Chapter 50: Everyone Loves Little Immortal Mushroom (VIII)

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Chapter 50: Everyone Loves Little Immortal Mushroom (VIII)

【Where did you say the spring was?】 When they reached the summit of Divine Rest Peak, Shang Ke saw no sign of the clear spring Yan Lu had mentioned. There were only seven holes in the ground, each about the size of a well opening.

Yan Lu glanced up at the starry sky. “It’ll be here soon.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a deep rumbling sounded beneath their feet. Wisps of mist drifted from the seven holes, and moments later, streams of spring water surged up from underground, shimmering with silvery-white light. Viewed from above, the seven springs resembled the Big Dipper.

Shang Ke asked in surprise, 【How did you know the spring water would appear?】

“Intuition.” Yan Lu planted his walking stick in the ground, stripped off his ragged clothes, chose one of the springs, and jumped in.

Intuition? A thought occurred to Shang Ke. Before losing his memories, Yan Lu had already reached the Mahayana Stage and had cultivated for at least a thousand years. It was entirely possible he had visited the Primordial Realm before. Even without his memories, some impressions might still remain buried in his subconscious.

Yan Lu soaked in the spring and slowly exhaled a breath of turbid qi, then placed the flower bud resting in his palm onto the surface of the water.

The flower bud did not sink. Instead, it floated on the surface like a tiny boat, gently rocking with the ripples.

Yan Lu leaned against the edge of the spring, closed his eyes, relaxed his limbs, and gradually entered a meditative state. As his true essence circulated, the spring water began pulsing rhythmically. Rings of silver light spread outward, and the instant they touched the flower bud, each divided into two, resonating with one another.

Shang Ke vaguely felt a thread of cool energy enter his spirit body, continuously condensing and strengthening it. As the circulation accelerated, the temperature inside him rose higher and higher, until it felt as though he had been thrown into a blazing fire.

Just when Shang Ke thought he was about to be burned to ashes, the flames suddenly burst apart, transforming into countless sparks that scattered in every direction.

Yan Lu seemed to sense something and slowly opened his eyes. At some point, the flower bud floating on the water had bloomed. Layer upon layer of petals unfurled like fiery clouds exhaling mist, dazzling and bewitching.

At the center of the flower stood a tiny mushroom, graceful and upright. Its entire body was pure white and crystal clear, radiating a soft glow like moonlight.

Yan Lu could not resist reaching out. The instant his fingertips touched the outer halo of light, the petals of the blooming Crimson Skyfire scattered one by one and transformed into a dazzling burst of white light.

When the white light faded, a familiar figure appeared before Yan Lu.

Shang Ke only remembered his consciousness growing hazy. When he opened his eyes again, he had already regained human form. He had never expected to transform again so quickly. These springs were clearly no ordinary water.

Shang Ke looked up at Yan Lu, his eyes gleaming brightly. Inside the narrow spring, barely wider than a well mouth, their bodies were pressed close enough to feel each other’s warmth clearly.

Yan Lu gently stroked Shang Ke’s cheek as though touching a priceless treasure. His withered, wrinkled hand formed a stark contrast against Shang Ke’s smooth, flawless skin.

Yan Lu suddenly stopped and stared at his own hand without blinking.

Seeing this, Shang Ke took his hand himself and smiled. “Yan Lu, I can transform again.”

Yan Lu’s gaze moved from his brows to his eyes before finally settling on his lips. In his aged voice, he said, “I’ve waited too long.”

“I’m sorry.” Yan Lu’s white-haired, aged appearance was reflected in Shang Ke’s clear eyes.

Yan Lu asked in a low voice, “Little Mushroom, now that both of us walk the righteous path, are you willing to dual cultivate with me?”

“Of course.” Shang Ke answered without hesitation.

“Even though I look this old, you don’t mind?”

Shang Ke stared at his face for a while, then admitted with some difficulty, “I do mind a little. How about you wear a mask whenever we dual cultivate?”

Yan Lu: “…I don’t like masks.”

Shang Ke sighed. “Then I guess I’ll have to wear one instead.” Despite his words, there was not the slightest trace of disgust in his eyes. As far as he was concerned, his mental age was not much different from Yan Lu’s. His understanding of this man had long since gone far beyond appearances.

A ripple appeared in Yan Lu’s eyes. “There’s no need to make it so troublesome. Little Mushroom, tell me—do you prefer an inexperienced youth, a strong young man, a steady middle-aged man, or a wise old man?”

Shang Ke: “Huh?” What does that mean?

Yan Lu explained, “With my physique, once my cultivation reaches the Enlightenment Stage, I’ll be able to reshape my appearance.”

Ordinary cultivators did not gain the ability to reshape their bodies until the Nascent Soul Stage. Yan Lu, however, had endured eight stages of demonic tribulation, tempering his body far beyond the mortal level. If destroying his own cultivation had not inflicted such severe damage, he would never have aged so drastically.

Shang Ke’s eyes widened. If you can reshape your appearance, why have you been walking around looking like a filthy old man? Don’t you know how important looks are in this face-obsessed world?!

Shang Ke fell silent for a moment before saying, “I think I’d prefer you to look like a child.”

“…You like children?” Yan Lu’s expression turned grave, and for once he looked genuinely troubled. “It isn’t impossible for me to take a child’s form, but then many dual cultivation positions would no longer work. Unless we developed some new techniques…”

“Stop!” Shang Ke had finally had enough. This man truly had no sense of restraint whatsoever. “Just restore your younger adult appearance.”

