This is not how immortals cultivate

Chapter 406 The Three Pure Ones
Prince Zhao's Mansion.

Xiao Lingyue opened the window and watched Xiang Yuan climb over the wall and jump into the courtyard. She wanted to say, "There's a gate to the courtyard, and they're engaged. Don't climb over the wall before it gets dark."

Xiang Yuan stood by the window, leaning against it, and said, "I have fulfilled my mission. This trip has been worthwhile. Jianxinzhai has gained a lot from this trip."

Xiao Lingyue tilted her head and asked suspiciously, "What's wrong? You look very weak?"

Xiao Lingyue understands Xiang Yuan too well. He's a walking, breathing medicine with off-the-charts stats and never lacks energy. She's never heard him say he's tired. So, his sudden listless appearance makes it hard not to be suspicious.

Xiang Yuan swayed slightly, activated the Formless Seal Technique, and regained his energetic state.

Xiao Lingyue was even more confused. She gave Xiang Yuan a look, asking him to explain what had gotten into him today.

"I've been gone for most of the day, and I even went to the Sword Heart Abode Women's Courtyard. They may not have much else there, but there are plenty of pretty girls. If I come back looking refreshed, you'll definitely think I'm hiding something because I have a guilty conscience," Xiang Yuan said wearily.

"So, why are you feeling weak?"

"because this……"

Xiang Yuan took out a copy of the 'Daily Medicine News': "Sword Heart Sect and White Cloud Manor have a good relationship. My identity as the son-in-law of Wushuang Palace has been exposed, and I have been forced to fight several grandmasters, such as that Fairy Shang and that female Taoist named Zi Ping. It's just a matter of Sword Venerable Su Ran personally stepping in. I was on someone else's turf, so I couldn't win every battle. I pretended to be overexerted, which made them reluctantly stop fighting."

As he spoke, he repeatedly pounded on the window, denouncing the women of Jianxinzhai as utterly inhuman.

"I see. I thought you had your blood extracted by Fairy Shang and Daoist Ziping, and that you were almost drained dry by them." Xiao Lingyue rolled her eyes.

"Ah, why would you think that?" Xiang Yuan exclaimed in disbelief.

"You were drained of blood by the blood-drawing medicine and were almost completely drained. You were worried that I would find out you were up to no good, so you came back looking weak. If I ask, just say you had a sword fight. Not only will that refute my unreasonable accusations, but it will also allow you to play the victim and show that you were wronged," Xiao Lingyue said, counting on her fingers.

Xiang Yuan: ()
My god, what kind of foresight is this? Does the Prince Zhao's mansion have any respect for them?
"speak!"

"It can't be fake, it can't be real either, nothing I do is right, what can I say?"

"Hehe, just kidding!"

The Fairy of the Merchant is such a noble and elegant lady, how could she possibly be interested in a shameless fellow like you?

It's good that the matter of the big medicine wasn't exposed and that he wasn't detained at Jianxinzhai.

Xiao Lingyue blinked with a grin, picked up the Daily Medicine Newsletter, and when she saw the introduction of the people who were engaged to Xiang Wentian and the two princesses of the Zhao Prince's Mansion, she stopped giggling.

Xiao Lingyue was very happy that Xiang Wentian was engaged to Princess Heyue, but she was very unhappy that Xiang Wentian was engaged to Princess Heyan.

That being said, now that you're the young sect leader of the Heavenly Sect, there's no need for you to form an alliance between the Zhaowang Mansion and the Tianwu Sect through a marriage with Princess Yan. Don't you have any plans to cancel this engagement?

Xiao Lingyue didn't want to be a jealous wife, so she didn't say what was on her mind. She stared at Xiang Yuan, hoping he would speak up himself.

The two are in perfect sync; a single glance is enough to convey their thoughts, even more effective than a pat on the backside.

Xiang Yuan sensed Xiao Lingyue's thoughts but pretended not to understand.

I have no intention of breaking off the engagement. It would be hurtful and extremely unlucky, a textbook example of villainous behavior.

If Xiao Lingyan gets a letter of annulment and then picks up an old lady, and then attacks the Heavenly Sect three years later, that would be quite a mess.

