Who Let Him Cultivate?! (WX)-Chapter 581: Give Me Some Face

The ancient Dijiang stared fixedly at the figure of his old friend, the ancient Qiongqi. He didn’t dare to be the slightest bit careless. Although it was merely a backup plan, he could already feel the pressure the ancient Qiongqi exerted on him. Nevertheless, he was unafraid.

We’re both half-immortals. Who’s worse than whom? I didn’t fear the ancient Qiongqi when he was alive; why would I when he is dead?

“And what if I don’t give you some face?”

Boom!

Without another word, the ancient Qiongqi brought his tiger paw down, as if he was smashing a watermelon, creating a frightening whirlwind that swept through the Qiongqi Tomb.

“You dare try to control my Qiongqi Tribe? I see you’ve grown tired of living!”

Under this strike from the ancient Qiongqi’s paw, the Transcendent Tribulation demon emperors within the token exploded one after another. They had merely left a wisp of oppressive pressure in the token; how could they withstand the ancient Qiongqi’s attack?

The ancient Dijiang was undaunted as he beat his wings, meeting the assault head-on.

The ancient Qiongqi had long been dead, while the ancient Dijiang was far away on the eastern side of the Demon Region. As the two half-immortals fought across time and space, the entire Qiongqi tribe could feel the tremor.

Outside the Qiongqi Tomb, the many colossal qiongqi seemed to have been summoned by their bloodline, bowing toward the tomb’s direction like collapsing hills.

Inside the Qiongqi Tomb, the ancient Dijiang laughed heartily and ceased attacking.

“Brother Jin Shi, you and I are as close as brothers. You were the one I wished to see most when I woke from my slumber. Now, seeing your imposing might no less than in those years, I am extremely delighted. It was precisely because I wanted to visit you that an envoy was sent to your esteemed tribe, Brother Jin Shi. Since that purpose has been achieved, I wish you a good sleep. Goodbye!”

The unification of the Demon Region is proceeding orderly. There is no need to provoke such a formidable enemy without cause. One more or one less Qiongqi Tribe won’t matter much.

This trip can be considered as testing the Qiongqi Tribe’s foundation.

Plop. The token fell to the ground, then turned to dust.

Coldly watching his old rival, the ancient Dijiang, the ancient Qiongqi snorted disdainfully and dissipated into the air.

~~~

“Immortal Fairy, this is the ‘give me some face’ you mentioned?” Lu Yang gulped. No wonder it’s said that this feather can make any demon tribe do one thing. It’s because if they don’t agree, the ancient Qiongqi will just attack directly.

“That's right. Was there any mistake in my description?” the Everlasting Immortal Fairy retorted matter-of-factly. That said, the tone was off. The old Qiongqi had always spoken politely to me to “buy face,” but his tone when speaking to others is slightly worse.

“...No mistake,” Lu Yang relented. “Do you want to go chat with the ancient Qiongqi? He didn’t look completely dead to me; he moved like he was alive.”

The Everlasting Immortal Fairy waved her hand. “He’s completely dead. At most, he left behind a divine thought. After that exchange of blows, the divine thought and consciousness in the feather were fully depleted.”

“What if the ancient Dijiang attacks again?”

“He can’t. It’s a flaw of the Law of the Jungle Dao Fruit. Since the Dijiang had voluntarily conceded in the battle earlier, he no longer occupies the ‘strong’ position. In that case, he can’t control the Qiongqi Tribe anymore.”

“Immortal Fairy, the ancient Dijiang said he woke from a slumber. Does that mean he slept from ancient times until now, also for the sake of becoming an immortal?”

“If he says so. He probably used some ice to freeze himself into an ice block, which only thawed now. Or maybe he soaked in something. There are many methods. Essentially, they all simulate time stasis.”

Not long ago, Lu Yang had met another archaic half-immortal who had slumbered—the Great Yu Imperial Preceptor.

“However, the higher one’s cultivation is, the more precious the natural treasures needed for slumber. It can be said that the treasures used by half-immortals are the most valuable. Moreover, since the Dao Fruit is still in an incipient form during their slumber, its power will gradually dissipate, leaving only an empty shell. After waking, there’s a long recovery period before one can return to peak condition.”

Immortals had infinite lifespans and didn’t need to slumber.

“Should we go find the ancient Dijiang?” Lu Yang asked. Aside from the Everlasting Immortal Fairy, this is the second ancient figure who has appeared. He should know many things.

The Everlasting Immortal Fairy revealed an expression of disgust. “Tch, that old fellow is not a good thing. He’s treacherous and cunning, hiding in very deep places. It’s hard to find him. Get Lass Yun here to turn the Demon Region upside down, and you’ll probably locate him.”

Lu Yang, “...”

