Applied Immortality

Chapter 4: A Stranger and Stranger World

“Must be today’s system.” Zhen Chanzi’s voice echoed in Wang Qi’s mind, “The Immortal Alliance must be looking for cultivators to join them. They specialize in finding Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining cultivators to get them under their control. The girl doesn’t appear suspicious. She must’ve been sent here to draw out that Daoist Heisenberg. While he was focused on her, the four Great Ascension cultivators took the chance to set up a trap.” 

Wang Qi was in dismay as he replied in his head, “Damn, talk about indirect disaster! And didn’t you say some years ago that there are no cultivators for ten kilometers?”

“Daoist Heisenberg is a Great Ascension cultivator, above me. Failing to notice him is normal.” Zhen Chanzi defended.

“What now?”

“Watch Immortal Alliance’s approach.”

Wang Qi turned his gaze to the girl, “Fairy, what’s your alliance’s inclination?”

Zhen Chanzi snapped in his mind, “Don’t just ask her, nitwit!”

At the idiotic question, the girl was calm, “Inclination?”

“Is the Immortal Alliance, good, bad, evil, nice? Which is it?”

—————————————————————————————

Four swords rang out as Heavenly Sword Palace’s people drew their weapons.

Heisenberg did nothing.

The Heavenly Sword Palace had the numbers yet were still cautious. Heisenberg had made grave mistakes in his youth due to his rigid and pedantic nature. Yet, his cultivation was still extremely strong.

The first to strike was by Goudsmit from Elusive Palace. He stabbed and a cloud of sword energy formed. It acted like a real cloud, showing its true face only when using one’s senses on it, discharging a killing blow.

This was Elusive Palace’s ultimate skill, Ethereal Cloud Sword. 

Ma Juli was next. Her spiritual power had long since fused with that miraculous metal energy. While she played the nice doctor most of the time, curing ills and sores, Ma Juli’s new metal energy could cause untold destruction even without a magical art to amplify it. Especially so if she planned to kill.

Heavenly Sword Palace’s Vice Palace Lord, Qian Xueshen, used all he had to deploy the Heavenly Sword’s power. He chose to smash his way through with brute force. While it lacked subtlety for more delicate aspects, its foundation was solid. The attack was no different from heaven falling down on the target.

Daoist Pauli was a bit slow, using a Heavenly Sword as well. He leaped and pointed a sword light at Heisenberg. His sword art looked plain, but had ten moves hidden within, all different. It was baffling how none of the moves were compatible with each other, yet existed at the same time in the same space.

These four were the top cultivators of the world. Even an immortal would get peeled under such onslaught. Heisenberg, however, stood still.

He only acted when death was nigh.

—————————————————————————————

Wang Qi cried out of nowhere.

He howled in pain, scaring the hell out of the girl, “Hey, what’s wrong with you?”

Wang Qi howled at his ring, “Old man, what’s going on? Talk to me!”

“What the hell?” The girl was at a loss.

Zhen Chanzi shouted in his head, shaking Wang Qi’s very soul. Then he started raving like a lunatic, “Impossible, no, it just can’t be! Heaven almighty, that’s the power of an immortal…”

Wang Qi thought Zhen Chanzi’s soul fragment had to have received a blow from those Great Ascension cultivators to be so unnerved.

“The ring has a remnant soul from antiquity sealed within. You should know what happens when an ancient cultivator witnesses a modern cultivator’s power.” A voice said.

A youth of around twenty-four appeared on his sword and drifted next to the girl. The girl stopped her attack, giving Wang Qi in her hand a shake, “Mission accomplished.” 

Wang Qi gave a sheepish smile, “Senior, how may I address you?”

The man was anything but a show-off, “Li Ziye of Myriad Arts Sect. She is Junior Sister Xiang Qi of Scorching Metal Valley. We are the Immortal Alliance’s peacekeepers. What might this fellow brother’s name be?”

“I am Wang Qi. Senior Li mentioned ancient and modern. What do you mean? This geezer has been stuck in my head for, agh!”

Zhen Chanzi howled, “What arts are these? H-how do they even exist?”

Zhen Chanzi’s beliefs were cracking, his Dao Heart unstable, his meager soul fading out. Wang Qi suffered because of it.

——————————————————————

“Humph!” Heidenberg huffed and moved at the last minute.

Heisenberg activated his top skill, which made him famous. He hardly moved, yet none could lock on his movements and speed.

[Unfathomable Celestial Signs.]

He had no trouble avoiding Ma Juli and Qian Xueshen’s sword strikes. After all, Scorching Metal Valley cultivators weren’t good with martial arts.

Ma Juli retreated a hundred meters to the side as sword intent covered the area to stop Heisenberg  from escaping. She also unleashed her strange metal energy. 

Meanwhile, Qian Xueshen took another approach. Qian Xueshen was once a disciple of Drifting Cloud Sect, experts at controlling flying swords. Whirlwinds swept away the area, flooding it with Heavenly Sword energy almost comparable to an immortal’s power. 

