The Programmer Cultivator

As Monk Huineng finished speaking, the characters before Nangong Cheng flickered in unison. Like a hot brand, they shot out one by one, searing themselves onto the light barrier of the circular platform nearby.

The light barrier began to ripple rapidly, and distinct nodes materialized on its surface.

Guann Zhenzhen saw this and glanced at a disciple beside her. The disciple trembled, but under her unwavering gaze, he obediently stepped forward and touched one of the nodes.

POP...

The light barrier shattered instantly, but the fragments of light didn’t vanish. A small portion of them rained down on the disciple, while the majority landed on the middle-aged man on the platform.

The disciple, touched by the specks of light, was instantly horrified. Before he could even cry out, he aged rapidly until he disintegrated into a pile of ash.

Meanwhile, the middle-aged man, who had absorbed the majority of the light, showed no change in his facial features, but his hair began to rapidly turn gray and become withered.

The process only stopped when he had a full head of white hair—dull and lifeless.

”COUGH... COUGH...”

As the transformation finally ceased, the middle-aged man let out a sudden cough, signaling that the seal had been successfully broken.

What they failed to notice, however, was that while most of the characters imprinted on the light barrier had shattered upon disappearing, the two words ”Leiyin Temple,” carrying a faint glimmer of light, slowly faded from view instead.

Seeing the seal broken, Guann Zhenzhen let out a long sigh of relief.

With a wave of her hand, several disciples hurried forward, lifted the rack, and carried the middle-aged man swiftly from the room.

Just then, Guann Zhenzhen produced a Command Token. It was none other than the entry token for the Turtle Water Secret Realm—the very same one Zhang Deming had once used.

She held the Command Token and tossed it into the space where the light barrier had been, letting it drift down onto the center of the small, round table.

The three men looked at the token, their brows furrowing slightly.

Guann Zhenzhen said, ”This Command Token retains the lingering aura of a person. I don’t care which of you three does it, or what methods you use. Just lure him to Huayue City for me.”

”A word of warning: he’s likely a Tai Chi Stage Cultivator. His specific path is unknown, but he is extremely cautious, so it would be best to use subtle methods.”

The three men exchanged glances. After a long moment, Hua Zhengyu said hesitantly, ”I’ll perform a divination first. We can decide on a course of action after we have more information.”

Monk Huineng and the scholar-gowned Nangong Cheng both nodded. ”Agreed.”

Hua Zhengyu picked up the Command Token. Spreading one hand open, he manifested the Eight Trigrams pattern once more. He placed the token upon it and began to speak.

”I have a friend who says: This person’s life story will... re... veal...”

SPURT—

Before he could finish, the Daoist Robe-clad Hua Zhengyu’s face went ashen. He coughed up a mouthful of blood, completely unprepared, spraying it all over the two men across from him.

Monk Huineng froze for a second. Nangong Cheng’s eyes flickered, and he immediately asked, ”Are you alright? Is it because you were too heavily injured breaking the seal earlier?”

Hua Zhengyu kept his head down, his body trembling. Deep within his eyes, a profound fear flickered.

”COUGH... COUGH...”

He coughed up several more mouthfuls of blood before recovering slightly. Seizing the excuse Nangong Cheng had offered, he said:

”Yes, I was indeed severely injured earlier. I didn’t expect the backlash from a divination involving the Leiyin Temple Blessed Land to be so intense.”

Hearing this, Nangong Cheng looked up grimly at the frowning Guann Zhenzhen. ”You saw what happened. We’ve all expended too much energy. Why don’t we just call it off, or perhaps try again another day?”

Guann Zhenzhen frowned. ”I’m just asking you to lure out a Tai Chi Cultivator, not a Holy Land Saint Heir. What’s all the fuss about? Get a move on. If Daoist Hua can’t do it, can’t you two manage?”

The scholar-gowned Nangong Cheng turned back with a look of resignation. ”Why don’t I try, then?”

Hua Zhengyu interjected, ”Let me try again. You said he’s extremely cautious, right? We can’t afford to mess this up.”

”I was just caught off guard by my injuries acting up. Now that I’m prepared, it won’t be a problem.”

Nangong Cheng gave Hua Zhengyu a deep, meaningful look, then nodded. ”Fine.”

This time, Hua Zhengyu carefully began the Awakening Skill, then said, ”I have a friend who says: The object this person desires most will now appear.”

As he finished speaking, his throat convulsed, as if he were about to vomit again, but he managed to swallow it back down with sheer force. His face was already so deathly pale that the strain was unnoticeable. At the same moment, characters began to flow across the Eight Trigrams.

Item: Infant Spirit Hollow Jade.

Description: The desired object.

The three men stared at the unusually brief information, all pausing for a moment.

Hua Zhengyu looked up and stared at Nangong Cheng, unconsciously licking his lips.

Nangong Cheng froze, his eyes flickering. He seemed to have only just remembered the blood spattered on his face.

He gently reached up and wiped the blood away. The instant his fingers cleared the stains, he paused.

A Spiritual Light flashed in his hand. The blood on his palm quickly vanished, but in its place, a line of blood-red text, visible only to him, appeared.

’This person is unfathomable. A great terror, but also a source of Vitality. Find a way to seek him out!’

The words formed and vanished in an instant, visible to him alone.

After wiping away the blood, Nangong Cheng turned back to Guann Zhenzhen as if nothing had happened.

”Find this item,” he said. ”The target may be on the verge of a breakthrough. Once you have it, either I or the young monk can make a vow. We should be able to lure him out without leaving a trace.”

Guann Zhenzhen’s brow furrowed as she read the name ’Infant Spirit Hollow Jade.’ With a flick of her wrist, a blood-red piece of jade appeared in her hand. It was hollow, and inside, a tiny infant slept, curled into a ball. It was the Infant Spirit Hollow Jade.

The three men stared, stunned. ”Give it to me,” Nangong Cheng said. ”I will be the one to cast the lure.”

Guann Zhenzhen hesitated. ’Although this item is also crucial for me, using it as bait shouldn’t be a problem.’