Inside the spiritual space.
Lu Yang was using his mortal body to help Meng Jingzhou weather an immortal tribulation—a truly moving deed of immeasurable merit.
"Just watch how this Immortal teaches that Meng family brat a lesson! What does he mean, having this Immortal around makes no difference?!" Like a puffed-up little yellow cat with claws bared and fangs shown, the Immortal Fairy was itching to go make trouble for Meng Jingzhou.
"Fairy, Fairy! Old Meng is just an ordinary mortal speaking without thinking. It's really not worth getting upset with him." Lu Yang gripped the Immortal Fairy's arms with all his might, not daring to let her bolt outside.
The Immortal Fairy asked huffily, "You tell me, didn't this Immortal kindly try to help him find a way out of consideration for you? Wasn't I pretty nice to him? And yet he slanders this Immortal like that?"
"Fairy, you're magnanimous and noble. Old Meng is young and ignorant; please spare him this once."
Pouting, the Immortal Fairy sat back down, swinging her little bare feet back and forth.
"Tell me, among all the traits that Meng brat mentioned, which one does this Immortal not meet?"
"Old Meng said someone with an ancient immortal inside them should experience continuous strokes of incredible luck?"
"Didn't this Immortal make you Acting Sect Master, putting you in charge of the vast Dao Seeking Sect where even girl Yun had to obey your orders?! When the Five Elements Sect visited, weren't you the one who received them?!"
"Then what about wielding a damaged ancient dharma treasure as a weapon?"
"Isn't your Dark Moon Sword exactly that? An immortal flying sword, personally forged and painstakingly crafted by Immortal Ying Tian! Immortal Kirin treated it like an invaluable treasure and used it with the utmost care, only for it to be snapped by those two brats from the dragon and phoenix clans!"
"Then what about mastering all sorts of earth-shattering secrets?"
"Ancient lore! Aren't all the stories I tell you secrets? Could you hear them anywhere else?!"
Lu Yang thought about it and realized she was right. If he were to spread the stories the fairy told him, Immortal Ying Tian's painstakingly maintained persona as an aloof immortal would collapse completely into ruin. That certainly qualified as earth-shattering secrets.
"And what about being familiar with multiple paths of cultivation?"
"Doesn't this Immortal demonstrate to you every single day how to cultivate by sleeping? And there's the ancient Heaven-Swallowing Earth-Devouring, which speeds up your cultivation!"
"Invincible in the same realm?"
At the mention of this, the Immortal Fairy grew even prouder. She sprang up onto the bed, looking down at Lu Yang.
"Did you forget the Invincible Core this Immortal taught you to form, making you invincible against anyone in the same realm and victorious in every battle? Only this Immortal could pull that off! Try swapping in someone like Immortal Ying Tian or Immortal Kirin—neither of them could do it!"
"And back when you were Acting Sect Master, with a Foundation Establishment cultivation, you defeated experts across three major realms: Golden Core, Nascent Soul, and Soul Formation! Without this Immortal's help, could you have done that?!"
"Then what about frequently uttering astounding words and possessing insights far beyond your level?"
Her excitement winding down, the Immortal Fairy shifted from standing on the bed to sitting on it, her grudge against Meng Jingzhou already scattered to the winds.
"At your tender age, you know so many immortal secrets and ancient lore, possessing more erudition than Body Integration cultivators. Doesn't that count?!"
"Beautiful women throwing themselves into your arms?"
The Immortal Fairy showed a rare troubled expression, drawing in a sharp breath.
"Beautiful women throwing themselves at you is indeed a bit tricky. But aren't there plenty of pretty girls around you? For instance, girl Yun, your junior sister Tao Yaoye, and that little girl from Moon Laurel Immortal Palace—what was her name again? Oh, right, Lan Ting."
"...Except I knew every single one of them before you were revived."
"How about this Immortal just settles for giving you a hug?"
Looking at the exquisite visage belonging to the foremost of the Ten Ancient Beauties, Lu Yang calmly declined.
His fortune was shallow and his life frail; he could not withstand the source of this curse.
"And visiting secret realms as easily as going home?"
