Chapter 187: Fusion

To develop his own cultivation method, Lu Yang spent several months studying on the first floor of the Scripture Depository. Besides "A Collection of Crosstalks," he found many eye-opening techniques and spells there.

For instance, there was a cultivation method that, once practiced, allowed one's location to be tracked by another. According to records, a cultivator couple had devised it to monitor each other’s movements. The husband soon discovered his wife frequently visited brothels, and the wife, in turn, found her husband doing the same.

Apart from this, Lu Yang also encountered a technique for sleeping with open eyes, proving highly effective during classes. He also found a method designed to make one look very ugly, though he couldn't comprehend its utility.

There was even a hibernation technique, mimicking animals, that allowed practitioners to sleep for an entire season after just one meal. Lu Yang still couldn't understand its purpose until he later realized his senior disciples were merely trying to earn contribution points.

Submitting cultivation methods that the sect hadn't yet recorded to the Mission Hall would earn contribution points. The Eldest Senior Sister had once single-handedly completed this task so many times that the Mission Hall was forced to create a dedicated section for her. She no longer had to submit her methods repeatedly; she could simply place them directly in the Scripture Depository and use her contribution points as she pleased.

Other senior disciples, lacking the Eldest Senior Sister's exceptional skill but still desiring contribution points, filled the Scripture Depository with numerous cultivation methods that appeared impressive but were, in fact, completely useless.

Lu Yang suspected that if he were to write such methods himself, the Eldest Senior Sister would hang him up and beat him. He then corrected himself: she probably wouldn't even need to bother; her puppets could do the job.

"The Six Harmonies Eight Desolations Immortal Technique?" The Undying Fairy seemed to recall something upon hearing the name Lu Yang had fabricated. "That name sounds very similar to the Ninefold Immortal's technique!"

"Ninefold Immortal?" Lu Yang repeated, as the Undying Fairy rarely mentioned the Ninefold Immortal.

He knew from the Undying Fairy that the Ninefold Immortal possessed an immortal body and was the first among the Five Ancient Immortals to achieve immortality.

"What was his technique called?" Lu Yang asked, puzzled.

The Eldest Senior Sister, rarely showing interest, put down her book to listen to the Undying Fairy's answer.

"The Ninefold Immortal also wrote his own technique," she replied. "He named it 'The Chaos One Qi, Two Poles, Four Symbols, Six Harmonies, Eight Desolations, Nine Earths, Ten Heavens, I Am the Only Honored Immortal Technique.'"

"I usually call his technique 'The Numeric Immortal Technique'," she continued. "Sometimes people refer to it as 'The Four-Six Immortal Technique' or 'The Eight-Ten Immortal Technique,' just whatever sounds catchy. In any case, the Ninefold Immortal himself couldn't even remember the full name of his own technique."

Lu Yang was speechless.

Did the Ninefold Immortal have some obsession with numbers?

The Eldest Senior Sister was similarly speechless. She had initially hoped to deduce the Ninefold Immortal's strengths and weaknesses from the name of his technique, but it now appeared she had been overly optimistic.

While Lu Yang listened to ancient tales in his spiritual space, he, Meng Jingzhou, and Mang Gu were busy eliminating opponents in the competition. Just then, they heard Yan Fei's shouts.

"Lu Yang, Meng Jingzhou, and Mang Gu are working together!"

Yan Fei had done this on purpose. The trio put immense pressure on him; even with his strength, he couldn't defeat these three powerful and cunning scoundrels. He had to rally everyone's forces to take them down, as only then would he have a chance to win the championship.

"Exposed so early?" Meng Jingzhou thought they'd be exposed later; he hadn't had enough fun.

Lu Yang and the other two opened their palms to check their mark numbers. Even Mang Gu, who had the fewest, possessed three hundred and fifty. Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou had even more, truly acting like peerless fiends who had slain countless opponents.

"What now? Should we fight or run?" Mang Gu asked.

"Run, of course," Meng Jingzhou replied. "Given our scores, the top three spots are practically guaranteed to be ours. We just need to quietly wait for the competition to end." He uttered the word "run" without any psychological burden, completely lacking the sense of honor typically expected from a direct descendant of the Meng family.

His father's relentless training during his mischievous childhood, often likened to "chasing ducks," had prepared him for this.

"They're here!" someone shouted, emerging from a cave dwelling and spotting the trio together. "These three truly are working together!"

They had been feigning innocence since the start of the competition; had Yan Fei not grown suspicious, no one would have discovered their deception.

