The Young Lady Only Wants to Cultivate Immortality Chapter 99

Upon returning to Mystic Crane Mountain, Shan Lei discovered that a major incident had occurred there the previous day.
Shi Qingqian was revealed to be a demon, and she had set fire to Immortal Rainbow Platform. Venerable Minci Shan Xinci was also injured in the fire, quite severely.
Shan Lei went to Summer Shadow Peak and saw Shan Xinci. She could hardly believe that this person, covered in wounds and hanging on by a thread, was Venerable Minci Shan Xinci.
“How could this happen?” Shan Lei looked at Shan Xinci, whose body was pierced with several holes and who was currently struggling to recover with spiritual energy, with fear. “Venerable, how did you get so badly hurt?”
Shan Xinci listened to the increasingly loud thunder outside and the sound of the torrential rain hitting the ground like whips. In such terrible weather, anything that would make someone rush back despite the conditions must be a significant matter.
Worried that something major had happened, Shan Xinci forced herself to meet with Shan Lei.
Seeing her look at her wounds, her eyes reddened with just one glance. This comforted her somewhat; after all, she had raised this child, and she cared deeply for her.
Thinking of the origin of these injuries, the slight warmth in Shan Xinci’s heart vanished, replaced by intense hatred.
“Shi Qingqian!” she panted, gritting her teeth, her eyes full of hatred. “It was Shi Qingqian, this fiend! How dare she set fire and hurt people at Mystic Crane Mountain! Indeed, demons are the most wretched beings in this world!”
She cursed the wickedness of demons for a long time, until a fit of coughing pulled at her wounds, and she stopped cursing amidst her gasps.
Her wounds were not only painful but also difficult to heal. To this day, she still didn’t understand how Shi Qingqian’s demonic energy could ignite such dark flames that could pierce flesh.
The pierced areas could ignite from within. She had personally witnessed Qi Yu being burned to death in this manner from the inside.
If her cultivation weren’t high enough, she would likely have suffered the same fate as Qi Yu.
Shan Lei was astonished after hearing Shan Xinci’s description. The Shi Qingqian she knew didn’t seem like someone who would commit evil and hurt people without reason.
However, she hadn’t expected her to be a demon.
If she were a demon, it was possible that due to her demonic nature, she could be so insane.
It was a shame, though, that such a talented genius in the path of cultivation turned out to be a demon.
The world was becoming increasingly incomprehensible to her.
Seeing that Shan Xinci’s breathing became more difficult and her aura chaotic after mentioning Shi Qingqian, Shan Lei quickly supplied her with some spiritual energy. After Shan Xinci recovered a bit, she hurried to explain why she had rushed back day and night.
“Venerable, those mutated demonic beasts are completely out of control. The human realm is already a thousand miles of corpses and rivers of blood. If this continues, the human realm may cease to exist.”
The more Shan Lei spoke, the more fearful she became. Such chaos violated the heavenly way, and she didn’t know what punishment those responsible would face.
Shan Xinci was somewhat surprised after listening: “How, how could it be so serious? Saint Venerable said it would only cause minor disturbances.”
Shan Lei knew that Shan Xinci was still unwilling to believe her and insisted on believing Saint Venerable Dao Rong.
She took out the Cosmos Pearl she had prepared to show Shan Xinci the tragic state of the human realm with her own eyes.
Shan Xinci looked at the scene before her, her brow gradually furrowed, and finally, the shock in her eyes overflowed with the blood-red light.
“How could this be?”
The Mutated Beasts were biting anyone they saw and destroying any house they encountered. This was simply a brutal massacre!
Shan Lei had personally experienced this scene. Looking at it again now, she couldn’t help but shed tears. She wiped away the moisture from the corners of her eyes and questioned Saint Venerable Dao Rong for the first time: “Venerable, have you ever considered that perhaps Saint Venerable is not as benevolent and kind as you think? If he were truly kind, how could he be indifferent to this?”
Anyone with flesh and blood would be moved after seeing this scene.
