Cultivation: Being Immortal - Chapter 161
Wilderness, the remote area.
Lin Batian sensed Zhang Wanjing’s presence and instantly caught up with him. Lin Batian was angry and felt like a praying mantis chasing a cicada while unaware of the oriole behind. He thought he was the oriole, but unexpectedly, someone had stolen his home. He couldn’t bear it.
“Go.”
Even though Lin Batian was several tens of miles away, he brandished his long spear, believing that a mere golden core could not possibly withstand his ordinary strike.
“No, that’s not right.”
But the next moment, Lin Batian felt something was wrong. Zhang Wanjing astonishingly didn’t dodge or evade. A creepy sensation crept up in Lin Batian’s heart.
“Block it.”
Lin Batian shouted loudly. His spiritual power surged inside him and a purple bead floated above his head, emitting countless strands of energy to form a protective shield.
“Boom”
A long spear crashed into Zhang Wanjing, emitting a terrifying aura. A sword light directly knocked the long spear away, then lifted high and slashed towards Lin Batian.
“Bang”
The sword light descended, causing a burst of black light to explode on the protective shield. The space seemed to collapse, and the shield shattered. The residual waves of the sword light struck Lin Batian, sending him flying for dozens of miles.
Zhang Wanjing didn’t fare any better. The powerful residual waves not only injured him but also knocked him unconscious.
······
“Be careful.”
Miles away, Lin Jiang, Zhang Shuhua, and others were fighting against a group of independent cultivators. Suddenly, a muffled sound came from the distance, and a powerful force approached. Everyone’s face changed drastically.
Lin Jiang and the others didn’t have time to escape, so they could only resist with all their might. However, even so, the residual waves still knocked everyone over.
“Puff”
Lin Jiang was no exception, his high-quality clothes immediately shattered, but fortunately, the clothes resisted the most intense force, and he only suffered minor injuries, coughing up some blood.
“Senior brother, are you okay?”
Lin Jiang found Zhang Shuhua and stuffed a pill into his mouth.
“I’m fine, let’s go and see what’s happening.”
“Ah!”
“Let’s go and see, the Heavenly Wolf King’s lair is thousands of miles away from here. How could there be such a earth-shattering battle here?”
“Are you trying to kill me?”
“My father…”
“Forget it, forget it, I owe you both.”
Lin Jiang clenched his teeth and flew away directly, flying for more than ten miles, summoning Small Shadiao directly.
Big Shadiao was currently in a deep sleep. These past few years, Lin Jiang had been crazily feeding them Demon Cores, but he hadn’t managed to obtain a Fourth Order Demon Core. Lin Jiang couldn’t guarantee that Big Shadiao would be able to break through the Fourth Order. Fortunately, Small Shadiao hadn’t eaten many Demon Cores, otherwise he wouldn’t dare to investigate.
“Oh my, it’s really Zhang Wanjing.”
Small Shadiao was extremely fast, blinking and appearing within a hundred miles. Lin Jiang was stunned to see Zhang Wanjing unconscious. How could Zhang Wanjing appear here?
Looking at the scene around Zhang Wanjing made him take a deep breath. The surrounding mountains, rocks, and trees were all destroyed. There was a deep pit with a diameter of several kilometers on the ground, and Zhang Wanjing was inside the pit.
“Master, wake up.”
Lin Jiang shook Zhang Wanjing, but there was no response. Trying to feed him a spirit pill also didn’t work. Lin Jiang started to panic.
“Ying, ying…”
Suddenly, Small Shadiao sounded the alarm. Lin Jiang quickly stood up and turned around to see Lin Batian staring at him coldly.
At this moment, Lin Batian was also covered in blood, in a very bad situation.
(Translated by Gravity Tales 😞)
“Sixth BrotherLin Jiang?”
“Grandfather, it’s me, Lin Wu.”
Lin Jiang bravely said that when he entered the Five Elements Sect, he didn’t use any disguise skills. He couldn’t show his true identity, otherwise the sect wouldn’t accept him. So, all these years, he always presented himself as his true self.
“It’s you.”
Lin Batian snapped back to reality. In that moment just now, he had indeed been lost in thought.
In his lifetime, he had many children. At first, besides his Eldest Brother Lin Shan, he didn’t pay much attention to them. But as his children kept dying, he started valuing the ones who were still alive more and more. The bonds of blood were something that couldn’t be severed by anyone.
“Grandfather, it’s me.”
“How did you join the Five Elements Sect?”
“Grandfather, I have a Five Spiritual Roots talent. I can’t find suitable cultivation techniques anywhere else except in the Five Elements Sect.”
“Alright, give me Zhang Wanjing and come back to the Lin family with me.”
“Ah!”
Lin Jiang exclaimed, wondering what his master was doing. Lin Batian intended to eliminate a fully cultivated golden core practitioner from the Five Elements Sect, which would greatly offend the sect.
“How dare you defy me?”
“Grandfather, may I ask why?”
“Zhang Wanjing stole my Purple Origin Taoist Fruit. Is that reason enough?”
“It is, but grandfather, I can’t hand him over to you.”
“Grandpa, isn’t your master better than you?”
“No, it’s precisely because I am devoted to the Lin family that I can’t give it to you.”
“Hehe, go on, I’m listening to your clever excuses.”
“Grandpa, Zhang Wanjing holds a special position in the Five Elements Sect. He is a symbol of the practical faction and is favored by the Soul Changing Ancestor of the Five Elements Sect. If you kill him, the Soul Changing Ancestor will surely destroy the Lin family. Grandpa, you need to consider the Lin family’s situation.”
