Cultivation: I Can Traverse Otherworlds

BOOM!

The Yin Yang Qi swirled in the air.

Vortexes of varying sizes, shifting unpredictably, spiraled through the sky, plunging down violently from time to time.

The power of the Yin Yang Dual Swords was on full display.

The Wind and Thunder Blade Wings, defending a space of about ten feet, let out a mournful cry as they buckled under the strain.

Each impact left Zhu Ju’s defenses on the verge of collapse, but it was always just shy of breaking through.

They could never quite finish the job.

”Again!”

The Yin Yang Elder gritted his teeth, his eyes bulging with fury, as he madly channeled the True Essence in his body, unleashing whistling Sword Qi.

BOOM!

Dust and smoke billowed up ahead.

When the dust settled, blood trickled from the corner of Zhu Ju’s mouth, his body trembled uncontrollably, and the Spiritual Light of his Magical Treasure had dimmed.

But his defense still hadn’t collapsed.

”AARGH!”

Having failed to break through after so long, the Yin Yang Elder was starting to lose control. With a furious roar, the Spiritual Light of his Flying Sword surged.

”Die!”

”Die!”

”Just die!”

BOOM!

RUMBLE...

Countless streams of Sword Qi descended from the sky. A vast expanse of gray Sword Light covered the heavens. In an instant, overlapping sword shadows filled the air, surging with killing intent. A stern slaughter intent permeated everything in all directions. The air on the battlefield grew chillingly cold, and all life within a radius of several miles withered. Even the fish and shrimp in the stream turned belly-up and floated to the surface.

Zhu Ju let out a sharp cry. The Wind and Thunder Blade Wings converged into a rapidly spinning sphere, and the Xu Wind Thunder Banner blurred into an afterimage. Countless arcs of lightning surged around him, the power of wind and thunder raging as he desperately held off the incoming assault.

’Good kid!’

The Yin Yang Elder’s eyes twitched.

It wasn’t that he hadn’t suspected Zhu Ju of feigning weakness, but their auras were locked in a struggle, life and death hanging by a thread. There was no faking one’s Cultivation.

Mid-Stage Dao Foundation...

Zhu Ju was, without a doubt, at the Mid-Stage Dao Foundation.

All one could say was that in the face of death, he was showing a tenacious resilience that had far exceeded the Yin Yang Elder’s expectations.

But...

How could a Mid-Stage Dao Foundation Cultivator possibly win a battle of attrition against a Late-Stage one?

Besides, Zhu Ju had used the Blood-Burning Curse. Such a Method, which burned one’s Essence, blood, and lifespan, could never be sustained for long.

Slash!

The Yin Yang Dual Swords chopped down again, but just as they were about to collide with the Wind and Thunder Blade Wings, they suddenly paused for a fraction of a second.

It was the Yin Yang Elder—his frantic over-exertion of his True Essence had damaged his Meridians, causing a momentary disruption in his Qi circulation.

’Hmm?’

The strange sensation in his Qi flow made the Yin Yang Elder’s heart skip a beat, and his consciousness snapped back from its frenzied state.

’Something’s not right!’

Ever since he had mastered the Yin Yang Wheel, his True Essence had flowed ceaselessly. It had been decades since he had experienced disrupted Qi or True Essence exhaustion. To be pushed to this point today put him on high alert.

”It’s too late to realize something’s wrong now!”

Sensing the shift in his opponent’s aura, Zhu Ju had naturally detected the weakening of his force. The Five-Colored Divine Light on his left hand suddenly erupted.

SWISH!

In a single instant, the Five Elements Bracelet was suppressed and sealed by the Five-Colored Divine Light, severing its connection to the Yin Yang Elder.

At the same time.

A three-foot-longsword materialized in the air.

The Ten Directions Cross Sword!

Zhu Ju’s expression turned grave. He formed a seal with one hand, pinching his fingers into a Sword Formula, and pointed forward.

”Go!”

SWISH!

The Flying Sword crossed a distance of a mile in a flash, appearing before the Yin Yang Elder as if by Instant Teleportation.

’Damn!’

The Yin Yang Elder’s eyes narrowed, and the Yin Yang Qi at his feet collided.

Yin Yang Step!

His figure flickered, and he instantly retreated a thousand feet.

His speed was still astonishing, but it was clearly a step down from before, and a flush appeared on his face.

Evidently, using such a Secret Technique again after desperately draining his True Essence was no easy feat for him either, and he couldn’t use it repeatedly.

ZING!

The Ten Directions Cross Sword trembled lightly and instantly split into ten beams of Sword Light, which attacked again from all directions.

If the Yin Yang Elder’s True Essence were plentiful, he could have easily escaped the encirclement. But now, he could exert at most thirty percent of his strength.

