Two Paths in Tandem, Cultivating Both Arts Together!

"Foolish child."

Cang Xue's eyes always held a smile. She gently shook her head, raised a hand as if to rub Wu Wang's head, then paused and carefully straightened his collar instead.

She spoke softly:

"Your mother is merely a speck of stardust in the heavens. How could I possibly be the lofty Starry Sky God?

Upon the northern plains, within the same century, there might be dozens of Moon Sacrifices, or perhaps only a few. But the number of Sun Sacrifices will forever remain seven.

For the Seven-Day Sacrifices are the attendants of the Starry Sky God. They must each reside in one of seven designated places of prayer, offering prayers and invocations to the Starry Sky God every day.

These are secrets known only to the chief priests of great clans. Do not spread them around carelessly."

Wu Wang truly breathed a sigh of relief.

He was not the son of some god, and no strange, bizarre setting had unfolded around him.

Ordinary was good. Plain was good. Being a dull young clan lord was quite nice.

"Then Mother, how are the Sun Sacrifices chosen?"

"The prerequisite is one's own strength. Next comes whether the clan possesses a Sun Sacrifice seat," Cang Xue said with a smile. "Then there are exceedingly complicated rites, followed by a joint decision from no fewer than sixteen chief priests."

Wu Wang frowned slightly. The priests of the northern clans had been secretly connected all along?

After spending twelve years in the northern plains as a young clan lord, this was his first time directly confronting the northern Divine Authority System.

After a moment of silence, Wu Wang asked again:

"Then why did I see you in that temple, Mother, but not the other six Sun Sacrifices?"

"That is because Mother is the strongest among the current Seven-Day Sacrifices."

Cang Xue spoke as though she were mentioning some trivial matter. Whenever she smiled, her eyes curved into crescents, and her voice remained soft and gentle.

"In the northern lands, Star Invocation Techniques all stem from the same lineage. Their every origin is a gift from the Starry Sky God."

"Mother?"

Wu Wang suddenly lifted his head and stared at the leader of the present Seven-Day Sacrifices before him.

"What is it?"

"The Starry Sky God truly exists, doesn't she?"

"Your Star Invocation Technique has already reached a fair level, and you have personally seen the Starry Sky Temple," Cang Xue said, her gaze tinged with regret. "Unfortunately, you are male. The Seven-Day Sacrifices must be inherited by women."

Wu Wang asked in confusion, "And why is that?"

"Because the Starry Sky God is herself a goddess. She does not permit men to approach her."

Cang Xue lightly moved her fingers. A teacup and teapot flew over from the side, and the cup tilted on its own to pour out hot tea. She held it before her son.

The foremost Seven-Day Sacrifice of the northern plains continued in that tender tone:

"You will one day inherit the position of leader of our Bear Hug Tribe. You may know these matters as well.

Every clan in the northern plains must receive the Starry Sky God's blessing before its leader may take office. If clans go to war, they must also pray to the Starry Sky God through their chief priests.

Should some major event occur, Mother can summon the other six Sun Sacrifices to gather at the temple and hold a Seven-Day Sacrifice council, making decisions on behalf of the Starry Sky God.

The decisions we make stand above the clans.

During the years when the Starry Sky God sleeps, the Seven-Day Sacrifices are responsible for guarding the skies of the northern plains and watching over its clans."

Seeing the slight shock on Wu Wang's face, Cang Xue extended her finger. Her slender fingertip gently traced the air around the contours of Wu Wang's face, her eyes filled with warmth.

"Ba'er, you needn't worry. As long as Mother is here, if all you want is to be a carefree clan leader, our clan will remain safe.

Except for your illness, Mother can do nothing about that.

That is what Mother feels most indebted to you for."

Wu Wang: ...

Why did it feel as though holy light were shining around his mother, as if a celestial maiden from beyond the nine heavens were opening her arms to embrace him?

"I can have anything I want?" Wu Wang muttered quietly.

Cang Xue chuckled. "Mm, so long as it is something Mother can give you."

Wu Wang pondered for a moment, then asked tentatively, with a trace of uncertainty in his voice:

"Could you try a little harder and have a younger brother or sister?"

"Pfft!"

Cang Xue, leader of the Seven-Day Sacrifices, turned her head and sprayed out a mouthful of hot tea. For some reason, her face had turned a little red.

"Why did you suddenly say that?"

"Mother..."

Wu Wang sighed softly, as though he were speaking of some inconsequential matter:

"I do not know whether this strange illness of mine can be cured. I have already prepared myself to die alone, but our clan cannot.

The clan needs a successor. The transfer of power must remain stable.

I will not be an outstanding leader. My inability to produce descendants will become the greatest hidden thunder beneath our clan.

