Chapter 922: Compulsory Content for the Immortal Lineage

Bu Yaolian, born of the immortal cult's devotion and the very manifestation of faith, possessed a meticulous mind and a calculating nature, capable of maintaining an absolute mask over his emotions. For instance, when thrust into the grand joy of being promoted to the Fourth Master, his countenance betrayed not a shred of his inner delight.

"Greetings, Third Master," Bu Yaolian said, bowing and scraping before Yun Mengmeng with profound reverence. Within the Immortal Lineage, the hierarchy was absolute and strict, leaving no room for the slightest transgression.

As the dear sister of Yun Zhi, it was only fitting that her status surpassed his own.

Presently, the Immortal Lineage boasted one immortal, one Lu Yang who could best Li Haoran, and two half-immortals.

This meant that among the four members of the Lineage, the lowest combat power sat at the half-immortal level—a truly formidable assembly of talents, an elite host so rare that few factions in the mortal world could ever hope to rival them.

"It is a rare occasion for our Immortal Lineage to gather in full. This Immortal shall teach you how to employ the rudimentary form of the Immortal Dao Fruit in battle."

Previously, Fairy Immortal had watched with an aching heart as Yun Mengmeng, relying solely on her rudimentary Immortal Dao Fruit, did nothing but endure a relentless beating. It was clear the girl had only just condensed it and possessed no inkling of how to wield it.

Bu Yaolian was left utterly speechless.

During the countless times the three of them had gathered in Yun Mengmeng’s absence, why had the First Master never offered to teach him how to fight with the rudimentary Dao fruit?

"Fighting with the rudimentary form of the Immortal Dao Fruit creates quite a stir; we must find a secluded spot."

"Shall we enter my Qingfeng Sword then?" Lu Yang suggested. Having a pocket world at one's disposal was indeed far more convenient.

Otherwise, renting the sect’s highest-grade secret realm would be necessary, and his contribution points might not even suffice.

"Let us go, let us go."

With the First Master's blessing, Lu Yang drew the Qingfeng Sword and invited the Third and Fourth Masters inside.

"What an immense space!" Yun Mengmeng cried as she stepped into the pocket world of the Qingfeng Sword, spreading her arms wide and spinning upon the lush grass, utterly ecstatic. It reminded her of her old home, where the scenery was just as beautiful, and every autumn, the sweet aroma of peaches would linger in the air.

Bu Yaolian watched the scene in astonishment. For a sword to contain an entire pocket world meant the grade of this Qingfeng Sword was extraordinarily high—at the very least a celestial treasure, or perhaps even a legendary immortal weapon. As expected of the Second Master, his wealth was immense; selling skewered meat for a lifetime could never buy such a blade.

"Ahem, class is now in session," Fairy Immortal announced with a couple of affected coughs. Yun Mengmeng and Bu Yaolian immediately squatted upon the grass, gazing up at her with wide, eager eyes, their faces practically written with a desperate thirst for knowledge.

The difference lay in their appearance: Yun Mengmeng looked pure and charming, making the gesture a pleasing sight, whereas Bu Yaolian was old and decrepit, making his attempt look exceedingly bizarre.

Lu Yang felt he had little need to listen to the lecture, so he walked a few paces away and retrieved the Chengying Sword, attempting to imprint his own spiritual mark upon it to make it acknowledge him as master.

Though the sword spirit Liu Ningxuan was gone, the Chengying Sword still retained its innate spirituality, making submission no easy task.

After a moment's thought, Lu Yang plunged the Chengying Sword into the ground, then pulled out the Seven-Star Sword Array, planting them around the Chengying Sword in a circle, hoping they might persuade it.

The eight swords vibrated and buzzed, seemingly engaged in a fierce debate. Because Lu Yang was connected in mind and soul with the Seven-Star Array, he could faintly perceive what they were saying.

'Brother Chengying, just run with Lu Yang. He has a Sword-Washing Pool! Trust your little brothers on this; just take one bath in there, and the sheer bliss will ensure you never forget it!'

'What was so great about that Liu Ningxuan anyway? He usurped your body, and you still can't let him go?'

