Life as a Rogue Cultivator

Chapter 304: The Striking Effect of the Yin-Yang Sutra

So it really was fate after all. Liu Xiaolou savored the thought and silently thanked Han Jiuqian in his heart.If he could get Sheng Han to come to Wulong Mountain with him, that'd be a good thing for the Sanxuan Sect, wouldn’t it?

But he knew that idea was probably unrealistic. Qingyue Altar had territory, techniques, reputation, and deep foundations. Sheng Han was still a strong contender for altar mistress, one of the sect’s core disciples. Why would she give all that up to run off to Wulong Mountain with him?

He ditched that idea, but another one immediately popped into his head: what about Guangtian Altar and Dongling Altar... any chance those two might have some fate with him?

They were close by, so there was no reason not to check them out.

When it comes to the three altars of Mount Heng, the Guangtian Altar is the most orthodox. Orthodox not just because they cling harder than anyone to the Hengshan techniques, rules, and traditions, pushing it all to the extreme. But also because they control the Hengshan Spirit Spring.

The source of Hengshan’s spiritual energy was at Huiyan Peak. And the one occupying Huiyan Peak is none other than Guangtian Altar.

Liu Xiaolou looked up from the foot of the mountain. The peak resembled a wild goose stretching its neck and lifting its head, spreading its wings as if ready to take flight. No wonder they called it "Return of the Wild Goose (Huiyan)." He found a stone path and climbed over a hundred steps before coming across a huge natural boulder , about the height of two people. On its smooth face were carved four elegant characters: Source of Hengshan’s Spirit.

By now, he could catch faint whiffs of a sweet fragrance drifting down from above, filling the stone path.

The scent was the same as the one that had flooded the summit of his Qianzhu Ridge on Wulong Mountain when the spirit spring had first opened. But here, he was still a hundred yards from the summit of Huiyan Peak. From that alone, she could tell the spiritual energy up there had to be several times denser than of Qianzhu Ridge. Which made perfect sense. Otherwise, how could it support the cultivation of dozens of disciples in a full sect?

Having heard the Qingyue Altar Mistress talk about the Guangtian Sect, Liu Xiaolou already had a rough idea of their rules. No point pushing farther up the path. He stopped right there under the boulder, announced his presence, and waited quietly for a response.

He could tell that the boulder marked a boundary. Past that point, he could faintly sense the ripple of a formation at work.

Before long, a young female cultivator came down from the mountain gate. The moment she saw Liu Xiaolou, her brows knitted tight in obvious annoyance. “And who are you supposed to be? Don’t you know the rules of Guangtian Altar?”

Liu Xiaolou cupped his fists. “I do. I’ve come from a thousand li to the north. I have an urgent matter and wish to meet your Altar Mistress. I was wondering—”

The young woman cut him off impatiently. “If you know the rules, then why are you still rambling? Get down the mountain. Now!”

Having just received a technique from Qingyue Altar whose first five meridians matched his own. Liu Xiaolou had high hopes for the Guangtian Altar. After all, this faction was the most orthodox inheritor of Hengshan’s methods among the three altars.

The Ruyi Finger Method was already enough to cultivate. And it could make up for the missing pieces of the True Mysteries Scripture. The impact on his future Golden Core would be pushed down to an acceptable minimum. But if he could find a technique that matched all the first six meridians, wouldn’t that be even better?

He said, “I truly do have an urgent matter. Please pass the message to your Altar Mistress and ask for a convenient time to meet.”

“You’re a filthy man. You think our altar master is someone you can just demand to see? If you don’t get off this mountain right now, don’t blame Huiyan Peak for being rude!”

Liu Xiaolou had expected something like this. He kept a patient, apologetic smile. “Yes, yes, I know. I’m just a filthy man, so of course I wouldn’t dare tarnish your altar’s reputation. As you can see, I’m not stepping past the gate. If your Altar Mistress is busy or it’s inconvenient for her to meet, an elder would be fine too. I’m willing to pay generously to—”

The woman was fuming . “I spelled it out clearly, and you still won’t listen? Then don’t blame me. I’ll give you ten lashes. Take your punishment obediently!”

A whip appeared in her hand. Her wrist flipped, and the whip’s tip sprang to life like a spirit snake, darting in from a strange angle and snapping toward Liu Xiaolou with lightning speed.

