Chapter 506: The State Preceptor is Probably Beyond Saving

The Peak of Imprisonment maintained a perennial state of absolute quietude, and even when a sound did manifest, it was always the agonizing wails of the inmates.

Those structural wails were usually brief; after a few cries, the prisoners would confess everything, and those who remained stubbornly silent were simply refined directly into artifact spirits.

Today was far from ordinary, however, as this particular captive proved exceptionally loud, howling for a full hour without the slightest sign of cessation.

Possessing a profound cultivation base, the prisoner's throat showed no hint of hoarseness despite the continuous shrieking.

"So, what are we supposed to do now?"

Lu Yang, the Immortal Fairy, and the Eldest Senior Sister all looked on with utter helplessness at the State Preceptor, who was still thrashing and wailing.

Eventually, even the Eldest Senior Sister grew weary of the excessive noise and laid down an isolation barrier, leaving him to scream to his heart's content inside without disturbing the peace outside.

Instantly, the world fell deathly still.

Lu Yang shook his head in deep regret; he had finally managed to capture a pivotal figure of the Great Yu, only to find the man to be a stubborn rock who would rather drown in curses than reveal a single shred of intelligence.

Yun Zhi had attempted numerous methods to unravel the hex, yet none were applicable to the State Preceptor's current condition.

Dispelling just one of the Seven Disasters and Eight Sufferings required only a minor spell from Yun Zhi, but what plagued the State Preceptor was not a single affliction, but the entirety of the Seven Disasters and Eight Sufferings combined, augmented by a decree that his cultivation could never advance in life, and his soul would shatter upon death.

This was an unprecedented, cataclysmic curse, one that even the State Preceptor himself—despite holding the embryonic form of the Karma Dao Fruit—could not unravel.

"Fairy, why don't you lend him one of your embryonic Dao Fruits, let him detonate himself a hundred times over to cleanse the curse, and then just take the Dao Fruit back?"

An entity who possessed a complete Dao Fruit held absolute dominion over its embryonic form, capable of bestowing and reclaiming it at whim.

The Immortal Fairy shook her head, rejecting Lu Yang's proposal out of hand: "It won't work. He already harbors an embryonic Dao Fruit within his vessel, and a single person cannot hold two simultaneously."

"Moreover, even if his body were devoid of the embryonic Karma Dao Fruit, I still could not give it to him."

"An embryonic Dao Fruit is not a piece of clothing that you can put on whenever you like and swap out when you tire of it."

"An embryonic Dao Fruit represents the very laws of reality; the prerequisite for holding one is that the individual must possess a certain depth of comprehension regarding that specific law. This fool knows absolutely nothing of my Immortal Dao Fruit. If I gave it to him directly, his soul would fail to withstand its sheer majesty and would immediately disintegrate."

The State Preceptor's repeated displays of incompetence caused the Immortal Fairy to question whether his intellect was functional at all, wondering if he was merely a charlatan who had blundered his way into becoming a half-immortal.

"Wait a moment, Fairy. I don't possess any comprehension of the Immortal Dao either, so how is it that you can give its embryonic form to me?" Lu Yang recalled how the Immortal Fairy spent her days clamoring to force an embryonic Immortal Dao Fruit into him.

The Immortal Fairy looked at Lu Yang in sheer astonishment: "Second-in-command, what nonsense are you speaking? Under my prolonged tutelage and the subtle, imperceptible influence of my presence, your comprehension of the Immortal Dao already far surpasses that of the Third-in-command."

Lu Yang: "..."

When exactly did this happen, and why was he completely unaware of it?

"Did you truly believe I appointed you as the Second-in-command merely because we enjoy a pleasant relationship? How could that be? I am ever fair and just; the hierarchy of the Immortal Lineage is determined solely by merit!"

Hearing a potential opportunity for advancement, the Third-in-command quickly scurried over: "Rest assured, Chief! I will certainly devote my entire being to meditating upon the Immortal Dao and strive to claim the position of Second-in-command!"

The Immortal Fairy cast a disdainful glance at the Third-in-command and said with flagrant impatience: "Shoo, shoo! Why are you joining the commotion? If you ever dare to covet the position of Second-in-command, I shall strip away your embryonic Dao Fruit."

The Third-in-command cast an envious look at Lu Yang before slinking away in dejection.

"Could the power of national destiny unravel this curse?" Lu Yang recalled how Meng Jingzhou, the Holy Son of their sect, had been harmed by a wicked schemer and afflicted with a curse that prevented him from touching women, which was ultimately broken by relying on the power of national destiny.

