"What's going on!" The three stared blankly at each other, none of them having any idea what to do.
"Is the Immortal Cult reliable at all?! Wasn't it agreed that he's the Immortal Celestial? Why did calling out 'Immortal Fairy' get a reaction, too!" Lu Yang hollered in outrage at the Immortal Cult's utter incompetence. They couldn't even figure out whether the deity they worshiped was an Immortal Celestial or an Immortal Fairy—what kind of religion were they supposed to be?!
"Stop rambling and run!" Meng Jingzhou shouted. Now was hardly the time to complain.
The figure condensing in the sky was like an illusory phantom, its existence extremely unstable. Feeling the karmic connection between herself and Lu Yang, she realized that he was the one who had spoken her true name. Turning into a streak of flowing light, she shot straight into Lu Yang's body.
"Barely at Foundation Establishment—what a weak little creature." The figure arrived in Lu Yang's spiritual space. He had yet to cultivate or expand it, leaving only a tiny patch of space.
As the figure entered, Lu Yang was drawn into his spiritual space as well.
The space was pitch-black on all sides, as though bordered by invisible walls. Only a small clearing in the center was illuminated, and Lu Yang and the figure stood within that circle of light.
Lu Yang eyed her warily. "Who are you?!"
The figure chuckled softly, studying Lu Yang's reaction with keen amusement. Her voice was melodious, yet to Lu Yang's ears, it sounded like a sentence delivered straight from the underworld. "Heh, you've already called out my name, and you still don't know who I am?"
Lu Yang's heart sank, dashing any lingering hopes. The absolute worst-case scenario had come to pass. She truly was the deity worshiped by the Immortal Cult.
She was an immortal—a genuine, revived immortal!
To be brought back to life merely by someone speaking her name—what a terrifying existence!
"What are you trying to do?"
The figure did not deign to answer his question. Instead, she asked, "What year is it now, and who holds dominion over heaven and earth?"
"Right now it's the Great Xia Dynasty, and the supreme ruler of the human race is Emperor Xia. A hundred thousand years before this was the Great Yu Dynasty, which lasted for a hundred thousand years. As for the dynasties before that, I don't know."
"Emperor Xia? Great Xia? Great Yu? I've never heard of any of these dynasties." The figure shook her head and asked again, "How long have I been dead?"
That question was beyond Lu Yang's knowledge. "As far as I know, you are an immortal from the ancient era. When the Anonymous One refined the stars into continents, you sheltered the human race."
Lu Yang was reminding her that she had once performed such a magnificent feat of protecting humanity—she was an immortal of the righteous path, so she shouldn't do anything shameful to a junior like him.
"The Anonymous One? Refining stars into continents? Sheltering humanity? What kind of nonsense is all that?" The figure was utterly bewildered, having no idea what he was talking about.
Lu Yang nearly cursed out loud. He knew the Immortal Cult couldn't be trusted! Was a single shred of their intelligence true? She didn't know anything about any of it!
The figure realized that far too much time had passed since her era—so long that the human race had completely forgotten her deeds and her immortal name. If even a single person in the world had known her title and immortal name, she would have resurrected long ago and wouldn't be standing here ignorant of what the Great Yu or Great Xia Dynasties even were.
Ah, well. Since the world had forgotten her name, she would simply use this boy's body to make the name of the Immortal Fairy Huang Doudou resound across heaven and earth once more!
The Immortal Fairy turned her gaze toward Lu Yang with a hint of approval and mischief.
Lu Yang felt a foreboding chill, and then the Immortal Fairy sneered, "Seeing as your cultivation is lowly and you've only just reached Foundation Establishment, yet your spiritual root is exceptional and your foundation solid, allow me to seize your body and take you to behold this glorious world!"
Body seizure!
Matters were unfolding in the exact direction Lu Yang dreaded most.
Refusing to be taken without a fight, Lu Yang dropped into a stance opposite the Immortal Fairy and unleashed a set of fist forms that seemed to mimic a woman.
"Don't think you can boss me around just because you're an immortal!"
The Immortal Fairy sneered. What could such soft, flaccid punches possibly accomplish?
She had already scanned the surroundings outside: two ghosts, two Foundation Establishment cultivators, and a dragon horse. Not a single one of them could stop her from taking this body!
If Meng Jingzhou or Man Gu were present, they would have recognized it instantly—Lu Yang was executing the ultimate technique of the Imitation Fist, the Eldest Senior Sister Imitation Fist.
……
At the Dao Seeking Sect, Yun Zhi was in the Discussion Hall deliberating various sect affairs with the eight elders.
"I believe more spirit stones should be allocated to our Pill Cauldron Peak! We're on the verge of a major breakthrough in the dao of alchemy. All we need right now is a few spirit stones. This is a historic moment; no matter how many spirit stones are invested, it will be well worth it!"
