Chapter 67: Black Mountain Village

In the ancient old-growth forest, Chen Luo and Xie Shuang cautiously ventured outward.

“There’s a village ahead.”

As cultivators at the first layer of Qi Refinement, their perception far surpassed that of ordinary people. After traveling only a short distance, they discovered a village. Not only that, but they also sensed the presence of Doude and his companions within it.

“Be cautious,” Chen Luo warned, swiftly inscribing an immortal script on his palm. Nearby, Xie Shuang nodded and drew her accompanying dagger.

Suppressing their own auras, they slowly approached the village.

Thirty-six presences, no experts detected,” the Mummy Brain relayed to Chen Luo’s mind. Similar responses came from the Royal Family Brain and the Nineteenth Prince’s brain.

This reassured Chen Luo considerably.

Guiding Xie Shuang, they stealthily infiltrated the village by traversing rooftops. However, upon arrival, they heard a familiar voice:

“Junior Brother Chen, you’re awake too?”

The startled tone echoed from below. Looking down, instead of encountering any anticipated danger, they found Doude and his group enthusiastically enjoying food with the villagers. Among them, Doude waved energetically while holding a piece of meat.

Realizing the situation, they descended from the roof.

“Du-shixiong, what happened here?” Xie Shuang asked, utterly bewildered. She had assumed Doude and his group encountered danger.

This was no longer the original Yue Kingdom; as mere first-layer Qi Refiners in the cultivation world, they were highly vulnerable.

“I thought Junior Brother Chen would take more time to recover, so we didn’t rush back. Seems like it caused some misunderstanding.” Observing their expressions, Doude immediately understood the confusion.

The nearby villagers, already joyful, became even happier upon seeing them approach. The village elder, at the forefront, greeted them with animated speech, clearly inviting them to join for a meal.

“What did they say?” Xie Shuang glanced around, curious about how Doude and his companions managed communication despite the language barrier.

“They’re inviting you both to dine with us,” Doude said with a smile. Simultaneously, he gestured wildly towards the village elder, resembling a comical monkey. Cultivators possess keen intellects, and after several hours of interaction, Doude and his group had already grasped some basic phrases spoken by the villagers.

Upon hearing his response, the villagers became even more delighted.

After some enthusiastic shouts, they resumed eating their meal.

“Don’t worry, eat freely. Du Jian Shidi is particularly skilled in pharmacology; he has already analyzed these foods, and they are not poisonous.” Seeing Chen Luo and Xie Shuang hesitant, Doude reassured them with a smile.

“Weren’t you out earlier to gather information? How did you end up dining here?” Xie Shuang asked, feeling neither hungry nor inclined to partake in the local food. She carried her own provisions, trusting them more than offerings from strangers.

“This world might be different from what our masters envisioned.”

Doude was the first among them to awaken and interact with the local villagers. Before Chen Luo’s arrival, he had spent considerable time communicating with the villagers, gathering substantial information.

Before coming here, Changqing Daoist and the others had made various speculations about the cultivation world, primarily focusing on its dangers - envisioning powerful cultivators everywhere, immortals as common as dogs.

However, upon arriving, they discovered that this so-called ‘cultivation world’ also had ordinary people. Unlike the Yue Kingdom, this realm seemed akin to an unrestricted, vast expanse, possessing its own civilizations and nations.

Through Doude’s conversation with the villagers, they confirmed that this place indeed had cultivators.

The village elder himself had witnessed one.

However, compared to cultivators, there were far more ordinary people. Doude gained the village elder’s trust by displaying his abilities subtly.

According to the village elder, the mountainous region where they lived was called the ancient wilderness forest, located at the northernmost part of the She Nation. Their village was the only settlement nearby. Beyond it lay the untamed lands, which the citizens of She Nation considered uncivilized, inhabited by barbarian wildmen.

“In other words, even here, cultivators aren’t commonly seen everywhere?”

Upon hearing this, Xie Shuang sighed in relief.

