Chapter 630 - 611: Totally Badass

The Tenth Princess pouted. Everyone else got to go out and play, but she was the only one stuck cultivating her technique every day. On top of that, she had to study this and learn that. She was bored to death every single day.

’Punishing evil and promoting good is the very root of cultivation. My older sister is the same—she could make things so much simpler, but she’s always worrying about this and that. What’s the point of that?’

’I should be the one to punish evil and promote good!’

’But where is Wang City? I heard it’s really far away. Ugh.’

One should never underestimate this Tenth Princess. Although young, she was already an expert at the Earth Wheel Realm with extraordinary talent. The dandies of Haojing basically considered her their biggest headache. Her Highness’s favorite pastime was putting people in their place, which seemed to be her only source of amusement.

What an odd hobby for a child to have. It was said that someone else had instilled these ideas in her.

The problem was, the main target was Wang Rencai, but other people were taking the fall for him.

The best place to run a test was undoubtedly the Taibai Mountain Range. Wang Meng set off at a leisurely pace, riding Old Horse. It would take some time to adapt to the laws of the Middle Thousand Realm.

In truth, the current Master Wang couldn’t venture too deep into places like the Taiyuan Bone Land or the Taibai Mountain Range. In his own words, the spirit was willing, but the flesh was weak. Back in the latter stages of the Small Thousand Realm, his Life Wheel’s level had been equivalent to the Celestial Wheel Realm here. He had only been able to unleash the might of his Divine Statue by relying on abundant Elemental Qi and a formidable physical body.

Upon arriving at their destination, Old Horse ambled off to the side on its own. It wandered around for a bit and then vanished. Master Wang paid it no mind; Old Horse was free to come and go as it pleased. It seemed the horse had a few secrets of its own.

Master Wang activated his Spirit Fusion Bracelet, and a five-colored light surged forth. BOOM...

His True Essence steadily rose as he pushed the Merak Fire Cloud Technique to its limits. With the support of the Five Elements Attribute, Wang Meng completely regained his sense of control. His True Essence spread like a tidal wave, filling his entire body and sweeping away the feeling of fragility and powerlessness.

’This is the feeling.’

Power filled his chest, and Wang Meng couldn’t help but throw his head back and let out a long roar that shook the heavens. The feeling was just too exhilarating.

His Life Wheel began to spin, and his Primordial Spirit grew incredibly active. His Divine Sense pierced through and merged with his Life Wheel. BOOM...

Golden light shot out in all directions as a Giant Dragon soared into the sky...

But just as it got halfway up, it vanished with a sad whimper. Master Wang’s high came to an abrupt halt. ...Not enough juice.

He glanced at his Spirit Containing Bracelet. The True Essence Beasts inside couldn’t possibly withstand such a massive drain; they had been depleted in an instant.

Wang Meng was quite pleased, however. It seemed the problem he needed to solve was his own Five Elements and finding five more reliable True Essence Beasts.

’Third Transformation is pretty good, but unfortunately, it can’t sustain the consumption of the Divine Statue at all.’

Master Wang was in an excellent mood, but then he saw a patch of grass rustling in the distance. A terrified whinny cut through the air, and Old Horse came galloping toward him.

Behind it, there seemed to be...

Crap, a pack of Exotic Beasts was charging right for them.

Shouting and roaring in a place like this was just asking for death, and an excited Master Wang had completely failed to hold back.

Old Horse was already cursing up a storm in its mind. ’Psycho! He even ruined my plans!’

Master Wang turned tail and ran. That last power-up had been quite exhausting. This was no time for pleasantries; he leaped directly onto Old Horse’s back.

Old Horse cried out in misery in its heart. ’Damn it, running by myself is tiring enough, but now I have to carry someone! This is a horse’s life!’

They finally shook off the pursuing Exotic Beasts after a frantic gallop, at which point Old Horse promptly bucked Wang Meng off onto the ground.

Master Wang, however, lay on the ground completely unconcerned. His strength was returning bit by bit, and his goals were becoming clearer. First, he would recover his full strength. Then, he would find the path to the Divine Realm—or perhaps the Grand Thousand Realm. Whatever it took, a battle with Wangtian would absolutely be worth it.

