Chapter 156: Cave-Heaven Blessed Land, Capture Plan

Sea of Learning? Cave-Heaven?

Seeing these four words, Wang Ping instantly thought of the Great Shun World's Book Mountain. Book Mountain and the Sea of Learning—he refused to believe the two were unrelated.

With this in mind, he immediately turned to look at Daoist Xuanhe.

Seeing Wang Ping's calm expression and complete lack of shock, Daoist Xuanhe curled his lip before continuing.

"This place is a Cave-Heaven I plan to construct. At present, it is only a prototype, a dead realm... It is simply because the disciples of Book Mountain are too disappointing. In five hundred years, they've produced only a few Loose Immortals of passable quality. Their karmic luck is insufficient, leaving me unable to add the finishing touch to bring this Cave-Heaven truly to life."

Wang Ping's eye twitched as he listened.

"So... you need my karmic luck, Senior, and you are dead set on pushing Book Mountain to ascend as an entire sect, all just to completely refine this Sea of Learning Cave-Heaven?"

"Exactly."

Daoist Xuanhe nodded as if it were a matter of course. "Otherwise, why would I rack my brains to set up an orthodox lineage in the Eight Trigrams Furnace? Just because I had too much time on my hands?"

"Besides, there is precedent for success."

"Oh?" Wang Ping raised an eyebrow.

"The furnace-watching disciple before me was Senior Brother Xuanyin of Wugu Immortal Peak. He ran a strongman business and collaborated with the Protector Courtyard."

Daoist Xuanhe said casually, "At the time, Senior Brother Xuanyin specifically established a lineage of extraordinary persons within the Eight Trigrams Furnace. He called it the Corpse Immortal Cult. They spread plagues everywhere and created Corpse Demons, slaughtering until corpses littered the plains. He even left the cult a supreme scripture called Corpse Refining Ascension."

"And as it turned out, those fools actually believed it."

"So everyone stopped at nothing, and in the end, they successfully refined their entire cult into a Cave-Heaven, ascending right into Senior Brother Xuanyin's Hundred Treasures Pouch."

"Senior Brother Xuanyin didn't have to lift a finger."

"He easily obtained a Cave-Heaven, and one extracted from the Eight Trigrams Furnace at that. Its quality is so high that it is entirely worthy of being considered a Divine Power."

"Look there."

Daoist Xuanhe pointed into the distance. Wang Ping followed his gaze and saw a continuous mountain range. From within the peaks, a streak of profound light shot up from the ground.

The light wasn't particularly bright, yet it was deeply imprinted upon the sky. Wang Ping merely glanced at it and immediately felt dizzy. It wasn't until a blade's hum echoed within his sea of consciousness, and the five blurry characters for the Heaven's Will Profound Blade linked into a single line, that the dizziness was severed. He abruptly snapped awake from his stupor.

"This is..."

Wang Ping took a step back, his expression grave.

With his current cultivation, the only thing that could make him fall victim to a mere glance had to be the profound mysteries of the Tribulation Transcending Second Layer, at the level of Divine Powers. There was no other possibility.

And that was indeed the case.

"That is where Senior Brother Xuanyin's Cave-Heaven is located," Daoist Xuanhe said mildly. "The Corpse Immortal Liberation Cave-Heaven. It is also the main target we must guard against this time."

Wang Ping jerked his head up. "Why?"

"Because he's pursuing Senior Sister You," Daoist Xuanhe said helplessly. "Otherwise, why do you think someone from Wugu Immortal Peak would come to Bliss Immortal Peak?"

"Huh?"

Wang Ping froze. After a good while, he asked doubtfully, "This Xuanyin should be just an inner sect disciple like you, Senior, right?"

An inner sect disciple pursuing a True Transmission disciple?

That was practically defying the heavens!

Daoist Xuanhe caught Wang Ping's unspoken implication and sneered. "If it were an ordinary True Transmission disciple, he'd be lucky not to be beaten half to death."

