Chapter 211: The Immortal Technique of Longevity

“Taiyi Sect!”

The moment Lu Yan spoke, all the Clear Wutong Sect’s personal disciples were struck with shock. Xiao Shang, who had just been displaying arrogant disdain, instantly lost color in his face.

Up in the skies, the massive visage formed by gathering clouds also fell into a heavy silence.

The Taiyi Sect—one of the Ten Great Orthodox Sects—was the oldest among them, and also the most mysterious.

All sects that once stood alongside the Taiyi Sect in ancient times had, without exception, become relics of history. In fact, many current orthodox sects had only risen by inheriting the remnants of those extinct sects. Even Clear Wutong Sect, despite its tens of thousands of years of history, was but a newborn infant compared to the Taiyi Sect.

In the cultivation world, age alone did not always equate to strength. But when a sect had lived as long as the Taiyi Sect, its very history was enough to send chills down one’s spine.

After all, the number of orthodox sects that had been schemed to death by the Taiyi Sect was more than just one or two.

Of course, if Lu Yan were merely an ordinary disciple of the Taiyi Sect, he wouldn’t be enough to make a peak Golden Core elder from the Clear Wutong Sect so wary.

The Taiyi Sect didn’t have many disciples compared to other sects of the same rank, but its branches were numerous, spread throughout the entire cultivation world. These branches freely accepted disciples and nurtured them.

However, these branches prioritized fortune over talent, and each disciple had to explore ruins and uncover their own techniques. This led to the Taiyi Sect disciples being notoriously inconsistent in strength.

The top-tier true disciples of the Taiyi Sect could dominate their entire realm, while the weaker ones were only marginally better than rogue cultivators.

Some extreme branches even sold outer disciple positions to anyone willing to pay enough spirit stones—an act that many orthodox sects found disgraceful.

If Lu Yan had been one of those disgraceful Taiyi disciples, Elder Xiao wouldn’t have hesitated to kill him, so long as he had a good excuse—he’d simply visit the Taiyi Sect afterward to offer an apology.

But the problem was… Lu Yan’s strength and potential were simply too astonishing.

Despite being only at early Foundation Establishment, he had easily suppressed seven personal disciples of the Clear Wutong Sect—most of them late-stage or peak Foundation Establishment cultivators. Even Xiao Shang, wielding a Golden Core-grade artifact, could not stand against him.

This feat alone proved how terrifying Lu Yan’s combat power was.

To become a personal disciple of the Clear Wutong Sect, one had to reach Human Dao Foundation Establishment and attain late Foundation Establishment before the age of forty, along with mastering a rudimentary divine ability. While they couldn’t compare to true disciples of the Ten Great Sects, they were still powerful enough to sweep aside most rogue Foundation Establishment cultivators in the outside world.

But Lu Yan had crushed them all with a single move.

The reason was that his Four Symbols Gate technique already carried traces of an actual Golden Core-level Divine Ability, far beyond mere rudimentary forms.

To comprehend such a divine technique at the early Foundation Establishment stage was considered a talent so rare that even within the Clear Wutong Sect it would be enough to become a true disciple. In the Taiyi Sect, it would easily earn the full backing of an entire branch.

And there was even the possibility that Lu Yan was connected to one of the Thirteen Main Bloodlines of the Taiyi Sect!

Just the thought made Elder Xiao feel a shiver crawl down his spine.

He knew how fearsome the Taiyi Sect’s main bloodlines were. Few in number, yet overwhelmingly powerful. They were also fiercely protective of their own.

Those terrifying old monsters rumored to have been unearthed from ancient tombs? Without exception, they were ancestors of the Taiyi Sect’s main bloodlines.

Elder Xiao was merely a peak Golden Core outer elder. He didn’t even have the qualification to open a cave-dwelling in the sect’s blessed land. How could he dare provoke someone from the Taiyi Sect’s main line?

Having come to this realization, Elder Xiao’s heart filled with unease, and the massive tower hovering above began to slowly withdraw.

Lu Yan also let out a quiet sigh of relief.

He had been prepared to draw the Human Emperor Banner from the Mysterious Female Gate within his body—but now, the threat passed, the artifact quieted down once more.

There was no way he could face off against a peak Golden Core cultivator on his own. The only way he could even hope to fight such an opponent was by using the Human Emperor Banner.

But the consequences of doing so were far too grave.

For one, withdrawing suppression from the Mysterious Female Gate could lead to uncontrollable fallout. More importantly, he was currently within the Clear Wutong Sect’s blessed land.

Even if he used the Human Emperor Banner to kill a Golden Core cultivator, it wouldn’t solve the bigger problem. The sect still housed countless other powerhouses. Any one of their Nascent Soul cultivators could crush Lu Yan with a flick of their finger.

This was no Apocalypse Version. Here in the Cultivation Version, even the Human Emperor Banner had its limits.

