Chapter 6: This Slap Is Just the Beginning
"No!"
"Hengge is a mortal now; entering the Sword Prison would mean certain death!"
"I'm taking him back to my cave dwelling to heal!"
Lu Sheng tried to pull Lu Hengge away. As an Integration stage grand energy, she was confident she could find a way to repair Hengge's Nascent Soul!
Lin Xing's expression shifted, but he didn't try to stop her.
The Saint Son was crippled!
For Lu Hengge, this was already the harshest punishment.
Moreover, Lu Sheng was right.
The Sword Prison was dangerous.
Ordinary disciples found it difficult to resist the sword energy within, and Lu Hengge, now a mere mortal, would surely die if he entered.
"This matter must not be spread."
"Anyone who spreads today's events will be sent to the Sword Prison by this old man."
Lin Xing surveyed the hall.
Most disciples lowered their heads in fear, not daring to meet his gaze. Only Ye Feng remained calm, neither hiding nor flinching.
Seeing this, Lin Xing's heart stirred slightly. Now that Lu Hengge was crippled, the position of Saint Son would undoubtedly be vacant, and Ye Feng was the most likely candidate to fill it.
Talent depended on who you compared it to.
Compared to Lu Hengge, all other disciples were unremarkable.
But excluding Lu Hengge, the most talented and fastest cultivating disciple in the sect was Ye Feng, who had only recently joined.
Thinking of this, Lin Xing's eyes flickered, as if contemplating something.
Ye Feng appeared calm on the surface, but inwardly he was furious.
Lu Hengge was crippled.
Why was Lu Sheng still bothering with him?!
If he wants to enter the Sword Prison, let him go!
It would be best if he died there.
Ye Feng had already removed Lu Hengge from his list of opponents, but a dead man was the most reassuring. Only if Lu Hengge died could he firmly secure his position as the Saint Son of the Three Thousand Dao Sect.
Involuntarily, Ye Feng felt a growing dissatisfaction with Lu Sheng.
"The items from the system still aren't good enough; they can't completely influence Lu Sheng's mind and emotions." Ye Feng's eyes were cold. His points were too few, so he couldn't exchange for better items from the system and could only influence Lu Sheng little by little.
But Lu Sheng was an Integration stage grand energy, so the progress of influence was too slow.
"Only by becoming the Saint Son of the Three Thousand Dao Sect can I gain more points; I must become the Saint Son!" Ye Feng took a deep breath. He had to be patient until he became the Saint Son.
He had a system.
He was also the Heavenly Dao's male protagonist.
A mere Lu Hengge was nothing more than a stepping stone on his path to growth.
Qiu Liu's lips parted in shock, her expression stunned. She hadn't recovered from the scene of Lu Hengge shattering his own Nascent Soul for a long time. She had never imagined that her admired Senior Brother would become a mere mortal.
Suddenly, a thought flashed through Qiu Liu's mind.
Now that Lu Hengge was a mortal, even inferior to her, was he still qualified to be her Senior Brother?
Cultivators were often indifferent to human feelings.
This was normal.
Qiu Liu's gaze towards Lu Hengge instantly became much colder. A cripple was not worthy of being her Senior Brother.
The Three Thousand Dao Sect was never short of geniuses.
Qiu Liu believed her talent was not bad, and with her master's doting and the constant supply of various elixirs, it would eventually be Lu Hengge's turn to look up to her.
Lu Hengge naturally felt the change in everyone's attitude but didn't care in the slightest. He only felt immense annoyance towards the Lu Sheng in front of him. Now, she was putting on a show of a loving master, but for whom?!
Disgusting.
Despicable.
"Elder Lu, you and I are no longer master and disciple."
Lu Hengge took a step to the side.
He used to think Lu Sheng's floral scent was pleasant, but now he felt that even the smell of stone pine was a hundred times better.
However, it would happen soon. If Lu Hengge remembered correctly, after he was imprisoned in the Sword Prison, Lu Sheng wouldn't even have her current body scent for the next hundred years; she would be filled with a stench, all thanks to Ye Feng.
Lu Sheng's debauchery was undisguised, and it was even rumored that she openly flirted and whispered intimately with Ye Feng.
This matter spread widely.
It was certain that during these hundred years, Ye Feng and Lu Sheng had already done everything that could be done.
Just thinking about this, Lu Hengge shivered all over, feeling even more disgusted, and moved another step to the side.
Seeing this, Lu Sheng's heart ached even more.
Her Hengge used to love clinging to her.
What had she done wrong to make Hengge so distant, even disgusted with her!
"Hengge, we are still master and disciple."
"Your master will definitely help you reshape your Nascent Soul!"
Lu Sheng wanted to take Lu Hengge's hand. Lu Hengge looked at Ye Feng, who was not far away: "Ye Feng, your master wants physical contact with me. Can you tolerate this?"
Currently, Lu Hengge had no cultivation.
Lu Sheng wanted to touch him, and Lu Hengge couldn't avoid it.
But he had a way to disgust Lu Sheng away.
That was Ye Feng on the platform.
Indeed!
Hearing this, a sinister glint flashed in Ye Feng's eyes. He had long considered Lu Sheng his woman and naturally didn't want to see her have physical contact with other men. Immediately, his mind raced, and he spat out a mouthful of blood, his aura weak.
Lu Hengge was very satisfied.
This "green tea" male bitch was quite a good actor.
Qiu Liu immediately cried out anxiously: "Master, Junior Brother has fainted."
The next second, Lu Sheng no longer cared about Lu Hengge, flashed to Ye Feng's side, gently held his wrist, and transferred her spiritual energy to him.
