Yellow Court Daoist-Chapter 767 - 688: The Saint Falls!

Beyond Black Wind Mountain lies Green Bamboo Mountain.

Atop Green Bamboo Mountain, green bamboo is planted.

Lu Qingfeng steps out from the bamboo forest, while Ao Le is at the summit, facing the winds and clouds.

Enduring eighty years of arduous cultivation.

Lu Qingfeng has long since transcended the remaining Seventh Level Heavenly Tribulations, and refined his Primordial Spirit into an infant form, becoming a Heavenly Immortal being. It must be said that cultivating in this ancient Earth Immortal World progresses exceedingly swiftly. Whether it is comprehending Dao ability or honing mana, none can compare to later generations’ Earth Immortal Worlds.

When taking stock of it all,

From his time before Transformation, Lu Qingfeng’s arrival at Black Wind Mountain has spanned no more than two centuries. In the first hundred years, he emerged in his true form, restored his Dao ability, and crossed the Seventh Level Heavenly Tribulations. Shortly thereafter, on Green Bamboo Mountain, he cultivated for merely over eighty years, and yet, like a hot knife through butter, crossed the remaining two levels of tribulations and became a Heavenly Immortal in an instant.

This brought him endless joy.

Not just him,

Ao Le’s progress was also remarkably swift.

His wife was originally of dull aptitude with truly mediocre understanding. If she had been in the Immortal Qin Realm, advancing even a little over thousands or tens of thousands of years would be difficult.

But in this ancient Earth Immortal World, she too advanced by leaps and bounds.

Sixty years ago, she overcame the Third Level Heavenly Tribulations.

Now, she is about to face the Fourth Level.

As long as she can transcend it, to the future generations, that would be akin to a high master of the Earth Immortal Second Realm’s Immortal Fate Realm.

Lu Qingfeng was overjoyed.

Though attaining the Dao of Earth Immortal ensures longevity and vision, as an Immortal, one cannot avoid conflicts, and the stronger one’s cultivation and Dao ability, the stronger one’s ability to protect oneself, naturally a fortunate matter.

However, the good fortunes don’t end there.

While guarding Ao Le during her tribulation,

He saw, from the direction of Black Wind Mountain, the Mountain God and Earth Deity approaching in tandem. Before them was a Daoist donning a Golden Crow Robe.

"Has he come?!"

Upon seeing this person, Lu Qingfeng’s heart suddenly flutters!

...

"Immortal Master."

"This is Emperor Gouchen from the Heavenly Court."

The Earth Deity and Mountain God followed the Daoist to Green Bamboo Mountain, introducing him to Lu Qingfeng.

"It’s actually Emperor Gouchen himself!"

Lu Qingfeng was startled, hastily bowing in greeting, and said, "I, the mortal Guang Yuan, pay my respects to Emperor Gouchen."

Though he was within the realm of true and false time and space, for Saints like the Masters of the Heavenly Dao, there is no distinction between real and fake, past and present. Across the myriad of worlds and throughout time and space, as long as they so desire, all can be known.

He dared not show disrespect.

But it was also unnecessary to be too restrained.

To Saints, of the countless beings in the myriad Constant Sand Realms and in each of their billions of incarnations, every day, they experience millions of variables. Lu Qingfeng, this insignificant Heavenly Immortal trying to ingratiate himself, even if known by a Saint, would hardly stir a ripple in their heart.

Upon seeing the respectful Demon Immortal before him, not seeming to feign,

The Daoist immediately feels a sense of affection.

Though he has just become an Emperor, though he claims to lead the Demon Clan of the Three Realms, his reputation is still unknown, and he has no one useful under his command. Let alone Heavenly Immortals, even those Loose Immortals, great demons, and Demon Kings probably wouldn’t take his words seriously.

He had expected to be slighted upon his visit and was prepared for it.

Yet the reality was entirely different.

He was pleased.

But then he heard this future Saint say, "I am tasked by the Heavenly Dao, conferred the title of Great Emperor Gouchen and specially descended to the Lower Realm to oversee the Demon Clan. Passing by, I saw the tumultuous demon aura within Black Wind Mountain. After inquiring with the Mountain God and Earth Deity, I learnt that the mountain harbored such cruel beings who regard life as mere grass. I also heard about your devoted cultivation and kind heart. Hence, I specifically came to meet you."

"I am unworthy," replied Lu Qingfeng modestly.

They chatted for a while, and Lu Qingfeng also catered to the Daoist’s likings.

Waiting for the Daoist to make an offer of enlistment.

