Chapter 369: Famous Throughout the Immortal Gate

Facing Kunyun, Dashun Taizu had absolutely no power to resist.

After all, both cultivated Heavenly Yang Wood and the [Thunder Sound Universal Transformation Azure Thunder Qi], yet one was an orthodox Qi Refining practitioner while the other was a heterodox Corpse Dissolution Immortal.

This dictated an absolute hierarchy between them. In a real fight, Kunyun could scatter Dashun Taizu's soul in less than three moves. He had panicked so completely upon learning Kunyun was hunting him precisely because he knew how absurd the gap between them was.

Not to mention the addition of Wang Ping.

Achieving merit required concealment, and establishing a foundation required deception, right up until the truth was manifest to the world. The [Seeking One's Own Path to Death] deed left even less suspense in the battle between Kunyun and Dashun Taizu.

"Within three moves" was instantly compressed to half a move.

The result went without saying.

"Ah!!!"

A miserable scream echoed through the Cosmos. The booming, blazing white thunder light carried a might terrifying enough to chill the hearts of all Tribulation Transcending cultivators.

The people rushing back to help abruptly stopped in their tracks.

"Shunhe... has fallen!"

For a moment, Holy Maiden Xuanxiao and Holy Son Hanguang exchanged blank looks. Even the two Qi Refining practitioners behind them couldn't help but reveal their astonishment.

Although they had been waiting here to spring their trap and had long prepared for Dashun Taizu's fall, actually seeing it happen still left them in disbelief.

'No matter what, he was a cultivator who made a name for himself in the [Eight Trigrams Furnace] back in the day, suppressed the other disciples, established his deeds, and guided the Human Nether Earth back into the natural sequence of heaven and earth. Yet he was fooled like an idiot and slain by Kunyun without withstanding even a single move...'

Even a slaughtered pig would at least grunt twice!

If Dashun Taizu had held out for a move or two, even if they couldn't save his life, they could have at least saved a fragment of his soul and sent him off to reincarnate.

But now?

'Under such Heavenly Yang thunder light, how could any soul remain? We can only hope to set up a ritual afterward and fish his true spirit out from heaven and earth...'

For a moment, everyone focused their gazes on the [Xuanyi Dao Child]—the one who had single-handedly orchestrated this situation, whose escape light was so fast he had left even the two Qi Refining practitioners in the dust. Their eyes held wariness and scrutiny, and they all treated him with a hundred and twenty percent gravity!

Immediately after, an escape light quietly emerged in the distance.

It revealed a man in cyan robes—Hengxu, the Dao Child of the [Guanheng Realm]. The look in his eyes as he gazed at Wang Ping also rippled with a peculiar light.

In his view, killing Dashun Taizu was nothing special.

As a direct descendant of a True Monarch and a Dao Child of the immortal realms himself, he believed he could do the same—especially since Dashun Taizu still bore the backlash injuries from his shattered deed.

The real issue was the method of the kill.

'Bloodless from start to finish. He completely bamboozled Shunhe, and finally borrowed Kunyun's hands for the kill without staining himself with the slightest bit of karma...'

Truly a Dao Child of the Water Qi lineage!

Especially that final escape—the body moving wherever the mind willed. Hengxu even suspected it was a deed, but the other party hid it too deeply, preventing him from seeing through its profound mysteries.

Thinking of this, his tone gained a bit more courtesy.

"Senior Brother Huashen."

Looking at Wang Ping, Hengxu cupped his hands in a salute. "Now that Shunhe is dead, I am here on behalf of the [Guanheng Realm] to retrieve the True Monarch's Handwritten Manuscript from his possession. I hope Senior Brother will accommodate this request."

Before his voice had even faded, everyone saw Wang Ping suddenly cover his mouth.

"Cough, cough, cough..."

Previously, Wang Ping had been obscured by the [Xuanyi Calamity Crossing Ring], his entire body transformed into a shadowy, profound figure. His magical power, qi activity, and even his true face had been indistinguishable.

Yet at this moment, with his coughing, the crowd noticed his profound figure fiercely wavering, and a smear of dark red strikingly revealed itself at his lips and teeth.

"Dao Child, are you alright?"

Having just slain Dashun Taizu, a refreshed Kunyun immediately hurried over upon seeing this. His face was written with worry, his tone tense and concerned.

"I'm fine, I'm fine."

The next second, with a wipe of Wang Ping's hand, the dark red vanished, replaced by a sigh. "I only lost three years of lifespan."