Lu Hengge watched this scene calmly.
Although he didn't know how Ye Feng did it, Lu Hengge knew very well that in Lu Sheng's heart, his status was far inferior to Ye Feng's.
More than twenty years of affection couldn't compare to a junior brother who had just joined the sect.
How ridiculous!
Lin Xing's eyes showed extreme displeasure.
Ye Feng merely spat out a mouthful of blood; what was the big deal?
Lu Hengge's Nascent Soul was shattered...
Any good impression he had just formed of Ye Feng instantly vanished.
A grown man, constantly spitting blood and fainting, and putting on a pitiful expression, was more feminine than a woman.
Lin Xing looked at Lu Hengge, hesitated for a few breaths, and his tone softened for once: "I will report this matter to the Sect Master truthfully. You should rest well and don't mention the Sword Prison again."
Lu Hengge frowned slightly.
How could this be!
If he didn't enter the Sword Prison, what about his sword bones, copper skin, and the true meaning of his Sword Heart?
More importantly, there was a sword in the Sword Prison that he absolutely had to get.
"Elder Lin, I shattered my own Nascent Soul to sever the master-disciple relationship, which has nothing to do with my punishment itself."
"If you don't imprison me in the Sword Prison, how will you explain it to the outside world? How will you maintain the face of the Three Thousand Dao Sect?" Even if the Lord of Heaven came today, Lu Hengge would still enter the Sword Prison.
Lin Xing hadn't spoken yet when the feigning faint Ye Feng woke up, leaning in Lu Sheng's arms, his eyes hazy with tears.
"Senior Brother, you mustn't go! The Sword Prison is dangerous, and you have no cultivation now; how can you risk it! If it comes to it, I can endure the suffering of the Sword Prison on your behalf."
Lu Sheng and Qiu Liu comforted Ye Feng with pained expressions.
"You are also injured; you mustn't enter the Sword Prison."
"Rest well!"
Lu Sheng tenderly stroked Ye Feng's cheek, took a silk handkerchief from her sleeve, and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
Lu Hengge gave a wry smile, suddenly raised his arm, and waved to Ye Feng: "Junior Brother, come here for a moment."
Ye Feng was startled.
Why was he calling him over?
But on second thought, Lu Hengge was already a cripple; what could he do even if he went over? Besides, with so many people watching, Lu Hengge wouldn't dare do anything out of line.
Ye Feng struggled out of Lu Sheng's embrace, staggered to Lu Hengge's front, his eyes still brimming with tears: "Senior Brother."
As soon as he spoke,
Slap!
A crisp slap echoed.
Lu Hengge shook his hand.
Damn it!
This green tea male's face was really thick; after one slap, his palm hurt exceptionally.
"I've wanted to do this for a long time."
"Never had the chance."
"Thank you, Junior Brother, for making it possible."
Lu Hengge grinned, a hint of coldness in his white teeth.
Others could be killed when the opportunity arose, but Lu Hengge wanted to play with Ye Feng slowly. After all, he had been humiliated so many times in his previous life, he absolutely had to humiliate him back.
Chapter 7: You Didn't Hit Him, But You Hit Me, Did You? You Like to Bark!
Ye Feng was stunned!
He had been slapped!
Although the slap caused him no pain, it felt as if it had struck his self-esteem, making his expression somewhat twisted.
"Lu Hengge!!!"
Ye Feng's eyes turned bloodshot.
His spiritual energy surged wildly!
Lu Hengge disdainfully spat: "I thought you were so good at acting! You broke down from one slap? Come on, kill me!"
Lu Hengge even thrust his face in front of Ye Feng, as if unafraid and unwilling to dodge.
Ye Feng clenched his fists tightly, gritting his teeth, but dared not make a move.
He couldn't attack.
With so many people watching, if he made a move, he would inevitably be criticized.
Moreover, Lin Xing was right beside them. If he had any intention of attacking, he would instantly be suppressed by Lin Xing.
This slap, he could only endure.
Lu Hengge had calculated this precisely, and his strike was merciless.
Ye Feng stared intently at Lu Hengge, the killing intent in his eyes extremely obvious; even Lin Xing, who was nearby, felt the surge of murderous intent.
Seeing that Ye Feng dared not make a move, Lu Hengge raised his hand again and slapped Ye Feng's cheek several times, mocking: "If you don't dare to make a move, what are you pretending for! Little Junior Brother, our grievances will be settled slowly in the future."
Hearing this, Ye Feng was momentarily stunned.
What grievances did they have?
Strictly speaking, today's framing of Lu Hengge was Ye Feng's first real attempt to trip him up. Before this, Ye Feng's focus had been on currying favor with Lu Sheng and Qiu Liu, and he hadn't attacked Lu Hengge.
"Did he guess that I was the mastermind behind today's events?"
Ye Feng's eyes flickered.
Impossible!
With Qiu Liu's brain, which couldn't weigh even an ounce on a scale, she should have taken all the blame herself; there shouldn't be any trace of him.
"Senior Brother has misunderstood."
"We are family."
"There's no such thing as grievances between us!"
Ye Feng swallowed his killing intent, putting on a pitiful expression.
Lu Hengge felt a wave of nausea.
It was fine to act in front of idiots like Lu Sheng and Qiu Liu, but he was even acting in front of him.
No!
He needed to give him a few more slaps.
Just as Lu Hengge was about to strike, two wafts of fragrance passed by, and Lu Sheng and Qiu Liu appeared in front of him with anxious expressions, their delicate hands stroking Ye Feng's cheek. They didn't look like master and disciple at all, but rather like Dao companions.
