Who Let Him Cultivate?! (WX)-Chapter 763: Stage a Performance

Just as Lu Yang had predicted, when the large ship sailed onward, the weather abruptly shifted. Lightning flashed and thunder boomed. The ship was lifted a hundred meters into the air before it plummeted, slamming violently against the sea’s surface. If not for the multiple arrays that reinforced the hull, the ship would have already splintered into pieces.

I knew it, Lu Yang mused. He had seen three Fusion cultivators on this ship alone, not counting the number aboard the other two ships. With so many high-level cultivators present, encountering such a terrifying storm was clearly a man-made occurrence. After all, Fusion cultivators wielded partial control over the power of laws. Dispelling a storm at sea was simply a matter of uttering a command.

Su Yiren’s expression turned grave. She shielded Lu Yang and the others, transmitting an auditory message. “Be careful! I attempted to use the power of rules to dispel the storm, but it was ineffective. Someone is deliberately causing trouble from behind the scenes, and they’re at the Transcendent Tribulation Stage!”

A hole tore open in the ink-black clouds, and a black silhouette appeared high above, shrouded in wind and rain. Emerald-green eyes, gleaming like amber, lit up with an eerie glow that seemed to come from the depths of the underworld. The oppressive aura was like a prison, unfathomable, unshakable, and unstoppable, weighing down upon the hearts of all present.

“It really is a Transcendent Tribulation cultivator!” Su Yiren broke out in a cold sweat. She hadn’t expected their luck on their journey to be so abysmal as to run into a Transcendent Tribulation cultivator.

As soon as Tao Yaoye and Man Gu heard it was a Transcendent Tribulation cultivator, they grew somewhat flustered. They seldom ventured out with Lu Yang and hadn’t witnessed such grand scenes.

Lu Yang remained unruffled, transmitting an auditory message to the group to explain the situation. “Everyone, don’t panic. This is all part of the Second Imperial Prince’s scheme. To ascend to the throne, he plans to stage a calamity to make us owe him a favor.

“If my guess is correct, Senior Cang Mingzi is conveniently absent from the ship right now. First, the Fusion cultivators will engage the enemy. Then, the Second Imperial Prince will come to reassure us and say we’re on the same boat, calling for unity to tide us over this crisis. To make it convincing, he’ll even injure himself.

“At the critical moment, Senior Cang Mingzi will arrive fashionably late, battle the shadowy figure for three hundred rounds, and ultimately defeat them, forcing them to retreat in disgrace.”

While the group felt a wave of relief, they also seethed with indignation, thinking the Second Imperial Prince had gone too far.

“Form ranks and meet the enemy!” the Second Imperial Prince yelled.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh. Three figures flew out from each of the three large ships, all at the Fusion Stage.

The Second Imperial Prince had brought nine Fusion cultivators with him on this trip. These nine were all seasoned veterans. Having anticipated the possibility of conflict in the East Sea, they had practiced many times in advance.

Subtle yet powerful fluctuations of spirit energy rippled out from the array they were setting up—the Nine Heavens Thunder Response Array, engraved with complex and abstruse talismanic scripts. As their fingers traced through the air, rays of light burst forth from their bodies, coalescing into a gigantic nine-sided net. Each of the Fusion cultivators stood at one corner of the net, their hand seals drawing the primordial qi of heaven and earth.

Seeing this, the Second Imperial Prince hurried to Lu Yang’s side and reassured the group. “Fellow Daoists, do not panic. These nine Fusion cultivators have formed the Nine Heavens Thunder Response Array, which can resist a Transcendent Tribulation cultivator. Everything will be fine.”

Despite the Second Imperial Prince’s assurances, Lu Yang was only a Nascent Soul after all. Faced with a Transcendent Tribulation cultivator’s attacks, how could he not feel a sliver of panic?

His voice quivered as he asked, “Where is Senior Cang Mingzi?”

The Second Imperial Prince wore an expression of chagrin. “Just now, he said he spotted a rare fish and went to catch one for a meal. Who could have thought that we’d face an assault by a Transcendent Tribulation cultivator when barely any time has passed?!”

As he spoke, the mysterious Transcendent Tribulation cultivator made their move. An array stabilizing the ship’s hull at its bottom shattered. A towering wave crashed over the deck, sweeping everyone, including the Second Imperial Prince, off their feet and leaving them unable to stand steadily.

“Are you sure everything will be fine?” Meng Jingzhou struggled to grip the ship’s railing, swaying wildly.

The Second Imperial Prince’s expression turned resolute. “Everything will be fine. Even if I must put my life on the line, I will ensure your safety!”

Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou were deeply moved.

