Chapter 224: 147, Farewell! Empress Tiande Zhao Yunniang wishes Your Majesty success on the Immortal Path.
Two years...
Equivalent to sixty-one years in the Bloodline World.
Sixty years. That would be enough for me to break through the Immortal Base Middle Stage and reach the Late Immortal Base Stage...
Xu Xing gradually made up his mind.
At the Immortal Base Middle Stage, it would be difficult for him to withstand the combined assassination attempts of the four from the Yama Temple Shadow Killing Hall.
However, if he reached the Late Immortal Base Stage, his strength would be on a completely different level. Compared to his Immortal Base Middle Stage self, it would be like night and day; with conventional means, he could easily crush his former self.
His chances of escaping the deadly tribulation would be quite high!
He might even stand a chance at winning.
According to the King of Might, Bi Qing was the strongest among the four assailants, at the Immortal Base Sixth Layer. The others were mostly in the Early or Middle Immortal Base Stages; none had reached the Late Immortal Base Stage.
It was just that the assassination techniques of the Shadow Assassination Hall were superb.
When they joined forces, they could assassinate an ordinary cultivator who had just entered the Late Immortal Base Stage and return unscathed.
However, if his cultivation reached the Late Immortal Base Stage, his vast Magic Power from his unblemished Foundation Establishment would be formidable. Combined with the Golden Cicada Sword Pill and Withered Wood Flying Sword, it would be enough to contend with an ordinary cultivator at the Ninefold Immortal Base Stage and not be defeated.
The First-class genuine transmission of the Flying Feather Immortal Palace was not something ordinary cultivators could compare with!
Two years later, before I leave for Hangu Mountain...
I’ll inform Giant Sword Daoist Monarch about the insider who’s secretly plotting against me...
Xu Xing made his decision.
Although he was a member of Giant Sword Daoist Monarch’s lineage, he had not been raised by the Daoist Monarch since childhood. While his status was not inferior to that of a direct heir, their emotional bond was far weaker.
Giant Sword Daoist Monarch had taken him as a disciple largely to maintain the influence of his lineage within the Flying Feather Immortal Palace, not because he truly viewed him as his own child.
Accept disciples early. There’s truth to that saying.
If he were to send word to Giant Sword Daoist Monarch now, even if the Daoist Monarch handled it discreetly and avoided alerting the enemy, they would still have to wait two years to follow the clues and identify the traitor. Otherwise, making baseless accusations without any evidence would only lead to his own embarrassment.
Conversely, if he reached the Late Immortal Base Stage in two years and then reported it, the situation would be vastly different.
The same matter, handled at different times, with different levels of strength, yields different results.
As for... reaching the Late Immortal Base Stage in two years? Wouldn’t that be too shocking?
That’s not an issue.
The "Human Emperor Body"! Giant Sword Daoist Monarch had personally told him this. It was also a significant reason why the Daoist Monarch had taken him as a disciple.
The "Human Emperor Body" was a physique superior to the Human King physique, a rarity seen perhaps once in a thousand years. Advancing from the Immortal Base Middle Stage to the Late Immortal Base Stage in three years might sound incredible. However, he had already consumed the Thousand-Year Ganoderma Fruit. Coupled with his "Human Emperor Body," achieving this was entirely reasonable.
***
I’ll go to the Biyuan Mountain Cave Mansion for cultivation.
The Spiritual Energy in the Imperial Palace is just too thin...
Knowing the truth behind the supposed imperial whim, Xu Xing had no intention of lingering in the Mortal World.
Over the past year, he had gradually delegated power to Crown Prince Xu Zhang. All that remained was for him to issue the abdication edict.
Faking his death, like Song Dao, was one option. To hide the existence of the Immortal Path!
Moreover, the Biyuan Mountain Cave Mansion was closer to the Flying Feather Immortal Palace’s Sect headquarters, only a thousand miles away. Protected by the cave mansion’s array formation, it would be safer and better at preventing unforeseen incidents.
"Your Majesty, this departure of yours..."
"If you return again, I fear I will be old and faded, or perhaps already buried in the Mausoleum."
