The Young Lady Only Wants to Cultivate Immortality Chapter 95

The rain outside didn’t stop, its intensity showing no signs of lessening. A damp smell permeated the air within the cave dwelling.
Gu Jingyang felt A’Ling’s words wash over her like a tide, possessing a delayed impact. It wasn’t strong, but without prior warning, it could easily make one stumble. Fortunately, it didn’t hurt much. Perhaps because she had mentally prepared herself, Gu Jingyang didn’t feel much sadness. She had understood A’Ling’s feelings towards her from the very beginning. After all, A’Ling had always placed her in the position of a friend.
However, this was also where Gu Jingyang felt confused. To hide her own feelings, she had never directly asked A’Ling about it. At first, she thought it was because A’Ling was too young and completely oblivious. But after entering Mystic Crane Mountain and meeting Lan Fushang, A’Ling immediately expressed her desire to find Lan Fushang as her Dao companion.
It turned out A’Ling wasn’t oblivious; she had simply never considered Gu Jingyang. Gu Jingyang forced a smile, unsure who it was for. She truly wanted to ask why it couldn’t be her. But seeing the unconscious joy that flickered in A’Ling’s eyes when she mentioned Shi Qingqian, Gu Jingyang decided it was pointless.
Gu Jingyang smiled faintly, extinguishing the feelings she had never expressed deep within her heart. Being friends was fine too. At least, like now, she was with A’Ling. She forcefully stroked the Sound-Eating Bird in her hand, which was fatter than a chicken, ruffling its feathers. Her heart calmed.
Once her mind was at ease, she noticed something that had felt off since the beginning. She looked towards a corner of the cave dwelling not far away, where A’Ling had placed an illusion. The illusion depicted Shi Qingqian, A’Ling, and Lan Fushang talking, with voices emanating from it. She had felt some confusion earlier, but A’Ling had something to say, so she hadn’t listened closely. Now, concentrating, she discovered the issue.
Just as she was about to speak to A’Ling, A’Ling spoke first. “Let’s put aside matters of the heart for now; I have something important to discuss.” Gu Jingyang turned her head to look at A’Ling. So, what they were talking about earlier wasn’t the important matter. She had thought it was strange for such a grand setup to be just about a Dao companion. Their barrier was designed so that those outside couldn’t hear inside, but those inside could hear outside. It felt like a waste not to discuss something crucial in such a barrier.
However, Gu Jingyang wasn’t planning to listen to A’Ling’s important matters just yet. She gestured for A’Ling to remain silent. “Shh, listen.” A’Ling thought someone had arrived and immediately fell silent, pricking up her ears to listen to the sounds outside. After a moment, apart from the conversation from Lan Fushang’s side, there were no other sounds. “What is it?” A’Ling asked.
Gu Jingyang maintained her smile and pointed to the corner not far away, where Lan Fushang was. A’Ling looked over with a confused expression. She could see the true scene within the illusion she had cast. Lan Fushang was conversing with Ling Ersan. She seemed to be discussing how to alleviate the pain of extracting her Golden Core. A’Ling hadn’t expected Lan Fushang to be so concerned and was already planning and preparing. She hadn’t yet told Gu Jingyang about the matter of her Golden Core and intended to explain now.
Gu Jingyang spoke first: “A’Ling, doesn’t the voice of the bird talking to Lan Fushang sound familiar?” Familiar? A’Ling was puzzled. She looked up and suddenly realized that Ling Ersan had her voice. She had even used it to pacify Gu Jingyang before. As expected, the next moment, Gu Jingyang smiled a very dangerous smile and continued, “A’Ling, doesn’t the bird’s repetitive speech sound very familiar? Like ‘Tell me more,’ ‘Continue,’ ‘This is too much,’ ‘You’re right.’ Listen, isn’t it just repeating those four phrases?”
A’Ling knew she was in trouble. She had forgotten about past events. Seeing Gu Jingyang’s eyes narrow slightly, A’Ling immediately admitted her mistake. Gu Jingyang had initially thought A’Ling was just being perfunctory by repeating those four phrases. She hadn’t expected that the perfunctory one was a bird. She was so amused she could have laughed. So, all those nights she had spent talking to the same bird, she had thought it was amusing that Lan Fushang was talking to a bird, but she had already done the same thing.
