Chapter 345: Do You Desire Power? (Part 2) (Asking for some Monthly Tickets...)

"Hmm?" Perfected Cultivator Piaomiao could not help but wonder if his own ears were playing tricks on him due to a mishap in his cultivation.

"What is that?!" His eyes narrowed slightly as he coldly scanned his surroundings; though it was highly improbable for any demons or monsters to appear within the Nanhua Faction, he was, after all, a grand cultivator of immense power who had trained for ages, and a long life naturally bred far greater vigilance than that of ordinary men.

It was now drawing close to dusk, yet the outside world was blanketed in an eerie, deathly silence.

A wisp of sinister wind seemed to drift in along the grand entrance of his immortal cave.

Silent and invisible, it arrived like a cold, ghostly apparition.

"Do you harbor resentment...?" The voice seemed to echo from all directions, yet it also felt as though it arose from the deepest recesses of his own heart.

"Bitter cultivation for so many years, yet yielding no reward; soon, not only your Fourth Junior Brother, but perhaps even the other elders whom you have always trampled beneath your feet will surpass you one by one."

"What on earth are you?!" The once-handsome countenance of Perfected Cultivator Piaomiao instantly contorted into a hideous scowl as he glared coldly into the void.

"Your talent is superior to most of the elders, yet because of this inexplicable bottleneck, you have been delayed for several decades; do you not hate it?"

"How do you know that?" Perfected Cultivator Piaomiao’s expression grew even more grim and dark.

"Because I... am you!" The voice sneered. "I think what you think, and I know what you know; I am born from within your very heart."

"Utter nonsense!" Perfected Cultivator Piaomiao’s expression turned icy as killing intent erupted from his eyes, his fingers snapping into a mystical hand seal, and instantly, a terrifying tempest of wind-blades swept outward from around his body!

"Die!"

In an instant, every table, chair, bowl, and cabinet in the vicinity was sliced as if by countless sharp blades; within the blink of an eye, the entire room was reduced to a field of ruins!

Total silence.

Perfected Cultivator Piaomiao exhaled a heavy, turbid breath; he had already sustained some injuries from the mishap in his cultivation, and forcing his internal spiritual energy into action just now had clearly taken a painful toll.

Yet now, he let out a cold laugh, assuming that the mesmerizing evil creature had surely been eradicated.

But in the very next breath, that same voice echoed right beside his ear once more: "You cannot kill me, for we are one and the same!"

"How... how is this possible?!" Perfected Cultivator Piaomiao’s heart sank. "What kind of evil monster are you?!"

"Did I not already tell you? I am you..."

The surrounding atmosphere grew increasingly stagnant and dead, as a boundless, pitch-black fog surged inside from outside the cave mansion like a rising tide.

"No! What exactly are you?! How did you bypass the restrictions placed upon my cave mansion!"

"I am the desire buried deep in your heart, knowing what you know..." The boundless, pitch-black fog enveloped Perfected Cultivator Piaomiao like an incoming tide!

"Come... come with me... you shall obtain everything you desire..." The voice grew deeper, colder, and more sinister.

Perfected Cultivator Piaomiao, his entire body shrouded in black miasma, saw the whites of his eyes turn crimson before being flooded with a thick, ink-like blackness, a look of desperate struggle continuously flitting through his gaze.

"Don't even think about it!" A look of furious rage flared in his eyes. "You wicked, heretical fiend, do not dream of controlling me!"

Perfected Cultivator Piaomiao roared, his entire cultivation surging violently as he ruthlessly suppressed the mass of black miasma, the divine light in his eyes flickering between brightness and dark.

The black miasma within Perfected Cultivator Piaomiao’s eyes clearly gained the upper hand, swiftly and ruthlessly crushing his spiritual energy!

An indeterminate amount of time passed before Perfected Cultivator Piaomiao’s eyes were almost entirely consumed by darkness, the light of clarity completely suppressed.

...

As an elder who also served as the master to so many disciples, Perfected Cultivator Xichi, despite entering and leaving the Origin Internet Club alongside her disciples every day and getting along harmoniously with them, always felt that mingling among a crowd of disciples daily was somewhat inappropriate.

If this continued, she might eventually be led astray by these disciples, and that simply would not do!

By right, she ought to drag a few fellow elders of high standing and equal cultivation realm to form a party together, but recently, the various elders were either bogged down with tedious affairs or locked away in secluded meditation.