Even worse, the book says that those who are jilted and then storm the sect will not be able to renew the engagement, but they will become entangled with the master of the person they were engaged to. Coincidentally, Xiang Yuan really does have a master in the Heavenly Sect who lives in a broken-down sampan.

Books don't lie; whoever wants to cancel the engagement can cancel it, but he certainly won't.

"..." x2
(乛乛)(一一;)
"Shameless."

Xiao Lingyue muttered something under her breath, inquiring about the outcome of the trip and how Su Ran Sword Master would respond.

"To be honest, Sword Master and your master are two of a kind, neither of them are reasonable people..." Xiang Yuan rambled on, complaining for quite a while.

Xiao Lingyue nodded repeatedly, letting Xiang Yuan say a few more words, while remaining expressionless, neither affirming nor denying.

Before, she would definitely have argued back and tried to prove how good her master was, but now...

You just need to say it, and you can't just say it; you need to take it to heart. If you know that woman is bad, then you should stay away from her from now on.

After Xiang Yuan finished complaining, he solemnly explained the outcome of the trip. Su Ran Sword Master's attitude towards Tianzong was ambiguous, neither close nor distant. He was the type who wanted benefits but didn't want to take responsibility. However, he held the sword in his heart and wouldn't stand idly by while the mastermind behind the scenes acted recklessly. It could be considered that he had reluctantly agreed to the alliance.

Furthermore, Sword Master Su Ran provided an important piece of information: Baiyun and Wangjian Manors are pawns of the mastermind behind the scenes.

Of the four princes qualified to compete for the throne of Western Chu, the mastermind behind the scenes invested in Prince Jing, Xiao Ning, and Prince Le, Xiao Lei. Tianzong was taken back by Ji Wuzhou, who released news to support Prince Zhao, Xiao Yan. Prince Le, Xiao Lei, was now a rootless duckweed, and like Prince Kang, Xiao Jia, he had become a mere runner-up.

After the semi-finals, Prince Zhao (Xiao Yan) and Prince Jing (Xiao Ning) advanced to the finals.

"Report back that you're safe. I'll set off immediately for Tianzong and Wushuang Palace, and then investigate Baiyun Manor to see if there's any trace of the mastermind behind it all," Xiang Yuan said, frowning.

He has a good brother named Yue Huanjiang at Baiyun Manor. If he can beat the masters of Baiyun Manor to their knees and make them realize their mistakes, and turn to support the Prince Zhao's Mansion and become dogs for the mastermind behind the scenes, he is willing to help someone cover it up.

It's inevitable for cultivators to make mistakes, but as long as they realize their errors and are willing to correct them, it won't affect Baiyun Manor's ability to continue making money.

"Why go to Wushuang Palace?" Xiao Lingyue was still good at grasping the key points.

"The Sword Master Su Ran is a riddle-teller. He only says half of what he means, which makes me feel awkward and uncomfortable..." Xiang Yuan explained the difference between cultivating immortality and cultivating divinity, feeling like he had a fishbone stuck in his throat.

"Yes, find the White House official, she'll tell you anything, give you anything, and you'll be fine."

Xiao Lingyue gave a soft hum and closed the window with both hands.

The two scoundrels aren't hiding it from her anymore!

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The Peerless Palace, a small grotto in the cold pool.

After leaving the Zhaowang Mansion, Xiang first went to the Tianzong Sect to find the Broken Sampan Master, explained Su Ran Sword Venerable's attitude and the important information Su Ran Sword Venerable provided, and told the Broken Sampan Master not to lie still all day, but to at least move around.

Gui Xiangyuan from Baiyun Manor and Gui Jiwuzhou from Wangjian Manor split up to find traces of the mastermind behind the scenes and to see what these two pieces are actually used for.

In terms of sheer strength, the two manor houses are nothing special among the masters. They started out as businesses and rely entirely on archaeology for their cultivation techniques. It's wishful thinking for the mastermind behind them to expect these two houses to accomplish great things.

Sword Master Su Ran made a special mention of it, which was certainly not without reason. It's always better to be safe than sorry. It's good to gather information about both families to avoid being caught off guard.