"However, Senior Sister You is a bit special... Or rather, all of us here are a bit special. Coupled with the fact that Senior Sister You hasn't been a True Transmission disciple for long, her cultivation is insufficient, and her weight as a True Transmission is sorely lacking. That's what gives Senior Brother Xuanyin the guts to commit such an act of insubordination."

"I see..."

Wang Ping understood immediately. The root of this "special" status was the master of both Daoist Xuanhe and Daoist Nun You—the Qi Refining practitioner Mingyou, whose immortal lifespan was reportedly nearing its end.

The Immortal Gate had always been pragmatic.

A True Transmission disciple backed by the great mountain that was a Qi Refining practitioner could make a Tribulation Transcending Third Layer expert bow, even if the disciple hadn't started cultivating and was merely an ordinary Mortal.

But if that backing mountain was about to collapse, then no matter how high the True Transmission disciple's cultivation was, they would have to tuck their tail between their legs and act carefully.

'No wonder that venomous woman was working so hard back in Longxing County.'

'Turns out she was being pestered by an inner sect disciple she normally looks down on. The kind that sticks to the bottom of your shoe is the hardest to scrape off. That's why she was so desperate to extend her backer's lifespan.'

Unfortunately, things hadn't gone her way.

Looking at it this way, this Daoist Xuanyin's pursuit of Daoist Nun You must have intensified. After all, he had even moved himself directly to Bliss Immortal Peak.

'But this pursuit couldn't possibly be genuine. In all likelihood, he just wants to become her dao companion so he can use that status to carve up Great Cultivator Mingyou's inheritance after death... The same goes for Daoist Nun You. If she wants that inheritance, she has to find a reliable outside helper.'

'So it's not necessarily that she doesn't want a dao companion.'

'It's purely because Xuanyin is an inner sect disciple and doesn't meet her baseline for a helper. She probably figures that even if she has to sell herself, she should at least sell herself to a True Transmission to make it worthwhile...'

Wang Ping quickly sorted out his thoughts.

With this in mind, he also understood Daoist Xuanhe's implication. "This Senior Brother Xuanyin will forcefully prevent other male cultivators from contacting You Xuexin?"

"Correct."

Daoist Xuanhe nodded. "You saw it yourself. The mountain range where the Corpse Immortal Liberation Cave-Heaven is located is the exact same cave-dwelling where Senior Sister You is in secluded cultivation."

"If you want to see Senior Sister You, you have to get past him first."

Hearing this, Wang Ping furrowed his brow tightly.

Against Daoist Nun You, he felt perfectly confident in his chances of winning right now. But throwing in another inner sect disciple armed with a Cave-Heaven was an entirely different story.

Unless Daoist Xuanhe was willing to lure the man away for him. But firstly, that would cause too much of a commotion, and secondly, there was no way Daoist Xuanhe would fight someone else just for his sake.

"In that case, we have no choice but to lure her out." Wang Ping glanced sideways at Daoist Xuanhe. "That's what you really wanted to talk about, right, Senior?"

Daoist Xuanhe smiled and nodded.

"You can be taught."

After saying that, he continued, "I mentioned before that although most Cave-Heavens are constructed by disciples, a small number were created by Qi Refining practitioners."

"Unlike the Cave-Heavens built by disciples, these Cave-Heavens rely on the Twenty-Four Qi and stretch across the universe. You can see them from any immortal peak. At the same time, they are open to the outside, and some serve quite literally as places where Qi Refining practitioners screen for True Transmission disciples."

"There are ten such Cave-Heavens in the Immortal Gate."

Daoist Xuanhe said quietly:

"And the one I'm talking about is one of these top ten Cave-Heavens. It's called Dao Proving Mountain, forged by a Qi Refining practitioner from Mingzhen Immortal Peak."

'Dao Proving Mountain?'

'Mingzhen Immortal Peak?'

Before Wang Ping could ask, Daoist Xuanhe explained, "The orthodox lineage of Mingzhen Immortal Peak is about analyzing all things; they pursue the establishment of rules for heaven and earth."

"Dao Proving Mountain was born out of this."