Moreover, revealing the banner would expose his identity as an emissary of the underworld. Once that secret came to light, every major power would turn its gaze on him. He’d be swarmed with endless trouble.

In this crisis, Lu Yan had made a decisive choice—to invoke the identity he had purchased back in the Urban Version: that of a Taiyi Sect disciple.

In the cultivation world, everything hinged on status and relationships—not just brute force.

Among the Ten Great Orthodox Sects, the Taiyi Sect faintly stood above the rest.

Unless absolutely necessary, Elder Xiao would never dare act against a disciple of the Taiyi Sect, especially not one as monstrously talented as Lu Yan.

And as expected, Elder Xiao began backing down. Both sides were preparing to let the matter drop.

Just then, however, Xiao Shang suddenly shouted:

“You claim to be a disciple of the Taiyi Sect—do you have any proof?”

The sky darkened as Elder Xiao’s expression turned furious. He sent a sharp reprimand via divine sense:

“You insolent fool! Are you trying to get us all killed?

“This Lu Yan might very well be from one of the Taiyi Sect’s thirteen main branches. Each of those branches has several Nascent Soul cultivators. How could you possibly afford to provoke them?”

Xiao Shang, however, seemed remarkably calm. He transmitted back:

“Father, don’t worry. I may not know Lu Yan’s full background, but I’m certain—he’s not a main bloodline disciple of the Taiyi Sect.”

Aloud, Xiao Shang raised his voice and continued his interrogation:

“If you really are a Taiyi Sect disciple, then produce your identity token or your sect robes to prove it!

“If not, then you’ve used the Taiyi Sect’s name to deceive a Clear Wutong elder—and by our laws, we are authorized to execute you on the spot!”

Lu Yan’s heart sank.

Xiao Shang had struck right at the weak point.

Lu Yan was a Taiyi Sect disciple—but his identity had been bought in the Urban Version. He was merely a lowest-ranked outer disciple.

And due to the version discrepancy, the only thing he possessed was a membership card from the Archaeological Association. He had neither a sect token nor the robes to prove his affiliation.

He had no way of producing proof.

The atmosphere in the air shifted once more. Up above, the massive cloud face narrowed its eyes with suspicion.

Xiao Shang gripped his dust-whisk, a mocking smile playing at his lips as he continued transmitting to his father:

“Others may not know Lu Yan’s background, but how could I not?

“Two years ago, he helped Ji Xingyao partially recover her foundation. In return, she used those treasures she extorted from us to buy him a Scripture Transmission Token.

“That incident made me start digging into Lu Yan.”

“I traced him through multiple sources, eventually arriving at the Bamboo Grove Market under Ji Xingyao’s name. I confirmed that, three years ago, Lu Yan was just a menial errand boy at a talisman shop—a lowly mortal who got caught up in a Demonic Sect incident and became a cultivator by sheer luck.”

“He later got close to Ji Xingyao and benefited greatly before vanishing from the market. Now, he suddenly reappears in a sect with a Foundation Establishment cultivation.”

Elder Xiao finally understood why his son bore such hatred toward Lu Yan.

To rise from a mere mortal to Foundation Establishment in just three years was already miraculous. But Lu Yan’s strength showed no signs of instability—instead, he wielded a technique bordering on a real divine ability.

This wasn’t just extreme talent—it also suggested an enormous opportunity behind him.

Even without the issue of Ji Xingyao’s stolen Scripture Token, Xiao Shang would never let such a chance slip through his fingers.

Even Elder Xiao found his gaze turning greedy.

He had been stuck at the peak of Golden Core for over a century. Without a rare treasure to break through, he’d never reach Nascent Soul.

But if Lu Yan truly possessed such a treasure…

Elder Xiao’s tone turned cold:

“How dare you use the Taiyi Sect’s name to sneak into our Clear Wutong Blessed Land—clearly you harbor ulterior motives!

“I shall seal you inside my tower and interrogate you day and night until I uncover the truth!”

With those words, the massive treasure tower once again descended from the sky, radiating divine light.

Terrifying pressure fell from above. Even Lu Yan felt a deadly threat from it.

Although he couldn’t intercept Elder Xiao’s divine sense, he could hear Xiao Shang’s transmissions loud and clear.

From that conversation, Lu Yan realized the real problem wasn’t proof—it was greed.

Even if he managed to prove his identity, Elder Xiao had already decided to act. They had passed the point of no return.

Yet Lu Yan showed no fear. His eyes simply glanced toward a different corner of the sky.

There, he sensed another powerful divine sense watching from afar. Clearly, a higher-level expert from the Clear Wutong Sect had taken notice of the commotion.

And in that moment, an idea took root in Lu Yan’s mind.

The cold detachment on his face twisted into open mockery.

“Two imbeciles.”

