The Young Lady Only Wants to Cultivate Immortality Chapter 100

A’Ling and Gu Jingyang cooperated with perfect synergy once more, using the same method to temporarily trap the Mutated Beasts before the Hongjian Academy’s barrier.
After recalling Little Wandering, she and Gu Jingyang returned to the barrier by sword. A’Ling nudged Shi Qingqian with her chin, her eyes filled with pride.
But this pride wasn’t for herself. She gestured with her chin for Shi Qingqian to look at Gu Jingyang, smiling as she said, “Did you see Gu Jingyang’s Dragon Manifestation technique just now? Is her level now able to beat yours?”
Gu Jingyang raised her eyebrows high, looking at the person before her who seemed both unfamiliar and yet someone who could be seen anywhere. She was confused why A’Ling was speaking to this stranger in such a manner.
“Yes.”
The moment that person spoke, a simple word, Gu Jingyang immediately realized. It was Shi Qingqian in disguise. She thought to herself, no wonder A’Ling would smile like that at someone.
Hearing Shi Qingqian personally admit that her Dragon Manifestation technique could now surpass hers, Gu Jingyang didn’t know how to feel. She was happy, but also a little regretful.
“Too late.” Gu Jingyang smiled slightly, a hint of melancholy in her smile.
Shi Qingqian’s gaze, which had been on A’Ling, shifted slightly upon hearing these words and landed on Gu Jingyang’s face, a glint of inquiry flashing in her eyes.
Gu Jingyang didn’t mind the scrutiny, her smile remaining unchanged.
When A’Ling heard Gu Jingyang say “too late,” she thought she was referring to the lost spirit stones. She nodded with a smile, “Indeed. You lost a whole eight spirit stones to me back then!”
Gu Jingyang laughed heartily as she recalled the past, “You still dare mention spirit stones? You said ten thousand spirit stones back then and tricked me into risking my life for you.”
She paused, as if reminiscing about those past events. She turned to Shi Qingqian, as if seeking confirmation for her thoughts, “Speaking of that competition, Qingqian, you also went all out and risked your life, didn’t you?”
Shi Qingqian saw A’Ling looking at her and thought of her impulsive actions back then, almost exposing her demonic energy. She remembered that her only thought at the time was that she wanted to win.
She nodded, admitting, “Yes.”
After a pause, Shi Qingqian pursed her lips, recalling her obsession at the time, a smile flashing in her eyes, “I didn’t want to lose.”
She looked at Gu Jingyang, who was also looking at her. They exchanged a smile, as if understanding each other.
Gu Jingyang let out a sigh. It was comforting that her opponent had also given her all. “Yes, you won.”
A’Ling had only mentioned it casually, not expecting the two of them to start chatting. She quickly interrupted, “Let’s not talk about that for now. Let’s discuss the important matters first.”
Gu Jingyang’s mind was much sharper than hers. She planned to tell Gu Jingyang everything Shi Qingqian had told her and hear her thoughts.
The barriers around them were temporarily stable, and these Mutated Beasts seemed unable to climb out of the deep ravine for now. Those further away couldn’t continue attacking the barrier.
They had to seize this opportunity to come up with a plan.
“Let’s find a convenient place to talk,” A’Ling suggested.
But as soon as she finished speaking, she thought of the secret room in Tranquil Shade Herb Hut, and her cheeks suddenly felt hot. She glanced flusteredly at Shi Qingqian.
Shi Qingqian was also affected by that burning gaze and naturally thought of what had happened not long ago, her ear tips gradually heating up.
Gu Jingyang observed the sudden silence, looking at the unusually synchronized reactions of the two. Very well, these two must have had something happen that she didn’t know about.
Seeing A’Ling’s shy and happy expression, Gu Jingyang felt it was better if she didn’t know.
But strangely, seeing this scene, Gu Jingyang didn’t feel particularly upset. Instead, she found it rather amusing. She even felt like taking out her Cosmos Pearl to record the comical sight of these two pretending nothing happened when they clearly hadn’t.
Elder Zeng, hearing them wanting to find a place to talk, suggested going to his Chengxin Courtyard.
Gu Jingyang refused, “I need to go back to the Gu family. How about we go to the Gu family?”
Since it was safe for now, if anything happened, A’Ling would naturally sense it.
A’Ling had no objections. She calmed her chaotic thoughts and, considering herself open and honest, went to look at Shi Qingqian.
