Start cultivating immortality by slacking off and posting ads

Chapter 173 A lone boat arrives carrying regrets, nine glances startle the two prodigies [Two-in-One]

Ten miles outside Shengjing City, high in the sky.

A spirit-grade flying boat is hurtling towards them, its near-maximum speed cutting through the thick clouds.

Gazing at the majestic city in the distance, Zhuang Yun said to the disciple steering the boat, "Hold on a little longer, we'll be there soon."

"Don't worry, I can still manage." The disciple piloting the boat was pale, but managed a weak smile.

Zhuang Yun nodded to him and glanced at the deck of the flying boat.

Several people were sitting cross-legged around him, and none of them looked well. He touched his own cheek.

'My complexion is probably no better than theirs. I wonder what happened at our master's house that made him so anxious, forcing us to travel day and night.'

The Qinghua Sect was tens of thousands of miles away from Shengjing. The group took turns sailing and flew non-stop for several days, and they were all exhausted.

'Thankfully, we've finally arrived.' Zhuang Yun shook his head, cheered himself up, and walked towards the cabin.

The cabin door remained tightly shut: 'I wonder if Master has finished his seclusion yet?'

Just as he was hesitating whether to knock, the cabin door creaked open, revealing Shen Mengyao's figure.

"Master, you've emerged from seclusion?" Zhuang Yun's face lit up with joy, and he quickly greeted him.

On the deck, the disciples who were steering the boat and sitting cross-legged on the ground were also startled awake by the noise: "Master."

Shen Mengyao frowned slightly and glanced at the outside of the flying boat, where Shengjing was already close at hand.

"Remember this, from now on, address me by my sect identity." A flash of spiritual pressure emanated from her.

All the disciples were startled, their expressions filled with surprise and delight as they looked at her.

"Master, has Senior Sister successfully established her foundation?"

"With the help of our senior sister, we have hope of achieving Foundation Establishment in the future."

Congratulations, Senior Sister! Congratulations, Senior Sister!

"Senior sister is awesome!"

With a smug smile on her face, Shen Mengyao nodded in satisfaction and said, "There's one more Foundation Establishment Pill I obtained this time. It's yours, Zhuang Yun."

As she spoke, she tossed out a bottle of pills, which Zhuang Yun caught in a hurry and was overjoyed.

"Thank you for your guidance, senior sister!"

The other disciples all looked on with envy.

Seeing this, Shen Mengyao smiled and said, "No one else needs to be envious. Once Zhuang Yun completes his Foundation Establishment, we will have two Foundation Establishment cultivators, making it easier to obtain Foundation Establishment Pills."

That's how cultivation works. Once you cross that threshold, acquiring lower-level cultivation resources becomes much easier.

In retrospect, they were lucky.

The day they jointly refined the Foundation Establishment Pill, after paying Yanming the price, they nearly exhausted their entire fortune.

Fearing that the other party would not let her off easily, Shen Mengyao did not dare to return directly to the sect. Instead, she took a group of subordinates and hid in the desolate sea for a period of time.

Unexpectedly, this decision brought her the opportunity to establish her foundation.

On the deserted island where they were hiding, Shen Mengyao discovered the remains of a cultivator in a sea cave.

Two Foundation Establishment Pills were obtained from the storage bag left behind by the other party.

Afterwards, based on the other items left behind, it was determined that the other party was most likely also a Hehuan cultivator.

It was even after they were refining the elixir that a conflict occurred, resulting in his severe injuries. He couldn't survive and perished there.

Shen Mengyao snapped out of her reverie: "Alright, you can rest now. Leave the flying boat to me."

"Yes, Senior Sister." The disciple who was piloting the boat was already struggling to keep going, and upon hearing this, he was naturally grateful for his master's kindness.

'Foundation Establishment cultivation is truly extraordinary.' Upon taking control of the spirit artifact flying boat, Shen Mengyao felt an unprecedented ease and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Shengjing is not a celestial city; flying is not prohibited outside the imperial city area.