Lu Hengge was not surprised.
But those around them looked startled.
"Elder Lu and Ye Feng seem to be overly intimate."
"They don't look like master and disciple; they look more like Dao companions."
"Is our Three Thousand Dao Sect also going to stage a good show of master-disciple affection?"
"More than that, look at Junior Sister Qiu's expression; her concern is even greater."
"Two beauties, Ye Feng is truly blessed."
"Envy, envy."
"Can't envy that, alas."
...
There were many disciples in the great hall.
Most of them were whispering.
These disciples were very smart; they communicated through divine sense about things that shouldn't be spoken aloud, but for grand energies like Lin Xing and Lu Sheng, there wasn't much difference between divine sense communication and speaking aloud.
In an instant, Lu Sheng's expression became awkward, and her fingers stroking Ye Feng withdrew.
Qiu Liu, with her shallow cultivation, naturally couldn't hear the disciples' divine sense communications and was still anxiously asking about Ye Feng's condition.
Lin Xing's face showed mockery, and his gaze towards Lu Sheng held no respect: "Elder Lu, if I'm not mistaken, you should be over five hundred years old. Regardless of your conduct in private, at least in public, you should maintain some appearances."
Lu Sheng's anger flared, and she furtively glanced at Lu Hengge: "Cultivators pursue the Grand Dao! Elder Lin, don't speak nonsense!"
Hehe!
Lin Xing inwardly sneered.
Cultivating immortality was about achieving mental clarity and unimpeded thoughts.
If one didn't even dare to admit their own emotions, how could they progress further!
This Lu Sheng, he feared, would be trapped in the Integration stage for a lifetime, unable to advance further.
It was not uncommon for master and disciple to become Dao companions.
Spending day and night together, it was normal for feelings to develop.
The reason Lin Xing mocked and disparaged Lu Sheng was because he had witnessed Lu Sheng's concern for Ye Feng and felt increasingly that Lu Hengge was undeserving of such treatment. If he had known this day would come, he should have snatched Lu Hengge from Lu Sheng's hands and taken him as his disciple, instead of letting Lu Hengge waste his time under Lu Sheng.
Now, it was too late to say anything.
Lin Xing looked at Lu Hengge with regret.
Such a promising talent, just ruined like this...
"Lu Hengge, kneel and apologize to Junior Brother!"
A tender shout.
In an instant, all the disciples in the hall stopped their divine sense communications and looked at Qiu Liu with expressions as if she were an idiot.
Even if Lu Hengge's cultivation was completely crippled now, he still held the title of Saint Son. Let alone slapping Ye Feng a few times, even if he beat Ye Feng into a pig's head, few would dare to criticize Lu Hengge.
Lin Xing didn't want to waste any more time.
He wanted to quickly conclude this matter and then report the details to the Sect Master.
Lin Xing wanted to take Lu Hengge away, but Lu Sheng blocked him. Although her eyes were a little furtive and she didn't dare to look directly into Lu Hengge's eyes, her tone showed no signs of backing down: "Hengge, what you just did was wrong; apologize to Xiao Feng."
Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned again.
Holy cow!
So Qiu Liu's foolishness was learned from Lu Sheng.
Lin Xing's terrifying spiritual energy erupted, and behind him, countless vengeful spirits wailed, as if an endless abyss had torn open. The domineering aura of a Half-Step Integration stage cultivator was fully unleashed: "Elder Lu, this is the Hall of Justice, not your Azure Cloud Peak. If you don't abide by the rules, then get out!"
In terms of cultivation, Lin Xing was inferior to Lu Sheng.
But in the Hall of Justice, it wouldn't be difficult for Lin Xing to kill Lu Sheng.
Everyone on Azure Cloud Peak, except Lu Hengge, was truly foolish.
The more Lin Xing thought about it, the angrier he got. His dry, shriveled hand suddenly stirred up wind, mixed with surging black spiritual energy, and roared out.
Slap!
Slap!
Qiu Liu's clear and beautiful face instantly became red and swollen, and she flew backward, in a blink of an eye crashing into a stone pillar in the great hall, causing the entire Hall of Justice to shake.
Ye Feng's face was also red and swollen. This time, he was genuinely spitting blood, not faking it.
The incident happened too suddenly!
Lu Sheng had no time to react.
"How dare you address the Saint Son by his name! Who gave you such gall!"
"If Lu Sheng won't teach her disciples, then this old man will teach you!"
Lin Xing's eyes were cold.
Qiu Liu covered her swollen cheek, about to burst into tears and screams, but sensing Lin Xing's gaze, she swallowed her grievances.
Ye Feng continuously coughed up blood: "Elder Lin, why did you hit me?"
You hitting Qiu Liu was understandable.
But he, Ye Feng, hadn't done anything.
Lin Xing looked at him coldly, disdainfully: "This old man doesn't like the sight of you. Do I need any other reason?"
Womanish!
Truly not a man!
Ye Feng was furious inwardly but dared not show the slightest hint of dissatisfaction. In the Three Thousand Dao Sect, one should never offend anyone from the Hall of Justice, especially Lin Xing.
Lu Sheng's face was like ten thousand years of ice, and her gaze towards Lin Xing also became extremely unfriendly: "Elder Lin, what is the meaning of this! Attacking a junior without any reason is not in line with the rules of the Three Thousand Dao Sect."
"Does Elder Lu want to spar with this old man?"
Lin Xing took a step forward.