Shi Qingqian nodded. After casting an illusion spell, she stepped directly into the void, taking Gu Jingyang and A’Ling back to the Gu family in an instant.
Gu Jingyang was utterly astonished. The speed was too fast. Her vision went black for a moment, and in the blink of an eye, they were back at the Gu family.
“What kind of technique is this?” Gu Jingyang asked in amazement.
A’Ling patted her arm, “Don’t think about it. We can’t use it.”
Gu Jingyang assumed it was a demonic cultivation technique, which indeed they couldn’t use. She marveled, “I didn’t expect demonic cultivators to have such powerful abilities.”
The astonishment in her tone made A’Ling wary. She patted Gu Jingyang again, “Don’t even think about cultivating demonic arts. A mortal cultivating demonic arts would die from the pain just by breathing!”
Gu Jingyang had no such intentions, but hearing A’Ling’s tone, it was as if she had personal experience.
“How do you know the pain of mortals cultivating demonic arts?”
Shi Qingqian’s heart stirred, her gaze, already on A’Ling, trembled slightly.
A’Ling would naturally not say she experienced it personally. She glanced at Gu Jingyang, “I heard about it. Did you forget I lived in the demon realm before? You listen to so much gossip but don’t listen to anything useful.”
To divert Gu Jingyang’s attention, A’Ling preempted her.
Gu Jingyang immediately surrendered, “Yes, yes, it’s not as useful as what you hear.”
Lan Fushang, just coming out of Gu Jiangxue’s room, heard the familiar voices. She quickened her steps and indeed saw Gu Jingyang and the other two in the corner of the courtyard.
“Gu Jingyang, A’Ling, Shi Qingqian, are you alright?” Lan Fushang ran towards the three of them with a smile.
When Gu Jingyang heard footsteps, she knew it was Lan Fushang, so she didn’t think of using an illusion spell.
A’Ling was also happy to see Lan Fushang and waved. Seeing her run up to them, she quickly said, “We’re fine, we’re all fine.”
Lan Fushang, hearing A’Ling say this and seeing no external injuries on the three of them, felt much more at ease.
“How is my mother?” Gu Jingyang was eager to return to the Gu family and was also worried about her mother.
Lan Fushang pointed in the direction of Gu Jiangxue’s room, “She’s fine. Most of her wounds have healed. Aunt originally wanted to continue fighting, but fortunately, the Mutated Beasts are no longer active, so she agreed to heal first.”
Gu Jingyang nodded and pointed to the room next to Gu Jiangxue’s, letting A’Ling and the others go in first. She went to check on Gu Jiangxue.
Lan Fushang sensed that they seemed to have something to discuss and wasn’t sure whether to stay. A’Ling directly included Lan Fushang.
More minds meant more wisdom.
However, this room didn’t seem very suitable for discussing secrets.
After Gu Jingyang returned from the next room, A’Ling voiced this concern.
Gu Jingyang’s smile became more mischievous this time. Before anyone could react, she directly activated a technique to move the beams at the four corners of the roof.
To A’Ling’s shock, the square beams began to spin. Before they could react, the ground emptied, and they all fell downwards.
The alarm bells grew louder and louder, more unsettling than thunder in the rain.
Disciples of Mystic Crane Mountain rushed to spread the news, shouting, “The demon race is attacking! The demon race has brought the Mutated Beasts to attack!”
Shan Lei was utterly shocked when she received the news at Summer Shadow Peak. What was going on? Why were the Mutated Beasts attacking alongside the demon race?
Shan Xincí, disregarding her own injuries, had to brace herself and personally go to see.
These mutated beasts she had created, even if they had gone out of control and disobeyed her, shouldn’t have defected to the demon race.
Shan Lei protected her and took a look from afar. In the downpour, there was a dark mass. The entire Mystic Crane Mountain seemed to tremble with the thunderous footsteps of the Mutated Beasts.
And on the backs of those fierce Mutated Beasts, commanding them to attack Mystic Crane Mountain, were indeed demon cultivators.
Their demonic energy was unrestrained. Even from such a distance, Shan Lei and Shan Xincí could clearly see it.
“Venerable, what should we do?” Shan Lei’s face was deathly pale. Looking at the vast procession heading towards the cave dwelling, with so many injured and dead within Mystic Crane Mountain, how many people could withstand the attack of these Mutated Beasts?
Shan Xincí’s heart was anxious, but she had no solution.
Ye Bingfeng ordered disciples to notify all elders in seclusion and gathered all disciples in the cave dwelling to meet the attack.
