Immortal Thief

In the game Ancient Immortal Court, players build their foundations based on immortal sects, typically facing disturbances from the netherworld, beast tides, and rogue immortals.

Among these, rogue immortals are the most frequent threat.

Rogue immortals are those who exist outside the official ranks of the Ancient Immortal Court, such as sect deacons, sect disciples, or citizens of immortal cities.

Resources are hard to come by for rogue immortals, and without the constraints of the righteous path, most fall into depravity—becoming rogue immortals, commonly known as immortal bandits, with the exception of a few free spirits who roam the heavens.

In some remote immortal realms, these immortal bandits are particularly rampant, even organizing to burn, kill, and plunder.

The Immortal World is too vast for the Ancient Immortal Court to completely suppress them; at most, they can only rely on reports from immortal citizens to issue bounties for their capture.

This gave Lu Ya a sudden spark of inspiration.

If he used the Bamboo Spring Sect as a base for farming and deliberately lured immortal bandits to rob them, he could counter-kill them in one fell swoop, looting their spoils while also collecting the bounty rewards.

Hmm...

I really am a lazy genius.

The Bamboo Spring Sect is not exactly remote, nor does it possess any resources worth stealing.

However, the land of the Bamboo Spring Sect itself is a treasure; with its dense spiritual energy, flat terrain, and abundant springs, it is an excellent choice for farming or building a city.

Just as Lu Ya suspected, many immortal bandit organizations have been coveting the land of the Bamboo Spring Sect.

They have only held back due to fear of the legendary demonic arts of Liu Xuanye, waiting for the day she suffers from qi deviation or fails a tribulation to swoop in and steal the prize.

Now, the opportunity has arrived.

The celestial phenomena triggered by Lu Ya are very similar to those caused by qi deviation or failed tribulations, enough to make certain opportunistic rogue immortals swarm out in full force.

And sure enough—

A hundred miles north of the Bamboo Spring Sect, an immortal skiff is flying over at high speed!

Ning Zhongzi thought to herself, at a time like this, you, Lu Ya, still have the heart to eat?

Are you really not afraid at all?

Or are you just eating because you are too nervous?

Ning Zhongzi is starting to find Lu Ya difficult to read.

"Immortals have practiced abstinence from grains for centuries, long since using spiritual energy as sustenance, and can go years without eating or drinking. I only have medicinal pills here, which might help you ascend to the Immortal Monarch realm sooner."

How could a real man eat medicine?

Lu Ya curled his lips.

"If I can't eat or drink, who would want to be an immortal?"

"The enemy is already on their way, and you're still thinking about eating?"

"With a great battle imminent, replenishing health and healing, eating and drinking one's fill—isn't that common sense?"

Healing...

Ning Zhongzi's willow brows twitched, her chest heaving, and she turned directly to the two young girls:

"Go to my bamboo hut, see if there are any grain cakes left from last time, and while you're at it, pour Young Master Lu a cup of spiritual tea."

Muyu Feifei immediately threw a tantrum:

"Good for you, you wet nurse, didn't you say there weren't any left?"

"You told us there weren't any, but as soon as Lu Ya asks, you give them to him. Does a man weigh that heavily in your heart?"

Thump! Thump! Two heavy knocks landed on their heads.

The two girls then sulkily walked away.

They headed down the path beside the sword platform, making their way toward the elder's bamboo hut not far off.

At the same time.

Beside Lu Ya.

Liu Xuanye sat cross-legged on a round stone at the edge of the cliff, eyes closed as she circulated her power, her internal sea of qi surging with torrential sword intent.

Listening to Lu Ya bickering and joking with her senior sister and Muyu Feifei, she felt a sense of nostalgia.

The Bamboo Spring Sect hadn't been this lively in over a thousand years.

Is a thousand years of persistence just to wait for a mortal?

She does not believe in the Heavenly Dao.

Yet, she bows her head to fate.

The man before her is too detached, even calmer than she is; is there any explanation other than fate?

"You trust me that much?"

Liu Xuanye asked calmly.

"Yeah."

Lu Ya looked at Liu Xuanye carefully and realized that this wealthy immortal lady was truly extraordinary.

Trapped by the restrictions within the Immortal Ascension Platform, her lower abdomen and the meridians throughout her entire body suffered from excruciating, twisting pain; if she were to undergo a tribulation to ascend in rank, it would be a fate worse than death.

Yet, looking at her expression, she remained forever aloof and solemn, tinged with a hint of languid indifference, appearing utterly heartless...

If not for the restrictions within her body, given her talent, she might have already become an Immortal Emperor-level figure.

This made Lu Ya involuntarily think of that epic-level female boss in the game...

