Lu Yang realized that his ego had been inflating lately, and he forced himself to quickly calm down and analyze his actual combat strength.
Having advanced to the Nascent Soul stage from the strongest Golden Core, he could fight across realms. Going toe-to-toe with an ordinary early Soul Formation cultivator was well within reason, and if he factored in his intellect, he might even defeat one.
In other words, his combat strength was effectively on par with the early Soul Formation stage.
On top of that, divine possession by the Immortal Fairy and summoning Eldest Senior Sister using Eldest Senior Sister Imitation Fist would boost his combat strength by another full tier.
Adding up all these various advantages, he could genuinely clash with an Immortal.
“Senior Lianyi, would you be interested in becoming a guest elder of our Dao Seeking Sect?” Eldest Senior Sister took the initiative to invite her.
“Become a guest elder of your Dao Seeking Sect?” Jiang Lianyi wore a peculiar expression. As the true ruler of the Demon Empire, the Ancient Ancestor of the Phoenix Clan, and the peerless powerhouse beneath Immortals—not to mention having just fought to a draw with Yun Zhi—her status was right there. How could she possibly join their Dao Seeking Sect?
Besides, she didn't even know what perks a Dao Seeking Sect guest elder enjoyed, or what duties were required.
Eldest Senior Sister paused, then added, “Senior Immortal is the very first guest elder of our Dao Seeking Sect.”
“Such a warm invitation is impossible to refuse!”
A smile curled Eldest Senior Sister's lips. “Then welcome to the Dao Seeking Sect, Senior Lianyi.”
“Senior Lianyi is our sect's second guest elder. However, Senior Lianyi’s public identity is one of the Four Imperials of the Heavenly Court. If you openly join our Dao Seeking Sect, it would easily cause the outside world to speculate about the relationship between the Heavenly Court and our sect. Therefore, I must ask Senior Lianyi to keep your guest elder identity confidential.”
“That makes sense. Then what benefits do I get by joining the Dao Seeking Sect, and what do I need to do? For example, how long do I need to stay here?”
“Having Senior become a guest elder is already an honor for our sect. How would we dare restrict Senior's freedom? We only ask that if our sect ever faces danger in the future, Senior lends a helping hand.”
“In return, if Senior takes a liking to anything in the Dao Seeking Sect, feel free to let me know, and I can bestow it upon you. Places like the Scripture Pavilion will also be open to Senior.”
Jiang Lianyi thought it over. She wasn't losing out at all, and Sister Immortal was a guest elder too.
If they found Ao Ling and she became a guest elder as well, she would obediently have to address her as Senior Sister.
No matter how she looked at it, it was a great deal.
As for the Dao Seeking Sect’s belongings, nothing caught her eye for the moment.
The Scripture Pavilion, however, was a wonderful place. It held the most concentrated collection of knowledge in the cultivation world and was definitely worth a visit.
“What does Senior Lianyi plan to do next?”
Jiang Lianyi pondered for a moment before speaking seriously, “The world three hundred thousand years later is completely unknown to me. I plan to take a look around this unfamiliar cultivation world and search for clues regarding my husband and Xiao Ling. If I can find traces of the other three Immortals, that would be even better.”
“As it should be.”
Eldest Senior Sister took out a jade medallion and pushed it toward Jiang Lianyi.
“This is?”
“A map of the cultivation world. There may be minor deviations in fine details, but the general layout is accurate.”
Jiang Lianyi did not stand on ceremony. “Then my thanks to Cult Master.”
They were all family now; refusing would only create distance.
“As for you, Little Junior Brother,” Eldest Senior Sister continued, “since you have stepped into the Nascent Soul stage, dedicate yourself to composing the Nascent Soul portion of the Art of Illuminating the Heart and Seeing Nature. I will inspect it.”
Lu Yang instantly felt his pressure multiply. A splitting headache struck, and the excitement from returning from the Demon Domain turned entirely cold.
He had to write cultivation techniques again. He probably wouldn't be able to leave the Scripture Pavilion for the next month.
