Chapter 966: I Have Also Told Him Many Ancient Anecdotes

"The previous cultivator who possessed the ancient ring perished in a secret realm, a hidden realm where only those of the Foundation Establishment stage could enter. Back then, Jinghong was merely at the early stage of Foundation Establishment, yet she displayed extraordinary prowess within that realm. Ultimately, by a stroke of serendipitous luck, she obtained me."

"I observed that the child, Jinghong, possessed excellent moral character and was a malleable talent. If nurtured even slightly, who is to say she might not ascend to the Tribulation Transcending stage or become a Demi-Immortal in the future? By living a bit longer, I would be spared the need to change masters so frequently."

"I then revealed my true identity, expressing my wish to accept her as my disciple and asking if she were willing. Faced with such an opportunity, Jinghong naturally would not let it slip by, and so she bowed to me as her master."

Lu Yang thought to himself, 'When you say you revealed your true identity, do you mean your identity as the Great Revered Dragon Ying?'

Of course, he only dared to harbor this thought in his heart, lacking the courage to speak it aloud.

"Thereafter, I assisted Jinghong by using immortal energy to cleanse her marrow and refine her essence, enhancing her innate talent and altering her spiritual roots. I bestowed upon her immortal techniques and divine methods, taught her the art of artifact forging, and whenever she went out on missions, I helped her analyze the situation, guiding her thoughts so that she could find the answers herself. Fearing she might become too ostentatious and draw the attention of the Immortal of Nirvana, I instructed her to act with as much low profile as possible and avoid inviting trouble."

Lu Yang: "..."

Everyone has an immortal helping them, so why is the disparity between them so immense?

Speaking of this topic, the Immortal of Immortality grew animated: "Oh, then the two of us are quite similar. After I was resurrected by Lu Yang, in order to repay the kindness of bringing me back to life, I helped him..."

The Immortal of Immortality suddenly froze. Little Yang's talent was of the highest tier and required no enhancement; he did not learn immortal techniques or divine methods, she herself did not know artifact forging, and during missions, in order to foster Little Yang's independent thinking, she mostly just watched the spectacle.

"Inviting trouble," Lu Yang kindly reminded her.

"Oh right, I helped him invite trouble... Huh?"

Seeing that the Immortal of Immortality had come to her senses, Lu Yang hurriedly added: "Fairy, you also taught me the Art of Feigning Death."

Immortal Ying Tian nodded slightly: "The Art of Deceiving Heaven and Disregarding Fate? It seems Immortality truly holds you in high regard."

"...Are these two descriptions referring to the exact same spell?"

"Of course it is the same spell. It is merely that Immortality's naming style is rather unadorned, whereas I prefer to add a few decorative words."

Realizing they had drifted somewhat off-topic, Immortal Ying Tian pulled the conversation back: "Young friend Lu Yang, your style of doing things is unique, possessing the high spirits of youth. I have heard Jinghong speak much about you, but what truly drew my attention to you was that time you were attacked by the Immortal of Nirvana in the Eastern Sea."

"Not only did you survive that encounter, but later at the Sword Pavilion, you crossed paths with the Immortal of Nirvana again, and once more you survived, completely unscathed."

"Emerging safe and sound on both occasions is a feat even I do not possess the ability to pull off. This made me deeply suspect that you were a decoy arranged by the Immortal of Nirvana."

"Although I also heard that you encountered the Heaven-Cleaving Thunder Tribulation when ascending to the Soul Transformation stage, that could potentially have been fabricated by the Immortal of Nirvana, or it could truly be the person I am searching for."

"I could not be certain which was the case, so after you arrived at the Immortal Palace, I instructed Jinghong to keep her distance."

"Judging by your performance in the Immortal Palace, you once made me suspect that the core you formed was a Harem Golden Core. I had intended to continue observing you to ascertain your identity, but I did not expect such a turn of events to occur. Immortality bringing you directly into the small world of the ancient ring has certainly saved a lot of trouble."

"What is the matter with this body of yours?" The Immortal of Immortality noticed that Immortal Ying Tian's form was not flesh and blood, but an incomplete body forged from immortal gold. Only his two arms and two legs were made of immortal gold, while the remaining parts were crafted from rather ordinary materials.

"It is not as if I am without a body. I do not fear my corpse tracking me down; dealing with that fool is no problem for me, the issue is simply that I cannot locate his position."