There are so many people in our clan. I do not want my own problem to cause unrest and lead to the needless deaths of our clansmen.

So, Mother, have another child with Father!"

Wu Wang turned to stare at his mother, but Cang Xue merely furrowed her brows slightly and sat there without saying a word.

It seemed there was some difficulty.

Looking at his mother's increasingly holy appearance, Wu Wang suddenly thought of a possibility and asked in a low voice:

"Mother, are you and Father... no longer sharing a bed?"

The blush on Cang Xue's face flashed past. She answered calmly, "Though we spend more time apart than together, we are still a normal married couple. Every three years, we can still spend a few days together."

Was that not even more miserable than the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl?

Wu Wang hurriedly asked, "Has your relationship fallen apart?"

"The two things Mother regrets least are giving birth to you and choosing your father."

"Then having another child should not be difficult."

"This..."

Cang Xue looked troubled.

Wu Wang looked at his mother, who appeared to be only sixteen or seventeen but was in truth more than two hundred years old, and asked a very grounded question:

"Could it be that Father has spent years traveling about, and now that he is middle-aged, his heart is willing but his strength is lacking?"

"How do you understand such things at such a young age?"

Cang Xue raised her hand, intending to tap Wu Wang's head, but withdrew it in time. All she could do was glare at him gently before sighing. "It is because, after succeeding as a Sun Sacrifice, it becomes difficult to bear children again."

His mother sighed softly and spoke words Wu Wang would never forget.

"In the end, every gift has had its value calculated."

Half a day later, the snow-wolf carriage departed from the Great Snow Mountain.

Inside the returning carriage, Wu Wang lowered his head and looked at the bone shard in his hand, using the method his mother had just taught him to read the information stored within it.

There was not much inside, only several highly destructive Star Invocation Techniques meant for self-defense.

Wu Wang glanced at Lin Suqing, who sat opposite him.

This great Return to Origin Realm cultivator had her legs pressed neatly together, her hands folded over her knees, and her long hair combed without a single strand out of place. Her pretty face was full of obedient cuteness, though her eyes were somewhat vacant.

Before leaving, Wu Wang's mother had tapped Lin Suqing's forehead with a finger, saying she was helping open up her mind.

Yet judging from her current state, it was quite possible the opposite had happened. She had probably blocked up one or two of the few wits Lin Suqing had to begin with...

She had gone dumb. Truly dumb.

When he had the chance, he would set her free and find a sharper tutor.

Wu Wang slumped amid the soft furs of Spirit Beasts. Watching the Giant Wolf Riders beside the carriage constantly scan their surroundings, he felt an indescribably complicated emotion stirring within him.

He had argued with his mother.

This was the first dispute Wu Wang had ever had with either of his parents. The cause of it lay in the two words: Immortal Cultivation.

From a certain perspective, this counted as adapting to local customs, did it not?

Out of habit, Wu Wang took a stone slab and carving knife from the small pouch at his waist, intending to record the information he had obtained today. But his movements paused, and he put the stone slab away again.

Forget it. What decent person wrote this sort of thing?

"Lin Suqing?"

"I'm here!"

Lin Suqing immediately snapped back to attention. "Young Lord, what is it?"

"I want to confirm it once more."

Wu Wang interlaced his fingers and held them before his mouth and nose. A hint of depth showed in his clear eyes as he slowly said, "The lifespans at each stage of Human Domain cultivation."

"Huh?"

Lin Suqing was taken aback. After all, this was common knowledge among Human Domain cultivators.

She said, "The Core Formation Realm means Foundation Establishment has been completed. Vitality within the body becomes unceasing, and one's lifespan is around a thousand years. The exact amount depends on one's circumstances, since most people suffer some hidden injuries if they fail while attempting the Golden Core Realm.

Generally, living eight or nine hundred years is still possible.

After forming a Golden Core, one's lifespan is around three thousand years. After cultivating a Primordial Spirit, it should be around six thousand years. Some say one may live for ten thousand years.

Immortal Cultivation has nine stairways to heaven in total. The higher one's realm, the more vitality one possesses, and naturally, the longer one lives."

"And after becoming an immortal?"

"Since ancient times, those who have become immortals have been few as morning stars. No one knows an immortal's lifespan," Lin Suqing said seriously. "One saying claims immortals can live as long as heaven and earth, though that is likely exaggerated.

Otherwise, how would one explain all the departed sages of the Human Domain?"

"Mm."

Wu Wang acknowledged this, then asked, "What is the exact number of Human Domain cultivators?"

