Luo Lingfeng did not respond.
She gazed at Wei Yunshu, always feeling that those eyes on an ordinary face were somewhat out of place.
Wei Yunshu’s emotions gradually calmed down, and she let Luo Lingfeng examine her with a composed demeanor. The Luo Lingfeng she knew in the past would not have been so presumptuous and undisciplined. As expected, “a leaf blocking the view” had prevented her from seeing the path ahead clearly.
“It is indeed fortunate,” Luo Lingfeng sneered. She trusted her intuition. Although she couldn’t discern any abnormalities on this person, she could stir her emotions, perhaps crossing paths again in the future. She was unwilling to let anything slip. If it were a disciple of Buzhou Peak, it would be difficult to act, but now that she was merely a rogue cultivator, it would be easier. Therefore, after a moment of consideration, she smiled softly, “I see you have extraordinary aptitude and am willing to take you under my wing. What do you think?”
There were no cultivators in the Dao Fruit realm in the Fu Li Immortal Realm. Those who reached the Cavern Heaven stage were peak existences, capable of shaking mountains and seas with a gesture. If one had the protection of a Cavern Heaven True Monarch, even if they encountered conflict with others while traveling, others would still consider it twice, as no one wanted to risk their own life. No one would refuse such a good thing. Luo Lingfeng thought so too, and after speaking, she smiled complacently, waiting for Wei Yunshu’s answer.
Wei Yunshu’s brows knitted into a tangle. She truly couldn’t understand Luo Lingfeng’s thoughts. Did she intend to take anyone she found interesting under her wing? As for the excuse of “aptitude,” she wouldn’t believe it at all. After all, she was currently only a soul fragment, protected by various Dharma artifacts, making her impenetrable even to Cavern Heaven True Monarchs. Her expression became stern. Her whisk swayed gently in the breeze, and the broad and peaceful aura completely vanished, replaced by a hint of sharpness. She looked up to meet Luo Lingfeng’s gaze and said faintly, “This humble Daoist has her own master. How can I join another sect?”
Luo Lingfeng looked at Wei Yunshu in surprise. Since she had taken charge of Cloud City, no one had dared to refuse or defy her. A cold, sharp light flashed in her eyes. She chuckled lightly, “How can a small sect guarantee your Cultivation path?”
Her words were not wrong. For a cultivator to achieve their own destiny, the four essentials—Dharma, wealth, companions, and location—were indispensable. Take the first hurdle in the Cultivation path, “Mortal Transformation.” If one were to explore it on their own, they might take countless detours. But if they had a Cavern Heaven blessed land, along with the protection and genuine teachings of a master, then everything would be very different. To shed the mortal body, one needed to “burn apertures.” Within these apertures, true fire was nurtured. Later, true fire would be used to repeatedly refine Cloud Sand, absorb spiritual energy, and convert it into usable spiritual power. “Burning apertures” had a maximum of thirty-six, but throughout history, very few people had managed to reach this stage. If one could pass thirty, they had a chance to glimpse the Great Dao. However, without a master and superior Dharma techniques, rogue cultivators could not achieve such a feat. Once the first step was faltered, it would be very difficult to compensate for it in the future.
“This is my own matter,” Wei Yunshu replied coldly. Such an attitude in the presence of a Cavern Heaven True Monarch was considered extremely defiant. She had no intention of continuing the conversation with Luo Lingfeng. She performed a salute and added, “If the True Monarch has no other matters, this humble Daoist will take her leave now.”
Luo Lingfeng suddenly said, “Wait!” Her gaze towards Wei Yunshu now held a more serious expression. She couldn’t bring herself to exert pressure on a Golden Core cultivator with Cavern Heaven power; it was something that would invite ridicule from her peers. Seeing Wei Yunshu stop, she added, “What is your name, Daoist friend?” Given her status, all it took was an inquiry for disciples to present all sorts of information, but at this moment, she gazed at Wei Yunshu, waiting for her to speak.
Wei Yunshu said, “Bo Fengliu.” After saying this, she didn’t care about Luo Lingfeng’s expression, flicked her sleeve, and turned to leave.
