ILDV Chapter 29

Yuan Daozhu barely managed to block this sword strike through sheer danger and peril. Circulating his dense spiritual qi, he forcefully suppressed the sword light that Yin Lang had released outward.

He was both shocked and furious. “What madness has possessed you?”

“No madness.” Yin Lang followed the spiritual pressure and sat back, leaning against the carved pillars of the palace corridor. Tilting his head back, he said unhurriedly, “I just wanted to test how much damage the self-destruction of a peak Mahayana stage cultivator could inflict on Daozhu.”

He pulled at the corners of his lips. “And… you probably don’t know yet that not long ago, Muxuan nearly perished under Venerable Yin’s spear.”

Yuan Daozhu’s expression of rage froze. He probed Yin Lang’s physical condition with uncertainty and suspicion.

Excessive blood loss.

For this symptom to appear in a cultivator was truly absurd, yet Yuan Daozhu’s expression showed not a trace of doubt.

He even hesitated and began to contemplate.

Yin Lang observed the other’s expression imperceptibly. Seeing this, he let out an almost undetectable sigh of relief, and the fist clenched in his sleeve slowly relaxed.

Good, this time he probably wouldn’t need to bleed himself to the point of being bedridden for three months.

It hadn’t been in vain for him to deliberately crash into Chan Xin’s Buddhist light.

Yuan Daozhu furrowed his brow tightly.

Shen Muxuan was clearly threatening him with suicide, yet he had no choice but to consider the possibility that this boy might actually kill himself if pushed to desperation.

Taihua Immortal Sect didn’t lack a Mahayana stage combatant, but Yuan Daozhu could not afford to lose Shen Muxuan, this ‘blood reservoir.’

The Lantian Realm hadn’t produced a single successful ascender in nearly ten thousand years. Every Dao Integration stage mighty one who dared to face the Heavenly Ascension tribulation had, without exception, been struck to the point of soul annihilation under the endless heavenly tribulation.

Yuan Daozhu had lived from ten thousand years ago until now. His cultivation and mental state had long accumulated to a level capable of ascension, but having witnessed one Dao Integration stage cultivator after another have their souls scattered under the heavenly tribulation, over time, he had even lost the courage to face the Heavenly Ascension tribulation.

Rather than face the doomed Heavenly Ascension tribulation, he chose to cower in the Lantian Realm, resisting the punishment thunder tribulation that appeared once every thousand years. Each time he successfully survived one, he gained another thousand years of worry-free time.

However, since seizing the Primordial Jade a thousand years ago, the punishment thunder tribulation appeared with increasing frequency. By now, it came almost every hundred years. Even with Yuan Daozhu’s cultivation level, he was gradually finding it overwhelming and had begun seeking external assistance.

In earlier years, he learned that adding a special type of blood during artifact refinement could greatly increase a magical artifact’s resistance to tribulation thunder. From then on, he searched everywhere, finally finding Shen Muxuan, who possessed this special blood, several hundred years ago.

Thinking of this, Yuan Daozhu softened his tone. “Muxuan, Daozhu has never had any intention of bleeding you to death.”

Shen Muxuan said faintly, “Yes, you would at most bleed me to death.”

“Don’t you know how Daozhu has always treated you? If not for this Daozhu backing you up, how could you treat your master as nothing, participate in sect affairs at will without concern, and enjoy so many years of carefree good days?”

“Right, and yet when I tried to take on a disciple, I nearly suffered his ‘poisonous hand.'”

“……” Yuan Daozhu’s expression became somewhat dangerous.

Shen Muxuan smiled radiantly and neatly rolled up his left sleeve, exposing a lean forearm. His right hand manifested sword light again, gesturing back and forth over his left arm.

“How much does Daozhu need this time? Give me a precise number so Muxuan can properly gauge the size of the wound.” He put on a pitiful expression. “You know about the matter of Daoist Tianxuan’s death. Recently, with turmoil rising again in the Lantian Realm, Sect Master Senior Brother has been working Muxuan quite hard.”

