Cultivation: I Can Traverse Otherworlds

Swaying back and forth.

In a daze, Pei Jingque forced her eyes open.

She felt a warm current flowing into her Meridians from her back, gradually soothing the wounds within her body.

The familiar True Essence, sharing the same origin as her own, and the familiar presence behind her allowed her unconsciously tensed body to relax.

”Junior Brother...”

”I’m here.”

Zhu Ju sat cross-legged behind her, his palms pressed lightly against her vital points as he channeled his True Essence to help her heal.

It had been a brutal fight.

As the primary offensive force, Pei Jingque had faced the Tier Three Demon Beast, the Rock Armor Demon Crocodile, head-on, giving it everything she had.

Her injuries were severe.

Her lifeblood was depleted, her Divine Soul was weakened, and her Physical Body had nearly disintegrated. Without several years of rest, she likely wouldn’t be able to make a full recovery.

”I can’t believe it...”

A smile touched Pei Jingque’s pale cheeks.

”We actually succeeded!”

”It was a narrow escape from death.” Zhu Ju sighed and shook his head gently.

”That Demon Beast performed a Self-Destructive Core detonation in the end, destroying most of its body. We didn’t get much out of it.”

”Just surviving is the greatest benefit of all.” Pei Jingque, however, was more philosophical about it. She asked in a hoarse voice:

”Where are we?”

The two were currently inside a carriage that was executing a Flying Escape through the air, with a vast expanse of white clouds below.

Guk Rusong and several other juniors rode on Immortal Cranes, following closely on either side.

”On our way back.”

Zhu Ju explained:

”Senior Sister, you’ve been unconscious for ten days. We’ve just about left the area dense with void rifts and are heading back toward the Sect.”

”Mm.” Pei Jingque nodded, reaching out to stroke the carriage wall, a faint smile on her face.

”A painted carriage?”

”Transforming Illusion into Reality. Junior Brother, this Magic of yours is quite exquisite.”

The carriage they were in and the Immortal Cranes the disciples were riding looked incredibly lifelike, but they were actually formed from ink.

The crucial part was that the carriage could carry people and the Immortal Cranes could fly.

Although this type of Magic had no combat power, it was incredibly refined and a marvel to behold.

”This is the Skin Painting Technique,” Zhu Ju said.

”As they say, you can paint a tiger’s skin, but it’s hard to paint its bones. At most, this technique can imitate another’s aura. It’s not of much practical use.”

”It’s still impressive,” Pei Jingque said, shaking her head.

”It’s stronger than most Illusion Techniques, at least.”

Her Cultivation was profound, and as the Sect Leader of the Bright Void Sect, she was exceptionally well-informed. She could tell at a glance that this ”Skin Painting Technique” was fundamentally an Illusion Technique, but one far more refined than ordinary illusions.

”Ugh...”

She moved her body slightly, and the pervasive stinging pain made her eyes water and a layer of sweat bead on her forehead.

She took out a few Elixirs from her storage bag and swallowed them, only then did her condition improve slightly.

”Hm?”

Pei Jingque’s brow twitched. She took out a Communication Talisman, swept her Divine Thought across it, and her expression immediately darkened.

”What is it?” Zhu Ju asked.

”Did something happen?”

”Yes,” Pei Jingque nodded slowly.

”Fellow Daoist Dong from the Hundred Flowers Sect sent a message. They were ambushed by Demonic Cultivators on their way back.”

”She’s fine; it was a close call but she’s safe.”

”But the Wuh Family’s party was almost completely wiped out. The Wuh Family Master is dead, and only a single Qi Refiner managed to escape.”

”The Wuh Family...”

She shook her head gently.

”I’m afraid they’re finished.”

The Wuh Family had invested a great deal in exploring the Void Secret Realm this time, even bringing the core bloodline of their direct lineage. Their gains in the Secret Realm should have been substantial.

But in the end...

Not only were the losses among their juniors disastrous, but even their Dao Foundation Cultivators didn’t escape.

The Wuh Family was already in a difficult position. Now, after suffering such a calamity where everyone except those left behind was wiped out, it’s doubtful they’ll even last until the next time the Void Secret Realm opens.

”Demonic Cultivators...”

Zhu Ju frowned.

”This is already the heart of the Ten Thousand Mountains, yet Demonic Cultivators have managed to infiltrate this far. It seems the front-line defenses are as full of holes as a sieve.”

”Indeed,” Pei Jingque agreed.

”We need to be careful.”

She was heavily injured and completely powerless to fight.

Zhu Ju’s condition was slightly better, but his strength was also drastically reduced—not even a tenth of what it used to be. If they encountered Demonic Cultivators, the outcome would be unpredictable.

