Chapter 52: Everyone Loves Little Immortal Mushroom (X)

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Chapter 52: Everyone Loves Little Immortal Mushroom (X)

Shang Ke awoke from his meditative trance when he sensed the outer wards being disturbed. He extended his spiritual sense outward and saw dozens of black, cloudlike masses plummeting from the sky. They slammed into the barrier one after another, instantly dispersing into smoke before slowly coalescing again.

What are those things? While Shang Ke was still wondering, he suddenly felt a deep thrust inside him. Snapping back to his senses, he returned his attention to the man before him. Yan Lu seemed displeased that he had gotten distracted and accelerated the circulation of their true essence, lifting Shang Ke’s body before letting it sink again, rocking him up and down as though he were riding rolling waves.

Shang Ke’s clothes were disheveled, one bare shoulder exposed. The loose hem of his robe draped over where their lower bodies were tightly joined, leaving only his two legs visible beneath it as they wrapped around the man’s thick, powerful waist. Cultivation was supposed to demand a mind free of distracting thoughts and a state of perfect emptiness, but their dual cultivation always ended in plenty of deep and shallow lovemaking. With their extraordinary physiques, every session lasted an absurdly long time—the shortest two days, the longest a full half month. They entered meditation while true essence circulated between them, then awakened whenever desire stirred again. Movement and stillness, tension and release, all blended seamlessly into one.

“Yan Lu, shall we finish up?” Shang Ke straightened, then lowered his head and lightly licked and nipped at Yan Lu’s lips.

Yan Lu forcefully pressed him down and kissed him hard, true qi circulating between their lips and tongues without the slightest trace escaping.

Shang Ke’s eyes fell half closed, his long lashes softly brushing Yan Lu’s face. His consciousness gradually blurred, and he once again sank into their erotic journey.

While the two were “devoting themselves wholeheartedly” to cultivation, the outside world had already descended into chaos.

The black clouds Shang Ke had spotted outside the barrier were demonic clouds from the Demon Realm. They posed little danger to cultivators, but they could invade the bodies of ordinary people, drain their vital essence, and continue growing and spreading.

However, the appearance of the demonic clouds was merely the prelude to the opening of a Demon Realm Rift. For some unknown reason, a spatial rift had suddenly appeared above the cultivation world, and countless demonic clouds streamed out of it, raining down like a meteor shower.

When Shang Ke first noticed the demonic clouds, the rift had only recently opened. By the time the two finally ended their cultivation after another seven days of “meditation,” deafening booms were already shaking heaven and earth.

Dark clouds blanketed the sky, obscuring both sun and moon. Bitter winds raged like wailing ghosts and howling wolves. The Demon Realm Rift was already half open, and demonic clouds were no longer the only things pouring through. Countless demonic spirits possessing rudimentary intelligence were flooding into the world as well.

The cultivation world’s experts mobilized in full force. Some went to seal the Demon Realm Rift, while others dealt with the demonic creatures wreaking havoc everywhere. They absolutely could not allow the Rift to open completely, or the cultivation world would face a devastating catastrophe.

Shang Ke recalled the information provided by the System. In the original course of events, it was precisely the appearance of this Demon Realm Rift that had given Yan Lu the opportunity to unite the entire cultivation world. Under his control, demonic spirits swept across the land, devouring living beings and using possession to refine countless people into demonic slaves.

The Demon Realm Rift had never fully opened. Thanks to the restrictive power of the Heavenly Dao and the sacrifice of dozens of powerful cultivators, it was ultimately sealed. By then, however, the rampaging demonic creatures had already turned the cultivation world into a living hell.

Shang Ke glanced at the man beside him. Although Yan Lu had already switched to cultivating the righteous path, who knew whether he might suddenly decide that destroying the world sounded pretty good and capriciously switch sides again? That was the frightening thing about the demonic path: there was no need to start cultivation over from the beginning. As long as one’s Dao heart wavered, one could fall into it.

Countless demonic spirits descended from the sky and surged toward Shang Ke and Yan Lu.

With their current cultivation, dealing with these demonic spirits naturally required almost no effort. But as long as the Demon Realm Rift remained open, more would continue pouring through without end. They could never kill them all.

