Chapter 334 - 329: Meng Xiao Passes Away, Du Youqian Is Number One in the World

In the same year that Du Youqian broke through to the Golden Core Middle Stage, Meng Xiao passed away.

He was unwilling to use the array Du Youqian had set up, which could have preserved his soul.

He didn’t even want to reincarnate.

When the signs of the Celestial Five Declines appeared and he was on the verge of death, Du Youqian finally came to see him and admitted that he had undergone Possession.

Possession, of course. He could never admit to being a Reincarnation Cultivator.

Meng Xiao was not surprised in the slightest. A knowing smile appeared on his withered, aged face. "My lord, you’ve kept this from me for so long."

"I haven’t been your lord for a long time. The term of your oath has long since expired."

"An oath may expire, but how can loyalty have a term?" The weakened Meng Xiao’s voice lacked its usual strength, and his body gave off a foul odor, like rotting plants.

To the sensitive nose of a Core Formation Master, the stench was simply overpowering.

Frankly, he looked no better than a zombie from a movie.

Yet he was serene and calm. This peaceful acceptance of death moved Du Youqian.

"Let me help you shed your mortal form. Afterward, I’ll use an array to preserve your soul. In the future, when I break through to a higher Realm, I’ll protect you during your reincarnation and guide you back onto the path of the Dao."

"There’s no need," Meng Xiao said with a faint smile. "My lord, what if you let me become a Ghost Cultivator?"

Du Youqian was silent for a moment before asking, "Are you sure?"

"I’ve been thinking about it for hundreds of years. My lord, let me become a Ghost Cultivator and continue to serve you."

Du Youqian saw right through him. "You don’t want to continue some unfinished romance between a human and a ghost with Xi Mengran. You want to have a full-blown ghost romance with her, don’t you?"

"My lord, must you be so blunt?"

Du Youqian sneered, "Then you shouldn’t be so obvious."

The two of them laughed for a while, and then Du Youqian fell silent.

The will of a Core Formation Master was not so easily shaken.

Meng Xiao took out the Soul-Imbued Jade, gazing at it gently.

Soon, Xi Mengran’s ghost rose from the Soul-Imbued Jade and looked at him sorrowfully.

The man and the ghost gazed at each other in silence. No words were needed.

After a long time, Du Youqian finally said, "I understand."

"I’ve already made all the preparations to become a Ghost Cultivator," Meng Xiao said, handing the Soul-Imbued Jade and a Storage Treasure Pouch to Du Youqian. "My lord, I’ll have to entrust Meng Ran to your care during this time."

Xi Mengran remained silent, bowing to Du Youqian.

She conveyed a message with her Divine Sense: ’You’re very powerful. Can you save him?’

Du Youqian did not answer.

Silence was its own answer.

Three days later, Meng Xiao passed away with a smile on his face.

Du Youqian took Meng Xiao’s soul, now slumbering in the Soul-Imbued Jade, and Xi Mengran’s ghost back to the Celestial Master’s Mansion in the Wu Kingdom.

In truth, all of the Nine Countries now had a Celestial Master’s Mansion and a Grass Tower Temple.

However, Du Youqian was more accustomed to living in the Wu Kingdom.

It was closer to Soul-shaking Mountain, so he could go check on it whenever he pleased.

The Nourishing Vein Array on Soul-shaking Mountain had been re-established. It wasn’t to cultivate a High Tier Spirit Vein; under the current world conditions, the expensive array could only barely keep the Spirit Vein from degrading in quality.

Du Youqian had indeed worked with the Beautiful Daoist Nun to prevent Momenan’s environment from rapidly deteriorating.

But the decline in Spiritual Qi was inevitable.

The only difference was the speed of the decline.

During these past few years, Pang Master had not contacted Meng Xiao, Luo Jinyu, or Lin Sha.

’Maybe, possibly, perhaps... he really is dead...’

~~~~~~~~~~

In the Emotionless Sect, Supreme Elder Gu Kechen was in seclusion.

His path of ascension within the Emotionless Sect was the stuff of legends.

He was once an obscure Cultivator with a Middle Grade Spirit Root, thought to be stuck at the Foundation Establishment Early Stage for life. But he had advanced with unstoppable momentum, reaching Core Formation in just a hundred years and vaulting to the position of Supreme Elder of the Third-class Emotionless Sect.

Such a meteoric rise surely had a secret behind it.

But Gu Kechen believed that everyone who knew his secret was already dead...

Until a familiar voice echoed in his mind.

"Gu Kechen, are you still loyal to me?"

Gu Kechen almost thought he was hearing things.

But when the voice repeated itself, Gu Kechen answered decisively, "My lord, I am still loyal to you."

After a pause, he probed cautiously, "My lord, are you alright? A while ago, word came from the Taihe Sect that Master Baili had already killed you..."

"Hehehe, he merely destroyed a substitute body of mine. I can have as many such substitutes as I wish."

A shiver ran down Gu Kechen’s spine, and he hurriedly said, "Your mighty powers are boundless, my lord. That Baili Jianxin is nothing but a buffoon. Once you’re free, you could crush him with a flick of your hand."

"No, do not underestimate your enemies... Aside from myself, that Baili Jianxin’s strength is probably the greatest in this realm. However, he also has a secret. He is a Possession Cultivator. He was originally Master You De, a True Inheritance Core Formation of the Holy Blood Sect. You must find an opportunity to leak this information. It might not do much to him, but it will be good to cause him some trouble."

"Yes, your subordinate will see it done. Does my lord have any other instructions?"

"Not for now. Lie low and bide your time. I will contact you when I have need of you. If there is anything you require, wait until I contact you again, and then tell me."

"Yes!"

"Also, you may now know my name. I am called ’Master Nine’!"

"Yes, my lord!"

Long after the voice had faded, a worried expression finally appeared on Gu Kechen’s face...

