Joining the Emotionless Cult

When Lu Yang saw the two of them, he trembled so violently his heart practically stopped beating. What was the Emotionless Cult's problem? If they didn't want him to join, they could just say so; there was no need to go through all this trouble. And suppressing them to the same cultivation realm? Why didn't they suppress Eldest Senior Sister to the Golden Core stage while they were at it, so he could see what a sky full of Golden Cores looked like? Lu Yang could even feel his Invincible Nascent Soul squirming restlessly, itching to flee. If he only had to face one of them, Lu Yang felt he might stand a chance at putting up a fight—whether he won or lost was another matter, of course. But against both of them, Lu Yang figured he might as well race his Invincible Nascent Soul to see who could run faster. "Junior Brother, what is wrong?" Eldest Senior Sister asked with a furrowed brow, her tone identical to usual. Only then did Lu Yang notice that this was not a blank void, but Tianmen Peak of the Dao Seeking Sect. Right—if it was a complete simulation, it naturally simulated the environment as well. "N-nothing." "Second-in-Command, why do you look so dazed? Did you cultivate so hard your brain stopped working?" Huang Doudou giggled as usual, casually poking Lu Yang in the cheek. "Fairy, I really don't think you're in any position to talk about me." "Oho, I get to challenge Girl Yun again?" The Immortal Fairy popped out from the spiritual space—the real Immortal Fairy. Beating a fake counted as a win too! She immediately possessed the illusionary Huang Doudou and self-destructed right off the bat. "Holy crap, Fairy, wait—" Before Lu Yang could even try to dissuade her, the Immortal Fairy decisively detonated herself without another word. *Boom!* In reality, unable to withstand such terrifying power, the formation blew apart on the spot. Niu Qianshan raised an eyebrow. "Failed so quickly?" A shattered formation signified a failed trial. And for it to blow up so quickly could only mean that he had failed to kill his target and had been killed instead. For someone on the path of emotionlessness, killing the person closest to them was akin to an assassination. To fail even an assassination showed that he must have hesitated out of pity during the strike. "It seems this boy is not suited for my Dao of Emotionlessness." Mid-flight, Yun Zhi frowned slightly. "The sensation is gone?" She had sensed an image of herself appearing somewhere and had intended to go investigate. Yet halfway there, the image seemed to have dispersed, leaving no detectable source behind. "Strange." Lu Yang woke up groggily, still reeling from the aftermath of the Immortal Fairy's self-destruction. Niu Qianshan walked up to Lu Yang and said coldly, "You failed. Return to wherever you came from." Before Lu Yang could say anything, another explosion rang out from Meng Jingzhou's direction as his formation blew apart as well. Meng Jingzhou cursed furiously, looking ready to tear the stronghold down. "Who the hell could kill that?!" Niu Qianshan regarded Meng Jingzhou with cold eyes. Not only had he failed, but he was also furious. Members of the Emotionless Cult had no business harboring an emotion like anger. "You are not suited for my Dao of Emotionlessness either. Both of you, leave." Those walking different paths could make no common cause, so keeping them here was pointless. The Emotionless Cult never showed leniency or made special exceptions. Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou exchanged secret sound transmissions. *What do we do?* *Let's leave for now. Even if we don't leave on our own, this Niu Qianshan fellow will probably throw us out. Everyone in the Emotionless Cult seems to have this kind of temperament.* *All right.* Seeing Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou depart, Niu Qianshan summoned a subordinate, a late Golden Core cultivator. "These two know the location of our stronghold and cannot be allowed to live. Go finish them off, and be quick about it." Even though Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou only displayed early Foundation Establishment cultivation on the outside, Niu Qianshan had always been cautious, dispatching the strongest personnel available. If the Vice Branch Master hadn't been occupied with other matters, he would have liked to send the early Nascent Soul Vice Branch Master himself. As they left the Ye City branch, Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou were still discussing the trial. "Why did you start fighting inside the formation?" Lu Yang asked curiously. With