Immortality from Taming Elephant

Chapter 736 - 325:

Xu Guang closed his eyes, stretched out his left hand, and according to the mantra, for the first time truly felt what was transforming the demon in the Void Realm.This is a power completely different from Source Qi and Spirit Charm, more sinister, like... a Fierce Ghost.

"If that’s the case, then by continuously bathing in the blood of different types of demons, it should be possible to accelerate the cultivation of this Secret Technique."

Xu Guang had an epiphany.

...

Half a month later.

The Hall of Merits in the Demon-Slaying Academy.

The Elder of Merits looked to be a man around thirty years old, not handsome, but rather, with a long scar across the middle of his face, giving off a fierce and intimidating appearance.

"You want to go to Penglai?"

Xu Guang nodded, "I have a friend who said that a Secret Realm is opening there and invited me to enter together."

"If that’s the case... we have a cooperative relationship between our Northern Polar Six Academies and the Penglai Palace, especially our Demon-Slaying Academy, which goes there for exchange defense every few years. The disciples from Penglai can face demons, and our academy’s people can witness the ferocity of the sea tribes. If you really want to go, I can give you a few slots."

Xu Guang exactly had this thought.

If he went directly, he would be a Wandering Practitioner.

If he went in the name of exchange defense, then if something happened, Penglai Palace would have to take responsibility.

When going out, you always have to think about your own little life, right?

"Thank you, Senior Brother."

"No need, you and I can be considered fellow disciples, my master is the Wandering Weng."

Xu Guang was taken aback, then bowed again, "Then we are truly close senior and junior brothers."

"You’re too kind, Junior Brother Xu."

No wonder he was so agreeable; it turned out he was the disciple of his own martial uncle.

The white jade gourd with spatial power in Xu Guang’s hand was a gift from his martial uncle, the Wandering Weng.

This feeling of having the right connections is truly great.

...

The next day.

In a room interwoven with earth and fire.

A man in armor spoke to Xu Guang.

"These are the Divine Weapons you wanted, five swords in total, each belonging to one of the Five Elements, all Second Nirvana Divine Weapons."

These were made long ago, and after Xu Guang’s request, he made some slight modifications, completing them quickly.

Xu Guang checked them and was satisfied.

Before leaving the Demon-Slaying Academy, Xu Guang made thorough arrangements.

Jiang Zi Yun and Bai Xiao Zhu stayed in the Palace of Daoism to cultivate. The Demon-Slaying Academy’s Dao grounds were relatively safe, with Tian Che, Zhou Qing Hu, and others watching over, there was no need to worry. Zhuge Wuliang needed to consolidate his First Nirvana Cultivation and would not be joining. The final confirmed companions to Penglai were only Jin Buhuan and General Wei.

Jin Buhuan needed to find out the truth behind his brother Jin Xiangyang’s death, and Penglai Immortal Palace was a necessary stop. General Wei was Xu Guang’s most important combat partner, their lives were linked, with unmatched tacit understanding.

Before departure, Xu Guang took a trip to the Hall of Merits, where the scar-faced senior brother—named "Li Feng"—had indeed arranged everything properly.

"This is the exchange defense token for ’Azure Ripple Isle’ in Penglai Immortal Palace, valid for three months. When you get there, look for a certain Elder named ’Hai Yunzi,’ he will arrange your accommodation." Li Feng handed Xu Guang three cyan jade tokens, then lowered his voice, "My master sent a message, saying you caused quite a stir in Wan Chuan State. Over in Penglai, it’s a mix of fish and dragons; be careful."

Xu Guang solemnly accepted it: "Thank you for the reminder, Senior Brother."

"And," a hint of seriousness flashed in Li Feng’s eyes, "I heard that the Lishan Twin Ghosts tried to kill you before. These two are close to madness in their quest for sainthood, daring to attack anyone, and they’re extremely cunning. Penglai has always been a gathering place for clouds and shadows, and the Lishan Twin Ghosts might be among them. Be cautious when you get there."

Xu Guang nodded.

The battle with the Lishan Twin Ghosts left him almost dead. If not for his last-moment words scaring the opponents away, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Revenge for this must come, but not now.

Three days later, an airship bearing the banners of the Northern Polar Six Academies broke through the clouds, speeding towards the northeast, to the Penglai Archipelago.

The airship wasn’t large, accommodating only about a dozen people, but it was a special "Cloud Piercing Shuttle" made by the Demon-Slaying Academy, extremely fast and equipped with a concealing array, hard to detect by ordinary means.

The pilot was a taciturn old cultivator named "Mo Lao," said to be specifically arranged by Li Feng, having traveled between Jizhou and Penglai many times, familiar with the route.

Sailing above the sea of clouds, looking down at the islands scattered across the azure sea below, Xu Guang sat cross-legged at the bow of the ship, the Five Emperor Dharma Body appearing faintly behind him, absorbing the spiritual essence of heaven and earth.

The bottleneck of the third level of the Demon-Slaying Technique still existed, but he could feel the barrier beginning to loosen.