Xiang Yuan was confident that the broken sampan would not be trapped this time, and he would not need to travel thousands of miles to rescue it; otherwise…

Get out of the group, you broken boat! The circle of the reincarnated Heavenly Emperor can't tolerate such trash!

After the two went their separate ways, Xiang Yuan went to Wushuang Palace first and saw Bai Wuyan meditating with her eyes closed in the small cave. He stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Master Bai, I have a question to ask you."

Bai Wuyan possessed a cold and beautiful appearance. Her eyes remained closed, and she formed a sword with her fingers, gently pointing it at the empty ice surface.

Same as always, go down by yourself.

If I make a move, you'll lose another piece of clothing.

Bai Wuyan didn't ask any questions, focusing instead on an equal exchange. Xiang Yuan wanted to get answers from her, so they sat down and chatted while eating.

Xiang Yuan liked Bai Wuyan's straightforwardness. He took about ten steps back, shattered the ice under his feet, took off his clothes, folded them neatly, and jumped into the icy water to rinse them off.

Having just come from Jianxinzhai, Xiao Lingyue really should rinse off the saltiness. If Bai Gongzhu can tell whether it's salty or bland, Xiao Lingyue will have to take the blame for Shang Qingmeng.

After Xiang Yuan finished washing up, he went through the formalities and waited for Bai Wuyan to take her seat.

Unexpectedly, Bai Wuyan did not directly take the blood. Instead, she pointed in front of her and a spatial curtain opened in the void. With a light wave of her hand, she drew the blood from Xiang Yuan and together they disappeared into it.

The sky was blue and the earth was green, and the air was filled with the energy of green trees. The vibrant life force and the burgeoning vitality of all things greatly invigorated Xiang Yuanwen.

"Go down."

Bai Wuyan waved her hand and threw it into the deep green sea below, transmitting her voice: "This is a small grotto-heaven that the Hundred Herbs Society of Northern Qi found in its early years. We had no chance to obtain it and did not know how to use it properly, so we sealed the entrance and exit. I have calculated that it is destined to be yours."

Is it really fate that she and Xiang Yuan are destined to be together...? Bai Wuyan is a powerful expert in the upper three realms, she wouldn't speak carelessly, so they must be destined to be together.

Xiao Lingyue's words proved prophetic: the rich woman was too good to the sports student, giving him whatever he had, and if he didn't have anything, he would steal or rob her.

Xiang Yuan plunged into a green ocean, and surging vitality flowed into his body. What is poison to you is honey to me. An opportunity that ordinary cultivators could not enjoy, he could refine upon entering his body.

By circulating the Formless Seal Technique, one can strengthen one's external divine power and internal primordial spirit, thereby increasing one's physical attributes and allowing the temporarily undigested medicinal power to settle throughout the body.

Bai Wuyan looked down from the sky, nodded in satisfaction, and transmitted her voice: "There are still many opportunities in the Desolate Ancient Realm. You have the Heavenly Emperor Dao Seed, which you can use for your own purposes. However, there are extraterrestrial demons nearby, so you must not rashly venture in. I will go with you next time."

Xiang Yuan was busy cultivating and realizing his rare talent, so he didn't respond, only nodding.

Half an hour later, he leaped out of the clear water. He had previously obtained water, fire, and earth from the five elements, and today he obtained wood. He was only missing metal to complete the five elements.

So, the rich woman is hungry.

The rich woman couldn't find the right opportunity for the time being. She ignored Xiang Yuan's eager eyes and carried him back to Wushuang Palace, where she threw him into the water and rinsed him again.

Xiang Yuan blew bubbles as he sank to the bottom of the water, and in a short while, he found himself in his arms a voluptuous and alluring figure.

Pure white, so white it seems to be glowing.

Bai Wuyan bit Xiang Yuan's neck, wrapped her arms around his shoulders, and transmitted her voice, "What brings you here?"

"Tianzong... Twelve Dao Pavilions... The embryonic form of the Heavenly Court... What is cultivation of immortality, and why not cultivation of gods?" Xiang Yuan explained the situation of Tianzong, but out of caution, he did not mention Su Ran Sword Venerable, and shifted the blame to his master, the broken sampan.