Shan Xinci clutched her chest and shook her head: “No, Saint Venerable might not know the current situation. When the Mutated Beasts got out of control and attacked Mystic Crane Mountain along with the demon race, it was Saint Venerable Dao Rong who came out of seclusion early. To eliminate those Mutated Beasts, he sacrificed his flesh and blood. He must be unaware of this. It’s all my fault. I failed to control these Mutated Beasts, which led to them being so out of control.”
Her heart was filled with regret and self-blame. No, she had to go find Saint Venerable Dao Rong.
Shan Xinci forced herself to get up, but her injuries were too severe. The slightest movement pulled at the wounds all over her body, causing her to gasp in pain.
Shan Lei quickly stepped forward to support Shan Xinci.
Shan Xinci’s previous communications with Saint Venerable Dao Rong were always done discreetly. Now, unable to support herself, she had to be helped by Shan Lei to the secret chamber.
This was also the first time Shan Lei saw how Shan Xinci contacted Saint Venerable Dao Rong.
Watching Shan Xinci throw the written letter into the beam of light, causing it to disappear, Shan Lei’s heart suddenly thumped, and a vague sense of unease washed over her. What if Saint Venerable Dao Rong was aware of this matter…
Or even if he had ordered it…
Shan Lei dared not think about it. If that were the case, they would be in danger.
Soon, something fell from the beam of light.
Shan Xinci took it out and saw that it was the Saint Venerable’s Moon Eclipse Token, a token for entering Qiongdian Peak that could open Qiongdian Peak’s barrier.
Saint Venerable Dao Rong’s intention was for her to go up.
Shan Xinci was overjoyed. It was best to see Saint Venerable, as all questions could be answered in person.
However, with her current condition, it was truly difficult for her to ascend to Qiongdian Peak alone, even with the Saint Venerable’s Moon Eclipse Token. She could only bring Shan Lei with her.
The night gradually faded, but the rain showed no signs of stopping.
The wind and rain in Dao Rong’s eyes grew more intense. The pain in his chest, like a blade scraping his heart, made his expression more unsightly than the current sky.
Only when he saw Shan Xinci enter the inner hall with someone did he retract the terrifying expression on his face and replace it with his usual kind demeanor.
Seeing that Shan Xinci was being helped into the hall, a trace of concern appeared on his weak face, though his body remained still.
Shan Xinci, supported by Shan Lei, walked before Saint Venerable Dao Rong. Just as she was about to kneel and pay her respects, she heard concerned words from above.
“What happened? What’s with these injuries?”
Shan Xinci didn’t answer immediately. She pulled Shan Lei to kneel and bow, respectfully saluting Saint Venerable Dao Rong.
While they were bowing their heads, neither of them saw the disdain and coldness in Saint Venerable Dao Rong’s eyes.
Looking at Shan Xinci’s frail appearance, the dark fire in Dao Rong’s heart intensified. They were all useless!
The esteemed peak master of a peak could only be beaten by Shi Qingqian. He was extremely displeased.
Over the past thousand years, Mystic Crane Mountain had seen talented cultivators, but generally, talented cultivators were proud and difficult to control.
Since they couldn’t be used by him, they had to be eliminated while they were still young talents.
Saint Venerable Dao Rong thought that perhaps they shouldn’t have been eliminated entirely. Now, Mystic Crane Mountain was full of useless people. When they encountered someone powerful, he had to act personally, which was tiresome.
Shan Xinci was unaware that in Dao Rong’s heart, she had already become a discarded piece.
She only heard Saint Venerable’s gentle and concerned voice: “Get up. What happened to you?”
Shan Xinci could only stand with Shan Lei’s support. Saint Venerable Dao Rong was her god. No matter how inconvenient it was, as long as she could move, she would insist on paying her respects.
After helping her up, Shan Lei became even more suspicious of Saint Venerable Dao Rong. If he were truly benevolent, how could he see Shan Xinci in such a state and wait for her to pay her respects without moving?
Upon hearing Saint Venerable Dao Rong’s concern, Shan Xinci’s eyes suddenly turned red. She hadn’t intended to tell Saint Venerable Dao Rong about this, but now that he was here and asking, she wouldn’t hide it.
“It was Shi Qingqian. She is a demon. She set fire to Immortal Rainbow Platform and injured many disciples of Mystic Crane Mountain.”
