The Little Medicine Kings had long been resentful of Yun Zhi's tyrannical ways. Now that someone was finally willing to lead them into battle against her, they were naturally overjoyed.
Lu Yang thought to himself that it was truly fortunate the Little Medicine Kings were raised in the Dao Seeking Sect's Herb Garden, where no one bore them any ill will. With an intellect like theirs, who knew how many times they would have been swindled out in the wider world?
If even the Immortal Fairy could trick these Little Medicine Kings, it went to show just how gullible they really were.
"Big Sis, when are we going to throw down with Yun Zhi!" The Ginseng Baby was bubbling with excitement.
Having spent so much time by Lu Yang's side, the Immortal Fairy had already picked up one or two percent of his scheming craft.
She waved a dismissive hand. "As the art of war says, 'hot tofu can't be eaten in a hurry.' We only just fought Girl Yun once, so she's surely on her guard. Striking now isn't the wisest move. We must take her by surprise!"
The Immortal Fairy held immense prestige among the Little Medicine Kings; they hung on her every word. If she said they should pick another time to challenge Yun Zhi, then another time it would be.
Watching the Immortal Fairy frolic happily with the Little Medicine Kings, Ao Ling and Jiang Lianyi murmured in hushed voices, "That is the pure heart of a child. It's truly enviable."
"That is precisely where Elder Sister Immortal surpasses us."
The Feathering Immortal Herb had not yet adjusted to the atmosphere of the Herb Garden, nor was it familiar with the Dao Seeking Sect. It could not fathom why the Little Medicine Kings were so thrilled.
"Is this Yun Zhi you speak of really that hard to deal with?"
With two root tendrils propped on its hips, the Ginseng Baby scoffed at the Feathering Immortal Herb's arrogance. "If you can beat that arch-demon Yun Zhi, you can be the boss of this Herb Garden!"
The Feathering Immortal Herb let out a cold snort. It might have taken a beating just earlier, but in truth, it had a trump card. Not only could it boost a cultivator's cultivation and advance the age of spiritual plants, it could also apply that ability to itself, increasing its own years of growth. That way, it could smoothly assume human form—and wield the power of the Tribulation Transcendence stage right from the start!
The last spiritual plant possessing such heaven-defying might had been Jianmu!
"It's a deal!"
Aggressively, the Feathering Immortal Herb dashed off to Tianmen Peak, determined to challenge Yun Zhi and establish its dominance in the Herb Garden.
"Hey! Are you Yun Zhi? I'm here to challenge you!"
At that moment, Yun Zhi had invited Gan Tian over for tea and Dao enlightenment, taking the opportunity to clear up some doubts along Gan Tian's path of cultivation.
A red clay stove glowed as Enlightenment Tea leaves tumbled within the pot. A delicate aroma curled outward; merely catching a scent of it brought a glimmer of enlightenment.
Hearing the Feathering Immortal Herb's arrogant provocation, Yun Zhi pondered for a brief moment, grabbed the herb in one swift motion, and stuffed it straight into the teapot to simmer alongside the Enlightenment Tea leaves.
Yun Zhi poured the tea. The fragrance was even richer than before. Sliding the red clay teacup toward Gan Tian, she said, "Drink up. It will increase your cultivation."
***
Ao Ling had already been staying at the Dao Seeking Sect for half a month. During this time, she not only studied the contemporary balance of power, but also toured Prison Peak, giving both the prisoners and the child grandmaster quite a fright, and met Daoist Xiantian, frightening him just as severely.
Lu Yang had also accompanied Ao Ling on a visit to the Scripture Pavilion to see the walls lined with cultivation methods. When they went, Lu Yang had been rather nervous, worried that his master might have left another copy of *Dragon Phoenix Transformation* hidden there. If Ao Ling discovered it, Lu Yang would have had no choice but to inherit the sect master's position through tears.
As the saying went, a scourge lives for a thousand years—Ao Ling never did find *Dragon Phoenix Transformation*.
Meanwhile, Daoist Buyu, who was tending his fortune-telling stall elsewhere, suddenly sneezed.
"Who's missing me?"
He thought through the people he had provoked over the years; it felt like any one of them could be thinking of him.
"Speaking of which, ever since Little Jin went home to visit family, my luck has improved quite a bit."