Having expressed his dissatisfaction and vented his resentment, it was time to wisely yield.

Yin Lang casually bled himself, feeling the weakness brought by rapid blood loss, while mentally chopping Yuan Daozhu into seventeen or eighteen pieces.

Wait a little longer, just wait a little longer……

Only a patient hunter could reap the most abundant prey.

His cooperative attitude clearly satisfied Yuan Daozhu greatly. The jade bottle he produced had only half the capacity of the last time, and Yin Lang filled it before long.

Shen Muxuan circulated his spiritual qi to heal the wound. When he stood up, he stumbled, revealing a deathly pale face drained of all color, like an exquisite porcelain doll.

When Xu Rong came to meet him, he was startled by his abnormally pale complexion. “Master, you…” What happened?

Shen Muxuan slowly glanced at him.

“Oh, regular occurrence. You’ll get used to it.”

Xu Rong wanted to ask more specifically, but saw Shen Muxuan already swaying unsteadily inside while still managing to wave his hand and direct him, “Go cook a bowl of angelica and red date congee and bring it over.”

How long would it take for the ‘protagonist’ to notice something was wrong? He didn’t believe in the so-called ‘protagonist halo,’ but if this thing could work on Yuan Daozhu… then believing in it a bit wouldn’t hurt!

Yin Lang began living a recuperative life of one bowl of angelica and red date congee per day, dumping major matters on Sect Master Tu Feng and minor matters on his cheap disciple, managing nothing himself and living quite comfortably.

Fortunately, everyone knew of ‘Shen Muxuan’s’ lazy nature and love of traveling. They would carry on with their disputes, and unless a fight broke out requiring combat power before reaching a conclusion, no one would disturb him.

During this time, Gu Fuxuan came once. A single comment—’you’ve taken to red dates again recently?’—resolved Xu Rong’s confusion. Only then did Xu Rong learn that this Tianji Daojun not only loved farming but was also one of the rare cultivators who indulged in culinary pleasures.

Then he received a storage bag of fresh spirit dates that Gu Fuxuan left behind. Large and round.

Xu Rong’s eyes looked somewhat dead.

First farming, now making congee.

He had come to cultivate and seek revenge—why was he developing toward being a self-sufficient cook!

Fortunately, although Shen Muxuan didn’t know how to raise children, he still knew that disciples couldn’t truly be used entirely as cooks. When idle, he would also lie in his rocking chair and lazily guide his cultivation.

Although Xu Rong had been reborn, in his previous life he had only been a Spirit Transformation stage cultivator. His experience was far less profound than a Mahayana stage Tianji Daojun. Many subtle errors that he hadn’t noticed in his previous life were pointed out one by one, making his spiritual power flow increasingly smooth.

“Hmm? Who did you fight with to come back covered in wounds like this?”

Night had deepened when a figure suddenly flashed out from behind a tree. If Xu Rong hadn’t been mentally prepared, he would have nearly been frightened into drawing his sword by this ghost-like movement technique.

He pretended to be startled, then quickly pressed his lips together and said in a low voice, “It was just a sparring match with a fellow disciple. That senior brother simply didn’t pull back his sword momentum. These are all superficial injuries. Master need not worry.”

“Disciple, your abilities are insufficient.” Shen Muxuan tossed over a bottle of superior healing medicine, disappointed. “Back in the day, this lord fought throughout his generation and could hardly find a match. Your senior martial brother wasn’t this emotionally fragile either, yet you actually came crying to your master……”

The last sentence was very quiet, but that didn’t mean Xu Rong couldn’t hear it.

Fortunately it was already late, and Shen Muxuan was in the distance, so he didn’t notice his face that had suddenly darkened.

No… in this situation, shouldn’t you, a Daojun renowned for martial prowess, take action to avenge your disciple? Opening your mouth to immediately say your disciple is useless—isn’t something wrong here?

Is this person really suitable to be a master… How exactly did that senior martial brother he’d never met manage to successfully mature under this kind of education!