Fortunately, their luck was good, and they didn’t encounter any danger along the way.

Perhaps they had used up all their bad luck, for the group returned safely to the Sect two months later.

...

Bright Void Sect.

Side Hall.

After a period of recovery, Pei Jingque, with some color back in her face, sat in the main seat.

Zhu Ju and Liuu Huang’er sat to her left and right.

”Senior Sister.”

Luu Huang’er asked:

”Your injuries haven’t healed yet. You should focus on recovery. Whatever it is can wait until you’re better.”

”It’s fine.” A faint smile appeared on Pei Jingque’s face.

”With the Thousand-Year Spirit Elixir you gave me, my injuries are no longer a major concern. I’ll make a full recovery after a few more years of recuperation.”

”Besides...”

”There are some things that need to be said.”

As the Sect Leader of the Bright Void Sect, she not only inherited the position but also many of its deepest secrets.

Many of these secrets were known only to the Sect Leader.

However...

With the Demon Dao running rampant and the Bright Void Sect’s parent sect, the Jade Void Sect, now gone, it no longer made sense to keep many secrets according to the old rules. If something were to happen to her, many of these hidden truths would be lost forever.

So, after some consideration, Pei Jingque decided to tell the two of them.

As for Zhai Qingfeng,

he was not a disciple of the Bright Void Sect but a recruited Guest Minister, so there was no need to inform him.

Pressing her lips together in thought for a moment, Pei Jingque began to speak slowly.

”Junior Brother, Junior Sister, you have both been cultivating for many years. You should know that our generation of cultivators strives to attain a Golden Core and form a Nascent Soul.”

”And above the Nascent Soul True Man, there is another Realm called the Divinity Transformation Venerable.”

The two of them nodded.

Golden Core Grandmaster.

Nascent Soul True Man.

Divinity Transformation Venerable!

These were the three great heavenly gates on the path of Cultivation. With each one crossed, a cultivator was one step closer to the Great Dao.

However, no Divinity Transformation Venerable had appeared for several thousand years, and even Nascent Soul True Men were exceptionally rare.

Just reaching the Golden Core Realm was the lifelong aspiration of many Dao Foundation Cultivators.

”But do you know...”

Pei Jingque said slowly,

”...that there are actually Cultivation Realms beyond Divinity Transformation?”

”Hm?” Luu Huang’er blinked.

”I’ve heard talk of it—that after Divinity Transformation come the Integration, Tribulation Crossing, and Mahayana Realms, leading all the way to Ascension to Immortality. But it’s all baseless nonsense. Since the Ancient Era, Divinity Transformation Venerables have been few and far between, and no one has ever truly stepped into the realms that follow.”

”As for Ascension to Immortality...”

She shook her head gently, clearly believing it to be just a rumor, or perhaps a beautiful lie.

”No!”

Pei Jingque said calmly,

”It’s all true.”

”Ah!”

”Hm?”

Luu Huang’er and Zhu Ju were stunned. They looked at each other, clearly seeing the confusion in the other’s eyes.

”Really?”

Luu Huang’er’s brow furrowed.

”Are there really Immortals in the world?”

”At the very least, there once were,” Pei Jingque said, taking a deep breath.

”The Jade Void Sect’s legacy comes from a certain Immortal. Or rather, the Jade Void Sect once produced Immortals.”

”And...”

”More than one!”

”But...” Luu Huang’er was completely bewildered.

”It’s said that Immortals are ageless and undying, capable of living for eternity. So where are they now?”

”The Six Paths Demon Monarch is merely a Nascent Soul True Man, yet he’s been able to overwhelm the Righteous Dao. Why haven’t any Immortals appeared to stop him?”

Forget Immortals, even a single Divinity Transformation Venerable could easily quell the current chaos.

Unfortunately, there were none.

Luu Huang’er was clearly still unconvinced.

”Junior Sister,” Pei Jingque sighed.

”When I first heard this news, I was just as confused, and even doubtful.”

”But this is a secret that only the Sect Leader of the Bright Void Sect can know, passed down from generation to generation. It can’t be false.”

She took another deep breath and continued:

”In the Ancient Era, all the realms were interconnected, and the Great Dao flourished.”

”There were Mortals blessed by Immortals with eternal life; there were beasts enlightened by Divine Venerables, becoming patriarchs and ancestors...”

”Travel between the All Heavens and Myriad Realms was unrestricted. There were countless Cultivation Methods, and Immortals resided in every realm.”

”Until the great calamity erupted. The Immortals fell, the Ten Thousand Realms collapsed, and the Great Dao itself became poisoned, no longer accessible to others.”

