Cultivating Immortality, Starting from Childhood Sweethearts

Chapter 232

“If you refuse, then you two will die here.”

The old man spoke calmly, as if he were discussing something utterly mundane.

Xu Ming had no doubt that this old man could make good on his word.

If he could save the two of them, then naturally, he could just as easily kill them.

For someone like him, killing the two of them would be as simple as a thought, leaving them no chance to resist.

The reason he had saved them was that he saw value, a benefit, in doing so—he had something to ask of them.

But if they refused to cooperate, he would have no reason to keep them alive.

Xu Ming’s gaze fixed unwaveringly on the old man.

The old man’s eyes did not avoid his; he was waiting for Xu Ming’s answer.

To him, Xu Ming’s choice mattered little, even if it was a matter of life and death.

Xu Ming recalled something the Prime Minister Xiao of the Wu Kingdom had once said.

“The higher a cultivator’s level, the less they let go of desires or see through everything. Rather, their perspective simply broadens.

Moreover, since cultivation is about walking one’s chosen path and staying true to one’s Dao Heart, there’s rarely any turning back.

Thus, those unafraid of death grow even more fearless, while those who fear it grow ever more terrified.”

Xu Ming figured this old man must belong to the former category.

“Senior, you might as well explain. Since you’ve put it this way, I don’t seem to have much of a choice. If your terms are acceptable…” Xu Ming said slowly.

Refusing meant death; agreeing meant a chance at survival. Was there even a choice to make?

That said, if the old man’s conditions were too outrageous—if they crossed a line more important than life itself—Xu Ming would rather die than comply.

He wasn’t a saint, not even a good person by most measures, but he didn’t want to become the culprit responsible for plunging the world into chaos and misery.

“Relax, no need to be so tense. I’m not some vile villain,” the old man said with a smile.

“The deal I’m proposing at most puts your life at risk.

Besides, the two of you might not even qualify to make a deal with me.

However, if you succeed, I guarantee the opportunities you’ll gain will be things most cultivators can only dream of.”

The old man’s words were enticing, but the more enticing they were, the more cautious Xu Ming became.

In this world, everything had a price.

“Gambler!” the old man called out. “Get to work.”

“On it, old man, on it!” A bald man replied enthusiastically.

The one addressed as “Gambler” immediately picked up a stone and slashed his wrist.

Blood flowed freely from his wrist, dripping down to the ground, winding through cracks in the stone, and staining the walls of the cavern red.

Finally, the blood pooled between Xu Ming and the old man, continuously gathering and separating.

To Xu Ming’s surprise, the blood formed a strange, intricate array.

“I didn’t give you a proper introduction to him earlier,” the old man said slowly.

“This man loves to gamble. He’ll bet on anything—money, rare treasures, even lives. If it’s something he can wager, he’ll gamble on it.

Gambling is his Dao.

Many have gambled with him and lost, and when they tried to renege on their losses, they were all killed—not by his hands, but by the oath bound to the bets he set.”

“He’s killed so many people, including disciples from renowned sects.

As a lone rogue cultivator with no backing, he’s been relentlessly hunted down.

In the end, he was dragged to this place.

The array in front of you is the ‘Gambling Oath.’ This oath carries the binding power of the laws of heaven and earth.”

“Thanks to the old man for personally introducing me,” the Gambler said, cupping his hands in salute from within his cage.

“Just as the old man said, this Gambling Oath isn’t witnessed by me but by heaven and earth itself.

Although I use blood to create it, which might seem ominous, like some kind of blood curse, it’s actually no different from writing it on paper.

To be honest, I prefer black ink on white paper. But since there’s no paper or ink here, blood will do just as well.

White paper and black ink can make an oath. Blood can serve as a substitute.

You can discuss the terms at your leisure. Once you’ve come to an agreement, drip a drop of your blood into the array, and the oath will take effect. Whoever fails to fulfill it will face the backlash of heaven and earth.

