Chapter 1175: Immortal Venerable, can my spiritual root still be saved?

"Young people nowadays have such fragile psyches; they get excited so easily." The Nine-Layered Immortal shook his head gently, having a rough idea why Dai Bufan had fainted.

"Back in ancient times, we were influential figures. Although I preferred to keep a low profile, Ying Tianxian often urged us to display our divine powers. I couldn't refuse, and people would get incredibly excited, bowing down in worship. Some, like your Senior Brother, would even faint from excitement."

Lu Yang thought to himself: "Your 'low-profile' personality—are you referring to the countless rare treasures you used to create auspicious phenomena after your first ascension to immortality, just to celebrate?"

Seeing Dai Bufan, the Nine-Layered Immortal recalled the good old days of ancient times and couldn't help but smile slightly.

"Today's incident shows a connection between me and your Senior Brother. Since he has a Water Spirit Root, I can grant him a minor boon."

The Nine-Layered Immortal extended a hand and tapped, a point of spiritual light sinking into the unconscious Dai Bufan's glabella.

The Water Spirit Root is yin-aligned, falling within the scope of the Yin-Yang Dao Fruit.

"When he wakes up, he'll find it much easier to use water-attribute spells."

Meng Jingzhou looked at Senior Brother Dai enviously. "Such a good fortune!" he thought. Then, recalling his own spirit root, he immediately pleaded pitifully with the Nine-Layered Immortal.

"Immortal Venerable, is there any hope for my spirit root?"

"Your spirit root?"

At first, the Nine-Layered Immortal hadn't paid much attention. But after observing Meng Jingzhou closely, he tilted his head slightly and said with hesitation, unsure how to describe it: "Your spirit root... is quite extreme."

"If I had known you in ancient times, I could have condensed the Yin-Yang Dao Fruit two days earlier."

The Nine-Layered Immortal felt quite regretful. Why hadn't he encountered such an excellent subject for observation back in ancient times?

Meng Jingzhou was speechless.

"Is there still hope?" Lu Yang asked on behalf of his good friend.

The Nine-Layered Immortal pondered, as he had never encountered a case like Meng Jingzhou's before: "If you're asking if there's hope, then yes, there is."

"How can it be remedied?"

"I can reverse yin and yang, transforming your Pure Yang Spirit Root into a Pure Yin Spirit Root..."

Meng Jingzhou was about to say that a Pure Yin Spirit Root might not be so bad, when he heard the Nine-Layered Immortal continue:

"However, a spirit root is fundamentally intertwined with the body. Once it transforms into a Pure Yin Spirit Root, your gender will also change."

"My personality would change? That's not entirely unacceptable... but my *gender*?"

Halfway through his sentence, Meng Jingzhou suddenly became alarmed. This wasn't right.

"I've heard that male cultivators with Pure Yin Spirit Roots existed in history, and at most, they were effeminate. Why would I need a sex change?!"

"There's never been a Pure Yang Spirit Root as extreme as yours in history, with dual Pure Yang Golden Cores, dual Pure Yang Nascent Souls, and even 'yang-enhancing' Nirvana True Fire. If I were to turn you into a Pure Yin Spirit Root, it would also be an unprecedented Pure Yin Spirit Root."

"How did we describe your condition in ancient times? Oh, right, it was called 'bearing children.'"

Meng Jingzhou painfully pondered for a moment, then decided that his Pure Yang Spirit Root was perfectly fine as it was. At least after achieving immortality, he wouldn't have to suppress himself.

Seeing that Dai Bufan wouldn't be waking up anytime soon, the trio decided to leave the Mission Hall. Before departing, Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou kindly moved the unconscious Dai Bufan onto a chair.

This way, even if someone came looking for Dai Bufan, they would simply assume he had fallen asleep from exhaustion due to handling sect affairs, and wouldn't suspect anything else.

When Dai Bufan woke up, he rubbed the back of his head with a grimace. What had happened before?

Oh, right, he had been listening to Junior Brother Lu and Junior Brother Meng's report about the Far North.

"Why do I feel like I faint every time after seeing them?"

"Junior Brother Lu and Junior Brother Meng are so uncanny. Maybe I should go to Xitian Temple and offer prayers?"

