I have Immortality In The Cultivation World

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Six months later.

Zhou Yi, diligent and unrelenting in his acquisition of demonic cultivator heads, finally amassed three thousand merits.

The number of evil cultivators killed by the Dan Ding Sect naturally exceeded this number, but most of the fellow disciples weren't lacking spirit stones or pills and were saving for Foundation Establishment Pills. Zhou Yi wouldn't deliberately drive up the prices.

Nor was Zhou Yi the only one earning merits. Everyone had privately agreed to keep the exchange rate of spirit stones to merits under fifty.

Zhou Yi spent his merits to exchange for two Beast Tablets and rode the light to Wanshou Peak.

Beast Garden.

The place where the Dan Ding Sect reared Spiritual Beasts, encompassing Wanshou Peak and the three nearby peaks. Common types of Spiritual Beasts were tamed there.

There is no difference between a Spiritual Beast and a Demon Beast: the organized are called 'Spiritual', the unorganized are called 'Demon'!

Zhou Yi descended from his light, explained his purpose, and the disciple on duty handed over the catalogue of ownerless Spiritual Beasts.

"Eagles, Green Cloud Eagles, Skyscraper Hawks, Wind Spirit Eagles..."

Eagle-type Spiritual Beasts were widely used in the Cultivation World, especially by Qi Refinement Realm disciples. Taming a hawk demon for travel saved not only mana but also was much faster than flying with their own tools.

"It doesn't look like there are any special Spiritual Beasts."

Zhou Yi finished flipping through the catalogue and asked, "Are there any heterogeneous or bloodline-containing varieties among the hundred or more eagle-type Spiritual Beasts?"

"Junior uncle, I'm only responsible for recording the names of the Spiritual Beasts; I'm not sure..."

The disciple's words were cut short by the appearance of a bottle of Green Sun Pill, which he quickly pocketed with practiced ease, "Junior uncle, the Green Cloud Eagle numbered twenty-seven among the Eagle-type Spiritual Beasts had ordinary blue feathers. Last year, its neck and tail feathers turned golden."

"Not bad, this eagle is destined with this poor Daoist."

Zhou Yi then browsed the tiger-type demon beasts. Before he could even ask, the disciple on duty took the initiative to remind him.

"Junior uncle, tiger-type number one hundred and nine, the Iron Tail Tiger, underwent an aberration; amidst its golden fur, black hairs started to intersperse, perhaps containing some Exotic Blood."

"You will accomplish great things!"

Zhou Yi handed over the two Beast Tablets, along with a bottle of Green Sun Pill.

"Many thanks for junior uncle's generous gift."

The disciple thanked him repeatedly and went to the back hall to retrieve the beast soul tablets. He said, "Junior uncle, these soul tablets are similar to soul contracts and can be used to summon Spiritual Beasts. They can also be passed down to future generations for use as a clan-defending treasure."

Advancing a Spiritual Beast was difficult, consuming far more Spiritual Objects than a cultivator. Encountering those with poor aptitude, like Minister Tortoise, who ate Spirit Ginseng for hundreds of years, remained a minor Qi Refinement Realm demon. However, Spiritual Beasts had long lifespans. A Cultivation family with a Foundation Establishment Spiritual Beast could prosper for centuries.

Zhou Yi nodded slightly, intending to still perform soul and Blood Covenants later, just in case the soul tablet was lost.

"Exchange for another two... ten Spiritual Beast Bags!"

Spiritual Beast Bags were similar to storage bags, but their crafting was more complicated. If filled with enough Spirit Stones and food, a Spiritual Beast could survive inside for years. A cultivator could also live inside as long as they didn't fear the defensive formations breaking and being destroyed along with the internal space.

A moment later.

Screech!

An eagle's cry sounded as a gold and green mixed-colored male eagle, with a wingspan over a meter, descended from the sky. It rapidly shrunk and dove into the Spiritual Beast Bag.

Roar!

A yellow-furred tiger with black stripes, drooping eyes, and a white forehead galloped down the mountain, dashing up to Zhou Yi and affectionately rubbed its head against him.

"Interesting."

Zhou Yi leaped onto the tiger's back, bounding forward over ten meters, heading towards Hundred Flowers Valley.

...

A year later.

Zhou Yi, after inquiring from many sources, finally learned the reason behind the Heavenly Demon invasion.

Xuan Xiao had not long after his Core Formation journeyed to Ji Continent, where he slew the only Golden Core disciple of the Zhen Yang Demon Venerate!

The Zhen Yang Demon Venerate pursued Xuan Xiao to the border between two continents and encountered the old Wine Ancestor coming for support. After losing in a fought of magic, he fled back to the Heavenly Demon Palace. Humiliated by a junior, how could a Demon Venerate endure such an insult? Hence, there was the Heavenly Demon invasion.

"To be able to kill a Nascent Soul true disciple at the early stage of Core Formation, truly a son of the era!"

"With Xiao Tiezhu's fate at stake and the Zhen Yang Demon Venerate a giant of the age, neither is likely to perish easily, so the friction between the two sects will eventually turn into a great war..."