'Liu Ningxuan is already dead, forget him. We who are swords must always look forward.'

'Just yield to Lu Yang.'

Lu Yang could not sense what the Chengying Sword was replying, but judging by how its tremors gradually subsided from violent to subtle, the persuasion seemed to be yielding results.

On the other side, Fairy Immortal assumed the mantle of a strict teacher, imparting the true orthodox teachings of immortality.

"Self-detonation is the most fundamental skill of our Immortal Lineage; it is a mandatory subject."

"Back when this Immortal was researching how to maximize the destructive power of self-detonation, I cannot recall how much suffering I inflicted upon my opponents."

"Fortunately, their sacrifices were worthwhile, aiding this Immortal in continuously perfecting the theory of self-detonation."

"Third Master, this Immortal observed that you did nothing but take a beating throughout your battle, with almost no offensive measures to speak of. It is clear you have not yet mastered self-detonation."

Yun Mengmeng nodded in agreement. Indeed, it had never crossed her mind that self-detonation could be used as an offensive maneuver; her techniques had always drawn from her family’s inherited spells.

"Fourth Master, demonstrate it for her."

Hearing this, Bu Yaolian felt it was high time to display his prowess as a senior.

He dashed twenty miles away, unraveling his being into three hun-souls and seven po-souls. With a thunderous boom, he detonated half of his soul force.

Yun Mengmeng observed the Fourth Master's self-detonation with rapt attention. That half of his soul expanded wildly like a balloon, and in the blink of an eye, the balloon burst. A terrifying wave of soul power erupted outward, enveloping everything within a dozen miles in its explosive wake.

Following the blast, Bu Yaolian’s soul rapidly pieced itself back together, returning to its complete form.

"How incredible!" Yun Mengmeng’s eyes shone with delight, as if a doorway to a new world had just swung open. She suddenly felt her previous style of combat had been far too conservative.

What was self-detonation? It was the ultimate, desperate attack a cultivator unleashed at the cost of their own life. Yet, their Immortal Lineage could employ it continuously—its sheer might required no further explanation.

Fairy Immortal pointed at Bu Yaolian, who was walking back with a proud, foolish grin, and said, "Look there, that was a textbook mistake. Standing frozen in place like an idiot after detonating, only then piecing your soul back together."

"Can you guarantee your opponent will be blown to bits? What if they attack you during that brief window while you are restoring your soul?"

"Then what should one do?"

"You must ride the high-speed shockwave of the blast, restoring your soul while in motion. That way, the moment the shockwave dissipates and your soul is whole, you can seamlessly execute a second self-detonation, leaving your opponent no room to breathe!"

"Furthermore, do not stand upon the ground when detonating; you must take to the sky. Only then is the destructive power truly maximized."

"As for advanced techniques like fragmented self-detonation, those are skills beyond your current grasp."

"The two of you should first master what this Immortal has just taught. Go off into the distance and practice, and strive to master the basics of self-detonation as quickly as possible."

"Understood!"

Yun Mengmeng skipped joyfully toward a distant horizon to practice her self-detonation. A moment later, a deafening roar echoed, and a fierce shockwave came howling across the land. Caught on the outermost fringes of the blast, Lu Yang gripped the Chengying Sword planted in the ground with all his might, his entire body blown horizontally parallel to the earth.

Once the shockwave subsided, Lu Yang looked toward the epicenter, only to see vast stretches of forest reduced to charcoal, mountains crumbled into powder, and rivers rushing backward into a massive crater, quickly filling it into a lake.

Yun Mengmeng had detonated her physical flesh, and the destructive force directly reshaped reality.

"My pocket world!"

Lu Yang shrieked in absolute despair. This lush, green world he had only just acquired—he had visited it a grand total of two times, and in the blink of an eye, it had been reduced to a wasteland.

Fairy Immortal had clearly overlooked the physical toll the self-detonation would take on the environment. She hastily comforted Lu Yang, searching for a remedy: "Uh, a minor issue. In a moment, this Immortal shall teach the two of them the Tree-Planting Incantation."