The Imperial Preceptor publicly disguised his cultivation at the Body Integration stage, but while such a disguise was enough to fool those at the Body Integration or Tribulation Transcendence stages, it could not deceive a cultivator of the same realm.
Had the Imperial Preceptor disguised himself meticulously, he might well have deceived someone of his own level.
Yet it had never crossed his mind that he would encounter a half-immortal level expert in the Dao Seeking Sect!
Monstrous waves of shock surged in the Imperial Preceptor's heart. This was merely one of the Five Great Immortal Sects. Having a handful of Tribulation Transcendence experts was impressive enough, so how could there be a half-immortal level expert here as well?!
The Immortal Celestial stared gravely at the Imperial Preceptor.
Between cultivators of the same realm, unless one possessed a specialized technique, one could not see through the other's cultivation.
If two cultivators met and could not see through each other's cultivation, there were only two possibilities: either the other party possessed a higher realm, or they stood at the exact same level.
In all the vast world, celestials were nowhere to be found; the odds of an actual celestial appearing were minuscule.
Thus, the opponent had to be a half-immortal level expert.
Those who possessed a rudimentary Dao fruit were half-immortal level experts.
Had this newcomer come with good intentions or ill?
The Imperial Preceptor steeled his heart. Though his opponent was a half-immortal, only a soul remained, meaning their combat power was diminished. A swift battle to end it quickly was the best strategy.
Decisively, he pulled out a half-immortal artifact he had refined for three thousand years—an octagonal porcelain plate. He smashed the plate onto the ground, and the scattered porcelain shards formed a sealed space, trapping them both inside. Then, utilizing the power of his rudimentary Dao fruit, he severed the Immortal Celestial's connection to the outside world.
...
"Business is good today. The Celestial should..." the Cult Master said while threading skewers.
Suddenly, he paused.
Celestial? What celestial?
The Cult Master looked around the small shop. Customers filed in and out in an endless stream. Master Gao and Master Liu were swamped with work, several cult elders were carrying plates, washing dishes, and serving food, while the three seductive ghosts were soliciting customers at the entrance.
"Old Gao, Old Liu, do you feel like someone's missing?"
Master Gao and Master Liu looked around, utterly perplexed. "No? Isn't everyone right here?"
"Is that so?" The Cult Master's brow furrowed tightly, then slowly smoothed out.
"Then I must have remembered wrong."
...
"An enemy!"
Caught off guard by the Imperial Preceptor, the Immortal Celestial found himself trapped in a temporarily constructed pocket space. Judging by the man's posture, he clearly intended to kill him.
Did he really think he was someone to be pushed around?
The Immortal Celestial let out a clear whistle. Wisps of golden light surged outward, sending ripples through space like the lofty Heavenly Blade of tribulation punishment, poised to sever the foundations of all living beings.
"What of the Heavenly Blade? The Mandate of Heaven belongs to my Great Yu! Chaotic Sacred Lotus!"
The Imperial Preceptor barked a low shout as a lotus shrouded in chaotic mist flew from between his brows. Its petals emitted a white halo that flowed like a relentless torrent, shining in all directions and dissolving the wisps of golden light.
"The Chaotic Sacred Lotus?" The Immortal Celestial was astonished. This was a supreme sacred relic for undergoing tribulations. The chaotic qi it radiated could neutralize heavenly punishment, crafted specifically for cultivators breaking through to the Tribulation Transcendence stage.
Such an item had always existed only in legends; he had never heard of anyone possessing one.
"You have some discernment after all. I unearthed this in the Far Northern Region—it was the source of an entire mountain range of chaos. This is the symbol of the Mandate of Heaven!"
"Mandate of Heaven my ass! The Mandate of Heaven belongs to my Immortal Lineage!"
"The Immortal Lineage?" The Imperial Preceptor frowned. He had never heard of such a lineage.
"Ignorant fool! My Immortal Lineage is incomparably mighty! In the Immortal Lineage, I rank only third!"
The Immortal Celestial sneered, giving the Imperial Preceptor a start.
A half-immortal level expert ranked only third? What manner of figures were the top two?!
At the very least, they had to be half-immortals!
"Punishment of the Burning Pillar!"
The Imperial Preceptor drew eight bronze rods from his storage ring and plunged them into the ground. They instantly swelled and expanded, transforming into sky-propping bronze pillars.
"Bind!"