The Grand Thousand Realm was bound to have even more monstrous talents. And entities of the Celestial Dao, like Wangtian and Moo Shan, were surely doing everything in their power to prevent people from ascending.

All of a sudden, Master Wang froze. He had unintentionally stumbled upon a problem.

’The Middle Thousand Realm and the Grand Thousand Realm seem to be a cage, designed to trap cultivators who have the potential to transcend the Great Dao.’

’Little Jing also told me before she left that I need to think things through more and not just follow a set pattern.’

’Right now, I’m still focused on regaining my full strength and then finding the Heaven-Reaching Path, but that entire approach might be wrong. Even if I reach the peak of my power, I might not get a chance.’

’It’s just like Moo Shan back then. He was already a Demigod, but he still didn’t stand a chance.’

’The Celestial Dao has a path; the Dao Laws can’t be completely sealed off. It must leave a key, but there are likely many more paths to enlightenment.’

’Let’s try a different line of thought. If I were the Dao Laws, how would I deal with someone like me?’

Wang Meng thought quietly while Old Horse paced back and forth impatiently nearby. ’Being with this guy has its pros and cons,’ the horse thought. ’He seems to have some tricks up his sleeve, but why is he such an idiot?’

’What’s the most prominent feature of this plane?’

’It’s obvious. Engaging with the mortal world!’

Wang Meng suddenly clapped his hands. He probably couldn’t just leave this place after all. ’Was my appearance as Wang Rencai an accident?’

’Perhaps coincidence is destiny. If I were to shed this identity and just focus on cultivating my power, regaining my peak strength would only be a matter of time. But I’d probably never solve the real problem.’

’The key is hidden with Wang Rencai. To be precise, he is a clue, a lead that ultimately points to the key.’

’Looks like I have to go back to Haojing after all.’

Having figured things out, Wang Meng brushed the mud off his clothes. "Old Horse, do you think engaging with the mortal world is fun?"

Old Horse was slightly taken aback. It snorted and flicked its tail.

Wang Meng smiled. "Looks like you’re interested too. Our goals are aligned. How about we stick together? I plan on engaging with the mortal world as well."

Old Horse seemed a little shocked, as if something had been seen right through.

Wang Meng patted Old Horse. "No need to be shy. Don’t worry, I won’t sell you. Seeing as I’m such a kind person, how about you carry me back? I used a bit too much power just now and I’m spent."

It seemed Old Horse had already grown accustomed to Wang Meng’s shamelessness, as Master Wang had already climbed onto its back.

’Of course, I have to increase my strength, but that’s not the ultimate goal. One moment of carelessness and I could fall right into a trap.’

Master Wang was in a fine mood, humming a tone-deaf little tune all the way.

Old Horse suddenly screeched to a halt and whipped its head around to glare daggers at Wang Meng.

"Can you please stop singing!"

For a moment, Master Wang was stunned numb. "You... you can speak???"

Now, there weren’t many things that could genuinely surprise Master Wang.

"Humans are just one branch in the grand army of cultivators. You’re not all that!"

Old Horse flared its nostrils and spoke with an air of arrogance.

"You should’ve said something sooner! It would’ve saved me the trouble of talking to myself."

"I don’t have time to waste on your nonsense. I’m just a horse. Remember this: don’t sing. It’s so awful it could scare a horse to death!"

Old Horse raged.

It had always kept a low profile and could tolerate just about anything, but that singing... It was soul-crushingly, devastatingly bad. It could not be tolerated.

Master Wang scratched his head, a little embarrassed. ’Is it really that bad? Zhang Xiaopang always says it sounds great.’

Apparently, Master Wang had no idea that whenever he got this excited, everyone else would just seal off their sense of hearing and let him get it out of his system.

A badass talking horse.

"Hey, Old Horse, how much do you think a talking horse would sell for?" Master Wang asked, full of curiosity.

Immediately after, Old Horse broke into a wild gallop, bucking and jolting so violently that Master Wang finally caved.