~~~~~~~~~~

Another forty years passed. Du Youqian and Master Wu Ai once again held the heaven-worshipping ceremony, expertly delaying the decline of Spiritual Qi once more.

Even though during these forty years, many voices had condemned him for his Possession Cultivation, claiming it was rejected by the Celestial Dao. Some even self-righteously petitioned the Holy Blood Sect to strip him of his Cultivation and seal him away.

But the Holy Blood Sect simply performed Soul Extraction and Refining on the fool and set his soul to be roasted on a Soul Lamp for a hundred years...

Du Youqian now shouldered the heavy responsibility of keeping Momenan’s Spiritual Qi from collapsing.

Who would dare to touch him?

Who could touch him?

Until a new inheritor of the Human Dao Sword appeared, Du Youqian’s position was as unshakable as Mount Tai!

And in the past eight thousand years, Momenan had, on average, not even produced one Cultivator who had achieved Great Success with the Human Dao Sword per millennium...

Therefore, how could either the Holy Blood Sect or the Taihe Sect possibly admit that Du Youqian was a Possession Cultivator?

They could only endorse Du Youqian: Master Baili is a Reincarnation Cultivator. No one is to speak nonsense and slander his good name!

Du Youqian hadn’t worried about any of this at all.

He understood his situation perfectly. Even if he stood up and announced that he was a damn vile Possession Cultivator, the Taihe Sect and the Holy Blood Sect would explain it away for him: Master Baili just saw that the atmosphere was too tense and decided to tell a joke. Nobody should take it seriously...

So, Du Youqian focused on his Cultivation in peace.

During these forty years, he diligently studied the True Grotto Heaven Golden Profound Body Recording Scripture, deepening his understanding of his primary cultivation technique, the Profound Void Three Treasures Decision.

It turned out that because the Profound Void Three Treasures Decision he had was incomplete, his Cultivation had always been slightly flawed.

The Three Treasures Decision should never have been focused solely on Physique; it was meant to advance Physique, Magical Power, and Divine Sense in unison!

Although this Cultivation Technique was not of the highest tier, being merely a "Decision," its underlying concept was quite profound.

It was Du Youqian’s own understanding that had been superficial!

But it wasn’t his fault.

Before him, everyone who had practiced this Cultivation Technique had done so in the same way.

Fortunately, even though his Cultivation had strayed slightly, he had still managed to successfully reach Core Formation and even cultivate to the Golden Core Middle Stage, relying on the inheritance from his previous life, his powerful Divine Sense, and the Magical Power he had amassed by consuming all sorts of Treasures of Heaven and Earth.

Therefore, he only needed to pay attention to balancing them in his future Cultivation.

There was no need to destroy his foundation and start over.

For most of these forty years, Du Youqian spent his time in comprehension, attempting to complete the Cultivation Technique.

In the thirty-plus years that followed, Du Youqian’s Cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds.

At the age of 184, Du Youqian successfully advanced to the Golden Core Late Stage, becoming one of Momenan’s top Great Cultivators!

Those who learned of his advancement were utterly astounded.

After all, in Momenan’s history, most Cultivators who advanced to the Golden Core Late Stage were over three hundred years old.

But on second thought, considering Du Youqian was a Possession Cultivator, everyone found it more acceptable.

If they knew that Du Youqian was a Reincarnation Cultivator, their jaws would probably drop to the floor!

But Du Youqian himself was not surprised in the least.

After all, he had the best conditions for Cultivation in the world.

A top-tier Cultivation Technique; the accumulated experience of several lifetimes of Cultivation; an immense Divine Sense inherited from his past life, which meant he didn’t need to spend any time strengthening it in this one; an inexhaustible supply of various resources; and of course, the most important thing, a Celestial Spirit Root... and, for some unknown reason, he had never encountered the slightest bottleneck, even when advancing to the Golden Core Middle Stage and Golden Core Late Stage.

It would have been strange if he *didn’t* have such a Cultivation speed!

After consolidating his Realm, Du Youqian told no one. He simply took Little Wukong and made a trip to the Death Channel.

Then he returned, just as quietly, seemingly unchanged.

This attempt to break through... had failed.

And the price Du Youqian paid was another sixty years of his lifespan.

A Golden Core Late Stage Cultivator has a lifespan of eight hundred years; Du Youqian had already lost one hundred.

However, the attempt was not without value.

At the very least, it made Du Youqian understand one thing: he had a chance to break out!

Of course, his failure this time only meant his strength was still insufficient, and luck had not been on his side.

’I have to keep trying... If Golden Core Late Stage isn’t enough, then I’ll strive for Golden Core Perfection!’

’Two Divine Abilities aren’t enough, so I’ll have to comprehend another one!’

Du Youqian felt that he desperately needed a space-type Divine Ability.

However, it wasn’t something he could comprehend just by wishing for it...

Of course, he had the Spring and Autumn Brush, which could record the Divine Abilities used by others, allowing him to watch and study them repeatedly.

Although it was more difficult than comprehending Sword Intent, it wasn’t a hopeless endeavor.

But there were far too few people who had mastered space-type Divine Abilities.

Furthermore, most Cultivators were extremely secretive about the Divine Abilities they had comprehended and would never reveal them easily.

Unless their relationship was incredibly close, they would never disclose such a thing.

As far as Du Youqian knew... there was only one Cultivator who had mastered the kind of space-type Divine Ability he needed, and it was an old acquaintance of his: True Inheritor Core Formation Xia Chuchu of the Yue Kingdom’s Red Lotus Sect.

The otherwise unremarkable Xia Chuchu could actually go toe-to-toe with veteran Core Formation cultivators, all thanks to that Divine Ability.