Zhou Yi pondered for a long time and decided to wait in the Dan Ding Sect for ten more years.

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Within ten years, there is no need to undertake any demonic extermination tasks outside of the sect, you'll be naturally safe staying here, meanwhile, look for the opportunity to cultivate the Minor Cutting Heaven technique.

A secret technique that consumes one's lifespan to divine fortune and misfortune is tailor-made for Zhou Yi and worth waiting ten years for. Of course, should the opportunity still be absent after ten years, Zhou Yi plans to leave Dan Ding Sect to cultivate in seclusion until the end of the great war, then emerge again.

"Participating in battle is out of the question; during a sect war, those at the Foundation Establishment are just cannon fodder, Golden Core disciples have some use, but what decides the outcome is the Nascent Soul ancestors!"

In the Cultivation World, mighty power belongs to the individual; the scheming and plotting of low-level cultivators are but a joke in front of the elders.

In a blink of an eye, three years have passed.

The number of Dan Ding Sect disciples killed by demon cultivators is increasing, and the atmosphere within the sect is becoming more intense and grim, eventually breeding a sense of shared hatred against the enemy.

Disciples who originally focused on quiet cultivation are now, whether influenced by the atmosphere or invited by friends, or having family killed by demonic cultivators, increasingly leaving seclusion to go out and defend the way by exterminating demons.

"Is this perhaps the aura of calamity?"

Zhou Yi, with the clarity of an observer, understands that cultivators, though not immortals, are still human and get swept up in the general tide just the same.

On this day.

Scripture Hall.

Zhou Yi, as usual, talks about the Lightning Method, and just as he is about to leave after finishing.

Suddenly someone asks, "Teacher Sun, your mastery of the Lightning Method is unparalleled, and you often say that the Lightning Method is the utmost in rigidity and yang, the greatest bane of evil demons, why not go outside to defend the way by exterminating demons?"

Upon hearing this, the disciples in the hall voice their support, curious to see how Zhou Yi will respond.

Zhou Yi glances over everyone and says, "This poor Daoist does not excel in magical combat!"

Having said this, he flies out of the Dharma Lecture Hall, and a moment later returns.

"This scroll contains the essence of the Lightning Method, co-authored by this poor Daoist and a good friend. The first half covers basics to proficiency, while the second half delves into depth and ultimate achievement, pointing directly to a divine realm within the Lightning Method!"

Zhou Yi places the jade slip on the lectern and disappears in a flash of light.

...

"Dan Ding Sect is no longer a place to stay, I'll come back for the Minor Cutting Heaven technique after the great war ends!"

Zhou Yi goes back to Hundred Flowers Valley to pack his travel bag, then rides a beam of escaping light to the External Affairs Hall.

At the entrance.

Bustling and noisy, uproariously lively—not a trace remains of the usual tranquility.

One person boasts about how many Demon Heads they've killed, another curses the evil cultivators for killing their sect brothers, brimming with righteous indignation they call on friends and march out robustly to defend the way by exterminating demons.

Zhou Yi ascends to the third floor and speaks to the true person in charge of handing out tasks.

"Wu brother, I'd like to undertake a demonic extermination task."

"Just in time, a recently issued task has rewards far beyond the usual."

Brother Wu, having received commands from the higher-ups, suggests, "A true person of Foundation Establishment stationed in the Marketplace for ten years can exchange for one True Transmission Secret Technique. Would Brother Sun consider it?"

Zhou Yi's eyebrows rise slightly, "Any True Transmission Secret Technique?"

"Of course!"

Brother Wu says, "Here is a catalog jade slip; except for several sect-defending inheritances, it's no different from what True Disciples learn."

Zhou Yi's Divine Sense sweeps over the catalog, spotting the Minor Cutting Heaven technique among the listed items. He doesn't agree right away but looks at other demonic extermination tasks.

The bounty on the Black Skull Demon Head has risen to seventy thousand merits. According to the description, this demon has consecutively killed seven true persons from various sects, ferocious and brutal, his cultivation very likely already progressed to the realm of False Core.

"A False Core cultivator can't live past two hundred years, Black Skull is about to exceed three hundred at any time... these guys, they couldn't all have run off, could they?"

Zhou Yi looks at other Demon Heads—each has killed a significant number of true people from the sects, as if in an instant, the strength of the demonic cultivators soared, effortlessly slaying cultivators of the same level.

"The monkeys scatter before the tree falls!"

True persons of Foundation Establishment would rather die out there than get entangled in the great sect war.

And yet, Dan Ding Sect cannot coerce or block them, for aside from True Disciples, the relationship between sect members is like that of workers and bosses—unless great benefits are offered, no one is willing to lay down their life.

Zhou Yi ponders for a moment, then agrees, "This poor Daoist is willing to guard Daze Marketplace for ten years."

Brother Wu enters the task into the Identity Token, advising, "Currently, Daze Marketplace is under the command of Brother Xuan Zhou, all affairs are to regard him with utmost respect."

Zhou Yi's gaze sharpens slightly, Dan Ding Sect actually granted such great authority to the Marketplace for its defense.