Chapter 138: Chapter 27: Secluded Ascetic Cultivation

Sending the formal missive was a courtesy, and the other party didn’t make things difficult for Liu Shuang. A reply arrived in less than Half an Hour.

In the camp below the mountain gate, Wang Ping read the golden reply slip and found himself at a loss for whether to laugh or cry. He then looked at Zuo Xuan and asked, "What was his name again?"

"Leng Wu. Upon his initiation, he fused with a pair of short weapons. He used Demon Blood to cultivate a teleportation ability and has also trained in some Earth Vein Techniques," Zuo Xuan replied, taking a bamboo slip from her storage bag and handing it over.

Wang Ping took the bamboo slip and scanned it. It contained detailed information on Leng Wu, including all his records since he joined the Single Saber Sect. It was so thorough that it even listed what Demon Soldiers he possessed.

"An Earth Vein Demon Soldier that can perform the Earth Escape Technique with a one-hundred percent success rate. Does he really expect to use this to escape?" Wang Ping said with a laugh as he handed the bamboo slip back to Zuo Xuan. "He’s requesting a fair arena duel."

Everyone was stunned for a moment. Then, they heard Wang Ping give his orders. "Fellow Daoist Zuo, you will apprehend him. Fellow Daoist Guangxuan, you will provide support. You two may proceed without restraint. I will watch over the city’s inhabitants."

"Yes!"

After acknowledging the order, the two rose into the air with Wang Ping close behind. The ordinary disciples were left in the care of Yang Hou and Lin Chen.

As Zuo Xuan and Guangxuan entered the topmost palace one after the other, Wang Ping grabbed a handful of seeds and scattered them over the city built into the mountainside. The moment the palace roof shattered, a dense forest erupted, blanketing the city and protecting most of the people within.

Then, while controlling the Wood Spirit Qi, Wang Ping observed the battle on the mountaintop.

Leng Wu was short and slight, even smaller than Zuo Xuan. His grayish-white clothes clung tightly to his body. He was incredibly fast in combat and teleported intermittently, making his movements hard to predict.

Fortunately, Zuo Xuan’s attacks had a wide area of effect, and Guangxuan had saturated the battle space with Water Spirit Qi, allowing them to sense Leng Wu’s position almost instantly. Their coordination, however, was not yet seamless.

Once Zuo Xuan and Guangxuan grew accustomed to Leng Wu’s fighting style, victory would only be a matter of time.

But things took an unexpected turn. The battle shifted in an instant. Leng Wu teleported again, but just as he reappeared, he was struck in the side by an Embroidery Needle that Zuo Xuan had kept hidden.

"It’s the Spirit Cat. It’s very sensitive to the aura of movement," Yu Lian explained to Wang Ping.

Seizing the opportunity, Guangxuan immediately used the Water Spirit Qi to lock down the space around Leng Wu. He then manifested two ropes of water shimmering with blue light that bound Leng Wu securely.

Victory was decided in an instant. Leng Wu, who had been so formidable a moment before, was now a wretched sight. One side of his body was a mangled ruin of flesh and blood, and he was bound tightly, his blood staining the water ropes a deep crimson.

...

「A quarter of an hour later.」

「In the camp before the mountain gate.」

A faint, lingering scent of blood hung in the air.

This was because the armored soldiers guarding the mountain gate had suddenly charged down to attack the camp when Wang Ping decided on the forceful arrest. However, Yang Hou and Lin Chen were prepared, and they eliminated all the attackers, losing only three disciples in the process.

Artifact Cultivators are formidable after their initiation, but before it, they are truly weak.

「One day later.」

Wang Ping personally escorted Leng Wu to the dungeons. Originally, Leng Wu would have only needed to spend a sixty-year cycle here, but because of his resistance, it was estimated that his sentence would be doubled once it was formally passed down.

It was worth noting that the Daoist Scripture Hall was extremely meticulous when sentencing Cultivators for their crimes. There was even a formal vote, cast by Cultivators holding the fifth seat or higher in the regional Daoist Scripture Hall.

Wang Ping voted to add twenty years to the sentence, which was already a harsh penalty for an Artifact Cultivator.

With Leng Wu dealt with, the next matter was the assets of the Single Saber Sect.