Just one glance told Liu Xiaolou that this cultivator was at least at the tenth layer of Qi Refinement, maybe higher. Her cultivation wasn’t bad. But the whip was linked to the formation behind the gate, borrowing its strength. If it were an ordinary tenth-layer cultivator, or even someone at peak... they might very well fall victim to that strike.

A magical tool boosted by the power of a formation was a special technique recorded in the Essentials of the Golden Scroll Formations, something Liu Xiaolou had studied back in the day. In a flash, he shifted his steps, and the whip cracked through empty air.

The female cultivator froze, murmuring, “How is that possible?”

Liu Xiaolou sighed. “I’m only here to do business. No need to take it this far.”

Her face flushed bright red. She raised her whip again and lashed at him. “Die!”

Liu Xiaolou slipped aside with another misstep and stepped halfway into the formation. Feeling the flow of spiritual energy inside it, he flung out the Mysterious True Cord.

That single try told him the formation was far too complex for him to break. But something about it felt familiar. The structure of it reminded him of things he had seen before. He couldn’t dismantle it, but he could definitely seize the right moment to pull the female cultivator off the formation’s edge.

In the blink of an eye, the female cultivator was tightly bound by the Mysterious True Cord. and yanked out of the formation. She hit the ground right at Liu Xiaolou’s feet.

Liu Xiaolou flicked his hand, and the Mysterious True Cord slipped back into his arm. A strand of true qi flowed into the woman’s body, leaving her aching all over. Her whole body went weak and limp, and all she wanted was to lie there.

The commotion was impossible to miss. It finally alerted the peak. Seven or eight female cultivators flew down and landed at the mountain gate. Leading them was a woman in her fifties, dressed in plain blue with a head of silver hair.

The younger women started shouting over each other:

“Where’d this stray cultivator come from? How dare he cause trouble on our Huiyan Peak?”

“Who are you?”

“You filthy man, are you looking to die?”

The silver-haired woman sized up Liu Xiaolou for a moment, then glanced down at the female cultivator sprawled out at his feet. “Who might you be, and why have you seized one of my disciples?”

Liu Xiaolou took a few steps back, arms spread wide: “I didn’t hurt her, and I sure didn’t capture her. Take a good look.”

The silver-haired woman frowned and asked the woman on the ground, “Bai Qi, you alright?”

The female cultivator's face was burning red, her eyes watery. She struggled a few times before finally hauling herself to her feet. For some reason her body felt weirdly hollow and empty inside, an unbearable discomfort she couldn't pin down. She instinctively squeezed her thighs together tight.

Seeing her odd posture, the silver-haired woman reached out to examine her but found nothing wrong. She questioned her again and again, but the girl only shook her head. “Martial Aunt, I’m not injured.”

The elder checked her pulse again, but still couldn’t find any sign of injury or poisoning. Whatever this bastard had done to drop her disciple like that, it was some sneaky method. And it made her instantly warier of Liu Xiaolou.

When a Foundation Establishment cultivator fights a Qi Refinement cultivator, the outward power of their technique isn’t fundamentally different. So why is the gap so overwhelming? It’s because once a cultivator completes their Qi Sea at the Foundation Establishment stage, they begin to connect with heaven and earth. Their control over all things grows increasingly precise. Their true qi flows more freely outside the body, and every technique they use naturally changes in quality.

Liu Xiaolou really hadn’t harmed anyone. He had only subdued her. But since he didn’t want to stir up trouble with the Guangtian Altar, he couldn’t use anything too obvious. Acupoints, sealing meridians, binding techniques and the like were all off limits. Which left him with only the Yin-Yang Scripture.

Who said the Yin-Yang Scripture couldn’t be used to disable an opponent? After reaching the Foundation Establishment stage and gaining fine control over true qi outside the body, many of its techniques could be applied directly to an enemy.

“You are a dignified Foundation Establishment cultivator,” the silver-haired woman said solemnly. “Why bully a junior disciple of our sect? I ask that you give us an explanation.”

Liu Xiaolou let out a sigh. “I wasn’t the one who struck first. She did. Senior, are you an elder of this sect? My surname is Liu. I’ve come from a thousand li to the north with no ill intent. I’m only here to discuss a bit of business with your esteemed Altar.”