Chapter 367: Looks Like I'm Saved!

The moment Tianxing appeared outside the Gongshun Grotto-Heaven, Wang Ping knew his setup had largely succeeded.

Saintess Xuanxiao, on the other hand, was somewhat troubled.

"Great Cultivator Tianxing, why must you interfere?"

In the distance, celestial light flared brilliantly as Tianxing strolled forward, laughing aloud. "I've come to lend my disciple a hand. It is perfectly reasonable. What could be wrong with that?"

With that said, Tianxing circulated a profound energy. An auspicious cloud manifested above his head, several tiers grander than both Kunyun's and that of Jing Lang, who was currently entangled in battle. Billowing clouds surged as three streams of supremely yang and indomitable worldly qi shuttled through them, ultimately condensing into a blinding, incandescent golden sword light.

"Hiss...!"

Seeing this, shock covered the faces of everyone present—whether it was the Qi Refining First Tier cultivators Kunyun and Jing Lang, or Saintess Xuanxiao, the direct descendant of a True Person.

Far on the periphery, Dao Child Heng Xu of the Guanheng Realm could not help but narrow his eyes. "The Dao Child of the Divine Weapon Courtyard's Sulv Realm is truly extraordinary!"

They were no strangers to Tianxing's identity.

In fact, among the many Dao Children across the major immortal realms, Tianxing was absolutely in the top tier and had deeply inherited the true transmission of the Sulv Realm.

The next second, the incandescent golden sword light flashed and vanished. Supremely righteous and pure yang, it was just like the Qian Trigram ruling the heavens. In the blink of an eye, it plunged into the eyes of Jing Lang, the Immortal Prescription Courtyard's Qi refining practitioner who was blocking Kunyun. Jing Lang jerked his head back, the auspicious cloud above him trembling violently as distinct cracks surfaced on his face.

'Treading on the Tiger's Tail!'

Seeing this famed achievement from the Sulv Realm, renowned throughout the Immortal Gate, the many divine senses lurking nearby turned their attention toward the Gongshun Grotto-Heaven.

"A direct descendant of a True Monarch."

"These Dao Children really struck dumb luck in their reincarnations. Born with an achievement, they are virtually invincible during Tribulation Transcending, and hold a massive advantage even after reaching Qi Refining."

"Hmph, it's not all good. When they cultivate to become True Persons, these advantages will instead become obstacles. After all, the mighty figures' achievements have nothing to do with them."

"Take Tianxing, for example. With the brilliance of 'Treading on the Tiger's Tail' preceding him, establishing his own achievement will be as difficult as scaling the heavens. Cultivating to become a True Person will be a near-certain death sentence for him. He falls far short of Mingyou, who progressed step by step to pioneer their own achievement. I suppose this is the limitation of a Dao Child."

"That's true..."

"True my ass! You make it sound like we could easily become True Persons ourselves. How many years does it take for a single Mingyou to appear? What does that little limitation even matter!"

"Besides, it isn't entirely impossible for a Dao Child to become a True Person."

"Right, I recall precedents in the ancient texts... The mighty figure who caused a massive uproar at the Eight Trigrams Furnace a while back—wasn't he originally a Dao Child?"

...

Rumble!

Wave after wave of sword light cascaded outward. Tianxing wasn't even using his full strength; just pressing a single achievement upon the Cosmos, sweeping across the sky like a sword, was enough to suppress everyone else.

Seeing Kunyun seize this opening to charge into the Gongshun Grotto-Heaven, someone finally could not sit still. A muffled drumbeat suddenly echoed, followed by a surge of azure light sweeping in from all directions. Hazy and ethereal, it synchronized with the drumbeat to intercept Kunyun at the very last second.

Looking over, a massive drum had appeared out of thin air. A Daoist in dark robes stood before it, clutching two drumsticks and pounding against its surface. Thump, thump, thump.

Inside the grotto-heaven, Wang Ping's gaze sharpened at the sight.