"After all, to bring Dashun Taizu back just now for a one-move kill, I used a forbidden art... Cough, cough, cough!" Wang Ping couldn't hold back as he spoke and coughed a few more times. This time, it wasn't just crimson blood; it even carried traces of vibrant life force, as if he were truly coughing his lifespan out of his body.

Kunyun's expression grew deeply moved at the sight.

"Dao Child, you paid too great a price to help me take revenge! For such a favor, I, Kunyun, will absolutely reward you handsomely once we return to the immortal realm. I definitely won't let the Dao Child suffer a loss!"

"No need, no need," Wang Ping waved his hand.

Seeing the two halfway through their conversation and finally finding an opening, Hengxu spoke up again, "Senior Brother Huashen, about Shunhe's True Monarch's Handwritten Manuscript..."

"Cough, cough, cough!"

"Dao Child, you absolutely must not push yourself!"

Hengxu: "......"

What did this mean? He wanted more money?

The rest of the crowd also watched with faces full of suspicion. Although Wang Ping's coughing looked incredibly genuine, he was from the Water Qi lineage, after all. The more genuine something from them looked, the less it could be trusted.

The next second, Hengxu reached into his sleeve, took out a treasure box, and opened it. Vibrant life force immediately spewed from the box. Cyan light drifted like the wind, carrying a refreshing fragrance. "Senior Brother has paid a great deal this time. Consider this [Endless Good Fortune Pill] a token of my sincerity..."

Wang Ping looked up and cast a glance at it; Kunyun also looked over out of the corner of his eye.

Immediately after, the two exchanged a look.

"Daoist Friend Hengxu, you're truly being too polite. There's really no need for this. Although I lost three years of my lifespan and severely injured my vitality, it's genuinely no big deal."

After saying this, Wang Ping covered his lips and teeth again.

"Cough, cough, cough!"

The crimson tint at the corners of his mouth grew even heavier.

Kunyun's expression grew increasingly moved at the sight. Playing along, he said, "Dao Child, don't force yourself. Sigh, with such a loss this time, what will you do about your cultivation?"

'Biyang's people, are you putting on a double act for me?'

'One [Endless Good Fortune Pill] wasn't enough?'

The corner of Hengxu's eye twitched slightly, but he caught the implied meaning in Kunyun and Wang Ping's words. He put away the treasure box and then brought out another exquisite white jade bottle.

When he popped the cork, a different light fragrance emerged. It lacked healing properties but was unfathomably mercurial, drawing the sideways glances of everyone else.

"[Yielding for Wholeness Life-Preserving Pill]."

Hengxu explained, "When nourished within the body, this pill ordinarily possesses life-preserving properties that can dissolve injuries. During a magical duel, it can also absorb injuries in place of the one who consumes it."

"The person goes unharmed; only the pill takes damage."

"It takes damage upon damage until the pill's shell shatters. Then, the trace of heaven and earth qi contained within it will surge out, helping the consumer unleash a divine power once."

"The variations within are precisely the profound mysteries of Human Yin Wood and the [Adapting to Changes and Yielding for Wholeness Qi]. It even has a trace of heaven and earth qi directly extracted and infused into the pill. Only a Qi Refining practitioner can forge it, making it a grade-one divine pill... It should be more than enough to make up for Senior Brother Huashen's losses..."

Before his voice had even faded, Wang Ping had already reached out his large hand.

"Ha, you're too polite!"

Plugging the cork back in, Wang Ping snatched the entire white jade bottle on the spot, his previously hunched back straightening right up. "Since Daoist Friend is so kind-hearted..."

"If I don't accept it, I imagine you wouldn't feel at ease."

"Then I will respectfully comply with your wishes."

Hengxu: "......"

Hearing such shameless words, Holy Son Hanguang, who had just suffered a loss nearby, couldn't help but speak up, "Daoist Friend certainly seems full of vigor and vitality now."

Holy Maiden Xuanxiao also smiled enchantingly, her voice like silver bells. "You clearly lost three years of immortal lifespan, yet you didn't want a pill to replenish your life force, instead asking for a different medicinal pill."

"It seems the lost lifespan isn't all that important, is it?"

Hearing this, Wang Ping shook his head.

"Indeed, it's not important. My ambitions lie in the Great Dao; as long as I have enough lifespan to use, that is sufficient."