Behind him, countless vengeful spirits no longer wailed. A gigantic human-faced skeleton emerged from the surging black spiritual energy, its crimson eyes staring fixedly at Lu Sheng.
Lu Sheng's face was grim.
In a one-on-one fight, she wasn't afraid.
But the problem was, this was the Hall of Justice.
If they truly fought, she probably wouldn't gain any advantage.
Everyone swallowed. When the big shots fought, the spectators suffered.
"Liu'er, come here."
Lu Sheng spoke softly.
Qiu Liu carefully returned to Lu Sheng's side, keeping far away from Lin Xing.
Just then, Lu Hengge's tone became gentle, and he waved to Qiu Liu: "Junior Sister, does your face hurt a lot? Come here and let Senior Brother take a look."
This gentle tone felt as if they had returned to the past, where no matter what wrong she did, Lu Hengge would gently say it was fine, Senior Brother was here.
Had Senior Brother returned to normal?
Qiu Liu glanced at Lu Sheng, who didn't object.
Immediately, Qiu Liu came to Lu Hengge's front, leaned her swollen face closer, and her beautiful eyes welled up with tears: "Senior Brother, it's all swollen. You have to refine more elixirs to compensate me."
Qiu Liu had already decided that as long as Lu Hengge was willing to continue refining elixirs for her in the future, she would reluctantly call him Senior Brother. After all, within the Three Thousand Dao Sect, Lu Hengge's alchemy skills were already extraordinary, even slightly surpassing Elder Yao.
Slap!!!
Another slap.
"Only one side is swollen; it's not aesthetic."
"Both sides symmetrical; that's more pleasing to the eye."
Lu Hengge shook his hand.
No!
He had no cultivation now, so one slap wasn't enough to make Qiu Liu's face swell.
"Elder Lin, a favor, please."
"Make her face symmetrical."
Lu Hengge asked Lin Xing for help, who was a little slow to react.
This slap caused Qiu Liu no pain, but it was a great humiliation for her. Her clear and beautiful features instantly became twisted, resembling a female ghost: "Lu Hengge, you dare to hit me!!!"
The next second, Qiu Liu flew backward again.
When the dust settled, Qiu Liu's face was symmetrical this time.
Lin Xing withdrew his hand indifferently: "Once, twice, but no more. If I hear anyone addressing the Saint Son by his name again, they will be imprisoned in the Sword Prison for sixty years."
Lu Hengge watched Qiu Liu, whose face was swollen like a pig's head, with satisfaction, feeling much more relieved.
You didn't get hit when I hit Ye Feng, did you? You like to bark!
Chapter 8: I Didn't Force You, You Insisted on Going In!
"Elder Lin! You've gone too far!"
Lu Sheng's face was like frost, and icy blue frost crystals spread from her feet. In just one breath, Lu Sheng's large red robe transformed into an icy blue one, and the black pupils in her eyes were replaced by utterly empty, pale white ones.
An Integration stage grand energy!
One more step, and she would be in the Mahayana stage!
Only by becoming a Mahayana stage expert could one hope to touch the true mysteries of ascending to immortality and glimpse a corner of the immortal realm.
Lin Xing showed no fear.
Are you kidding me!
In his territory, he was supposed to be afraid of a woman?
"Want to fight?"
Lin Xing even felt a little excited.
Hearing this, Lu Sheng hesitated.
Lu Sheng looked at Qiu Liu, whose face was swollen like a pig's head, then at Ye Feng, who was continuously coughing up blood, and finally fixed her gaze on Lu Hengge, who had no spiritual energy fluctuations, feeling a pang of bitterness and helplessness in her heart.
In just one day, her three disciples were more miserable than the last.
After much hesitation, Lu Sheng reined in her anger, and her icy blue robe changed back to red: "Hengge, let's go home."
Now was not the time for argument.
All three disciples were injured.
She needed to quickly treat their injuries.
"Where is my home!"
"Don't claim kinship casually."
Lu Hengge glanced at Lu Sheng, then walked to Lin Xing's side: "Elder Lin, please help me find a quiet cave dwelling."
Lin Xing nodded, ignored Lu Sheng, and led Lu Hengge out of the Hall of Justice.
The other disciples in the hall had various expressions. Some were excited, feeling that they had a chance to covet the Saint Son's position. Some had strange expressions, observing Lu Sheng and Ye Feng, with a hint of ambiguity in their eyes.
Although Lin Xing had explicitly forbidden the news of Lu Hengge shattering his Nascent Soul from spreading, he hadn't said anything about not spreading other matters.
It was likely that after today, the entangled multi-person love affair between Lu Sheng, Qiu Liu, and Ye Feng would spread throughout the entire Three Thousand Dao Sect.
It would truly be a great source of amusement and gossip!
Lu Sheng watched Lu Hengge's retreating figure, devoid of any attachment, and her heart twisted in pain.
Her most beloved disciple had gone far away from her.
Seeing this, Ye Feng seized the opportunity: "Master, you still have me."
It had to be said, this intervention was perfectly timed.
Lu Sheng came back to her senses, her face full of tenderness: "Your Senior Brother must have been disturbed by demonic energy and his Dao Heart damaged. Your Master will definitely find a way to make your Senior Brother return to his original self."
Ye Feng was very good at acting.
At least, no flaws could be seen in public.
Qiu Liu, seeing Lin Xing leave, could no longer suppress the anger in her chest and shrieked: "Master, don't worry about that good-for-nothing Lu Hengge anymore! He's already a mortal; he can't even keep the Saint Son's position. Why bother with him!"
