Half-Immortal?

Rewinding time just a little. "So this is the Dao Seeking Sect. How magnificent." Mingtai stood before the mountain gate of the Dao Seeking Sect, murmuring in admiration. "Mingtai, keep moving," Elder Sikong urged him onward. The two passed through the bamboo grove, crossed over the babbling stream, and entered the core grounds of the Dao Seeking Sect—the main venue for the grand festival. The river spirit poked its head out, scrutinizing every single person who stepped into the Dao Seeking Sect to determine whether they had the credentials to enter. "It’s livelier this time than in any previous year," the river spirit murmured softly, watching the prodigies and great experts stream past in single file, a contented smile gracing its face. It was the spirit of the stream, blessed by heaven and earth to gain a spark of spiritual light. Later, Daoist Xiantian had enlightened it, allowing it to nurture true sentience. Deeply grateful for Daoist Xiantian’s grace, it had willingly become the sect’s guardian spirit, bearing witness to all the Dao Seeking Sect’s rises, falls, trials, and triumphs. What the river spirit failed to notice was that right behind Mingtai and Elder Sikong came a group of uninvited guests. They moved through the bamboo grove in total silence, leaving no trace behind, appearing as if they did not even exist. Not a single person noticed their presence. "I’ve long heard that the Dao Seeking Sect has a sect guardian spirit of tremendous might. Seeing it today, it truly lives up to its reputation. What a pity you ran into me this time," the Imperial Preceptor sneered. Circling around the river spirit, he led his group straight into the Dao Seeking Sect. Once they reached the sect's core area, the Imperial Preceptor dropped their camouflage. There were simply too many cultivators here; even if people couldn't see them, someone was bound to bump into them. Remaining concealed would only work against them now. Along the way, the Imperial Preceptor spotted several Tribulation Transcendence experts, thinking to himself that it was a good thing he had brought enough men. Otherwise, relying on him alone, wiping out the Dao Seeking Sect really wouldn't have been an easy task. "My lord, when do we strike?" Venerable Black-White asked quietly via divine sense transmission. "No rush. The celebration has just begun, which is precisely when the Dao Seeking Sect’s vigilance is at its peak. First, we scout things out and get a clear picture of exactly how many Body Integration and Tribulation Transcendence cultivators are attending this celebration. Once we’ve calculated the disparity in combat power between both sides, we will decide when and how to strike. "By immortal sect standards, every immortal sect possesses at least one Tribulation Transcendence cultivator and at least one means comparable to a Tribulation Transcendence expert. It’s impossible for the Dao Seeking Sect to deploy all their combat strength here at the festival venue; vital areas like the sect treasury must have people guarding them. "That river spirit just now was likely their means comparable to a Tribulation Transcendence expert. The Dao Seeking Sect’s true Tribulation Transcendence cultivators ought to be elsewhere. When the time comes, if we strike swiftly, their Tribulation Transcendence experts won't even have time to react. Even if they manage to rush over, it will be too late." *Clang— Clang— Clang—* The chime of a bell echoed across the Dao Seeking Sect, twelve strikes in total, signaling the official start of the grand celebration. The group fell silent. They watched their target ascend the altar step by step to preside over the sacrificial rite. "What an ancient sacrificial ceremony. It looks like it dates back to antiquity." The Imperial Preceptor was mildly surprised. They were cultivators from the early Great Yu period, separated from the ancient era by only the Great Qian Dynasty. The Dao Seeking Sect had only been founded in the late Great Yu era, yet they possessed such an ancient sacrificial ceremony. "This Dao Seeking Sect actually has some tricks up its sleeve," Venerable Black-White commented casually. Among the group, his status was second only to the Imperial Preceptor. An ancient sacrificial ceremony didn't necessarily prove anything; it was entirely possible they had merely unearthed it from some ancient text. After all, to this day, plenty of ancient ruins still remained unexplored. "A completely ordinary kid, yet he managed to ruin our Great Yu's plans time and time again. He really doesn't know how to write the word 'death'!" When the sacrificial ceremony drew to a close, the Imperial Preceptor's brow relaxed, and a smirk played at the corner of his lips. "My lord, you mean...?" The Imperial Preceptor analyzed the situation for his subordinates: "Haven't you