The airship quickly entered the airspace of Shengjing. Looking down at the place where she grew up, she was filled with familiar scenery and couldn't help but feel a lot of emotions.

After adjusting her flight path, Shen Mengyao decided to go home first to ask about the specific situation.

Just then, a violent fluctuation of magical power came from not far ahead.

She was slightly taken aback, and immediately looked in the direction of the fluctuations, only to find two unfamiliar faces attacking each other.

"There are Foundation Establishment cultivators fighting? Judging by the intensity, both sides are probably close to Core Formation."

His gaze swept around and he noticed many cultivators, some suspended in mid-air, others standing on high places, all clearly watching the spectacle.

Two more squads of soldiers were in the distance, rushing towards the battle.

Shen Mengyao initially intended to simply walk past, but upon closer inspection, she thought, "Wait, that area seems to be near the Ninth Prince's private residence. Could Tang Hao be there too?"

Thinking this, she changed her plans, pressed the button on the flying boat, and landed in that vicinity.

The secret letter said that after Tang Hao returned to the capital, he stayed with the Ninth Prince.

She wasn't surprised at all: 'It's always been like this; when he's not clinging to me, he's definitely with the Ninth Prince.'

Memories of the past flooded her mind, and she gently bit her lower lip.

'I never expected him to reach the peak of Qi Refining in such a short time. If I had known, I shouldn't have distanced myself from him. A few letters now and then wouldn't have taken much effort.' Shen Mengyao was filled with regret.

Keep in mind that it took her nearly three years to reach the same level.

This was only because I secretly practiced the "Heart Sutra of Joy" and had the help of dual cultivation methods; otherwise, it would have taken another year and a half.

Immediately, she made a decision: 'No, I must seize this opportunity and make him my favorite male concubine.'

In the blink of an eye, the airship had already landed near the battleground.

Several gazes swept over immediately, but Shen Mengyao only glanced at them and then paid no more attention.

Instead, they looked toward the location of the Ninth Prince's private residence, which they remembered.

'I came here once before, and if it weren't for the memories that resurfaced when I was building my foundation, I probably wouldn't have been able to recognize it.' Thinking of this made her teeth itch.

Helian Chengyu disliked her since childhood. She only came to the mansion once when Tang Hao brought her there. After that, the Ninth Prince explicitly told her not to come again.

'He really is here!' Shen Mengyao noticed the two figures sitting at the stone table in the courtyard. They were none other than the Ninth Prince Helian Chengyu and the Heir Apparent of Rongguo, Tang Hao.

But upon closer inspection, she was immediately stunned and stood there speechless.

"Hey, isn't that Tang Hao?"

"Tang Hao? That senior sister's childhood friend?"

"Yeah, that's strange. How come he's wearing that Taoist robe?"

"Taoist robe? What does that mean?"

Shen Mengyao's subordinates are all disciples of a sect, with the majority being disciples of the Medicine Peak.

But not all of them are from her original small circle.

Most of them had only heard about Tang Hao's existence.

As for the incident of encountering the true master, I only heard about it from other people.

“You all know about our encounter with the true disciples in the Sutra Repository, right?” The person who witnessed the incident immediately stepped forward and said.

The others exchanged glances and nodded in agreement.

The man said mysteriously, "That true disciple was wearing a Taoist robe just like this. Judging from the style, it seems to be exactly the same."

"Holy crap, could the true successor be Tang Hao?"

"That's possible!"

"Then, wouldn't our senior sister have gained a powerful backer in the sect?"

"It's not certain yet."

"Judging from his demeanor, I think it's a sure thing."

For a moment, all the disciples couldn't help but stare at Shen Mengyao, while a look of worry flashed in Zhuang Yun's eyes.

Shen Mengyao listened to her subordinates' discussion, her mind constantly comparing Tang Hao's physique with that of the true disciple.

