Child, What Is Your Wish?

Never mind the question marks floating above Yan Fei's head; even the higher-ups of the Immortal Cult felt their eyes had been opened. Was this how the younger generation fought nowadays? Had they fallen behind the times? Man Gu held Meng Jingzhou and Lu Yang, spinning in place and sweeping away every incoming hidden weapon and attack. "Bizarre nonsense! Everyone, attack together!" Yan Fei bellowed, charging forward first. Seeing this, the others swarmed after him. Even if by sheer numbers alone, they would bury the three of them! "Combined Secret Technique—Giant Windmill!" The three shouted in unison as Man Gu swung the two of them around, spinning at blazing speed. Now Man Gu wielded the sturdiest blunt weapon in one hand and the sharpest bladed weapon in the other—able to attack or defend at will! Best of all, both the blunt weapon and the sharp weapon could attack on their own, boasting remarkable intelligence. Meng Jingzhou unleashed the Heaven-Shaking Six Forms, flailing his fists and beating the enemies black and blue, fracturing bones and tearing flesh. Lu Yang used his hands as swords, infusing them with sword qi and executing his Single-Word Sword Formula. Like a heaven-propping blade, he mercilessly reaped the lives of their foes. This coordination was simple yet brutally effective: Man Gu spun, Meng Jingzhou punched, and Lu Yang slashed, each doing his own thing without interfering with the others. A tear split open across Yan Fei's soft armor from the impact of Lu Yang's sword qi. If not for the armor, he would have shed blood by now! This "combination" move seemed utterly ridiculous, yet it proved extraordinarily powerful. Man Gu resembled an ancient demonic god incarnate, wielding the two qi of Yin and Yang as he cut a bloody swath through the crowd. Contestants were either bludgeoned to death by Meng Jingzhou's skull or chopped down by Lu Yang's sword qi. After suffering a heavy blow, Yan Fei didn't dare fight at close quarters anymore. Seeing this, the others also contemplated fleeing. Revenge was all well and good, but one needed to stay alive to enjoy it. However, this technique had two problems. First, the kills all counted toward Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou. Second, it caused intense dizziness. "Blergh—" The three dry-heaved simultaneously. Though they had practiced it, their training time had been too brief. Spinning at such high intensity went far beyond what their bodies could endure. Lu Yang gagged while comforting the other two: "I-I heard dizziness is caused by our human organs... Once... once we reach the Golden Core stage and can control our internal organs, we'll be able to use this move over and over!" "Blergh—are you for real?" Meng Jingzhou felt Lu Yang was talking nonsense. "Theoretically, yes. We can try it once we hit the Golden Core stage." Seeing the trio in poor shape, the crowd prepared to surge forward again. The three immediately shifted tactics. When an attack flew in, Man Gu seized Meng Jingzhou's ankles while Lu Yang grabbed his neck, using Meng Jingzhou as a human shield to block the incoming strikes. Seeing that this worked, Lu Yang and Man Gu pressed the advantage, charging forward with Meng Jingzhou held out before them. "Hey, hey, hey! You two have gone too far! We never agreed that I'd be the shield when we planned this!" Meng Jingzhou yelled. Even with his sturdy physique, taking blows like this hurt like hell. The two promptly set Meng Jingzhou down. Several people launched a concerted assault from one direction. Meng Jingzhou and Man Gu each hoisted one of Lu Yang's thighs onto their shoulders. Lu Yang drew his demonic saber and took on all of them at once, his strikes darting out swift and vicious like a serpent flicking its tongue, refusing to give an inch of ground. Suddenly, Lu Yang's eyes narrowed. He kicked off their shoulders and leaped away, darting straight for Yan Fei. *You're the little punk who's always stirring up trouble for us!* "Courting death!" Yan Fei wasn't afraid of Lu Yang alone. When all three attacked together, he readily admitted he was no match, but now that Lu Yang came alone, he still dared try to kill him? Yan Fei produced a jade flute. This was his natal magical treasure, capable of unleashing sonic attacks. *Wuuu—* Yan Fei blew into the jade flute, aiming to intercept and slay Lu Yang. Lu Yang sank down and vanished into the earth, evading the sonic blade. The tree behind him was cleaved cleanly in half, its cross section completely smooth. It was easy to imagine what kind of wound such a strike would leave on a human body. "The Earth Escaping Art!" Yan Fei was horrified. He hadn't expected Lu Yang to know such an exceptionally difficult Five Elements spell. "Where will he emerge?!" Yan Fei quickly spun around, guessing Lu Yang would attack from behind. To his shock, the ground beneath his own feet split open, and a Bodhi tree burst from