Her greatest fear was encountering too many powerful individuals, putting their lives constantly at risk.

“Although not abundant, there are still more cultivators here than in Yue Kingdom. The village elder has personally witnessed ‘immortals’ flying on swords!” Doude’s eyes lit up as he spoke about sword flight.

In the former Yue Kingdom, sword flight existed only in legends. Not even Longevity Daoist, the most powerful among their master’s generation, could achieve such a feat. Based on their knowledge, only immortal cultivators who reached Foundation Establishment could truly fly on swords.

In the Qi Refinement stage, one could at most briefly hover but not truly fly.

“Foundation Establishment cultivators?” Chen Luo immediately understood the implication behind Doude’s words.

However, he didn’t expect to learn about immortal cultivation so effortlessly. It seemed almost too convenient.

“How can the village elder, just an ordinary person, know so much information?”

A common village elder living deep within the ancient wilderness forest having knowledge of the cultivation world simply didn’t align with what one would typically expect.

“Doude, you’re not naive; I assume you’ve already looked into this matter.”

Indeed, Doude had done his inquiries long ago. “Five years ago, a prodigy emerged from this village, Black Mountain Village, and was accepted as a disciple by an elder from the Divine Lake Immortal Sect. That’s when the village elder witnessed a ‘Foundation Establishment True Cultivator’ himself.”

The reason for their warm reception became clear: “He treats us well in hopes that some of us, as villagers of Black Mountain, might join the Divine Lake Immortal Sect. If that happens, Black Mountain Village would be exempt from taxes for five years.”

This was the primary motive behind the villagers’ hospitality - tangible benefits were at stake.

“Is joining an immortal sect that straightforward?”

“Can we also become part of the Divine Lake Immortal Sect?”

Chen Luo and Xie Shuang spoke simultaneously.

Compared to Chen Luo’s cautiousness, Xie Shuang sounded much more enthusiastic.

Their purpose in escaping the Great Mausoleum was precisely to pursue higher realms on the immortal path. Eventually, finding an immortal sect to join was inevitable. If they could seamlessly integrate into the Divine Lake Immortal Sect, it would be an ideal outcome.

“Aptitude is rare, even in this world,” Doude clarified, having already sought answers to his own doubts.

In the realm of immortal cultivation, spiritual roots were paramount. Without them, one couldn’t progress beyond Qi Refinement. The inability to enter the Dao remained absolute! Although this cultivation world seemed more prosperous than the Yue Kingdom, the fundamental principles of immortal cultivation had not significantly changed.

“Junior Brother Du Zhi has gone to the nearest city to gather information. If the village elder’s news proves accurate, we will indeed join the Divine Lake Immortal Sect as members of Black Mountain Village,” Doude outlined their plan.

Only then did Chen Luo notice that among those eating, there was no sign of the youngest shidi—the shortest disciple.

Presumably, Junior Brother Du Zhi had already ventured to the city to gather information.

“Well then, let’s have something to eat first.”

Seeing that Doude had progressed this far with their inquiries, Chen Luo decided not to dwell further on the matter. He sat down and began conversing with the villagers.

To blend in here, the first step was mastering the language! Without understanding it, integration would be impossible.

‘The pronunciation resembles that of the southwestern remnants from Yue Kingdom; I can attempt to learn it.’

The external brain promptly activated, as one belonging to a survivor from Yue Kingdom’s southwest provided feedback and started memorizing, mimicking the villagers’ speech patterns. Xie Shuang and Doude were also learning the local dialect, but their progress paled in comparison to Chen Luo’s speed.

‘Non-toxic, safe for consumption.’

As Chen Luo picked up the food offered by the villagers, the brain specialized in pharmacology immediately responded within his mind.

With the incorporation of the mummy’s brain, Chen Luo’s collection of external brains became more active, akin to finding a commanding general. Unlike before, when they required explicit instructions from him to provide feedback, they now operated more autonomously.