Of course, this Gambling Oath doesn’t really apply to the old man here. His cultivation level is so high that ordinary oaths and laws have no binding effect on him. But for you two little ones, the restriction will be absolute.”

After the Gambler finished speaking, the old man turned his gaze to Xu Ming and asked, “What do you think?”

Xu Ming clasped his hands and bowed. “Please speak, senior.”

“Hahaha! Good!” The old man let out a hearty laugh.

“First, I’ll address one of your doubts—why haven’t these people killed us despite imprisoning us here?

The reason is simple.

There’s an array in this place, but it’s no ordinary, man-made array. Even the world’s greatest formation masters couldn’t create something like this.

This array is the masterpiece of the Dao itself.

Each mountain within the domain of the Tianxuan Sect is naturally part of this grand array.

It’s nearly impossible to find another place like this in the world.

Fortunately, the second sect master of Tianxuan Sect was a formation genius. He slightly modified the natural workings of the Dao and turned it into this array.

This place, Sanshi Peak, is the core of the mountain range and the focal point of the sect’s protective formation.

Centered around Sanshi Peak, the array draws spiritual energy from the outside world while preventing its escape, transforming the entire Tianxuan Sect into a vast blessed land.

But the more powerful the array, the more it needs something to anchor it.

This array requires cultivators of the upper five realms to stabilize its core.

By imprisoning upper-five-realm cultivators here, they serve as mediums to strengthen the array and continuously channel spiritual energy to the sect.

Not only that, but the spiritual energy within us is constantly extracted and fed back to the entire Tianxuan Sect.

Kid, have you ever heard the saying, ‘When a whale falls, all life flourishes’?

When a giant whale dies, its body becomes nourishment for countless small creatures, fostering the growth of thousands of living beings.

Similarly, in the Demon Realm, there is a city called Kunpeng City.

That city was formed when a Kunpeng perished.

Its skeleton shielded tens of thousands of demon clans, and its flesh and blood allowed them to evolve.

This array functions on the same principle.

We, the imprisoned cultivators, are that whale.

When a cultivator dies, their body becomes nourishment for this world, like falling petals enriching the soil, ensuring more flowers bloom the following year.

But only a portion of the spiritual energy dissipates into the soil near the body.

And the capacity of any piece of land is extremely limited.

When the nearby land can no longer absorb the spiritual energy, the excess dissipates into the world.

What the Tianxuan Sect aims to do is to let us die slowly.”

“The slower our spiritual energy dissipates, the more the Tianxuan Sect can extract from us. Our souls, spiritual energy, and everything else are being slowly dismantled by this array, constantly feeding into the sect.

At most, within a thousand years, I will perish completely in this place.

These other fellows, though not as strong as I am, entered later and will likely last around the same time.”

Xu Ming frowned. “Do other sects have similar arrays? Why don’t the Four Great Holy Lands do something like this?”

The old man chuckled. “How do you know the Four Great Holy Lands aren’t doing something like this?”

Xu Ming was silent.

“The Four Great Holy Lands and the Five Major Sects all have similar practices; the only difference lies in their methods.

For instance, in the Holy Land of Yaochi, every year, the Saintess of Yaochi must feed the Heavenly Lake Tree with her essence blood to stabilize the spiritual energy of the surrounding land.

Similarly, the Wanjian Sect has an ancient immortal sword, rumored to have existed since the chaos of creation. This sword is placed at the core of their protective array. Not only does it stabilize and supply spiritual energy, but it also amplifies the sword qi and intent within the sect while granting blessings from the Dao.

Some sects use other methods along these lines. This is why sects often collaborate and trade with one another. The Wanjian Sect is the only one that keeps to itself, but the reason the Four Holy Lands and Five Major Sects have stood unshaken for tens of thousands of years, their names unchanged, lies in these practices.

We were captured to serve as nourishment for the Tianxuan Sect.

When other sects have their needs, the Tianxuan Sect will return the favor using similar means.