She discovered that the ones bringing the Mutated Beasts this time were not the demonic cultivators she had encountered before. It was as if a different group had come.
Even the Mutated Beasts were different from before. These ones were even more powerful than the last time.
They were even more obedient to the demons.
Furthermore, there were too many of them, and their side quickly fell into a disadvantage.
“Venerable, at this rate, Mystic Crane Mountain will be finished!”
Ye Bingfeng’s disciple cried with a mournful face. She had already fought against the Mutated Beasts multiple times. Although those mutated beasts didn’t have many lethal skills, their beast hides had mutated into armor, making it difficult to damage their bones.
Moreover, these Mutated Beasts could even revive on the spot. They were clearly defeated and disabled, but the demonic cultivators atop them used some kind of sorcery, and these Mutated Beasts could rise and fight again.
At this rate, they would all eventually run out of spiritual energy and be devoured by those Mutated Beasts!
Ye Bingfeng looked at the situation on the battlefield and knew that if this continued, it would be the end.
However, even the elders in seclusion had all come out. If they still couldn’t hold them off, she had no other recourse.
The disciple cried, “Venerable, let’s quickly ask Saint Venerable Dao Rong for help! Wasn’t it Saint Venerable’s intervention that saved Mystic Crane Mountain last time?”
Ye Bingfeng had thought of Saint Venerable Dao Rong as soon as she heard the news of the demon race’s attack. However, no one could ascend to Qiongdian Peak, unless Saint Venerable Dao Rong came down himself.
The alarm bells had been ringing for a long time, but Saint Venerable Dao Rong had not appeared.
“Last time, to eliminate those Mutated Beasts, Saint Venerable Dao Rong forcibly exited seclusion and was seriously injured. We don’t know how he is now?”
She speculated that perhaps Saint Venerable Dao Rong was healing, or perhaps he was too badly injured last time.
After Shan Lei and Shan Xincí saw that the situation was not right, they quickly returned to Summer Shadow Peak. Shan Xincí anxiously watched the letter in the light beam disappear, but she still hadn’t received the Saint Venerable’s Moon Eclipse Token.
“What’s going on? Why hasn’t Saint Venerable sent a message yet? Has something happened to him?”
Shan Xincí tightly grasped Shan Lei’s hand, her face filled with panic.
Shan Lei looked at the unresponsive light beam, her face also frighteningly pale. She didn’t think the same as Shan Xincí. She didn’t believe Saint Venerable Dao Rong was delayed because something had happened to him.
She had a feeling he was doing it on purpose.
If Saint Venerable Dao Rong knew what Shan Lei was thinking at that moment, he might have praised her as ‘clever,’ but unfortunately, it was too late.
Looking at the ‘demons’ wielding Mutated Beasts and crossing Goose Head River in the “Jiaoying Mirror,” Dao Rong sneered, waved his hand, and extinguished the light of the “Jiaoying Mirror.”
Just a small amount of spiritual energy used this way caused intense pain in his chest. The backlash from the puppet technique was so severe.
A pained smile played on Dao Rong’s lips, his eyes icy cold. The black mist rising from his palm gradually enveloped his entire fleshless skeletal arm.
The demonic energy emanating from this black mist was exactly the same as the demonic energy of the demons in the image.
Dao Rong loosely clenched the ball of demonic energy in his palm, recalling the woman who had given him this demonic energy. He had once thought she was hard-hearted, but he hadn’t expected her to have regretted it and shed tears long ago.
It was a pity he hadn’t seen the scene back then, and now he could barely imagine such a person weeping.
He had thought that a demon like that had no heart.
Oh, no, he’d forgotten, she wasn’t a demon.
Dao Rong looked out. The sky was dark, and the rain kept falling, as if the sky repaired by Nuwa had broken again.
The day he met her was also a day of heavy rain.
That downpour caused floods everywhere in the mortal realm. Dao Rong happened to pass by a dike, seeing it about to collapse. Unwilling to let the people downstream suffer, he stepped in to help, directly reinforcing it with his spiritual energy.
Unfortunately, the rain that day was like the East Sea being moved and poured down. Even if the dike didn’t collapse, the overflowing water was enough to destroy the downstream villages.
Just as he was thinking about how to divert the floodwaters, Shi Yu appeared.
“Can you dig pits?”
It was the first time Dao Rong had heard someone ask him such a question.