After much deliberation, Perfected Cultivator Xichi realized that only her Junior Brother Ye Tang, Perfected Cultivator Piaomiao, who was currently in seclusion, had shown no signs of activity for such a long time and should be about ready to emerge.

With this thought in mind, Perfected Cultivator Xichi arrived before the cave mansion of Perfected Cultivator Piaomiao.

The two Daoist boys at the gate hastily bowed in greeting: "Grandmaster... is still in secluded meditation."

"Who says this seat is still in seclusion?!"

A man dressed in an ink-black long robe instantly manifested before the cave mansion; the aura radiating from his body seemed considerably denser than before, yet it had also become deeper and far more elusive.

However, judging by his speech and demeanor, there was no great difference from his former self.

"Congratulations, Junior Brother, on your further advancement in cultivation! Have you... emerged from your seclusion?" Perfected Cultivator Xichi inquired with delight.

"Indeed!"

Perfected Cultivator Xichi sensed the depth of his cultivation and remarked in astonishment, "Junior Brother's cultivation has actually advanced at such a rapid pace, a truly joyous occasion!"

"That is a matter of course," Perfected Cultivator Piaomiao stated proudly. "Given my current speed, I estimate it won't be long before I surpass the Fourth Elder once more; if I happen to surpass you at that time, Senior Sister, you must not blame me!"

Perfected Cultivator Xichi was astonished inwardly: "It appears Junior Brother has gained many insights during these years of seclusion?"

"Not only that..." Within Perfected Cultivator Piaomiao’s gaze, a flash of struggle suddenly appeared, as though he had encountered something he was unwilling to do, with something within his consciousness fighting against him, but it was quickly masked over as he spoke again, "For I have discovered an extremely unique method of cultivation; if Senior Sister has any interest in studying it together... you may accompany me tonight at midnight!"

"Oh?" Perfected Cultivator Xichi knit her brows slightly. "Actually, this Senior Sister has also discovered a method to rapidly elevate one's cultivation; if Junior Brother is interested, we can set out right now."

"Hmm?!" A storm of uncertainty flitted through Perfected Cultivator Piaomiao’s eyes before he smiled and said, "Senior Sister must be joking; the method you speak of is likely not as ideal in its effects as mine."

This made Perfected Cultivator Xichi rather displeased; what kind of method could possibly yield better results than her reading *Jade Dynasty*, playing *The Legend*, and forming a party in *Grand Theft Auto 5*?

Perfected Cultivator Xichi said, "Junior Brother should not jest; this seat's method is very likely the most effective one under the heavens."

"Oh?" Perfected Cultivator Piaomiao scoffed. "Senior Sister should not deceive me; I believe my method will certainly not be inferior to yours."

"Is that so?" Perfected Cultivator Xichi smiled. "Junior Brother truly speaks with grand arrogance; could it be that you have read *Jade Dynasty*?"

"I have never read it!" Perfected Cultivator Piaomiao shook his head.

Perfected Cultivator Xichi spoke again: "Have you played *The Legend*?"

Perfected Cultivator Piaomiao grew somewhat impatient: "What on earth is that? Never!"

"Do you know of the Heavenly Book?!" Perfected Cultivator Xichi casually recited a line, "For the creation of heaven and earth refers to the time of chaos, when ignorance was unparted, the sun and moon contained their brilliance, heaven and earth blended their forms, and once the vast transformation occurred, the clear and the turbid were displayed..."

Every single phrase seemed to embody the ultimate truths of heaven and earth, striking the heart like the grand tolling of a massive bronze bell; unconsciously, a look of profound shock emerged within Perfected Cultivator Piaomiao’s eyes, and at the same time, a sliver of clarity returned to his gaze: "What is it that Senior Sister is reciting?!"

"The Heavenly Book!" Perfected Cultivator Xichi said. "Today I shall take you to the Origin Internet Club to broaden your horizons; are you going or not, Junior Brother?!"

"I am going!" shouted Perfected Cultivator Piaomiao, a trace of clarity having returned to his eyes.

Meanwhile, Yue Yan was also looking at a young cultivator with a strange expression: "Senior Brother Long Yi, what is this other special method of raising one's cultivation you spoke of? Will it definitely allow me to surpass Senior Brother Li under the Sect Master during this year's sect tournament?"

"My apologies, I do not wish to go; I am going to rest early today, as I must wake up early tomorrow to go driving..."

"..." This was already the seventh junior sister he had asked, and every single one of them claimed they had to go driving tomorrow; he could not help but suppress his rising anger, "What exactly is this 'driving'?"