”Impossible...”

With a low roar, the Yin Yang Elder had no choice but to abandon his attack on Zhu Ju, quickly recalling his Yin Yang Dual Swords to defend himself.

”You’re only at the Mid-Stage Dao Foundation! There’s no way you still have any True Essence Magical Power left!”

’Hmph!’

Zhu Ju snorted coldly, not deigning to reply as the Sword Light on the field intensified dramatically.

Ten Directions Killing Dao!

The Sword Light spreading in all directions converged into a cage of slaughter. The intersecting beams of light began to madly shred the figure within.

CLANG CLANG CLANG...

The Sword Light was like a great river, bursting forth from the void and crashing toward the Yin Yang Elder. The ten beams of light continuously split and multiplied, like a swarm of snakes erupting or ten thousand rivers roaring. Hundreds, then thousands, of streams of light flew through the air, weaving a net of water that sealed, trapped, and killed everything, enveloping the entire area for more than ten miles around.

It left the Yin Yang Elder with nowhere to hide and nowhere to run, able only to frantically defend himself with his Yin Yang Dual Swords.

In an instant.

The tables had seemingly turned.

’He wants to kill me,’ the Yin Yang Elder’s eyes flickered. ’Not so easy!’

The Yin Yang Lineage of the Joyful Sect was passed down from antiquity. After mastering it, one’s Qi reserves were exceptionally deep. Once the state of Unity of Heaven and Man was reached, one would almost never run out of True Essence, unless one engaged in a crazed outburst like just now.

Now that he was on the defensive, he too displayed a tenacious resilience, the Yin Yang Qi staunchly resisting the Ten Directions Killing Dao.

”Haha...”

The Yin Yang Elder laughed aloud at the sight.

”It seems we won’t be able to determine a victor today.”

”Is that so?” Zhu Ju chuckled lightly. ”I wouldn’t be so sure!”

Kill!

Kill!

Kill!

As he frantically channeled the True Essence Magical Power in his body, the Ten Directions Cross Sword blazed with an unprecedented Spiritual Light.

The Yin Yang Dual Swords immediately showed signs of buckling.

”A Middle Grade Magical Treasure!”

The Yin Yang Elder’s eyes filled with terror, and he cried out in shock, ”You have another Middle Grade Magical Treasure!”

WHOOSH!

Before he could finish his sentence, the sky above him suddenly darkened as a massive black shadow descended from above.

Zhu Ju was in midair, his left hand pressing down through the void.

In an instant, all the Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy within a mile radius converged into his left hand, and a gigantic palm slowly descended.

The giant palm was covered in dense lines, as if interwoven with the Great Dao of heaven and earth. Even the void beneath it was sealed in place.

Heaven-Flipping Seal!

Before the giant palm even landed, a furious gale preceded it.

If that palm were to land on someone, even a Dao Foundation Perfection Cultivator would most likely be unable to withstand it.

The combination of a Physical Body at the Body Refining Fourth Realm and an incomparably profound Palm Technique was Zhu Ju’s strongest explosive move.

”No!”

The Yin Yang Elder’s four eyes widened as he roared at the sky.

BOOM!

The giant palm fell, and the great earth trembled.

The Ten Directions Cross Sword flashed repeatedly amidst the chaos, and a tattered figure was flung out from within.

THUD!

The Yin Yang Elder, covered in blood, collapsed to the ground. A flicker of dawning realization flashed in his eyes as he struggled to speak.

”I remember now...”

”You’re Zhu Ju!”

”Zhou Yuantong’s former husband... the only person in a hundred years to escape from Wind Moon Valley...”

”Correct,” Zhu Ju nodded. ”Too bad there’s no prize!”

SWISH!

A flash of Sword Light.

The Yin Yang Elder felt a coldness on his forehead as the two Souls, which had been one since birth, were brutally cleaved apart.

A feeling of having lost everything, yet also being free, welled up in his heart.

’A single Soul... Is this what it feels like?’

He murmured inwardly, struggling to turn over.

The man and woman who had grown from a single body locked eyes for the first time, a flash of understanding in their gazes.

”So... this is what my other half looks like.”

THUD!

The two halves of the corpse fell to the ground, completely devoid of life.

***

***

***

「In a cave.」

Zhu Ju sat cross-legged on a stone, eyes closed, regulating his breathing.

He had used every ounce of his strength to kill the Yin Yang Elder, and his Meridians throbbed with a dull ache from the prolonged exertion.

’My strength is greater than that of an ordinary Late-Stage Dao Foundation Cultivator. Perhaps I can even match someone at Dao Foundation Perfection...’

’No!’

’Dao Foundation Perfection is also called the Fake Pill stage. They have Pill Qi in their bodies, and the explosive power of Pill Qi is astounding, far surpassing the Late-Stage Dao Foundation.’