She recounted the entire story of how they found demonic energy on A’Ling and wanted to question her thoroughly about being a demon spy, only to later discover that Shi Qingqian was the demon.
Dao Rong listened with a look of surprise: “I never expected there to be a demon within Mystic Crane Mountain.”
Shan Xinci was furious: “Demons are naturally cunning. Their deliberate concealment of demonic energy to enter Mystic Crane Mountain must have ulterior motives. It’s possible they collaborated during the demon invasion. Fortunately, Saint Venerable rescued us, otherwise Mystic Crane Mountain would have been in danger.”
Saint Venerable Dao Rong lowered his eyes slightly: “My old injuries recurred after I forced myself out of seclusion to deal with this matter. I’ve been recuperating these past few days. I didn’t expect Mystic Crane Mountain to encounter such a major incident. Why didn’t any of you report it?”
Shan Xinci’s eyes were red: “We also knew that Saint Venerable paid a great price to come to our aid last time and didn’t want to worry Saint Venerable any further.”
She looked at Saint Venerable Dao Rong’s skeletal hand, her heart aching. If Saint Venerable Dao Rong hadn’t forcefully come out of seclusion to protect them from Qiongdian Peak, how could he have lost the flesh and blood from one of his hands?
Dao Rong sighed softly, as if with guilt: “I’ve made you worry.”
After speaking, his gaze fell on Shan Lei, who was beside Shan Xinci: “Is this young friend alright?”
Shan Lei’s expression had been very solemn since the beginning. Seeing Saint Venerable Dao Rong inquire, she quickly suppressed some of her doubts and spoke about what she had seen in the human realm.
It was basically the same as what she had told Shan Xinci.
After listening, Shan Xinci quickly apologized, taking responsibility for the matter.
“Saint Venerable, it’s all my fault. Now, those mutated beasts are completely out of control, and the human realm has suffered. I fear that if this continues, there will be great trouble. Does Saint Venerable have a way to recall and destroy them?”
Saint Venerable Dao Rong closed his eyes slightly. The pain in his heart made him unable to help but flare up upon hearing Shan Xinci’s words.
This idiot, now she dared to tell him what to do.
Although Dao Rong’s heart was burning like a volcano about to erupt, his face showed no outward signs.
He appeared to be seriously considering the matter, with a look of deep concern.
His aura even became unstable due to this matter. He slightly raised his hand to retract the protective spiritual energy around him, trying to regulate his breathing.
As he moved, his skeletal arm was revealed for a considerable length under his sleeve.
Upon seeing it, Shan Xinci’s eyes suddenly turned redder. The mutated beasts that had entered Mystic Crane Mountain were previously cleared by Saint Venerable Dao Rong sacrificing his flesh and blood. Now she was bothering Saint Venerable with this matter again, which was truly inappropriate.
Moreover, Saint Venerable Dao Rong had already mentioned a method before: waiting for the mutated beasts to reach the end of their lifespan, and they would naturally be eliminated.
But now, not only were the mutated beasts out of control, they were also unusually ferocious. Even if they only had two or three years of lifespan left, if they were not stopped, they might destroy the entire human realm in less than three years.
She glanced at Saint Venerable Dao Rong’s skeletal arm and thought that if eliminating the mutated beasts required this, she would be willing to sacrifice her own flesh and blood.
After calming his breathing, Saint Venerable Dao Rong slowly opened his eyes. Just one glance made Shan Lei’s heart tighten, making her feel as if she couldn’t breathe.
That gaze was truly filled with immense pressure.
When she looked again with a nervous heart, that imposing gaze was as if it were her illusion, having vanished without a trace. It was replaced by the merciful and compassionate gaze that pitied all living beings.
“Take this.”
Saint Venerable Dao Rong clutched at the air, and a talisman appeared in his hand. He gestured for Shan Lei to take it.
Shan Lei took it with a pounding heart and glanced at it, unable to discern what it was.
“Go and ignite this talisman, then throw it into Layered Water Cliff, and then release the ghosts within. Those ghosts have been purified by me. With this talisman, they will find suitable people to possess upon leaving and bring the mutated beasts back to Layered Water Cliff. At that time, with Layered Water Cliff’s barrier, they will not be able to escape.”