The Ten Thousand Realms, Immortals, the great calamity...

”Senior Sister.”

Zhu Ju frowned.

”Even if what you’re saying is true, and Immortals really did exist, it seems meaningless to us now.”

Hm?

Pei Jingque raised an eyebrow.

When she first learned of such secrets, she had been utterly shocked and had taken a long time to recover.

Just like the dumbfounded Luu Huang’er right now.

But Zhu Ju was different.

His expression hadn’t changed much upon hearing the news. He treated it like a story and cut straight to the heart of the matter.

’Meaningless!’

Indeed. It was impossible to verify the events of the Ancient Era, and even if they were true, they were meaningless to them now.

’Junior Brother’s mental fortitude is truly extraordinary,’

Pei Jingque sighed softly and said,

”In the aftermath of the calamity, all the Immortals perished, and their original legacies became difficult to cultivate. So you’re right, it is meaningless to us now.”

”However...”

”I just mentioned the All Heavens and Myriad Realms!”

”Yes.” Luu Huang’er’s beautiful eyes blinked. ”If Immortals were real, then the All Heavens and Myriad Realms must be real too. Are there other worlds similar to ours?”

”Correct,” Pei Jingque nodded.

”When the calamity struck, the Immortals fell, the passages between realms collapsed, and all records from the Ancient Era vanished.”

”But I have my reasons for believing so strongly.”

The other two looked at her, their eyes shining with intensity.

”A long time ago, besides the Jade Void Sect, our world also had two other Major Sects, the Five Elements Sect and the True Words Sect, both of which had legacies from Immortals.”

Pei Jingque looked at Zhu Ju and said,

”These three Major Sects all possessed the means to traverse the Ten Thousand Realms.”

”Before the passages between realms collapsed, the experts from these three Major Sects attempted to leave this world for the Immortal Realm, which had more abundant cultivation resources. No one knows if they succeeded, but after that, the legacies of the Five Elements Sect and the True Words Sect were lost. The Jade Void Sect, having lost its top experts, also began a slow decline, to the point where even Divinity Transformation Venerables no longer appeared.”

”It is said...”

”...that in a certain Secret Realm belonging to the True Words Sect, there is still a passage or a method to leave this world.”

”That’s why disciples of the Jade Void Sect have been searching for it. Elder Songx Jie was one of them. And about a hundred years ago, the Bright Void Sect detected an anomaly while monitoring things according to a method passed down from the Jade Void Sect.”

’A hundred years ago?’

A thought stirred in Zhu Ju’s mind.

’Isn’t that when this body of mine was born?’

’I can travel to other worlds, after all!’

’Could it be related to me?’

”According to the legends,”

Pei Jingque said,

”in the Secret Realm of the True Words Sect, there exists an Immortal Artifact that allows one to travel to other worlds.”

”If we could obtain it...”

”...forget fighting the Demon Dao; we could at least take the Sect Disciples to another world and escape this calamity.”

***

Luu Huang’er had already left.

Only Pei Jingque and Zhu Ju remained in the side hall.

”Junior Brother, you’re even calmer than I imagined.”

Pei Jingque spoke slowly.

”Or is it that you’re not optimistic about our chances of finding the True Words Sect’s Secret Realm and that legendary Immortal Artifact?”

”No one knows what the future holds,” Zhu Ju said, shaking his head.

”Compared to that, I’m more focused on the present.”

’An Immortal Artifact?’

’Even if we find it, it would only allow us to traverse worlds. I can already do that now.’

’The only difference is that I can’t take many people with me, and my time in an Otherworld is limited.’

’But Pei Jingque seems to have a clue. Maybe she really can find that Immortal Artifact.’

”True enough!”

Pei Jingque, naturally unaware of his thoughts, nodded and laid out several items one by one.

”These are the things we obtained from the Rock Armor Demon Crocodile’s lair.”

”Junior Brother, you destroyed a Tier Two Array and a Magical Treasure for this. You should choose one item first.”

A Broken Sword, a Damaged Pagoda, a Stone Pillar, Innate Spiritual Milk, and some of the flesh and blood from the Tier Three Demon Beast, the Rock Armor Demon Crocodile.

Although they looked battered and broken, they were undoubtedly all treasures.

”Senior Sister also suffered great losses,” Zhu Ju said, but he didn’t refuse. He picked up the porcelain bottle containing the Innate Spiritual Milk.

”This item is useful to me, so I won’t be polite.”

A look of surprise crossed Pei Jingque’s face.

Innate Spiritual Milk was certainly a good thing, but it wasn’t particularly useful for a Dao Foundation Cultivator.