The Eldest Senior Sister nodded gently: "That is indeed a feasible method."

With a slight hook of her index finger, the State Preceptor transitioned from writhing in agony on the cold ground to writhing in agony while suspended in mid-air.

"I shall make a trip to the imperial palace. Wait for me here at the Peak of Imprisonment."

Since they were to utilize the power of national destiny, it was naturally most convenient to seek it out at its very source.

Leaving these words behind, the Eldest Senior Sister rose and departed for the imperial palace.

The criminals confined within the Peak of Imprisonment were all of the most vicious and brutal sort, individuals so terrifying that those with weaker resolve would find their legs trembling violently just by standing here.

Lu Yang, however, felt no semblance of fear; both the newcomers and the veterans of the Peak of Imprisonment recognized him perfectly.

The newcomers were those he had personally captured, while the veterans had watched Lu Yang drag those newcomers in.

If anyone were to feel terror, it was the inmates who dreaded Lu Yang.

The prisoners of the peak conversed in hushed whispers, terrified that Lu Yang might overhear them.

Reduced to mere souls with their spiritual energy and divine senses completely sealed, the inmates had developed a unique methodology to converse without alerting Lu Yang.

The cells of the Peak of Imprisonment were forged from refined mineral ores specifically designed to suppress souls, rendering them utterly indestructible.

The prisoners would speak directly against the iron bars, transmitting sound through the subtle vibrations of the metal, which their keen, soulful perceptions would then decipher.

"Heavens above, did you witness the battle just now? A half-immortal level powerhouse struck against Lu Yang, yet Lu Yang didn't even bother to retaliate; the man just collapsed instantly."

"This fellow named Lu Yang is truly unfathomable. He appears to be merely at the Golden Core stage, but his true strength is definitely far beyond that."

"Have you all noticed? Ever since this Lu Yang joined the Spirit-Asking Sect, our peak has grown increasingly crowded. At first, it was just those at the Body Integration stage, then came the Tribulation Transmutation stage, and now they've even bagged a half-immortal. Is this something a mere Golden Core could achieve?"

"I haven't laid eyes on a half-immortal in all my days, yet to think I would behold one in a place like this."

"Is this truly the grand conflict of the great era? Even an existence as formidable as a half-immortal is reduced to a wretched captive."

The more the prisoners discussed, the more alarmed they became, perceiving Lu Yang as an unfathomable entity who must never, under any circumstances, be offended.

Lu Yang remained entirely oblivious to the discussions of these heinous criminals. Taking advantage of the Eldest Senior Sister's absence, he hastily resumed his high-level discourse with the Immortal Fairy.

"Fairy, given that an immortal must sever all karmic ties to advance further, wouldn't someone like the State Preceptor, who possesses the embryonic form of the Karma Dao Fruit, hold a massive advantage?"

"It is not that an immortal must sever karmic ties to advance further; rather, it is that Ying Tian and his lot believe one must sever karmic ties to advance further," the Immortal Fairy clarified with emphasis.

"Very well, Ying Tian and the others believe so. If the State Preceptor condenses the embryonic Karma Dao Fruit and takes a step further to manifest the complete Karma Dao Fruit, wouldn't he then be able to sever karmic ties at will and rise above the immortal realm?"

The Immortal Fairy shook her head: "Your understanding is flawed. The very moment the State Preceptor condensed the embryonic form of the Karma Dao Fruit, his own being became inextricably bound to the concept of 'Karma.' Manifesting the complete Dao Fruit would only cause him to fuse seamlessly with that concept, merging into a singular entity."

"If he is completely unified with the concept of 'Karma,' how could he possibly sever it?"

"He must have overheard somewhere that immortals place great emphasis on karma, which prompted him to find a way to condense this embryonic fruit. He remains blissfully unaware that he has wandered down a false path, committing the most elementary of blunders."

"There are no shortcuts to attaining immortality; relying on opportunistic trickery is an impossibility."

"Then again, while there may indeed exist a realm beyond immortality, none of the five of us ever paid it any mind."

"Why is that?"

"Because it simply wasn't necessary. We had already achieved immortality, possessing infinite lifespans and standing unrivaled beneath the heavens. We lived exceedingly well, so why must we obsessively pursue an even higher domain?"

Lu Yang found the fairy's rationale to be profoundly reasonable.

The second update will be at eleven o'clock.

(End of Chapter)