The Programmer Cultivator

She tossed the Infant Spirit Hollow Jade directly into the light barrier.

Nangong Cheng caught the Infant Spirit Hollow Jade. He reached out, made a grasping motion in the air, and a brush slowly materialized. He quickly sketched in the air, chanting, ”What is sought and what is needed, by a fateful encounter, shall be revealed.”

The characters solidified one by one, finally seeping into the Infant Spirit Hollow Jade before slowly disappearing.

After he was done, he said, ”Alright. Now, how do you intend to deal with the three of us?”

Guann Zhenzhen gave no reply. Her hands flew through a series of Spell signs, and the black shadows behind the three men began to sink back into their bodies.

The three men’s expressions darkened, but before they could react, the shadows had already sunk completely into their bodies. The men slumped limply onto the round table once more.

Guann Zhenzhen waved her hand, dispelling the round Shield over the small table. Several Disciples came forward, one by one, and hauled the three men away.

She, in turn, took the Infant Spirit Hollow Jade, left the underground area, and returned to her room at the Academy.

...

「Outside Huayue City, in the forest.」

”Sigh... Every last one of them is truly useless!”

Zhang Deming had just shattered the Exotic Realm’s Array Space. Before he could even give chase to Guann Zhenzhen, a somber sigh echoed from the void. The voice was ancient and dry, as grating as an iron tool scraping against metal.

Zhang Deming’s expression changed instantly, turning exceptionally grim. ’My earlier fears might actually be coming true.’

With a wave of his hand, Zhang Deming dispersed all his surrounding Mirror Images and abandoned his pursuit of Guann Zhenzhen. Just then, Guann Zhenzhen vanished as well.

His entire body was tense as he monitored every movement in his surroundings.

As the voice faded, specks of black smoke inexplicably materialized from the void. They slowly rose and coalesced into the phantom of an old, middle-aged man.

Zhang Deming’s face fell as he gazed at the familiar visage. ’So it’s true,’ he thought. ’It really is that half-dead old monster I saw once in the Turtle Water Scripture Pavilion.’

Compared to their last meeting, the man’s face was unchanged, but his figure had aged considerably. His back was hunched, his waist was bent, and his hair had become withered, white, and sparse.

His body was stooped and his aura was one of decline. Aside from his face, he looked like an octogenarian with one foot in the grave.

Even so, Zhang Deming didn’t relax in the slightest, because this man was a genuine Three Talents Great Cultivator.

After his form solidified, the old man looked at Zhang Deming and said, ”Little one, it really wasn’t easy finding you.”

Zhang Deming stared tensely at the old ghoul and said, ”Do you have business with me, Senior? I don’t recall us having any connection.”

The old man looked at Zhang Deming and said, ”I don’t have time to beat around the bush. Hand over the Celestial Heart Treasure Box, and I’ll give you a quick death.”

Zhang Deming froze. He looked at the old man in confusion and said, ”Celestial Heart Treasure Box? Senior, what are you talking about?”

”Hmph. It seems I’ll have to take it myself.” With that, he raised a hand, and black smoke began to swirl around it.

At the sight, Zhang Deming’s whole body tensed, ready to erupt with power. But in the next instant, he froze.

The moment he sensed the aura of the gray mist, an ethereal Protective Talisman suddenly appeared around his body. On it, a ’卍’ Buddha Seal spun slowly.

’This is...?’

Zhang Deming stared in astonishment at the familiar, ethereal Protective Talisman. ’Is this that thing I tossed on my table a few days ago?’

While Zhang Deming was still stunned, his storage pouch vibrated gently. From the Infant Spirit Hollow Jade inside, a line of text materialized and floated out.

’What is sought and what is needed, by a fateful encounter, shall be revealed.’

The characters trembled and flickered, resonating with the distant ’卍’ Buddha Seal.

The withered old man’s brow furrowed, but before he could act...

As the text and the Protective Talisman vibrated in unison, the space beside Zhang Deming fluctuated. Then, the old Monk Fuyuan, the young scholar Guu Donglin, and the middle-aged Priest Ruan Mingxian—the trio he had inexplicably met once before—suddenly materialized out of thin air.

”Well, well. After searching for over half a month, we finally found it. That wasn’t easy!” the scholar, Guu Donglin, said, looking at the floating text.

The old Monk, Fuyuan, nodded. ”Indeed, it was not. And we have this young benefactor to thank for it.”

As he spoke, he turned to look at Zhang Deming, placed his palms together, and gave a slight bow.

Zhang Deming’s expression stiffened. He was rendered speechless by the sudden appearance of one Three Talents-level old monster after another.

The scholar, Guu Donglin, looked at the old Monk Fuyuan. ”So, you discovered this lead several days ago?”

The old Monk, Fuyuan, shook his head. ”I wasn’t entirely sure. The information from Huineng was too cryptic. At the time, I merely sensed an opportunity and acted on a whim.”

At this, the Priest, Ruan Mingxian, spoke up. ”Let’s deal with him first, before something unexpected happens.”

Hearing this, the other two turned in unison to face their opponent.

The old ghoul across from them stared at the trio with a dark expression, not making any rash moves.

”My, you’re not looking so good,” the scholar, Guu Donglin, said flippantly to the stooped old man. ”I say, old-timer, why don’t you just surrender? It’ll save us all some trouble.”

The middle-aged man, Qu Wenbai, ignored the scholar. Instead, he looked at the old Monk Fuyuan and the Priest Ruan Mingxian. ”You bald donkeys are like lingering ghosts, you just won’t go away,” he sneered. ”But your timing is perfect. It means my preparations weren’t in vain. I can collect some interest in advance.”

As he spoke, the expressions of the trio, who had been posturing just moments before, changed in unison.

The surrounding sky suddenly fell silent, and a massive Turtle Shell materialized, trapping all of them inside.

Within the Turtle Shell Space, water began to surge. Three currents, like black water serpents, rose from beneath the feet of the three newly arrived masters, coiling around and immobilizing them.

A black aura flared around Qu Wenbai’s body. He stared sinisterly at the trio. ”Did you really think I would show myself so easily without making any preparations?

”Did you really think a few juniors could pull something right under my nose? My eyes haven’t grown so dim with age. I was merely playing along!”