Dual Cultivation God Returns

Chapter 747: Absurd World



Two figures crouched on a rooftop, opposite the building that the Thousand Eyes Palace used. They were clad in black clothes, and were ready to pull up cloth masks onto their faces.

"Do you see it?", one of the figures asked.

"No, the formations and arrays in the building are too complex, even my Spiritual Sense can't penetrate it unnoticed", the other one shook his head.

"Heh, not bad for backwater rats", the first one chuckled, knowing his companion had a Special Physique that not only enhanced his Spiritual Sense, but also made it harder to detect. "I know right? Even at the risk of sounding obnoxious, I'd still say we're pretty good", a third voice spoke as the two took a moment to process the idea of hearing it, and that the direction it came from was in between them.

Their heads then turned with lightning speed to the space slightly behind in between the two.

"Oof, you almost unscrewed your heads there... you see your bodies are... a bit stationary at the moment, so the only thing that moved was your neck. Dizzy from that head snap? Here, let me help you relax a little so you don't hurt yourselves like that", a man in a low-sitting bamboo hat, in the same crouching pose as the two, chuckled, while his hands were already finishing inserting thin needles into the backs of the would-be raiders, the last of a set he likely started putting in before even speaking up.

"H-how?", one of them spoke with difficulty as his whole body became strained, but still unable to move.

"Mm, your Spiritual Sense is indeed quite tricky", the man nodded as he stood up, dusting off his hands, "But that's the thing about people. Our strengths, especially if they're as pronounced and innate as yours, can become a hazard when you rely on them so much"

Several more people in the same clothes and bamboo hats silently appeared on the roof, approaching the two who were struggling to move, frozen still in their crouching poses. "Don't worry guys, you won't die. We'll return you to your Sect safe and sound", the man spoke, and then shrugged his shoulders adding "can't save you from getting punished by your Elders for this little outing of yours though"

The two grimaced as they started feeling dizzy, their consciousness drifting away.

"You didn't have to deal with them in person", Madam Liang said to Wu Long, who returned to the building and was taking off the bamboo hat.

"It's not that I don't trust your people, I just wanted to make sure the two wouldn't get hurt. We want to gain bargaining leverage, not to piss off the Ember Palm Sect", Wu Long smiled.

"Is it because of that one's Spiritual Sense?"

"Mm, it's actually no joke, shame he has no idea how to use it properly. It's likely a Variant Physique with an enhanced Root of Awareness", Wu Long nodded, the look in his eyes showing he wasn't exaggerating his praise.

He sighed, thinking of how this incredible talent was wasted.

If Wu Long had that Spiritual Sense variation, his skills and experience would allow him to gain a perception level close to someone two entire Great Realms higher, which would make him even more dangerous in battle as well.

However, physiques that focused on perception and senses had a tendency of being underestimated in favor of those that directly influenced strength or boosted one's ability to cultivate, so the young man who had it was only recognized enough to become a Direct Disciple of an Elder, not someone treasured by the entire Sect as he should have been.

And it was unlikely he would ever have the guidance to, or even motivation, to try and improve the way he uses that gift of his.

"That ability just requires skill and proper direction to utilize, and it would become absurdly powerful", he added with a wry smile.

"If Valley Master says so, it must be true. To be completely honest, I used to not understand the appeal of such abilities as well", Madam Liang shrugged her shoulders, "...until I met you, that is. Now I question everything I knew day to day"

"There is no shame in that, it is actually normal to think that way. Because if simply raising one's cultivation in a proper way can bridge a gap in strength between someone who lived thousands of years and a youngster who's been alive for a mere couple of decades, anyone would think all that matters is cultivation. The fact you're reflecting is more admirable", Wu Long chuckled.

Such was the absurdity of the cultivation world that it allowed cultivation to trample skill no matter how great that skill was, as long as the difference in realms was sufficient.

It was no wonder, in such a world, abilities that required skill to shine took a backseat to those that were powerful on their own, while the concept of skill itself took a backseat to cultivation realms.

