After the Immortal Disappeared

An unseen undercurrent pushed it, causing it to slowly drift outward.

In the distance, the lake turned into a frozen river.

Sunx Fuling pulled him along as they ran to the nearest high bridge, where many other people also stood.

Looking down from here at the dimly lit surface of the lake, only the translucent lotus petals of the small lantern reflected the candlelight, shimmering with a warm glow.

Anyone by the lake who saw this lantern would also quietly pause and offer a soft prayer.

Hee Lingchuan turned and saw three or four other lotus lanterns floating on the river's surface, each lonely candle flame carrying the thoughts of the living.

Sunx Fuling also put her palms together, praying softly, just as devout as everyone else.

These lotus lanterns would only burn until they floated out of Panlong City. After that, their fate would be left to the myriad mountains and rivers of the Chipa Plateau.

The same went for people.

"Now that the lantern is released, you should let this go," Sunx Fuling said pragmatically. "The dead are gone, but the living must keep striving."

In the future, they would have no shortage of opportunities to release lanterns here.

The sooner one accepted things, the less one would suffer.

After the lotus lantern drifted far away, Hee Lingchuan once again said to Sunx Fuling in a low voice, "Let's go back."

"Mm."

* * *

After opening his eyes, Hee Lingchuan stared blankly at the roof of his tent for a while.

This time, he had spent even longer in the Dream Realm—a full seven days. He had even slept twice during that time, thinking he would wake up in reality, but he hadn't.

Those seven days had been both peaceful and fulfilling. Aside from pondering the Golden Armor Copper Man Secret Scroll and diligently practicing his cultivation and archery, he spent his time chatting with Sunx Fuling.

As they grew more familiar, the young woman couldn't be bothered to use the gate anymore. She would often just prop herself on top of the wall to talk to him. When she came to check on the Sparrowhawk, she would vault over the low wall with a single push of her hands, her movements quite nimble.

Food, however, became a major problem. Sunx Fuling was true to her word; when she said she couldn't cook, she really couldn't. Both of them were used to having their meals served to them, so they had no choice but to go out and find food together.

It might sound like they were becoming inseparable and their bond was deepening by the day, but Hee Lingchuan couldn't feel any joy from it. That was because Sunx Fuling, paying no mind to the fact that she was on winter break, would often grab him to do something that would infuriate both gods and men:

Tutoring!

His progress in learning the Ancient Immortal Language was too slow, and Master Sunx was displeased. She even scheduled pop quizzes for him.

Eventually, all the words turned into tadpoles, swimming around in his mind.

A dislike for studying was etched into his subconscious; it wouldn't change just because he had a new body in a new world.

So much so that when Liu Tong came to inform him of an upcoming mission, Hee Lingchuan felt as if he'd been granted amnesty.

Upon opening his eyes, Hee Lingchuan was momentarily unable to tell dream from reality. However, the sounds of voices and neighing horses from outside reached his ears, reminding him that he was currently in a military camp.

'Am I spending more and more time in the Dream Realm because the Floating Life Blade has been repaired?'

Hee Lingchuan sat up and rubbed his face. Just then, a Guard came to report:

"Elder Liang has arrived."

Hee Lingchuan was very surprised. Elder Liang of the Cloud-Piercing Pavilion had always been polite but distant toward him. Plus, the man was under a Silence Spell and stubbornly refused to speak, only able to stare at people. 'What could he possibly want now?'

He had just finished getting dressed when Elder Liang entered the tent.

The two exchanged pleasantries, and then Elder Liang's disciple spoke on his master's behalf:

"Young Master Hee, my master wishes to discuss a matter with you."

A Guard ran off to boil water. Hee Lingchuan, still looking drowsy, nodded and said, "Please, go on."

Unexpectedly, Elder Liang's disciple took out a folded letter and presented it with both hands. "It cannot be explained in just a few words. My master has written it down for you to read."

'Oh? A long-winded explanation?'