“Just now, I beat up the Nascent Souls of the Five Elements Sect, Zhonghang Sect, and Cloud Sword Sect.”
“What?”
Lin Jiang was dumbfounded, finding it difficult to accept this news. When did Lin Batian become so strong?
“Give me the person, quickly. My patience is limited.”
“Grandpa, you must think carefully. If you kill Zhang Wanjing, there will be no turning back. The Five Elements Sect and the Lin family will definitely go to war.”
“Don’t force me to kill you as well.”
Lin Jiang’s mind was racing, oh no, Lin Batian was making him choose between Zhang Wanjing and Lin family. Who should he choose?
From a family and logical perspective, choosing the Lin family at this moment was the best option. But Lin Jiang wasn’t willing. He had been plotting in the Five Elements Sect for decades, all to gain support from a powerful ally. If Zhang Wanjing broke through to the Nascent Soul stage, as his personal disciple, Lin Jiang could gain numerous benefits in the Five Elements Sect. Just look at his position in the Five Elements Sect’s stronghold over the years.
“Grandfather, how about we make a deal?”
“What qualifications do you have to make a deal with me?”
“I do. Grandfather, I’ve obtained the Purple Origin Taoist Fruit, which can help the Lin family gain a Nascent Soul. I can promise you that within a hundred years, I’ll send a fourth-rank Aurora falcon to the Lin family. And if the Lin family faces any difficulties in the future, I’ll bring at least two Nascent Souls to assist them.”
“What’s the use of a Nascent Soul?”
“Then what about Soul Changing?”
“Can you convince someone to perform Soul Changing?”
“Sure, I found something valuable outside, and I can use it to invite Soul Changing.”
Lin Batian also started weighing the pros and cons. Purple Origin Taoist Fruit wasn’t really important to him. If he could find some help from Soul Changing, then swapping it for another Purple Origin Taoist Fruit wouldn’t be a loss.
“You make a promise with your heart.”
“Okay, if I lie and can’t fulfill my promise in the future, let me lose 3,000 years of lifespan. Grandpa, is that enough?”
“Alright, I’ll wait for the day you fulfill your promise. Within a hundred years, send the fourth-order Aurora falcon to the Lin family. Otherwise, I’ll personally take care of them.”
Lin Batian nodded, then immediately flew away. His injuries were severe, and he needed to go back and heal. He was afraid that the three Nascent Soul sects would chase after him, and he wouldn’t be a match for them then.
As soon as Lin Batian left, Lin Jiang carried Zhang Wanjing on his back, got on the Aurora falcon, and let Small Shadiao escape at the fastest speed.
“Don’t go to the stronghold.”
On the way, Zhang Wanjing’s faint voice came, and Lin Jiang got a big fright.
“Master, you…”
“I heard everything.”
“I’m sorry, master.”
“Find a place to settle first, then head north.”
“Okay.”
Lin Jiang was very nervous at this time, but could only do as Zhang Wanjing said.
Heading north all the way, flying for over ten thousand miles, Lin Jiang dared not go any further. No one knew which territory of the monster they would enter. Lin Jiang found an open space to land and set up a formation with a battle array plate.
“Tell me about your identity.”
“Yes, master. The disciple’s real name is Lin Wu, I am the son of Lin Batian’s sixth son, Lin Jiang. My father…”
Lin Jiang couldn’t hide anymore. He had already revealed everything he could, including his identity and even the things about Huangmu Village.
“You are a ruthless person too, willing to give up your cultivation to join the Five Elements Sect.”
“Master, being an independent cultivator is tough. One’s whole life is filled with loneliness and helplessness. It’s even hard to find a suitable technique. I can only resort to this plan.”
“Why don’t you go back to the Lin family?”
“Although I am a descendant of the Lin family, I grew up outside since childhood and have no emotional connection with the Lin family. If I were to go back, I would be the third generation of the Lin family, even on the level of the ancestors. How could those descendants of the Lin family accept me?”
“That’s true.”
Zhang Wanjing nodded, understanding this logic. Although a family is bound by blood, feelings develop through spending time together day and night. It’s impossible for anyone to accept a stranger suddenly becoming their ancestor.
“Master, I had no choice but to hide my identity. Please forgive me.”
“Have I blamed you?”
“Ah”
“In these past few decades, I have witnessed everything you have done. If you were a spy for the Lin family, I would have definitely executed you. No need for further discussion.”
Zhang Wanjing said that, apart from hiding his true identity, he was extremely pleased with Lin Jiang. He could work with him at Internal Affairs Hall, help him with farming outside, and even go on adventures in the Wilderness. Zhang Wanjing was dedicated and had no complaints. In fact, he had been supporting Lin Jiang all along, including just now, which is why he was able to say so much.
“Master…”
“There’s no need to say much. I am not an overly conservative person. As long as you don’t do anything harmful to the sect, everything will be fine.”
“Yes, Master.”
“I will help you fulfill your promise to Lin Batian.”
“Ah”
“Do you really possess a treasure that could persuade Soul Changing?”
“No, no, I originally wanted to let Master understand this feeling.”
“Well then, take this thing. I’m going to leave the sect. Please tell the sect for me. Either I die outside or surely return as a Nascent Soul.”
“Okay, Master, what is this?”
“Purple Origin Taoist Fruit, a total of seven plants. They are all immature. After I leave, you and Shuhua can each have one as a reward. They can be considered as heirlooms in the future. The others can be planted in my cave. If I…never mind, you will figure it out when the time comes.”
Zhang Wanjing shook his head. He didn’t know if he could break through to the Nascent Soul stage. If he failed, these things would be the last things he left for his son and disciple. It wouldn’t be in vain for them to follow him for decades.