After saying that, Wang Ping's body suddenly trembled slightly, and then he abruptly turned around—however, everyone noticed that faint streaks of dark red once again appeared at the corners of his mouth.

It was nowhere near as severe as he had just shown, but it was definitely there... This time, the crowd became somewhat half-believing and half-doubting. After all, he had already secured the benefits; there was no need to keep acting, right? Could it be that he really did suffer a loss? Then again, considering his escape speed just now, calling it a forbidden art seemed entirely plausible.

But then again, this was the Water Qi lineage.

Perhaps he was still deceiving them, preparing for his next scheme—they couldn't tell. They really couldn't tell! This group of demonic heads was simply too hard to fathom!

The next second, Wang Ping kept his promise. Having taken the medicinal pill, he had Kunyun take out the True Monarch's Handwritten Manuscript obtained from killing Dashun Taizu and handed it to Hengxu.

Although it was a True Monarch's Handwritten Manuscript, it was of no use for them to keep it. After all, the retention of this manuscript wasn't actually decided by lower-level cultivators like them; everything was up to the True Monarch's will. Hengxu and the [Guanheng Realm] behind him were merely pushing the boat along with the current, taking the initiative to serve as the True Monarch's chess pieces.

'This thing will probably end up pasted on the doorway of the [Unified Mind Hall].'

After all, compared to Dashun Taizu, Xianfu—who had now inherited the identity and deeds of the Great Rebellion and was also the true spirit of the handwritten manuscript—was clearly more favored by that True Monarch.

Just then, Holy Maiden Xuanxiao spoke again.

"The Water Qi lineage's reputation is entirely justified."

The young woman's beauty could outshine the moon and shame the flowers, but her words pressed closer step by step.

"It's just that I wonder why this... Senior Brother Huashen consistently obscures his true face with a Spiritual Treasure, not daring to show himself. Could it be that you are a certain cultivator for whom showing your face is inconvenient?"

"It is indeed inconvenient."

Wang Ping didn't hide it in the slightest. He immediately laughed, "The Water Qi lineage emphasizes escaping and hiding. Hiding my head and exposing my tail is fundamentally a part of my cultivation to enhance its imagery. I've made Junior Sister laugh."

"It's more than just that, isn't it?"

On the other side, Holy Son Hanguang also spoke in a deep voice, "Not long ago, a cultivator emerged from the [Eight Trigrams Furnace] who refused to sacrifice himself, needlessly ruining the True Person's grand design."

"Which even caused the current tense atmosphere between the immortals and Buddhists, with a Daoist struggle on the verge of breaking out."

"Rumor has it that person acquired a deed named [Free and Unfettered Wandering] and is similarly skilled at escaping... Senior Brother Huashen, could that person be related to you?"

Hearing this, Wang Ping shrugged.

"You guessed right. I am actually him, and what I used just now was [Free and Unfettered Wandering]. In truth, I'm not injured at all; I was completely just bamboozling you all."

"......"

Such a frank admission actually threw everyone off completely. What was this? Making the real seem fake, or making the fake seem real? Which sentence was true and which was false?

Was he really that Wang Ping?

Or, seeing their suspicions, did he just push the boat along with the current and falsely claim the identity?

For a moment, everyone wanted to make a move to test him. But right at this moment of drawn swords and bent bows, a streak of blazing golden light instantly cooled the tense atmosphere.

"Everyone, it's quite lively here."

Auspicious clouds filled the sky, surging with three streaks of colorful light arrayed according to Heaven, Earth, and Humanity. They manifested the transformations of pure yang before turning into a golden robe that draped over a Daoist.

It was none other than Tianxing.

"However, I plan to catch up with my disciple. I'd ask everyone to give me some face and not crowd around here. Or do you all wish to stay and eavesdrop?"

"......"

Tianxing's arrival put an end to all restless intentions. No one was willing to offend a Dao Child of the immortal realms at the Qi Refining Tier, and even if they did, they couldn't beat him anyway.

In the blink of an eye, all the radiances scattered.

Holy Maiden Xuanxiao, Holy Son Hanguang, and the Qi Refining practitioners behind the two of them sped far away. The heavy layers of brilliance dimmed, returning the Cosmos to its original colors.

As he watched their departing escape lights and felt the many secretly prying gazes scatter one after another, Wang Ping knew very well in his heart:

'After today, this alter ego of the [Xuanyi Dao Child] is probably going to be famous throughout the Immortal Gate.'