"This brings us to a cultivator's magic power and their corresponding Qi. Simply put, Dao Proving Mountain exists to let cultivators fight over their Qi..."

Wang Ping suddenly realized.

'This is what Jin Hai told me about!'

'Cultivators in the Immortal Gate fight with each other for Qi, using it to purify their magic power, refine their Divine Powers, and gain the favor of their respective Qi, thereby broadening their path in the Dao.'

He hadn't been looking for this, but the opportunity had fallen right into his lap!

His main objective in coming to the Immortal Gate this time had been to capture Daoist Nun You alive. He hadn't planned on distracting himself with how to refine Divine Powers just yet.

Yet Daoist Xuanhe had offered the information on his own initiative.

Thinking of this, Wang Ping couldn't help but feel a bit confused. "I understand what Dao Proving Mountain is, but what does that have to do with luring out our target?"

"It's quite simple."

Daoist Xuanhe said plainly, "Back then, Senior Sister You also braved Dao Proving Mountain to purify her magic power. She even left her imprint and ranking inside. If you can defeat Senior Sister You's imprint inside Dao Proving Mountain and take her ranking, you can steal her Qi. That will definitely alarm Senior Sister You..."

Before he even finished speaking, Wang Ping understood.

'Daoist Nun You was at the Tribulation Transcending First Layer before. Right now, there's a high probability she's at a critical juncture in refining her Divine Powers. How could she possibly tolerate having her Qi stolen by someone else?'

What if she failed to refine her Divine Powers just because she was missing that little bit of Qi?

What would happen if she failed?

"Furthermore, the imprint Senior Sister You left behind back then is far weaker than her current self. Even if it gets defeated, it won't affect her confidence to come back and fight again."

"So she will definitely come to Dao Proving Mountain."

Xuanhe finished explaining his plan, but Wang Ping shook his head. "That won't work. Dao Proving Mountain is a Qi Refining practitioner's Cave-Heaven. I can't possibly make a move and capture someone inside."

"You don't need to do it inside the Cave-Heaven," Daoist Xuanhe chuckled. "As long as you defeat Senior Sister You again inside Dao Proving Mountain, she'll come looking for you herself."

"She's desperate to refine her Divine Powers, and since she can't beat you, she'll naturally think of using underhanded tactics and making a deal with you... This kind of thing always requires secrecy."

"When that time comes, you'll be able to get her alone."

Wang Ping laughed upon hearing this. "So basically, I'm the one doing all the work from start to finish. You don't have to risk a thing, Senior, and can just sit back and watch?"

Daoist Xuanhe smiled and nodded.

Seeing this, Wang Ping continued, "What if I fail to defeat You Xuexin in Dao Proving Mountain, or what if I lose when she comes over to fight again?"

Daoist Xuanhe threw his hands out. "Then don't blame me. You can only blame your own incompetence."

Right, this was the survival code of the Immortal Gate.

No one's help, assistance, or promises could be relied upon. The only thing you could trust was your own strength. That was the fundamental basis for establishing a foothold in the Immortal Gate.

Daoist Xuanhe's meaning was simple.

I brought you into the Immortal Gate. Whether you can stand firm and secure your footing is entirely up to your own abilities. The Immortal Gate has never fostered incompetents!

"..."

Wang Ping knew exactly what was going on. Although Daoist Xuanhe spoke with absolute certainty, there was no way he was genuinely unprepared. He definitely had other methods to lure Daoist Nun You out. Right now, he was just demanding an exorbitant price, deliberately putting forward a condition he believed impossible to fulfill.

If Wang Ping couldn't do it, he would have no choice but to follow Xuanhe's arrangements.

When that time came, Xuanhe would naturally propose an alternative method, and Wang Ping would inevitably have to pay a steeper price—one that a true spiritual root and karmic luck wouldn't so easily cover.

Thus, after a moment of silence, Wang Ping didn't argue, nor did he expose Daoist Xuanhe's scheming. He simply gave a slight nod and said plainly:

"...Alright!"