Dao Equaling the Heavens
Chapter 146 - 117: One of the Thirty-Six Immortal Skills, Golden Core Skill

Chapter 146: Chapter 117: One of the Thirty-Six Immortal Skills, Golden Core Skill

Gu Wen raised his hand, and with one sword thrust, he pierced through Jun Yan. The aura of the True Sword Dao immediately wilted when it touched the Demonic Qi, extinguishing instantly as if fire met water.

Accompanied by the withdrawal of the conjured Immortal Sword, Jun Yan let out a low moan.

"Ah....thank you....."

Then he lay on the ground, motionless and breathless, even his pulse had ceased.

"Dead?" Gu Wen was startled and hurried forward to check, finding Jun Yan’s heartbeat and pulse completely gone, and even his Divine Soul’s aura appeared extremely faint.

"Don’t worry, this is another effect of the Heavenly Demon skill, false death. Even if Jun Yan’s head is chopped off, he could still come back to life. It’s just that if a second head grew, it might not be him anymore."

Xiao Yunyi, who had just reattached his arm, said. Reattaching a severed arm required special Pills, but if it had just been severed, reconnecting it was possible with any readily available healing cultivation technique.

Gu Wen asked, "Are you sure we don’t need to tend to him?"

Currently, the most uncontrollable person was Jun Yan. Chi Yu Zi’s illness only caused himself distress, the Jade Sword Buddha’s illness at worst led to him shutting himself away, but Jun Yan was truly capable of stabbing them in the back.

Their friendship wasn’t deep, and Gu Wen’s first impression of him wasn’t great, so he was inclined towards caution and considered taking some measures.

But he needed to consult Xiao Yunyi first, not out of fear of the opponent, but as a basic social courtesy. He had a good relationship with Jun Yan, and taking action on his own could cause conflict. Gu Wen always used his words before resorting to action.

"Xiao Fellow Daoist, I think...."

Before he could finish speaking, he saw Xiao Yunyi lifting his hand and shooting Sword Qi like a needle into Jun Yan’s dantian, a move akin to threading a pipa’s bridge.

Once a cultivator’s dantian was immobilized, it is as if their neck is being choked. Even with myriad Daoist Skills, they couldn’t exert any strength - an act that could make them a mortal enemy for a cultivator.

Gu Wen was stunned and asked, "What are you....?"

Xiao Yunyi answered, "If he wakes up and isn’t Jun Yan, then we’ll kill him once."

Very reliable, indeed.

Gu Wen’s mouth twitched into a smirk, filled with questions but feeling it unnecessary to ask.

Perhaps this was the way Xiao Yunyi and Jun Yan interacted with each other, not to be understood by common sense. Facing someone who could go insane at any moment, in his previous life, they would have needed to don explosion-proof gear, so a little Sword Qi in the dantian shouldn’t be a problem now.

Otherwise, Xiao Yunyi wouldn’t have asked him to kill Jun Yan not long ago.

Gu Wen looked at Jun Yan, lying on the ground like a dead person, and suddenly he thought of something – the True Sword Dao seemed to have a certain restraining effect against the Heavenly Demon skill.

Although it wasn’t as overwhelmingly specialized as it was against swordmanship, it was still like using water to extinguish a fire, removing the illness with the sword’s arrival.

He heard soft breaths nearby and turned his head to look at the next patient.

Dozens of steps away at the Sword Pond, Yu Hua had thrown Chi Yu Zi into the pond to soak, and the water began to emit faint steam. The two of them were talking about something, and as Gu Wen approached, he could hear them more clearly.

"Alcohol! I need alcohol, it hurts so much....."

"Bear with it a bit longer, alcohol can’t actually alleviate your pain. With a body as resilient as having a Nine Revolutions Golden Core, probably only Immortal Brew could get you drunk."

"But once I drink alcohol, it doesn’t hurt anymore."

"That’s because you used alcohol to relieve pain when you were young, and now you’ve just developed a dependency on it. You can actually endure it."

"No, no....give me alcohol...."

Chi Yu Zi looked up, and upon seeing the approaching Gu Wen, her eyes brightened and she said, "Gu Wen, do you have alcohol?"

"Yes."

Without hesitation, Gu Wen took out the five jars of leftover Meridian Wine, each small enough to fit in the span of two palms, and could still be stored in the Qiankun Bag.

Satisfying Chi Yu Zi, the wine addict, came with benefits and no downsides. To her, drinking was just a habit that caused no harm to her body. For children, it was the equivalent of eating candy, which at worst could lead to a cavity, while Gu Wen simply acted as a ’good Fellow Daoist’.

"Thanks."