~~~

The clash between the two half-immortals had settled. Chieftain Jin’s eyes were icy as he stared at the trembling Dijiang envoy kneeling on the ground.

“Envoy, will you get lost from my Qiongqi Tribe, or shall I ask someone to carry you out?”

“I’ll leave now!”

The Dijiang envoy never expected the Qiongqi Tribe’s foundation to run so deep. Even the ancient ancestor has voluntarily left. How can a mere envoy like me still linger here?

All dijiang had six legs. At this moment, he wished he could grow six more legs. He half scrambled and half crawled out of the Qiongqi Tomb and fled the Qiongqi Tribe.

~~~

After Gan Tian had listened to everything from start to finish, she perfectly reproduced the brief battle in the main tomb, as though she was a vocal mimicry virtuoso.

Meng Jingzhou was dumbfounded. We’re just here for archaeology. How did we encounter such matters—the ancient Dijiang awakening and the unification of the Demon Region?

Gan Tian wasn’t any better. She had lost count of how many tombs she had entered, but this was the first time she encountered such matters.

The unification of the Demon Region was a heaven-shaking event, yet no news had leaked. Presumably, the ancient Dijiang used his Law of the Jungle Incipient Dao Fruit to control the higher-ups of major tribes. Such control was absolute and ensured secrecy. It was only today, through a combination of coincidences, that they stumbled upon the Dijiang Tribe’s plan.

She took out xuan rice paper[1] from her identity jade tablet to report the incidents in the Demon Region to Yun Zhi, while Lu Yang ground ink beside her.

Yun Zhi replied quickly.

“Have Junior Brother answer. How is the ancient Dijiang’s combat power?”

Gan Tian was very surprised. Little Junior Brother knows even such matters?

Lu Yang thought for a moment and wrote back to Yun Zhi.

“Can’t withstand ten self-detonations from a half-immortal.”

“Then ignore it.“

The exchange ended.

Seeing there was nothing else for her to do, the Everlasting Immortal Fairy yawned out of boredom. She climbed onto a tree and hugged the trunk to sleep.

Before sleeping, she kindly reminded Lu Yang. “By the way, there’s a small matter you should note.”

“What is it?”

“The Qiongqi Tribe’s chieftain has discovered you all.”

Lu Yang was horrified. Before he could warn Meng Jingzhou and Gan Tian, the mechanism chamber’s door slowly opened.

Chieftain Jin’s massive tiger head peered in, his cold pupils reflecting the three figures. “If not for the old ancestor’s reminder, I truly wouldn’t have expected three little thieves to be hiding here.

“Let me see—Diabolic Sound Heavenly Maiden, Lu Yang...from the Dao-Seeking Sect. You’re the Meng Family’s Meng Jingzhou. Are you following in your father’s footsteps?”

Meng Jingzhou, “...”

Why does that sound so much like an insult?

Confirming the trio’s identities, Chieftain Jin’s expression softened, replaced by an affable smile. “You three, don’t stay here; come out with me. Otherwise, word might spread that the Qiongqi Tribe lacks hospitality.”

These three are suspected of tomb raiding, the Diabolic Sound Heavenly Maiden has many enemies in the Demon Region, and the Dao-Seeking Sect is notorious—none of them are anything good.

But considering the Qiongqi Tribe’s recent financial strain and the need to borrow money from the Meng Family...

...I suppose it’s better to be polite to these three.

1. Xuan paper or rice paper was used in ancient China for writing and painting. It is smooth, preserves color well, durable, and offers great resistance to corrosion, crease, cracks, and decay caused by insects, among other benefits. The main materials for creating xuan paper are blue sandalwood bark and shatian rice straw. If you are interested in the production process, you could check out this short video. ☜