On the night of his departure, Zhao Yunniang did not try to hold Xu Xing back. After sobbing softly for a moment, she took a jade cicada from her neck and placed it in Xu Xing’s hand.
Two tiny holes were drilled in the compound eyes of the jade cicada, which was designed as a pendant.
A red string was threaded through the holes.
"When I was young, I drifted from place to place, eventually sold to a Brothel. A girl in the same courtyard contracted consumption. Before she died, she gave me this jade cicada. She said... the jade cicada symbolized dormancy, transformation, and then soaring to sing loudly—to achieve sudden, startling brilliance.
"She wanted me to take this jade cicada and live a good life.
"The ancients, too, would often have a cicada placed in their mouths upon death, because the cicada symbolizes metamorphosis and ascension..."
As Zhao Yunniang spoke, she walked to the center of the hall and had the palace maids help her into her Fengguan Xiapei. With her sleeves crossed, she came before Xu Xing and bowed solemnly. "Empress Zhao Yunniang of Emperor Tiande wishes Your Majesty success on the Immortal Path and an early ascension to immortality."
After this bow, she did not raise her head for a long time.
***
Returning to the Flying Feather Immortal Palace, Xu Xing first went to Lingyin Peak to collect the salary for his sinecure.
In the third year of Tiande, when he joined Lingyin Peak, Xuanzheng True Lord had given him top-notch treatment. Among the four benefits was an idle post in the Inner Sect.
This Inner Sect sinecure allowed him to hold the position for one hundred years, receiving a salary annually.
The total for one hundred years was 213,400 Spirit Shells.
Although the full hundred years had not passed, after fifteen years, the salary from his sinecure had accumulated to 32,000 Spirit Shells—a considerable sum.
Previously, when he told the King of Might that he was focused on cultivation and short on funds, he wasn’t lying. It was true.
Before leaving the Flying Feather Immortal Palace, the Spirit Shells he possessed were mostly from renting out his three-acre Spiritual Farmland. The farmland had been leased for fifty years, earning him 55,000 Spirit Shells.
Later, as an External Cultivator on Folding Mountain Island, he spent about 3,000 Spirit Shells learning array techniques from Yang Shao. He also bought some spiritual materials for his cultivation method and the Lisang Wood needed for forging his Lifebound Flying Sword, which nearly depleted his entire stash of Spirit Shells.
After providing benefits to the King of Might and the King of Sorrow, he was left with fewer than 3,000 Spirit Shells.
First-class genuine transmission disciples were far superior to ordinary cultivators of the same realm. This was not only due to their potent Magic Power and solid foundations but also because they were generally big spenders. Excluding Fourth Level Talismans, the total value of Xu Xing’s ’outfit’—his various items—was around 100,000 Spirit Shells.
The annual income for External Cultivators was 1,000 Spirit Shells, plus semi-annual dividends from the Immortal Workshop. Then there were the standard resources for a First-class genuine transmission disciple...
In the fifteen years since he embarked on the Immortal Path, Xu Xing had poured all the Spirit Shells he obtained into his cultivation and combat strength.
He arrived at the Beast Garden of Lingyin Peak.
In the Cultivation World, there were not only cultivators but also various Demonic Beasts. The entire palace complex of the Flying Feather Immortal Palace was borne by eight colossal Dragon Turtles. Furthermore, various peaks within the Flying Feather Immortal Palace had organizations dedicated to raising Demonic Beasts.
Xu Xing landed his Escaping Light and explained his purpose to the Deacon in charge of the Beast Garden.
His sinecure was ’Stablemaster of Lingyin Peak.’ An old profession for him, identical to the post he held as an official in Fengxi Country. He was nominally in charge of managing the miscellaneous beasts submitted by Lingyin Peak’s Beast Garden.
The difference, however, was that this position at Lingyin Peak was merely a sinecure—it paid Spirit Shells but involved no actual duties.
Sealed Demon Pan Palace... First-class genuine transmission...
The Deacon on duty had a slightly peculiar expression as he carefully sized up Xu Xing.
The True Disciples of the Flying Feather Immortal Palace also had their affiliations.