"Giving spirit stones to Pill Cauldron Peak is a waste—better to give them to our Herb Garden! We could replace the foundational formations, and our herbs would grow much sturdier!"
The elders argued over which side should receive the spirit stones, each stating their case and refusing to yield an inch. Yun Zhi was just about to speak, and seeing her prepare to address them, the eight elders immediately silenced themselves.
Suddenly, Yun Zhi's body stiffened. That sensation from last time had returned—was Lu Yang borrowing her power again?
A wisp of power condensed at Yun Zhi's fingertip. Should she give it to him?
Last time, Lu Yang had managed to draw power from her so easily only because she had been caught off guard. This time, she was fully prepared and did not let a single trace of power leak out.
After a moment's thought, Yun Zhi withdrew her power and decided to go see for herself what Lu Yang was up to.
"Elders, please continue your discussion. I shall return shortly."
Yun Zhi sent her soul out of her body to traverse heaven and earth, leaving the elders staring blankly at one another.
Her soul soared into the sky, took a great leap forward, and tore through the air at an unimaginable speed. Pinpointing the location, she entered Lu Yang's body.
The moment she entered, she heard the Immortal Fairy mock, "Surrender obediently and let me seize your body."
With a single glance, Yun Zhi could tell that the Immortal Fairy was an immortal soul. Though weakened, it was completely intact.
"You dare lay a hand on my junior brother?" Yun Zhi reached out a slender, fair hand and struck toward the Immortal Fairy.
"Who is that!" The Immortal Fairy was startled. She hadn't sensed the newcomer's arrival in the slightest. Granted, that was partly because she had only just resurrected and her immortal soul was weak, but it was still an astonishing feat.
The Immortal Fairy felt a flicker of gratification: during the long era following her death, the human race had actually produced such a genius.
"Dao Seeking Sect, Yun Zhi."
The Immortal Fairy attempted to block Yun Zhi's jade-like hand. Yet that strike, seemingly frail and delicate, contained the very workings of heaven and earth. It was profoundly subtle, as though embodying the ultimate truths of all magical arts, completely irresistible.
"Wait! There might be a misunderstanding between us! I was just teasing a junior!" The Immortal Fairy's expression warped drastically. She threw everything she had into blocking the palm strike; the newcomer's strength vastly exceeded her expectations.
Yun Zhi didn't care in the slightest what the Immortal Fairy had to say. Without hesitation, she brought her palm crashing down, suppressing her on the spot.
Enraged, the Immortal Fairy fought back fiercely. "You insolent girl, pushing your luck! Don't you dare think this fairy fears you!"
"An immortal must not be disgraced!"
Seeing that the Immortal Fairy still dared to resist, Yun Zhi furrowed her brows and cast Lu Yang out of his spiritual realm. With him around, she couldn't unleash her methods freely.
"Phew—" Lu Yang was finally ejected from his spiritual world and returned to reality. He let out a long breath, bathed in the relief of having survived a brush with death.
Seeing Lu Yang snap back to his senses, Meng Jingzhou and Man Gu rushed forward to ask what had happened.
Just moments ago, Lu Yang's eyes had gone completely vacant as he stared blankly ahead, leaving Meng Jingzhou and Man Gu flustered and at a complete loss. Then, a soul that looked just like their Eldest Senior Sister had descended from the heavens and plunged into Lu Yang's body.
"I don't know," Lu Yang said, shaking his head. It wasn't that he lacked faith in Eldest Senior Sister, but their opponent was an immortal—an ancient immortal at that. Eldest Senior Sister had once said there were no immortals in the world, which meant she certainly wasn't one herself.
With the two of them fighting, Lu Yang had no idea who would prevail.
"If Eldest Senior Sister is there, it should be fine," Meng Jingzhou said, though his words lacked conviction. He knew Eldest Senior Sister was strong, but just how strong, he had no idea.
"All right, come on back in," Eldest Senior Sister's voice soon echoed within Lu Yang, as aloof and cool as ever.
Lu Yang returned to his spiritual space once more, only to find the high-and-mighty Immortal Fairy had been thoroughly pummeled. She was now frantically trying to explain to Eldest Senior Sister that she was actually a good person.
"I only just managed to revive after so much trouble, so I was just playing a little joke on a junior! I'm a woman, why would I ever want to take over a male cultivator's body? I, Huang Doudou, care about my dignity, too! I'd never do something so degrading!"
"Besides, mine is an immortal soul—how could a Foundation Establishment body possibly withstand my power?"
Eldest Senior Sister looked quietly at the Immortal Fairy, Huang Doudou. After an indeterminate silence, she finally responded.
"Oh."
Evidently, she had chosen to accept the Immortal Fairy's excuse.
Chapter 104