In the pouring rain, this girl who suddenly appeared, without any rain gear, was spotlessly clean. The rain falling from above seemed to bypass her, splashing around her.
Dao Rong furrowed his brows. This was clearly not a mortal woman.
“You can’t?” she asked again.
Dao Rong didn’t know what this person who had appeared out of nowhere was planning to do, but regarding this question, he replied, “Yes.”
Only then did Dao Rong learn that this woman intended to dig a ditch to divert the water.
Dao Rong was also planning the same thing. The two of them cooperated, and soon resolved a natural disaster.
After that, wherever Dao Rong went, she followed, but she didn’t disturb Dao Rong’s cultivation.
He subdued demons, she purified evils. He caught ghosts, she burned incense. He delivered souls, she chanted scriptures. She followed him like this for three years.
“Are you very idle?”
Finally, one day, Dao Rong couldn’t hold back and spoke first. He originally wanted to see what this person following him was after. Shi Yu didn’t intentionally hide her identity as a demon.
Being ‘pestered’ by a demon, there should be some request, but this person just followed him, seeming more like someone traveling than he was.
Seeing Dao Rong speak first, Shi Yu immediately leaned in, “Yes, I’m so idle I’m going crazy.”
She had tidied up the demon realm before coming to find Dao Rong, so she was naturally very idle.
“If you’re idle, go find something to do.” Dao Rong thought he didn’t have time for this. This traveling also bored him greatly.
If it weren’t for some merit, he would only want to focus on cultivation at Mystic Crane Mountain.
Seeing that he seemed to be in a bad mood, Shi Yu didn’t get any closer. She just smiled and said, “You are the thing I want to do.”
This was her third life. This mission was special. Because she was here to purify the corrupt demonic energy in the demon realm, the divine realm was also worried that this demonic energy would enter her body and erode her mind. Therefore, in this tribulation, she had retained her divine memories.
Naturally, this included the memories of her previous two tribulations. Thinking of her encounters with Dao Rong in the past two lifetimes, Shi Yu felt a little upset. This time, she had to protect her esteemed master well.
Dao Rong glanced at the person before him with confusion. This ordinary-looking face, he probably wouldn’t remember even if he had seen her before. Moreover, his intuition told him that the person before him shouldn’t have such an ordinary appearance.
But from the first time they met, she seemed to have a inexplicable trust in him.
All along the way, no matter what he did, she never questioned it, but instead supported him, and even explained things for him when he was misunderstood, vouching that he was a good person.
After some more time, Dao Rong became accustomed to having someone like that around.
One day, he heard about the story of the former ancestor of Mystic Crane Mountain ascending to immortality in the mortal realm. He felt depressed. When that ancestor ascended, he was at the same cultivation level, and he had long since passed the nine heavenly tribulations required for ascension.
Why, exactly, could she ascend, but he couldn’t!
“What’s wrong? Are you unhappy?” Shi Yu had never seen Dao Rong with that expression before.
Dao Rong had never spoken of his thoughts to anyone, but this time, perhaps because the person before him was a demon, and demons had all sorts of inherent flaws, his small, vain thoughts were nothing to a demon.
“Did someone really ascend before?”
Shi Yu was confused why he would ask this question, but she knew the answer: “Yes.”
Dao Rong gave a bitter smile, “Then why can’t I ascend yet?”
Shi Yu paused. She really didn’t know this. The will of the Heavenly Dao was hard to fathom. As far as she knew, in the past hundreds of thousands of years, only that ancestor of Mystic Crane Mountain had become a god.
As for herself, she gained her divinity by assisting in the re-creation of heaven and earth with her flesh and blood in the early days of chaos.
She also didn’t know how mortals could become gods.
“Perhaps your worldly ties are not yet severed?”
Shi Yu had just heard the storyteller say that the most likely person to ascend to godhood now was Saint Venerable Dao Rong. In the storyteller’s words, he was unable to ascend precisely because his worldly ties were not severed.
Dao Rong gave a bitter smile. Mortals could only believe such an excuse.
Shi Yu thought for a moment and continued, “Perhaps the mortal realm needs you. Besides, becoming a god isn’t all that great.”
Due to the Heavenly Dao’s restrictions, many things couldn’t be done as one wished. Fortunately, they had to enter reincarnation three times every ten thousand years. They called this ‘tribulation,’ and this was her third time.
During tribulation, she could help those she wanted to help without any reservations based on her current identity.