“Esteemed experts and reclusive masters, please proceed to Yunxiao City immediately and join forces to seal the Demon Realm Rift.” A deep voice suddenly echoed across the sky, using long-distance voice transmission to summon experts from every direction.

“Yan Lu, let’s go too.” Shang Ke looked down at the horrific scene below and could not bear it. He would not so much as blink at killing someone in self-defense, but watching tens of thousands of innocent civilians being tormented by demonic creatures was something he simply could not remain indifferent to.

Besides, the sooner they sealed the Demon Realm Rift and restored peace to the cultivation world, the sooner they could return to their cave residence and resume cultivating.

Yan Lu had no objections and followed Shang Ke to Yunxiao City.

The Demon Realm Rift hung directly above Yunxiao City. Hundreds of thousands of cultivators had gathered there, yet very few were actually powerful enough to help seal the Rift.

The Pure Dust Sect, the foremost sect in the cultivation world, had an ancestor who created a Grand Demon-Sealing Formation powerful enough to seal the Demon Realm Rift. Ideally, the formation required forty-nine experts at the Mahayana Stage or above. For a weaker configuration, it still needed at least twenty Soul Transformation Stage cultivators and twenty-nine Mahayana Stage cultivators.

There were several hundred Soul Transformation Stage experts available, but even now they had managed to gather only twenty at the Mahayana Stage.

With the situation worsening by the moment and no time left to spare, the Sect Master of the Pure Dust Sect decided to stake everything on one desperate attempt. He gathered twenty Mahayana Stage experts and fifty-eight Soul Transformation Stage cultivators to form the formation together. The fifty-eight Soul Transformation cultivators paired off, two to each position, to compensate for their lack of individual strength.

By the time Shang Ke and Yan Lu arrived, the Grand Demon-Sealing Formation had already been activated.

Across the darkened sky, a long rift tore through space, revealing a bottomless black void. Countless demonic creatures flew from within, releasing wave after wave of piercing howls.

Nearly a hundred cultivators floated in the air, the light emanating from their bodies like glittering stars. Spread around the rift, those points of light intersected in every direction, gradually forming an enormous formation.

The formation radiated tremendous power, while tens of thousands of additional cultivators stood guard around those maintaining it. Every demonic creature was trapped within like small fish caught in a net, packed tightly together and struggling wildly. As their numbers continued to increase, the pressure on the formation grew greater and greater. Its light flickered erratically, as though it might be broken through at any moment.

Soul Transformation Stage cultivators simply could not compare to those at the Mahayana Stage. Moreover, the more people involved, the more varied their energies became, making the formation increasingly difficult to control.

At that moment, one of the cultivators maintaining the formation suddenly spat out blood and fell from the sky.

A second and then a third soon followed. Although others immediately moved in to replace them, they still could not fully make up for the loss.

The grand formation began to totter on the verge of collapse. Just as it seemed about to shatter, two streaks of white light swept through the sky and successively took the places of two fallen cultivators.

Their arrival immediately breathed new life into the formation, and its brilliance flared once more.

Only then did everyone look closely enough to see who the newcomers were.

Before the opening of the Primordial Realm, perhaps no one would have recognized them. Afterward, however, their names had resounded throughout the entire cultivation world.

One was Yan Lu, whom the cultivation world had acclaimed as the “Hidden Saint.”

The other was Shang Ke, the spirit demon whom countless cultivators desperately coveted.

Their appearance instantly drew countless gazes. It was only when the demonic creatures launched another assault on the formation that everyone finally pulled themselves together and focused on the crisis before them.

The cultivators guarding the formation from outside had far fewer concerns. Their curious gazes drifted toward the pair from time to time, particularly toward Shang Ke. A spirit being like him appeared perhaps once in a thousand years, and to countless cultivators, he was both the dual-cultivation partner of their dreams and an extraordinarily nourishing tonic.

Spiritual light shimmered around Shang Ke as immortal qi swirled about him. His bright eyes glittered like flawless gems, and his short white hair fluttered in the wind. With his peerless, ethereal beauty, he stood among the pale and exhausted cultivators like a luminous pearl beneath a brilliant moon.