The Second Imperial Prince looked up at the figure of the Transcendent Tribulation cultivator in the midst of battle and demanded sternly, “Who exactly are you? I am Jiang Zhu, the Second Imperial Prince of Great Xia! Are you intending on making an enemy of Great Xia?!”

The Transcendent Tribulation shadow emitted a cold laugh and cast a disdainful glance at the Second Imperial Prince, fully displaying the arrogance of someone at such a cultivation realm.

“Long-winded.”

As the Transcendent Tribulation shadow uttered the word, the Second Imperial Prince felt a stifling pressure in his chest and was sent flying backward. He slammed into the cabin wall and spat out two mouthfuls of blood. His hairpin fell loose, and his hair plastered across his face messily. He appeared utterly wretched, a stark contrast to his usual dignified image.

With perfect composure, Lu Yang transmitted an auditory message to the group. “See, what did I tell you? To gain our sympathy, the Second Imperial Prince would definitely get injured. And I must say, his acting is quite convincing.”

“Perhaps his injury is real to avoid exposing the act,” Meng Jingzhou remarked, looking at the blood-spitting prince with admiration. “He’s pulling all the stops for the throne. My impression of him has changed.”

Tao Yaoye and Man Gu gazed at Lu Yang in awe. Up until now, everything that has transpired had unfolded exactly as Senior Brother Lu Yang had predicted.

“How dare you injure others?!”

Cang Mingzi arrived fashionably late. With an angry shout, he deployed his boundless Dharma Manifestation. Muttering archaic incantations, he instantly triggered a resonance from the ocean’s depths. The churning seawater seemed to be pulled by an invisible force, gathering around him. The waters ceased their rampage and obeyed some peculiar law to coalesce into the shape of a colossal humanoid figure.

The two sides clashed in a great battle, each displaying their mighty abilities and overturning the seas, frightening the sea tribes beneath until they trembled.

“Elder Cang, the act has gone on long enough. If you keep fighting, the ship will fall apart.” The Second Imperial Prince secretly transmitted an auditory message to Cang Mingzi. Elder Cang doesn’t know how to hold back; that blow just now injured me quite severely.

The Second Imperial Prince’s plan was exactly as Lu Yang had deduced; even the injury was part of the scheme. He had asked Cang Mingzi to create a clone, which he would battle and ultimately defeat. Furthermore, the clone must not possess any distinguishing features. If it resembled a particular sea tribe, Lu Yang’s group would later clamor to seek trouble with that tribe, and the entire ruse would be exposed.

Given the Dao-Seeking Sect’s strength and Lu Yang’s status, it’s even possible that Yun Zhi and the Vast Sea Daoist Lord—two half-immortals—would join forces to come to the East Sea to settle scores.

This was why they had designed the clone to be a shadowy figure.

Cang Mingzi was stunned, unsure what the Second Imperial Prince was talking about. “The clone isn’t ready yet.”

He had genuinely gone fishing earlier.

A question mark popped out of the Second Imperial Prince’s head. He instantly realized the situation was dire.

Hopy crap, has a real Transcendent Tribulation cultivator shown up?!

“Troublesome.”

While Cang Mingzi was distracted, the Transcendent Tribulation shadow reached out a massive hand covered in talismanic runes, capable of crushing anything it grabbed.

The giant hand ripped through the Nine Heavens Thunder Response Array. Lu Yang and his four companions were snatched away like helpless chicks. Su Yiren tried to save them but was captured alongside them.

After the Transcendent Tribulation shadow captured Lu Yang and the others, the weather returned to normal, and the waves were calm again, as though no battle had taken place.

The Second Imperial Prince collapsed onto the deck, devoid of any relief at having survived a calamity.

“It’s over. Yun Zhi’s Little Junior Brother and the Eldest Young Master of the Meng Family were captured from my ship, and they’re now missing.”

Forget about contending for the throne now; all I pray for now is that the Dao-Seeking Sect and the Meng Family won’t come to my doorstep demanding my life.

~~~

“Senior Brother Lu Yang, is us being captured also part of the plan?” Tao Yaoye asked uncertainly.

They were trapped inside a sphere of water, speeding across the East Sea while clutched by a gigantic claw.

Lu Yang also felt that things were amiss. Could it be that the Second Imperial Prince still wants to stage a “hero saves the heroes” act?

“Immortal Fairy, can you tell the origin of this shadowy figure?”

“Hmm? Isn’t this just a member of the Kunpeng Tribe?” Despite the shadowy figure’s efforts to conceal its race, the Everlasting Immortal Fairy saw through it at a glance.

Lu Yang, “...”

He didn’t think the Second Imperial Prince had the capability to invite a Transcendent Tribulation cultivator from the Kunpeng Tribe to stage a performance.