Luo Lingfeng watched her retreating back, repeating the name “Bo Fengliu” over and over. From this brief encounter, she couldn’t discern any hint of the free-spirited demeanor associated with the name. Perhaps she was just reserved when facing strangers? However, she was quite bold. A mere Golden Core cultivator dared to defy a Cavern Heaven cultivator.
“Master.” A soft voice entered her ears, interrupting Luo Lingfeng’s thoughts.
Luo Lingfeng turned and saw Yun Dan, nodding slightly to her.
It turned out that after being dismissed, Yun Dan had not gone far. After seeing Wei Yunshu leave, she immediately returned. After offering a salute, she adopted a serious expression and asked, “Is there anything unusual about that rogue cultivator? Could it be related to the evil cultivators?”
Luo Lingfeng glanced at Yun Dan with a half-smile and said carelessly, “Why do you think so?” If Wei Yunshu were present, she would never recklessly speculate about others’ origins based on her own conjectures. Even if there were some similarities to Wei Yunshu, her spirit and bones were not the same; she was ultimately like an evil thing crafted from clay and wood.
Yun Dan’s heart chilled. She immediately realized she had said the wrong thing. She dared not meet Luo Lingfeng’s gaze and quickly found an excuse: “If there wasn’t anything unusual, why would Master be alerted?”
“Could it be that I am simply interested in her?” Luo Lingfeng smiled and said deliberately. Before Yun Dan could respond, she continued leisurely, “Do you also have something unusual about you?”
Hearing these words, Yun Dan’s heart sank even further. She had something to hide, so she felt Luo Lingfeng’s words were pointed, causing her to lose her composure. She longed to immediately kneel and defend herself, but after carefully considering the Cloud Sovereign’s methods of handling affairs, she suppressed that urgency. At times like these, remaining still was the best course of action.
“You don’t need to be so reserved,” Luo Lingfeng said softly, looking at Yun Dan. “You are my registered disciple. If you are fortunate enough to reach the Foundation Establishment stage in the future, you can become a true disciple. You are different from others.”
Yun Dan finally breathed a sigh of relief. Thinking of the identity of a “true disciple,” her eyes immediately lit up with eagerness. The matter she was plotting was within reach, and the sacrifices were necessary. She even felt it was a good thing that the other party had died, saving her the trouble of having a living witness track her down. In recent times, by acting with the Cloud Sect disciples, she had gained a deeper understanding of their tracking abilities.
Luo Lingfeng said, “Take the ‘One Qi Orthodox Sutra’ and cultivate it. Strive to cultivate your first wisp of spiritual energy as soon as possible. As for the external resources needed for cultivation, you don’t need to worry. With me here, you won’t lack anything. After some time, you will accompany me to the Sunset Burial Mounds.”
“Sunset Burial Mounds?” Yun Dan’s eyelids twitched. The area was filled with extreme malevolent energy. Why would this esteemed person suddenly think of going there? Why not return to Cloud City?
“The Luoshui Divine Palace has issued the Luoshui True Invitation. As I am from the Luoshui Divine Palace, how can I disregard it?” Luo Lingfeng smiled. This smile was like a hundred flowers blooming, immediately eclipsing the heavens and earth.
Yun Dan heard the pleasure in Luo Lingfeng’s laughter but felt something strange about it. However, since the other party had no intention of elaborating, she dared not inquire further. The relationships between the four major powers of the Fu Li Immortal Realm were generally average. The Luoshui Divine Palace and the Dustless Sea were close, and there were many marriage alliances between the two major sects. However, after the young master of the Dustless Sea personally went to the Luoshui Divine Palace to break off the engagement last time, there were few reports of them interacting.
The world said that the Palace Lord of the Luoshui Divine Palace had hitched herself to Cloud City, but in reality, when the four powers of the Luoshui Divine Palace were in fierce conflict, Cloud City had not made any move. Some said it was because the Luoshui Divine Maiden was not favored by the Cloud Sovereign, but more said that although that person had married out of the Luoshui Divine Palace, her relationship with her clan was not good. After all, Luo Hengjun’s lechery and tyranny were known to all. While his legal wife was gravely ill, he had an affair with his sister-in-law, angering his original wife to death, which had long become a joke. And the Luoshui Divine Maiden happened to be the legitimate daughter born to Luo Hengjun’s original wife.