The longer the formation operated, the weaker its participants became, and the more their spirits flagged. Shang Ke alone seemed to grow more bewitching the more power he expended. After fifteen minutes, only the light surrounding Shang Ke and Yan Lu still blazed brilliantly against the darkened sky, like two radiant imperial stars casting their might over the world.

Among the crowd, Feng Luoling saw that everyone’s attention had been drawn to Shang Ke. Resentment churned inside her, and jealousy welled up uncontrollably.

While her state of mind was wavering, a demonic spirit took advantage of the opening and slipped inside her. Although she quickly expelled it, it left behind a demonic mark. Under normal circumstances, a few days of quiet cultivation would have been enough to erase it. But with Feng Luoling consumed by jealousy, malicious intent suddenly arose in her heart. She gathered power at her fingertip and secretly shot it toward Shang Ke’s back.

Shang Ke was completely focused on maintaining the formation. How could he possibly defend against a sneak attack from behind? A sharp pain struck his back, throwing his true essence into chaos and nearly causing a backlash. Although he managed to stabilize himself in time, he still suffered severe internal injuries, and a thin trickle of blood slowly ran from the corner of his mouth.

As his dual-cultivation partner, Yan Lu sensed Shang Ke’s injury the instant it happened. He whipped his head around, his icy gaze shooting straight toward Feng Luoling.

In truth, Feng Luoling regretted her actions the instant she attacked. The cultivation world was in the midst of a catastrophe—how could she jeopardize the greater good over a personal grudge? When she saw that Shang Ke had endured her attack, she finally relaxed a little. But the next instant, Yan Lu’s murderous gaze locked onto her, and she felt as though she had plunged into an icy abyss, her entire body going rigid.

Then she saw Yan Lu move slightly, clearly preparing to attack her. She was just about to flee when he abruptly stopped himself, cast Shang Ke a restrained glance, and forced his attention back onto the formation. Even so, the bone-chilling aura radiating from him seemed more terrifying than the demonic creatures trapped within the formation.

Feng Luoling could not help letting out a breath of relief. Regret and unease filled her heart, mixed with a lingering trace of resentment.

The Grand Demon-Sealing Formation had entered its final stage, which was also when the demonic creatures’ counterattack became most ferocious. Nearly everyone maintaining the formation had exhausted their true essence and was now holding on through sheer willpower and conviction alone.

At that moment, an enormous claw suddenly thrust out of the rift and forced the nearly closed opening apart again. A tremendous surge of demonic qi swept toward the cultivators, instantly blasting dozens of those maintaining the formation away. With so many positions suddenly left unsupported, the grand formation nearly collapsed.

Fortunately, by this point the Grand Demon-Sealing Formation could already operate on its own. As long as its spiritual power was replenished quickly enough, it could stabilize. But most of the cultivators present were already at the end of their strength and simply had no power left to offer support against the demonic creatures’ frenzied counterattack.

Whether they could successfully seal the Demon Realm Rift now depended entirely on the dozens of cultivators still holding their positions within the formation.

“Everyone, for the peace of the cultivation world and all living beings beneath heaven—even if we die today, we shall die without regret!” the Sect Master of the Pure Dust Sect declared, his powerful voice echoing through the sky.

“Even in death, no regrets!” countless cultivators shouted in response.

Light erupted brilliantly from their bodies as they prepared to stake their lives on one final effort.

Yan Lu and Shang Ke likewise drew upon every last ounce of their strength, advancing and retreating together with everyone else.

Dozens of dazzling beams illuminated the entire darkened sky. The surrounding cultivators all raised their heads, reverence written across their faces.

Under the brilliant light, the enormous claw rapidly withdrew into the rift. The surrounding demonic creatures released piercing shrieks as the opening began closing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Golden light blazed. In an instant, heaven and earth shook, and the rift vanished without a trace. The remaining demonic creatures fled in panic, the dark clouds overhead gradually dispersed, and blue sky appeared before everyone once more.

For a moment, everything fell silent. Then thunderous cheers erupted.