According to the rules of the Daoist Scripture Hall, the Single Saber Sect’s assets theoretically still belonged to the sect itself. In practice, however, there was significant room to maneuver. But this was a prize that could not be divided solely between Qianmu Temple and Sanhe Temple.

Fortunately, Wang Ping did not have to handle such matters himself; he delegated full authority to Yang Hou and Liu Shuang.

As for himself, he returned to cultivating in seclusion.

「In the blink of an eye, several years passed...」

Wang Ping had, without realizing it, outlived another Emperor. The integration progress of his Spirit Communication Talisman had reached (21/100), and both of his younger brothers had passed away.

Liu Shuang was on the verge of Foundation Establishment. Yang Zhiping had died of melancholy two years ago. As for Liu Ling, Zhao Yu’Er, Su Sea, and Wang Li, they had all begun to venture out to gain experience.

「Another ten years flew by.」

Before Liu Shuang’s Foundation Establishment, the Nine Extremes Array was finally completed. It covered an area of nearly one hundred li around Qianmu Mountain, not only rerouting waterways but also making minor adjustments to the mountain terrain.

After the basic construction was complete, the next step was to nurture its Spiritual Qi.

Before that, however, there was one more step that only Wang Ping could perform: sketching the rune array that would link the separate zones. This was a massive and costly undertaking. The array not only required gold sand, but to ensure its stability, it also needed channels forged from Earth Vein Essence Iron built along its entire path.

While Wang Ping was busy planning the layout of his array, Zi Hong sent a Puppet Flying Bird with news of Wenhai. Wang Ping immediately used his position in the Daoist Scripture Hall to order Zuo Xuan to have someone investigate.

「Three months later.」

Sure enough, news of Wenhai arrived. He had fled to Nanku City, the southernmost city in Hu Mountain Country. After a notice was sent, the local Daoist Scripture Hall began pursuing him as was customary.

The result was predictable: he escaped, though they did manage to drive him out of Nanku City.

「Two years later.」

Wang Ping was preparing for Liu Shuang’s Foundation Establishment when Zuo Xuan paid him a personal visit, bringing a Gold Cultivator of the Qi Cultivation realm with her.

"We found traces of Wenhai on the Central Island in Lishui Prefecture, along with his master, Xuanhe Daoist," Zuo Xuan said, as direct as ever.

Yu Lian was once again playing with the Spirit Cat at Zuo Xuan’s side. The two had somehow become friends.

"Is the information confirmed?"

Wang Ping was quite interested. His ascetic cultivation was exceedingly dull, and the affair with Wenhai was practically the greatest source of amusement in his otherwise placid life.

Zuo Xuan gestured for the Qi Cultivator she had brought with her to speak. The man immediately broke into a wide smile and reported, "I personally saw Wenhai Daoist and his master, Xuanhe Daoist, at an auction house on Central Island. They were using their connection to the Taiyin Sect."

Wang Ping was taken aback. Only then did he recall that the Southeast Sea Region was not only home to Lishui Prefecture but was also missionary territory for the Taiyin Pure Cultivation Sect.

"In the name of the Nanlin Road Daoist Scripture Hall, send an official inquiry to the Daoist Scripture Hall on Central Island."

This was the only course of action Wang Ping could take. After Zuo Xuan left, he wrote a letter to Xia Yao. After the customary greetings, he explained the situation. The two had corresponded frequently over the years, with Xia Yao mostly asking Wang Ping to arrange for people to be placed in the Nanlin Road Daoist Scripture Hall.

Generally, if it was convenient, Wang Ping would grant these requests. His actions had the whiff of someone hedging their bets, but it was a common practice, and he was far from the only one doing it.

「In the spring of the following year.」

When Wang Ping’s integration progress on the Spirit Communication Talisman reached (33/100), Elder Wu, whom he hadn’t seen in ages, unexpectedly showed up at his door.

What surprised Wang Ping even more was that he had come to act as a mediator for Wenhai and Xuanhe Daoist.

Knowing Elder Wu’s personality, they must have offered him a price he couldn’t refuse for him to come scurrying over so eagerly.

In a way, the Cultivation Realm wasn’t so different from the secular world. Most of the time, everything was just a transaction of bargaining chips.