noticed? Compared to during the sacrifice, the number of high-level cultivators present is decreasing. It seems I overestimated the Dao Seeking Sect's standing in Great Xia. "Those high-level cultivators likely only attended the sacrifice reluctantly out of courtesy. Now that the sacrifice is over, the various events the Dao Seeking Sect prepared and the finals between the young cultivators hold zero interest for them, which is why they are leaving." Excitement spread across the faces of his subordinates. A decrease in high-level cultivators meant their operation would face minimal resistance, drastically reducing their pressure. "Destiny truly lies with Great Yu after all." The Imperial Preceptor's smile widened and his mood soared. If this was the case, the Dao Seeking Sect's destruction was assured. "Still, we cannot afford to be careless just yet. It isn't convenient to use divine sense here. Spread out, gather intelligence on the Dao Seeking Sect, and then report back to me to pool what you've found." The Imperial Preceptor pointed at the ground beneath his feet. "I will wait for you right here." "Yes, sir." The group dispersed, leaving only the Imperial Preceptor behind. "They probably won't be back anytime soon. I might as well gather some intelligence on the Dao Seeking Sect myself." The Imperial Preceptor was cautious by nature; he wanted to use the intel he gathered personally to verify whatever his subordinates brought back, ensuring its reliability. "The liveliest place around here ought to be that commercial street we passed earlier. Let's go take a look." The Imperial Preceptor strolled toward the commercial street. "A tiny commercial street, yet it conceals so many Body Integration cultivators." The Imperial Preceptor narrowed his eyes. With his unfathomable cultivation, he could tell at a glance that those seemingly ordinary restaurant owners and waiters were all extraordinary powerhouses capable of ruling as kings in the outside world. "Body Integration cultivators alone can't stir up any real waves, though." He could personally slay six Tribulation Transcendence experts single-handedly. Even if they were all merely early-stage Tribulation Transcendence, it was still an astounding feat. He didn't take Body Integration cultivators seriously at all. "Honored guests, care for some barbecue?" At the entrance of the barbecue shop, three seductive ghosts—Xiao Wu, Xiao Liu, and Xiao Qi—were actively ushering in customers, doing their utmost and turning quite a few heads. The barbecue shop was doing roaring business. Master Liu and Master Gao had unleashed their Three Heads and Six Arms techniques, working simultaneously and vastly improving their barbecue output. "Make way, make way, meat delivery!" A slaughterhouse owner shouted as he asked the crowd to part so he could carry his delivery inside. Business was so overwhelmingly good that even though they had prepared large quantities of skewers in advance, it still wasn't nearly enough. The Immortal Celestial sat with legs crossed, watching the whole scene with utter delight, grinning from ear to ear. A single day's sales here could match ten ordinary days. Lu Yang had temporarily replaced the barbecue shop's sign. Otherwise, if outside cultivators ate here and remembered the shop's name, then went spreading the word outside, the Nine Nether Cult would discover that the Dao Seeking Sect also had a "Try Again Barbecue Shop." When that happened, fooling the Nine Nether Cult would become much harder. Hearing Xiao Wu's hawking, the Imperial Preceptor glanced up. Seeing the two barbecue chefs and the slaughterhouse owner, his heart gave a sudden lurch. "Three Body Integration chang ghosts? The Dao Seeking Sect's Tribulation Transcendence expert is here?" Only a Tribulation Transcendence expert was capable of refining Body Integration chang ghosts. Generally speaking, chang ghosts never strayed far from the one who refined them. That meant the Dao Seeking Sect's Tribulation Transcendence expert was hidden right inside this barbecue shop. "What good fortune," the Imperial Preceptor chuckled, his smile brimming with confidence. He had originally intended just to scout things out, never imagining he would get the chance to eliminate a Tribulation Transcendence expert ahead of time. His rudimentary Dao fruit pertained to concealment, which was how he had slipped past the river spirit that rivaled a Tribulation Transcendence expert and led his subordinates into the Dao Seeking Sect undetected. His rudimentary Dao fruit would also guarantee that he could eliminate this Tribulation Transcendence expert of the Dao Seeking Sect without making a sound. He walked into the barbecue shop and saw the leisurely Immortal Celestial. The Immortal Celestial looked back and saw him as well. "A half-immortal?" Both blurted out in unison.