The cultivators who had still been hovering in the air began falling one after another, only to be caught by other Daoists and safely brought down to the ground.

Their true essence had been completely drained. They did not even have enough strength left to sit down and circulate their qi.

Yan Lu was similarly depleted. The moment he landed, he prepared to regulate his breathing and recover, but before doing so, he instinctively looked toward Shang Ke—only to discover in horror that Shang Ke had disappeared.

Yan Lu’s heart clenched. He abruptly stood and spread out his spiritual sense in search of Shang Ke.

A moment later, he shot into the air and sped off in one direction under everyone’s astonished gazes.

It turned out that at the exact moment the Demon Realm Rift was sealed, the severely injured Shang Ke had been unable to maintain his position and fallen toward the ground. Several cultivators with ulterior motives caught him, then immediately fled with him.

Cold killing intent filled Yan Lu’s eyes. Moving like lightning, he caught up with the fleeing cultivators before they had gotten far and blocked their path.

Seeing Yan Lu unsteady on his feet and his aura in complete disarray, the group grew bolder. They left one person to guard the weakened Shang Ke while the others surrounded Yan Lu and attacked together.

“Damn you! You all deserve to die!” The distant cheers were still ringing in Yan Lu’s ears. He and Shang Ke had exhausted their true essence to seal the Demon Realm Rift, yet these people were taking advantage of their weakness for personal gain, casting all morality and righteousness aside. They were utterly despicable!

Yan Lu had never been so furious. His murderous aura surged, and he attacked without the slightest mercy, like a god of slaughter.

The group had assumed Yan Lu no longer had the strength to resist. They had never expected him to remain this formidable. Within only a few exchanges, he killed two men and severely wounded three. One of the survivors retreated to his remaining three companions, seized Shang Ke by the throat, and shouted shakily, “Don’t move, or I’ll kill him!”

Yan Lu stopped where he stood and stared at him coldly.

Seeing that his threat had worked, the man regained some of his nerve. “If you want him to live, sever your own meridians!”

Yan Lu did not move.

The man tightened his grip and roared, “You’d better—”

His words abruptly cut off when a woman’s voice suddenly sounded in his mind: 【The man before you is no easy opponent. If you fail to eliminate him today, he will inevitably take revenge in the future.】

【Who are you? What do you want?】 he replied through spiritual transmission.

【Who I am isn’t important. What matters is whether you want to get rid of the man in front of you.】

【Of course I do, but I’m no match for him.】

【Have you forgotten what you’re holding in your hands?】

The man paused and looked at Shang Ke. 【You want me to use him to threaten Yan Lu? What’s so special about that? I’m already doing it.】

【Heh. Threaten him? Why did you capture Shang Ke in the first place? Wasn’t it to increase your own cultivation? The immortal medicine is already in your hands, yet you don’t even know how to make use of it.】

【You mean…?】

【Absorb the immortal qi within his body and make it your own. Your strength will increase instantly. Dealing with Yan Lu in his severely weakened state will then be effortless.】

The man’s eyes lit up, greed flashing across his face.

Their exchange lasted only an instant. The man holding Shang Ke quickly made his decision, circulated the true essence in his hand, and began draining the immortal qi from Shang Ke’s body.

Shang Ke’s already pale complexion instantly turned almost translucent, pain flashing through his eyes. Restrained as he was, he could not revert to his original form. If he did, his immortal qi would only drain away even faster.

Yan Lu immediately sensed what was happening. His pupils contracted sharply, and he gathered the last of his strength before lunging toward the man like a madman.

The man had anticipated this and transmitted a message to his companions, ordering them to hold Yan Lu off for a moment.

Yan Lu had once been overwhelmingly powerful, yet because he had exhausted so much of his strength, these despicable men actually managed to hold him back. Baleful killing intent surged violently within him, and the demonic spirits that had already fled into the distance seemed to hear a summons. One after another, they began converging on the area.

“Demonic spirits! Why are they coming back?” one man exclaimed.

“Forget them! Deal with Yan Lu first!”

Surrounded by prowling demonic spirits, the men continued attacking Yan Lu.