Of course, even in such a world, many recognized the value of skill, but even those who did never actually placed it above cultivation, and compared to the population of the world who placed their entire faith in cultivation only, they were still a minority.

In this sense, the concept of strength in the world of cultivators was quite shallow in Wu Long's eyes.

His poor talent in cultivation forced him to hold a different perspective on what constituted strength, and to explore the concept of technical skill from a different perspective. It made him notice potential where it was ignored.

Thus, there was no one who valued such things as the talent that Disciple had, as much as Wu Long did.

The next day, he and a few of Thousand Eyes Palace members set out to the Spiritual Land that the Ember Palm Pavilion now occupied.

But as they were traveling outside the Silver Wing City, Wu Long suddenly stopped, prompting the rest of the group to halt their steps as well.

"Hahaha, perceptive... as expected of someone working in this line of business", a laughter came from a distance, and five figures quickly approached the area.

'Seven Extreme Swords Sect', Wu Long narrowed his eyes under the bamboo hat, recognizing the insignia on the robes of those people.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

But as the Elder of the third Major Sect vying for supremacy on the continent tried to speak up further, Wu Long's figure suddenly blurred, and reappeared surrounded by streaks of

lightning right before him.

"Hmph! How impertinent!", the Elder's expression sank as he saw a mere Mortal Transcendence Realm challenging him, an expert in the 4th level of Essence Gathering Realm.

The sword that appeared in his hand rose, however, didn't make it in time and halted, as the look in his eyes quickly changed the next moment.

"I-impos-...", a steak of light cleanly cleaved the Elder's figure in two, from the top of the head to his crotch, shocking both Wu Long's allies and the rest of the Seven Extremes Swords Sect members.

"L-lightning of H-heavenly Punishment?!?! H-how is this-...?!", one of the Sect Protectors who stood nearest to the Elder could clearly feel the breath of Heavenly Punishment from the light that took the life of their Elder, while his eyes reflected the two halves of the corpse starting to turn to ash and dissipate.

This aura that instinctually gave rise to fear in the minds and hearts of cultivators momentarily numbed the response of the four Sect Protectors.

"Tch, can't handle it after all...", Wu Long clicked his tongue as he watched the sword in his own hand turn to ash too, after only a single use of the Annihilation Lightning. 'Well, good thing I have that one now', he thought with a smile as he saw the sword in the hand of the Elder he just killed, one that was a massive upgrade to the one he just ruined. He quickly grabbed that sword, while his Water Rune stretched a thin stream that took off the Spatial Ring, while he already was in front of the nearest Sect Protector who shouted out. "Run!", the other one a bit further away shouted as he turned to run, seeing the situation turn dire, while the one before Wu Long desperately tried to evade an attack. Though his maneuver only got him a cross-cut from shoulder to the waist instead of cleanly halving him like his Elder.

This attack didn't contain any Annihilation Lightning, but the Sword Domain that expanded from Wu Long was more than enough for these Essence Awakening Realm practitioners.

It also caught the one who shouted to run in the discolored space, as he suddenly slowed down, and lost his head while not fully understanding what happened.

The other two tried to use the time that Wu Long used to kill their colleagues to get away, but their hearts were pierced from seemingly nowhere, by two daggers, as crimson glowing eyes were all they saw before their consciousness faded away.

"See? I told you, being too sure of being able to win before even knowing who you're dealing

with is a shortcut to a dumb death", Wu Long half-turned to Fen Baihu who appeared next to the Hong sisters that finished off the two sect Protectors, "That Elder would have actually been a tough opponent if he had a chance to fight without letting his guard down"

It was very possible that in the current state where Wu Long was temporarily stripped of the abilities given by the three Supreme Cultivation Methods, that Elder would have given him a hard time. Unfortunately for him, he was killed before he could show even a fraction of his

strength.

This was yet another absurdity of this cultivation world, and one of its many facets.