“I’m sorry, I was wrong. How about I let you hit me to vent your anger?” A’Ling immediately extended her hand, looking as if she were carrying a branch for punishment. Gu Jingyang slapped her hand away with a “Slap!” “Hitting you won’t help. Why is this bird with Lan Fushang?” A’Ling explained, “I gave it to her. I saw no one was there to chat with her, and she often talked to herself when she was alone. I thought she needed it.” Gu Jingyang glanced at her. “I want one too.” A’Ling’s eyes widened. Looking at Gu Jingyang, she saw she wasn’t joking and said somewhat awkwardly, “There’s only this one—” Gu Jingyang waved her hand to interrupt. If there was only one, there was no need to say anything else. She couldn’t possibly snatch a bird from Lan Fushang. She glanced at Lan Fushang, who was still earnestly talking to a bird. She looked a bit silly.
“Let’s talk about important matters. What did you want to tell me?” Gu Jingyang withdrew her gaze and turned to A’Ling, urging her to continue. A’Ling was relieved that Gu Jingyang had dropped the topic. She had been wondering what she would do if Gu Jingyang insisted on having Ling Ersan and if she should shamelessly ask Lan Fushang to return Ling Ersan. Because of this interruption, A’Ling couldn’t sort out the matters she wanted to discuss and didn’t know where to start. She decided to start with the most shocking thing first.
Gu Jingyang considered herself to have endured so many things that her heart had been tempered and wouldn’t be shocked by anything else. But the next moment, she proved herself wrong. Gu Jingyang couldn’t help but raise her voice and ask again, “You mean, Qingqian is your ugly dog???” A’Ling quickly rescued the Sound-Eating Bird that Gu Jingyang was unconsciously squeezing from her hands. “Don’t get excited, don’t get excited.” This poor Sound-Eating Bird was already injured and fat; it couldn’t be sacrificed for ‘work’ again.
Also, that wasn’t what she said earlier. A’Ling corrected Gu Jingyang’s statement. “That’s not a dog! It just has a slightly strange form, and it’s not that ugly. That’s Shi Qingqian’s Nascent Soul.” Gu Jingyang looked at A’Ling with an indescribable expression, who was now adamantly saying it wasn’t a dog. When they had questioned it before, A’Ling had insisted it was a dog. She even remembered that in this very cave dwelling, A’Ling had insisted that the ‘dog’ bark for them to prove it was a ‘dog.’
Thinking back, she remembered! She had thought it was strange that the ‘dog’ only barked once and looked like it was about to shatter. If that were a person, and especially Qingqian, being forced to imitate a dog in front of her and Lan Fushang, it would be natural for it to shatter! If it were her, she would never yield. How could Qingqian have so easily succumbed to A’Ling’s rude request! Gu Jingyang rubbed the goosebumps that were rising on her arms. She suddenly realized that she had actually heard Qingqian’s ‘dog bark.’ She had encountered such a humiliating dark moment. She only hoped Qingqian wouldn’t remember this; otherwise, she felt a sense of danger.
Gu Jingyang clutched her pounding heart and immediately followed A’Ling’s lead. She stopped mocking A’Ling’s inconsistent words and actions and immediately changed her address. “So, Qingqian’s Nascent Soul turned into a monstrous form after being injured, and it has a physical body?” Gu Jingyang rephrased A’Ling’s words, tactfully changing “ugly dog” to “monstrous form.” This was also what she had told A’Ling before, but at the time, A’Ling had insisted it was a dog. Honestly, what dog could be so ugly? No, she wasn’t calling Shi Qingqian ugly. Gu Jingyang apologized in her heart to Shi Qingqian. She was just stating facts as they were.
A’Ling didn’t know Gu Jingyang’s current complex inner thoughts. She nodded. “Yes, after being severely injured, her Nascent Soul gained a physical form, and it also had actual wounds. Do you know why she is so special?” Generally, Nascent Souls are similar to mortal souls but can leave the body. The higher the cultivation, the stronger the Nascent Soul’s power. It can not only possess others but also directly injure people. However, no one had ever heard of someone’s Nascent Soul forming a physical body, especially after being injured.
Gu Jingyang’s expression turned serious as she shook her head. “I’ve never heard of such a thing. However, Qingqian’s peculiarity isn’t limited to this one aspect.” This was indeed true. Apart from Shi Qingqian, no one else could switch between demonic form and normal state so easily. A’Ling mused, thinking this must be related to Shi Qingqian’s background. She thought of Jin Zhuyue, who was remarkably similar to Shi Qingqian, and the scene she witnessed in Pi Lingyun Valley. She recounted this to Gu Jingyang.