Lu Sheng had a headache and gently reprimanded: "Liu'er, silence! Hengge is your Senior Brother; how can you address him by his name!"
"A mortal is not worthy of being my Senior Brother!"
Qiu Liu was clearly spoiled.
She spoke without thinking at all.
Lu Sheng sighed: "Even if Hengge isn't the Saint Son anymore, his alchemy skills haven't been wasted. If he doesn't help with refining elixirs, what will you and Xiao Feng do in the future?"
Ye Feng looked at Lu Sheng in surprise.
Good heavens!
You're even more ruthless than I am.
Ye Feng only thought about crippling Lu Hengge, but Lu Sheng actually thought about squeezing out all of Lu Hengge's value before discarding him.
The most vicious woman's heart!
Ye Feng made a mental note.
When he pinned Lu Sheng down in bed later, he absolutely couldn't treat her as a person; he had to treat her as a pleasure slave, so there would be no guilt whatsoever.
Hearing this, Qiu Liu pondered for a moment, then snorted: "Alright then, seeing as he still has some value, it's not impossible to call him Senior Brother."
Lu Sheng opened her mouth to speak. Her original intention wasn't to squeeze out Lu Hengge's value, but to remind Qiu Liu of Lu Hengge's importance to Azure Cloud Peak, but it seemed Qiu Liu had misunderstood her meaning.
"Liu'er, you escort Xiao Feng back to his cave dwelling first."
"Your Master is going to the Scripture Pavilion."
The Three Thousand Dao Sect's Scripture Pavilion contained countless cultivation methods, elixir recipes, and treasures. She would surely find a way to repair Lu Hengge's Nascent Soul.
Ye Feng was still coughing up blood.
Fortunately, he was a cultivator; otherwise, at this rate of coughing blood, he would have bled dry and died long ago.
Qiu Liu helped Ye Feng, her face swollen like a pig's head, but she still looked at Ye Feng with concern: "Master, Junior Brother keeps coughing up blood. Will he be alright?"
Lu Sheng also felt quite distressed: "Later, go to your Master's cave dwelling and pick a few precious elixirs for Xiao Feng to take. Your Master will personally help him heal when I return."
Qiu Liu's eyes lit up.
Master's cave dwelling had many treasures.
Anyway, Master didn't care.
She would take more then, which would be a consolation for herself.
Thinking of this, Qiu Liu happily left with Ye Feng.
Lu Sheng's mood was forlorn, her eyes flickering with waves, as if she once again saw Lu Hengge's decisive retreating figure.
"Hengge."
"I will definitely cure you!"
A gentle breeze blew through.
In the Hall of Justice, there were no longer any figures.
...
"Elder Lin, send me to the Sword Prison."
Lu Hengge spoke for the fifth time.
Lin Xing was growing impatient: "Why are you so eager to enter the Sword Prison, young man! Ordinary disciples tremble at the mention of the Sword Prison, but you're doing the opposite."
"Elder Lin, now that my cultivation is gone, I will certainly not be able to keep the Saint Son's position. If other disciples in the sect challenge me, what should I do?"
"Rather than being humiliated in public, it's better to die in the Sword Prison; it would fulfill one of my wishes."
"Moreover, if I am not punished today, how will you explain it to the outside world? As the Saint Son, I should prioritize the sect's reputation."
Lu Hengge had long prepared his reasons.
He absolutely had to enter the Sword Prison!
Otherwise, he would miss many opportunities.
After he came out of the Sword Prison, he would first kill a batch of people depending on the situation, then defect from the Three Thousand Dao Sect, slowly developing. Once he was strong enough, he would return and destroy the Three Thousand Dao Sect.
Lu Hengge didn't have a heaven-defying cheat like a system, so he had to seize everything that was beneficial to him to quickly re-cultivate and advance further in a short time.
Lin Xing frowned in thought.
Lu Hengge's words were sincere and heartfelt, without any hint of falsehood.
But letting Lu Hengge enter the Sword Prison truly put him in a difficult position.
The two walked side by side.
Lin Xing deliberately slowed his pace to allow Lu Hengge to keep up.
Frankly speaking, Lin Xing wasn't entirely hateful.
He was a person who followed reason, not kinship.
In his previous life, under Ye Feng's many fabricated pieces of evidence, Lin Xing had subjected Lu Hengge to many cruel tortures, including flaying, blood extraction, bone shattering, and soul burning.
If not for those pieces of evidence, perhaps Lin Xing wouldn't have been so ruthless towards Lu Hengge.
But Lu Hengge still had to kill Lin Xing.
If Lin Xing had investigated those pieces of evidence at the time, he would have found that many of the discrepancies were too obvious, but he didn't investigate and chose to unconditionally believe Ye Feng. For this alone, Lu Hengge couldn't let Lin Xing go.
However, Lu Hengge was kind-hearted.
When he killed Lin Xing someday, he would leave him a complete corpse.
Unknowingly, the two arrived at a quiet wooden house.
"You will temporarily reside here."
Lin Xing pointed to the dilapidated wooden house. It wasn't that Lin Xing deliberately made things difficult for Lu Hengge; it was simply that Lu Hengge's situation was rather special.
He didn't want to return to Azure Cloud Peak's cave dwelling, and the Saint Son's exclusive cave dwelling was not convenient to go to now.
Lin Xing stayed in the Hall of Justice for many years and rarely went out, so he could only find such a simple residence for Lu Hengge.
Lu Hengge was very satisfied.
Mainly, it was quiet.
Few people would pass by here on a regular basis.