The corners of Yan Lu’s lips rose. He lowered his head and lightly touched Shang Ke’s lips before sinking beneath the water. Before long, the spring began to churn, mist rose into the air, and their surroundings quickly became hazy.

Shang Ke had been keeping watch when a pair of large hands suddenly dragged him underwater. His lips were immediately sealed in a heated kiss. The two floated beneath the surface, tangled together as they rolled through the water.

At that moment, several cultivators appeared above the springs.

One of them said, “Strange. The immortal qi here is extraordinarily dense, so why can’t we find its source?”

Another replied, “Could we have arrived too late? Perhaps someone already took the treasure.”

“Most likely.”

The mist filling the air obscured everyone’s vision. None of them noticed the seven springs atop the peak, much less the two people dual cultivating beneath the water. These seven springs were called the Seven Star Springs. Linked together, they formed a special formation, and unless someone actually entered the formation, it was extremely difficult to perceive anything unusual about them.

Shang Ke and Yan Lu were only forty or fifty meters below the cultivators above. With their heightened senses, they could hear every word with perfect clarity.

Shang Ke wrapped both arms around Yan Lu’s neck and kept his legs locked around his waist, not daring to move recklessly.

Yan Lu, however, paid them no attention and continued their dual cultivation without restraint, circulating true essence all the while so their yin and yang remained in balance.

Shang Ke was like a little fish being prodded in the belly, a stream of bubbles escaping his lips. His body drifted helplessly through the water, leaving him with nothing to brace against except Yan Lu.

Shang Ke looked up toward the spring opening and complained inwardly: How much longer are those people going to stand up there talking? A certain overly energetic bastard is about to boil me into mushroom soup!

Perhaps they heard Shang Ke’s complaint, because after searching in vain, the cultivators finally left Divine Rest Peak in disappointment.

Shang Ke repeatedly slapped Yan Lu’s shoulder, signaling for him to surface immediately, but Yan Lu remained unmoved and continued holding Little Mushroom beneath the water.

【I’m running out of air.】 Shang Ke hurriedly transmitted through spiritual sense.

Yan Lu looked at Shang Ke desperately holding his breath and asked in puzzlement, 【As a mushroom, don’t you know you can breathe underwater?】

Shang Ke: “…” I can do that?

Yan Lu apparently found Shang Ke’s expression amusing and stared at him for several extra moments.

Shang Ke wrinkled his nose and experimentally breathed underwater. Sure enough, it was perfectly natural. The spring water seeped into his body and seemed to transform into nourishment, which he absorbed bit by bit. The more he absorbed, the fuller his power became. The water appeared to contain some kind of divine energy that steadily refined their true essence, making their cultivation progress with extraordinary ease.

The two were like sponges, continuously absorbing the spring water and converting it into their own power through dual cultivation.

After an unknown amount of time, Yan Lu suddenly opened his eyes, a sharp gleam flashing through them. The true essence inside his body rapidly condensed, spiraling faster and faster until an infant-shaped energy body formed within his dantian—the Nascent Soul.

At the same time, Shang Ke’s true essence condensed into a Golden Core, while immortal qi spread throughout his entire body. The Crimson Skyfire over the right side of his chest bloomed once more, burning brilliantly against his pale skin in a dazzling crimson.

Boundless golden light erupted from within them and enveloped them both as they advanced together into new cultivation realms, their strength increasing dramatically.

Shang Ke barely had time to feel pleased before Yan Lu’s body suddenly shuddered and a rush of heat entered him.

It was not true essence, but something else entirely… Shang Ke’s cheeks flushed as he glared at Yan Lu. Yan Lu, however, looked completely unbothered. Even after reaching his peak, he showed no intention of stopping and continued “cultivating” with Shang Ke until Little Mushroom felt thoroughly boiled into an especially nourishing pot of mushroom soup…

Several hours later, the spring water finally receded. Only then did Yan Lu fly out carrying an utterly limp Shang Ke.

Shang Ke put on a long robe, covering the scattered marks left across his body.

Yan Lu lowered his head and helped fasten his sash.

Neither spoke, yet a faint tenderness lingered between them.

Just then, heaven and earth suddenly trembled, and an immense pressure swept through the Primordial Realm. Everyone inside immediately circulated their true essence and desperately resisted the overwhelming divine force. Within moments, blood began streaming from many cultivators’ eyes, ears, noses, and mouths. Their true essence churned violently within them like tiny boats caught in a storm, threatening to capsize at any moment.

No one had expected to encounter such a terrifying impact just as they were about to leave. The sheer divine might alone was nearly enough to shatter their souls.

Within the time it took one stick of incense to burn, two-thirds of the cultivators had been severely injured, and some of them died outright. Screams and the sounds of desperate self-detonations rose one after another, filling the realm with terror.

Just as everyone approached their limit, the surrounding space distorted, and every outsider inside the Primordial Realm was forcibly expelled.

Corpses fell through the sky like meteors, flashes of light blooming amid a rain of blood.

Most of the survivors were badly injured, their faces deathly pale as they barely managed to steady themselves in midair.

Only a small number remained standing tall, their breathing steady and their bearing unchanged. Amid the battered crowd, they shone like the sun and moon, drawing everyone’s attention.

The difference in their cultivation and strength was immediately obvious.

Just as everyone was watching, a dazzling burst of golden light suddenly bloomed across the sky.

Everyone raised their hands to shield their eyes, unable to look directly into its brilliance.

Within the radiant golden light, two indistinct figures slowly appeared.

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