Gu Jingyang was once again shocked. Fortunately, the terrifying incident of Shi Qingqian being an ugly dog had paved the way. This time, Gu Jingyang was merely shocked, not frightened. “So, Elder Qi Yu was refining the Ten Fiend Ghost Soul?” Gu Jingyang summarized after hearing about the scene A’Ling saw in Pi Lingyun Valley. A’Ling nodded and then shook her head. “I feel like someone is behind her. She’s just an executor in this matter.” She also mentioned how Qi Yu had interrogated her about the whereabouts of the Ten Fiend Ghost Soul at the Immortal Rainbow Platform, but she had lied and said she had lost them.
Gu Jingyang was confused upon hearing this. “The Ten Fiend Ghost Soul is with you? Then why did Qingqian say they were with her?” A’Ling nodded and then shook her head again. “They are with me. I don’t know why she said that. She might not even know they are with me.” After all, Shi Qingqian was unconscious when she obtained them.
Gu Jingyang held the Sound-Eating Bird in one hand and pinched her brow with the other, connecting these events. “This is not simple. From the beginning, when we were punished to go to Pi Lingyun Valley to repair the barrier, Qi Yu went, and she specifically mentioned the Ten Fiend Ghost Soul on the way. I remember she also asked you, A’Ling, to find them and report to her.” “After the runes were repaired, the array collapsed, the barrier broke, and the ghostly fiends emerged. A’Ling, you were possessed by a ghostly fiend and deliberately showed the demonic energy on your wrist. When everyone thought you were a demon, Qi Yu controlled you to jump into Pi Lingyun Valley. She actually wanted you to go in and find the Ten Fiend Ghost Soul for her.” “When you came out, you would naturally be judged by the cave dwelling, and she could then take the Ten Fiend Ghost Soul from your hand.”
After analyzing this, Gu Jingyang asked, “So, Qi Yu subjected you to severe torture because she didn’t believe you when you said the Ten Fiend Ghost Soul was lost and wanted you to hand it over?” A’Ling listened as Gu Jingyang laid out everything. Her understanding of the matter became more comprehensive. When Gu Jingyang asked, she decisively shook her head. “No, she must have believed me.” She had seen clearly at the time how disappointed Qi Yu was upon hearing that the item was gone. Afterward, she seemed to be looking for something else. “She might have wanted the Tearless Key within me.”
“Ah?” Gu Jingyang exclaimed again. “Tearless Key? What do you mean?” A’Ling explained to Gu Jingyang. This matter had to start from her birth. “After A’Ling and Shi Qingqian were swapped, Jin Siliu gave me the Tearless Key left by Shi Qingqian’s mother, which is why I don’t shed tears.” “Tears?” Gu Jingyang, as if remembering something, raised her voice and asked, “The Tearless Key makes one unable to cry?” A’Ling nodded. It was only after Shi Qingqian took the item that she began to suspect that Qi Yu also wanted this item, but she couldn’t figure out how. At that time, Qi Yu had also drawn a rune on her palm, and later Shi Qingqian drew the same rune on her back. A’Ling had only just connected everything and was silently recalling the patterns they had drawn. They were the same, but the strokes were reversed. One dispersed the demonic energy within her, while the other concealed and condensed it.
Gu Jingyang had never heard of a Tearless Key, but she had heard legends. It was said that the tears shed by the Demon Lord in extreme regret, the Demon Lord’s Tears, could make one tearless for a lifetime if consumed. So, the Tearless Key might be the legendary Demon Lord’s Tears. Wait. A golden light flashed in Gu Jingyang’s mind. Ten Fiend Ghost Soul, Demon Lord’s Tears… Her eyes widened, filled with disbelief. A’Ling was startled by her gaze. “What, what is it?” Gu Jingyang grabbed A’Ling’s wrist and pointed at the purple bracelet transformed by Little Wandering. “That demon core, the demon core we encountered together in Demon Mountain, is it still in there?” A’Ling didn’t understand why she suddenly looked like that. “It’s always been there. I don’t know how to take it out.”
Gu Jingyang tightly grasped A’Ling’s wrist, her eyes gleaming. She looked at A’Ling, her voice hesitant. “Have you heard of the legends of demons, monsters, and ghosts?” A’Ling couldn’t help but raise her eyebrows, her eyes filled with confusion. “What demons, monsters, and ghosts?” “The legend of ‘Demons, monsters, and ghosts, destroying heaven and earth.'” Gu Jingyang’s tone was a bit anxious. A’Ling’s brow twitched. “What is this?” It seemed she hadn’t heard of it. Gu Jingyang explained the legend to A’Ling.