Yan Lu paid no attention to the wounds steadily accumulating across his body. His gaze gradually became cold and dark. The remaining immortal qi retreated deep within him as the aura of the demonic spirits began invading him little by little.

Despite the agony wracking him, Shang Ke was horrified by what he saw. He scarcely needed to think about it—these were the unmistakable signs that Yan Lu was about to fall into the demonic path!

He had gone through so much to guide Yan Lu onto the righteous path. How could he possibly allow him to fall back into the demonic path now? This was not merely for the sake of the mission, but for Yan Lu’s future as well.

A Demon Lord might be powerful and awe-inspiring, but he would have to endure countless demonic tribulations, and the slightest mistake could scatter his soul into nothingness. If every world Shang Ke had experienced was real, then the man he loved had been reincarnating through each and every one of them. If Yan Lu’s soul were truly destroyed, Shang Ke had no way of knowing whether he would ever meet him again in the next world.

He did not dare gamble on it.

“Don’t, Yan Lu!” Shang Ke shouted.

But Yan Lu could no longer hear him. His entire being had already begun sinking into a state devoid of emotion and desire.

Shang Ke’s strength continued draining away bit by bit. He looked at Yan Lu, who was on the verge of becoming demonic, reluctance and determination mingling in his eyes.

Then his white hair slowly lifted, and golden light flickered across his body before breaking apart into countless points of starlight.

“Y-you… what are you doing?” The man draining his immortal qi stared at Shang Ke in astonishment.

Shang Ke said nothing. His gaze remained fixed on Yan Lu from beginning to end.

A moment later, the man finally realized what Shang Ke was doing.

He was dispersing his own cultivation?!

The man tried to stop him, but it was already too late. Before his eyes, Shang Ke dissolved into a cloud of luminous mist, then rushed toward Yan Lu and merged into his body in an instant.

The moment that familiar presence entered his body, Yan Lu regained his senses.

“What are you doing?!” His face was filled with shock and fury.

Let this power merge into his body. With the Great Dao before him, break through all karmic obstacles and ascend the heavenly path.

【Little Mushroom, stop! I don’t need your power!】

【Yan Lu, promise me. Don’t become a demon. Remain on the righteous path.】 In the original course of events, Little Mushroom had been devoured by Yan Lu, becoming nourishment that helped him break through to a higher demonic realm. Now, Little Mushroom willingly allowed himself to be devoured once again—this time to help Yan Lu step into the divine realm.

【Why should I remain on a righteous path like this?】 Those so-called prestigious righteous sects were nothing more than a pack of despicable hypocrites wrapped in respectable clothing. Little Mushroom had saved countless lives and possessed such a kind heart, yet not only had he never been repaid, he was constantly bullied and persecuted. He had exhausted every last bit of his strength protecting the cultivation world, only to be driven to the brink of death by these very righteous cultivators.

【Then… let me become the righteous path in your heart.】

【What?】

【Not for the Heavenly Dao or for righteousness. Only for me.】

【Only for you…】 A gleam flashed through Yan Lu’s eyes.

【I am willing to form a life-and-death contract with you, so that even after hundreds or thousands of reincarnations, we can still meet again. So, Yan Lu—for me, remain on the righteous path. One day, I will stand openly beside you beneath the sunlight, and together we will receive the respect of the world…】

Shang Ke’s voice quietly faded away, but his familiar presence remained within Yan Lu’s soul, merging completely with him.

Golden light erupted from Yan Lu’s body, dazzling as the sun. In an instant, every demonic spirit around him was swept away. Power surged wildly within him, and an immense wave of energy spread outward like a hurricane.

Such overwhelming power quickly drew the attention of the nearby cultivators. When they saw Yan Lu standing within the golden light, every one of them stared in shock.

What was the Heavenly Dao? What was righteousness?

Little Mushroom was his Heavenly Dao. Little Mushroom was his righteousness.

Tribulation clouds gathered overhead.

The ninefold heavenly tribulation descended in response.

A Divine Lord of a generation would return through tribulation.

Yan Lu slowly opened his eyes. His gaze was cold and detached, yet an eerie smile curved across his lips…

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