Chapter 302: Pseudo-Sage Item

“The secluded immortal sects…”

Since both the youthful guru and Elder Guo could be considered the oldest people on Earth, they definitely knew more secrets. Even so, they did not know much about the secluded immortal sects.

After all, cultivators were rarely active around the world ever since that upheaval over two thousand years ago.

That said, there were some immortal sect disciples who came out to train around a thousand years ago. Some of them practiced steeling their emotions in the mortal realm, while others obtained immortal legacies by chance and caused a major stir, leaving many legends. Even so, no immortal showed up again with the gradual drying up of Spirit Qi—how difficult was the battle around five hundred years ago without them?

With most of the Old Martial Era elites getting killed off, Earth would have long since fallen if Mount Wudang’s ancestral master had not stepped forward and repelled the many Sky Demon champions single-handedly during the critical moment.

“The ancestral master of Mount Wudang…”

Jiang He asked, “Did he reach Zero Void?”

“Above Zero Void.”

Elder Guo said, “I’ve crossed paths with him and could be considered an acquaintance. He might have risen to prominence in short order, he had carved a path for himself alone, and was a rare example in wits and cultivation. It took him just a little over a hundred years to reach Zero Void, before rising to greater heights during critical moments.”

“Zero Void elites could live to a thousand years, while those above would not have a problem living beyond two to three thousand years. If that’s so, where is the ancestral master of Mount Wudang?”

Jiang He appeared puzzled, whereas Elder Guo smiled. “After repelling the Sky Demons, the ancestral master of Mount Wudang combed through every inch of Earth over three years, hoping to discover a secret about Earth that kept extraterrestrial races so obsessive about invading Earth.”

“However, his search ended up fruitless, and he ended up staying at the Wudang Holy Grounds to stand guard over the Stargate, although he would leave through the Stargate itself later with my nephew.”

“I see…”

An idea suddenly struck Jiang He—he abruptly remembered a certain man who made company with a giant eagle and an ‘aunt’ (1). After asking about it, he only learned that…

Said companionship with the eagle was real, while the ‘aunt’ was fake.

That said, the giant eagle certainly was not small, being an incredibly powerful eagle-type Feral.

“My nephew has had quite the tough life… I feel like I owe him.”

“Sigh…”

“He had lived in seclusion for years after being hurt by love, and left for realms beyond with the ancestral master of Mount Wudang after that great battle. He had instructed the ancestral master himself and they were master and student, and their journey to the beyond could be considered one of the finer stories in the martial world.”

Elder Guo breathed a long sigh.

It turns out that his nephew’s ‘aunt’ had fallen to her death after she jumped off the cliff, and that sixteen-year promise or some thingmajig was just nonsense added in by an author and editor in order for the big eagle man to have a perfect ending.

Indeed, it was a tragic story.

But for some reason, Jiang He wanted to laugh.

Soon, Boa Hancock arrived, bringing Big Red Robe, whereas Dumbo, Trumbo and the Seven Bottle Gourd Brothers had come out of the farm for a breather, and started to play around at the yard.

Both the guru and Elder Guo were stunned.

To think that Jiang He’s maid, pets, and tots had such cultivation…

Even the weakest maid who was dressed rather… immodestly had a strong flame energy rippling over her body. She must have awakened fire-type powers and at a decent level.

***

After a long while of idle chatter, the trio began to talk about martial arts.

It was indeed a great honor to speak of the interesting matters in Jiang Hu and discuss their understanding of the martial arts whilst sipping genuine Big Red Robe.

Even so…

Jiang He felt a headache.

Those two kept blabbing away about some unfathomable, mysterious stuff that he had not the faintest idea of. How was a martial arts newbie like himself to understand that stuff?

The most outrageous part was when Elder Guo even added, “Brother Jiang He, though I see you that you have assumed the immortal path, your cultivation in martial arts is not bad, even reaching divine-union pinnacle.”

“For a young man like you to be so accomplished, you must have your own perspective in martial arts.”

Jiang He was unsure how to answer just then.

My own perspective, my foot…

Even so, would the guru or Elder Guo believe him if he said did not, what with their face full of expectations?