Lin Xing turned to look at Lu Hengge, his expression complex. After much thought, he took out a black token from his embrace: "This is the token to enter the Sword Prison. If you truly wish to enter, I will not stop you."
Having said that, Lin Xing turned and left.
Lu Hengge toyed with the token in his hand, a cold sneer forming on his lips.
This old scoundrel was quite cunning.
He let Lu Hengge decide whether or not to enter the Sword Prison himself. If anything happened, he could shift the blame to Lu Hengge, as he had clearly stated that he wouldn't imprison Lu Hengge in the Sword Prison and that Lu Hengge insisted on going in himself.
Cultivators were all shrewd, with a thousand tricks up their sleeves.
Chapter 9: Healing Methods
Lin Xing, that old scoundrel, seemed to be protecting Lu Hengge everywhere, but in reality, he was only thinking of himself.
The Saint Son becoming a cripple was a major event!
The Sect Master would definitely lay blame in the future.
Lin Xing being good to Lu Hengge now was also paving the way for himself in the future.
"This place is excellent."
"No one to disturb me; my re-cultivation won't face too many obstacles."
Lu Hengge settled down here.
After a simple tidying up, Lu Hengge sat on the bed, looking at the dense network of scars on his body. Some were injuries left from fighting the Demon Race, and some were fresh wounds from Lin Xing's pressure just now.
After a brief internal examination, Lu Hengge began to ponder how to heal his injuries.
His current state naturally prevented him from entering the Sword Prison; even a slight sword energy could easily tear his physical body apart.
"Flesh injuries are not difficult to heal."
"The key lies in the meridians."
Broken bones and shattered flesh were minor issues.
With Lu Hengge's ability as an eighth-rank alchemist, refining a healing elixir was not difficult, as long as he gathered the necessary medicinal ingredients.
The most troublesome were the meridians.
Cultivators valued meridians above all else.
The more meridians one had, the more spiritual energy they could draw from heaven and earth.
Back then, Lu Hengge successfully opened his meridians, activating twelve at once. Later, with the aid of various elixirs, he increased the number of his meridians to one hundred and eight.
Ordinary disciples had no more than thirty meridians, while Lu Hengge had more than three times that amount.
Because of this, Lu Hengge's cultivation speed was so rapid.
But now, all one hundred and eight meridians were completely fractured, making complete recovery virtually impossible.
This was a bit tricky.
Lu Hengge hadn't lied to Lin Xing; in his knowledge, there was indeed no elixir recipe that could reshape a Nascent Soul. Even with his knowledge from five hundred years in the future, reshaping a Nascent Soul would be extremely difficult.
"I'll rest for the night and visit the Elixir Hall tomorrow." Unable to think of a solution for the time being, Lu Hengge directly cast aside all distractions and lay down on the bed to sleep soundly.
This was the most peaceful sleep he had had in five hundred years, because he knew very well that Lin Xing would definitely send people to guard him.
The next morning, after a simple wash, Lu Hengge sat cross-legged.
The Immortal Gaze Scripture was a cultivation method he had created himself, and it was the most suitable for his constitution.
However, the Immortal Gaze Scripture did not possess the effect of repairing meridians; it could only temporarily warm Lu Hengge's body with spiritual energy, making him appear normal from the outside.
"Sitting and gazing at immortality!"
Lu Hengge lowered his eyelids.
Spiritual energy gathered.
Spiritual energy within a one-mile radius surged towards this dilapidated small wooden house.
Lu Hengge dared not fully circulate his cultivation method. In his current state of damaged meridians, spiritual energy entering his body could not be utilized for other purposes and would very likely cause his body to explode.
Although the spiritual energy within a one-mile radius was not much, it was enough to nourish his body and heal his skin and bone injuries.
After a moment, Lu Hengge exhaled a mouthful of turbid air.
"Still not working."
"Without repairing the meridians, I cannot store spiritual energy."
Lu Hengge frowned deeply. The absorbed spiritual energy was only temporarily trapped within his body and would gradually leak away over time.
Meridians were like containers.
And spiritual energy was like water.
Lu Hengge's body was like a cracked water jar; no matter how much water was poured in, it would slowly leak out.
Lu Hengge now had two paths he could take.
The first was to repair his meridians.
As long as he could repair one meridian and begin cultivating again, the subsequent matters would become very simple.
The second was to change the container.
As long as Lu Hengge could develop other things in his body that could contain and store spiritual energy, replacing the role of meridians, then he could also solve the predicament of being unable to cultivate.
In comparison, the first path was definitely easier.
But having lived two lives, Lu Hengge instead felt that the second path seemed more suitable for him.
Moreover, Lu Hengge was not making baseless assumptions.
Within the Sword Prison, perhaps he could achieve this.
Lu Hengge rose from the bed, not even locking the door, and walked towards the Elixir Hall.
What difference did it make to lock a dilapidated wooden house?
Soon after Lu Hengge left, an annoying and irritating sound echoed on the quiet forest path: "Lu Hengge is truly something! He won't stay in a perfectly good cave dwelling, but insists on living in this wilderness. If Master hadn't forced me to come, I wouldn't want to come to this ghostly place."
The green foliage parted, and two figures slowly appeared.
Ye Feng glanced at Qiu Liu beside him, feeling disgusted.
This woman was truly a chatterbox!
He would fill her mouth one day; let's see how she babbles then.
A wooden house came into view.
Ye Feng narrowed his eyes slightly: "Is Senior Brother living in a place like this?"
Aside from a dilapidated wooden house, there was nothing else.
