Tao Yaoye's New Script

When Lu Yang arrived at the summit of Hundred Refinements Peak, half of the Dao Seeking Sect's elders were gathered there. The Second Elder, the Fifth Elder, the Eighth Elder, and the Sixth Elder, who was present only as a projection. The Fifth Elder sized up the Second Elder and the Eighth Elder, regarding the two oddballs with suspicion. "You two actually invented something new, and you're asking me to apply for a patent?" In his memory, his Second Brother spent all day guarding the herb garden, practically living in early retirement. If not for that recent burst of renewed vitality, he would have thought the man was growing mold. As for Old Eighth, he had been hiding away inside the sect recently and refusing to step outside—likely taking refuge here after stirring up trouble out in the world. "It wasn't them. It was Tao Yaoye's idea. Old Second and Old Eighth were just responsible for bringing it to life," the Sixth Elder explained. The Fifth Elder nodded. That made much more sense. "Martial Niece Tao, what have you invented?" the Fifth Elder asked warmly. He always encouraged disciples to think outside the box and create, urging them to boldly break free from conventional limitations. On that front, he thought very highly of Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou. Li Haoran's creativity lagged a bit behind, so he still had room for improvement. "It's a combination of a formation and talismans that allows people to enter an illusion realm... Senior Brother Lu, what brings you here?" Just as Tao Yaoye was about to explain, she caught sight of Lu Yang strolling over at a leisurely pace. Seeing how lively the scene was, Lu Yang had a rough idea of what they were doing and asked with a smile, "Junior Sister Tao, is the illusion realm ready?" "Thanks to the assistance of the Second Elder and the Eighth Elder, the preliminary version is complete. I was just about to demonstrate it to the Fifth Elder. Would you like to give it a try, Senior Brother?" Lu Yang readily agreed. He was also curious to see how Tao Yaoye's movie production had turned out. Tao Yaoye took out two talismans from her identity jade pendant and handed one to the Fifth Elder and one to Lu Yang. Then she unfurled a scroll depicting a formation that Lu Yang could not decipher at all. "Are these the talismans designed by Old Eighth and the formation drawn by Old Second?" The Fifth Elder recognized the handiwork. Whether talismans or formations, both designs were remarkably simple. "Fifth Elder, Senior Brother, please stand on the formation, then tear the talismans in half. Once you tear them, you will feel a tugging sensation, which is the sign of entering the illusion realm." This illusion realm was meant for mortals and low-level cultivators, so Tao Yaoye worried that if either of them exerted even the slightest resistance, the talismans would be wasted. Lu Yang did as instructed and tore the talisman. A faint tug gently pulled at his consciousness. He offered no resistance, and his awareness was promptly drawn into another world. *Rumble—* The moment he entered that other world, Lu Yang heard the deafening roar of countless thunderbolts, as if that were the only sound left in existence. Amidst the flashing lightning and rolling thunder, a peerless figure stood aloft in the sky, braving the lightning strikes without a hint of fear. "He's about to reach the Tribulation Transcendence stage. This actually looks quite convincing," the Immortal Fairy said beside Lu Yang's ear, startling him half to death. Lu Yang stole a glance at the Fifth Elder, who had entered the illusion realm alongside him, and whispered, "Fairy, why are you here? What if someone discovers you?" The Immortal Fairy curled her lips into a smug smile. "A simple illusion realm like this is something this Immortal can enter and leave as I please! As for being discovered, my concealment skills are unmatched under heaven. No one can ever detect me!" Lu Yang breathed a sigh of relief, then recalled what she had just said. "Fairy, you said he's about to reach the Tribulation Transcendence stage?" "That's right. This is the lightning tribulation one must face to reach Tribulation Transcendence: the Nine-Nine Muddy Sky Lightning Tribulation, designed by Immortal Ying Tian. Whoever built this illusion realm has definitely seen that tribulation before." Facing the churning heavenly thunder, True Monarch Mi Tian threw his head back and laughed heartily. He chose to meet it head-on with his proudest sword dao, slicing through bolt after bolt of heavenly lightning, emerging completely unscathed. Gradually, as the lightning fell without pause, True Monarch Mi Tian's strength waned. On the final bolt of lightning, his sword dao shattered, and the lightning struck him square on the body. The heavenly thunder dispersed, and True