Who Let Him Cultivate?!
Chapter 1192 - 1191: Elder Brother Dai, We Have Brought Back the Concerned Party (Seeking Monthly Votes)

Tiger Roar Martial Arts Hall was built by Uncle Murong himself; he was intimately familiar with every brick and tile.

Even though the Martial Arts Hall looked exactly the same as before, something just didn't feel right.

Never mind, he thought, Uncle Murong had reached the Golden Core Stage thanks to his carefree nature—if something didn't make sense, he wouldn't dwell on it. There was no point in torturing oneself.

"Uncle, Old Meng and I have been talking, and we think it's about time we left," Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou came to bid farewell to Uncle Murong.

Although they would have liked to continue teaching at the hall, too much had happened in Muxue City, and it was only proper to return to their sect to report. Moreover, only these brothers fully knew the details of the incidents.

Besides, now that the people of Muxue City were aware of the brothers' identities, staying would only bring trouble to Uncle Murong.

"Ah, you're leaving?" Uncle Murong said, feeling melancholy. He knew about Lu Yang and his companion's real identities, but what left the deepest impression on him were the instructors Little Lu and Little Meng.

"We'll come back to visit you."

Uncle Murong shook his head with a wry smile, "What's there to visit me for? You two are busy people. It's the thought that counts."

He could already imagine the students' disappointed faces after the New Year when they found out their teachers were gone. He would have to find a way to console them then.

Finding a teacher on the same level would be difficult, but if no one could beat him, he could teach too.

What Uncle Murong didn't know was that Lu Yang, Meng Jingzhou, and Xue Shilou had entered the students' dreams at night, bidding farewell to each one, telling them to keep training hard, and that what their instructors had taught was enough to last them a lifetime.

The students cried in their sleep and woke up with puffy eyes, realizing it hadn't been a dream.

The four youngsters—Gong Che, Shi Yi, Fang Zhige, and Su Yuan—were the most mature. When they learned that Mr. Lu was actually Lu Yang, they had anticipated this outcome, yet when it came to pass, they still found it difficult to accept.

"The Snow Emperor is no longer with us, but you can still be considered my successor. Will you follow me in cultivation?" The Snow Emperor asked earnestly. It had been eighty thousand years since he found someone to pass on his mantle. Now, with Xue Shilou as a promising disciple, it was time to nurture him well.

"I am willing!" Xue Shilou kowtowed three times and offered the Snow Emperor tea, bringing laughter to the venerable man.

Lu Yang remembered something and headed to the backyard. He found Old Ma standing straight, packing away dried herbs. Once they left the Extreme Northern Lands, they wouldn't be able to find such herbs again.

It wasn't Old Ma that Lu Yang was reminded of, but rather the tree by his room's door.

Under the tree, he found the body of Yang Kongdong, which was being gnawed—or perhaps digested—by the tree's roots.

Lu Yang was startled. When had the tree become so malevolent?

He had only fed it the corpses of a Foundation Establishment Stage Luo Shi and a Divinity Transformation Stage Carefree Guest.

"The lingering obsession of Leng Ningxiang must have attached to the tree after it dissipated," Fairy Eternity analyzed. "In a way, she and Yang Kongdong are together forever now."

"It might seem sinister, but there shouldn't be any issues once Yang Kongdong's body is consumed."

The more professional Controller also came to analyze, "This tree could be considered as having gained enlightenment, or one might say it's a form of reincarnation, unrelated to its past life."

"When the tree truly develops spiritual wisdom, it will be a completely new being."

Lu Yang roughly understood, but he was more concerned about another issue: "Is there a danger to the Martial Arts Hall?"

The Controller shook his head, "No danger. If the hall takes good care of this tree, it can protect the hall until the tree grows legs and transforms."

"That's good then."

...

"An earthquake in the Extreme Northern Lands?" Dai Bufan couldn't make heads nor tails of the intelligence just received.

Due to its vastness with sparse population and relative isolation, he seldom paid attention to the happenings in the Extreme Northern Lands.

Even so, he knew that earthquakes had never occurred there before.

"Elder Brother Dai, we're back!"

Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou, the two heroes, triumphantly returned, having been rushed back by Old Ma, who pulled both men and a cart full of immortals frantically back to report.

Although their gains from the Extreme Northern Lands were significant, they were still disciples of the Seek Dao Sect, and Lu Yang was a junior brother under Dai Bufan. Any achievements they had made outside had to be reported back to Dai Bufan.

"You two are back from the Extreme Northern Lands?"

Dai Bufan was surprised and, seeing the joyous smiles on Lu Yang and his companion, he was reminded of how Junior Sister Gan Tian looked when she had returned from the Demon Territory, a sign that her cultivation had been fruitful and she had made a big harvest in the Demon Territory.

"It seems like you two have made quite a significant harvest in the Extreme Northern Lands?"

"Elder Brother Dai, you're as perceptive as a deity!" Lu Yang gave a thumbs-up, genuinely impressed.

"Tell me, what did you two do in the Extreme Northern Lands?"

Listening to others' worldly experiences could aid one's own cultivation – a lesson Dai Bufan had learned during his Void Refinement days, and it was still applicable now.

"Elder Brother Dai, as you know, we've always advocated for cultivating discreetly and 'Red Dust Mortality,' so Old Meng and I chose to teach fist techniques to students at a martial arts hall as teachers..."

"The Martial Arts Hall's master's cultivation level wasn't high, just at the early stage of Golden Core. He didn't know our identities."

"The students were all ordinary people, but of course, there were a few exceptions..."

Dai Bufan nodded frequently as he listened; it sounded credible. The Eldest Senior Sister had said that Junior Brother Lu went to the Extreme Northern Lands to temper himself, but it seems that Eldest Senior Sister could also make mistakes in her judgment – Junior Brother Lu went there to live a mortal life.

"And then the Ruthless Sect's leader, Yang Kongdong, started fighting with Sect Leader Mu and Chi Sect Leader..."

Dai Bufan was just about to nod again when he abruptly stopped, leaning forward eagerly, staring hard at the two brothers.

"What did you just say?!"

Weren't they just talking about holding classes? How did it jump to the Ruthless Sect's leader?

"We didn't know," Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou responded innocently, as they truly didn't understand how Yang Kongdong ended up fighting with Mu Baiyi.

"Perhaps it's an internal strife within the demonic sect?" Meng Jingzhou speculated.

That was precisely the reason they came to report their experience in the Extreme Northern Lands to Dai Bufan. As disciples of the Righteous Path facing a major event like internal conflict within a demonic sect, they couldn't keep it to themselves.

"Keep going."

"...So Old Lu and I engaged Yang Kongdong in battle, then my cultivation level dropped, and Old Lu, reaching the peak of Pass Tribulation, continued the fight against Yang Kongdong."

"...The Controller from the Great Qian Dynasty started a battle with Immortal Jiuchong that literally shattered heaven and earth."

Dai Bufan pondered, feeling as though he had missed a piece of the story.

How did teaching mortals martial arts escalate to an Immortal Battle?

Others at the Void Refinement Stage either immersed in 'Red Dust Mortality' or lived by 'War Feeds War,' yet it seems you two have chosen 'Red Dust Fuels War'?

"Junior Brother Lu defeated Yang Kongdong, but where is Yang Kongdong now?"

When this question was raised, Lu Yang felt a bit embarrassed, "Would you believe me if I said his body was eaten by a tree?"

"..."

Lu Yang clenched his fist, "I knew you wouldn't believe it, Elder Brother, so we brought the person in question here."

"Let me tell you, it wasn't easy to invite him, even Eldest Senior Sister had to make a move."

"The person in question?"

Lu Yang turned to open the door, ushering in Immortal Jiuchong.

"This is the Venerable Immortal of Ancient Times, Nine-layered Immortal Venerable!"

Immortal Jiuchong was a very polite person. He knew the Immortal World was vast and customs varied from place to place. Upon arriving at the Seek Dao Sect, he would follow their customs, and if he were to stay awhile, he would need to register.

He strode into the room, revealing a gentle smile, "You may call me Immortal Jiuchong... Eh, why did he faint?"

(Additional chapter for Alliance Hierarch 33021209539281)