“Legend says that no matter what realm a cultivator is in, as long as they have these four items: a demon core voluntarily sacrificed by a thousand-year-old great demon, the tears shed by the Demon Lord in extreme regret, the Ten Fiend Ghost Soul formed from the souls and spirits of ten thousand deaths, and a monster. If one can gather these four items, they can obtain ancient divine power, a power capable of destroying heaven and earth, and causing the world to reset into chaos.”
After hearing this, A’Ling’s hand holding the Sound-Eating Bird tightened abruptly, and she was filled with horror. Gu Jingyang quickly released A’Ling’s wrist and freed her hand to rescue the Sound-Eating Bird in A’Ling’s hand, which was being choked. A’Ling’s heart was in turmoil. It was just a legend before, and she had heard it and forgotten it. Although it sounded absurd, there was no such thing as too absurd when it came to legends. She had also heard that one could make wishes on fallen meteorites to make them come true. She had made many wishes in her past life, but unfortunately, none of them had come true. She withdrew her scattered thoughts and returned to Gu Jingyang’s words, thinking about the last item among the four she mentioned. “A monster. What is a monster?” For some reason, as A’Ling heard these two words, an inexplicable panic arose in her heart. This feeling made her very uncomfortable, as if her throat were being choked, making it increasingly difficult to swallow.
“I don’t know. It just said ‘monster.’ It didn’t give any clues as to how it was ‘monstrous,’ whether it was a person, an object, or something else. If there were clues, it wouldn’t just be a legend, Gu Jingyang thought. The other three items, although rare, sounded like they could exist, and perhaps someone could gather them. If it weren’t for the vague description of this ‘monster,’ there would surely be many people wanting to verify the legend.” A’Ling finally understood the reason for her unease. She looked at Gu Jingyang with trembling eyes, the fear reflected in them startling even Gu Jingyang. “What is it?” A’Ling gripped Gu Jingyang’s hand in return. “When Shi Qingqian left, she said the Ten Fiend Ghost Soul was with her. She wanted someone to look for her. Since that person is going to look for her for this reason, doesn’t it mean that once Shi Qingqian is found, the items will be complete?”
Gu Jingyang considered this analysis and nodded. Her analysis was quite reasonable. If A’Ling hadn’t looked so unwell, she would have praised her. This change of events had made her more inclined to think. “Could it be that Shi Qingqian is the monster?” A’Ling looked solemn, recalling Shi Qingqian’s peculiarity and how her injured Nascent Soul indeed looked very strange and ugly. Gu Jingyang let out another “Ah.” She felt she had never exclaimed so many times in her entire life. She thought carefully. In a sense, Shi Qingqian could indeed be called a monster. First, there was the rare ‘Pure Immortal Physique,’ her heaven-defying cultivation advancements, her ability to switch between human and demonic forms, her Nascent Soul that could solidify when injured. Any one of these points alone was an abnormality.
Gu Jingyang followed A’Ling’s line of thought. “According to what you said, A’Ling, Qingqian took the Demon Lord’s Tears from you and said the ghostly fiends were with her. If she herself is a monster, and the person she is looking for has the sacrificed demon core, or if Qingqian herself has it, then finding Qingqian would indeed complete the items.” After saying this, Gu Jingyang felt a chill of apprehension. She didn’t know how powerful this legendary divine power was, but if it could truly destroy heaven and earth, and if it fell into the hands of someone with malicious intent, it would be the end of the world.
“Can any sacrificed demon core from a thousand-year-old great demon work?” A’Ling looked at Little Wandering, asking with some doubt. Gu Jingyang shook her head. “I don’t know either. The legend didn’t specify, only that it was a demon core voluntarily sacrificed by a thousand-year-old great demon.” For some reason, A’Ling had a vague feeling that only the Tiger Head Spider’s sacrificed demon core in her hand would be useful, but she didn’t know why she felt this way. It was just a strange feeling, perhaps because when she saw the white bone bracelet fuse with Little Wandering, she felt a very strange sensation, as if they belonged together. She had also brought Little Wandering to Pi Lingyun Valley in her previous life, but the Ten Fiend Ghost Soul had not fused into Little Wandering that time. The differences this time, besides the addition of the white bones, were the Tiger Head Spider’s demon core in Little Wandering. A’Ling vaguely felt that the Tiger Head Spider’s demon core, which had fused into Little Wandering, had attracted Jin Zhuyue’s ghost soul.