Chi Yu Zi began to guzzle down the Meridian Wine, and in a flash, she felt relaxed and took a deep, contented breath before slowly sinking into the Sword Pond.

Soon bubbles began to appear - she likely wouldn’t drown.

Yu Hua showed a resigned expression but did not interfere. She said, "Pass me the scabbard."

Gu Wen handed over the scabbard, knowing that it contained an Immortality Pill root tendril, yet no matter what, he couldn’t pull it out. He dared not pull too hard, fearing he would break the tendril.

Yu Hua took the scabbard, tapped her fingertip lightly on the edge, and a streak of golden light entered her palm.

The size of a strand of hair, as long as an index finger, it radiated dazzling golden light, much like a thread of gold.

Gu Wen, however, could not sense anything extraordinary about it. Usually, one could feel the Spiritual quality of medicinal herbs just by being near them; the higher the grade, the more apparent this was.

Perhaps Immortal Elixirs were different, not within their perception range; if they could be sensed, the various powers might not be so fixated on them.

"Just a strand, not even a proper root tendril, and most of its potency has been absorbed by the scabbard."

Yu Hua sighed softly, "If we had arrived a few months earlier, perhaps we could have found the Immortality Pill intact, at least it wouldn’t have lost so much potency."

Gu Wen asked, "Was this trip in vain?"

"Not entirely. If this relic can be taken back to the Daoist Sect and made into a Pill, it could save a Venerable nearing the end of his life, and direct consumption could extend life by a hundred years."

"There are other Venerables in the Daoist Sect?"

Gu Wen remembered there seemed to be only two, one being the Venerable Yun Miao of the Taiqing Sect, and the other Venerable Huayang of the Upper Pure Sect.

"My direct ancestral master, the Venerable of the Yuqing Sect, is already in a semi-transcendent state."

For the first time, Yu Hua revealed her background - the direct ancestral master being her master’s master.

"But we can’t send it out now. Without having to send it at all would attract countless people vying for it. When we leave, you’ll have to hide yourself well."

"Understood." Gu Wen nodded solemnly, "I’m not any less capable at hiding than anyone else."

"...."

Yu Hua was silent for a while before she couldn’t help but let out a light laugh. She had already grown accustomed to Gu Wen’s unpredictable nature.

He had just acquired the Immortal Sword and surpassed the present Sword Dao prodigies, which should have been his most triumphant moment. Yet whenever he faced an insurmountable problem, Gu Wen never let it get to his head.

"I will go scout the surroundings and seek the aura of the Immortality Pill. You stay here and watch over these people."

After saying that, Yu Hua turned and left, with tasks that no one else could help with.

"Gurgle, gurgle..."

Chi Yu Zi surfaced from the water, half of her head sticking out, and said, "It seems she holds you in special regard."

The Taoist Heavenly Girl was not well acquainted with Gu Wen, but she was very familiar with her counterpart, Yu Hua. Yu Hua’s invincible and transcendent demeanor was exactly what a person like Chi Yu Zi aspired to.

She had never seen Yu Hua treat people so gently, and even less to engage in ceaseless laughing and talking.

"I am her guardian."

"Bullshit, who doesn’t have a guardian? I’ve even driven mine away. To put it bluntly, a guardian is just something mediocre people cling to for warmth. True prodigies don’t even need protectors."

Chi Yu Zi lifted her chin, as arrogantly as ever.

"Chi Yu Zi, you must realize there are always stronger people out there, and higher heavens above."

Suddenly, a snow-white sword was placed upon her head. Although there was no aggression behind it, the aura of the True Sword Dao emanating from it made Chi Yu Zi’s heartbeat accelerate sharply.

Gu Wen’s expression had changed as he spoke like a senior: "Don’t be arrogantly overconfident, or sooner or later you’ll suffer a great loss."

He no longer addressed her as either a senior or a fellow daoist.

"You..."

Chi Yu Zi was so angry her teeth hurt, especially when she thought of the comforting words she had climbed onto his shoulder to say, making her cheeks burn even hotter.

Though Gu Wen’s strength still wasn’t on par with theirs, with the Immortal Sword in his grasp, it was just a matter of time before he surpassed them. And without comparable opportunities, she could never catch up to him again.

But opportunities comparable to the Immortal Sword were not to be found.

Gu Wen sheathed his sword and asked, "What do you want the Immortal Sword for?"

"Didn’t you hear me?" Chi Yu Zi rolled her eyes and said,

"I’m only left with a single soul and a single spirit. The senior members of my sect sought out many great powers to treat me. The Heavenly Defect was not a sickness; neither medicine nor stones could heal it. The only cure was the undying Taoist Body."

"What is an undying Taoist Body?"