As such, he promptly acted as if he was musing to himself for a while before dragging the conversation to the immortal path with a smile.

After all, all he had to do was to bullsh*t his way out since the other two men cultivated martial arts and knew nothing about the immortal path. Moreover, if he couldn’t come up with anything, he could take a leaf off Lin Tianzheng’s book and say he had taken an oath to gloss over the matter.

Hence, the ‘exchange’ between the trio lasted until 3 pm, with both Elder Guo and the guru rising to their feet, putting fist to palm as they bid Jiang He farewell.

Jiang He saw them off, taking out two eggplants with a turn of his hand and smiling. “Brothers, I don’t really have anything to offer, so take these two eggplants as your fellow brother’s sincerity—have a bite along your journey.”

Delighted, both Elder Guo and the guru quickly accepted the huge, thick, and long eggplants, keeping them lovingly.

Jiang He only returned inside his house after watching them leave.

Once inside, he immediately took out the spoils he had won after slaying Bodo, that Sky Demon general.

One blood-hued war axe.

One Spatial Ring, as well as a small broken bell that dropped out of Bodo body after he was killed.

The bell must have been gestating via Bodo’s orifices after Bodo refined it, and it naturally fell out after his physical body was torn apart by Jiang He’s Sword Array of Five Elements and Six Pulses.

Holding it over his palm, Jiang He took a closer look of the belt.

The belt was fully black and sculpted with an ancient script. It resembled the tadpole script, with which the Sky Daemon Invincibility technique was written with.

“Could this ancient script be a lingua franca in space?”

There was a fair chance that it was!

Moreover, the Sky Demon’s champions actually spoke the Hua Nation language, which left Jiang He in disbelief. Could the Hua Nation language be the universal lingua franca as well?

“Hmmm?”

Jiang He could not help blinking at that thought.

Other factors aside, there was a good chance that was the case.

Nonetheless, he did not dwell on that subject and continued examining the bell instead, after of which he noticed something else.

The item refinement method was quite similar to the mystic treasures he possessed…

“I’ve studied the mystic treasures I got from the Sky Demon Cult’s Saint too, and I thought she had obtained it from Earth. Could it have been brought by the Sky Demons instead?”

“They are an extraterrestrial race and speak the Hua Nation’s language, and their item refinement method is actually similar to the Hua Nation’s too…”

There were thousands of questions in Jiang He’s head, and he had the feeling that the secluded immortal sects must know something.

That naturally affirmed his resolve to seek them out and have a discussion of ideas.

Meanwhile, he used his hand to knock the bell and the Scarlet Flame Sword to cut it, but the little bell that appeared beyond repair proved extremely tough that even the Scarlet Flame Sword hardly left a mark on it.

Be that as it may, it did not have the presence unique to sage items, which was why Jiang He had a hunch. “This bell must exist in a tier between soul items and sage items, and could be considered a demi-sage item or perhaps a pseudo-sage item… does that mean he had survived the Doom Shrooms thanks to this item? There’s no wonder he did.”

“That said, the Doom Shrooms did leave it mangled.”

Jiang He could not help turning somber at that thought, however.

If a demi-sage item could keep a full-fledged Yuan Spirit like Bodo alive through the simultaneous explosion of 300 Doom Shrooms, what if he had a genuine sage item?

Should a Sky Demon champion have wielded such a thing, not even 500 Doom Shrooms could have killed him!

A mysterious sense of pressure abruptly ignited!

“The Sky Demon problem must be gotten rid of as soon as possible… and I’m also running short on Doom Shrooms. Before my ability improve without any special aspect, I must come up with a solution to plant crops with higher yield.”

As for the little bell…

It could wait until after he had planted it.

Strengthening it a bit in the process as well would certainly yield a genuine sage weapon.

On the other hand, the blood-hued war axe could be kept aside. He would reforge it after he created an item refinement method, refining it into a mystic treasure of his desire.

Either way, it felt like his body was rusting after sleeping for three days.

***

Translator’s Note:

(1) A reference to Yang Guo, the protagonist of the novel The Return of the Condor Heroes, while Elder Guo himself is hinted to be Guo Jing.