In the Great Zhou, the Spirit Control Association held a dominant 60% share of the market related to True Essence Beasts. This wasn’t just due to capturing, appraising, and sealing them. It was because only Spirit-Controlling Masters could draw out a True Essence Beast’s potential, even training it based on its latent qualities to develop formidable combat strength, rather than relying solely on its instincts.

This was why the Spirit Control Association reigned supreme in its field. The Divine Artifact Pavilion accounted for 20% of the True Essence Beast market, but it, in turn, dominated the field of crafting weapons, Magical Artifacts, and Treasure Artifacts for Cultivators.

The Pill Immortal Alliance, as one of the three giants, carved out its own unique niche. It was obvious that anything living couldn’t do without the Pill Immortal Alliance.

The raising and enhancement of True Essence Beasts, as well as the healing and improvement of Cultivators, all fell under the purview of the Pill Immortal Alliance.

To become one of the Three Major Conferences was, naturally, no small feat.

The moment he arrived at the entrance of the Wang City Pill Immortal Alliance, Wang Meng smelled the fragrant aroma wafting from within. He took a deep breath; it felt good, as expected. After all, Master Wang had once been immersed in this very path in his search for ascension. He had spent more effort on it than anything else, but in the end, it was proven that Pills could not lead to ascension.

The key to ascension remained "enlightenment."

Of course, those who understood this, understood. Those who didn’t continued to harbor their fantasies.

However, it was very difficult for a Cultivator to do without Pills.

Master Wang walked into the Pill Immortal Alliance. The place was quite crowded. The outer hall sold only common Pills, and the Pill Immortal Alliance disciples stood around arrogantly, not bothering to introduce the products. Customers were left to choose for themselves.

Of course, major clients wouldn’t be shopping in the outer hall anyway. Wang Meng slipped into the crowd. The Pills for Beast Pills and Cultivators were separated into two sections. Wang Meng wasn’t there to buy; he just looked around, examining things and taking a few sniffs here and there.

He had drained them too hard earlier, and his five True Essence Beasts were on the verge of death. Master Wang needed to find a Pill Formula to help them recover, and he couldn’t just feed them random things. He had already selected his target; he just wanted to gather a bit more information.

From an inner chamber, a pair of eyes watched the scene outside. Wu Yuan had been in a foul mood lately. He had spent so much energy pursuing a woman for ages, only for her to end up in the arms of Zhe Wulei. Wu Yuan wasn’t some love-struck teenager; he had never invested so much effort in a woman before. Toward the end, it had become a matter of pure rivalry with Zhe Wulei.

And now, he had been defeated in the field of love. How could he possibly return in such disgrace? Where would he put his face?

This Wang Meng was just an unlucky bastard. Someone in Haojing wanted to teach him a lesson, and now that Wu Yuan had seen him, he couldn’t just let the opportunity pass.

Of course, Wu Yuan wasn’t foolish enough to get involved personally. He called over a Pill Immortal Alliance disciple and whispered a few words in his ear.

The disciple understood immediately. Wu Yuan was a big shot; even the Chairman had to show him some respect. To be asked to do something for him was a sign of favor.

Master Wang was looking around quite intently when someone suddenly blocked his path, and he nearly bumped into them.

"Hey, customer. We sell Pills at the Pill Immortal Alliance, we don’t let people just fondle the merchandise. If you like touching things so much, you can go to the Celestial Fragrance Tower and touch things all you want. If you’re going to buy something, then hurry up. Don’t hold up the other customers."

a Pill Immortal Alliance disciple said arrogantly. The Spirit Control Association and the Divine Artifact Pavilion were both interdependent and competitors, but the Pill Immortal Alliance was different. They didn’t need to curry favor with anyone. As such, even ordinary disciples were quite haughty. If there was one thing they were good at, it was stepping on others.

As he spoke, he reached out to grab Wang Meng, secretly channeling his True Essence. A weaker person would have been half-crippled by the blow.

Ever since arriving here, perhaps due to the suppression of the Dao Laws, Wang Meng had remained quite low-key. Master Wang acknowledged Wang Rencai’s old debts, so he planned to resolve them as tactfully as possible. That was a man’s responsibility. But that didn’t mean just anyone could provoke him! (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation and monthly tickets. Your support is my biggest motivation.)