***
Half a month later, Ao Ling and Jiang Lianyi departed the Dao Seeking Sect together. Lu Yang did not know whether Ao Ling wished to see the outside world or intended to conquer the East Sea and present it as a gift to the Immortal Fairy.
Once the two ancient ancestors of the dragon and phoenix clans left, Lu Yang devoted himself entirely to cultivation.
Following the journey to the East Sea, he was acutely aware that his cultivation was far too low to have any right to meddle in struggles at the immortal level.
Lu Yang behaved himself impeccably, spending almost all of his time either meditating or sparring with his Invincible Nascent Soul.
After enduring a long period of one-sided beatings, Lu Yang's combat techniques grew increasingly refined. He reached the point where he could trade a move or two with the Invincible Nascent Soul before getting thrashed.
"Keep it up, Second-in-Command! You'll defeat the Invincible Nascent Soul in no time!" the Immortal Fairy cheered him on—ignoring reality entirely, offering purely emotional support.
In the blink of an eye, over a year slipped by.
The cultivation world remained calm and tranquil, with no grand spectacles to match what had transpired in the East Sea. The only topic people repeatedly discussed was how, following the awakening of the Dragon Clan Ancient Ancestor, she seemed poised to unify the East Sea with ferocious momentum. Everyone speculated whether she was acting under instructions from the Heavenly Court Sect, bringing the East Sea under control to prepare for the struggle of the coming grand era.
Leading the Sea Race, Ao Ling took Penglai Island under her control, cracking down harshly on the rampant piracy and bootlegging there.
The Phantom Bubble production *Calabash Brothers Stir Up the Sea* was released to widespread acclaim. In particular, the scene where the Kunpeng Clan was taught a lesson became a staple that the Sea Race watched over and over.
At the same time, *Calabash Brothers Stir Up the Sea* served as an advertisement for the East Sea. Cultivators from Great Xia realized that vast swathes of the East Sea remained completely undeveloped, harboring all manner of priceless heavenly treasures. The number of cultivators traveling to the East Sea grew day by day.
Lu Yang paid little heed to outside affairs. He focused steadily on his cultivation, never leaving the Dao Seeking Sect. In his leisure hours away from training, he merely wandered through corners of the sect he had never visited before.
Fortunately, Daoist Lord Hanhai did not come looking for trouble. In fact, Lu Yang had not caught a single glimpse of him. According to Junior Brother Qi Tongtian, when Daoist Lord Hanhai was not guiding his cultivation, he was using his rudimentary Space Dao fruit to slip off to the East Sea Dragon Palace.
Out of brotherly duty, Lu Yang urged Qi Tongtian to make sure Old Meng was kept informed of this.
At this moment, Lu Yang opened his mouth and inhaled like a great whale. Innumerable strands of external spiritual energy flooded into his body, further stretching the meridians he had already expanded to their limit.
His skin flushed crimson—a clear sign that his meridians were on the verge of tearing apart.
He gritted his teeth. Though the pain made him want to writhe on the ground, he never let out a cry.
*Boom!* As the swelling spiritual energy reached a critical threshold, it was as if a doorway had been flung open. Lu Yang's body transformed at a speed visible to the naked eye; his meridians gained greater resilience, capable of accommodating vastly more spiritual power.
"Phew—a breakthrough."
Lu Yang exhaled a breath of turbid air and rose to his feet with a smile. He had finally stepped into late Nascent Soul. Possessing a sword spiritual root, advancing to late Nascent Soul was merely a matter of time; bottlenecks were nonexistent.
"With the methods I have now, even a late Soul Formation cultivator wouldn't be able to do anything to me."
By methods, Lu Yang meant his conventional arsenal—excluding spirit mediumship and the Eldest Senior Sister Imitation Fist.
"And cultivators in the Void Refining stage won't easily make a move. In other words, as long as I don't run into anyone at the Body Integration stage, I can basically walk sideways in the outside world!"
Lu Yang let out a hearty laugh. Only this felt worthy of the title 'old Nascent Soul monster.'
Inside his spiritual space, the Immortal Fairy yawned. "But Second-in-Command, whenever you go out, have you ever encountered an enemy below the Body Integration stage?"
Lu Yang's smile froze. It seemed she actually had a point.
Chapter 883