"What I truly fear is the Immortal of Nirvana coming to my door. Even at my peak, I could not defeat him, let alone now when I am reduced to a mere soul."

"To seek self-preservation, I forged this body. However, my sphere of movement is limited after all, and I could not find that much immortal gold, so for the time being, I had to make do with other materials."

"If the entire body were forged from immortal gold, I would be able to restore myself to roughly my peak state."

"As for immortal gold... I recall that after we finished off your corpse, a considerable amount of immortal gold was left behind. It is just that Hui Doudou muddled them all together, and they cannot be separated."

Immortal Ying Tian's eyes lit up: "That is no problem at all. If I refine it slowly, I will eventually be able to separate these pieces of immortal gold."

To deal with him, his corpse must have collected a vast ocean of immortal gold, which would be more than enough for him to forge a complete body.

A corpse, as it turned out, was indeed most useful only after it was dead.

"Speaking of which, do you know what is going on with the Heavenly Court? I heard that both Ao Ling and Jiang Lianyi have joined the Heavenly Court. This Heavenly Court could not possibly have been established by the Immortal of Nirvana, could it? Yet that makes no sense either; if the Immortal of Nirvana established the Heavenly Court, how could Jiang Lianyi join it?"

"Or did the Immortal of Nirvana disguise himself as you, Immortality, to trick Jiang Lianyi into entering the Heavenly Court?"

"It does not seem like something Qilin or Jiuchong and the others would create. Being so conspicuous would draw the attention of the Immortal of Nirvana."

Previously, when Immortal Ying Tian heard that the Ancient Heavenly Court had suddenly emerged into the world, his heart had clenched violently.

The Ancient Heavenly Court was a concept that, no matter how one heard it, sounded like a contraption concocted by the Immortal of Nirvana.

"Actually, the Heavenly Court was made up by me." Lu Yang scratched his head in embarrassment, never expecting that the Heavenly Court he had concocted back then to deceive the Nine Nether Sect would now grow larger and larger.

"Made up by you?" Immortal Ying Tian was profoundly shocked. He had always regarded the Ancient Heavenly Court as a formidable enemy, never imagining it was the handiwork of one of their own.

"Then who is Revered Bean?"

"That is me! My name is Huang Doudou, after all," the Immortal of Immortality said with immense pride, thoroughly satisfied with her identity as Revered Bean.

"So your true name is Huang Doudou, Immortality." Immortal Ying Tian did not know whether to laugh or cry, only now realizing that in his joy over her resurrection, he had entirely forgotten to ask for her name.

He was named Si Qi, the Qilin Immortal was named Shi He, the Jiuchong Immortal was named Yi Nong, and the Immortal of Time was named Sui Qi; this name truly stood out like a sore thumb against the four of theirs.

"However, the name of the Heavenly Court could not have been thought of out of thin air. Young friend Lu Yang must have heard of this name from somewhere." If it were a coincidence, it would be far too coincidental.

"Of course it is because this Immortal told him about the time the four of us fabricated the Heavenly Court together! The four of us each made up a different version to fool posterity."

"So that is how it is." Immortal Ying Tian nodded slightly, and in this manner, it all made sense.

"Not just the Heavenly Court; during moments of ordinary boredom, I also told him many ancient anecdotes. Like how the four of you fell sound asleep right after eating my food, how you, Ying Tian, often gave lectures warning cultivators to maintain their gravitas, and the immortal sword you helped the Qilin Immortal forge that turns soft the moment it touches anything. Oh right, right, Lu Yang even found that book, *The Quotations of the Immortals*. That is a fine book; I thought it could never be found again..."

The Immortal of Immortality spoke with radiant enthusiasm, completely failing to notice that with every single matter she mentioned, Immortal Ying Tian's expression darkened by a degree.

But Lu Yang noticed.

Immortal Ying Tian, who had been full of smiles just a moment ago, now possessed a countenance so grim it could practically drip water.

He patted Lu Yang's shoulder with a beaming smile: "I observe that young friend Lu Yang's cultivation still lacks a bit of tempering. As a cultivator, the most important thing is cultivation itself; young friend must ascend to the Void Refinement stage as swiftly as possible."

"Rest assured, with me here, when you ascend to the Void Refinement stage and cross the thunder tribulation, you will undoubtedly emerge safe and sound."