Looking at it this way, it seemed Lin Xing was just putting on a show and wasn't really good to Lu Hengge.
Qiu Liu felt even more disdainful.
It seemed her Senior Brother was truly down and out, only able to afford a dog kennel-like house, without even a decent cave dwelling.
"Junior Brother, do we really have to give these precious elixirs to Lu Hengge?"
"I really can't bear to!"
"He's a cripple; using them would be a waste."
Qiu Liu caressed her storage ring, which contained numerous precious elixirs, all requested by Lu Sheng to be given to Lu Hengge. As for Lu Sheng herself, she was still in the Scripture Pavilion and hadn't come out yet.
Ye Feng's face twitched.
He also couldn't bear to!
But these words, you couldn't say them aloud.
Who knew if Lin Xing had arranged guards around Lu Hengge's residence? If someone overheard those words, it would undoubtedly become gossip, and they might even be sent to the Hall of Justice.
What a brainless idiot!
Ye Feng put on a gentle smile: "Senior Brother is still a member of our Azure Cloud Peak. If these precious elixirs can help Senior Brother recover some of his injuries, then they are worth it."
Hearing this, Qiu Liu's eyes sparkled with little hearts: "Junior Brother is so kind."
Little Junior Brother is so good!
A million times better than Lu Hengge!
Qiu Liu embraced Ye Feng's arm, and the sensation from her ample bosom made Ye Feng's heart stir, his eyes growing warmer. It seemed he had to find an opportunity to devour Qiu Liu first; this woman was brainless and easily fooled into bed.
"Let's go over first."
"Senior Brother must be injured, so he shouldn't be wandering around."
Ye Feng held Qiu Liu's hand and walked towards the wooden house. Qiu Liu's face flushed slightly, and she secretly rejoiced.
The wooden house was not locked.
The door was even wide open.
Ye Feng and Qiu Liu walked in casually, as if entering their own home, only to find that there was no one on the bed.
"Injured and still wandering around."
"And we were so worried about him, specifically coming to deliver medicine."
Qiu Liu was very displeased.
Lu Hengge currently only had his alchemy skills of some value; otherwise, she wouldn't have been willing to come.
Ye Feng was also a little surprised. His main purpose for coming today was to see how serious Lu Hengge's injuries were. If they weren't severe, he would secretly make things worse, but he didn't even see the person.
"System, where is Lu Hengge now?"
"Elixir Hall."
A cold voice echoed within Ye Feng's body.
Ye Feng smiled coldly. So he had run off to the Elixir Hall to find a healing method.
If Lu Hengge really found a healing method, or even started cultivating again, then it would be Ye Feng's turn to be uneasy.
Thinking of this, Ye Feng decided to go to the Elixir Hall.
Qiu Liu looked at the neat and tidy wooden house, and a thought came to her: "Junior Brother, do you think Lu Hengge might have secretly hoarded a lot of elixirs for himself?"
Hearing this, Ye Feng immediately understood what this woman, with less than an ounce of brainpower, was thinking. He feigned a difficult expression: "Senior Sister, wouldn't that be improper?"
"What's so improper about it!"
"What does a cripple need so many elixirs for!"
"Since he's already crippled, he might as well give them to us."
As soon as she finished speaking, Qiu Liu began rummaging through the room. The originally neat and tidy room instantly became messy and even more dilapidated.
Ye Feng smiled without a word.
Having such a foolish woman truly saved him a lot of trouble.
Chapter 10: Hope for Re-cultivation: Sword Bone Body
Elixir Hall.
Lu Hengge arrived at his alchemy room.
Within the Three Thousand Dao Sect, apart from Elder Yao, the Hall Master, only Lu Hengge had a personal alchemy room, and it was exceptionally luxurious in its specifications.
"Three-Flame Flower."
"Strong Bone Bamboo."
"Purple Orchid Thousand-Leaf Grass."
...
Lu Hengge skillfully took out medicinal ingredients from the herb cabinet. These ingredients were not precious, but they had excellent effects on healing physical injuries and strengthening the body.
In his previous life, Lu Hengge cultivated the Dao of the Sword and the Dao of Medicine, so he didn't need these ingredients. However, in this alchemy room, there were many body-strengthening ingredients, a large portion of which were prepared for Ye Feng.
Speaking of which, Ye Feng cultivated both body and demonic arts.
Back then, Lu Sheng brought him back to the Three Thousand Dao Sect and personally helped him open his meridians, but she never expected that Ye Feng, that good-for-nothing, would only open three meridians in his first attempt. Afterwards, even after consuming a large amount of precious elixirs, the number of his meridians still did not exceed thirty.
On the traditional path of immortal cultivation, Ye Feng was truly trash.
But as the Heavenly Dao's favored son and the system's chosen one, even though he encountered many obstacles on the path of meridians, it did not affect Ye Feng's astonishing cultivation speed in the slightest.
If he had too few meridians, he would cultivate his body.
If he lacked spiritual energy, he would become a demon.
It could be said that body cultivation and demonic energy perfectly compensated for Ye Feng's shortcomings.
Lu Hengge still remembered that in his previous life, in his final great battle with Ye Feng, Ye Feng's physical body had reached great perfection, becoming the only immortal body in the world at that time. In terms of body cultivation, Ye Feng indeed had advantages that ordinary people could not match.
However... this life was different.
Lu Hengge also wanted to cultivate his body!
Body cultivation was the most arduous, and it was often chosen out of necessity when one had innate deficiencies in meridians.