Meanwhile, Wei Yunshu returned to her room. She suppressed the various emotions she felt towards Luo Lingfeng, lit a stick of spiritual incense, and then sat cross-legged on the futon to cultivate. Since she had decided to abandon everything, Luo Lingfeng and the affairs of Cloud City were now irrelevant to her.
After a night passed.
Wei Yunshu met Xie Zhichao. After a few words of conversation, they decided to leave the Cloud Sect outpost. Initially, she worried that Luo Lingfeng might try to obstruct them, but until they walked out, they never saw Luo Lingfeng’s figure. She seemed indifferent to this. Perhaps last night was just a momentary whim, Wei Yunshu thought, a sense of inexplicable melancholy surfacing in her heart.
“If we are going to the Luoshui Divine Palace, it would be faster to travel by water. Daoist Friend Bo, your donkey’s pace is probably not enough,” Xie Zhichao teased, looking at Wei Yunshu riding her donkey. Most disciples of the Luoshui Divine Palace cultivated water techniques, so the place where their sect was located was crisscrossed with lakes and rivers, resembling a water kingdom on land. They also had many water demons under their command, which was precisely why they could get along with the different beings from the Dustless Sea. If they wanted to go to the Sunset Burial Mounds, they had to first pay their respects to the host and make a trip to Luoshui.
Wei Yunshu smiled and said, “It’s alright, then we’ll take it on the dragon boat.”
Xie Zhichao changed the subject and said, “Daoist Friend Bo, do you think the appearance of cultivators in Funeral Heaven Pass is related to the mass emergence of evil cultivators in the Sunset Burial Mounds?” The balance between demonic and righteous paths was always in a state of mutual decline. Three thousand years ago, the Corridor of Sins had actually rioted once. At that time, the “Primordial Demons” had awakened, and the immortal sects had expended great effort to suppress them, losing three Cavern Heaven mighty figures in the process. These “Primordial Demons” existed from the very beginning; their cultivation was equivalent to that of Cavern Heaven cultivators. They could not be killed, only suppressed. As for the evil cultivators who moved about the Immortal Realm for extended periods, they were actually cultivators whose minds had been infected by demonic thoughts; they were more like lackeys under the Primordial Demons.
Wei Yunshu sighed profoundly, “The rise of demonic calamities is the natural order of the Heavenly Dao.”
If it were a short journey, cultivators could rely on their own escape techniques to travel. However, for a long journey crossing an entire continent, it was best to rely on Dharma artifacts. Xie Zhichao, familiar with the ways, found a shop selling boats in the Immortal Market, intending to purchase a treasure ship. To her surprise, as soon as she opened her mouth, the seller wore a bitter expression and waved his hands, repeatedly saying, “All gone, all gone.” After inquiring carefully, they learned that many cultivators had recently come to buy treasure ships, but more had been transferred away by managers from other cities.
The manager cautiously looked at Wei Yunshu and the two of them. “I venture to ask, are the immortal guests preparing to travel to the Southern Continent?”
Wei Yunshu nodded and smiled faintly, “Indeed.”
The manager said, “If the two of you are not in a hurry, you can wait for half a month. Wang Family Shipyard has a treasure ship that will be carrying passengers to the Southern Continent soon.” It was said that the region of Funeral Heaven Pass was remote, with little inter-continental traffic. The wealthy directly bought treasure ships, while those in financial difficulty could only wait patiently or leave Funeral Heaven Pass to seek excitement elsewhere.
Wei Yunshu immediately thought of the matter of the “Sunset Burial Mounds.” She exchanged a glance with Xie Zhichao, and their opinions aligned. She handed the manager a pot of spiritual pearls and raised her eyebrows with a smile, “Then we will trouble you.”
The manager’s face immediately lit up with joy, and he repeatedly assured them, “Consider it done by this one.”