Hee Lingchuan took the letter, unfolded it, and after just a few glances, became completely engrossed.

Elder Liang never visited without a purpose, and today he had come specifically for the strange red Potion in Hee Lingchuan's possession. Yesterday, Medicine Ape Ling Guang had tested just a single drop of the Potion, which had caused a mutated Parasol Tree to grow, ultimately leading to a tense standoff on both banks of the great river.

Elder Liang had remained silent, but he had seen everything and had become very interested in this medicine. He wanted to ask for a few drops to take back and test.

Coincidentally, he had just fought Dong Rui's Demon Puppet. The Ghost Ape had left a deep impression on him, and combined with last night's sudden incident—so, Elder Liang mentioned in the letter that Dong Rui's Demon Puppet was very similar to a monster recorded in a Middle Ages Secret Scripture.

This monster was called a Ghost Beast.

The Cloud-Piercing Pavilion had a long and storied history, tracing its origins back to the Cyan Cloud Sect of Ancient Times. That was a true Immortal Sect that had produced many world-shaking Great Powers. After the cataclysm of Heaven and Earth, the Immortal Sects gradually weakened. The Cyan Cloud Sect inevitably declined as well, eventually splitting into several Daoist Sects, with the Cloud-Piercing Pavilion being one of its branches.

Therefore, although the Cloud-Piercing Pavilion was now only deeply rooted in Xiazhou, its ancestors belonged to a major Sect with a rich history, tradition, and background. While the thinning Spiritual Qi had corroded most of their heirlooms, a few scriptures from the Ancient Times and Middle Ages had been perfectly preserved to this day.

And if all else failed, they could just make a few copies.

The Middle Ages Secret Scroll Elder Liang mentioned was the Lanshan Anomaly Chronicles. Its author was an Elder from the Cyan Cloud Sect before its schism, and it was written 2,700 years ago. He recorded several of the difficult and desperate battles he had participated in, with the two most important taking place near Lanshan, within the borders of the present-day Xianyou Kingdom.

The period from the cataclysm of Heaven and Earth until the complete disappearance of the Immortals was known as the Middle Ages.

After the Celestial Demons left the Human Realm, the Mortal World enjoyed peace for over two hundred years.

Unfortunately, the good times didn't last. Other demons began to stir up trouble everywhere, not only devouring common people at will but also ambushing Immortal Descendants. The descendants and younger generations of many Great Powers were slaughtered.

The Immortal Sects were naturally furious and began to fight fiercely with the Demon Race.

The Demon Race repeatedly claimed they were wronged, insisting, 'Those bastards causing chaos everywhere weren't sent by us.'

How could the Immortal Sects possibly listen?

Few Demons were good-tempered; if they took a beating, they were bound to strike back. And so, the two "good brothers" who had joined forces to fight a common enemy during the Ancient Times turned on each other at the drop of a hat.

However, the Immortals later came to their senses. The strange and bizarre Exotic Beasts they had slain, though possessing various powers, didn't seem to be native Demons of the Mortal World.

At the very least, their intelligence was lacking, making normal communication almost impossible.

A Demon whose spirit-intellect had not yet awakened—could it still be called a Demon?

Upon further investigation, the various differences in these monsters became more and more apparent, so people gave them a new name:

Ghost Beasts.

Unfortunately, by this time, the relationship between the Immortal Sects and the Demon Race could no longer return to what it once was. Coupled with the fact that both sides were competing for the increasingly scarce Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, the rift developed into hatred, with one blood debt piling upon another.

The author of this Secret Scroll personally fought Ghost Beasts and dissected no fewer than a hundred of them. At last, building on the research of his predecessors, he proposed a new theory: these monsters were all transformed Demons, and the most crucial drug used in the process still came from the Celestial Demons.

It was a Secret Medicine left behind by the Celestial Demons that caused the bodies of Demon Beasts to undergo unpredictable mutations.

The Cyan Cloud Sect had also captured several creators of these Ghost Beasts, all of whom were devout followers acting on the orders of the Celestial Demons.