"Well, there are quite a lot," Lin Suqing said, somewhat unsure what exactly Wu Wang meant. "The Human Domain claims to have Three Thousand Immortal Sects. The Demonic Path likely has about the same number of sects.

Rogue Cultivators are even more impossible to count. Many complete cultivation methods can be exchanged for as long as one is diligent enough.

However, the vast majority of our people lack the aptitude for cultivation. In the end, only a small portion of our people can set foot upon the path of cultivation.

In many central regions of the Human Domain, tribes and clans of ordinary mortals have already formed."

"What exact percentage of humans can cultivate?"

"Among a hundred, one possesses the aptitude to cultivate," Lin Suqing answered with considerable certainty, then added, "My master, True Man Zuo Dong, once spoke of this."

Only one percent of humanity could cultivate?

Could it be that his constitution was also unsuited for cultivation? He would only know after testing it.

Wu Wang sat there, frowning in thought for a long while without speaking.

Earlier, when he had been with his mother...

Wu Wang had urged his mother several times to have another child, but she had avoided the subject each time.

His mother also did not wish for Wu Wang to come into contact with the essence of the Star Invocation Technique. She had not answered any questions related to the Starry Sky God, merely saying she would find a way for him to cultivate the immortal arts of the Human Domain.

The Star Invocation Technique did not increase one's lifespan. The higher one cultivated, the more bound one became by the rules of the Starry Sky God. Even someone like his mother, standing at the pinnacle of the Star Invocation Technique, could only be trapped within it.

Strong power, short life. Was that reasonable?

The skies of the northern plains were far less broad and lofty than they appeared.

Inside the carriage.

Wu Wang's gaze flickered gently, and his expression grew increasingly resolute.

"I've decided."

He suddenly spoke. Faint starlight flickered in his eyes, making Lin Suqing unconsciously hold her breath as she stared at him.

"Decided... what?"

"I will overcome every difficulty and cultivate immortality no matter what," Wu Wang declared. "If I cannot find a way to cure this strange illness in a hundred years, then I'll take a thousand years, ten thousand years!

I refuse to believe I'll remain a virgin until I'm buried, spending my entire life as a pure-yang man!"

"Pah!"

Lin Suqing choked on a breath and nearly coughed up blood, clutching her chest as she coughed violently.

Yet Wu Wang did not look as though he were joking. She could not help worrying which sect of the Human Domain would one day be ruined by this young lord of a great northern clan.

As if only just realizing something, Lin Suqing blinked. "Young Lord, has the problem with your Star Invocation Technique been resolved?"

"Not yet, but it should be soon."

Wu Wang revealed a faintly confident smile.

Given his mother's usual efficiency, she had probably already sent the solution over before they even reached the Royal Court.

Whoosh—

A sound tore through the air beside his ear!

Wu Wang reacted in an instant. Starlight surged around him, and a thick layer of Ice Armor condensed from thin air, almost instantly forming a solid ice sphere half a zhang in diameter around him!

Yet the life-saving Star Invocation Technique he had practiced so long that it had become muscle memory had blocked absolutely nothing today.

Outside the ice sphere, the Giant Wolf Riders shouted loudly. Figures darted back and forth, but none dared approach the ice sphere by even half a step.

Lin Suqing, closest to the sphere, had also risen to her feet. A short sword was gripped in her hand, but she had no way to deal with the icy crystal sphere before her.

Within the ice sphere, a gemstone necklace glowing emerald green floated quietly before Wu Wang.

The necklace was exquisitely crafted, and the emerald gemstone at its center was clearly priceless. If Wu Wang remembered correctly, this was his mother's personal treasure.

Cang Xue's voice sounded in Wu Wang's heart:

"Wear it on your person. It can prevent the Starry Sky Temple from sensing your Star Invocation Technique, and you should then be able to cultivate Human Domain methods.

If you forget to wear it, Mother will pretend she did not notice you cultivating Human Domain methods. So long as you complete Foundation Establishment, the Starry Sky Temple will no longer be able to stop you.

But remember, Human Domain cultivation methods must not be displayed in the northern plains, or there will be some trouble.

Lifespan is originally the fate of living beings. Rashly breaking one's own fate is an insult and disrespect toward the Starry Sky God."

Before Wu Wang could agree, the light of the necklace faded. It slipped down on its own, and he reflexively reached out and caught it.

If that was the case, then his strange illness had nothing to do with the Starry Sky Temple?

Thump!

His heart suddenly clenched.

Wu Wang felt the mysterious rhythm emanating from the necklace, felt the trembling cry of the god within himself. Light gradually filled his eyes, and his smile became increasingly unrestrained...

"Regarding the Trivial Matter of My Mother Being a Dao Rule Administrator"

Cultivating both systems at once—success!