It was Qian Xueshen’s own creation, Sword Trail.

However, this was not enough.

Qian Xueshen’s power was having a hard time locking on Heisenberg as well.

Ma Juli and Qian Xueshen knew their advantage lay in using their power to push back Heisenberg, to weaken him by making him fight back and limiting his movements at the same time. As for leaving any kind of serious damage on him, that was left to the other two Elusive Palace cultivators. 

Goudsmit used his cloud sword to strike Heisenberg by spinning the sword mist. 

Heisenberg easily dodged it with his skill, but he still spared the sword cloud a glance. Heisenberg’s brief glance activated the move inside the Ethereal Cloud Sword and it collapsed, flooding his vision with lightning. 

“A mere speck in the universe!”

Heisenberg snarled, using his vital magic treasure, Grand Heavenly Chart. It looked like ordinary paper, but it contained mystical patterns, the result of countless sublime arts blended into one. 

Heisenberg had run wild thanks to this very treasure. Before Ripple Heavenly Lord, Schrödinger, had combined the rippling mystical power of Brilliance Palace and Elusive Palace’s sublime art, none could stop it.

Goudsmit’s sword light met the Grand Heavenly Chart. Goudsmit withdrew, with Heisenberg unable to pursue due to Pauli’s sword strikes. 

Countless sword lights came at Heisenberg, sealing his movements. Pauli and Heisenberg were fellow disciples and knew each other’s nature. Heisenberg was focused, using the Grand Heavenly Chart to absorb Pauli’s sword lights. He knew he had to strike fast, for his Senior Brother’s sword jumped a level in power every few attacks, ending in a world ending unstoppable force once the art culminated.

Grand Heavenly Chart and Pauli’s Heavenly Sword strikes competed, both disciples giving their all to overpower the other.

————————————————————————————

Wang Qi saw nothing but black. When his vision returned, he saw Xiang Qi handing him over to Li Ziye. He held Wang Qi with his left hand, while his right held his hand with the ring, shining brightly, “Wise Senior, please ease your nerves.”

“Humph.” Zhen Chanzi replied in anger.

“What’s going on… Hey!”

[Something’s not right here. A man holding another close and taking his hand with a ring. It’s like…] Wang Qi’s mind snapped to a most distasteful conclusion. His heart sank, fighting to get back a few steps, shouting, “Senior, I’m not like that!”

Li Ziye asked, “Eh? What do you mean Junior Brother? Did I do something wrong?”

Wang Qi was firm in avoiding touching Li Ziye, “Just tell me what happened first.”

Xiang Qi huffed from the side, “The fossil inside your ring witnessed the peak of modern arts and his heart couldn’t take it, nearly crumbling his soul.”

Wang Qi now noticed Li Ziye and Xiang Qi had landed in a grove far from the village. The huge ball of light was still shining in the air, which was the Great Ascension cultivators’ fighting, far from over.

Li Ziye sighed, “Junior Sister Xiang, many of the founders of our modern arts are ancient cultivators. Show some respect.” 

“The Myriad Arts Sect has the longest heritage among all modern arts. Of course you’d say that, since all sect founders are ancient cultivators.”

Wang Qi found it stranger and stranger the more he heard. Having seen through him, he felt no need to hide Zhen Chanzi any longer. 

“The power those cultivators’ arts and swordsmanship contain is better than the lightning tribulation Great Ascension face when they advance.” Zhen Chanzi was shaking, “And that Daoist’s dodging skill is incredible. I’ve never seen such an art. My heart’s a mess, my mind is fading, and my soul is collapsing. The same sensation is being transmitted to you.”

“Hold up, old man. You’re saying those arts got you so shell shocked that you lost your mind inside mine?” Wang Qi gasped.

Even with thousands of years of cultivation experience, Zhen Chanzi couldn’t help but say, “Humph, the ways of the modern cultivators are baffling. I was just shaken up a little, doubts appearing on the ancient beliefs , harming my Dao Heart.”

“You screwed me over, old man!” Wang Qi gnashed his teeth, “I’ve cultivated the Grand Scripture of Primordial Chaos for five years and now you’re telling me it’s complete and utter junk?” 

Zhen Chanzi was a Great Ascension Sect Leader. He took but moments to regain his calm, “Ten thousand years ago, the Grand Scripture of Primordial Chaos was an ultimate cultivation method. It just happened that since then the world had gone through strange developments beyond my knowledge.” 

Wang Qi shook all over.

Li Ziye mediated, “Junior Brother Wang, there’s no need to fret. Being able to form spiritual power means you have the talent to seek immortality. Every cultivator is a valuable asset to the Immortal Alliance, eh?”

Li Ziye blinked, seeing Wang Qi laughing like mad. 

“Hu-hu-hu, wa-ha-ha-ha! I thought this world was insipid and crude, but now… A-ha-ha-ha!”

Silavin: Another new character 

Ripple Heavenly Lord, Schrödinger

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