But once one broke through the limits of the physical body and tempered their internal organs, blood, and bones to the extreme, then achieving physical immortality would be effortless.
The reason for this was simple: the limitations of heaven and earth!
The spiritual energy in this realm was insufficient to allow cultivators to ascend to immortality, and coupled with the Heavenly Dao's subtle interference, the ultimate destination for cultivators was only the peak of the Mahayana stage, unable to advance further.
However, the physical body had no such limitations.
Body cultivation did not seek external power; it only demanded perfection from oneself.
Repeatedly surpassing limits and breaking through oneself to achieve the ultimate sublimation of the physical body—in this process, spiritual energy played a very minor role.
From ancient times until now, only one body cultivator on record had achieved physical immortality.
Ye Feng was the second in his previous life.
Lu Hengge stared at the medicinal ingredients at hand with burning eyes: "In this life, I too can achieve physical immortality!"
Ye Feng indeed had a significant advantage in body cultivation, but Lu Hengge contributed greatly to his ability to achieve physical immortality within five hundred years.
If Lu Hengge hadn't acted as a mobile elixir treasury, refining various body-tempering elixirs for his dear Junior Brother every day and laying a solid foundation for his future body cultivation, Ye Feng would have needed at least a thousand years to achieve physical immortality.
Even if these body-tempering elixirs were fed to a pig, the pig could ascend to heaven.
Moreover, Ye Feng was still a human.
But on second thought, Ye Feng's system was also useless. Ye Feng had all the advantages of time, place, and people, yet in the end, he still had to rely on schemes and tricks to kill Lu Hengge. It seemed this so-called system was nothing remarkable.
Boom!
Alchemy flames surged.
As an eighth-rank alchemist, Lu Hengge's alchemy flames were naturally extraordinary. Even though Lu Hengge had no spiritual energy on him, this pale purple flame obediently circled around Lu Hengge before plunging beneath the alchemy furnace.
In just a moment, the originally numerous medicinal ingredients transformed into spherical elixirs.
Instantly, a rich medicinal fragrance filled the entire alchemy room.
"My skill hasn't become rusty."
Lu Hengge was quite satisfied.
In his previous life, he had fought with Ye Feng for too long, and in the later stages, he had focused solely on cultivation, neglecting alchemy somewhat.
Now, reborn!
He hadn't forgotten the feel of alchemy; that was enough.
"Boy, where's your spiritual energy?"
Suddenly, an old voice sounded. This person had white hair and looked ancient. His cultivation was no weaker than Lu Sheng's, perhaps even subtly touching the threshold of the Mahayana stage. Such a grand energy should have lived for over ten thousand years, but at this moment, a dense aura of death clung to him.
Lu Hengge turned to look at the old man, his eyes somewhat complex, then respectfully bowed: "Elder Yao."
Yao Fan.
Hall Master of the Three Thousand Dao Sect's Elixir Hall.
The only top eighth-rank alchemist in this world.
Of course, these were not the reasons for Lu Hengge's respect.
Truth be told, Yao Fan was more like Lu Hengge's true master, not only teaching him everything about alchemy but also taking great care of him in his cultivation.
This old man, entangled with the aura of death, was the only one who was truly good to Lu Hengge.
But unfortunately, Yao Fan died too early.
In his previous life, Lu Hengge was framed and imprisoned in the Sword Prison for a hundred years. When he came out, he learned that Elder Yao had already passed away.
Later, Lu Hengge learned from the Sect Master that before his demise, Elder Yao was still worried that Lu Hengge, being in the Sword Prison, would be unable to cultivate. Therefore, he painstakingly refined many elixirs and entrusted them to the Sect Master to deliver to Lu Hengge.
But these elixirs all ended up in Ye Feng's pocket.
Throughout the world, at this moment, only Elder Yao could make Lu Hengge temporarily set aside his killing intent.
Lu Hengge's slightly bent body hadn't straightened yet when a medicinal fragrance wafted by, and Elder Yao's hand gripped Lu Hengge's wrist: "More than half your blood is gone, your bones are shattered, and all one hundred and eight meridians in your body are destroyed."
"Boy... which grand energy did you provoke?"
Elder Yao's white eyebrows furrowed tightly.
Such injuries were not easy to treat.
Lu Hengge smiled calmly: "I crippled my own cultivation; I didn't provoke any grand energy."
Crippled his own cultivation?
Elder Yao's eyes showed surprise.
Given Lu Hengge's character, he would never do something so reckless; something must have happened.
"Tell me."
Elder Yao spoke sternly.
"I was falsely accused of colluding with the Demon Race. I was too lazy to explain and tired of meaningless justifications, so I chose to cripple my cultivation and sever my master-disciple relationship with Lu Sheng. Now, I am a mere mortal."
Lu Hengge briefly summarized it in a few words.
The details needed no further explanation.
Saying more would only make people annoyed.
Elder Yao sneered: "Colluding with the Demon Race? Some people actually believe such an absurd statement. The Three Thousand Dao Sect is truly getting worse with each generation."
"Lu Sheng is also an idiot; she can't even see through such a simple frame-up. She's not worthy of being a master!"
Lu Hengge didn't care.
Anyway, all these people would die in the future.
Why be angry with the dead!
Elder Yao cursed for a while, even angrier than Lu Hengge. Finally, he was truly parched and asked: "Your meridian problem is very serious; you might not be able to cultivate in a short period of time. What are your plans?"
Surface injuries were easy to heal; the key was the meridians.
Lu Hengge held nothing back when facing Elder Yao: "I plan to enter the Sword Prison and cultivate the Sword Bone Body.