It was ultimately determined that the two were 100% the same person.

'No wonder, now everything makes sense.'

When she first learned that Tang Hao's cultivation had reached the peak of Qi Refining, she thought that the fact that he could be on good terms with the true disciple must mean that his talent had been recognized by the true disciple.

Only then did it dawn on me: what goodwill? They were all the same person!
'Tang Hao used to be my simp. If I hadn't treated him that way, now...' Suddenly realizing the truth, her heart felt like it was bleeding.

"Why are there so many disciples of the Qinghua Sect? Could they be here to find the heir of the Rong Kingdom?"

When the flying boat landed, the group that had been scanning Shen Mengyao secretly exchanged messages.

"Are you stupid? Isn't that the leader, Shen Mengyao, the second young lady of the General's Mansion?"

They had all read Tang Hao's information and naturally knew something about him.

"Oh, really? So he knew that the Crown Prince of Rong was no longer the same as before, and rushed back after receiving the message, hoping to mend their old relationship?"

"Tsk tsk, judging by the time, they must have traveled day and night. If only they had known this would happen, they wouldn't have done it in the first place."

The messenger birds and beasts that are open to the public in the [Sparrow Tower], even the fastest one, take more than a day to travel from Shengjing to Qingmu Immortal City.

Furthermore, Shen Mengyao and the others were traveling on a magical flying boat, making this judgment easy for them.

"Why worry about all this? Let's keep an eye on the Ninth Prince!" the leader said with a sneer. "Didn't they say he might find a stand-in to impersonate him while he secretly forms his core?"

"On the day the Prince of Rong returned, and the day before, I had a vague feeling that something was wrong. Recently, I have been observing in secret, but my senses have not detected anything unusual."

"Do you think the Ninth Prince has already completed his Core Formation cultivation during those two days?"

"Impossible. According to reliable sources, he hadn't even finished refining the Golden Elixir and Jade Rejuvenation Pill at that time."

"This is indeed an opportunity. If the residence is affected by the battle, given the Ninth Prince's temperament, would he really remain completely indifferent?"

"Indeed, I should be able to see some clues once he makes a move."

"But these two aren't doing a good job!"

"Let's lend a hand."

Just as the group was discussing what to do, several loud bangs were heard, and several buildings in the Ninth Prince's private residence collapsed.

They exchanged a glance, their eyes lighting up, and exclaimed in unison, "Heaven is on our side!"

Then, a new surge of magical energy exploded from the air battle group.

A purple longsword slashed through the sky, and two lotus flowers of sword energy, one black and one white, suddenly appeared.

Both grew rapidly; the black lotus enveloped Yan Yunsheng, while the white lotus covered Shi Buyu.

"Who attacked me? You're asking for death!" Yan Yunsheng was startled at first, but his face immediately turned angry.

Following the direction of their senses, they immediately saw a handsome young nobleman dressed in fine clothes.

'The newcomer is quite strong, almost on par with the two of us!' His pupils contracted, and the opponent's strength made him feel a sense of crisis.

The lotus is inherently yang in nature, and his Azure Lotus Sword Formation also leans towards this aspect.

The black lotus unleashed by the newcomer, like the illusory green lotus in the [Heart Imprint Mirror], is a power that leans towards yin.

With their combined power, the already strained Azure Lotus Sword Formation became even more precarious.

But when he looked across, he saw that Shi Buyu had also been attacked at the same time, and he immediately smiled with a sense of relief.

"Good heavens, you're not taking sides, you're targeting both of us right away, that's a bit too arrogant!"

As he spoke, Yan Yunsheng swallowed a recovery pill.

While increasing his magical output, he shouted to the other side, "Shi Buyu, how about we team up first? Let's take down this newbie, and then we'll settle this once and for all!"

The green lotus trembled violently, and wisps of black sword energy within the black lotus rapidly converged towards the center, eroding his sword formation.