“Would Senior Lianyi like to accompany me to the Scripture Pavilion?” Sensing that Jiang Lianyi was interested in visiting, Lu Yang took the initiative to invite her.
“That works.”
Eldest Senior Sister casually jotted down a note and handed it to Jiang Lianyi. “Show this note to whoever is guarding the entrance of the Scripture Pavilion, and they will let you in.”
Before descending the mountain, Jiang Lianyi altered her appearance slightly to prevent other members of the Dao Seeking Sect from recognizing her.
As the two walked down the mountain, they saw many Dao Seeking Sect disciples running in one direction, seemingly rushing to watch a spectacle.
“That’s… the direction of Old Meng’s cave abode?”
Lu Yang recalled Old Meng mentioning that he planned to shatter his core and form his nascent soul. He was probably breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage right now.
He changed his plans on the spot and headed for Old Meng’s cave abode.
Lu Yang arrived relatively late. The area outside Meng Jingzhou’s cave abode was packed with senior and junior brothers and sisters eager to watch the show, leaving Lu Yang and Jiang Lianyi stuck in the back.
Jiang Lianyi had a good impression of the young lad who always hung around Lu Yang. He possessed Nirvana True Fire, and his yang energy was astonishingly vigorous—even the Phoenix Clan, famed for pure yang, couldn't hold a candle to him.
A dazzling array of phenomena unfolded before the entrance of Meng Jingzhou's cave abode. Continuous purple qi swirled around the mountain peak, surging golden lotuses took root upon hitting the ground, and phantom arhats chanted scriptures. The spectacle was vastly grander than Lu Yang's own breakthrough, so it was no wonder so many people had rushed over to watch.
Countless disciples pointed and marveled at the miraculous scene, in awe of Meng Jingzhou's talent.
“Look at that swirling purple qi! That’s a Purple Qi Talisman, which costs ten thousand contribution points to redeem!”
“And the Grounded Golden Lotus Talismans! A single golden lotus costs five thousand contribution points, and there must be well over a hundred of them here!”
“And the Buddhist chanting, the arhat phantoms… Good heavens, how many contribution points did all this cost?”
“Listen! There's even a phoenix cry! Could that be the legendary phoenix nirvana?!”
In terms of financial wealth, few in the Dao Seeking Sect could hold a candle to Meng Jingzhou. Even senior brothers at the Soul Formation stage were gasping in admiration; had it been them, they would never have dared to splurge like this.
Lu Yang’s eyelid twitched slightly. He and Old Meng had originally discussed putting on a bit of a show upon returning to the sect to break through, since a cultivator only had one chance in their life and it ought to be celebrated grandly.
They had drawn inspiration from the Immortal Fairy's recounting of how Immortal Jiuchong attained immortality.
He just hadn't expected Old Meng to make such a colossal commotion.
Old Meng's talent was comparable to his own, meaning breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage was a matter of a single thought. Yet the miraculous phenomena had been playing out for half an hour without a breakthrough, dragging on like severe constipation. It could only mean one thing—he was waiting for the show to finish running its course before actually breaking through.
Just as this thought crossed Lu Yang’s mind, the phenomena shifted once more. Arhats chanted scriptures whose melodious verses had the power to cleanse the soul, phantoms of ancient forebears materialized and knelt in a circle around Meng Jingzhou's cave abode as if worshiping a divinity, and supreme figures pinched flowers with subtle smiles, bestowing blessings…
A Nascent Soul aura burst through the cave abode and shot into the heavens. Everyone present could feel the formidable might of this nascent soul.
“Look! Junior Brother Meng has two Nascent Souls!”
Above the cave abode, two Nascent Souls identical in appearance to Meng Jingzhou floated curled up, head to toe, exuding supreme energy.
Gradually, the two Nascent Souls began spinning faster and faster, forming a perfect circle.
A senior brother observed the two Nascent Souls intently and slowly remarked, “It looks just like a Taiji diagram! The two Nascent Souls are spinning, separated by a line like flowing water. These two Nascent Souls symbolize… one yang and another yang!”
Lu Yang: “…”
*This is the first time I've ever heard of a Taiji diagram being one yang and another yang.*
Chapter 629