But lately, I’ve sensed something unusual. The array at Sanshi Peak has undergone changes. This mountain is no longer just the core of the array; it’s being transformed into a kind of alchemy furnace.

If my guess is correct, the current sect master of the Tianxuan Sect has found a way to kill us at some opportune moment, merging our destiny and spiritual energy into the sect.

As for why he would do this, my guess is that the sect master is aiming to break through to the next realm.”

“Break through?” Xu Ming asked in confusion.

“Exactly,” the old man nodded. “If my memory serves me right, the Tianxuan Sect’s Zixia Grand Ceremony should be approaching soon, correct? You’re here to offer your congratulations, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” Xu Ming admitted with a nod, not hiding the truth.

“Then my guess is correct. If we die, our spiritual energy and destiny will merge with the Tianxuan Sect. Then, the sect master will kill some of his own disciples. These disciples carry the sect’s destiny, which will then fuse with ours.

The guests attending the ceremony will certainly be of high status. Many sects send their core disciples to make connections and broaden their horizons. These disciples, too, carry their sect’s destiny.

Finally, the sect master will kill some of these guests. The three types of destinies—ours, the disciples’, and the guests’—will merge.

This would guarantee a breakthrough, likely taking him from the Immortal Realm to the Ascension Realm.

But for him to resort to such a method only proves how far the Tianxuan Sect has fallen.

In the past, every sect master of the Tianxuan Sect was at least in the Ascension Realm.

And now, they don’t even have a single Ascension Realm cultivator left. How laughable.”

Hearing the old man’s words, Xu Ming’s heart trembled.

Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t believe such a story.

But coming from a powerful Ascension Realm cultivator imprisoned here, there was no reason for him to lie.

Moreover, the old man’s words perfectly aligned with what Mo Zhuer had told him earlier.

The two accounts matched seamlessly.

Xu Ming’s speculation was that the Tianxuan Sect’s Sect Master, Xia He, was collaborating with the Black Lotus Sect from the Western Regions. It was highly likely that the array Xia He used was something he obtained from the Black Lotus Sect, which meant that the Black Lotus Sect naturally knew all of Xia He’s plans and would assist him in carrying them out.

As for Xia He being hunted?

So what?

Once Xia He ascended to the Ascension Realm, who could possibly kill him, aside from cultivators of the same realm? Two Ascension Realm cultivators fighting would only end in mutual destruction. Who would risk their life to fight Xia He?

Even if there were such people, so what?

If Xia He wanted to leave, no one could stop him.

He could even go to the Western Regions and establish a sect right next to the Black Lotus Sect, forming an alliance with them.

Xia He was truly playing an excellent game—ruthless and calculating.

“So now you understand, right?” the old man continued, his tone calm. “Our group, I’m afraid, will not survive for much longer.”

Xu Ming furrowed his brows. “What do you mean, senior?”

The old man smiled, looking directly at Xu Ming. “Do I really need to explain it further? It’s simple: save us.”

“…”

Xu Ming wanted to say that this was far from simple.

What was his cultivation level compared to theirs?

The chains and cages holding them were obviously not ordinary; how could he possibly rescue them?

“Don’t rush,” the old man said with a faint smile. “When I say you should save us, I’m not referring to right now.”

The old man smiled again. “With your current strength, you couldn’t even pull a single nail from my body, let alone free us.

What we’ll do next is teach you a technique. This technique is something I developed based on the Tianxuan Sect’s protective array.

If the current Sect Master of the Tianxuan Sect truly goes ahead with his plans, the Sect’s array will be in a highly unstable state. Using this technique, you might just succeed.

There’s also another way: kill the current Sect Master of the Tianxuan Sect.”

Xu Ming and Xu Xue Nuo: “…”

“Don’t look at me like that.

I’m not crazy.

Right now, you two are too weak, but we have ways to make you stronger.

Try it first.”

Before Xu Ming and Xu Xue Nuo could react, a sword energy coalesced into a small blade and pierced directly into their foreheads.

Their vision went black, and they collapsed to the ground.