Yan Yunsheng noticed that many of the green silk threads wrapped around his longsword had broken off under the influence of the black sword energy, and he immediately became anxious: "Damn it! Give me an answer, or not!"

However, there was still no response from the other side.

Little did he know that at this moment, Shi Buyu had no energy to respond.

The sword energy lotus suddenly attacked him, but Yan Yunsheng was at least protected by the Azure Lotus Sword Formation.

However, she only had one defensive magical artifact protecting her.

The magical artifact was slashed with cracks the moment the white lotus descended.

If it weren't for the special materials and refining techniques, it would probably have been completely destroyed long ago.

Even so, through those defensive loopholes, the masculine aura emanating from the White Lotus Sword Qi seemed endless, relentlessly assaulting us.
For a moment, Shi was so overwhelmed by the aura that he could not speak, and even his eyes were difficult to open.

At the same time, a faint heat was rising in the depths of her heart, and it was growing stronger.

Her cheeks gradually flushed crimson, and her legs involuntarily tightened. Shi Buyu was extremely embarrassed and angry: 'Damn bastard, what kind of rogue sword technique is this!'

Noticing this, a strange look flashed across Tang Hao's face.

'Ninth Brother's sword technique...it feels a bit unorthodox.' He pondered for a moment, unsure of what to do. 'Could it be because it's activated by the properties of dragon energy?'

Helian Chengyu's cultivation method refined dragon energy, and he activated the primordial energy to manifest corresponding characteristics.

Dragons are inherently lewd, and "Nine Gazes" is also derived from the dragon race.

The strange effects of using the two together are understandable.

Because he anticipated that there must be spies nearby watching Helian Chengyu's movements.

When Tang Hao made his move, he naturally tried to adapt to the opponent's situation as much as possible.

Therefore, he did not use the [Five Elements Lotus], which was extremely compatible with this sword technique.

Even so, they managed to easily suppress the two of them.

'This is the second time I've used the Nine Gazes in actual combat. Last time, I faced Feng Mingyang and didn't feel the power of this sword technique at all. This time, however, I'm quite impressed!'

Tang Hao nodded with some satisfaction, feeling more confident. He didn't hesitate any longer, and with a quick movement of his purple longsword, a new transformation occurred.

The third move of the Nine Gazes Sword Technique: [The sword energy on the sword weighs three pounds].

This move, described with the "weight" of three jin, demonstrates the solidity of the sword energy, revealing its true power in its simplicity.

When used alone, the sword strike is heavy, as if the sky were collapsing and mountains were crumbling.

Combining the previous change, the black and white lotuses trembled slightly and instantly became much more solid.

Shi Buyu and Yan Yunsheng felt as if an immense burden had suddenly been placed upon them.

They all coughed up a mouthful of blood.

The radiance of the [Mirror of the Heart] dimmed, and the silent master retreated into his embrace.

The Azure Lotus Sword Formation collapsed with a "crash," and apart from some swords that couldn't withstand the shattering, the rest automatically returned to their sword sheaths.

Tang Hao swiftly twirled his sword, then slung the purple longsword behind his back.

With a change of sword technique, the black and white lotuses spun and transformed into two chains, one black and one white, binding the two tightly together.

"You spineless coward, how dare you launch a sneak attack! You have no martial ethics!" Yan Yunsheng spat out blood twice and cursed repeatedly.

Shi Buyu sneered, "Shameless! Vulgar! Lecherous!"

With a single gesture, the two flew to his side.

Tang Hao sized them up, then pointed his longsword downwards: "You destroyed my house and dare to curse me? Do you want to die or work?"

"Fuck you..."

Just then, two groups of soldiers flew over and bowed respectfully in unison: "We pay our respects to His Highness the Ninth Prince!"

Yan Yunsheng's cursing stopped abruptly.

"I'm more than willing to do your work, Your Highness, please spare my life!"

(End of this chapter)