Stealing Immortal

Chapter 24: Chapter 23: One Origin

「Three days later.」

In the small courtyard, Xu You began to pay close attention to Chen Qingyang. He not only probed him repeatedly but even started observing him in secret.

This left Chen Qingyang feeling constrained, unable to do many things freely. ’I need to find a way to deal with this,’ he thought.

Another night.

The moon was a hook, the mountains like demons.

After leaving Liu Tao’s Alchemy Room, Chen Qingyang once again sat down beneath the pine tree on the mountainside.

With a thought, small golden characters appeared before his eyes.

[Chen Qingyang]

[Third Realm of Qi Refining]

[Tai Xu Energy-Introducing Technique: (1/1000)]

[Tier Two Qi-Introducing Pill: (19/300)]

[Great Soul Scripture (Incomplete): (35/300)]

[Available Immortal Seedlings: 1]

Ever since losing Xu Baoling as an energy source, his Cultivation progress had become extremely slow. Not only had he used up many Elixirs, but despite cultivating diligently every day, his Tai Xu Energy-Introducing Technique had only advanced by 1 point.

He had once discussed this with Wu Boyou. Once Disciples of the Four Golden Peaks entered Qi Refining, most would stop practicing the Tai Xu Energy-Introducing Technique, or at most, cultivate it to the Third Realm of Qi Refining. This technique focused on polishing the Dantian Meridians and was too fundamental, not suitable for Cultivators in the Qi Refining Realm. Therefore, their masters would impart new Dharma Gates to them, a benefit he lacked.

At this thought, Chen Qingyang gripped the Warm Jade Scroll again. A flicker of fire appeared on it, imprinting a faint shadow—it was Xu Baoling.

Indeed, giving her the cold shoulder was the fastest way to make her calm down. She had lost her previous arrogance and now just stared blankly at Chen Qingyang, unable to speak for a long while.

”No matter how arrogant and domineering you were before, you are now in my hands. The days when you could toy with me as you pleased are over. I hope you understand that!”

Xu Baoling remained restrained. She was trying her best to make her Yin Soul self appear gentler and more charming, but unfortunately, her shadow was too ephemeral to show anything clearly.

”Junior Brother Chen, wasn’t I good to you? I’ve lived for two hundred years, and you’re the only one who has ever seen... what should and shouldn’t be seen of my body...”

Chen Qingyang sneered. ”The Poison Pill, the killing intent, the scheming—any one of these is reason enough for me to kill you. You’re a smart person. You should understand that only by showing your value can you hope to survive.”

”You...” Xu Baoling paused again. She hesitated, filled with apprehension. Her former demeanor had vanished overnight. ”Who... who exactly are you?”

”That is not the question.”

”You... you said you’d let me go in the future, that you’d help me reconstruct my golden body. Is that true or false?”

”Even if I can’t help you reconstruct a golden body, I can still let you undergo Possession. I am a man of my word.”

”Sigh!” Xu Baoling sighed again, perhaps forced by the situation to accept her fate. ”Then tell me, Junior Brother Chen, what value do I have that makes you keep me alive?”

Her tone was gentle, and her attitude had become sincere.

”My current status is a Miscellaneous Task disciple, so I can’t cultivate many of the Outer Sect’s Cultivation Techniques and Divine Powers. The Tai Xu Sect also has a law that makes privately teaching Dharma Gates a capital offense. If you were to teach me, there would be no such concern, would there?”

Xu Baoling said, ”I see you’re already at the Third Realm of Qi Refining. For someone a hundred and twenty years old, your aptitude is quite average, but your ability to refine Qi-Introducing Pills is a strength. It shouldn’t be too difficult to find a master in the Outer Sect to take you on. As it happens, my master, Master Yun Ci, is very knowledgeable and quite accomplished among Foundation Establishment Masters. Why don’t you become her disciple, Junior Brother? You can ask that Liu Tao to make the introduction.”

Chen Qingyang could more or less guess what she was plotting.

”You want me to take your Divine Soul near your master. Since this is your first attempt, I’ll let it slide. If there’s a next time, I’ll kill you without a second thought.”