When Shan Lei heard that she was to release the ghosts from Layered Water Cliff, she felt hesitant for some reason, always feeling that there was something wrong with this matter.
Shan Xinci’s face was filled with excitement. Saint Venerable had indeed thought of a solution for her. Trembling, she bowed again to express her gratitude: “Thank you, Saint Venerable. We will go immediately. We’ll go now.”
After Shan Xinci urged Shan Lei to leave, Saint Venerable Dao Rong forcefully crushed a thousand-year demon core of a Crane Fox Beast in his hand. The blood in the human realm was not enough to quell his rage.
He only wished to hear the cries of the world intensify. If, one day, they could reach Qiongdian Peak, then it would be enough.
Due to Shan Xinci’s urging and the truly critical situation, Shan Lei could only try. After releasing the ghosts according to Saint Venerable Dao Rong’s method, she nervously escorted Shan Xinci back to Summer Shadow Peak.
An hour later, as dawn broke, in the Gu family of Longyin Town, the citizens who had stayed up all night discovered that the demonic beasts had not retreated with the daylight. Instead, some more powerful Mutated Beasts had appeared.
Gu Jingyang looked at the group of beasts she had never seen before in the distance. They seemed to have mutated from giant elephants, with massive bodies twice the size of ordinary giant elephants. The most terrifying thing was that the areas that should have been beast hide had completely mutated into armor.
People were riding on their backs, driving the group of beasts to charge at the barrier. “It’s demons! The people on the backs of the mutated beasts are demons!” a guard cultivator shouted. She saw the coiling demonic energy.
With her shout, others also discovered that those were not humans, but demons.
Gu Jingyang’s brow furrowed. She was confused by the sudden appearance of these mutated beasts and the demons who deliberately exuded demonic energy.
Besides her, others, seeing the demons appearing with the mutated beasts and being able to control them, had already concluded that these mutated beasts were created by demons.
The sounds of cursing the demon race were everywhere.
Gu Jingyang had a gut feeling that something was wrong, but she didn’t have time to investigate now.
Originally, the mutated beasts only attacked with brute force and lacked strategy. Now, with someone commanding them, they knew how to take turns in battle. Gu Jingyang, fighting one mutated beast after another like a wheel battle, quickly became strained.
If she was like this, then cultivators with lower cultivation levels were even more powerless.
“Mom!”
Gu Jingyang saw Gu Jiangxue’s shoulder blade pierced by the sharp tusk of a mutated giant elephant. She channeled spiritual energy to activate her Moonfall Sword and rushed forward, fiercely breaking off the sharp tusk of the mutated giant elephant and carrying Gu Jiangxue back into the barrier.
Lan Fushang stepped forward with agility, accumulating blue light in her palm. While protecting Gu Jiangxue’s heart meridian, she pulled out the half-broken tusk and used a healing technique to close the fist-sized wound.
“The vital points were not injured,” Lan Fushang said to Gu Jingyang, who was kneeling beside her, after inspecting the wound.
Gu Jingyang gasped for breath. Fortunately.
“Mom, stay inside the barrier. Leave the rest to me.”
Gu Jingyang squeezed Gu Jiangxue’s hand. Seeing that Gu Jiangxue seemed to want to say something, she quickly leaned closer.
“Be careful,” Gu Jiangxue’s eyes were full of worry, but she also knew that so many people behind them relied on Gu Jingyang for protection. She couldn’t bring herself to tell her not to go.
Gu Jingyang nodded forcefully: “Don’t worry.”
She released Gu Jiangxue’s hand and rode her sword into the sky again.
As she ascended, a dragon’s roar came from the void. Everyone looked up at the sky in unison.
Bathed in golden light, the stack of talismans released by Gu Jingyang connected end to end in the air, resembling a dragon from afar.
The next moment, the talismans burned out, and the golden light surged. The sky-shaking dragon’s roar, accompanied by the dragon’s manifestation, swept over them like an avalanche.
“The Dragon Manifestation technique!”
Someone shouted this out, and the rest of the people began to exclaim in awe.