In other words, although the Celestial Demons had departed, they had still cast a shadow over this world.

Later, due to the combined encirclement and suppression by the Immortal and Demon Races, and with the passage of time, the number of Ghost Beasts dwindled until they finally all but vanished from the river of history.

Having read up to this point, Hee Lingchuan looked up and asked Elder Liang, "You want five drops of the Potion?"

"Precisely. And Chief Steward Hee has already given his approval."

Hee Lingchuan smiled. "This is my spoil of war; my old man has no authority to dispose of it. However, if Elder Liang is willing to find a Beast Soul for me and clear up some of my confusion, I'd be more than happy to share."

Elder Liang agreed with almost no hesitation.

Hee Lingchuan then continued to ask, "Do you believe the medicine in Dong Rui's possession is the Secret Medicine of the Celestial Demons?"

Elder Liang nodded.

"But the Demon Puppets he creates can't compare to the Ghost Beasts of the Middle Ages, can they? They're a weakened version at best." Hee Lingchuan had never seen a Middle Ages Ghost Beast, but Immortals still existed back then. 'How could a creature that even Immortals might not have been able to defeat not be more powerful than Dong Rui's Demon Puppets?'

Elder Liang gestured, and his disciple translated:

"Even if it is the Secret Medicine of the Celestial Demons, after being left for over two thousand years, its efficacy has likely diminished."

'So he's saying the Potion was stored for too long and is past its expiration date? Hmm, very scientific, makes a lot of sense.'

Elder Liang then indicated, "During the Middle Ages, Spiritual Qi was in decline, so the Ghost Beasts were likely affected as well."

"Then why didn't the Celestial Demons create Ghost Beasts as helpers while they were still wreaking havoc in the Mortal World, instead only using them to stir up trouble after they left?"

This Young Master Hee certainly had a lot of questions. Elder Liang gestured patiently. "That is unknown. Perhaps the Secret Medicine had just been developed when the Celestial Demons were driven from this realm."

Hee Lingchuan thought for a moment, then asked a question that had long been on his mind: "Elder Liang, did the Celestial Demons of the Ancient Times become the Deities of later ages?"

After the Celestial Demons vanished, the Deities appeared. Although they could not manifest in person, their presence has been felt, however faintly, throughout the entire era of humanity.

It was hard not to connect the two.

Interestingly, however, Hee Lingchuan had never been able to find a definitive answer, not even in the Library Pavilion of Panlong City.

The matter always seemed to be glossed over, veiled by a thin layer of concealment.

Elder Liang stared at him for a long moment before speaking through his disciple: "The inherited teachings and scriptures of the Cyan Cloud Sect repeatedly warn us never to forget the insidiousness of the Celestial Demons or the cruelty of the cataclysm. As descendants of the Cyan Cloud Sect, we firmly believe that the Celestial Demons never truly left. Instead, they transformed themselves into the high and mighty Deities! Unfortunately, to this day, the world has forgotten the grievous wounds the Celestial Demons inflicted upon it. People don't even believe the great calamity ever happened, let alone that the Deities are the Celestial Demons."

He sighed heavily. "Even many Daoist Sects and members of the Demon Race worship the Deities just like the common folk. It is truly a case of forgetting one's roots—ignorant, fearless, and utterly disrespectful!"

"Why?" 'Your propaganda efforts must be terrible. The Celestial Demons are a world away, and they're still doing a better job of fooling people than you are.'

"That history is too ancient, and human lives are too short. Young Master Hee should understand that so-called inherited memories can be altered." Elder Liang seemed somewhat agitated, his hands moving quickly, causing his translating disciple to stumble over his words. "Of course, in the end, it is because we Cultivators are far weaker than our ancestors. We lack the power to shatter mountains and split the earth, and thus we lack the ability to win the people's trust."

In an age where Immortals and Demons walked the earth, humble, ordinary humans only needed to be responsible for looking up and worshipping.