Perhaps real combat with demons was the key to breaking through.

Jin Buhuan was beside him, polishing a long curved knife, the blade a deep blue, faintly echoing with the sound of waves. This was an ancient weapon he had taken from the Golden Bull Chamber of Commerce’s treasury, named Blue Sea Tide, though only a Second Nirvana Divine Weapon, it matched perfectly with his cultivation technique.

General Wei had transformed into a small horse, lying at Xu Guang’s feet pretending to sleep, its trunk occasionally swinging, sensing the breath along the way.

"Brother Xu, do you think there’s really a complete Refining Pattern Master’s inheritance in that Celestial Venerable Han Secret Realm?" Jin Buhuan suddenly spoke.

Being life-and-death friends with Jin Buhuan, Xu Guang did not hide his purpose this trip.

Moreover, he wasn’t sure if he could obtain the Refining Pattern Master inheritance.

These ancient inheritances weren’t something his strength could dictate, what if Jin Buhuan also had a destiny with it?

"Mr. Thirteen previously showed me some things, I feel they’re indeed related to Refining Pattern Masters."

Pausing, Xu Guang continued.

"And I suspect that the Celestial Venerable Han Secret Realm might have something to do with your brother’s death."

Jin Buhuan’s knife polishing paused slightly: "What makes you say that?"

"Instinct." Xu Guang gazed into the distance, "The inheritance site of the Immortal Venerable Han Chu just happened to appear in the eastern state of Penglai. Penglai Immortal Palace has been battling the sea tribes for years, and your brother died at the hands of the ’sea tribe’... too many coincidences coming together, then they’re not coincidences."

Jin Buhuan fell silent for a moment, then sheathed the curved knife: "We will know when we get there."

Seven days later, the Cloud Piercing Shuttle began to descend. Ahead, where sea and sky met, the outline of a vast landmass several times larger than a typical island gradually became clear. Its peaks were covered in lush greenery, surrounded by clouds and mist, with streams of rosy light rising from the mountains, mingling with the sky, like an immortal paradise.

Penglai State, arrived.

The airship didn’t head directly to the Penglai Immortal Palace’s mountain gate but circled to a sea cliff on the eastern side of the landmass. On the cliff, pavilions and towers were built, with a waterfall like a silver dragon cascading down into a deep pool below, the mist around showing the light of formations flowing.

"Azure Ripple Isle, arrived." Mo Lao spoke hoarsely, maneuvering the Cloud Piercing Shuttle to slowly land on a platform at the edge of the cliff.

Immediately, two cultivators in light blue robes, with wave patterns embroidered on their cuffs, approached, checked the tokens, and bowed respectfully: "Are you the fellow daoists from the Northern Polar Six Academies here for the exchange defense? Elder Hai Yunzi has been waiting for you."

Following the guide disciples, passing through layers of arrays, they arrived at a spacious hall built on the cliffs. A middle-aged Daoist with a rosy complexion and three strands of long beard on his chin was pouring his own drink. Seeing Xu Guang and the others, he stood up with a smile.

"I am Hai Yunzi, in charge of the defense of Azure Ripple Isle. Brother Li Feng has informed me of your arrival; your journey must have been tiring." His gaze lingered momentarily on Xu Guang, clearly aware of some details.

After the greetings were exchanged and they were seated, Hai Yunzi briefly introduced the situation of Azure Ripple Isle. This place is one of the outposts of the Penglai Immortal Palace, monitoring the eastern sea area, mainly guarding against small groups of sea tribes infiltrating and certain unexpected guests. Daily affairs are not heavy, but any sudden incidents must be dealt with promptly.

"The exchange defense period is three months, you can act freely, just report here at the end of each ten-day period. The storeroom of Azure Ripple Isle contains sea maps of the Penglai sea area and recent intelligence summaries, you’re free to consult them." Hai Yunzi was quite generous, finally mentioning seemingly casually, "Recently, due to the ’Celestial Venerable Han Secret Realm’ matter, Penglai Eastern State has been quite unsettled, with various people gathering, a mix of fish and dragons. Act with caution if you go out."

Xu Guang understood clearly, this Elder Hai Yunzi was making a friendly gesture and giving a reminder.

After settling down, Xu Guang immediately sent a message through the special contact left by Mr. Thirteen.

The next morning, a man disguised as an ordinary fisherman, with dark skin, arrived outside Azure Ripple Isle, claiming to be entrusted by someone to deliver a "Golden Scaled Snapper." Xu Guang took the fish and found a wax pellet in the fish’s gill area.

Crushing the wax pellet revealed a thin silk, with tiny characters written on it: "East of the city ’Guihai Residence,’ Room 3 under the Heaven series, an old friend awaits. The entrance to the Secret Realm is located at ’Fallen Star Valley,’ where recent anomalies have attracted various parties. Meet at ’Watching Sea Cliff’ by noon three days later."

With a flicker of flame from his fingertips, Xu Guang burned the silk to ashes.

"Brother Jin, get ready, we’re going to ’Guihai Residence’."