Gu Jiangxue propped open her eyelids and looked at the fierce giant dragon in the sky, her eyes filled with shock and pride like the midday sun, so passionate and difficult to look at directly.
Jingyang…
Tears welled up in Gu Jiangxue’s eyes. She knew Jingyang had talent in techniques. She had transformed into a dragon at Hongjian Academy before and heard her say that she had lost to Shi Qingqian even when she had used her full power to transform into a dragon.
In the past, her dragon only had form, it was ‘dead,’ and didn’t have much destructive power. She didn’t expect that in just a few years, Jingyang had cultivated to this level.
The giant dragon was majestic, its roar stirring up wind blades that swept across heaven and earth. Its vertical pupils looked down on everything, showing no sign of being an illusionary art.
After Lan Fushang finished treating Gu Jiangxue’s injuries, she looked up amidst the shouts. She didn’t see the giant dragon that descended like an ancient divine beast. She only saw Gu Jingyang in mid-air, her robes rustling, her face solemn.
Her heart fluttered with that figure, and her gaze could no longer be shifted away from her, not even an inch.
Gu Jingyang controlled the giant dragon, sweeping through the seemingly indestructible mutated beasts. The wind raged, lightning flashed, and in the torrential rain, the golden-glowing dragon swung its sharp claws, kicking the mutated beasts climbing on the barrier away.
Unfortunately, Gu Jingyang was alone with one dragon. Although powerful, the opponent had too many mutated beasts.
Furthermore, transforming into a dragon required a large amount of spiritual energy. After half an hour, the mutated beasts were still tirelessly attacking, but Gu Jingyang was at the end of her strength.
Seeing Gu Jingyang’s face grow paler and paler, Lan Fushang was extremely anxious. She tried to contact A’Ling again, and finally, this time A’Ling responded.
She hurriedly called out to A’Ling to save Gu Jingyang. As soon as she spoke, in the next second, A’Ling appeared directly before her.
“Where is Gu Jingyang!”
A’Ling saw Lan Fushang on the ground and Gu Jiangxue lying beside her, but she didn’t see Gu Jingyang. She quickly asked.
Lan Fushang was startled by A’Ling’s magical appearance. When she heard her asking about Gu Jingyang, she quickly came back to her senses and pointed to the sky, saying, “Over there.”
A’Ling looked up and saw that the person was fine, and the breath she had been holding escaped with a heavy sigh.
When she saw the giant dragon in the air, she understood why Gu Jingyang seemed unable to hold on. This Dragon Manifestation technique consumed a lot of spiritual energy.
She then looked at the imposing golden-light dragon and her heart fluttered. Gu Jingyang’s current Dragon Manifestation technique had reached such a level. She must have practiced a lot behind the scenes.
Perhaps she had been resentful when she lost to Shi Qingqian before. However, if Gu Jingyang had been at this level back then, then Shi Qingqian would have been the one to lose.
A’Ling felt proud of Gu Jingyang in her heart. She quickly rode her sword to Gu Jingyang’s side and, without a word, began to channel spiritual energy into Gu Jingyang.
She currently had two golden cores in her body and hadn’t had time to return them to Shi Qingqian, so her spiritual energy was abundant.
Gu Jingyang’s eyes flashed with surprise when she saw A’Ling.
“What happened?” A’Ling asked first, before she could speak.
Gu Jingyang was relieved to see that A’Ling was alright. She gestured for A’Ling to look down: “Those people have demonic energy on them, and they can control beasts. I don’t know if it’s because of them that these mutated beasts haven’t retreated even after daylight, and instead, more powerful ones have appeared.”
A’Ling also saw the demonic energy on them. How was this possible? The Demon Lord was guarding the western barrier for her. Where did these demons come from?
“It’s likely someone is doing this intentionally. The demonic energy is so obvious, as if they are afraid people won’t know they are demons.”
Gu Jingyang had the same suspicion: “It’s like the demonic energy you showed after being possessed, it’s too deliberate.”
While channeling spiritual energy into Gu Jingyang, A’Ling had already heard the cultivators around and the civilians within the barrier cursing the demon race, saying that demons were wicked and evil and would go to hell sooner or later.