Dai Bufan quickly dismissed the idea. Why would he go to Xitian Temple? Lu Yang had already become an immortal in the Buddhist Kingdom, and the Buddhist Kingdom was like his backyard.

"And then there's the Unfeeling Cult matter. It's a bit troublesome. Although their leader has been apprehended, there should theoretically be many Unfeeling Cult followers in the Far North, and they'll be hard to find."

Dai Bufan was about to drink some water to soothe his throat when he saw the ripples in his teacup. Suddenly, he felt a profound understanding. Many previously difficult magical problems now seemed effortless to solve, and his cultivation even showed signs of fluctuation, on the verge of a breakthrough at any moment.

"Strange, why has my comprehension suddenly improved so much?"

Great Xia Dynasty, Imperial City, Luoshui Guard Headquarters.

The Luoshui Guard is specifically responsible for resolving historical issues left by dynasties like the Great Qian and Great Yu, as well as tracking down the Three Demonic Cults.

Recently, their focus has been on the Unfeeling Cult.

The Meng family captured many high-ranking members of the Unfeeling Cult in the Buddhist Kingdom, including a Deputy Cult Leader. Although none of these individuals knew the whereabouts of the Cult Leader, many Luoshui Guard officers had backgrounds as constables, skilled at analyzing clues from the smallest details.

A cross-shaped world map hung on the wall of the Luoshui Guard headquarters. Yu Qian pointed to a section of the map and stated confidently, "In conclusion, the Unfeeling Cult Leader is most likely hiding in the East Sea!"

Yu Qian, one of the Nine Palaces in charge of the Luoshui Guard, was previously known as one of the Imperial City's Four Divine Constables. Highly experienced with keen insight, he had solved hundreds of complex and important cases.

"Old Yu makes a valid point. Our Great Xia is conducting such strict investigations that Cult Leader Yang surely wouldn't dare hide here. The Buddhist Kingdom has already carried out a joint operation without finding any trace of him. In the past, the chaotic Demon Realm allowed Cult Leader Yang to hide, but with the establishment of the Demon Kingdom and all races governed by the Demon Emperor's 'survival of the fittest' Dao Fruit prototype, he has nowhere left to conceal himself."

"Based on previous analyses of the Unfeeling Cult, they prefer to establish roots in densely populated areas. The Far North has few cities and a sparse population. While the East Sea is home to dragon races, it has never had a unified government, leading to numerous loopholes in its management. This makes it an ideal place for Cult Leader Yang to hide with his remaining followers!"

The speaker was Luo Changhe, ranked second among the Nine Palaces of the Luoshui Guard. He was a powerful and seasoned Tribulation Stage cultivator. It was widely rumored in the markets that he alone had investigated and suppressed criminals in cases that once shocked Great Xia, such as the "Secret Faction Rebellion" and the "Theft of the Nation's Treasure."

The other Nine Palaces nodded in agreement with their views. To completely eradicate the Unfeeling Cult, they had tirelessly searched for clues through countless stacks of documents, staying up all night, their eyes dark-rimmed and their spirits weary.

It should be noted that these were all grand masters at the Integration Stage and Tribulation Stage; for them to be exhausted to this extent, the intensity of their workload was clearly immense.

"His Majesty arrives—"

The Xia Emperor arrived at the Luoshui Guard Headquarters. The Nine Palaces immediately bowed deeply, proclaiming, "We pay respects to Your Majesty."

At the same time, they were somewhat puzzled. His Majesty rarely visited the Luoshui Guard Headquarters; why today?

The Xia Emperor noticed the tables covered with analysis drafts. It seemed they were working on the Unfeeling Cult case.

"The remnants of the Unfeeling Cult, including Cult Leader Yang, are in the Far North. Even the Wen Dao Sect has already clashed with Cult Leader Yang."

"What?!"

The Nine Palaces exchanged bewildered glances. Luo Changhe couldn't help but ask, "How is this possible? We have so much intelligence, and we only just tentatively concluded that the Unfeeling Cult remnants are in the East Sea. How did the Wen Dao Sect find Cult Leader Yang?"

The Xia Emperor let out a long sigh: "Because the Wen Dao Sect has Lu Yang."