Lu Yang didn’t immediately summon Eldest Senior Sister. Calling her without even trying to fight would likely get him scolded, considering her personality. There was a good chance he or the Mu Tian Grass would get beaten up first.

He thought it would be best to take down a few Golden Core Stage opponents to earn some credit before summoning her.

“Attack!”

At Mu Tian Grass’s command, both human and beast Golden Core Stage cultivators roared and attacked together.

These Golden Core Stage cultivators were covered in mud, making their original appearances indistinguishable.

One person wielded a golden disc that spun rapidly, capable of cutting through flesh easily if it touched.

Another held an ancient bowl, chipped and worn, looking like a beggar’s bowl.

A beast spread its wings and soared into the sky, emitting a crane’s cry.

Lu Yang remembered reading in the latest edition of the “Dense Forest Guide” that there was a late Golden Core Stage white crane deep in the forest with the potential to revert to a Dragon Sparrow. Several late Golden Core Stage cultivators had died by its hand.

Another beast resembled a tiger or leopard, with five tails and a horn on its head, making a noise like striking stone.

Lu Yang matched it with the descriptions in the “Dense Forest Guide”: “An ancient mid-Golden Core Stage beast, a Zheng.”

There was also a beast shaped like a horse, with dark gray eyes devoid of whites, roaring like a singing human.

“An ancient mid-Golden Core Stage beast, a Lu Shu.”

“You have so many beasts and still want me?”

Lu Yang laughed, standing calmly amidst the encirclement of enemies. “Such greed will not take you far on the path of immortality.”

Everlasting Fairy had repeatedly warned Lu Yang that cultivators must not be overly greedy. Greed might bring temporary satisfaction but would prevent long-term success on the path to immortality.

“Save your concerns for yourself,” Mu Tian Grass replied dismissively, ignoring Lu Yang’s advice.

During the conversation, the golden disc flew out, with lightning flashing as it spun, carving a trench in the ground.

Clang—

Qingfeng Sword intercepted the golden disc mid-air.

But the golden disc split into two, bypassing Qingfeng Sword, and headed straight for Lu Yang.

Lu Yang kept retreating, but the golden discs pursued relentlessly. No matter how he moved, they tracked him, narrowly missing him several times.

When Lu Yang tried blocking with Qingfeng Sword again, the discs split into four, maintaining their speed.

“It seems that the golden discs multiply upon impact and can track me.”

Lu Yang quickly deduced the golden discs’ characteristics, finding them quite troublesome.

“Shrinking Earth!”

Lu Yang sank into the ground. The golden discs struck the ground, unable to move further.

Just as Lu Yang was about to catch his breath and look for an escape, a beam of light pierced through the earth, immobilizing him.

Unable to move, Lu Yang was pulled out of the ground by the beam.

He looked up and saw the source: the broken bowl.

Numerous beasts seized the opportunity while Lu Yang was immobilized, lunging at him to tear him apart.

“It seems to be a paralyzing artifact.”

With a thought, Lu Yang released sword energy, sweeping the surroundings and upturning the earth to temporarily fend off the beasts.

The sword energy shifted again, targeting the bowl above, slashing at it.

The radiant sword energy clashed with the bowl, and suddenly, it expanded brilliantly, slicing a notch into the bowl’s bottom.

The bowl’s owner’s palm glowed, striking multiple blows with faint lightning. Lu Yang countered with Arhat Fist.

A crane’s cry resounded from above. The white crane dived, its beak like a sword aiming to pierce Lu Yang.

“Qingfeng Sword, go!”

While exchanging blows with the bowl’s owner, Lu Yang used his mind to control Qingfeng Sword, blocking the attack from above.

Lu Yang spread out his divine sense and detected numerous humans and beasts preparing to deliver a fatal blow.

These attacks wouldn’t kill him, but they would be enough to severely injure him.

As the battle intensified, Lu Yang felt an epiphany forming in his mind, like a halo of light shrouded in dense fog that he couldn’t quite see through.

Just as he tried to dispel the fog and see clearly, the beast Zheng attacked.

The Zheng scraped the ground with its hooves and charged at Lu Yang with its horn.

Though Lu Yang managed to sever the Zheng’s horn with Qingfeng Sword, he was injured in the process, with his waist pierced and blood flowing freely.

He quickly took a pill to stop the bleeding.

The beast Lu Shu descended from above, its four hooves like four massive millstones aiming to crush Lu Yang.

Lu Yang adopted a sky-supporting posture and clashed head-on with the Lu Shu. The Lu Shu was sent flying by two palms, but Lu Yang didn’t fare much better, feeling as if his arms were about to break apart.

After continuous attacks, Lu Yang’s condition worsened. He didn’t even have time to take another pill, and the fog between him and the halo grew thicker.

“Just a late Foundation Building cultivator, yet you can withstand so many ultimate moves from Golden Core Stage beings. I really want to know what you taste like,” Mu Tian Grass remarked, increasingly satisfied with Lu Yang.

The stronger Lu Yang was, the stronger Mu Tian Grass would become after devouring him.

It was rare for spiritual plants to develop intelligence, but once they did, their potential was immense.

“This pisses me off! Just a damned piece of grass, daring to bully the second-in-command of the Everlasting line! Do you think I don’t have a temper?” Everlasting Fairy, seeing Lu Yang injured, became furious.

“Lu Yang, give me a wooden clone using the Twin Stem Lotus seed; it works better than the Bodhi tree seed!”

Lu Yang was stunned for a moment, then his eyes lit up. He nodded and burrowed into the ground.

“Trying to hide in the ground again? It’s useless!” Mu Tian Grass thought Lu Yang was attempting to escape with the Shrinking Earth technique.

Lu Yang quickly took out the Twin Stem Lotus seed and activated the Tree Planting Art.

A lotus flower sprouted from the ground, with two Lu Yangs standing on its leaves—one the original, the other a clone made from the lotus root.

“That’s it! That’s the technique I’ve been dreaming of!” Mu Tian Grass exclaimed in excitement upon seeing Lu Yang use the clone technique.

“You think you can learn a technique that even I, an immortal, couldn’t master?” The lotus root Lu Yang sneered, mocking Mu Tian Grass for overestimating itself.

The lotus root Lu Yang stretched and felt that the original form was better.

With a snap of her fingers, the outer layer transformed into pink lotus petals. As the petals fell, they revealed Everlasting Fairy in her true form.

The usually smiling girl now frowned at the mass of humans and beasts, clearly displeased.

“A bunch of dirty things, it sullies my hands to hit you. Lu Yang, bring out my tablecloth; it’ll do as a weapon.”

The tablecloth was sturdy and durable, a timeless item from Everlasting, indeed the best weapon.

As Everlasting Fairy spoke, she tied her long hair back into a knot to keep it clean during the fight.

Lu Yang took out a red silk cloth from his identity jade pendant and handed it to Everlasting Fairy.

Holding the red silk, Everlasting Fairy’s eyes showed a touch of nostalgia. She gave the silk a shake, and it seemed to come alive, red as fire and long as a dragon, floating lightly.

“Go!”

Everlasting Fairy grabbed one end of the red silk and flicked it out. The other end slashed through the air like a sharp blade, slicing the beast Zheng in half.

“Your ancestors wouldn’t dare breathe in my presence, and you dare to hurt Lu Yang?”