Though he didn’t name them, the targets of his scorn were clear.

The storm intensified. The tower accelerated in its descent.

Lu Yan ignored it and continued:

“If you investigated the Bamboo Grove Market, then you should know—two years ago, that market produced a rather remarkable figure.”

As the storm from the falling tower whipped his robes, Lu Yan remained disdainful:

“His name is He Dongsheng—a disciple of one of the Taiyi Sect’s Thirteen Main Branches.”

Elder Xiao’s expression changed slightly, but he still couldn’t determine whether Lu Yan was bluffing.

He’d already drawn his bow; now he had no choice but to fire. He poured more power into the tower.

The divine light was about to land—

And Lu Yan’s final words rang out:

“He Dongsheng has a master. His name… is Mu Chunqiu.”

The moment the name left his lips, the pressure from the treasure tower vanished.

A green talisman appeared before Lu Yan, though he had no idea when or how it got there.

Even with his divine soul—strong enough to rival ordinary Golden Core cultivators—he hadn’t sensed the talisman’s arrival.

It blocked the tower effortlessly.

Then, a white-haired old man in moon-white robes slowly emerged from the void.

A Nascent Soul True Lord!

Completely ignoring the tower’s divine light, the Nascent Soul cultivator smiled warmly at Lu Yan and asked in a gentle voice:

“You’ve met Lord Mu?”

Lu Yan felt a powerful divine soul envelop him. He could sense that if he uttered even the slightest lie, he would be torn apart by this immense spiritual pressure.

But his expression remained calm.

“We met once. I was accepted into the Taiyi Sect because Lord Mu acknowledged me.”

He wasn’t lying.

In the Urban Version, Mu Chunqiu had opposed the selling of Archaeological Association memberships, though ineffectively. Lu Yan had proactively formed a connection and gained his approval before joining the association.

In this Cultivation Version, however, that event took on an entirely new significance.

After all, who could imagine that a Nascent Soul True Lord in the Cultivation World had once been obstructed by a mere branch elder in the Urban Version?

Hearing this, the Nascent Soul cultivator’s smile grew even gentler.

“How did you meet Lord Mu?”

“He Dongsheng is a sworn brother of mine. He personally introduced me to Lord Mu.”

The old cultivator nodded in satisfaction. His gaze turned toward the distant sky—where Elder Xiao had already descended in fear the moment he saw the Nascent Soul appear.

Gone was his earlier arrogance. Now, his face was pale as paper.

He never imagined that the boy who had been a mere mortal three years ago was truly connected to the Taiyi Sect.

While Lu Yan wasn’t a direct heir, the one backing him was Mu Chunqiu—the most outstanding prodigy of the Taiyi Sect in nearly a thousand years. He had reached Nascent Soul at just over a hundred years old.

There were even rumors that Mu Chunqiu had glimpsed the legacy of the ancient underworld in the Northern Mang Tombs and stood on the threshold of the Divine Transformation Realm.

Even the Nascent Soul cultivator present—True Lord Wu—who had lived ten times longer than Mu Chunqiu, had to greet him as a junior.

“Lord Wu, I…”

Elder Xiao tried to speak, but True Lord Wu coldly cut him off.

The warm smile he had shown Lu Yan vanished.

“Outer Elder Xiao Han, Xie Nianci, and personal disciple Xiao Shang plotted to harm a disciple of the Taiyi Sect.

“From this moment, they are stripped of all positions within the Clear Wutong Sect and will be exiled to guard the Sea Eye in the Southern Seas for three hundred years. No mistakes allowed.”

Xiao Han was Elder Xiao, and Xie Nianci his wife—Xiao Shang’s mother.

The entire Xiao family had been dealt with in one stroke.

To lose all positions and be exiled to the Sea Eye was essentially a lifetime banishment from the Southern Region.

The severity of the punishment made many personal disciples tremble.

But to True Lord Wu, it was a matter of no significance.

Without reaching Nascent Soul, none of them even entered his eyes. Even a peak Golden Core elder was nothing more than a disposable tool.

After issuing his decree, True Lord Wu turned back to Lu Yan and smiled once more like a kindly old man.

“I heard Lord Mu is currently in seclusion, meditating on the Immortal Technique of Longevity in the Northern Mang Tombs. His ascension to the Divine Transformation Realm is near.

“If you see him again, young friend, do convey my early congratulations for attaining the Eternal Dao.”

With that, True Lord Wu stepped into the void and vanished.

All the personal disciples looked at Lu Yan with a mix of reverence and envy.

Only Lu Yan himself was frowning, deep in thought.

“The Immortal Technique of Longevity from the Northern Mang Tombs? Why does that sound… familiar?”

Suddenly, a memory surfaced.

His expression turned incredibly strange.

“Wait… is he talking about the Longevity Scripture I carved in the Urban Version?!”

(End of Chapter)