The Immortal Celestial

The Cult Master had never expected that the Immortal Celestial would truly appear. He had indeed sensed earlier that the Immortal Celestial was reviving, but he had never imagined the celestial could manifest in the world so quickly. This was an entirely unexpected, joyous surprise. The Cult Master introduced himself with excitement. "Congratulations, Celestial, on awakening from the river of history! My name is Xie Bingzhi, and I am the Cult Master of the Immortal Cult. The present era is separated from the one you knew by three hundred thousand years. Ah, perhaps you are unaware of the Immortal Cult—we are one of the Four Great Demonic Cults, and our sole purpose is to awaken your sleeping self..." The Immortal Celestial listened quietly to the Cult Master's rambling introduction. Seeing the Cult Master finish, he only gave two soft chuckles before saying in an unhurried voice, "Child, do not be agitated. All that you have spoken, I already know." The Cult Master calmed down, realizing he had overstepped his bounds and lost his composure just now. "The Celestial is omniscient." The Immortal Celestial shook his head. "It is not so exaggerated. Who dares claim to be omniscient? Even the likes of Ying Tian and Qilin could never claim total omniscience, not to mention that this celestial departed this world three hundred thousand years ago. The seas have turned to mulberry fields, the stars have shifted in the heavens, and worldly affairs have changed. Who back then could have foreseen the events of today?" A golden droplet appeared out of thin air in the Immortal Celestial's hand. With a casual flick of his finger, it landed in the Cult Master's hand. The Cult Master could sense the terrifying vitality contained within it. "You were injured by a formidable enemy. Without a century of time, it would be difficult to heal. This droplet of immortal liquid can help quicken the recovery of your wounds." "Th-this is the legendary 'Immortal' Dao fruit?" The Cult Master's hands trembled. This was his first time experiencing the mighty power of a celestial. The Immortal Celestial smiled benevolently. "A celestial's Dao fruit does not easily manifest in the world. This is merely a drop of dew from the 'Immortal' Dao fruit." The Cult Master swallowed it immediately. The moment the golden liquid entered his mouth, it turned into an extraordinary current of energy, surging through his limbs, his bones, and every minute corner of his body. The Cult Master could clearly feel his injuries healing at a faster pace. He had heard that a celestial's Dao fruit was the foundation of every celestial and never lightly shown to others. The Immortal Celestial truly lived up to being a celestial who had once saved the human race—wholly selfless, granting him the fortune of glimpsing a sliver of the Dao fruit's majesty. "This celestial knows why you awakened me. Paragons clash, and becoming a celestial is an eternal theme..." The Immortal Celestial clasped his hands behind his back. His eyes were half-closed and slightly clouded, as if reminiscing over ancient memories. In the end, his thoughts dissolved into a long sigh, and he shook his head, offering no further commentary on the past. He murmured, "Does the human race once again need this celestial to save them...?" The Cult Master hurried to say, "Celestial, the ancient Golden Age has arrived once more! Revived cultivators are appearing everywhere. When war breaks out, only if you intervene can the human race be saved!" "So be it. Perhaps saving the human race is this celestial's destiny. What harm is there in saving it once more?" Just as the Cult Master was about to speak, the Immortal Celestial raised a hand to cut him off. "However, this celestial only has a soul body remaining now, and my Dao fruit is not yet complete. I can only dwell temporarily within this statue, unable to shelter you as I did at the end of the ancient era. If I wish to return to my peak state, I still require a physical body to inhabit." "Could I be the one?" The Cult Master volunteered himself. The Immortal Celestial shook his head. "Your body has already set in its mold, and you took many wrong paths during your cultivation. Old habits run too deep, and the chance of condensing a Dao fruit is exceedingly slim." "I have heard that Yun Zhi of the Dao Seeking Sect is known as the strongest of the Five Great Immortal Sects. Would her body do?" the Cult Master suggested again. The Immortal Celestial shook his head. "Heh, the strongest of the Five Great Immortal Sects? As far as this celestial