“I suspect it’s that person again,” A’Ling’s heart sank.
Gu Jingyang asked, confused: “Who?”
A’Ling replied to her: “Saint Venerable Dao Rong. These mutated beasts were created by him.”
Gu Jingyang was shocked: “What? Are you serious?”
A’Ling nodded: “I’ll tell you some things I just learned later.”
Gu Jingyang nodded, her eyes still filled with shock: “Is he crazy?”
By saying this, she indicated that she believed A’Ling’s words.
A’Ling’s heart warmed. She knew that if she said this to anyone else, they would definitely say, ‘Are you crazy?’ Only Gu Jingyang believed her unconditionally.
“Let’s deal with the current situation first.”
Seeing that Gu Jingyang’s complexion had returned to normal, A’Ling withdrew her hand, dropped these words, and directly rode her sword into the sky, leaping beside the illusionary dragon. She jumped in the air and landed steadily on the illusionary dragon, summoning Little Wandering.
Gu Jingyang understood A’Ling’s actions immediately and channeled her technique to control the illusionary dragon to weave through the mutated beasts, coordinating with A’Ling’s attacks.
Little Wandering flashed with purple-gold light, like bolts of lightning in the heavy rain. With the roaring thunder of the dragon’s cry, immense power erupted, forcefully knocking down the seemingly indestructible colossal monsters.
Gu Jingyang and A’Ling cooperated tacitly, pulling the mutated beasts at the edge of the barrier away from the barrier’s edge.
A’Ling even directly drew Lightning Attraction Talismans, infused them with spiritual energy, and shot them towards the mutated beasts. Riding the flying dragon, she faced the lightning and flicked Little Wandering out.
“Little Wandering, detonate.”
The moment the lightning entered the whip’s body, purple-gold light illuminated and shot out. The Lightning Attraction Talismans in the air exploded in unison, creating huge waves like rocks falling into the sea in the heavy rain.
With a ‘boom’ that echoed through heaven and earth, all the mutated beasts within the circle of Lightning Attraction Talismans fell to the ground with a deafening crash. The ground cracked open with several spreading fissures.
Just then, Gu Jingyang shouted: “A’Ling, dodge!”
A’Ling understood, withdrew Little Wandering, and leaped from the illusionary dragon, stepping on the golden light and jumping back onto her iron sword, rapidly diving back into the barrier.
The moment A’Ling entered the barrier, Gu Jingyang’s palm technique light flashed, like bursting sunlight, directly freezing the sky-shaking, imposing giant dragon. A golden light pierced through the sky.
The next moment, the giant dragon dived down, its unstoppable momentum like a flood pouring into the sea, carrying the colossal mutated beasts like washing away the sand and gravel in its path, sending dust and rainwater splashing.
The ground in front of the barrier collapsed with a loud bang. The ground that Gu Jingyang had smashed through with her illusionary dragon cracked open like a rift valley, lying horizontally in front of the barrier.
The mutated beasts at the bottom of the pit wailed, their roars in the torrential rain stirring the hearts of the onlookers.
Gu Jingyang looked at the successfully blocked mutated beasts, feeling as if their roars were a triumphant battle song. She even wanted to roar a few times.
But before she could be happy, other barriers successively ran into trouble and sent out distress signals.
A’Ling and Gu Jingyang used the same method to temporarily block the attacks of the mutated beasts in the north and south of the city.
When the spatial transmission finally reached Hongjian Academy in the west of the city, Elder Zeng was also about to ask A’Ling for help.
A’Ling saw Shi Qingqian among the groups of mutated beasts at a glance. Since she couldn’t expose her demonic energy, her fighting was extremely arduous.
A’Ling was moved. This person was truly… Just now, when she received the message about Gu Jingyang’s accident, before she could even speak, Shi Qingqian had sent her to the Gu family. She hadn’t even had time to react.
She hadn’t even said goodbye to Shi Qingqian.
But she knew that this person would definitely protect her barrier.
As if sensing A’Ling’s gaze, Shi Qingqian suddenly turned her head in the rain curtain, her gaze piercing through the forest of mutated beasts, accurately capturing that smiling face.
And the silent sentence: “I’m back.”