The Imperial Preceptor pointed a finger at the Immortal Celestial. Countless iron chains extended from the eight sky-propping bronze pillars. The Immortal Celestial attempted to shift and dodge, only to discover that karma had formed between himself and the iron chains, inescapable and unseverable.
This was a spell that never missed!
The iron chains bound the Immortal Celestial tightly, suspending him dead center among the eight bronze pillars!
Crackle—
Thunder abruptly materialized directly overhead, ravaging the space before converging on a single point to strike down upon the Immortal Celestial!
"Butterfly Dream Art."
The Immortal Celestial closed his eyes, transforming into countless celestial butterflies that broke free from the chains' binding. Then they converged once more, standing atop a bronze pillar to watch the thunder strike empty air.
"Sea-Overturning Seal!" The Imperial Preceptor flipped his palm. An azure palm seal carrying the briny scent of sea breeze howled forth, bearing down upon the Immortal Celestial.
During the Great Yu era, the Sea-Overturning Seal had commanded an illustrious reputation. A Tribulation Transcendence general garrisoning the East Sea frontier had once unleashed the Sea-Overturning Seal, repelling an invading force of a million Sea Race warriors with a single palm, dyeing the sea red in an instant.
And that was merely when cast by a Tribulation Transcendence cultivator; unleashed by a half-immortal level expert, its might was all the more terrifying!
"Great Carefree Palm!"
Palm clashed with seal, unleashing an earth-shattering boom. Flesh and bone went flying, and soul essence melted away.
One of the Imperial Preceptor's arms was severed. Immortal blood dripped down, turning into a boundless sea of blood.
The Imperial Preceptor gave a cold snort and swallowed a grand pill refined from a thousand precious medicinal ingredients. His injuries recovered swiftly: bone extended, muscle clung, skin covered, and his arm was restored.
"Physical wounds can be restored quickly, but let's see what you do about injuries to your soul!"
Looking at the Immortal Celestial's damaged soul, the Imperial Preceptor felt victory within his grasp. He unleashed the Sea-Overturning Seal once more, intent on delivering a fatal blow.
The soul was tied to one's foundation; once damaged, even a grand pill could hardly heal it.
"No need for you to worry yourself over that! Great Carefree Palm!"
The moment they clashed again, the Imperial Preceptor realized something was wrong. His opponent's soul had suffered damage, so he should only have been able to muster seventy to eighty percent of his full cultivation at best. How could he still be at his peak?
What the Imperial Preceptor did not know was that before the rudimentary Immortal Dao fruit, there was simply no such thing as soul damage—any harm to the soul could be restored in an instant.
In a short span, the two exchanged hundreds of bouts, unleashing technique after technique in a dazzling display.
"Cough."
The Imperial Preceptor coughed up blood. To his shock, he had actually fallen into a disadvantage in the fight.
The opponent's strength was beyond his expectations.
As a stand-in for the Immortal Fairy, the Immortal Celestial had always been formidable. It was just that from his very debut, he had suffered crushing blows at the hands of three great figures—Lu Yang, the Immortal Fairy, and Yun Zhi—and ended up a captive, leaving him no opportunity to showcase his true power.
"Good, good, good. I underestimated you."
Knowing he could gain no advantage in a frontal clash, the Imperial Preceptor activated his rudimentary Dao fruit, severing the karma between himself and the Immortal Celestial.
The Imperial Preceptor slowly faded away before the Immortal Celestial's eyes, as if merging into space itself.
The Immortal Celestial braced himself as if facing a mortal foe, expanding his celestial consciousness to guard against the Imperial Preceptor's attack.
Then, his mind went blank for a moment, and a dazed expression crossed his face.
"What am I doing?"
The Immortal Celestial frowned. A piece of his memory seemed to have gone missing, leaving him completely oblivious to what had just happened.
Hidden in the shadows, the Imperial Preceptor watched cold-eyed, searching for an opportunity to strike.
What he cultivated was the Karma Dao fruit, currently at the rudimentary Dao fruit stage.
The Karma Dao fruit could manipulate karma at will. The world was formed of karma; people meeting, associating, and making enemies were all part of karma.
Severing the karma between people caused them to forget each other's existence.
The river spirit overlooking the Imperial Preceptor's group, the Immortal Cult's upper echelon forgetting the Immortal Celestial, the Punishment of the Burning Pillar never missing, and the Immortal Celestial forgetting the Imperial Preceptor... were all the effects of the rudimentary Karma Dao fruit.
The Imperial Preceptor had once slain six Tribulation Transcendence experts by making them forget his existence, picking them off one by one!
Chapter 483