Thinking through the legend again, some things in A’Ling’s mind began to connect, but she was still unable to string them together. One more piece was missing, a piece that could integrate all these events. A’Ling temporarily suppressed her chaotic thoughts and recalled another matter. “Since Shi Qingqian said that when she left, does it mean she also knew about this legend?” Gu Jingyang thought for a moment and nodded. “I’m afraid so. Not only did she know, but she also asked that person to look for her.” A’Ling tightened her grip on Gu Jingyang’s hand, a worried look flashing in her eyes. “Then is she in great danger?” Gu Jingyang hesitated and nodded, thinking that it was no wonder Qingqian hadn’t taken A’Ling with her when she left.
“No, I have to go find her.” A’Ling said, standing up, taking the Sound-Eating Bird from Gu Jingyang’s hand and putting it into her Universe pouch, then restoring the cave dwelling. “A’Ling, don’t be rash,” Gu Jingyang immediately grabbed her. It was late at night, and outside, it was raining like the sky was breaking, with lightning and thunder. Where would they find anyone now?
Lan Fushang, seeing that A’Ling and Gu Jingyang had finished their private conversation, quickly retrieved Ling Ersan and ended her fake chatting task. Just as she was about to ask A’Ling what was wrong, the Phoenix Feather on Gu Jingyang’s body lit up.
Since Gu Jingyang had eliminated a group of attacking monstrous beasts in Longyin Town, the large and powerful beasts had gone with the demons to attack Mystic Crane Mountain and were completely annihilated by Saint Venerable Dao Rong. The town had been peaceful for several nights. Just as everyone thought that monstrous beasts wouldn’t venture out on such a stormy night, a sudden and vast horde of monstrous beasts caught them off guard. Although Mystic Crane Mountain had long arranged for disciples to stand guard, facing these powerful and indestructible monstrous beasts, they were only able to be beaten. The disciples sent messages to their respective cave dwellings.
However, the cave dwellings had also suffered heavy casualties due to the incident at the Immortal Rainbow Platform that day. The strongest among them, the Sword Cultivation Abode Master, had become a Demon Lord and fled to the Demon Realm. The remaining three were somewhat injured and needed to go into seclusion for healing. Now, only the Spiritual arts cultivators could lead the charge. Apart from Ming Yunli, the other three Spiritual arts cultivation Abode Masters led their disciples to provide support. Gu Jingyang, A’Ling, and Lan Fushang happened to meet them as they were heading towards Longyin Town. The group traveled to Longyin Town together.
On the other side, in Longyin Town, Elder Zeng was on the verge of losing Hongjian Academy under the attack of the monstrous beasts. The students taking refuge in the academy looked at the already cracking barrier, their exclamations of surprise growing louder. Some of the timid ones were already crying uncontrollably. Although the cultivation masters had higher cultivation than the students, they were only slightly superior among these “dwarfs.” Facing these ferocious and colossal monstrous beasts, they were like ants trying to shake a tree, completely useless. Elder Zeng’s tightly furrowed brow gradually became twisted and painful under the attack of the monstrous beasts. He had set up a soul-binding barrier outside the academy. If it were broken, his life would be forfeit. He didn’t fear death; he had lived for several hundred years. By mortal standards, his death would be considered a joyful occasion. He only worried about what would happen to these young students after he died. A flicker of sorrow crossed his old, cloudy eyes. Elder Zeng once again channeled all the spiritual energy within him to reinforce the barrier. Perhaps if he could hold on a little longer and wait for reinforcements, there might still be hope.
The Tranquil Shade Herb Hut was already crowded with people, and more wounded were being sent in. As she was at a loss, she received a message from an old friend. Apothecary Mu Ling had sent news to her former friend after returning to the Demon Realm with Shi Qingqian. However, to her surprise, her friend’s first words were a plea for help. She was asking her master to save her. Apothecary Mu Ling hesitated, unsure if her master would still be willing to get involved after today’s events. Furthermore, with Longyin Town under attack, Mystic Crane Mountain would definitely send people for support. If they encountered each other, there might be trouble. However, hearing Apothecary Yang Xia describe the ferocity of the monstrous beasts that appeared in Longyin Town tonight and how pitiable the mortals were, she decided to pass on a message for Yang Xia. She looked at the tightly closed iron gate before her. After returning to the Demon Realm, her master had chosen this place as her residence. She hadn’t made a sound since entering, and she didn’t know what he was doing inside. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door.