'The Drum of Purging Vice and Quelling Turmoil!'

This was the same spiritual treasure the True Person's phantom had used during their magical battle back in the Heavenly Craft Cave Abode. This man was a Qi refining practitioner under Daoist Master Hanguang Danyang!

In an instant, the area outside the grotto-heaven devolved into total chaos. Various forms of worldly qi and magnificent powers clashed and intertwined, causing the grotto-heaven to tremble ever more violently.

Dashun Taizu had it even worse.

From the moment Kunyun appeared, his emotions had been on a roller coaster, rising and plummeting. Now, however, they had completely sunk to the bottom of the abyss.

'They... they aren't going all out!'

He was a Corpse Dissolution Immortal, after all. Even if he was no match for Kunyun and the others, he could still tell that the two Qi refining practitioners protecting him were holding back.

But this was to be expected. In the end, a half-dead Corpse Dissolution Immortal like him simply wasn't worth the immense effort to protect, much less the heavy price that would require. The major figures above likely just viewed him as a spare pawn, keeping him around in case he proved useful someday. Discarding him if he fell short would not matter in the least.

In stark contrast, Kunyun's murderous intent toward him was unshakeable.

'If this continues, they'll withdraw.'

'I'll still die!'

At this thought, Dashun Taizu dared not hesitate any longer. He hurriedly looked at Wang Ping. "I beg the Dao Child to save me! If I survive this, Shunhe will richly reward you!"

"Sorry, it's too late."

Wang Ping shook his head decisively. "Qi refining practitioners have already stepped in to kill you. Even if I had a way to help you escape, why would I risk offending them?"

Dashun Taizu gritted his teeth. "I—I can hand over the True Monarch's Handwritten Manuscript!"

Wang Ping just shook his head again. "Once you're dead, I can just ask the fellow Daoist who killed you for it. It's all the same. No one would dare refuse me, anyway."

This casual attitude only deepened the panic in Dashun Taizu's heart. He was forced to speak up again. "I... I also have an ancient scripture related to the Great Rebellion! I acquired it by chance in the past and have treasured it ever since. As long as the Dao Child saves my life, I will give it to you along with the True Monarch's Handwritten Manuscript!"

"An ancient scripture?"

Wang Ping raised an eyebrow. "What use would I have for an obsolete, ancient Daoist tradition?"

"This one is different!"

Dashun Taizu hastily explained, "This scroll is an ancient qi-nurturing method. The cultivation path of Corpse Dissolution Immortals is actually a secret technique derived from it."

"Its profound mystery lies in offering oneself as a sacrifice to nurture worldly qi and cater to its transformations. In ancient times, it was known as the Heaven-Revering Method. It will greatly benefit the Dao Child's cultivation!"

...

Hearing this, Wang Ping remained noncommittal. He knew it was time to stop; he absolutely could not give in to greed and feign disinterest in an attempt to squeeze out even more.

Since Dashun Taizu had brought out this so-called ancient scripture, it meant he was confident it could persuade him. However, Wang Ping knew absolutely nothing about this ancient qi-nurturing method. If he spoke recklessly while rejecting it, the other party would immediately sense that something was wrong.

If his identity were exposed then, he would no longer be able to hide.

Therefore, it was better to accept it for now and quit while he was ahead. No matter how small the prize, meat was still meat. Since Dashun Taizu claimed it was beneficial, he might as well take it first and study it later.

These were all the finer details of deception.

'Ah, water qi is worthy of being a demonic path; it has completely corrupted me.'

Wang Ping sighed in his heart, but his face remained completely impassive as he gave a slight nod. "Fine. Give me the ancient scripture and the manuscript, and I'll take you out of here."

"No!"

Dashun Taizu shook his head decisively. "I can give you half of the ancient scripture now. The other half and the True Monarch's Handwritten Manuscript will only be handed over after we escape."

"...You dare negotiate terms with me?"

