My Cultivation Has a Progress Bar
Chapter 329 - 58: Enemies and Friends
"Of course. We’ll do as you say!"
Guan Xi offered a polite salute. Then, with a single step, he traversed space and appeared beside Wang Ping, his body showing no fluctuations of Spiritual Qi.
Seeing this, the Huode Taoist gave Guan Xi a serious look. He then beckoned with his hand, and two Second Realm Cultivators in yellow Daoist Robes rose from the Daoist Scripture Hall’s station, landing before Le Xin and Leng Zhixing.
"Since you’ve come to Shangjing City, Fellow Daoist, you should stop by our place for a visit," Huode said, extending an invitation to Wang Ping.
"I will, if I find the time," Wang Ping replied, cupping his fist.
"In that case, rather than stand here and make a spectacle of ourselves, why don’t we all disperse?"
"Good!"
Wang Ping glanced down at the people of Shangjing City, then looked toward Jiangcun and Guan Xi. With that, he transformed into a streak of light and returned to Phoenix Tower West Garden.
Jiangcun, however, flew toward the ruins in the Upper City District. The first person attacked just now must have been Xia Ji. Ultimately, Xia Ji had perished because of the information Jiangcun had given him.
Guan Xi, for his part, followed Wang Ping back to the West Garden. The moment his feet touched the ground, the Daoist Scripture Hall took down its Defense Barrier.
Everything returned to its former tranquility. The battle had lasted less than ten minutes, and most of the common folk hadn’t even had a chance to put down what they were doing to watch properly.
As Wang Ping returned to the West Garden, golden streams of light once again began to weave through the people’s faith-offerings, enveloping the sky layer by layer beneath the empty clouds.
"What a shame, what a shame. All that for a single fight, and we learned nothing else."
"I always thought the one in the Imperial Palace was just biding his time and waiting to die," Guan Xi said regretfully. "Waiting for his mandate to end so he could become a laughingstock for future generations. I never imagined he still had such resolve."
Upon hearing this, Wang Ping couldn’t help but think of the golden palm that had first blocked Leng Zhixing’s attack. ’That power was incredible. It felt very similar to the Heaven-Reaching Talisman, but I can at least sense the talisman. That palm strike, however, was completely imperceptible—as if the very power of heaven and earth had come to claim your life!’
Rumor had it that the Emperor, when empowered by Divine Techniques and unleashing his full Divine Power, could rival a True Monarch. Even so, Wang Ping had always subconsciously looked down on this "short-lived sovereign" who could only reign for twenty years. But that single strike had made him discard all such contempt.
"His Majesty the Emperor held back!"
Wang Ping leaped lightly, landing on a branch of the Dongmei tree.
Guan Xi nodded and walked over. "That’s what I mean," he continued. "The Imperial Palace forges formidable people; no one there is to be trifled with. Even though our dear His Majesty the Emperor has been stripped of half his fortune, he still holds dominion over all of Zhongzhou!"
"It’s a shame that this great land has been on the wrong path from the very beginning."
Wang Ping shook his head. Yu Lian crawled up his arm to his shoulder, stretched out her neck, and nibbled on another plum blossom.
Just then, a familiar presence descended from the sky.
It was Jiangcun.
His expression was grim. After steadying himself, he looked at Wang Ping and said, "He’s dead. He was a friend of the Imperial Family. We got along quite well." His voice was heavy with guilt. "It’s my fault. I underestimated them. I never thought they would be so audacious!"
Wang Ping fell silent. This was the first Third Realm Cultivator to perish because of him, and he didn’t even know what the man had looked like. A trace of sorrow surfaced within him. Yu Lian, who had been playing on a branch of the Dongmei tree, sensed the shift in Wang Ping’s emotions. She used Tengyun to get to Wang Ping’s shoulder and nudged her head against his cheek.
Jiangcun was silent for several breaths before continuing, "They read his memories. He cultivated the Star God path and had no Primordial Spirit Consciousness, so it was too late to save him. However, the Star God Core he left behind contains a fragment of his memories."
After saying this, he looked at Wang Ping. "You have to remember him. He died for you!"