"That one's a bit tough. Most of the secret realms this Immortal knew about have probably ceased to exist by now... Wait, didn't you visit the Immortal Secret Realm? This Immortal's kitchen is right there!"
Lu Yang was speechless.
Old Meng hadn't been wrong in the slightest. In what way did Lu Yang resemble someone hosting an ancient immortal? He had survived this long purely because his life was exceptionally hard to take.
Even when his master claimed during childhood that an ancient ferocious beast was sealed inside him, that had sounded more convincing than this.
After finally soothing the ruffled Immortal Fairy, Lu Yang exited the spiritual space.
"Remember, you owe me a life."
"?"
It wasn't the first time Lu Yang had acted weird, so Meng Jingzhou didn't pay it much mind.
"Old horse, take us to the nearest city. The two of us are going to gather some information." Meng Jingzhou patted the old horse.
The old horse ambled forward at an unhurried pace, as if knowing exactly where a city could be found.
As the carriage rolled along a secluded mountain path, torrential rain suddenly poured from the sky without warning, as though intent on washing the world clean.
*Rumble—*
A colossal roar echoed overhead, like something immensely heavy was tumbling down.
The two lifted the carriage curtain and looked up. Through the veil of rain, the mountainside was violently shuddering, sending mud and stones spraying in all directions. Like a savage beast raging in frenzied turmoil, it cascaded down the mountain with wild abandon. Countless trees, washed out by the churning sludge, collapsed sideways and rolled down the slope.
"It's a mudslide!"
*Boom—*
Mud and rocks surged downward like a charge of nether soldiers, hurtling toward the two inside the carriage.
Fortunately, the old horse possessed profound cultivation, and the carriage was a dharma treasure. A mere mortal natural disaster had no right to threaten it.
Once the mudslide subsided, the two surveyed their surroundings.
"Both front and back are completely blocked."
Meng Jingzhou frowned slightly. The carriage was unharmed, but the road in both directions was buried in mud and debris, making it impassable.
If the old horse used its powers, they could easily leave.
Yet looking at the old horse's leisurely demeanor, it acted like a completely ordinary horse with no intention of lifting a hoof.
Meng Jingzhou felt helpless, but he understood. The old horse was there to safeguard his life, not to serve as a servant doing everything for him.
If it handled every chore, where would the point of experiential training be?
"Clear the obstacles."
The two stepped down from the carriage, cloaking themselves in spiritual energy so the heavy rain couldn't touch their bodies or clothes.
Each employed his own methods to clear away the debris.
"Collapsing Fist!"
Meng Jingzhou unleashed his Collapsing Fist once more. Its pure destructive power wasn't enormous, but its kinetic shockwave was massive, making it well-suited for dealing with adversaries weaker than himself.
*Boom—*
The wall of mud and stone ahead shook slightly. Seeing this, Meng Jingzhou gathered his full strength and threw punch after punch, carving out a path with his bare fists.
Not to be outdone, Lu Yang channeled his technique. His eyes narrowed, and he parted his lips slightly.
"Heaven-Swallowing Earth-Devouring!"
Lu Yang drew a massive breath. Under the tremendous suction, the mud and rock behind them were all swallowed down into Lu Yang's stomach!
Meng Jingzhou watched in astonishment, amazed by the sheer might of the technique. Such a massive pile of mud and rock had vanished in an instant!
It truly lived up to its name as the supreme art of the Taotie clan, capable of devouring all things!
"Wanna learn?" Lu Yang asked with an impish grin. Meng Jingzhou instinctively sensed a scheme.
Before either could say more, another rumble echoed from above.
Meng Jingzhou flared up in anger. "Another mudslide?! Is there no end to this?!"
Lu Yang stared at Meng Jingzhou in silence, gradually piecing together the cause and feeling like an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire.
"We're trying to reach a city. There are definitely women in a city. You're carrying a karmic backlash, so under the influence of karma, there's no way you can make it there. I'm purely suffering because of you."
"Then what do we do?" Hearing Lu Yang's explanation, Meng Jingzhou realized what was going on as well.
"You stay here. I'll go by myself."
Chapter 406