’I’m no match for that!’

’At full strength, the Yin Yang Elder was no match for me, but it still took some tricks to kill him.’

’...’

Numerous thoughts tumbled through his Sea of Consciousness, and he only opened his eyes when a soft moan reached his ears.

”Senior Sister Dong, you’re awake.”

Dong Yuelan groggily opened her eyes, her body instinctively tensing up. Then she realized she was completely limp and weak; even lifting a finger was an immense effort.

Fortunately, the sound of Zhu Ju’s voice put her at ease.

”Junior Brother Zhu...”

”It’s me.”

Zhu Ju nodded. ”Senior Sister Dong, don’t worry. The Yin Yang Elder was killed by a passing senior. We’re safe now.”

”Oh!” Dong Yuelan was both shocked and overjoyed. ”The Yin Yang Elder is dead?”

She had been filled with despair before she fainted, never imagining she would wake up to such good news.

For a moment,

It made her almost think she had fallen into some kind of Illusion Realm.

”That’s right.” Zhu Ju nodded. ”Did you see anyone from the Hundred Flowers Sect?”

”...” Dong Yuelan’s expression dimmed, and her voice became subdued. ”I did.”

Seeing this,

Zhu Ju didn’t press the issue. He figured the outcome wasn’t good; otherwise, she wouldn’t have been the only one to escape.

”Junior Brother.”

Dong Yuelan struggled to prop herself up, frowning as she said, ”What... what’s wrong with me?”

”Senior Sister, you’ve been afflicted with the Joyful Sect’s Emotional Poison,” Zhu Ju said, helping her up and handing her a bottle of Elixirs. ”This poison isn’t fatal. It can be purged by taking medicine for a while. Of course, there’s a faster way.”

As he spoke, he made a vague, suggestive gesture with his hands.

?

Dong Yuelan’s pretty eyes twinkled. She looked at Zhu Ju and smiled, pressing her lips together. ”Forget it. I wouldn’t dare snatch a man from Sister Pei.”

They were obviously joking, but it undoubtedly lightened the tense, oppressive atmosphere.

Zhu Ju smiled. Once she had recovered some of her Primordial Energy, he stood up and said, ”Senior Sister, you get some rest. I’m going to scout the vicinity.”

”...Okay.” Dong Yuelan nodded. ”Be careful!”

Watching Zhu Ju’s back recede into the distance, Dong Yuelan felt a pang of panic in her heart, as if she had lost her support.

She took a moment to steady herself before she recovered.

***

「On a certain hillside.」

Liuu Huang’er, Zhai Qingfeng, and a group of Bright Void Sect disciples were gathered together.

”That Fellow Daoist Wukong still hasn’t returned?”

Liuu Huang’er gazed into the distance. ”He didn’t run into trouble, did he?”

”How could he?” Zhai Qingfeng shook his head. ”Fellow Daoist Wukong possesses a Great Divine Technique like Instant Teleportation. As long as he doesn’t run into a Golden Core Grandmaster, no one can trap him.”

”Heh...”

”To think Senior Brother Zhu knows such an expert!”

Liuu Huang’er nodded.

Not long ago, when the group emerged from the underground channel and faced the siege of Demonic Cultivators, Wukong had displayed astonishing methods.

Of the four Demonic Dao Foundation Cultivators, one of whom was even a Late-Stage Dao Foundation Cultivator, he had killed two on the spot, and the other two had fled in disarray.

”Junior Sister Liuu!”

”Elder Zhai!”

A familiar voice came from above at that exact moment. Zhu Ju floated down lightly, a smile on his face as he spoke, ”Are you all alright?”

”Senior Brother Zhu!”

”Senior Uncle!”

Everyone’s faces lit up with joy as they stepped forward to bow.

”I received a message from Fellow Daoist Wukong saying he had settled you here, so I rushed over.”

Zhu Ju looked at the crowd and sighed. ”It’s good that you’re all safe. That’s all that matters.”

”It’s all thanks to Fellow Daoist Wukong’s help.” Liuu Huang’er’s beautiful eyes sparkled. ”Senior Brother, how did you meet Fellow Daoist Wukong? His skills are so incredible, why has no one ever mentioned him?”

”Fellow Daoist Wukong is a friend I met while traveling the East Sea. I never thought he’d also come to the Ten Thousand Mountains,” Zhu Ju said with a smile. ”I ran into him on the road not long ago. Because this place is so dangerous, I asked him to help rescue you...”

”But let’s not talk about that for now.”

”Senior Sister Dong from the Hundred Flowers Sect is also nearby. We’ll go to her first, then we need to leave this place as soon as possible.”

The front lines, after all, were not safe.