For instance, Xu Xing’s Purple Ribbon Gold Seal had the words "Sealed Demon Pan Palace" engraved on the first line of the Golden Palm, proving he was a True Disciple originating from the Sealed Demon Pan Palace.
A True Disciple from the Sealed Demon Pan Palace coming to Lingyin Peak to collect a sinecure’s stipend was a rare occurrence.
However, the Deacon on duty didn’t say much and began searching the registers. A First-class genuine transmission disciple was not someone he could easily question.
Soon, he found the relevant information about Xu Xing.
"Here are 32,000 Spirit Shells. True Disciple Xu, please keep them safe."
After confirming everything was in order—the Purple Ribbon Gold Seal couldn’t be faked—the Deacon on duty didn’t delay. He took out a Storage Bag, handed it to Xu Xing, and said, "The Spirit Beasts raised in the Beast Garden... according to regulations, every Deacon serving in the Beast Garden is entitled to one free first-grade, low-tier Spirit Beast. True Disciple Xu..."
The Stablemaster position was similar to an honorary official in a mortal Imperial Court—a nominal title rather than a true deaconal post. It only entitled one to a salary, with no actual authority. However, nominally, an honorary official was still an official.
Allowing Xu Xing to claim a Spirit Beast was technically an abuse of public resources for private gain—using public funds for personal benefit.
The Deacon on duty felt no compunction about it. To be valued by Lingyin Peak enough to be granted a sinecure in the Inner Sect, and later to be valued by the Sealed Demon Pan Palace—Xu Xing’s credentials were truly remarkable. Offering this small favor was an inexpensive way to establish a good connection.
"Is there any small Spirit Beast that can offer protection?" Xu Xing’s mind stirred. He clasped his hands within his sleeves, and from the Storage Bag the Deacon had just given him, he discreetly took out one thousand Spirit Shells. He placed them on the counter along with a Wangxi Pill, all without drawing attention.
Although he had learned first-level defensive spells like the Wood Shield Technique and Water Escaping Technique at the Sealed Demon Pan Palace, even if he mastered them, they couldn’t be cast instantaneously. Not unless a spell became a lifebound divine power, like his Tenth Heaven Immortal Fate [Su Yun].
"The Gold-Eyed Turtle would suit True Disciple Xu."
The Deacon’s eye twitched slightly as he expertly tucked the small Storage Bag containing the bribe into his sleeve. He then cleared his throat and said, "Most of us at Lingyin Peak are Buddhist cultivators, so the commonly chosen companion Spirit Beast is the Mighty Ape. However, seventeen thousand years ago, after Ancestor Xuancheng subdued the Wangchuan Sea Dragon Turtle clan, he left a strain of Dragon Turtle bloodline for each of the Inner Sect Peaks. The Gold-Eyed Turtle is a breed that resulted from the interbreeding of Mighty Apes and Dragon Turtles...
"Although this turtle lacks the Mighty Ape’s strength and agility, and the Dragon Turtle bloodline’s growth potential—its spiritual intelligence is extremely low—it is born as a first-grade, mid-tier Spirit Beast. As long as a defensive spell is imbued into its Slave Mark... it can instantly cast that defensive spell."
He likely understood Xu Xing’s intention. While Spirit Beasts that could grow alongside their master existed, they were exceedingly rare. Most Spirit Beasts advanced far slower than their masters, often becoming burdens later on.
Therefore, a Demonic Beast like the Gold-Eyed Turtle, with low growth potential but strong defense, was perfect for Xu Xing!
"This turtle, according to Lingyin Peak’s regulations, can be sold as a first-grade, low-tier Spirit Beast," the Deacon stated the most crucial piece of information.
Deacons of Lingyin Peak could receive one free first-grade, low-tier Spirit Beast. For higher-grade Spirit Beasts, they had to pay extra. However, the Gold-Eyed Turtle, lacking growth potential and being essentially a consumable, was priced down to that of a first-grade, low-tier Spirit Beast.
"Thank you, Senior Brother," Xu Xing nodded slightly, agreeing to the arrangement.
A moment later, a palm-sized, jade-green turtle was tucked into his sleeve.