Full of complaints, Xu Rong lowered his head, opened the bottle stopper, and popped the medicine into his mouth.

Although the injuries were deliberately sustained and he was deliberately acting pitiful, the wounds were real and painful.

The pill dissolved into a warm current that flowed toward the injured areas the moment it entered his mouth. His wounds visibly recovered at an astonishing speed.

Xu Rong raised his arm in surprise. His nearly severed left arm had reconnected by half within a few breaths, and the pain had greatly diminished.

This had to be at least a seventh-grade Spirit-Healing Pill!

His impression of Shen Muxuan immediately reversed. To casually toss such excellent medicine to him—this cheap master truly just wasn’t very good at comforting disciples but actually valued him greatly!

Little did he know that behind the tree, the Daojun casually pulled out a bottle of ninth-grade Spirit-Healing Pills, popping them into his mouth as easily as eating candy.

Mm, the flavor was adjusted well this time. He’d go exchange for more from Lu Li next time.

After both master and disciple finished their medicine, Yin Lang climbed up the tree and sat down, tapping the trunk. “So tell me, who could possibly bully you?”

Finally back to the main topic!

Xu Rong immediately perked up. Just as he was recalling the delicate tone of one of the harem members from his previous life to properly express his grievances, he heard Shen Muxuan suddenly say, “Asked the wrong question.”

Then he said with complete seriousness——

“I’m so used to your senior martial brother’s Out-of-Body stage cultivation that I forgot you’re only at the Qi Refining stage. Basically any inner sect disciple in the sect could beat you down.”

Xu Rong: “……”

Is it too late for me to switch sects now!

He lowered his head pitifully. “Master……”

“Hahaha.” Shen Muxuan laughed heartlessly. Just as Xu Rong began doubting his life choices, a warm hand landed on his hair and gently ruffled it.

“Don’t actually start crying now.” His voice carried laughter.

Strangely enough, Xu Rong felt this smile was the most genuine one he had seen so far.

“Directly avenging you isn’t really possible.” Shen Muxuan simply reached out and pulled him up into the tree as well, placing him right beside himself.

His body suddenly lifted off the ground. Before he could react, he was pressed tightly against a warm body. Completely caught off guard, Xu Rong’s entire being stiffened into a block of stone, his mind in complete chaos and blank. He didn’t hear clearly what the other was saying at all, and it took a long time to recover.

“……So keep working hard!”

Xu Rong: ……Huh?

He returned to his painstakingly constructed crude dwelling with complete bewilderment. Only after honestly sitting cross-legged on the bed in meditation posture did he suddenly realize.

He hadn’t achieved a single objective—tonight’s bitter stratagem had resulted in injuries all for nothing!

****

On Qingnang Peak.

“Daozhu has come out of seclusion?!”

A woman in green robes paced the courtyard in panic, as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.

“How could it be at this time… Too early… The time is too short!”

She bit her fingernails, muttering neurotically in a low voice, “No, Qi Lan absolutely cannot be taken away by him! I worked so hard to snatch Qi Lan out back then—I absolutely cannot let all that effort go to waste… I must go find Master!”

Her eyes suddenly lit up. Raising her head to gaze distantly at Yuejiang Peak where snow was falling, her excitement grew increasingly intense. “Go find Master! Yes, go find Master! Master will surely be able to save my Qi Lan!”

She lifted her skirts and rushed out of the small courtyard, relying solely on her two legs to run toward Yuejiang Peak.

The disciples of Qingnang Peak who saw her all instinctively avoided her, and some hurried to report to Master Liu Feng.

Master Liu Feng, who was deeply researching medical texts, frowned upon hearing this. Thinking of the news of Yuan Daozhu’s emergence from seclusion, she hesitated for a while but ultimately gave up.

“Hua Feiying has run off… Forget it, let her go. That person is under Daozhu’s faction after all. We don’t have the ability, nor do we have the authority to confine her.”

She sighed and had the disciple pass down a message: regardless of what she intended to do, no one should obstruct her.