Not long after,

Seeing the right moment has come, the Daoist says, "The Demons in this Earth Immortal World are rampant, repeatedly defying Heavenly mandates. In the Nan Zhanbu Continent, there are a few powerful demons showing signs of rebellion against the Heavenly Court. I’ve descended for this very cause. Although you are a member of the Demon Clan, you wholeheartedly seek the Dao and virtue. Why not help me complete this Merit? When the time comes, you will have a place in the Immortal Class. You’ll enjoy the splendors of the Heavenly Palace, eat peaches, drink Jade Liquid, and have Heavenly Soldiers and Generals at your command. No longer will you have to watch over this dismal wilderness, impotent against the wicked deeds of demons. Would that not be delightful?"

These words are nothing but grandiose talk at this moment.

But Lu Qingfeng knows,

This Daoist before him will have many followers in the future, and his first disciple even becomes the Jade Emperor in the Palace of the Polestar.

Had it not been for the unknown reason that the Heavenly Dao Sect eventually withdrew from the Heavenly Court and even came to control the Three Realms later on.

Sitting within a fragment of time and space,

Lu Qingfeng devotes himself to cultivation, not concerned with the perks of joining the Immortal Class. Yet the Daoist’s recruitment aligns perfectly with his sentiments. He eagerly replies, "Your Majesty, I—"

Before he could commit to his loyalty,

Suddenly, snap, snap, snap!

A burst of crackling, like frying beans, emits from the Daoist. Multicolored rays burst forth, and upon closer inspection, it is a Nine-toothed Nail Rake breaking through countless restrictions, rushing out of Mustard Space.

Tiny Golden Armor Heavenly Generals surround it, celestial music sounding all around.

It pierces through the Void and vanishes.

"Not good!" exclaimed the Daoist, his complexion immediately changing. "I have urgent matters. Fellow Daoist, we shall talk another day!"

With a courteous gesture towards Lu Qingfeng,

The Daoist dares not linger and with a single step, flies away on the spot.

Gone in the distance.

From the east,

A golden light streaks towards the Big Dipper. Two tunneling lights cut through the sky rapidly approaching, chasing after that fleeing Emperor Gouchen from atop Green Bamboo Mountain.

Amidst them, shouting resounds—

"You there, Daoist! How dare you hide my rake?" 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

"Good Daoist, where do you think you’re going?!"

Two explosive shouts resonate through the Void, echoing mightily, causing Lu Qingfeng’s ears to buzz and his spirit to be momentarily shaken.

After a while,

The tunneling lights disappear.

The Void settles.

"..."

"..."

Lu Qingfeng is somewhat baffled, "That’s not right!"

His heart filled with puzzlement.

From what he knows,

The Saint of the Heavenly Dao arrived at Black Wind Mountain to subdue the Poison Dragon with thunderous methods, and then, proceeded to Jilei Mountain where the Great Sage Who Pacifies Heaven and the Purification Envoy personally took the Nine-toothed Nail Rake from the front battleground.

Yet here he had been...

But now, what was this before his eyes——

"Is it that what I know is wrong?"

"Or has some catastrophe occurred?"

Lu Qingfeng’s brow furrowed slightly, watching helplessly as the sheltering mountain retreated in the distance. He wished to chase after it and see for himself, but one was fleeing in panic before him, while two others followed in hot pursuit, seething with anger.

They were all top-tier Great Powers from the Primordial era.

How could Lu Qingfeng even think of pursuing them?!

"Alright then."

"Unsure of what catastrophe has occurred, I shall cultivate in peace here and observe before making any plans."

Lu Qingfeng couldn’t deduce the change. Faced with the scene before him, he could only respond to all changes with constancy.

...

Time passed.

Lu Qingfeng and Ao Le went nowhere else, simply cultivating on Green Bamboo Mountain.

After more than eighty years of nurturing, the Five Elements Essence Qi had gathered on Green Bamboo Mountain, making it a land of good omen for cultivation, quite unlike Black Wind Mountain.

Secondly, Lu Qingfeng still harbored hope. He wanted to wait for the future Saint to deal with the Bull Demon King and Zhu Bajie and return, before seeking to join them.

Besides, in ancient times amongst the Earth Immortal World, there were sects everywhere, and it wasn’t safe to wander about aimlessly. There was nowhere good for them to settle down. It might be better to stay on Green Bamboo Mountain; at least he was familiar with Black Wind Mountain, and there were Demon Kings he could spar with to hone his martial skills and Divine Powers.

It was not too shabby.

So he stayed.

He particularly instructed the Mountain God and the local deity to immediately inform him of any news about Emperor Gouchen. Though these two were of low status and minor positions, they were, after all, Yin Gods within the system and well-connected.

He thus waited.

Waiting to the left.

Waiting to the right.

Three years later, he was shocked to hear the terrible news—

"Could the message have been wrong?!"

Lu Qingfeng was utterly stunned, even more so than three years prior.

Looking at the Mountain God and the local deity before him.

