Chapter 190: Kunyun's Doubts

At the Tribute Hall, led by Weifeng, Wang Ping soon found Chenlong drilling Xugou. Chenlong was just short of taking a whip to him.

He didn't glance over until he saw Wang Ping approaching.

"Yin Hu..."

Xugou also called out a greeting. But the moment he lifted his head, Chenlong slapped him back down and forced him to continue his training, only then raising a hand to acknowledge Wang Ping.

"Brat... come in."

Wang Ping naturally wore an obsequious smile. He followed Chenlong all the way to the entrance of another side courtyard, only to spot someone entirely unexpected.

Inside the courtyard, a gentle and elegant woman sat cross-legged, hovering in midair. Standing behind her was a burly man with golden eyes. Wang Ping was all too familiar with this figure—it was none other than the Six Desires Primordial Heavenly Demon. And the woman was Madam Su. She had actually achieved results with her cultivation!

'This isn't right.'

'Back then, I had to rely on my peerless talent to master the Six Desire Heavens Sovereign Attainment Method so quickly. How long has Madam Su even been cultivating?'

Her progress was almost catching up to his!

Alarm bells instantly rang in Wang Ping's mind, and a logical suspicion leaped to the forefront of his thoughts: 'Damn it, could she have become the Heaven-Stealing Thief?'

No, no, no. Calm down.

That was impossible. This was the Tribute Hall, and the First Seat was keeping watch. How could the Heaven-Stealing Thief replace an identity here? The Five Thieves Heaven-Stealing Series wasn't omnipotent.

'If it isn't the Heaven-Stealing Thief, then someone must be personally instructing her.'

At this thought, Wang Ping suddenly spoke up.

"Xuanhe?"

The moment his voice fell, quiet footsteps approached. Wang Ping turned to see Daoist Xuanhe walking over in his youthful appearance, his expression taut.

"You're as sharp as ever."

Seeing him, Wang Ping immediately laughed. "I can't compare to you, Daoist Xuanhe. To be honest, I thought you were dead for sure back then. I never expected you to resurrect and return."

Xuanhe: "..."

Fuck his mother, 'Senior' had turned into 'Daoist'. This Biyang's brat understood the Immortal Gate far too well. The day his cultivation surpassed Xuanhe's, he would probably start calling him 'Little Friend'!

However, circumstances are stronger than people. Right now, it was a case of a tiger descending to the flatlands is bullied by dogs, and a dragon in shallow water is mocked by shrimp. Not only had he lost all his wealth as an inner sect disciple, but even the Sea of Learning Cave-Heaven he had nearly finished constructing had collapsed. Only the Book Mountain Blessed Land remained. Aside from that, he had nothing.

How could the single word 'miserable' possibly cover it?

Aside from his cultivation, he had practically been reset overnight to the days before his ascension. He was in even worse straits than when he ascended five hundred years ago.

Even his cultivation had plummeted as a result of his resurrection.

But this was the price of revival. There was no such thing as a free lunch in this world, much less an easy resurrection method that exacted no toll.

That was why he had sought out Madam Su after coming back to life.

Why was Madam Su able to cultivate the Six Desires Primordial Heavenly Demon? Because he had personally instructed her. He simply wanted to take the Madam Su route to earn a favor, at the very least.

Alas, the ways of the world were fraught with hardship.

"...Let's make a deal."

Having reached this point, Xuanhe was in no mood for idle chatter. He laid out his final trump card: "Help me restore my Divine Powers, and I will do whatever you want."

"Including every secret I know, holding absolutely nothing back."

Hearing this, Wang Ping burst into laughter:

"Why so serious, Daoist Xuanhe? Relax, I am a man of my word... I told you before, if you helped me take down Daoist Nun You, I would give you the true spiritual root."

"Now is the perfect time to fulfill that promise."

With that, Wang Ping formed a hand seal, pointed toward his dantian, and forcibly extracted a brilliantly glowing talisman bearing the character 'True'!

"Here, a gift for you, Daoist."

Xuanhe: "???"

To be honest, Wang Ping's actions left him completely bewildered. He hadn't expected to receive the true spiritual root at all; after all, standing under someone else's eaves, one had no choice but to bow their head.

Furthermore, turning hostile and abandoning past alliances was practically a fundamental trait of Immortal Gate disciples. Xuanhe would have thanked his lucky stars just for Wang Ping not turning around and slaughtering him, let alone being willing to cooperate. He never imagined in his wildest dreams that Wang Ping would actually honor their previous agreement and personally hand over the true spiritual root!

Extracting a true spiritual root largely required the willing consent of its owner.

It could not be forced.

For a moment, Xuanhe's lips trembled.

If nothing else, with this true spiritual root, he could instantly restore his damaged Divine Powers and pull his post-resurrection cultivation right back to its peak.

Its value was immeasurable!

At this thought, Xuanhe still found it hard to believe. He looked at Wang Ping, blinked, and a moment later asked in a low voice, "You're really just giving it to me?"

Could this be a trap?

"You don't need to be so suspicious, Daoist."

Wang Ping looked entirely sincere. "I never break a promise once it's made, otherwise how would I earn anyone's trust in the future? Just take it and set your mind at ease."

At this moment, Xuanhe was no longer bothered by Wang Ping demoting him from 'Senior' to 'Daoist'. With this true spiritual root in hand, never mind 'Daoist'—he would answer to whatever Wang Ping wanted to call him. If word of this got out, there was no telling how many inner sect disciples would go mad with envy. Getting them to call him 'Daddy' wasn't out of the question either.

"...Thank you!"

In the end, Xuanhe accepted the true spiritual root with a solemn expression. Without seeking a secluded spot, he immediately began refining it right there—leaving himself completely defenseless in this state.