It was an absolute disgrace! As demonic cultivators, they had always been the ones deceiving others. When had it ever been their turn to be fooled, and so completely at that?

If they didn't kill these three to vent their fury, their future cultivation would not proceed smoothly!

"Let's run~" Meng Jingzhou cheered happily, leading the escape, with Lu Yang and Mang Gu following close behind. "Catch them!"

"They're here!" "Kill them!"

Demonic cultivators rarely cooperated in solo battles. An operation involving such a large-scale mobilization of Foundation Establishment stage cultivators was utterly unprecedented.

They united, determined to capture the three individuals, no matter the cost!

The high-ranking officials of the Undying Sect marveled at this sight, noting that even they lacked such a powerful rallying ability.

The Sect Master nodded discreetly, thinking that these three were naturally suited to be spies in the Dao Seeking Sect. He then felt a pang of regret that his two incompetent vice-sect masters, Liu and Gao, had allowed such crucial chess pieces to leave the Dao Seeking Sect.

"If we really get caught, you go be the bait," Lu Yang told Meng Jingzhou. "Why me? All these layers of schemes were your ideas; you go!"

"I came up with the idea, but you added the details. You're more important than me, so you go!" "Ideas are more important than details, so you go."

The two humbly deferred to each other, each insisting the other be the bait. Mang Gu followed alongside, completely unable to get a word in, simply playing his part as an actor.

"I've caught up to them!" someone yelled. This person, skilled in tracking with exquisite footwork, was moments away from touching Lu Yang's robe.

Just then, an invisible attack struck the pursuer. The person had no time to dodge and was sent flying, a large dent visible in their chest.

Before losing consciousness, the person saw nothing at their previous location except for a floating talisman. "What is this?" they wondered.

The talisman floated, seemingly with a will of its own, knocking away every contestant who dared to approach the trio. Finally, someone recognized what the talisman was.

"It's an invisibility talisman! These three have an accomplice!"

This invisibility talisman was drawn by Lu Yang, and its effects were so powerful that even those with keen senses among the pursuers couldn't detect anyone invisible.

The person who had shouted immediately realized something was amiss: what kind of invisibility talisman only conceals the user while leaving the talisman visible? Just then, Lu Yang shouted towards the floating talisman, "Yan Fei, quickly kill them!"

"Yan Fei is with them too?!" The crowd was shocked. Could it be that Yan Fei's supposed discovery of the trio's deception was itself an act, all part of a larger trap?

Yan Fei, who had been observing the 'tiger fight' from a distance, was livid. He was eighty zhang away from the scene; the person wearing the invisibility talisman was certainly not him!

"I know!" Yan Fei suddenly realized. "The one with the invisibility talisman is your clone!" He remembered that Lu Yang possessed a wood clone technique.

Someone with quick eyes and hands tore off the invisibility talisman, revealing the true form of the hidden person.

It was the bald Lu Yang Bodhi Tree Clone!

Lu Yang's invisibility talisman could only hide the body, not clothing. His wood clone, however, used leaves as coverings, which were considered part of the clone itself. In other words, the wood clone was unclothed.

Perfect for Lu Yang's invisibility talisman!

The Bodhi Tree clone, clad in leaf garments like a savage, was controlled by Lu Yang to explode and release poisonous gas. Yan Fei, having anticipated this, immediately summoned a northern wind to disperse the toxic fumes.

"Kill!"

Lu Yang and his two companions were completely surrounded. Countless hidden weapons and projectiles were hurled, intending to pierce them like hedgehogs, while others directly engaged, aiming to kill them.

The attacks came from all angles, impossible to defend against!

Lu Yang sighed. "At this point, we can only combine."

The three exchanged glances, making a certain resolve to combine and fight!

"Combine?" Yan Fei uttered, though he didn't know how they planned to do so, a bad feeling nonetheless crept over him. "Don't be careless! They're going to combine!" he yelled, warning everyone.

Even the high-ranking officials of the Undying Sect were utterly perplexed; they had never heard of cultivators being able to combine.

Mang Gu let out a loud shout, his muscles bulging. With his left hand, he grabbed Meng Jingzhou's ankle, and with his right, Lu Yang's. Meng Jingzhou then activated his technique, his body emitting a faint golden glow, making him incredibly hard.

Lu Yang clasped his hands together above his head, sword qi enveloping his entire body. The three had combined!

Yan Fei was speechless.