"I'm thinking, if you reasonably utilized your husband-killing constitution, dressed a bit more beautifully, and spoke with a bit of spice, let alone men, even women wouldn't be able to resist, bowing down under your sword intent. By then, who would dare bully the Bamboo Spring Sect?"

"You wish for me to be like that?"

Liu Xuanye asked coldly in return.

Lu Ya suddenly felt a bit of green on his head.

"Ahem, it's just a combat strategy; as long as it can save your life at a critical moment, that's all that matters."

Liu Xuanye smiled, saying nothing more.

Before long, Muyu Feifei returned to the sword platform, bringing Lu Ya a large flatbread and a cup of spirit tea.

Because these tea cakes had originally been prepared by Ning Zhongzi for them, the two were somewhat reluctant to give them to Lu Ya now.

"Take it, we're even."

"No, we're three-even!"

What the hell is three-even!

Lu Ya was hungry and thirsty, so he picked up the spirit tea and took a deep gulp.

A ripple-like wave of tea spirit instantly seeped into his spleen and stomach!

Unfortunately, the taste was so bitter that he could almost taste all the flavors of life.

Lu Ya discovered that the production process of this tea focused too much on spiritual nourishment, thus sacrificing much of the flavor for mortal consumption; it tasted quite bitter, with an excess of spiritual moisture but a lack of fragrance and refreshment.

He looked at the grain cake in his hand—the size of a human face, half an inch thick, baked to a charred yellow, sprinkled with scallions, and emitting an indescribable, intoxicating aroma.

"Is this... a Wife Cake?"

Ning Zhongzi rolled her eyes at him.

"What Wife Cake? This is a Fairy Cake made from spirit wheat; for a mortal, one bite is enough to be full."

Lu Ya curiously took a bite.

It was very soft and steaming with immortal aura.

Unfortunately, the texture was the same as the spirit tea: fully spiritually moist but dry and rough, barely enough to fill his stomach.

It seemed he would have to take charge of the kitchen himself in the future and make something decent to eat...

Seeing Lu Ya eating with gusto, Muyu Feifei shivered and climbed onto his shoulders, stretching her neck out long.

"Can you share some with me? I'm especially scared right now, and I especially need to eat."

"Me too."

Although the Fairy Cake wasn't as delicious as he had imagined, Lu Ya wouldn't let the two brats off easy this time.

"Didn't you two just eat the Azure Phoenix?"

"I am pitiful, weak, and helpless... but I can eat a lot."

"Me too."

"Get lost."

Ning Zhongzi's willow brows twitched, but she couldn't bring herself to lash out.

Because the scene before her eyes might just be the final joy of the Bamboo Spring Sect.

Terrifying spiritual pressure drew closer and closer.

Like dark clouds pressing down, a rainstorm was about to fall.

At some point, wild winds began to rage at the cliff's edge, and the pines and bamboos whistled incessantly.

Muyu and Feifei were so frightened that they clutched Lu Ya's sleeves tightly.

Liu Xuanye remained silent, her green robes fluttering loudly in the wind.

Ning Zhongzi's chest heaved, her gaze suddenly turning grave.

The sun had set.

The wind stopped abruptly.

A pitch-black immortal ship hovered in the sky in front of the sword platform.

In the Ancient Immortal Court, immortal ships were high-end items; they were faster than sword flight, had a larger capacity than sword flight, and had lower energy consumption than teleportation arrays, making them veritable mobile cave abodes for home and travel.

In particular, the immortal bandit organizations were especially fond of building immortal ships.

When Lu Ya first saw an immortal ship flying through the sky years ago, he thought it was the Immortal Pirate King...

The immortal ship before him was not large, featuring a long, narrow wooden keel and a body painted entirely in pitch black.

The immortal crystal engine room was spacious, its surface covered in wind-element arrays; it was clearly a high-speed vessel!

Eleven rogue immortals in black robes stood on the deck with their hands behind their backs, wearing masks and bearing a uniform lotus emblem on their chests.

All eleven were at the Immortal Master cultivation level, with the weakest being a three-star Immortal Master, and three of them were nine-star Immortal Masters.

Standing with their hands clasped, looking down from above, they possessed the aura of heavenly soldiers. Black clothes, black masks, and a black ship—a dark, oppressive mass that weighed heavily on the heart.

The day was drawing to a close.

Lu Ya sipped his tea, ate his snack, and looked up at the sky.

It was his first time seeing an organized group of immortal pirates in uniform; he found it rather intimidating.

Furthermore, there seemed to be a Half-step Immortal Sect expert hidden within the fading sunset.

Organized, disciplined, tactical, and even wearing masks specifically to guard against Liu Xuanye.

It seemed this group had been eyeing the Bamboo Spring Sect for quite some time...

Black clouds hung over the city, threatening to crush it.