As soon as he finished speaking, Xiang Yuan clearly felt Bai Wuyan tighten her grip on his arm, and the pressure on his chest increased dramatically.

"It's a long story, but to make it short, let's cultivate first, and I'll tell you later." Bai Wuyan closed her eyes, absorbing blood without speaking.

Since Xiang Yuan had nothing better to do, he grabbed the beautiful Bai Wuyan in his arms and poured his primordial spirit into her to see what new principles of heaven and earth Bai Wuyan had recently acquired.

Each time he engaged in dual cultivation of his primordial spirit, he would receive new principles of heaven and earth from Bai Wuyan. At first, he could explain it by saying that his injuries had not yet healed and that his primordial spirit was being properly regulated. But now it seems that after Bai Wuyan successfully transcended her tribulation, the principles of heaven and earth were attracted to her and came to him on their own initiative.

Two hours later, Bai Wuyan floated up, sat cross-legged in mid-air, looked at Xiang Yuan soaking in the water, and said calmly: "There are no immortals in the world, only gods. The Heavenly Emperor is the master of all gods, and then there are immortals. When the two are not in harmony, the world is in chaos, and the reality of the three thousand worlds is hard to distinguish. Therefore, our cultivation is only the path of immortals, not the path of gods."

Xiang Yuan was completely confused: "Why is there no divine path? Is it because the Heavenly Emperor is dead, and no one is qualified to confer divine titles?"

"Do not."

Bai Wuyan gently shook her head: "Because the Heavenly Emperor was defeated, the Path of Gods is not as good as the Path of Immortals. Any cultivator with great ambitions will not cultivate the Path of Gods."

Xiang Yuan frowned deeply: "Master Bai, how does one cultivate the divine path?"

"What you are cultivating now is the path of the gods."

"???"

"You possess the Heavenly Emperor's Dao Seed; this is the Divine Path."

Bai Wuyan said calmly, "I told you before that I will not use others to cultivate immortality, nor will I take other people's Dao seeds for my own use. This is the way of immortality."

Xiang Yuan was even more confused and asked doubtfully, "But the White Palace Master also said that only those who obtain the Dao Seed can forge their bodies with the Dao. This is the most important thing in the Integration Stage. Only in this way can one pass the test of the Great Tribulation of Heaven and Earth, and when the merit is complete, one will naturally transform and achieve an immortal body."

Seeds of the Dao, becoming an immortal, there's nothing wrong with that, so how did it become the path of gods?

"How can ordinary Dao Seeds and Heavenly Emperor Dao Seeds be compared? You've received so many benefits from the Heavenly Emperor, do you really think you can live a carefree life?" Bai Wuyan retorted.

"What should we do then?" Xiang Yuan asked with a pained expression.

Bai Wuyan looked at Xiang Yuan calmly. There was no solution to this problem. Xiang Yuan had taken too many benefits from the Heavenly Emperor. Whether he continued to take them or tried to remove the Heavenly Emperor's Dao Seed, the Heavenly Emperor had already seen through him and he could not escape.

"Palace Master?"

"The divine way is the beginning; returning to the beginning from the end leads to the primordial deities..."

At this point, Bai Wuyan paused, thinking of her own destiny, and said to Xiang Yuan and herself: "It's too far away, worrying unnecessarily. You can only take your cultivation one step at a time... Moreover, how many people in this world are truly cultivating immortality? Most of them fall into the divine path after struggling."

At this point, a slight smile appeared on her lips as she said with great interest, "Take Su Ran, that lowly maid from Jianxinzhai, for example. She thinks she's cultivating immortality, but in reality, she's cultivating divinity. She's so self-righteous that she doesn't realize she'll become my plaything sooner or later."

Xiangyuan: (一`一)
Is it just my imagination? The atmosphere suddenly became more intimate.

Hearing that he had chosen the dead-end path of the divine, Xiang Yuan was heartbroken. But when he heard that there were few proper cultivators in the world, his mood improved considerably. And when he heard that the Riddler, the Sword Master of the Door, was also a cultivator of the divine, Xiang Yuan's spirits soared, and he immediately stopped being sad.