"Rest assured," Wang Ping promised. "I will record what happened to him in the annals of Qianmu Temple."
Silence fell once again after his reply.
Eventually, Jiangcun broke the silence. "The most direct culprits behind this attack are the Wu Ma Daoist and Rongyang Monarch. As for the others, we’ll have to wait for more intelligence to be gathered. I’ll notify you as soon as I have news."
"And the Jimin Association," Guan Xi added. "All the Gold Cultivators present today were members of the Jimin Association!" He met Jiangcun’s gaze and elaborated, "The Jimin Association is internally fractured, just like the True Yang Sect. Didn’t Rongyang Monarch end up opposing you as well?"
Jiangcun understood immediately.
Guan Xi continued, "The Earth Cave Sect was clearly involved as well. But never mind, the Earth Cave Sect is too complicated, it’s difficult to analyze..." He stared at Jiangcun. "Lishui Prefecture doesn’t have its own internal problems, does it?"
"Impossible!"
Jiangcun’s reply was firm. "Even if we did have internal problems, at worst we would just be cold bystanders. We would never resort to drawing weapons on each other. Because if the Dragon Monarch were to awaken and learn we had slaughtered our own, his punishment would be more terrifying than the slaughter itself."
Guan Xi asked, "And when has the Dragon Monarch ever been awake?"
"..."
Jiangcun was stunned for a moment, then grew exasperated.
"Just a joke, don’t take it seriously!" Guan Xi quickly tried to placate him.
"The Dragon Monarch can awaken whenever he wishes. He simply chooses not to most of the time. I can wake him every time I visit."
"Mm-hm."
Guan Xi nodded with an exaggeratedly serious expression.
Another brief silence fell between the three of them. In the end, it was Jiangcun who broke it, asking Wang Ping, "When are you leaving?"
"Immediately!"
Jiangcun wasn’t surprised. He cupped his fist. "Take care, Fellow Daoist. The next time we meet, we may be enemies."
"Not ’may be’," Guan Xi added. "It’s a certainty!"
Facing their less-than-friendly stares, he said with a smile, "Xiao Shan Lord also cultivates the Divine Dao. If he wants to ascend to the Fifth Realm through the Divine Dao, he will have to suppress Princess Xia Yao’s divinity—or resort to other, more extreme measures. And it seems Princess Xia Yao wants to pry away Xiao Shan Lord’s destiny for herself."
"At that point, no matter which of you achieves ultimate victory, the spiritual balance in Zhongzhou will be completely shattered, and we’ll revert to an age of widespread spiritual pollution."
"And..."
"That’s enough!" Jiangcun cut Guan Xi off. He turned to Wang Ping and cupped his fist. "Take care, Fellow Daoist. We shall meet again!"
"Take care!"
Wang Ping returned the salute, cupping his fist as well.
Without another word, Jiangcun transformed into a streak of light and shot toward the Upper City District.
Wang Ping turned to Guan Xi. "Why did you feel the need to provoke Fellow Daoist Jiang?"
"I was merely speaking the truth. I wanted to see what kind of man this Ninth Prince truly is. All in all, he’s a man who follows his heart. When the time comes for you two to fight, he’ll remember to show you some mercy."
But Wang Ping had no intention of continuing the conversation. He called to Yu Lian and started walking toward the courtyard gate.
He knew Guan Xi’s sudden appearance wasn’t so simple. He also knew that if he were to ask, Guan Xi wouldn’t say a word. For that reason, he didn’t want to waste any more time.
Just as he reached the gate, Guan Xi’s voice reached him. "Be careful on your way back."
Hearing this, Wang Ping’s pace quickened.
As he pushed open the gate, he saw two squads of the Imperial Guard who had clearly been waiting for some time. His gaze fell upon a middle-aged man dressed in the robes of a Second-Grade Official of the Court.
"I am Yang Kui," the man said, his voice firm. "May I ask Daoist Changqing, were you the one who harmed my son, Yang Jing?"
Wang Ping wasn’t surprised. During the fight, he had borrowed Yu Lian’s Qi Sea True Essence. Someone by this high official’s side must have sensed it.