the soil, bearing two Lu Yangs as fruit. Lu Yang and his clone leaped off the Bodhi tree at the same time. The clone threw a Tiger Fist, transforming into a ferocious striped tiger that pounced on Yan Fei, while Lu Yang brandished the demonic saber, slashing horizontally. At this distance, he could control his clone at will. Tiger-demon Lu Yang was brutally fierce, and Lu Yang's saber sweeps were unstoppable. In close quarters, Yan Fei had no time to play his jade flute at all! "Grow!" The jade flute expanded until it was level with his eyebrows, whirling in Yan Fei's grip to parry the onslaught from Lu Yang and the clone. The jade staff spun at blinding speed, whistling through the air. Lu Yang jerked his head aside, dodging an invisible sonic wave. Whirling the flute like that was another way to sound it! "Clever idea!" Lu Yang sneered, but he had already been on guard, so the trick posed no threat. Tricks like this were child's play in the Dao Seeking Sect, far too petty to show in polite company. Only an ignorant fool like Yan Fei would treat it as a real combat technique. Besides, before absolute strength, what ripples could Yan Fei hope to stir up? Outside the Dao Seeking Sect, Lu Yang was confident he was invincible in the Foundation Establishment stage—let alone when there were two of him! Lu Yang executed a sword technique with the demonic saber. The tiger demon roared, speaking in human tongue. "Slash Formula!" "Fierce Tiger Descends the Mountain!" Attacking from opposite angles, the two tore Yan Fei to pieces. The demonic saber acknowledged a new master in an instant, and devoured that master the very next. Yan Fei had become its shortest-lived wielder yet. Watching this scene, Vice Cult Master Jin asked the Cult Master, "Wasn't Yan Fei supposed to be your successor? You aren't going to stop them?" The Cult Master sneered. "Successor? That was merely an identity Yan Fei wrapped around himself, using various hints to make people believe he was my successor so he could reap all sorts of benefits." "You didn't punish him?" "Why should I? If he truly had ability, what harm would there have been in acknowledging him as my successor? If he had none, then dying like he did today is simply that—dead." A mere Yan Fei was hardly outstanding enough to warrant the Cult Master's serious concern. "Have You chosen who will have the honor of being the vessel for Your body seizure?" the Cult Master asked respectfully of the Immortal Celestial. The Immortal Celestial had long settled on His choice. "Lu Yang." "This boy is ruthless and crafty, and his talent and root bone are of the highest caliber. He is barely qualified to be the vessel for my body seizure!" Though he said "barely qualified," the Immortal Celestial actually considered Lu Yang the most perfect candidate imaginable. The Cult Master felt a touch of reluctance; Lu Yang was the most naturally suited candidate for demonic cultivation he had encountered since becoming Cult Master. Alas, the Immortal Celestial had claimed him. Still, being chosen by the Immortal Celestial was the boy's greatest honor. Trading one Lu Yang to help the Immortal Celestial return to His peak was an exceedingly worthwhile bargain. "Bring him to the secret chamber." "Understood." The Cult Master stood in midair, letting his aura flare outward. "The tournament is concluded! Lu Yang possesses the highest count on his palm imprint, taking first place, and is graced with the honor of receiving the Immortal Celestial's blessing!" Lu Yang's brilliance was plain for all to see. Even so, the contestants felt deep regret, lamenting that they had missed out on the Immortal Celestial's blessing. "Lu Yang, come with me." The Cult Master hooked his fingers, lifting Lu Yang into the air and bringing him before the secret chamber. The Cult Master instructed Lu Yang, "The Celestial's blessing is of utmost importance. Enter the secret chamber, and you will understand what I mean." "Yes, Cult Master." A radiant smile spread across Lu Yang's face, looking entirely genuine, prompting the Cult Master to nod in silent approval. *A truly devout believer of the Immortal Celestial.* Lu Yang stepped into the secret chamber and found that the Immortal Cult was astonishingly poor—the chamber was pitch-black, without even a single lamp. Suddenly, three sticks of incense in the burner beneath the statue of the Immortal Celestial caught fire. The wisps of fragrant smoke drifted upward, coalescing into the silhouette of a kindly old man. "Come here, child," the kindly old man beckoned to Lu Yang. Seeing the kindly old man, Lu Yang grew immensely excited. "Y-You're..." The kindly old man smiled and nodded. "Yes, exactly as you guessed." "Are you really a statue spirit?" The Immortal Celestial: "..." "Child, this Celestial is the Immortal Celestial. Whatever wish you have, tell this Celestial, and I shall grant it for you." Some people are dead, but they are not entirely dead...