Monarch Mi Tian plummeted from the sky. *Boom—* True Monarch Mi Tian crashed headfirst into a mountain, gouging out an enormous crater. Before falling unconscious, he muttered to himself: "How hateful! I, True Monarch Mi Tian, have cultivated for more than two thousand years and was only a single step from Tribulation Transcendence, yet I suffered this defeat! My sword dao is shattered, and my cultivation is sealed by the heavenly lightning—I can't mobilize even a shred of it!" After an unknown amount of time, a young woman from a nearby mountain village plucked up her courage to approach the crater. Seeing someone lying inside, she bravely carried True Monarch Mi Tian back to her home. When True Monarch Mi Tian woke up, he had lost all his memories. He did not know who he was, nor did he know what cultivation was. The woman who saved him was named Xiuxiu. Seeing that he had lost his memory, she named him Ah Lei. The villagers believed Ah Lei brought ill fortune and wanted to drive him away, but Xiuxiu objected, saying he could stay there until he recovered his memories. Ah Lei lived with Xiuxiu in the mountains, helping her farm, fish, and hunt. During an attack by a demon beast, Ah Lei displayed extraordinary strength. "Ah Lei, how did you..." Xiuxiu was stunned. Ah Lei, who had seemed just like any mortal, had actually killed a Foundation Establishment wolf demon that had tried to eat her with a single punch. "I... I don't know what happened either," Ah Lei said, at a complete loss. Another half year went by. A demonic cultivator placed an exotic treasure in the mountains and ordered his subordinates to capture all the villagers for a sacrifice to enhance the treasure's quality. Xiuxiu was among them. Ah Lei had been out, and Xiuxiu was taken away. When he returned and found her missing, he searched for her like a madman. He tracked down the demonic cultivators' lair and slaughtered several subordinates to rescue Xiuxiu, but it was already too late. Xiuxiu had been sacrificed, and the exotic treasure had been refined, jumping an entire grade in quality. The demonic cultivator laughed arrogantly. With this treasure in hand, he would have no fear of the righteous sects hunting him down and could roam the world as he pleased. Ah Lei flew into a furious rage. His overwhelming anger shattered the seal left by the heavenly lightning, his broken sword dao reformed, and storm clouds gathered, threatening to strike Ah Lei dead. But a dazzling sword dao soared straight into the clouds, scattering the lightning to pieces. He had reclaimed the power and memories that originally belonged to him. His hair bristled with fury as boundless sword dao spread across the sky, blanketing the hundred thousand mountains. With every step he took, a layer of the seal broke apart. Accompanied by infinite spiritual energy, his aura erupted like a demon king descending from the heavens to destroy the mortal realm. "You... are... courting... death!" "I-It's you!" The demonic cultivator slumped to the ground in terror, finally recognizing Ah Lei's identity. True Monarch Mi Tian, the foremost authority in sword dao, the strongest existence below the Tribulation Transcendence stage! Anyone could be provoked, but never him! "No, no, no! With the treasure in my hands, I'm not who I used to be!" The demonic cultivator activated the exotic treasure. Violent winds howled and the earth shook, threatening to bury True Monarch Mi Tian. A beam of sword light descended like divine retribution, cleaving the treasure and the demonic cultivator in two, reducing them to ashes. "Xiuxiu, I have avenged you..." True Monarch Mi Tian murmured, holding Xiuxiu's corpse as a single tear rolled down his cheek. The illusion came to an end. "How was it? How was the script this time?" The moment the illusion ended, Tao Yaoye eagerly rushed over to ask Lu Yang for his thoughts. She had taken his advice to heart, meticulously crafting the story and adding a wealth of plot. A male protagonist whose cultivation was sealed and who lost his memories, living with a humble village maiden and developing feelings for her, only for the maiden to be murdered, driving him into a fury that broke the seal and let him slay the mastermind with a single sword strike—just thinking about it felt thrilling. Lu Yang wore a conflicted expression, unsure how to evaluate it. "The script is a good script, but why did the male lead have Master's face the entire time?" Granted, Master looked like an ethereal, handsome immortal of peerless bearing, but Lu Yang hadn't just met him yesterday. Slapping Master's face onto the male protagonist made it utterly impossible to take the story seriously. The Fifth Elder completely agreed. The final scene was supposed to be deeply touching, but when he saw Ninth Brother cradling Xiuxiu's corpse, he had nearly burst out laughing.