Curious, if the lowly maid Su Ran mentioned by Bai Wuyan is cultivating divinity, then what about Bai Wuyan mentioned by the Sword Master at the Fence? Is she also cultivating divinity?
Are there still legitimate cultivators in the world?

Thinking of it, Xiang Yuan asked, "How many proper cultivators are there in the world? Let's not talk about those in the distant past, but just the Qianyuan Realm."

Bai Wuyan remained silent for a long time before saying, "Cultivating immortality is indeed orthodox, but the Heavenly Emperor does not allow anyone to cultivate immortality. Even if someone succeeds, they must be used by him. He is the Heavenly Emperor, the most powerful innate deity. He does not want to see immortals, so there are no immortals in this world."

"Since the Heavenly Emperor was so domineering, how did he lose?"

"Samcheong."

"..."

The topic was too high-level, and Xiang Yuan swallowed carefully, not wanting to continue the conversation.

Meanwhile, the impression score of the broken sampan master dropped again.

Admittedly, Broken Sampan is not the only reincarnation of the Heavenly Emperor, but the Heavenly Emperor's prestige is so high that it took the Three Pure Ones to defeat him. Given such a high level of prestige, the appearance of a useless character like Broken Sampan is simply a disgrace to the name of the Heavenly Emperor.

Bai Wuyan seemed to be thinking about something, and her mood wasn't very high. Her face was visibly covered with a layer of frost.

Not wanting to disturb him, Xiang Yuan waited until he calmed down before silently floating to the surface. After dressing, he used spatial manipulation to leave...

Bang!
What's going on? What happened to my permissions?
Bai Wuyan was in a bad mood. With a wave of her hand, she tore Xiang Yuan's clothes to shreds and grabbed him in front of her. Even though she was already full, she still wrapped her arms around him and bit his neck.

clothing---

Looking at the tattered cloth scattered on the ground, Xiang Yuan felt a mournful cry in his heart. He wanted to tell Bai Wuyan that if it was just about drawing blood, there was no need to strip him of his clothes.

This bad habit is unacceptable!

Bai Wuyan only drank two mouthfuls of blood before the medicinal effects became too strong, so she couldn't drink anymore. She scratched Xiang Yuan, telling him to practice dual cultivation to help refine his body.

What are you all standing there for? Move! Don't you have any sense of being a furnace cauldron?
At this point, whether practicing dual cultivation with Xiang Yuan or Bai Wuyan, the efficiency is very average; it's neither useful nor useless, like a chicken rib.

Bai Wuyan was visibly in a bad mood, clearly not there for cultivation. Xiang Yuan, unaware of what keyword his question had triggered, obediently cupped his hands, channeled his primordial spirit, and pretended to be enjoying the dual cultivation.

Bai Wuyan leaned on Xiang Yuan's shoulder, letting him circulate his body-refining technique to help her cultivate, while she herself stared blankly, completely uninterested in cultivation.

She hugged him for a while, then suppressed her frustration, stood up, and looked up at the sky, peering through the small cavern space, her gaze seemingly fixed on some unknown place.

It turns out that the White House owner is also an old woman with a story!
Xiang Yuan nodded secretly. Since that was the case, he wouldn't disturb Bai Wuyan's somber mood.

He tried teleporting and was able to leave. With a black Taoist robe wrapped around his waist, he turned and ran.

Seeing Xiang Yuan run away so fast without saying a kind word, Bai Wuyan frowned slightly, snorted coldly, and called him an ungrateful wretch.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Linyou Road, same as the capital city.

Holding a copy of "Daily Medicine News," Xiang Yuan, disguised as Li Xianyuan, went to the main branch of Baiyun Mountain Villa in the local area, gave the secret code "A libation to the moon over the river," and waited for Yue Huanjiang to appear.

Brother, my sister-in-law has exposed my underwear, almost making me a family heirloom at Jianxinzhai. You have to give me an explanation for this.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

10,000 words, please give me double monthly votes!
The last day of the month.

(End of this chapter)