The local deity was also somewhat hesitant, saying, "The message from above is just so. I heard that this newly appointed Emperor Gouchen first struggled against the Demon King of Jilei Mountain and the two great kings of Yellow Flower Mountain. After escaping, he encountered the Buddha from the East in the West, narrowly avoided being suppressed by the Hand-held Buddha Country, and then fled in panic. Unexpectedly, he stumbled into the Jiao Demon King’s North Sea Netherworld and was ambushed. Both his physical body and Primordial Spirit were destroyed, and he perished three years ago."

The Mountain God also said, "The rumor seems detailed and credible, likely true."

"..."

"..."

Lu Qingfeng felt a twinge of pain in his teeth, his mind filled with incredulity to the extreme: "A Saint, who was to be a future Saint... dead?!"

A Saint?

Fallen?!

This was simply too preposterous.

"Could that really be the case?"

A part of him couldn’t believe it.

Yet considering the words of the local deity and the Mountain God, and the vast difference from the plot he knew, he was at a loss for what to believe.

His thoughts spun for a long time.

He hesitated and pondered for quite a while.

"Thank you both."

After sending away the Mountain God and the local deity, Lu Qingfeng’s head began to ache from thinking. In the end, he sighed, "Let it go, let it go. The fallen mountain is no longer a refuge; the collapsed mountain is no longer worthy of worship. Let’s not worry about whether this future Saint is truly dead. I shall continue to cultivate well on Green Bamboo Mountain."

Deep down, Lu Qingfeng didn’t truly believe that the mighty Heavenly Dao Sect Master would perish before his ascension.

Even if it was just within a fragment of time and space.

But at this moment, without knowing his life or death, without an inkling of his whereabouts, it was futile to speculate. Even if the Heavenly Dao Sect Master was not dead, for the time being, he was unlikely to return to Black Wind Mountain.

Thinking this way.

Lu Qingfeng had to change his original plans.

"I am cultivating at Divine Speed now."

"Wouldn’t it be better to first make use of the Nine-Nine Great Heavenly Tribulations to solidify and temper, and then take the opportunity to further strengthen my Cultivation Technique and Divine Skills?"

This ancient Earth Immortal World allowed for much faster cultivation than later times.

With Lu Qingfeng’s Dao ability,

He could undergo cultivation again, and in just twenty to thirty years, he would be ready to face the Nine-Nine Great Heavenly Tribulations again. Previously, he wanted to wait for Emperor Gouchen to appear, keeping his cultivation base to be taken seriously, which is why he had held back.

Now that it was all for naught, Lu Qingfeng would wait no more.

"Enhance!"

"Enhance!"

He immediately put his cultivation into Derivation.

First of all.

"Twelve Heavenly Demon God Skill!"

This Great Method, after numerous enhancements and Fusion by Lu Qingfeng, had reached the Supreme Level. But compared to the true inheritance of the Three Pure Saints, compared to the "Heavenly Dao Twelve Volumes" of the Heavenly Daoist Sect, it was still lacking by a wide margin.

With Lu Qingfeng’s increasing cultivation, it became even less sufficient.

In the past, he had intended to search for the Immortal Qin Realm. Upon reaching Immortal Qin, he had to deal with Qin Zhen, so Lu Qingfeng never continued to enhance it.

Now, in this ancient Earth Immortal World, it was the right time.

Without a second thought,

He put his entire early Heavenly Immortal cultivation into enhancement.

The mana plummeted instantaneously.

Until Lu Qingfeng fell back to the fledgling stage of Earth Immortal, before passing the First Layer of the Great Heavenly Tribulation, the "Twelve Heavenly Demon God Skill" was strengthened three times in a row.

Yet it was still of the Supreme Level.

Lu Qingfeng was prepared and not discouraged.

In the beginning, elevating the "Luofu Sword Scripture" from the Mysterious Level to the Supreme Level was only possible with the chance found within the opportunities of the Blood Sea in the Five Directions Realm.

Later on, to enhance the Twelve Heavenly Demon God Skill to the Supreme Level, he had to toil in the Immortal Qin Realm for many years, strengthening it back and forth twenty times.

To enhance it to a Sect Leader Level Technique this time would naturally not be an easy task.

This was also why Lu Qingfeng had wanted to join the Heavenly Dao Sect Master’s tutelage.

The "Heavenly Dao Twelve Volumes" were also methods of cultivating the Dutian; if he could receive the teachings, it would save Lu Qingfeng untold efforts. The saved Experience Value, time, and energy could be used to further enhance the Great Divine Powers.

However, at this moment.

Lu Qingfeng would wait no longer.

Fortunately, in this ancient Earth Immortal World, cultivation was extraordinarily rapid.

In just thirty short years, Lu Qingfeng recultivated the mana he had invested in strengthening, passed another Heavenly Tribulation, and when he reached Perfection, continued to enhance.

...