knows, the Five Great Immortal Sects are merely five sects on the Central Continent with a bit of foundation. Leaving aside the eastern, western, southern, and northern lands, the overall strength of the Five Great Immortal Sects is likely not even equal to the Great Xia Dynasty that rules the Central Continent. "Under such circumstances, just how strong could the foremost expert of the Five Great Immortal Sects possibly be? Strong enough to allow this celestial to achieve celestialhood once more?" The Cult Master hastily bowed his head and admitted his mistake. "There is still some time before the clash of the Golden Age truly erupts, which is enough for this celestial to cultivate back to my peak. This celestial requires a body that has only just begun cultivating. Using his body as an anchor, this celestial can return to the realm of a celestial. With some luck, perhaps I can even suppress Ying Tian, Qilin, and the others, becoming the foremost of the Five Ancient Celestials. "When that time comes, even if this celestial intervenes to shelter the human race, the risk of perishing will be greatly diminished." "The Celestial is truly wise." "Go summon all believers at the Foundation Establishment and Qi Refinement stages. This celestial will select personally to see who is qualified to undergo body seizure by this celestial." "Yes." "Celestial, I would like to ask you a question." "Child, ask." "Back then, who exactly was it that refined the myriad stars of the heavens into continents?" According to legend, the Immortal Celestial had personally witnessed that cataclysmic event that brought an end to the Ancient Era. The Immortal Celestial closed his eyes and shook his head. "Your cultivation is too low. This is not something you ought to know." The Cult Master felt somewhat dejected, but he also acknowledged that compared to a celestial, he fell far, far short. Before leaving, the Cult Master hesitated for a moment and asked, "Your name seems... not quite an ordinary name?" What the Cult Master actually wanted to say was: I genuinely couldn't think of what name to fabricate, so I just randomly made up "Bu Yaolian." Why on earth would a celestial have such a bizarre name? The Immortal Celestial's face turned dark, and he said nothing. The Cult Master realized he had asked something improper and took his leave. ... Leaving the secret chamber, the Cult Master hurried to summon the three Vice Cult Masters and the elders. But the only Vice Cult Master who showed up was Vice Cult Master Jin. Only after asking around did he learn that Vice Cult Masters Liu and Gao had taken an immortal treasure to the Dao Seeking Sect to throw their lives away. "Did they toss away their very lives just to vie for power?!" The Cult Master ground his teeth. He could guess what those two fools were thinking—they simply wanted to make a name for themselves at the Dao Seeking Sect so they could compete for the position of Cult Master. Of all the places you could go, why did it have to be the Dao Seeking Sect? You had the life to walk in, but do you have the life to come out? "How long has it been since the Five Elements Sect's visit to the Dao Seeking Sect ended?" "Just half a day. There's been no reply yet." The Cult Master took a deep breath. "No need to wait for news. They've definitely been captured by the Dao Seeking Sect, and the Dao Seeking Sect might already know the location of our headquarters!" "There is only one course of action left." "Surrender?" The Cult Master flew into a rage. "Surrender my ass! Have you ever seen a demonic cult surrender to the orthodox sects?!" "Then does that mean we'd be making history?" Suppressing the urge to choke this elder to death, the Cult Master barked, "Hurry up and relocate our base! Move to Backup Base No. 5!" "Oh." To prevent high-ranking members from being captured and leaking the locations of the headquarters and backup bases, the Cult Master had ensured each Vice Cult Master only knew the location of a single base. For instance, Vice Cult Master Liu knew Backup Base No. 3, while Vice Cult Master Gao knew Backup Base No. 4. In a span of just two short months, they had to relocate from a second base to a third base, and both times were because of the Dao Seeking Sect. The Immortal Cult moved swiftly. They packed their belongings in short order and set off for Backup Base No. 5. The Cult Master poked his head into the secret chamber. "Celestial, should I carry you, or will you walk on your own?" The Immortal Celestial: "..." What on earth was with this feeling of living on borrowed time?