Liu Xuanye remained with her eyes closed, circulating her power, her heart as still as water.

The two young girls were so frightened they jumped off Lu Ya's shoulders, clutching his sleeves tightly and daring not to speak, no longer showing the ferocity they had displayed when they turned into tigers earlier.

Lu Ya chewed on his Fairy Cake and asked Ning Zhongzi casually.

"Who are these people?"

"The rogue immortal organization [Black Lotus], composed of twelve renegade disciples from the nearby White Lotus Sect. They've been watching the Bamboo Spring Sect for a long time. Eleven of them are Immortal Masters, and there is one at the Half-step Immortal Sect realm, though I can't see where he is."

"Oh."

Lu Ya didn't say much more. He wanted to see how Liu Xuanye's combat ability held up first. Besides, with him around, there was no danger, and there was no such thing as an injury that couldn't be healed in a second.

He thought to himself, if he had to do everything himself, what was the point of being invincible? Wasn't it delightful to watch a woman fight? He could just sprinkle some water at the critical moment!

At this moment.

The eleven people on the deck of the black ship were also secretly observing Liu Xuanye.

The sky grew darker.

In the calm atmosphere, danger lurked everywhere.

Until one of the eleven slowly removed his mask.

It was a fierce old woman with a face full of jowls, a nine-star Immortal Master!

Her combat power alone was on par with Liu Xuanye's, not to mention that Liu Xuanye was already injured.

As an old woman, she was not affected by Liu Xuanye's restrictions, and her tone was incredibly harsh.

"So it was just a cultivation deviation... Liu Xuanye, you're already a nine-star Immortal Master, are you too afraid to even undergo the tribulation, or do you know you're guilty and fear being struck down by the Heavenly Dao?"

The old woman's voice was extremely deep, carrying a vibration that created an uncomfortable pressure.

Liu Xuanye remained silent.

The old woman continued:

"A cultivation deviation triggering such celestial phenomena is proof that you are a witch. Surrender now; we won't kill you, we will only send you to the Immortal Court. Whether you live or die will depend on your fate."

"Send her to the Immortal Court?"

Ning Zhongzi sneered coldly.

"Once a thief, always a thief. Do you still want to wash your hands clean at this point... or is it that you were the black hands of the White Lotus Sect all along?"

"You—"

The old woman's face darkened. Having not yet received the order to attack from her senior brother Yunzhongzi, she could only continue to goad Liu Xuanye into speaking.

"It's useless to say anything. Liu Xuanye is a witch who is the natural bane of men; everyone has the right to punish her."

"The natural bane of men? Then who is he?"

Ning Zhongzi shifted the conversation, pointing at Lu Ya.

Lu Ya was just eating his cake and watching the show when he was suddenly called out by Ning Zhongzi, feeling the awkwardness of being used as a tool.

He had no choice but to wave his hand at the sky and say:

"Hello, everyone."

"Heh, at a time like this, you think finding some random mortal can prove Liu Xuanye isn't a witch?"

Ning Zhongzi said:

"Young Master Lu is the Sect Master's dao companion; he can naturally prove it."

The old woman gathered her divine sense and scanned Lu Ya from head to toe. He was indeed just a mortal.

"How can a superficial dao companion prove anything?"

Trying to get a lewd picture for free?

Lu Ya was speechless.

The old woman sneered again:

"Perhaps he isn't a man at all, but a woman disguised as one, using some immortal technique to alter her voice."

Lu Ya didn't want to bicker with an old hag, but when it came to the issue of gender, it was necessary to clarify.

After all, back in the game, he had personally crafted himself a super-sized package.

"We are all immortals, why bother guessing blindly? I have neither spiritual pressure protecting my body, nor am I wearing clothes that block divine sense."

Upon hearing this, everyone subconsciously unleashed their divine sense.

Suddenly, there was dead silence.

The old woman's face stiffened, and she was unable to speak.

Ning Zhongzi's face flushed bright red; she felt she could never look at Lu Ya the same way again.

Muyu Feifei also wanted to probe Lu Ya's reality, but ended up being knocked unconscious by two flicks to the forehead from Ning Zhongzi.

Liu Xuanye, however, remained focused on closing her eyes and circulating her power, undisturbed by any of the interference.

Seeing that he had stunned the crowd, Lu Ya took a large bite of his flatbread, sipped his tea, looked up at the sky, and urged them directly:

"If you're going to fight, then stop yapping. Everyone is already here, so what's the point of testing me? Hurry up and make your move. Once you're done, I'll take a look at what treasures you have on your ship."

Liu Xuanye:

"..."

Ning Zhongzi:

"..."

The old woman:

"..."

The masked group of ten:

"..."

A certain Half-Step Immortal Sect expert hiding in the clouds:

"..."