"Everything above the indestructible Vajra is undying; it’s complex to explain. You just need to know that I can use the Nine Revolutions Golden Pill to temper my body, and that requires numerous spiritual treasures."

Gu Wen understood and added, "So, you need to devour the Immortal Sword to cultivate an undying Taoist Body?"

If that was the case and their interests clashed, permitting no win-win outcome, Gu Wen would choose only his own victory.

"You could say that, but if I could consume the Immortal Sword, what would I have to worry about with just a single soul and spirit?"

Chi Yu Zi retorted, as she hadn’t initially come after the Immortal Sword.

"I need the Immortal Sword to temper my Taoist Body with its Daoist charm, to forge my Divine Soul into my flesh and blood, achieving the true unity of man and god."

"I think we can achieve a win-win situation."

Gu Wen suggested tentatively, and Chi Yu Zi fell silent, her gaze lowered in thought until after a long moment’s pause she asked,

"How can we achieve a win-win, do you dare to lend me the Immortal Sword? Or even just the scabbard?"

"I could lend it."

"Lend? Aren’t you afraid I won’t return it?"

Chi Yu Zi couldn’t help laughing, her curiosity piqued as to what Gu Wen was planning; he certainly wasn’t a fool.

He wouldn’t be daft enough to lend someone else the Immortal Sword, an item not even to be entrusted to one’s own parents.

"I can lend you the scabbard, and you teach me the Golden Core Skill."

Gu Wen was laying his cards on the table, ensuring his offer did not take advantage of her desperation.

The Immortal Skill and the scabbard of the Immortal Sword, when compared, the latter was slightly more valuable.

"...." Chi Yu Zi fell silent again, somewhat out of her planned course.

She hadn’t known about the Immortal Sword, and nearly all sects had been unaware of the upheaval at Heavenly Spring Mountain.

Her plan had been to beat up Xiao Yunyi, waking up Broken Sword Mountain and winning a Daoist Soldier as a reward, or if that failed, a visit to the Sword Pond. Afterwards, she planned to cultivate her Taoist Body slowly through several opportunities provided by her sect.

But these opportunities were insufficient for cultivating an undying Taoist Body, likely not even enough for half of it.

The Immortal Sword could grant her ascension in a single step, while even the scabbard alone could save her life, but it wasn’t hers to take.

The Golden Core Skill wasn’t an issue; the problem was that Chi Yu Zi might have to stick with Gu Wen, becoming deeply embroiled in the struggle for the Immortality Pill.

A full stick of incense passed, and Chi Yu Zi remained silent, while Gu Wen, not in a hurry, sat squatting next to her, dipping his foot into the Sword Pond.

Endless Sword Qi surged towards him, and without sufficient Sword Dao cultivation, one would be annihilated in an instant.

His Fate Diagram vibrated slightly, and the Imperial Essence slowly increased.

[Imperial Essence for one year]

Hiss!

Just by soaking his feet, he could obtain Imperial Essence?

Gu Wen’s attention shifted immediately to the Imperial Essence, which he had previously regarded as less valuable than a single strand of Heavenly Marrow. Now, however, the Imperial Essence was on an equal footing with Heavenly Marrow.

Heavenly Marrow was about insight, while Imperial Essence was about intention.

Imperial Essence could nurture the dharma form and Divine Skills, elements crucial for True Monarchs and Venerables to compete. Through Chi Yu Zi’s Golden Light Spell, Gu Wen had witnessed the power of Divine Skills, the true capability to traverse heaven and earth.

To forcefully rise with the scabbard of the Immortal Sword, repelling the rejection of the True Sword Dao, advancing fifty steps was impressive.

If the dharma form allowed a cultivator to move mountains and fill seas, then Divine Skills empowered a cultivator to defy the heavens.

Moreover, to find the true Immortal Sword, Gu Wen needed Imperial Essence.

Looking at the vast pool of water, his eyes glinted with greed; if not for Chi Yu Zi soaking beside him, he would have dunked his head in for a drink.

At this moment, Chi Yu Zi, who had been silent for quite some time, spoke:

"Let me confirm once more, I teach you the Golden Core Skill, and you lend me the scabbard?"

Gu Wen nodded, sincerely saying, "That’s right, and if you’re afraid of getting involved in the struggle for the Immortality Pill, you can publicly declare you have nothing to do with me."

"If you’re really going to be beaten to death, I’ll definitely help you. Don’t play these verbose games with me," Chi Yu Zi rolled her eyes, put out her hand for a fist bump, and bluntly said, "Please take good care of me in the future."

"Please take good care of me."

Bang.

Their fists lightly touched, then separated.

The Golden Core Skill was in his possession, along with a tough teammate skilled in both Taoist foundations and combat arts.