile. Speaking of which, the last time he had seen Lan Ting was when Patriarch Hanhai resolved Daoist Lord Wanfa and revealed himself to the world, at which point numerous cultivation powerhouses came to pay their respects.
Lan Ting smiled. Dressed in a green robe and silk skirt, with damp strands of hair clinging to her cheeks after the fierce battle, she possessed a distinct grace. "Though we haven't crossed paths, Senior Brother Lu Yang's renowned deeds have certainly reached my ears."
"Rescuing the Dragon Clan Ancient Ancestor in the East Sea and leaving her indebted to you; composing an immortal lyric for Ye Mengyin in the Imperial City; exposing the Fourth Prince's rebellion; saving the Sword Tower Supreme and Senior Sister Yun Zhi at the Sword Tower; holding off Immortal Ying Tian..."
Hearing that last part, Lu Yang broke out in a cold sweat. How on earth had that gotten around?
Of course. Back then, Yun Mengmeng had fought the Corpse of Ying Tian under Eldest Senior Sister's name. Afterwards, given Yun Mengmeng's and Eldest Senior Sister's temperaments, neither of them had bothered to clarify. In the eyes of the world, wouldn't it look like he had spoken up and saved Eldest Senior Sister?
"Those are all just rumors," Lu Yang offered a dry laugh, not daring to claim credit. Not to mention, some of those feats had been carried out while the Immortal Fairy possessed him.
Yet to Lan Ting and Man Gu, his response sounded like the epitome of modesty, and their admiration for Lu Yang grew even deeper.
"By the way, after arriving here, I felt an extra power in my body that didn't belong to me. Do either of you know what that was about?" Had he not been bolstered by that power, then even with his swift, unorthodox moves and the fact that Man Gu and Lan Ting had already worn down the elder, he wouldn't have dispatched an early Body Integration stage opponent so quickly.
Man Gu was very surprised. "What a coincidence! I felt like my Primordial Soul was inside your body, Brother Lu."
"...Junior Brother Man, why don't you try ending the call to the ancestor?"
"Oh, right, okay."
Man Gu ended the ancestral summons. His Primordial Soul drifted out from Lu Yang's body and returned to his own, and Lu Yang's strength subsided to its normal level.
"Why is your summoning only a one-way trip?" Lu Yang muttered. He had been planning to go right back and continue hoodwinking Old Meng.
Seeing that Lu Yang couldn't return right away, Lan Ting's eyes lit up. "If Senior Brother Lu Yang has no pressing business, why not visit our Moon Laurel Immortal Palace as a guest? It would be a wonderful opportunity for us to spar and make progress together."
At the moment, Lu Yang truly had nothing urgent on his hands. "But doesn't your Moon Laurel Immortal Palace forbid men from entering?"
"The rule isn't quite that strict," Lan Ting replied with a smile.
Lu Yang considered it. Since she had extended such an invitation, wouldn't it be rude to turn down her kindness?
Besides, he really did want to see what the legendary Moon Laurel Immortal Palace looked like.
"Then I shall trouble you, Junior Sister Lan Ting."
Watching the two chat and laugh, Man Gu couldn't shake the feeling that he was an extra wheel.
"Who should get this Emotionless Cult elder's soul?"
He and Lan Ting had taken the mission at the same time, so to which sect should they deliver the elder?
"That's easy," Lu Yang said.
Lu Yang had watched how Jiang Ping'an split Guan Shanhai's soul back then, and observing from the sidelines had taught him pretty much all he needed to know.
He smeared a few drops of his blood evenly across the sword blade, attached several incantations, and then dragged out the elder's soul concealed within the severed head. Ignoring the elder's shrill screams, he brought the sword down and divided the three ethereal souls and seven corporeal souls evenly. Lan Ting took the three ethereal souls, while Man Gu took the seven corporeal souls.
"Senior Brother Lu Yang, don't you want a share?" Lan Ting asked. After all, Lu Yang had clearly contributed the most.
Lu Yang waved his hand dismissively. He had free access to the Immortal Fairy's contribution points and was rolling in wealth; a mere Body Integration stage soul wasn't worth much to him.
As if suddenly recalling something, Lu Yang earnestly instructed Man Gu, "Right, Junior Brother Man, when you get back, make sure to give Senior Brother Dai a detailed account of how much effort I put in. It's a prime chance to polish my image in his eyes."
"All right."
"Junior Sister Lan Ting, let's go."
* * *
When Dai Bufan saw that Man Gu had brought back the three ethereal souls of an Emotionless Cult elder, he was greatly surprised.
The mission had only tasked Man Gu with investigating clues regarding the Emotionless Cult; he hadn't expected him to capture a high-ranking member directly. What an unexpected pleasant surprise.
With the three ethereal souls of an Emotionless Cult elder, a soul search would definitely enable them to track down several higher-ups!
"To think that you could slay an early Body Integration stage cultivator while only at early Soul Formation, Junior Brother Man. Truly remarkable!"
Man Gu gave a bashful chuckle, claiming no credit. "It was all thanks to Senior Sister Lan Ting and Senior Brother Lu Yang. I hardly lifted a finger."
"What happened? Tell me."
Man Gu gave a thorough description of how he and Lan Ting had met, how they had followed clues to encounter the Emotionless Cult elder, and, per Lu Yang's instructions, laid heavy emphasis on how Lu Yang had appeared in the nick of time, saved Lan Ting, and decapitated the elder with his sword, contributing by far the most.
Dai Bufan found it amusing. How had Lu Yang become an ancestor of the Barbarian clan?
"It seems Junior Brother Lu doesn't only give me frights; he can do plenty of good deeds as well. Who would have thought he'd play such a pivotal role in this?" Dai Bufan laughed.
In the past, it wasn't that Lu Yang didn't do good deeds, but that whenever he did, it always came accompanied by an immense shock—like suddenly establishing the Heavenly Court Cult to infiltrate the demonic cults, or suddenly locating Patriarch Xiantian.
This time was different. This time, Lu Yang had done a good deed without any accompanying shock.
"Is everything you said true?" Dai Bufan confirmed once more.
Man Gu replied with earnest honesty, "It's true! Senior Brother Lu Yang told me to say every bit of it."
"?"
Chapter 1010