Like the flood she encountered when she met Dao Rong. Did gods not know how much suffering would follow such natural disasters? But they were bound by the Heavenly Dao and could not interfere with anything in nature.
Of course, it wasn’t complete inaction. For example, the god undergoing tribulation was helping to dig pits, wasn’t she?
Sometimes gods appeared in unexpected forms.
Mortals always sought gods and prayed for Buddha when they encountered trouble, but sometimes, they themselves were the most useful gods.
Dao Rong felt he had gone mad, talking to a demon about becoming a god. And this demon was so naive, saying, ‘Becoming a god isn’t all that great.’
Becoming a god meant eternal life, being revered by mortals, and possessing god-like powers that could overturn heaven and earth!
However, seeing that her eyes were full of belief that he was a good person, Dao Rong felt that his years of hard work had not been in vain. Perhaps he would soon receive the divine decree.
“You’re right. Perhaps the mortal realm needs me.”
Dao Rong remembered saying that back then. The woman was very happy, as if her words had comforted him. How truly foolish.
He retracted the demonic energy in his palm. It was a pity. If she could have remained foolish like this, she wouldn’t have had to die.
Dao Rong looked at the letter that reappeared in the light beam and directly withdrew the light, severing Shan Xincí’s connection to Qiongdian Peak.
These fools, who let Shi Qingqian escape, deserved to die.
He pressed hard on his chest, using the demonic energy Shi Yu had left him to control the backlash of the puppet technique. When he exited seclusion, he would make Shi Qingqian turn to dust again.
In the Gu family’s secret room, A’Ling looked down at her tightly held hand. The moment they suddenly fell, Shi Qingqian had grabbed her hand.
This reminded her of when she fell into the great demon’s cave on Kai Yao Mountain. Now she knew that Shi Qingqian had rushed towards her so desperately back then, perhaps not to use her as a cushion, but rather to be a cushion for her.
“Thank you.” A’Ling’s lips curved upwards, and she swung their clasped hands.
Gu Jingyang had a hint of mischievousness in her heart. She had begged Gu Jiangxue to set up this secret room when she was little, and the entrance method was indeed to fall down like this.
She hadn’t warned everyone just now because she wanted to see everyone’s ‘surprised’ expressions.
Seeing A’Ling and Shi Qingqian holding hands tightly, she glanced at the distance between the secret room and the ceiling, a mere two to three meters. There was no need for such a display, was there?
She made a “tsk” sound and looked away at Lan Fushang, only to find that she didn’t seem surprised at all.
“Weren’t you scared when you fell just now?” Gu Jingyang asked curiously.
Lan Fushang was also a little confused, “Scared of what?”
She saw Gu Jingyang’s actions and knew that they would fall because of Gu Jingyang’s formation. Since Gu Jingyang had done it, there was naturally no danger.
Gu Jingyang smiled, “Nothing.”
As they spoke, A’Ling and Shi Qingqian finally released their hands.
A’Ling looked around the secret room and asked, “Is it safe to talk here? Do I need to take out my Sound-Eating Bird?”
Gu Jingyang waved her hand, “Don’t worry. This secret room looks like a room, but it’s actually a Bilin Pagoda embedded within the room. No sound can be heard from the outside.”
A’Ling was reassured by her words and quickly told Gu Jingyang and Lan Fushang everything she knew.
After listening, Gu Jingyang and Lan Fushang both frowned, one with a tightened brow, the other with widened eyes.
“So it was Saint Venerable Dao Rong who mutated these beasts!” Lan Fushang said, still somewhat disbelieving, but she knew that A’Ling wouldn’t joke about such a major matter.
Gu Jingyang wasn’t too surprised by this. What bothered her was that A’Ling had just said that Saint Venerable Dao Rong believed the legends of ‘monsters and ghosts.’
Then, naturally, he wouldn’t let Shi Qingqian off the hook.
They were already having some difficulty dealing with the Mutated Beasts outside. Could they win against Saint Venerable Dao Rong?
She thought this and asked it aloud.
“If Saint Venerable Dao Rong comes looking for us, can we defeat him?”
Shi Qingqian had been wearing a stern expression since just now, only listening to A’Ling speak, and hadn’t said a word.
Upon hearing Gu Jingyang’s question, she raised her eyes slightly to look at her, her eyes trembling.
Gu Jingyang’s heart skipped a beat. She immediately thought of a possibility, but because A’Ling was present, it was inconvenient for her to ask.
She had to find an opportunity to talk to Shi Qingqian alone.