His decisiveness was so ruthless that Xu Baoling was stunned for a moment. Then, her ethereal form covered its face and began to sob pitifully, like a female specter. ”This is no good, that is no good, what do you want me to say? I’m so afraid I’ll say the wrong thing and offend you, Junior Brother, and then I’ll meet a violent end.”

If Xu Baoling were stupid, there would be no smart people left in the world. She was just feigning ignorance, testing Chen Qingyang’s limits with everything she did.

”Get to the point.”

Xu Baoling said tearfully, ”The Dharma Gate I cultivate is the Righteous Great Divine Dao. It’s far more profound than Liu Tao’s Fire Control Three Acupoints. Do you want to cultivate it?”

The Dharma Gate primarily focused on Divine Soul Cultivation, which didn’t appeal to Chen Qingyang as much as the Great Soul Scripture. Besides, it was something passed down personally by a Foundation Establishment Master. If someone saw him using it, wouldn’t he just be asking for trouble?

As Chen Qingyang fell silent, Xu Baoling added, ”But this technique is truly difficult to begin. I only managed to master the basics because my master favored me and guided me personally. Of course, once you succeed, your power will be considerable. Otherwise, why would Liu Tao have been so afraid of me breaking through in my Cultivation? Why would she have gone to such lengths to rope you into her scheme against me... I was tricked by you too, Junior Brother. If not for that...”

Her tone became coquettish toward the end, quite alluring.

Chen Qingyang remained impassive. ”Getting started isn’t hard for me. I just don’t think it’s suitable. Think again, and think carefully!”

Seeing that he didn’t react to her antics, Xu Baoling grew bolder. She ran her hands along her waist, striking a more seductive pose, and even leaned toward Chen Qingyang. A pity she was now just an incorporeal form.

”If you’re not afraid of a difficult start, then the hardest of the Seven Arts is the Sword Dao. Why don’t you give that a try, Junior Brother?”

The Sword Dao.

’Isn’t that what Li Qianxue cultivates?’

In just a hundred years, she had reached Foundation Establishment. Moreover, she had walked the path of a Sword Cultivator, practicing one of the most difficult Sword Dao Techniques in the Tai Xu Sect. That was the origin of her title as a peerless prodigy.

”Continue.”

”Junior Brother, you really want to practice Sword Formulas!” Xu Baoling’s tone held a hint of amusement. ”Alright then, I’ll tell you. Immortal Cultivation originally has six arts. The Tai Xu Sect is unique in including the Sword Dao because our sect’s unshakeable position and dominance over the entire Cyan Nether State rely on our Sword Cultivators...”

”The main point.”

”Junior Brother, look at you, getting all impatient... That year, just like you, I had just reached the Third Realm of Qi Refining. My master advised me to take the path of Talismans, but all I wanted was to pursue the most powerful art. So, the first time I went to the Cloud Scripture Jade Pavilion, I chose a basic Sword Dao to study. The result, well, you can imagine—I wasted a whole year. If you want it, Junior Brother, I can give it to you.”

Chen Qingyang was decisive. ”What is the name of this Sword Dao? Recite its contents to me in full.”

Hearing this, Xu Baoling readily agreed. ”It’s called the One-Origin Sword, meaning the beginning of all things. In our Tai Xu Sect, everyone from the Outer Sect to the Inner Sect, even the True Inheritor Li Qianxue, has cultivated it... Heh heh, but why am I telling you all this? You should know better than anyone, right?”

The name was extremely familiar. Chen Qingyang’s mind naturally drifted back to a distant era.

”One-Origin Sword... today, you shall be the foundation of my Sword Dao...”

”Within a month, I’ve grasped the basics.”

”In three months, I’ve achieved great mastery... Brother Qingyang, the Tai Hao Sword Master has seen that I have a great Wisdom Root for this path. I have to go...”

Many things in his mind were hazy, but this memory alone remained sharp.

The two never saw each other again. Now, one lay unconscious in a coma, while the other had nearly died just before beginning his Qi Refining journey.

”What is it? Did you think of something again, Junior Brother?”

Seeing his silence, Xu Baoling naturally had her suspicions.

”I’ll take the One-Origin Sword. It’s not a Dharma Gate passed down from your master, so you won’t be violating the Sect’s laws.”