It was safe to say this was the highest level of trust possible between Immortal Gate disciples.

On the other side, Wang Ping clearly felt the changes after the true spiritual root vanished. The most direct result was that his connection to the qi of heaven and earth had weakened.

'If my perception of the Hidden Dragon Meridian-Circulating Nether-Penetrating Qi used to be a grand, wide avenue, it has now shrunk to a single-log bridge.'

The reduction was just that drastic.

No wonder one needed a true spiritual root to step into Qi Refining and qualify as a True Transmission. From the looks of it, without a true spiritual root, one couldn't even brush against the qi of heaven and earth.

However, correspondingly... how to put it? The talisman-like shape of the true spiritual root always reminded Wang Ping of the Void Joy Non-Dual Guardian Consort Talisman.

Keeping such a thing inside his body always made him feel unsafe.

Of course, he hadn't had a choice before. Just like with the Five Thieves Heaven-Stealing Series, his capital had been far too small. Even if it really was poisoned bait, he would have had to swallow it.

But things were different now.

The next second, Wang Ping focused his mind. A profound, mighty force fiercely poured into his body through the Void Joy Non-Dual Guardian Consort Talisman.

His lost connection to heaven and earth was instantly restored!

It was still the effect of a true spiritual root, but this time it wasn't his—it was You Xuexin's true spiritual root!

This was exactly why Wang Ping had promised Xuanhe the true spiritual root as long as they took down You Xuexin. At the time, he hadn't known an accident would happen.

Ultimately, he had never intended to renege on the deal.

'Regardless, there's a high probability that something is wrong with the true spiritual root since the Heaven-Stealing Thief discarded it. Keeping it inside my body is a persistent hidden danger.'

'If I lacked the means to resolve it, or if I had no choice but to bear the risk, that would be one thing. But since I have a way to deal with it now, it's best to handle it early. From now on, I'll use You Xuexin's true spiritual root. I'll reap the benefits without shouldering the risks. If anything goes wrong, I'll instantly sever the connection and let You Xuexin carry the burden herself.'

She was a protector wisdom consort, after all. It was right there in the title—this was exactly what she was for!

"...Hm?"

Suddenly, Wang Ping frowned slightly and looked toward the Void Joy Non-Dual Guardian Consort Talisman within his sea of consciousness. To his surprise, the talisman had abruptly begun to glow.

'Is this... You Xuexin calling me?'

'What happened?'

With a thought, Wang Ping activated the connection with his protector wisdom consort, directly substituting his view with You Xuexin's perspective to check on her situation.

............

Immortal Gate, Bliss Immortal Peak.

You Xuexin stood against the wind, her long dark hair dancing in the breeze to reveal a flawless, stunningly beautiful face. She stared straight at the storm clouds gathering overhead.

"Senior Brother, is everything prepared?"

Her response was a booming crash of thunder.

Immediately after, lightning flashed, and Kunyun stepped out from within it. He casually tossed over a jade slip: "I only have the spells. You will have to wait a little longer for the Mystic Communion Qi-Ingesting Powder."

"That's good."

You Xuexin gave a sweet smile. "I thought you were planning to back out, Senior Brother. I've been waiting so anxiously these past few days that I was on the verge of finding Master to mediate."

Kunyun: "..."

Looking at You Xuexin, Kunyun had originally intended to flick his sleeve and leave outright. Yet, at the last moment, he abruptly paused, a trace of doubt surfacing in his eyes:

"Junior Sister, your aura hasn't grown in the slightest compared to a few days ago. It seems you haven't been cultivating diligently, nor have you left your residence during this time. From the looks of it, although you claim you were waiting anxiously, you've been living quite leisurely. You don't seem very eager about condensing your Divine Powers."

This attitude was wrong!

Kunyun narrowed his eyes and spoke in a dark tone. "As far as I know, Junior Sister Liansheng Yuelian has recently entered closed-door seclusion. I wager she's reached the final stage of her Tribulation Transcending."

"Once she breaks through, she will completely suppress you, Junior Sister."

Hearing this, You Xuexin's expression did not change:

"Naturally, I understand the logic. But my qi destiny has been vastly reduced, and you ruined my chance to take it back, Senior Brother. Not to mention, I have long since lost my entire fortune."

"Without money, what do you expect me to cultivate with, Senior Brother?"

"Can I do anything but wait patiently, simply hoping for you to deliver the Mystic Communion Qi-Ingesting Powder? Therefore, please do not delay any further, Senior Brother. Bring it as soon as possible."

Kunyun: "..."

It was perfectly reasonable.

You Xuexin's justification was absolutely correct, yet Kunyun was still plagued by doubt. This was strictly from a purely rational perspective—but when were people ever this rational?

'If it were me, with matters having reached this state, even if I knew my efforts were futile, I would still try to do something. Like seeking out friends, donning the guise of a bandit cultivator to rob a few outer sect disciples, or just heading straight to Dao Proving Mountain to risk it all. Regardless, I would never just sit back and await my doom!'

Of course, that was just him.

Compared to him, You Xuexin was clearly several tiers lacking as a True Transmission. Because of this, her lack of a Dao heart willing to fight for survival in the face of death was actually understandable.

'Am I overthinking this?'

'Am I just jittery at the soughing of wind and the cry of cranes because I'm currently undergoing my life tribulation?'

At this thought, Kunyun's mind raced, yet his face revealed nothing as he gave a slight nod. "Within three months, I will definitely have it prepared for you, Junior Sister."

With that said, he simply turned and strode away.

'Not finding a problem only proves that the problem is even more severe!'

'This matter must be resolved.'

'Unfortunately, You Xuexin is a True Transmission, so I can't kill her... Then I'll have to find a way to investigate. I recall that Mingzhen Immortal Peak has a Spiritual Treasure perfectly suited for this...'