My Cultivation Starting from Archery-Chapter 1468 - 542: The Golden Immortal’s Past

"What kind of trial is it this time?"

Chen Sansi slowly opened his eyes to find himself suspended in mid-air, observing a rural village from a bird's eye view.

He intended to land for a closer look, but discovered that his body was beyond his control.

Or rather...

He didn't have a body at all!

All that remained of Chen Sansi was a consciousness, floating like a cloud in the Heavenly Dome. All he could do was observe the world, unable to make any independent movements.

After struggling for a long time, he had to give up.

So he became a "cloud," suspended above, quietly watching the village below.

From the boundary marker, the village was named "Daping Village." The faint trace of Spiritual Energy between heaven and earth suggested it wasn't the mortal world, but likely some corner of the Spirit World.

"Buzz——"

The cloud layer in front was pushed aside by mana, revealing a plump Qi Refining cultivator, balancing precariously on an inappropriately delicate flying sword as he wobbled down into the village.

"You mortals and troublemakers, why haven't you come out to greet this Immortal Master yet?!"

The cultivator shouted loudly, soon gathering most villagers at the village entrance, then sternly questioned, "Haven't you gathered everyone yet? The Upper Sect has granted you an 'ascension' quota in light of your consistent spiritual taxes these years, why isn't everyone here yet?!"

The elderly village chief spoke tremblingly, "Immortal Master Li, we truly can't find enough young boys and girls of age in our village..."

"Can't find?!"

Immortal Master Li sneered, then suddenly moved, flying directly to a corner courtyard of the village, opening the cellar to grab seven or eight children: "And what are these?!"

"This..."

The village chief, along with the villagers, were terrified and fell to their knees, shakily explaining, "Immortal Master, these children have no Spirit Root, even if sent to the Upper Sect, they won't achieve much. We were worried about wasting the quota, so we hid them!"

"Even if they achieve little, they can achieve something small!"

Immortal Master Li squinted his eyes, "Even being a lowly servant disciple in the Upper Sect is better than farming here all their lives, isn't it?!"

As he spoke, he waved his large hand, putting all the young boys and girls into a specially made storage bag.

"Ah Nian!

"Ah Nian!!!"

A frail young boy rushed out, dragging a rake used for farming, crying out as he rushed towards the cultivator, "Give me back my sister, give me back my sister!"

This young boy...

In Chen Sansi's eyes, his eyebrows were very familiar.

This is...

Ding Xiu?

Ding Zhisheng when he was young!

So this means...

This isn't one of the Great Thousand Worlds.

But the past?

Chen Sansi was witnessing a scene from the past?

Some kind of memory or illusion realm.

He noticed that Ding Xiu had no Spirit Root, he was purely a mortal.

"Hm?"

Immortal Master Li glanced at the young boy, "Courting death!"

Just as he was about to strike and kill, another young cultivator hurried over.

"Senior Brother Li! Spare him, spare him!

"This is my brother, he doesn't know any better, please don't take offense!"

The suddenly appearing young cultivator, possessing a Spirit Root, was wearing similar clothes to Immortal Master Li, but his cultivation was only at the Qi Refining First Level, probably just entered the Immortal Path recently.

Upon seeing this person, a trace of apprehension flashed in Immortal Master Li's eyes, but the anger on his face didn't dissipate until the young cultivator whispered a few words in his ear, at which he chuckled, "We are fellow disciples, there's no need for formalities, little brother. I won't take offense at a mortal boy today.

"However, little brother, you better teach these villagers a lesson. Next time, if they continue to be ungrateful, the next Senior Brother may not be as kind as I am."

"Senior Brother is right."

The young man repeatedly apologized.

Only then did Immortal Master Li leave, waving his sleeves as he went.

"Immortal Xu!"

The village chief repeatedly bowed in thanks, "If not for you today, the entire village, young and old, would have suffered!"

The young man quickly said, "Old Uncle Zhang, don't be so formal, just call me Ah Nian."

Xu Nian?

Chen Sansi had heard of this name.

Once one of the Twelve Golden Immortals under Elder Mei.

However...

This Golden Immortal died and vanished before the Luo Xiao Sect split.

"Ding Xiu."

Xu Nian helped the frail young boy up, "How are you?"

"Sister!"

Ding Xiu's eyes were wide with anger, "Brother Nian, they took my sister!"

"I know."

Xu Nian's face was sombre, "This is the Luoyue Sect's requirement. I am just a newly started Outer Sect disciple, I have no way."

"Brother Nian, why?!"

Ding Xiu choked, "Why do we have to toil day after day to cultivate Spiritual Grain for them, and also provide siblings to be their Furnace Tripods!"

"Because we are weak."

Xu Nian said solemnly, "In this world, being weak is the original sin."

"Ah——"

Ding Xiu clutched his head and wept bitterly, "But I have no Spirit Root, I can never cultivate!"

As for Martial Arts.

In Ancient Times, it was once considered a Forbidden Technique.

The Immortal Sect strictly forbade mortals from practicing Martial Arts, holding several purging campaigns, leading to the great rarity of Martial Arts Techniques in later generations.

Even if someone found a way to cultivate, until the Glazed Golden Body stage, it wouldn't increase lifespan, and there were very few who could break through using Martial Arts.

"Ding Xiu!"

Xu Nian suddenly said, "Have you heard of the Luoxiao Sect?"

"Luoxiao Sect?"

Ding Xiu's face looked a bit puzzled.

For a mortal from such a small place as he was, the Luoxiao Sect was nothing but a legend.

A sect of demons that had already perished.

That was his entire impression of the Luoxiao Sect.

"This period..."

Chen Sansi calculated.

The events he was witnessing had likely happened during the Great Wilderness War, when the Luoxiao Sect was first destroyed, and heaven and earth shattered, dividing into the Human World and Spirit World.