Wang Ping feigned fury, his aura churning violently. Yet, seeing this, Dashun Taizu became even more convinced that the man before him could help him escape, and his attitude only hardened:

"Shunhe would not dare..."

"You already have!"

Dashun Taizu lowered his head at those words, remaining silent.

Seeing this, Wang Ping let out an angry laugh and flicked his sleeve. "Hand over half of the ancient scripture, and I'll take you out... But if it displeases me, I'll kill you myself!"

"Thank you, Dao Child!"

At those words, Dashun Taizu was immediately overjoyed. Daring not to push his luck any further, he promptly took out a jade slip, inscribed half of the ancient scripture into it, and handed it to Wang Ping.

Wang Ping tucked the jade slip away. He then reached out and pressed his hand onto the lightning glow that Dashun Taizu had transformed into. Immediately after, a murky radiance rose from his palm, enveloping Dashun Taizu's entire body. At the same time, Wang Ping did not forget to add, "Don't resist. I need to cover you with my divine powers."

"Take a deep breath. It's normal to feel dizzy."

...

Dashun Taizu certainly had his suspicions, but the person before him was only at the Tribulation Transcending realm. Even if he was a Dao Child, it was highly unlikely he could instantly kill a Corpse Dissolution Immortal like him.

Thus, he merely rallied his full concentration until he confirmed that Wang Ping indeed was not sending magical power into his body or invading his sea of consciousness. The only effect of the murky radiance was slightly blurring his perception of the outside world. Only then did he let out a sigh of relief, feeling much more at ease.

It seemed the Dao Child was keeping his word.

And rightly so—the ancient scripture he had offered was no ordinary item. He had gone out of his way to obtain it from the Heavenly Market Enclosure precisely because he wanted to continue down the path of a Corpse Dissolution Immortal.

If the Dao Child were to comprehend the true essence of the ancient scripture...

He might be able to ignore the hidden dangers of becoming a Corpse Dissolution Immortal. By taking this easier route first, he could wildly plunder Qi Refining opportunities before using them to undergo Qi Refining Entering the Dao anew.

Although it seemed to add an extra step to cultivation, it was actually equivalent to taking out a loan on a higher realm—stepping on his left foot with his right to climb higher. The benefits of doing so were unimaginably vast.

The next second, Wang Ping's voice echoed in his ear.

"Guard your mind. We're leaving!"

Boom!

As soon as his voice fell, Wang Ping finally stopped concealing his aura. Shedding Heng Xu's appearance in an instant, he remanifested his dark, water qi body draped in myriad tribulations.

In Dashun Taizu's eyes—heavily obscured by 'the gentleman should hide his implements at the right time'—Wang Ping naturally remained the trustworthy Dao Child Heng Xu of the Guanheng Realm. However, in the eyes of Saintess Xuanxiao and the crowd lying in wait outside, he appeared as the most obvious of arch-enemies:

"A demon from the water qi lineage!"

"Kunyun really didn't come alone... Stop him!"

"Wait, why did Shunhe go with him? He even let the other's divine power envelop him! Can't he tell that water qi demon is here to kill him?"

"Idiot!"

Of course, when these voices reached Dashun Taizu's ears, they were slightly altered by 'the gentleman should hide his implements at the right time', instantly transforming into shouts calling for his death:

"It's Dao Child Heng Xu of the Guanheng Realm!"

"Kunyun is definitely not alone! Let's join forces and kill Shunhe!"

"Wait, why is Shunhe being rescued by Heng Xu? Shouldn't they be enemies? Why is Heng Xu intervening to save that demon Shunhe?"

"Don't let them escape!"

Dashun Taizu was instantly scared out of his wits.

Yet in the very next second, the voices rapidly faded away. To his utter astonishment, Dashun Taizu realized that the Dao Child had leapt away with him at an unimaginably fast speed!

This also eased his terror quite a bit.

As expected of a Dao Child from the Guanheng Realm; he runs so fast!

Looks like I'm saved!