the Fairy's help, he had regained his senses and realized that passing the trial required killing the person closest to him. Old Meng hadn't awakened from the illusion, so why would he attack the person closest to him? Meng Jingzhou's face darkened. "The person who showed up in my formation was you, you bastard. I just wanted to have a duel with you!" Lu Yang's interest piqued, and he let out an "Oh?" "So since you lost in the formation, doesn't that mean you have to admit I'm stronger than you?" At the mention of that, Meng Jingzhou's face turned even blacker. "The illusion of you opened up right away with Eldest Senior Sister Imitation Fist! How the hell was I supposed to fight that?!" The formation couldn't simulate Yun Zhi attacking in person, but Imitation Fist inherently possessed the ability to borrow power from its archetypes—it was just that Lu Yang rarely used it that way. The illusionary Lu Yang inside the formation had borrowed a sliver of Eldest Senior Sister's power, which naturally was not something Meng Jingzhou could contend with. "Someone's been tailing us." "I know. Probably an assassin sent by the Emotionless Cult to silence us." "That works out nicely. We can disguise ourselves as him and infiltrate the cult again." The two struck simultaneously, capturing the cultist before he could even react. "You aren't Foundation Establishment!" the man said coldly. Without a word, Lu Yang stepped forward and slapped him across the face. "Cut the chatter and stay put." Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou dragged the man to a secluded spot. Lu Yang then used his divine sense to check on how the Patriarch was doing down below. He saw the Patriarch still seated cross-legged on the formation. Judging by his relaxed expression, he was likely deeply immersed, unable to see through the illusion. "Given the Patriarch's personality, if he doesn't see through the illusion, there's no way he'll pass the trial." "Fairy, would you mind helping out?" After all, this was the Patriarch's wish, so Lu Yang naturally wanted to do everything he could to grant it. "Hmph, you still need this Immortal's help after all, don't you?" Since Lu Yang asked, the Immortal Fairy didn't mind lending a small hand. With a slight nudge of her immortal power, she snapped Daoist Xiantian awake from the formation. At that moment, Daoist Xiantian was chatting pleasantly with Xiao Lu the river spirit in the bamboo grove of the Dao Seeking Sect. When it came to who was closest to him, it was naturally Xiao Lu, who hailed from the Great Yu era just like him. Suddenly, he froze, remembering that this was a trial and the Xiao Lu before him was an illusion. He sighed softly. Even if it was an illusion, he was reluctant to raise a hand against Xiao Lu. Yet he also knew that if he didn't kill this fake Xiao Lu, he could never join the Emotionless Cult. Little Lu and Little Meng had each dismantled a demonic cult; as their elder, he couldn't drag his feet and hold them back. *Then kill it is!* With calculated intent against an unsuspecting target, and with Xiao Lu the river spirit also at early Foundation Establishment, Daoist Xiantian caught him off guard and struck him down. Daoist Xiantian woke up to find Niu Qianshan standing before him. Niu Qianshan patted Daoist Xiantian on the shoulder. "Well done. Passing the trial so quickly proves you are suited for our Dao of Emotionlessness. From this day forth, you belong to our Dao of Emotionlessness." Monitoring via divine sense, Lu Yang breathed a sigh of relief. With this, the Patriarch had successfully infiltrated the Emotionless Cult. Just as he turned to say something to Old Meng, he saw a large force flying in from the distance, aggressive and exuding overwhelming momentum. They tore up the massive tree above the branch hall by its roots and poured into the underground cavern all at once. The leader displayed his badge of authority. "Nobody move! Squat down with your hands on your heads! I am the Chief Constable of Ye City! You're all under arrest!" The Chief Constable fixed his gaze on Daoist Xiantian. "A new recruit? You're under arrest too!" *** Tianmen Peak. Yun Zhi sat with her eyes closed, comprehending the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth. Suddenly, she sensed two flustered figures rushing toward her. "Junior Brother, Junior Brother Meng, what happened?" Lu Yang was completely out of breath. "E-Eldest Senior Sister, this is bad! The Patriarch... he was arrested by the imperial court for joining the Emotionless Cult...!" Yun Zhi: "..." *Junior Brother, do you hear what you're saying?*