Dao Companion Crippled, Coveters Move

Chapter 115 - 114: The Great Elder Wants to Borrow Peng Sword Immortal's Essence... To Have a Child

The Ancestral God Pavilion, the tallest structure in the entire Xuanyuan Dao Sect, was also the very heart of the sect.

This was where the Dao Sect's old monsters practiced in seclusion. Only the unique nature of the Ancestral God Pavilion could prevent these senior cultivators—whose practice could cause Spiritual Qi storms, making them walking natural disasters—from affecting the outside world.

It was shaped like a towering, purple-gold pagoda that pierced the clouds. Its surface wasn't adorned with magnificent divine light, only the time-worn marks of ages past. It was so simple and archaic that one glance was enough to know this was an "ancient structure" that had weathered the long river of time for an unknown number of years.

Above a hundred meters, the Ancestral God Pavilion was wreathed in a special mist that blocked Spiritual Perception, making it impossible to see the pagoda's full form by looking up.

In the sky not far off, a figure in white gradually approached. It was none other than Pei Yuhang, who had come for the Ginseng Dao Fruit.

However, the Flying Sword he rode flew lower and slower, clearly forcing him to land.

The reason was that before Pei Yuhang even came within ten kilometers of the Ancestral God Pavilion, he felt invisible shackles bind him. They made it difficult for the Spiritual Qi in his body to circulate, forcing him to halt his Sword Control and proceed toward the majestic pagoda on foot—a long-unfamiliar experience.

He looked up at the mysterious and ancient structure, murmuring to himself:

"This Ancestral God Pavilion... it must be a Supreme Heaven and Earth Treasure, one even more terrifying than the Divine Sword Pavilion. If a superweapon like this, capable of turning Cultivators into mortals by preventing them from using Spiritual Qi, were deployed on a battlefield... it's hard to imagine the extent of its power."

'If the Dao Sect had deployed the Ancestral God Pavilion during the great war against the Demon Dao decades ago,' Pei Yuhang thought, 'it could have drastically reduced the losses of the Righteous Cultivators and hastened our victory.'

'Unfortunately... even when the Demonic Cultivators were at their strongest, on the verge of destroying a Sacred Land belonging to the Righteous Forces, the Dao Sect still didn't use the Ancestral God Pavilion to suppress them. They didn't even disturb the old monsters within. The main fighting force in the war always consisted of Cultivators below the Mahayana Stage.'

'Perhaps... in the eyes of these old monsters at the very peak of the Cultivation Realm, the great war was nothing more than a petty squabble.'

'Or maybe, in the eyes of these true power brokers, they had more important things to attend to?'

But—

Pei Yuhang remembered the mountains of corpses and seas of blood on the devastated battlefields of that war. He remembered the young prodigies who had fallen one after another in that meaningless conflict.

Looking back, Pei Yuhang realized he had never been able to come to terms with that great war in the Cultivation Realm, which had started and ended so inexplicably.

The White-clothed Sword Immortal sighed, pushed aside his distracting thoughts, and strode toward the Ancestral God Pavilion.

When he finally arrived before the Ancestral God Pavilion, having walked the whole way like a mortal, Pei Yuhang found a Female Cultivator in green robes who seemed to have been waiting for some time.

"Fellow Daoist Pei, this way, please."

The Female Cultivator greeted him and led the way, letting Pei Yuhang know she was one of the Great Elder's subordinates.

Pei Yuhang returned the greeting politely and followed her.

She led Pei Yuhang to a well-appointed private room and said, "The Great Elder's incarnation will be here shortly. Please wait a moment, Fellow Daoist Pei."

Pei Yuhang wasn't surprised. A powerhouse like Elder Xiao, whose cultivation was beyond the Mahayana Stage, would naturally not waste his precious training time on trivialities. Such miscellaneous matters were always handled by his incarnations.

What Pei Yuhang did not expect, however, was that the Female Cultivator who had led him in began to undo the buttons of her dress, right in front of him, starting from the top.

Pei Yuhang was aghast. "Fellow Daoist, what are you doing? Are you trying to set me up?!"

'She's one of Elder Xiao's women, likely a trusted subordinate. Relationships like that are often ambiguous. For her to undress in front of me... the first thing that came to my mind was a honey trap. She's trying to use Elder Xiao to harm me!'

Seeing Pei Yuhang's vehement refusal, the Female Cultivator explained:

"There's no need to be alarmed, Fellow Daoist Pei. I am acting on Elder Xiao's instructions."

"?"

"Elder Xiao's only grandson showed weakness during the Sect's grand tournament. His Dao Heart was damaged, and even after being healed, his future prospects are limited... The Elder desires more outstanding descendants. However, due to the special nature of his cultivation path, Elder Xiao cannot engage in carnal acts..."

As she spoke, a blush crept onto her pretty face.

"So, Elder Xiao has been searching for exceptional male Cultivators within the Sect to provide their Essence... In his view, you, Fellow Daoist Pei, are the top choice in terms of aptitude, appearance, and temperament. That is why he sent me to borrow your Essence..."

The Female Cultivator tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and added in a low voice, "Please rest assured, Fellow Daoist Pei. My virginity is intact, and my Yin Essence is pure... Moreover, I have no intention of disturbing your relationship with Fairy Ye. You would only need to see me periodically... until I have successfully conceived Elder Xiao's second 'grandson.'"

"..."

'Borrowing essence to beget a child...' Pei Yuhang had heard of this during his time in the mortal world. Back when he had just earned the title of top scholar, a wealthy family in the Capital City had offered him money to impregnate their concubine and "improve the family genes." He never imagined that a hundred years later, he would encounter the same situation again. But he had refused them sternly then, and he certainly wouldn't compromise his principles now.

"Fellow Daoist, please inform Elder Xiao that I'm afraid I cannot comply."

"Won't you at least hear the reward Elder Xiao is offering, Fellow Daoist Pei? If the child's aptitude proves to be outstanding, Elder Xiao's gift to you will be no less valuable than a Ginseng Dao Fruit."

"I'm sorry, I still cannot accept."

"...In that case, Fellow Daoist Pei, is it perhaps my looks that you find unsatisfactory?"

"That's not it at all... I simply cannot accept the arrangement."

"Very well. I will relay your message to Elder Xiao."

A flicker of disappointment crossed the Female Cultivator's eyes as she regretfully fastened the buttons of her dress.

'Since Elder Xiao had already chosen her to be the mother of his second "grandson," what did it matter who she slept with? If she had the chance to engage in a union of yin and yang with the handsome, legendary Sword Immortal she had heard so much about since joining the Sect, it would have been a dream come true.'

'But now that the White-clothed Sword Immortal had so firmly refused, she knew she would never be as content with whomever Elder Xiao chose next, regardless of how high his Cultivation might be.'

Pei Yuhang watched the Female Cultivator leave with a dejected air, only then letting out a long sigh of relief.

'The implications of her words were deeply unsettling.'

'If Elder Xiao was likely impotent due to his Cultivation Technique... then Xiao Chenyu probably wasn't his biological grandson, either. He was likely also conceived via a surrogate...'

'Ugh, the lives of these great figures are too messy. Better not to dig any deeper.'

Pei Yuhang sat in his chair, not even daring to drink the tea before him, afraid it had been drugged. All he wanted now was to get the Ginseng Dao Fruit and return to Liyuan.

Finally, after Pei Yuhang had waited for an hour, the door before him was pushed open.

A stately, middle-aged man with a thick beard strode into the room. The hair on his head was sparse, and a balding patch on top gleamed under the candlelight.

Great Elder Xiao had arrived.