This time, Xu Baoling didn’t waste any words. She recited the entire thing from memory in front of Chen Qingyang, taking nearly half an hour. ”I wonder how much you memorized, Junior Brother? I recited it without a single error. Should I go over it again?”

Chen Qingyang said, ”There’s no need.”

Another benefit of a powerful Divine Soul was an excellent memory. In this regard, Xu Baoling, who cultivated the Righteous Great Divine Dao, was particularly outstanding.

However...

On his panel, the three words ”One-Origin Sword” did not appear.

Chen Qingyang was confident he had memorized it perfectly, and had even mulled it over in his mind for a while. This could only mean that Xu Baoling was lying.

”Hmph. From the moment I started being lenient with you, you began to take liberties. Now you even dare to deceive me with a fake Cultivation Technique. I was going to give you a chance, but it seems that won’t be necessary anymore.”

Xu Baoling grew frantic. ”Junior Brother Chen, you haven’t even tried it yet and you’re already calling it fake! If you really want to kill me, why bother with...”

Without giving her a chance to speak, Chen Qingyang applied a slight force, sucking Xu Baoling back into the Warm Jade Scroll. Instantly, miserable screams echoed endlessly.

”You tried to make me suffer a cultivation deviation with a fake technique so you could use the power of your Righteous Great Divine Dao to perform Possession on me. From now on, you will be burned by fire until your soul dissipates into nothing!”

Xu Baoling was terrified and turned pale. She wanted to say something more, but Chen Qingyang had no desire to listen. He just held the Warm Jade Scroll, gently channeling his True Qi into it. After suffering the torment of being burned by scorching flames for four or five days, she would be no more.

Chen Qingyang walked down the mountain at a leisurely pace. As he neared the small courtyard, his steps slowed even more.

’It’s been some time since Xu Baoling’s physical body died. If Qi Xiuyuan truly cared about her, he should have learned of her death by now. He’ll be on high alert in places she used to frequent, like this.’

Just three steps from the courtyard gate, the hair on Chen Qingyang’s neck suddenly stood on end. He sensed someone hiding behind the wall, very close to him.

Upon closer inspection, the aura felt somewhat familiar.

’It’s not Qi Xiuyuan. It’s Xu You.’

’What’s he doing here?’

’Waiting for me.’

Chen Qingyang remained calm and took another half-step forward.

A dark figure shot out from behind the wall at extreme speed. Already aware of the other’s intentions, Chen Qingyang’s movements remained unhurried as he simply tightened his grip on the Warm Jade Scroll in his robes.

Sure enough, just as it was about to reach him, the dark figure retracted all its force, leaving only a gust of wind that rustled his clothes.

When it stopped, the figure revealed was Xu You—a man of forty with the air of a youth.

”Oh, it’s Senior Brother Chen! I almost injured a good person by mistake!”

His smile was full of false sincerity.

His attack had been extremely fast, fully displaying the power of the First Realm of Qi Refining. If Chen Qingyang had been able to react, or even block it, it would have been enough to prove that he had already broken through.

”Junior Brother... Xu, what was that for?”

A hint of surprise appeared on Chen Qingyang’s face.

”Oh my, it’s all my fault for being too cautious. I thought someone was up to no good in the middle of the night and almost hurt you by mistake.” He bowed with his hands clasped, breezily brushing off the earlier attack. ”Thankfully, you’re alright, Senior Brother Chen. Why are you back so late?”

Chen Qingyang paused, a broad smile spreading across his face. ”Naturally, it’s because something good happened that I was delayed.”

As he spoke, he pinched a Poison Pill between his fingers. ”Junior Brother Xu, take a look. What do you think of the quality of this Qi Gathering Pill I have left over from today?”

Xu You stared, a flash of greed in his eyes. ”It’s... very good.”

”It’s thoughtful of you to stand guard here and protect everyone.”

As he handed over the Elixir, Xu You accepted it with great caution. For a moment, he really couldn’t figure out what Chen Qingyang was thinking.

”Junior Brother, about just now... I’m truly sorry.”

...

「Back in his room.」

Chen Qingyang waited until Xu You’s face appeared in his mind and he had collected 4 Immortal Seedlings, then began to meditate with satisfaction.